Control method of a plurality of locators and control device of same

• US 5,587,559 A
• Filed: 12/01/1994
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Tsuchida, Yoichi, Fleck, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/352,133
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 345/156, 345/173, 345/174, 395/200.11, 395/200.13, 395/200.08, 395/700.16, 395/821, 395/856, 264/709.16, 264/709.11
• US Class Current: 178/18.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A control method and device allows a plurality of locators to be utilized in commonly used systems which have been inherently designed to be equipped with a single locator. The locator represents tablet, and pointing device such as mouse, pen. This control method stores device information table, pointer for the table, current status information on each one of plural locators, retrieves required information table by using the pointer and current status information in response to event generation of any one of the locators, request from application program, or predetermined period, and refers to the content of the information table.

Claims

1. In a data processing system including a hardware and its operating system which process only information input through a single pointing device, a control method for utilizing a plurality of pointing devices comprising;

a first storing step for storing stationary information, independent of time, on each one of the plural pointing devices and individual device information on each one of the pointing devices, containing current sampling data which is rewritten depending on every sampling operation of the pointing device, as the individual item corresponding to the pointing device in an individual device information table;

a second storing step for storing a table pointer to identify the stored position of the individual device information on each one of the pointing devices in the individual device information table;

a third storing step for storing the whole number of pointing devices and device status information representing current state of each one of the pointing devices;

a retrieval step for retrieving the required device information table by using the device status information and the table pointer, in response to event generated in any one of the plural pointing devices, or any request from the application, or at every predetermined period;

a control step for controlling the device information table to refer the content of the required device information table;

an ordinary data transmit step for sequentially transmitting sampling information representing coordinates and so on supplied from one of the plural pointing devices, as a mouse information to the operating system in time sharing manner;

a selecting step for selecting one of the plural pointing devices in response to the event generated; and

a final data transmit step for transmitting only information from the selected pointing device as the currently required mouse information to the operating system.

3. The control method in the data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the switch assembled on the pointing device is associated with a keyboard input, and thus an ON-signal from the keyboard input associated switch is transmitted, independent of the data transmitting operation for transmitting the mouse information from the plural pointing devices, to the above operating system.

2. In a data processing system including a hardware and its operating system which process only information input through a single pointing device, a control method for utilizing a plurality of pointing devices comprising;

a first storing step for storing stationary information, independent of time, on each one of the plural pointing devices and individual device information on each one of the pointing devices, containing current sampling data which is rewritten depending on every sampling operation of the pointing device, as the individual item corresponding to the pointing device in an individual device information table;

a second storing step for storing a table pointer to identify the stored position of the individual device information on each one of the pointing devices in the individual device information table;

a third storing step for storing the whole number of pointing devices and device status information representing current state of each one of the pointing devices;

a retrieval step for retrieving the required device information table by using the device status information and the table pointer, in response to event generated in any one of the plural pointing devices, or any request from the application, or at every predetermined period;

a control step for controlling the device information table to refer the content of the required device information table;

an ordinary data transmit step for sequentially transmitting sampling information representing coordinates and so on supplied from one of the plural pointing devices, as a mouse information to the operating system in time sharing manner;

a selecting step for selecting one of the plural pointing devices in response to the event generated

a final data transmit step for transmitting only information from the selected pointing device as the currently required mouse information to the operating system;

an additional table forming step for forming a stroke record information table in which the record of stroke information currently generated and previously generated for a predetermined numbers, one stroke information being represented by a set of sampling data sequence during ON-keeping state of a switch associated with the pointing device which has one or more switches, when at least one of the plural pointing devices is mounted on the tablet;

a fourth storing step for storing a current stroke data pointer which indicates the stored position of the first data of the current stroke information stored as the above mentioned record of stroke information, and the number of sampling data included in each current stroke information; and

a retrieval and reference step for retrieving and referring to the above mentioned stroke record information table as required.

4. In a data processing system including a hardware and its operating system which process only information input through a single tablet, a control method for utilizing a plurality of tablets comprising;

a first storing step for storing stationary information, independent of time, on each one of the plural tablets and individual device information on each one of the tablets, containing current sampling data which is rewritten depending on every sampling operation of the pointing device, as the individual item corresponding to the tablet in an individual device information table;

a second storing step for storing a table pointer to identify the stored position of the individual device information on each one of the tablets in the individual device information table;

a third storing step for storing the whole number of tablets and device status information representing current state of each one of the tablets;

a retrieval step for retrieving the required device information table by using the device status information and the table pointer, in response to event generated in any one of the plural tablets, or any request from the application, or at every predetermined period;

a control step for controlling the device information table to refer the content of the required device information table;

an ordinary data transmit step for sequentially transmitting sampling information representing coordinates and so on supplied from one of the plural tablets, as a mouse information to the operating system in time sharing manner;

a selecting step for selecting one of the plural tablets in response to the event generated; and

a final data transmit step for transmitting only information from the selected tablet as the currently required mouse information to the operating system.

5. A tablet interfacing method for converting coordinate information and switching information from plural tablets each of which has at least one of pointing device into any suitable forms adapted for an operating system, and supplying the converted information to this operating system, the method comprising;

a conversion-table forming step for forming a conversion-table which is converted whenever the switch information from each of the whole switches assembled on the plural tablets is associated with a mouse event or keyboard input;

a decision step for deciding whether the switch information on each one of the whole switches of the plural tablets is ON or OFF; and

a transmit step for transmitting sequentially the coordinate data from each one of the plural tablets to the operating system in a time sharing manner when all of the switch information are OFF, or the converted information through the conversion-table as the information from the mouse event or the keyboard input to the operating system when any one of the switch information is ON.

6. In a data processing system including a hardware and its operating system which process only information input through a single pointing device, a control device for utilizing a plurality of pointing devices comprising;

a first storing means for storing stationary information, independent of time, on each one of the plural pointing devices and individual device information on each one of the pointing devices, containing current sampling data which is rewritten depending on every sampling operation of the pointing device, as the individual item corresponding to the pointing device in an individual device information table;

a second storing means for storing a table pointer to identify the stored position of the individual device information on each one of the pointing devices in the individual device information table;

a third storing means for storing the whole number of pointing devices and device status information representing current state of each one of the pointing devices;

a retrieval means for retrieving the required device information table by using the device status information and the table pointer, in response to event generated in any one of the plural pointing devices, or any request from the application, or at every predetermined period;

a control means for controlling the device information table to refer the content of the required device information table;

an ordinary data transmitting means for sequentially transmitting sampling information representing coordinates and so on supplied from one of the plural pointing devices, as a mouse information to the operating system in time sharing manner;

a selecting means for selecting one of the plural pointing devices in response to the event generated; and

a final data transmitting means for transmitting only information from the selected pointing device as the currently required mouse information to the operating system.

8. The control device in the data processing system according to claim 6, wherein the switch assembled on the pointing device is associated with a keyboard input, and thus an ON-signal from the keyboard input associated switch is transmitted, independent of the data transmitting operation for transmitting the mouse information from the plural pointing devices, to the above operating system.

7. In a data processing system including a hardware and its operating system which process only information input through a single pointing device, a control device for utilizing a plurality of pointing devices comprising;

a first storing means for storing stationary information, independent of time, on each one of the plural pointing devices and individual device information on each one of the pointing devices, containing current sampling data which is rewritten depending on every sampling operation of the pointing device, as the individual item corresponding to the pointing device in an individual device information table;

a second storing means for storing a table pointer to identify the stored position of the individual device information on each one of the pointing devices in the individual device information table;

a third storing means for storing the whole number of pointing devices and device status information representing current state of each one of the pointing devices;

a retrieval means for retrieving the required device information table by using the device status information and the table pointer, in response to event generated in any one of the plural pointing devices, or any request from the application, or at every predetermined period;

a control means for controlling the device information table to refer the content of the required device information table;

an ordinary data transmitting means for sequentially transmitting sampling information representing coordinates and so on supplied from one of the plural pointing devices, as a mouse information to the operating system in time sharing manner;

a selecting means for selecting one of the plural pointing devices in response to the event generated;

a final data transmitting means for transmitting only information from the selected pointing device as the currently required mouse information to the operating system;

an additional table forming means for forming a stroke record information table in which the record of stroke information currently generated and previously generated for a predetermined numbers, one stroke information being represented by a set of sampling data sequence during ON-keeping state of a switch associated with the pointing device which has one or more switches, when at least one of the plural pointing devices is mounted on the tablet;

a fourth storing means for storing a current stroke data pointer which indicates the stored position of the first data of the current stroke information stored as the above mentioned record of stroke information, and the number of sampling data included in each current stroke information; and

a retrieval and reference means for retrieving and referring to the above mentioned stroke record information table as required.

9. In a data processing system including a hardware and its operating system which process only information input through a single tablet, a control device for utilizing a plurality of tablets comprising;

a first storing means for storing stationary information, independent of time, on each one of the plural tablets and individual device information on each one of the tablets, containing current sampling data which is rewritten depending on every sampling operation of the tablet, as the individual item corresponding to the tablet in an individual device information table;

a second storing means for storing a table pointer to identify the stored position of the individual device information on each one of the tablets in the individual device information table;

a third storing means for storing the whole number of tablets and device status information representing current state of each one of the tablets;

a retrieval means for retrieving the required device information table by using the device status information and the table pointer, in response to event generated in any one of the plural tablets, or any request from the application, or at every predetermined period;

a control means for controlling the device information table to refer the content of the required device information table;

an ordinary data transmitting means for sequentially transmitting sampling information representing coordinates and so on supplied from one of the plural tablets, as a mouse information to the operating system in time sharing manner;

a selecting means for selecting one of the plural tablets in response to the event generated; and

a final data transmitting means for transmitting only information from the selected tablet as the currently required mouse information to the operating system.

10. A tablet interfacing device for converting coordinate information and switching information from plural tablets each of which has at least one of pointing device into any suitable forms adapted for an operating system, and supplying the converted information to this operating system, the device comprising;

a conversion-table forming means for forming a conversion-table which is converted whenever the switch information from each of the whole switches assembled on the plural tablets is associated with a mouse event or keyboard input;

a decision means for deciding whether the switch information on each one of the whole switches of the plural tablets is ON or OFF; and

a transmit means for transmitting sequentially the coordinate data from each one of the plural tablets to the operating system in a time sharing manner when all of the switch information are OFF, or the converted information through the conversion-table as the information from the mouse event or the keyboard input to the operating system when any one of the switch information is ON.