Cursor control device construction

• US 5,661,504 A
• Filed: 12/06/1995
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Abeam Technologies Incorporated, Shun-Jung Lo
• Original Assignee: Abeam Technologies Incorporated, Shun-Jung Lo
• Inventors: Lo, Shun-Jung
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US08/568,422
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/163, 345/164, 345/167, 345/166
• US Class Current: 345/164
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

A cursor control device construction includes a body accommodating a circuit board and having a circular hole in a bottom side for containing a ball which may move freely therein. The body further has a pair of encoders, each of which consists of a wheel, a light source and a sensor. The wheel, light source and sensor may be secured on a securing seat which are provided with insert means at a bottom side thereof for insertion into corresponding holes in the circuit board. The securing seat further supports an idle wheel which is disposed between a roller at an end of a spindle of the wheel and the ball for transmitting rolling actions of the ball to the roller, so that when the ball rotates, the wheel is caused to synchronously rotate therewith. The arrangement of the idle wheel enables the spindle of the wheel to be located at a relatively higher position so that the diameter of the wheel may be increased to achieve precise reading of signals and the wheel may be mounted on the circuit board before tin soldering.

Claims

1. A cursor control device construction comprising:

a body having a cap with a plurality of push buttons locked to an upper side thereof, said body accommodating therein a circuit board and having a circular hole in a bottom side thereof for accommodating a ball, said body further having a pair of encoders, each of said encoders including a wheel with a spindle having one end thereof fixedly provided with a roller, a securing seat being disposed below said wheel, said securing seat having a plurality of plate-like mountings for supporting said spindle of said wheel, said mountings further supporting an idle wheel at a position lower than that of said roller, said idle wheel being disposed intermediate said roller and said ball and being in contact with both of said roller and said ball for transmitting rolling actions of said ball to said roller, a light source and a sensor being respectively disposed on both sides of said wheel and being secured in a couple of positioning slots formed in said securing seat, which has a plurality of hook-like lugs and a positioning pin projecting from a bottom side thereof, said lugs and said positioning pin being inserted into a plurality of insert holes and a positioning hole correspondingly formed in said circuit board after said wheel, said light source and said sensor are positioned on said securing seat.