Interface control
First Claim
1. An apparatus for generating at least two control signals, said apparatus comprising:
- a support;
an arm member disposed within said support, said arm member being moveable in an arcuate path within said support;
a contact member slidably mounted on said arm member, said contact member being slidable along said arm member;
a first sensor coupled to said arm member for sensing movement of said arm member along said arcuate path; and
a second sensor coupled to said contact member for sensing linear movement of said contact member along said arm member.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved interface control advantageously may be operated by one hand. A thumbpiece is slidably disposed within a longitudinal arm member which moves in an arcuate path. Placing his or her thumb in the thumbpiece, a user controls the horizontal positioning of a cursor by moving the arm member along the arcuate path. Vertical positioning of the cursor is controlled by sliding the thumbpiece along the length of the arm member. Trigger functions are implemented by exerting a downward force on the thumbpiece. Since the downward force used to implement the trigger function is orthogonal to motions used to control positioning of the cursor irrespective of the particular positions of the arm member and thumbpiece, the disclosed interface control prevents a user from inadvertently altering the positioning of the cursor during implementation of the trigger function. The arm member and sliding thumbpiece emulate the natural pivoting and curling/extending motions of the thumb, thereby resulting in a precise, easy to use, and ergonomically superior interface control.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus for generating at least two control signals, said apparatus comprising:
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a support; an arm member disposed within said support, said arm member being moveable in an arcuate path within said support; a contact member slidably mounted on said arm member, said contact member being slidable along said arm member; a first sensor coupled to said arm member for sensing movement of said arm member along said arcuate path; and a second sensor coupled to said contact member for sensing linear movement of said contact member along said arm member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for generating at least two control signals, said apparatus comprising:
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a support; an arm member having a first end portion pivotally coupled to said housing at a point, said arm member being rotatable about said point; a contact member slidably mounted on said arm member, said contact member being slidable along said arm member; a first sensor coupled to said arm member for sensing arcuate movement of said arm member; and a second sensor coupled to said contact member for sensing linear movement of said contact member along said arm member. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification