Foot-operable cursor control device
First Claim
1. A foot-operable device for selective user displacement and control of a cursor on a computer display, comprising:
- a housing defining an interior chamber and having a top wall oriented and configured for receiving a user'"'"'s foot in at least partially-supported relation on said top wall and a bottom wall, said top wall including an opening defined in and through said top wall and communicating with said chamber;
an axially-elongated control stick having a top end and a longitudinally-opposite bottom end and extending through said opening so that said bottom end is disposed in said chamber and said top end projects outwardly from the housing interior through said opening, said control stick being supportedly coupled to said housing for pivotal movement of said control stick relative to said housing so as to move said bottom end in directions substantially transverse to the control stick axis in response to selective user-manipulated axially-transverse movements of the control stick top end and for axial translation of the control stick relative to the housing so as to move the control stick bottom end toward said housing bottom wall in response to selective user-manipulated depression of the control stick top end toward said housing top wall from a first, untranslated position of the control stick to a second, inwardly-depressed position of the control stick, and said control stick top end being disposed for contact with a user'"'"'s foot so that user-initiated selective movements of a user'"'"'s foot are transferrable to said top end for selectively transversely moving and axially translating the control stick;
biasing means disposed between said housing top wall and said control stick for resiliently urging said control stick top end in a direction axially away from said top wall so as to return the control stick from said second position to said first position following user-manipulated depression of the control stick top end; and
sensing means in said chamber for detecting pivotal movements and axial translations of said control stick.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for selectively manipulating movement of a cursor on a computer display, as with the user'"'"'s foot. The device comprising a housing, an elongated control stick member protruding through an opening defined in the top wall of the housing, and sensors for detecting movements of the bottom end of the control stick member. An annular guide member supports the control stick member in the housing for pivotable and longitudinally reciprocated motion under selective user control. A helical coil spring resiliently urges the control stick member longitudinally upward from the housing top wall to reposition the stick member after a user-initiated inward displacement.
130 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A foot-operable device for selective user displacement and control of a cursor on a computer display, comprising:
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a housing defining an interior chamber and having a top wall oriented and configured for receiving a user'"'"'s foot in at least partially-supported relation on said top wall and a bottom wall, said top wall including an opening defined in and through said top wall and communicating with said chamber; an axially-elongated control stick having a top end and a longitudinally-opposite bottom end and extending through said opening so that said bottom end is disposed in said chamber and said top end projects outwardly from the housing interior through said opening, said control stick being supportedly coupled to said housing for pivotal movement of said control stick relative to said housing so as to move said bottom end in directions substantially transverse to the control stick axis in response to selective user-manipulated axially-transverse movements of the control stick top end and for axial translation of the control stick relative to the housing so as to move the control stick bottom end toward said housing bottom wall in response to selective user-manipulated depression of the control stick top end toward said housing top wall from a first, untranslated position of the control stick to a second, inwardly-depressed position of the control stick, and said control stick top end being disposed for contact with a user'"'"'s foot so that user-initiated selective movements of a user'"'"'s foot are transferrable to said top end for selectively transversely moving and axially translating the control stick; biasing means disposed between said housing top wall and said control stick for resiliently urging said control stick top end in a direction axially away from said top wall so as to return the control stick from said second position to said first position following user-manipulated depression of the control stick top end; and sensing means in said chamber for detecting pivotal movements and axial translations of said control stick. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification