Tablet pointer

• US 5,786,812 A
• Filed: 06/11/1996
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Original Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Inventors: Okamura, Ryo, Yoshikawa, Osamu, Nakanishi, Noriyuki, Miyazaki, Minekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US08/661,451
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 345/179, 345/173, 345/157, 345/156, 345/145, 345/146, 345/163, 345/180, 345/182, 345/183, 345/184, 345/104, 178/18, 178/19
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The invention concerns a tablet pointer that enables the drag mode to be retained even when the operation surface of a tablet sheet is so narrow that the stylus press-held thereto needs to be temporarily lifted off. Switch data generating member provided in the tablet pointer produces switch data indicating the operating state of a mouse switch and device output data of the tablet pointer is fed to a personal computer as an output of an operation unique to the mouse, such as drag mode data. While in a keep-drag mode, the switch data generating member does not cancel the drag mode even if it is supplied with an ordinary drag cancel input. Hence, the drag mode can be retained even if it receives a drag mode cancel signal during the drag operation.

Claims

1. A tablet pointer comprising:

a tablet sheet;

distance-traveled data generating means for generating distance-traveled data representing the distance of travel of a stylus pressed against said tablet sheet;

switch data generating means for generating switch data representing an operating state of a mouse switch;

keep-drag mode select means for generating a keep-drag mode signal and a keep-drag cancel signal, and for outputting one of said keep-drag mode signal and said keep-drag cancel signal into said switch data generating means; and

data output means for outputting, to a personal computer, device output data consisting of said distance-traveled data and said switch data provided in a similar same format to a mouse output format;

wherein said data output means outputs, as device output data in a mouse drag mode, said device output data that contains said distance-traveled data indicating distance of travel of said stylus press-held to said tablet sheet and said switch data indicating depression of said mouse switch,

when said switch data contained in said device output data in said mouse drag mode changes to switch data indicating a release of said mouse switch, said data output means outputs, as device output data for cancelling said drag mode, device output data containing said switch data, and

wherein when said switch data generating means is switched to a keep-drag mode by said keep-drag mode signal from said keep-drag mode select means, said switch data generating means does not generate said switch data indicating said release of said mouse switch until said keep-drag mode is cancelled by said keep-drag cancel signal from said keep-drag mode select means.

2. The tablet pointer of claim 1, characterized in that said switch data generating means generates said switch data indicating said operating state of said mouse switch based on an operation pattern that is a combination of the time for the press-holding of said stylus to said tablet sheet and time intervals between such stylus press-holding operations.

3. The tablet pointer of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said keep-drag mode select means is a push-button switch provided on said tablet pointer and that, whenever depressed, said push-button switch outputs said keep-drag signal and said keep-drag cancel signal alternately with each other.

4. The tablet pointer of claim 2, characterized in that said keep-drag mode select means is a keep-drag mode select circuit and outputs said keep-drag signal and said keep-drag cancel signal based on an operation pattern that is different from said switch data generating pattern and is a combination of said time for press-holding of said stylus to said tablet sheet and time interval between such stylus press-holding operations.

5. The tablet pointer of claim 4, characterized in that when said tablet sheet is tapped once and then pressed, said switch data indicating depression of said mouse switch in said drag mode is produced and when pressure, applied to said tablet sheet, is removed in said drag mode, said switch data indicating release of said mouse switch is produced, and that when said tablet sheet is tapped twice and then pressed, said switch data indicating depression of said mouse switch in said keep-drag mode is produced and that when said tablet sheet is tapped once in said keep-drag mode, said keep-drag mode is cancelled and said switch data indicating release of said mouse switch is produced.

6. A tablet pointer, comprising:

a tablet sheet;

distance-traveled data generating means for generating distance-traveled data representing the distance of travel of a stylus pressed against said tablet sheet;

switch data generating means for generating switch data representing an operating state of a mouse switch; and

data output means for outputting, to a personal computer, device output data consisting of said distance-traveled data and said switch data provided in a similar same format to a mouse output format,

wherein said data output means outputs, as device output data in a mouse drag mode, said device output data that contains said distance-traveled data indicating distance of travel of said stylus pressed against said tablet sheet and said switch data indicating the depression of said mouse switch,

wherein when said switch data contained in said device output data in said mouse drag mode changes to switch data indicating release of said mouse switch, said data output means outputs, as device output data for cancelling said drag mode, device output data containing said switch data,

wherein said switch data generating means generates said switch data indicating said depression of said mouse switch based on an operation pattern that is a combination of time for press-holding said stylus to said tablet sheet and time interval between such stylus press-holding operations, and

wherein when said switch data generating means is switched to said drag mode, said switch generating means does not generate said switch data indicating release of said mouse switch until said tablet sheet is tapped at least once.