Mouse housing structure

• US 5,870,081 A
• Filed: 10/03/1996
• Issued: 02/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Primax Electronics Limited
• Original Assignee: Primax Electronics Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): BRIER, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US08/724,857
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 345/163-166
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0332 Ergonomic shaped mouse adjustable to suit one of both hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is related to a mouse housing structure which includes a main body for providing a firm housing structure of a mouse, a held portion located over the main body for facilitating the mouse to be held with hand, and an angle-adjusting device installed in the main body and coupled to the held portion for conforming an angle of the held portion relative to a surface the mouse is rested on to the holding manner of a user.

Claims

1. A mouse housing structure, comprising:

a main body for providing a firm housing structure of a mouse;

a held portion located over said main body for facilitating said mouse to be held with a hand of a user, said held portion including an oblique face having a key set structure formed thereon; and

angle-adjusting means for conforming an angle of said held portion with said key set structure relative to a surface said mouse is resting on to the holding manner of said user, said angle-adjusting means being installed in said main body and coupled to said held portion.

2. The mouse housing structure according to claim 1 wherein said main body includes:

a bottom portion; and

a top portion secured above said bottom portion and having a first through hole in the central part thereof.

3. The mouse housing structure according to claim 1 wherein said held portion further includes an extending face extending from said oblique face and forming an accommodating room together with said oblique face.

4. The mouse housing structure according to claim 3 wherein said accommodating room allows a key-enabled microswitch for controlling commands to be installed therein.

5. The mouse housing structure according to claim 2 wherein said held portion includes an arc face substantially conforming to a palm of said user'"'"'s hand for facilitating the holding operation.

6. The mouse housing structure according to claim 5 wherein said held portion further includes first coupling means for coupling said held portion to said angle-adjusting means, said first coupling means being located substantially at the deepest point in the concave side of said arc face.

7. The mouse housing structure according to claim 6 wherein said first coupling means is a threaded hole element.

8. The mouse housing structure according to claim 6 wherein said held portion further includes two restricting sticks located on two opposite sides of said arc face for being engaged into two grooves included in said top portion of said main body, respectively, in order to maintain a certain position relationship between said held portion and said main body.

9. The mouse housing structure according to claim 6 wherein said held portion further includes two grooves located on two opposite sides of said arc face for receiving therein two restricting sticks included in said top portion of said main body, respectively, in order to maintain a certain position relationship between said held portion and said main body.

10. The mouse housing structure according to claim 6 wherein said main body includes first engaging means for engaging said main body with said angle-adjusting means, said first engaging means being arranged around said first through hole of said top portion.

11. The mouse housing structure according to claim 10 wherein said first engaging means is a set of teeth combined to have a wave shape.

12. The mouse housing structure according to claim 11 wherein said angle-adjusting means includes:

second engaging means for engaging with said first engaging means, which sustains against said top portion of said main body and has a second through hole in the central part thereof;

second coupling means for coupling to said first coupling means, which sustains against said second engaging means and penetrates said first and said second through holes in order to combine said second engaging means with said held portion and said top portion of said main body;

an elastic element coupled to said second coupling means for providing an elastic distortion; and

a pivotally rotating element coupled to said second coupling means for adjusting a tilted angle of said held portion relative to a surface said mouse is rested on by pivotally rotating in response to said elastic distortion.

13. The mouse housing structure according to claim 12 wherein said second engaging means is an arc piece.

14. The mouse housing structure according to claim 13 wherein there is a wave-shaped set of teeth provided on said arc piece for engaging with said first engaging means.

15. The mouse housing structure according to claim 12 wherein said second coupling means includes:

a hollow threaded pole sustaining against said second engaging means by one end thereof; and

a screw element placed into said hollow threaded pole from the other end of said pole and penetrating said first and said second through holes in order to combine said hollow threaded pole with said second engaging means, said held portion and said top portion of said main body.

16. The mouse housing structure according to claim 12 wherein said second coupling means is a connecting device integrally formed with a hollow threaded pole and a screw element.

17. The mouse housing structure according to claim 12 wherein said elastic element is sleeved on said second coupling means and said pivotally rotating element is inserted into and secured to said second engaging means.

18. The mouse housing structure according to claim 12 wherein said elastic element is a spring.

19. The mouse housing structure according to claim 12 wherein said pivotally rotating element is a cylinder having an arc nut on one end thereof.

20. The mouse housing structure according to claim 19 wherein said bottom portion includes a post which has a concave structure on the top end thereof for fittingly receiving said arc nut in order to allow said cylinder to rotate at various angles.

21. The mouse housing structure according to claim 6 wherein said held portion further includes a sustaining element arranged around said first coupling means for facilitating said held portion to sustain against said top portion of said main body.

22. The mouse housing structure according to claim 21 wherein said angle-adjusting means includes:

a hollow threaded pole for sustaining against said top portion of said main body; and

a coupling and pivotally rotating element penetrating said first through hole of said top portion and coupled to said first coupling means to combine said held portion and said top portion, said coupling and pivotally rotating element adjusting a tilted angle of said held portion relative to a surface said mouse is rested on by pivotally rotating.

23. The mouse housing structure according to claim 22 wherein said hollow threaded pole is one with a T shape.

24. The mouse housing structure according to claim 23 wherein said hollow threaded pole has an arc top surface complementing the bottom surface of said top portion.

25. The mouse housing structure according to claim 22 wherein said coupling and pivotally rotating element is a screw element with a reversed T-shape.

26. The mouse housing structure according to claim 25 wherein said bottom portion of said main body has a third through hole and includes a protruding element around said third through hole for sustaining against said screw element.

27. The mouse housing structure according to claim 26 wherein said third through hole serves as a passage for controlling a tension degree of the coupling between said screw element and said first coupling means in order to adjust a rotating direction to change a tilted angle of said held portion relative to a surface said mouse is rested on.

28. A mouse housing structure, comprising:

a main body for providing a firm housing structure of a mouse, said main body having first engaging means arranged on an inner surface thereof;

a held portion located over said main body for facilitating said mouse to be held with a hand of a user, said held portion having first coupling means arranged on an inner surface thereof; and

angle-adjusting means for conforming an angle of said held portion relative to a surface said mouse is resting on to the holding manner of said user, said angle-adjusting means being installed in the main body and coupled to the held portion, the angle-adjusting means including;

second coupling means cooperating with said first coupling means to couple the angle-adjusting means with the held portion;

second engaging means engaging said first engaging means to fix the held portion when an adjustment of said angle has been completed;

an elastic element coupled to said second coupling means for providing an elastic distortion in response to a pressing operation by said held portion to disengage said second engaging means from said first engaging means when said angle is to be adjusted; and

a pivotally rotating element coupled to said second coupling means by one end thereof and pivotally coupled to said main body by the other end thereof for adjusting the angle in response to a pivotal rotation thereof.

29. The mouse housing structure according to claim 28 wherein said first coupling means is a threaded hole element, and said second coupling means includes:

a hollow threaded pole sustaining against said second engaging means by one end thereof; and

a screw element placed into said hollow threaded pole from the other end of said pole to combine said hollow threaded pole with said second engaging means, said held portion and said main body.

30. The mouse housing structure according to claim 29 wherein said first engaging means comprises a set of teeth combined to have a wave shape, and said second engaging means comprises an arc piece having thereon another set of teeth combined to have a wave shape for engaging said set of teeth of said first engaging means.

31. A mouse housing structure, comprising:

a main body for providing a firm housing structure of a mouse, said main body including a bottom portion and a top portion secured above said bottom portion and having a through hole in the central part thereof;

a held portion located over said main body for facilitating said mouse to be held with a hand of a user, said held portion including;

an arc face substantially conforming to a palm of said hand of said user for facilitating the holding operation;

coupling means located substantially at the deepest point in the concave side of said arc face and penetrating through said through hole; and

a sustaining element arranged around said coupling means for facilitating said held portion to sustain against said top portion of said main body; and

angle-adjusting means for conforming an angle of said held portion relative to a surface said mouse is resting on to the holding manner of said user, said angle-adjusting means being installed in said main body and coupled to said coupling means of said held portion.

32. The mouse housing structure according to claim 31 wherein said coupling means is a threaded hole element, and said angle-adjusting means includes:

a hollow threaded pole for sustaining against said top potion of said main body; and

a coupling and pivotally rotating element coupled to said coupling means to combine said held portion and said top portion of said main body, said coupling and pivotally rotating element adjusting said angle of said held portion relative to said surface said mouse is resting on by pivotally rotating.

33. A mouse housing structure, comprising:

a main body for providing a firm housing structure of a mouse;

a held portion located over said main body for facilitating said mouse to be held with a hand of a user; and

angle-adjusting means for conforming an angle of said held portion relative to a surface said mouse is resting on to the holding manner of said user, said angle-adjusting means being installed in said main body and coupled to said held portion, said angle-adjusting means including;

a hollow threaded pole for sustaining against said main body; and

a coupling and pivotally rotating element penetrating said hollow threaded pole to be coupled to said held portion by one end thereof and pivotally coupled to said main body by the other end thereof for adjusting said angle of the held portion relative to said surface said mouse is resting on by pivotally rotating.

34. The mouse housing structure according to claim 33 wherein said coupling and pivotally rotating element is a screw element with a reverse T-shape, and said screw element is coupled to a threaded hole element mounted on said held portion.