Contoured and balanced remote tv control device
First Claim
1. A hand-held electronic remote control signal transmitting device comprising:
- an elongated body longitudinally extending in a front-to-rear direction and having top and bottom sides, a front portion, and a rear end portion substantially shorter than said front portion in said front-to-rear direction and being configured to be grasped from below by a control hand of a user, with said front portion extending forwardly beyond the control hand, said rear end portion of said body, including the top side thereof, being downwardly and rearwardly inclined relative to said front portion of said body;
said device having an operating weight, at least about half of which is disposed rearwardly of said front portion to thereby stabilize said device against forwardly tipping out of the control hand;
a key pad structure carried on said top side of said front portion of said body; and
a signal generating position control member carried on said top side of said rear end portion of said body and positioned to be operated by a digit of the grasping control hand.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hand-held TV/computer remote infrared control device has an elongated rectangular housing with a front longitudinal portion and a considerably shorter rear end portion which is downwardly and rearwardly inclined relative to the front portion and has a generally bulbous underside section which may be grasped from below by a control hand of a user, with the elongated front portion extending forwardly beyond the control hand. The device is stabilized against forward tipping in the user'"'"'s hand by positioning somewhat more than half of the operating weight of the device in its rear end portion. Various control buttons are disposed on the top side of the front portion, and the downward tilt of the grasped rear end portion causes the front end portion to tip upwardly to make the control buttons easier to see by the user. A computer pointing structure, in the form of a track ball and two associated selection buttons, is disposed on the top side of the rear end portion, and an auxiliary computer selection button is disposed on the bottom side of the housing at the juncture of its front portion and rear end portion. The track ball and the two top side selection buttons are positioned to be used by the user'"'"'s control hand thumb, and the auxiliary selection button is positioned to be used trigger-like by the control hand index finger.
158 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A hand-held electronic remote control signal transmitting device comprising:
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an elongated body longitudinally extending in a front-to-rear direction and having top and bottom sides, a front portion, and a rear end portion substantially shorter than said front portion in said front-to-rear direction and being configured to be grasped from below by a control hand of a user, with said front portion extending forwardly beyond the control hand, said rear end portion of said body, including the top side thereof, being downwardly and rearwardly inclined relative to said front portion of said body; said device having an operating weight, at least about half of which is disposed rearwardly of said front portion to thereby stabilize said device against forwardly tipping out of the control hand; a key pad structure carried on said top side of said front portion of said body; and a signal generating position control member carried on said top side of said rear end portion of said body and positioned to be operated by a digit of the grasping control hand. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A hand-held remote control device comprising:
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an elongated housing longitudinally extending in a front-to-rear direction and having top and bottom sides, a front portion, and a rear end portion substantially shorter than said front portion and being configured to be operatively grasped from below by an upturned control hand of a user, with said front portion of said housing extending forwardly beyond the control hand, said device having an operating weight at least about half of which is disposed rearwardly of said front portion of said housing to thereby inhibit forward tipping of said device out of the control hand; a key pad array carried on the top side of said front portion of said housing, said rear end portion of said housing, including the top side thereof, being downwardly and rearwardly inclined relative to said front portion of said housing in a manner causing the top side of said front portion of said housing to be upwardly and forwardly inclined, when said rear end portion of said housing is operatively grasped by the control hand, to thereby facilitate user viewing of said key pad array; computer control apparatus associated with said rear end portion of said housing and operable by a digit of the grasping control hand; and electronic circuitry carried by said housing and operative to receive input signals from said front control members and said computer control apparatus and responsively generate corresponding remotely receivable control signals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A computer system including a hand-held electronic remote control signal transmitting device for controlling the system, said device comprising:
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an elongated body longitudinally extending in a front-to-rear direction and having top and bottom sides, a front portion, and a rear end portion substantially shorter than said front portion in said front-to-rear direction and being configured to be grasped from below by a control hand of a user, with said front portion extending forwardly beyond the control hand, said rear end portion of said body, including the top side thereof, being downwardly and rearwardly inclined relative to said front portion of said body, said device having an operating weight, at least about half of which is disposed rearwardly of said front portion to thereby stabilize said device against forwardly tipping out of the control hand; a key pad structure carried on said top side of said front portion of said body; and a signal generating position control member carried on said top side of said rear end portion of said body and positioned to be operated by a digit of the grasping control hand.
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27. A computer system including a hand-held remote control device for controlling the system, said device comprising:
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an elongated housing longitudinally extending in a front-to-rear direction and having top and bottom sides, a front portion, and a rear end portion substantially shorter than said front portion and being configured to be operatively grasped from below by an upturned control hand of a user, with said front portion of said housing extending forwardly beyond the control hand, said device having an operating weight at least about half of which is disposed rearwardly of said front portion of said housing, including on the top side thereof to thereby inhibit forward tipping of said device out of the control hand; a series of manually operable front control members carried on the top side of said front portion of said housing, said rear end portion of said housing being downwardly and rearwardly inclined relative to said front portion of said housing in a manner causing the top side of said front portion of said housing to be upwardly and forwardly inclined, when said rear end portion of said housing is operatively grasped by the control hand, to thereby facilitate user viewing of said front control members; computer control apparatus associated with said rear end portion of said housing and operable by a digit of the grasping control hand; and electronic circuitry carried by said housing and operative to receive input signals from said front control members and said computer control apparatus and responsively generate corresponding remotely receivable control signals.
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Specification