Ergonomic input device
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An input device, comprising:
- a body having an upper surface, an inner surface and an outer surface, a portion of the upper surface being exposed for supporting the palm of a user'"'"'s hand with the user'"'"'s hand in an operating position.first and second rotatable members rotatably mounted to the upper surface, the first and second rotatable members being arranged to be operable by the user'"'"'s index and middle fingers, respectively; and
first and second keys mounted to the inner surface, the first and second keys being individually depressible by the user'"'"'s thumb while the user'"'"'s palm is in the operating position.
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Abstract
The device comfortably supports the hand of the user while the thumb and fingers are associated with keys, a trackball, and a scrolling wheel carried on the device. The overall configuration of the device and the arrangement of these actuators permits the user to operate all of the functions provided by the actuators while the forearm is in a neutral posture zone between pronation and supination of the forearm, and the wrist and fingers are minimally extended and comfortably flexed, respectively.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. An input device, comprising:
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a body having an upper surface, an inner surface and an outer surface, a portion of the upper surface being exposed for supporting the palm of a user'"'"'s hand with the user'"'"'s hand in an operating position. first and second rotatable members rotatably mounted to the upper surface, the first and second rotatable members being arranged to be operable by the user'"'"'s index and middle fingers, respectively; and first and second keys mounted to the inner surface, the first and second keys being individually depressible by the user'"'"'s thumb while the user'"'"'s palm is in the operating position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An input device, comprising:
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a body having a flat bottom portion for resting on a support surface, a curved upper surface, an inner surface and an outer surface, the curved upper surface having a crest defining the thickest part of the device as measured perpendicularly to the curved upper surface exposed for supporting at least part of the palm of a user'"'"'s hand; a spherical member having a centerpoint and a radius and being rotatable mounted to the body to protrude from the upper surface and arranged for manipulation by the index finger of the user while the user'"'"'s palm is supported on the upper surface, the spherical member being spaced about a one-radius distance from the crest, thereby to facilitate support of the user'"'"'s hand with the region underlying the second metacarpal-phalangeal joint upon the crest while the tip of the user'"'"'s index finger rests on the spherical member, wherein the portion of the upper surface surrounding the spherical member is recessed, thereby to expose a hemisphere of the spherical member at a height, as measured perpendicularly from the flat bottom portion, relatively lower than would occur if the hemisphere were exposed without a recess in the surrounding upper surface portion; a depressible key mounted to the inner surface and exposed for contact by a user'"'"'s palm is supported on the upper surface; and the device being configured and arranged so that the centerpoint of the spherical member is closer to the inner surface than to the outer surface and so that the inner surface is spaced no more than about a one and one-half radii distance from the spherical member, thereby to minimize the distance between the user'"'"'s thumb and index finger as the spherical member is manipulated by the index finger and the key is contacted by the thumb. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer input device carrying at least one actuator that is operable for providing information to a connected computer, the device comprising:
- a body including;
an inner surface; an outer surface substantially opposite the inner surface; a proximal portion adapted to support at least part of the palm of a user'"'"'s hand while the user'"'"'s hand is in an operating position; a distal portion adapted to carry at least one actuator for manipulation by a finger of the user while the user'"'"'s palm is in the operating position; a flat bottom portion adapted for resting on a support surface; and a curved upper surface having a crest defining the thickest part of the device as measured perpendicularly to the bottom portion, wherein the crest is adjacent to the inner surface and the thickness of the device gradually diminishes in a direction away from the crest and toward the outer surface, so that the user'"'"'s metacarpal-phalangeal joint is supported with the palm in the operating position such that the user'"'"'s forearm is in a neutral zone between pronation and supination; and a depressible key mounted on the inner surface and having a slightly concave contact surface adapted for contact with the thumb of the user while the user'"'"'s palm is in the operating position. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
- a body including;
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35. In a manually operated input device connected to a computer for providing cursor movement and switching information to the computer to which the input device is connected, an improvement comprising:
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a body having a flat bottom portion for resting on a flat surface and an upper surface for supporting at least a portion of a user'"'"'s hand in a position for manually operating the input device; and first and second rotatable members adapted to provide input to the computer as a function of their rotation, the first and second rotatable members mounted to the body and exposed for movement by the fingers of a user, thereby to operate the input device. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification