System and method of adjusting display characteristics of a displayable data file using an ergonomic computer input device
First Claim
1. A pointing device for inputting commands into a computer comprising:
- a body having a front end, a back end, an upper surface, the upper surface having a high point thereon; and
a wheel coupled to the body, the wheel extending above the upper surface of the body and being positioned in a front region of the body such that when a user places a metacarpal-phalangeal joint ridge of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand on the high point, a size of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand falling within a range of a 5th percentile female to a 95th percentile male of North American adults, the user may rotate and depress the wheel with an index finger while maintaining the index finger in a biomechanically neutral position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ergonomic pointing device, such as a mouse, includes a wheel to provide an input signal in addition to X and Y position signals provided by a rotatable ball of a standard mouse. The wheel extends from an upper surface of the pointing device and may be rotated and depressed by the finger of the user, the wheel being positioned and configured to allow a user to activate the wheel while maintaining a finger in a biomechanically neutral position. The wheel and associated structure, as well as the forces required to rotate and depress the wheel, are configured to reduce inadvertent actuation and to provide a user with tactile feedback, thereby allowing the user to accurately and intuitively activate the pointing device without exceeding an acceptable extension and range of motion for the user'"'"'s finger and wrist.
The mouse is coupled to a computer having a visual display device. The computer is capable of displaying a data file such as a word processing or spreadsheet document, where the data file has adjustable display characteristics such as size (zoom) or data structure (content). As a user rotates the roller, the mouse generates computer signals that are interpreted by an operating system and software applications running on the computer. The signals generated by the roller, together with a given software application, can be used in at least two ways: spatial navigation and data navigation. In spatial navigation, a user rotates the roller to cause the computer and the visual display to zoom into and out of the document and thereby display increasing or decreasing magnification levels of the document on the display. Other modes of spatial navigation allow the user to activate a roller switch, depress special function keys on a keyboard and/or move the mouse to pan, automatically scroll or manually scroll through the document. In data navigation, the user rotates the roller to view differing levels of content or detail with respect to the document.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A pointing device for inputting commands into a computer comprising:
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a body having a front end, a back end, an upper surface, the upper surface having a high point thereon; and a wheel coupled to the body, the wheel extending above the upper surface of the body and being positioned in a front region of the body such that when a user places a metacarpal-phalangeal joint ridge of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand on the high point, a size of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand falling within a range of a 5th percentile female to a 95th percentile male of North American adults, the user may rotate and depress the wheel with an index finger while maintaining the index finger in a biomechanically neutral position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A pointing device for inputting commands into a computer comprising:
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a body; and a wheel coupled to the body, the wheel extending above an upper surface of the body by no more than about 0.1 inch, the top surface sloping upward from a front end of the pointing device to a high point and downward from the high point to a back end of the pointing device, the wheel being positioned in a region extending 41-66 millimeters forward from the high point such that when a user places a metacarpal-phalangeal joint ridge of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand on the high point of the body, the user may rotate and depress the wheel with an index finger of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand while maintaining the index finger in a biomechanically neutral position, an outer edge of the wheel being radiused to allow the user to rotate and depress the wheel along the outer edge of the wheel. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A pointing device for inputting commands into a computer comprising:
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a body; and a wheel coupled to the body, the wheel extending about an upper surface of the body by no more than about 0.1 inch and being positioned in a front region of the body such that a user may rotate and depress the wheel with an index finger of the user'"'"'s right hand or left hand, and wherein 40-60 gram-centimeters of torque are required to rotate the wheel and 70-130 grams of force are required to depress the wheel to enable a user to selectively rotate or depress the wheel. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A pointing device for inputting commands into a computer comprising:
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a body; and a wheel coupled to the body, the wheel extending above an upper surface of the body by a selected amount of being positioned in a front region of the body such that a user may rotate and depress the wheel with an index finger of the user'"'"'s right hand or a left hand, wherein 40-60 gram-centimeters of torque are required to rotate the wheel and 70-130 grams of force are required to depress the wheel.
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Specification