Computer mouse with single-piece top and single-piece bottom

• US 6,469,693 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2000
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: Chang, Ting Fu, Chiang, Jen-Ming, Worsell, Shawn D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K.
• Application Number:
  US09/512,989
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 345/163, 345/164, 345/167, 340/710
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

A computer mouse includes a mouse housing for supporting a ball therein. The housing includes a top coupled with a bottom. The bottom includes a single-piece body without a belly door, and the top includes a single-piece body having at least one button formed integrally with the single-piece body. The bottom includes an opening having a size smaller than the diameter of the ball. The opening is sized to expose a portion of the ball to roll on a working surface. Rotational members such as encoding wheel shafts are disposed near the opening to contact the ball and rotate synchronously with the ball. A ball support is disposed between the top and the bottom for receiving the ball upon turning of the mouse housing upside down. The ball support has a sufficient depth to allow the ball to drop away from the opening in the bottom and to expose and render the at least one rotational member accessible from outside the housing through the opening. As a result, a cleaning instrument can be conveniently inserted through the opening to clean the rotational members in the housing without disassembly. In specific embodiments, the ball support is integrally formed with the top.

Claims

1. A computer mouse housing for supporting a ball therein and exposing a portion of the ball to roll on a working surface, the housing comprising:

a bottom including a bottom plate having an opening which is configured to expose a portion of the ball;

a top coupled with the bottom;

a ball support disposed between the top and the bottom for supporting the ball upon turning of the mouse housing upside down at a depth measured from the opening of the bottom plate to the center of the ball which drops toward the top away from the opening of the bottom, the depth being substantially greater than the radius of the ball.

2. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the depth is at least about 1.2 times the radius of the ball.

3. The computer mouse of claim 2 wherein the depth is about 1.5 to about 2 times the radius of the ball.

4. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the ball support is connected to the top.

5. The computer mouse of claim 4 wherein the top comprises a shell having an interior surface facing the bottom plate, and the ball support comprises a generally circular cylindrical wall extending from the interior surface of the shell toward the bottom plate, the wall having a diameter larger than the diameter of the ball.

6. The computer mouse of claim 5 wherein the top comprises a ball stopper extending from the interior surface toward the bottom plate to space the ball from the interior surface of the shell.

7. The computer mouse of claim 6 wherein the ball stopper comprises a generally circular cylindrical stopper wall having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball.

8. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the bottom includes a ball retainer extending from the bottom plate above the opening toward the top and preventing the ball from passing therethrough.

9. The computer mouse of claim 8 wherein the bottom plate is substantially flat, and the ball retainer comprises a plurality of peripheral ribs extending generally perpendicularly from the bottom plate toward the top.

10. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the top includes near a front end of the mouse at least one hinge projection and the bottom includes near the front end of the mouse at least one hinge ledge, the hinge ledge being aligned with the hinge projection to form a hinge connection near the front end of the mouse.

11. The computer mouse of claim 10 wherein the top includes near a back end of the mouse a slotted retainer having a slot and the bottom includes near the back end of the mouse a hook having an angled tip, the angled tip of the hook engaged with the slot of the slotted retainer to couple the top to the bottom.

17. The computer mouse of claim 11 wherein the bottom comprises a single-piece body without a belly door.

18. The computer mouse of claim 11 wherein the top comprises a single-piece body having at least one button formed integrally with the single-piece body, the button being coupled to the body by a U-shaped connection forming a hinge to allow the button to be depressed with respect to the body.

12. A computer mouse housing for supporting a ball therein, the housing comprising:

a single-piece bottom including an opening having a size smaller than the diameter of the ball, the opening being sized to expose a portion of the ball to roll on a working surface;

at least one rotational member disposed near the opening to contact the ball and rotate synchronously with the ball;

a top coupled with the bottom; and

a ball support disposed between the top and the bottom for receiving the ball upon turning of the mouse housing upside down to drop the ball toward the top away from the opening of the bottom, the ball support having a sufficient depth to allow the ball to drop away from the opening in the bottom and to expose and render the at least one rotational member accessible from outside the housing through the opening.

13. The computer mouse of claim 12 wherein the ball support is integrally formed with the top.

14. The computer mouse of claim 12 wherein the at least one rotational member includes a pair of encoding wheel shafts disposed generally perpendicular to one another, and a roller disposed generally opposite from and biased toward the pair of encoding wheel shafts.

15. The computer mouse of claim 12 wherein the depth of the ball support allows the ball to drop away from the opening to a position such that a distance measured from the opening of the bottom to the center of the ball is substantially greater than the radius of the ball.

16. The computer mouse of claim 15 wherein the distance is at least about 1.2 times the radius of the ball.

19. A method of cleaning a computer mouse which includes a housing including a top coupled with a bottom, the bottom including an opening having a size smaller than the diameter of the ball to expose a portion of the ball to roll on a working surface, the mouse including a ball support disposed between the top and the bottom for supporting the ball upon turning of the mouse housing upside down, the mouse including at least one rotational member disposed near the opening to contact the ball and rotate synchronously with the ball, the method comprising:

turning the mouse housing upside down to allow the ball to drop away from the opening in the bottom toward the top and be supported by the ball support at a sufficient depth from the opening of the bottom so as to expose the at least one rotational member; and

inserting a cleaning instrument through the opening to clean the at least one rotational member.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein turning the mouse housing upside down allows the ball to drop away from the opening to a position such that a distance measured from the opening of the bottom to the center of the ball is substantially greater than the radius of the ball so that the rotational member is accessible by a straight cleaning instrument from the outside through the opening.