Coordinate input stylus

• US 6,556,190 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Yasuyuki, Rawlings, Scott, Fleck, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US09/771,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20010006383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 178/19-1-, 178/18-1-, 345/173, 345/179, 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A stylus for use in a coordinate input system (e.g. digitizer tablet system) includes a finger wheel. The degree of rotation of the finger wheel by the user determines the extent to which a chosen graphical parameter (e.g. line thickness, color, shading, gray scale, etc.) is varied. Thus, a user can easily vary the graphical parameter while drawing by merely rotating the finger wheel about its fixed rotational axis.

Preferably, rotation of the wheel causes an intermediate gear wheel with teeth thereon to rotate which in turn causes a potentiometer to detect the degree of rotation of the finger wheel. In alternative embodiments of this invention, a touchpad for inputting finger position and/or finger pressure information may be provided on the side of the stylus instead of the finger wheel.

Claims

1. A cordless digitizer stylus for cooperation with a digitizer tablet system for inputting coordinate information, the stylus comprising:

a substantially elongate housing;

an associated transmitting and receiving circuit for permitting cordless communication with the digitizer tablet system; and

a touch sensitive area carried by said housing including a touch sensitive surface which detects the location of a finger in the touch sensitive area, and wherein the touch sensitive area has no moving parts exposed for manipulation by a user, and wherein the touch sensitive area enables the user to adjust a graphical or control parameter of an image being drawn by varying the user'"'"'s finger position in the touch sensitive area.

2. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive area detects the position of a user'"'"'s finger therein by utilizing one of resistive membrane finger detection, capacitive finger detection, and piezoelectric finger detection.

3. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive area further detects the amount of pressure applied by the user'"'"'s finger and outputs a signal indicative of the pressure detected.

4. The stylus of claim 1, wherein a ridge at least partially surrounds the touch sensitive area, and includes one of a substantially continuous projection, knobs, and dimples, in order to provide tactile feedback for finger position on the touch sensitive surface.

5. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive area includes a surface having an integrated surface texture for providing tactile feedback for finger position of the user on the touch sensitive area.

6. The cordless digitizer stylus of claim 1, wherein said touch sensitive surface is generally planar.

7. The cordless digitizer stylus of claim 1, wherein said touch sensitive surface is generally arcuate.

8. The cordless digitizer stylus of claim 1, wherein:

said housing includes first and second ends and a longitudinal axis extending between said ends, at least one of said ends for engagement with the digitizer tablet system, and said touch sensitive area is longitudinally elongate.

9. A digitizer stylus for use in a digitizer coordinate input system, the stylus comprising:

a housing;

a printed circuit board including at least one substantially flat surface disposed inside of said housing, said printed circuit board having at least one chip mounted thereon and said one flat surface of said printed circuit board defining a plane;

a button disposed on a side of the stylus, said button being pressable inward along a button axis toward a longitudinal axis of the stylus in order to cause the stylus to output data indicative of a change in status of said button, and wherein said button axis and said longitudinal axis of the stylus are substantially perpendicular to one another; and

wherein said button axis is substantially parallel to said plane of said printed circuit board;

first and second parallel support members extending inward from an inner wall of said housing, and third and fourth parallel support members extending inward from an opposite inner wall of said housing, and wherein said first and third support members are substantially coplanar with one another and are spaced from one another, and wherein each of said first, second, third and fourth support members defines a respective plane that is substantially perpendicular to said plane of said printed circuit board; and

wherein a stationary platform operatively associated with said button is supported by said first, second third and fourth support members, and wherein said stationery platform is located below said button along said button axis and is positioned between said first and second support members and also is positioned between said third and fourth support members.

10. The digitizer stylus of claim 9, wherein said button forms part of an on/off switch and wherein said platform supports a sensing device associated with said on/off switch.

11. The digitizer stylus of claim 9, wherein said platform forms part of a switch in conjunction with said button, and wherein said stylus further comprises a finger wheel or dial for manipulation by a user wherein said stylus outputs a signal indicative of a rotational position of said finger wheel relative to a predetermined position of said wheel.

12. A digitizer stylus for cooperation with a digitizer tablet system for inputting coordinate information, the stylus comprising:

a substantially elongate housing;

a touch sensitive area carried by said housing including a touch sensitive surface which detects the location of a finger in the touch sensitive area, and wherein the touch sensitive area has no moving parts exposed for manipulation by a user, and wherein the touch sensitive area enables the user to adjust a graphical or control parameter of an image being drawn by varying the user'"'"'s finger position in the touch sensitive area.

13. The stylus of claim 12, wherein the touch sensitive area detects the position of a user'"'"'s finger therein by utilizing one of resistive membrane finger detection, capacitive finger detection, and piezoelectric finger detection.

14. The stylus of claim 12, wherein the touch sensitive area further detects the amount of pressure applied by the user'"'"'s finger and outputs a signal indicative of the pressure detected.

15. The stylus of claim 12, wherein the touch sensitive area includes a surface having an integrated surface texture for providing tactile feedback for finger position of the user on the touch sensitive area.

16. The digitizer stylus of claim 12, wherein said touch sensitive surface is generally planar.

17. The digitizer stylus of claim 12, wherein said touch sensitive surface is generally arcuate.

18. The digitizer stylus of claim 12, wherein:

said housing includes first and second ends and a longitudinal axis extending between said ends, at least one of said ends for engagement with the digitizer tablet system, and said touch sensitive area is longitudinally elongate.