Devices, systems and methods for facilitating positioning of cursor on display device

• US 6,795,055 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2000
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Culler, Jason Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US09/583,182
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156-161, 345/163-179, 345/856-866, 345/965, 345/964, 345/966-968, 341/20, 395/500, 361/680, 361/681, 361/683, 361/686, 200/5.R
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods for facilitating positioning of a cursor on a display device are provided. For example, an input device is provided which includes a shifter configured to electrically communicate with a computer. The shifter is configured to enable functional information, provided by a mouse-type input device, to provide selected functionality of the cursor. The shifter provides a shift-disable mode and a shift-enable mode so that, while in the shift-disable mode, the shifter enables the mouse-type input device to influence movement of the cursor on the display device. For instance, a movement of the mouse-type input device in a first direction and a first distance results in the cursor moving the first direction and a corresponding second distance. In the shift-enable mode, the shifter enables an altering of movement of the cursor so that movement of the mouse-type input device in the first direction and the first distance results in the cursor moving the first direction and a corresponding third distance, with the third distance being unequal to the second distance.

Claims

1. An input device for interfacing with a computer application, the computer application being adapted to display a cursor within a display area of a display device of a computer, the computer having a mouse-type input device associated therewith for providing movement information and functional information corresponding to the cursor such that the cursor is movable about the display area in response to the movement information and is adapted to provide selected functionality in response to the functional information, said input device comprising:

a shifter configured to electrically communicate with the computer, said shifter being configured to enable functional information, provided by the mouse-type input device, to provide selected functionality of the cursor, said shifter having a shift-disable mode and a shift-enable mode, in said shift-disable mode said shifter being configured to enable the mouse-type input device to influence movement of the cursor on the display device such that a movement of the mouse-type input device in a first direction and a first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding second distance, said second distance corresponding to default cursor speed/sensitivity settings, and in said shift-enable mode said shifter being configured to enable altering of movement of the cursor such that movement of the mouse-type input device in the first direction and the first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding third distance, the third distance being unequal to the second distance, said third distance corresponding to operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings.

2. The input device of claim 1, wherein said shifter has a shift-enable switch associated therewith, said shift-enable switch being adapted to selectively configure said shifter between said shift-disable mode and said shift-enable mode.

3. The input device of claim 1, wherein the computer system has a keyboard associated therewith, and wherein said shift-enable switch corresponds to one of the keys of the keyboard.

4. A computer system for operating a computer application, said computer system comprising:

a display device having a display area configured to display graphical information thereon;

a mouse-type input device configured to provide a user-interface with the computer application, the computer application being adapted to display a cursor within said display area of said display device, said mouse-type input device being configured to provide movement information and functional information corresponding to the cursor such that the cursor is movable about said display area in response to said movement information and being configured to provide selected functionality to the cursor in response to said functional information; and

a shifter configured to electrically communicate with the computer, said shifter being configured to enable functional information, provided by the mouse-type input device, to provide selected functionality of the cursor, said shifter having a shift-disable mode and a shift-enable mode, in said shift-disable mode said shifter being configured to enable the mouse-type input device to influence movement of the cursor on the display device such that a movement of the mouse-type input device in a first direction and a first distance results in the cursor moving in in the first direction and a corresponding second distance, said second distance corresponding to default cursor speed/sensitivity settings, and in said shift-enable mode said shifter being configured to enable altering of movement of the cursor such that movement of the mouse-type input device in the first direction and the first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding third distance, the third distance being unequal to the second distance, said third distance corresponding to operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said shifter has a shift-enable switch associated therewith, said shift-enable switch being adapted to selectively configure said shifter between said shift-disable mode and said shift-enable mode.

6. The computer system of claim 4, further comprising a keyboard associated therewith, and wherein said shift-enable switch corresponds to one of the keys of said keyboard.

7. A method for interfacing with a computer application, the computer application being adapted to display a cursor within a display area of a display device of a computer, the computer having a mouse-type input device associated therewith for providing movement information and functional information corresponding to the cursor such that the cursor is movable about the display area in response to the movement information and is adapted to provide selected functionality in response to the functional information, said method comprising:

enabling movement information provided by the mouse-type input device to influence movement of the cursor on the display device such that a movement of the mouse-type input device in a first direction and a first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding second distance, said second distance corresponding to default cursor speed/sensitivity settings;

enabling functional information, provided by the mouse-type input device, to provide selected functionality of the cursor; and

enabling an altering of movement of the cursor such that movement of the mouse-type input device in the first direction and the first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding third distance, the third distance being unequal to the second distance, said third distance corresponding to operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of enabling an altering of movement of the cursor comprises the steps of:

providing a shifter device electrically communicating with the computer;

determining whether a shifter-enable function of the computer is enabled; and

if the shifter-enable function is enabled, modifying the movement information provided by the mouse-type input device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of modifying the movement information comprises the step of:

intercepting the movement information provided by the mouse-type input device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the computer has a keyboard input device, and wherein the step of enabling an altering of movement of the cursor comprises the step of:

re-mapping a first key of the keyboard such that actuation of the first key corresponds to a shifter-enable function being enabled;

determining whether a shifter-enable function of the computer is enabled; and

if the shifter-enable function is enabled, modifying the movement information provided by the mouse-type input device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings are selected by the operator interfacing with the computer application.

12. A computer readable medium having a computer program for interfacing with a computer application, the computer application being adapted to display a cursor within a display area of a display device of a computer, the computer having a mouse-type input device associated therewith for providing movement information and functional information corresponding to the cursor such that the cursor is movable about the display area in response to the movement information and is adapted to provide selected functionality in response to the functional information, said computer readable medium comprising:

logic configured to enable movement information provided by the mouse-type input device to influence movement of the cursor on the display device such that a movement of the mouse-type input device in a first direction and a first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding second distance, said second distance corresponding to default cursor speed/sensitivity settings;

logic configured to enable functional information, provided by the mouse-type input device, to provide selected functionality of the cursor; and

logic configured to enable an altering of movement of the cursor such that movement of the mouse-type input device in the first direction and the first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding third distance, the third distance being unequal to the second distance, said third distance corresponding to operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the computer ha keyboard input device, and wherein said logic configured to logic configured to enable an altering of movement of the cursor comprises:

logic configured to re-map a first key of the keyboard such that actuation of the first key corresponds to a shifter-enable function being enabled;

logic configured to determine whether a shifter-enable function of the computer is enabled; and

logic configured to modify the movement information provided by the mouse-type input device if the shifter-enable function is enabled.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the computer has a keyboard input device, and wherein said logic configured to logic configured to enable an altering of movement of the cursor comprises:

logic configured to determining whether a shifter-enable function of the computer is enabled; and

logic configured to modify the movement information provided by the mouse-type input device if the shifter-enable function is enabled.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the logic configured to enable an altering of movement of the cursor comprises logic configured to enable an operator to select the operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings by interfacing with the computer application.

16. An input device for interfacing with a computer application, the computer application being adapted to display a cursor within a display area of a display device of a computer, the computer having a mouse-type input device associated therewith for providing movement information and functional information corresponding to the cursor such that the cursor is movable about the display area in response to the movement information and is adapted to provide selected functionality in response to the functional information, said input device comprising:

means for enabling functional information, provided by the mouse-type input device, to provide selected functionality of the cursor;

means for enabling the mouse-type input device to influence movement of the cursor on the display device such that a movement of the mouse-type input device in a first direction and a first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding second distance, said second distance corresponding to default cursor speed/sensitivity settings; and

means for enabling an altering of movement of the cursor such that movement of the mouse-type input device in the first direction and the first distance results in the cursor moving in the first direction and a corresponding third distance, the third distance being unequal to the second distance, said third distance corresponding to operator-modified cursor speed/sensitivity settings.