“Mini-stick” module—new mobiles joystick input device

• US 6,809,721 B2
• Filed: 04/22/1999
• Issued: 10/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Love, John Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/298,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20020018049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 345/161, 345/156, 463/36-39, D14/412, 273/148.B, 361/680, 361/686, 439/11, 439/13, 744/71
• US Class Current: 345/161
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1635 Stackable modules

Abstract

A joystick designed to be used primarily in a mobile computing environment. The joystick is designed to attach to the side of a notebook computer in such a way that the support of the notebook computer becomes the support of the joystick. The interface the joystick uses to communicate with the computer is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection. A pass-through port has also been included to allow the joystick to participate in the daisy chain capabilities of USB technology.

Claims

1. An input/output device, comprising:

a device housing;

a primary connection oriented along a first axis and configured to be suitable for coupling said input/output device to a computer system, the primary connection suitable for movably attaching the device housing to the computer system; and

a secondary connection operable as a pass-through port suitable for enabling a second device to communicatively connect to the computer system which is attached to the device housing utilizing said primary connection,

wherein the device housing is rotatably attached to a computer system housing so as to enable the device housing to rotate through at least two axes with respect to the computer system housing, said at least two axes each being perpendicular to said first axis.

2. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the primary connection rotatably attaches the device housing to the computer system.

3. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the device housing is rotatably attached to the computer system housing so as to enable the device housing to rotate through a plurality of angles with respect to the computer system housing.

4. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the device housing is rotatably attached to the computer system housing so as to enable the device housing to rotate through 360 degrees with respect to the computer system housing.

5. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein a second device coupled to the secondary connection is able to access the computer system coupled to the primary connection.

6. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the primary connection does not utilize a connector cable.

7. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the secondary connection is oriented parallel to the primary connection.

8. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the primary connection comprises a USB connector.

9. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein the computer system is a notebook computer system.

10. The input/output device as described in claim 1, wherein said first axis is oriented in a direction parallel to a row of keyboard keys of said computer system.

20. The joystick as described in claim 4, wherein the computer system is a notebook computer system.

11. An information handling system, comprising:

an information handling system housing having contained therein

at least one processor,

memory, and

a communication bus configured to couple the processor and the memory; and

an input/output device, including

a device housing,

a primary connection oriented along a first axis and configured to be suitable for coupling said input/output device to the information handling system housing, the primary connection suitable for movably attaching the device housing to the information handling system housing, and

a secondary connection operable as a pass-through port suitable for enabling a second device to communicatively connect to the information handling system which is attached to the device housing utilizing said primary connection,

wherein the device hosing is rotatably attached to the information handling system housing so as to enable the device housing to rotate through at least two axes with respect to the information handling system housing, said at least two axes each being perpendicular to said first axis,

wherein the information handling system is a notebook computer system.

12. The input/output device as described in claim 11, wherein said first axis is oriented in a direction parallel to a row of keyboard keys of said computer system.

13. A joystick, comprising:

a device housing;

a primary connection oriented along a first axis and configured to be suitable for coupling to a computer system, the primary connection suitable for movably attaching the device housing to the computer system; and

a secondary connection operable as a pass-through port suitable for enabling a second device to communicatively connect to the computer system which is attached to the device housing utilizing said primary connection,

wherein the device housing is rotatably attached to a computer system housing so as to enable the device housing to rotate through at least two axes with respect to the computer system housing, said at least two axes each being perpendicular to said first axis.

14. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein the primary connection rotatably attaches the device housing to the computer system.

15. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein the device housing is rotatably attached to the computer system housing so as to enable the device hosing to rotate through a plurality of angle with respect to the computer system housing.

16. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein a second device coupled to the secondary connection is able to access the computer system coupled to the primary connection.

17. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein the primary connection does not utilize a connector cable.

18. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein the secondary connection is oriented parallel to the primary connection.

19. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein the primary connection comprises a USB connector.

21. The joystick as described in claim 13, wherein said first axis is oriented in a direction parallel to a row of keyboard keys of said computer system.

22. A joystick input/output device configured to be fixedly attached to a mobile computer system comprising:

a joystick housing;

an interface connection mounted on said joystick housing in an orientation along a first axis and configured to be suitable for coupling said joystick input/output device to said mobile computer system; and

a support mechanism configured to fixedly attach the interface connection of said joystick input/output device to the mobile computer system and movably attach the joystick housing with the mobile computer system,

wherein said first axis is oriented in a direction parallel to a row of keyboard keys of said mobile computer system.

23. The joystick input/output device as described in claim 22, wherein said interface connection is a universal serial bus interface.

24. The joystick input/output device as described in claim 23, wherein said universal serial bus interface of the joystick input/output device includes a universal serial bus male connector to couple said joystick input/output device to a universal serial bus female connector of the mobile computer system.

25. The joystick input/output device as described in claim 23, wherein said interface connection is a first interface connection, the joystick input/output device further comprising:

a second interface connection mounted on said joystick housing and configured to be suitable for coupling said joystick input/output device to an other device.

26. The joystick input/output device as described in claim 25, wherein said universal serial bus interface includes a universal serial bus pass-thru port to couple said joystick input/output device to said other device.