Self-powered cordless mouse
First Claim
1. A self-powered computer-pointing device comprising:
- a housing;
a roller ball accommodated within said housing, at least a portion of said roller ball being exposed through an opening in said housing to allow said roller ball to contact a surface on which said computer-pointing device rests, movement of said computer-pointing device across said surface imparting rotation of said roller ball;
a sensing mechanism sensing movement of said roller ball and generating x-y movement signals corresponding to movement of said computer-pointing device across said surface for conveyance to a host computer; and
a power generating mechanism independent of said sensing mechanism and in direct contact with said roller ball, said power generating mechanism converting rotational movement of said roller ball into electrical energy that is used to power said computer-pointing device, said power generating mechanism including a roller assembly rotatably coupled to and biased into direct contact with said roller ball and a power generator coupled to the roller assembly.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A self-powered computer-pointing device includes a housing and a roller ball accommodated within the housing. At least a portion of the roller ball is exposed through an opening in the housing to allow the roller ball to contact a surface on which the computer-pointing device rests. Movement of the computer-pointing device across the surface imparts rotation of the roller ball. A sensing mechanism senses movement of the roller ball and generates x-y movement signals corresponding to movement of the computer-pointing device across the surface. The sensing mechanism conveys the x-y movement signals to a host computer. A power generating mechanism is coupled to the roller ball and converts rotational movement of the roller ball into electrical energy that is used as power by the computer-pointing device.
97 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A self-powered computer-pointing device comprising:
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a housing;
a roller ball accommodated within said housing, at least a portion of said roller ball being exposed through an opening in said housing to allow said roller ball to contact a surface on which said computer-pointing device rests, movement of said computer-pointing device across said surface imparting rotation of said roller ball;
a sensing mechanism sensing movement of said roller ball and generating x-y movement signals corresponding to movement of said computer-pointing device across said surface for conveyance to a host computer; and
a power generating mechanism independent of said sensing mechanism and in direct contact with said roller ball, said power generating mechanism converting rotational movement of said roller ball into electrical energy that is used to power said computer-pointing device, said power generating mechanism including a roller assembly rotatably coupled to and biased into direct contact with said roller ball and a power generator coupled to the roller assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A self-powered computer-pointing device comprising:
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a housing;
a roller ball accommodated within said housing, at least a portion of said roller ball being exposed through an opening in said housing to allow said roller ball to contact a surface on which said computer-pointing device rests, movement of said computer-pointing device across said surface imparting rotation of said roller ball;
a sensing mechanism including a pair of rollers coupled to said roller ball to sense lateral and axial movement of said computer-pointing device, said sensing mechanism generating x-y movement signals corresponding to movement of said computer-pointing device across said surface for conveyance to a host computer; and
a power generating mechanism converting rotational movement of said roller ball into electrical energy that is used to power said computer-pointing device, said power generating mechanism including a transmission coupled to at least one of said rollers and a power generator having a shaft coupled to said transmission, rotation of said roller ball imparting rotation of said at least one roller and thereby imparting rotation of said shaft via said transmission, said power generator outputting electrical pulses in response to rotation of said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification