Input device

• US 7,379,050 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zippy Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zippy Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, King-Long, Chou, Chin-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US10/960,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345163-166
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

An input device adopts a low cost and simple terminal design to replace the conventional grating and instruction switch structures that are costly and complicated. The input device includes a braced rotary member turnable, tiltable leftwards and rightwards, and movable upwards and downwards for selected displacements and an instruction mechanism located within the displacements to receive forces and be driven by the rotary member to generate instructions. The instruction mechanism has abutting mechanical terminals to contact with each other to generate instruction signal output.

Claims

1. An input device located in an electronic input equipment, comprising:

a bracing seat;

a rotary member held on the bracing seat turnable, tiltable leftwards and rightwards, and movable upwards and downwards relative to the vertical bracing seat for selected displacements; and

a terminal instruction mechanism mounted onto the bracing seat to receive forces to extend into the displacements having at least two abutting terminals corresponding to the movements of the rotary member to contact with each other to generate instruction signal output;

wherein the rotary member is turnable in a selected rotational displacement, tiltable in a selected swaying displacement and movable upwards and downwards in a selected depressing displacement; and

wherein the terminal instruction mechanism in the rotational displacement includes a common terminal, a forward terminal and a reverse terminal located on two sides of the common terminal, the rotation member having a rotation side which has concave sections and convex sections formed thereon alternatively, the convex sections pushing the forward terminal to contact the common terminal to generate a forward instruction when the rotary member turns in a forward direction;

the convex sections pushing the reverse terminal to contact the common terminal to generate a reverse instruction when the rotary member turns in a reverse direction.

2. The input device of claim 1, wherein the rotary member includes a wheel and an axle running through the wheel, the bracing seat having two holding sections to hold the axle.

3. The input device of claim 2, wherein the holding sections have respectively a movable trough which has a closed top end.

4. The input device of claim 1, wherein the bracing seat has anchor sections and bracing sections corresponding to the terminals.

5. The input device of claim 1, wherein the terminal instruction mechanism in the swaying displacement includes a first terminal driven by the tilted rotary member and a second terminal in the swaying displacement abutting the first terminal, the first terminal being moved to contact the second terminal to generate a left direction instruction when the rotary member is tilted leftwards;

the first terminal being moved to contact the second terminal to generate a right direction instruction when the rotary member is tilted rightwards.

6. The input device of claim 5, wherein the left direction instruction and the right direction instruction jointly generate a depressing instruction of the depressing displacement for the rotary member.

7. The input device of claim 5, wherein the bracing seat has a sensing strut located between the first terminal and the second terminal.

8. The input device of claim 5, wherein the first terminal is wound to form an elastic coil section to provide an elastic returning force for a front section of the first terminal located between the elastic coil section and the second terminal.

9. The input device of claim 5, wherein the first terminal runs though the rotary member to brace the rotary member on the bracing seat.

10. The input device of claim 1, wherein the electronic input equipment is a keyboard.

11. The input device of claim 1, wherein the electronic input equipment is a mouse.

12. An input device located in an electronic input equipment comprising a braced rotary member turnable, tiltable leftwards and rightwards, and movable upwards and downwards relative to the electronic input equipment for selected displacements, and an instruction mechanism located in the selected displacements to receive forces and be driven by the rotary member to generate instructions;

wherein the instruction mechanism has abutting mechanical terminals to contact with each other to generate the instructions;

wherein the instruction mechanism generates a forward instruction and a reverse instruction corresponding to a rotational displacement of the rotary member; and

wherein the instruction mechanism includes a common terminal, a forward terminal and a reverse terminal located on two sides of the common terminal, the rotation member having a rotation side which has concave sections and convex sections formed thereon alternatively, the convex section pushing the forward terminal to contact the common terminal to generate a forward instruction when the rotary member turns in a forward direction;

the convex sections pushing the reverse terminal to contact the common terminal to generate a reverse instruction when the rotary member turns in a reverse direction.

13. The input device of claim 12, wherein the instruction mechanism generates a left direction instruction and a right direction instruction corresponding to a left tilted and a right tilted displacement of the rotary member.

14. The input device of claim 12, wherein the instruction mechanism generates a depressing instruction corresponding to the upward and downward displacements of the rotary member.

15. The input device of claim 12, wherein the electronic input equipment is a keyboard.

16. The input device of claim 12, wherein the electronic input equipment is a mouse.