Systems and methods for providing a combined pen and mouse input device in a computing system

• US 7,483,018 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Oliver, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALTHALL, ALLISON N
• Application Number:
  US11/121,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/162, 345/179, 345/156, 345/163, 345/166, 178/18.09, 178 1901- 1905, 382313-314
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen

Abstract

Currently, a user may need to carry or otherwise keep track of both a mouse and electronic pen for a computer, such as a portable computing device. Carrying or otherwise keeping track of both devices can be tedious. Accordingly, systems and methods for providing a dual mode mouse pen are enabled, whereby the mouse pen may be used as both a pen, or alternatively, as a mouse. In one embodiment, the pen may include a switch to select one of two modes: pen or mouse.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a pen, comprising:

receiving, by an imager integrated circuit of a pen in a first mode of operation, light reflected from a surface at a first frame rate, wherein the reflected light identifies a pattern embedded in the surface, the embedded pattern indicating at least one position on the surface;

storing a first set of pixels representing the reflected light in a first memory;

determining, by a processing integrated circuit coupled to the imager, an absolute position of the pen from the reflected light;

receiving a request to enter a second mode;

receiving, by the imager integrated circuit of the pen in the second mode, laser light reflected from the surface at a second frame rate, wherein the reflected laser light identifies a speckle pattern;

storing a second set of pixels representing the speckle pattern in a second memory; and

determining, by a laser processing integrated circuit from the set of pixels representing the speckle pattern, a relative position of the pen, wherein the second memory, the laser processing integrated circuit and the imager integrated circuit are fabricated on the same die, further wherein the first frame rate is less than the second frame rate and the first set of pixels is larger than the second set of pixels.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, in the first mode, the determined absolute position to a host device.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, by the pen in the first mode of operation, a light using a grazing LED illumination tracking subsystem.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the pen in the second mode of operation, a laser light using a speckle navigation tracking subsystem.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of switching the pen from the first mode to the second mode and switching the pen from the second mode to the first mode.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, in the second mode of operation, the determined relative position of the pen to a host device.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the host device a command from the host device that switches the pen at least one of into and out of the second mode.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sharing a memory for said absolute position of the pen and said relative position of the pen inside the pen, wherein a subset of said memory is used in the second mode compared to the memory consumption of the first mode.

9. A dual mode electronic stylus device, comprising:

first electronics corresponding to a first mode of operation for the electronic stylus device, the first electronics including a light emitting diode that is operable to illuminate a surface encoded with positional information, the first electronics additionally including an imager integrated circuit configured to receive a reflection of the light from a surface at a first frame rate;

a first memory location coupled to the imager integrated circuit configured to receive a first set of pixels representing the reflected light;

a processor coupled to the first memory configured to determine an absolute position of the stylus from the pixels that represent positional information in the reflected light;

second electronics corresponding to a second mode of operation for the electronic stylus device, the second electronics including a laser that is operable to generate a speckle pattern on at least the surface;

the imager integrated circuit configured to receive a reflection of the speckle pattern at a second frame rate, store pixels representing the speckle pattern in a second memory, and process the pixels representing the speckle pattern using a speckle pattern processor to determine a relative position of the stylus, wherein the imager integrated circuit, the second memory, and the speckle pattern processor are fabricated on the same die, further wherein the first frame rate is less than the second frame rate and the first set of pixels is larger than the second set of pixels; and

a display operable to render a user interface that includes a button operable to switch the stylus between the first and second modes of operation.

10. An electronic stylus device according to claim 9, wherein the light emitting diode is a grazing LED illumination tracking subsystem.

11. An electronic stylus device according to claim 9 wherein the light emitting diode is a speckle navigation tracking.

12. An electronic stylus device according to claim 9, wherein the user interface is operable to render at least one mouse control including at least one button in the second mode of operation.

13. An electronic stylus device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a memory, wherein the memory is used to record the absolute position of the pen in the first mode and to record the relative position of the pen in the second mode.

14. An electronic stylus device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the actual position of the pen in the first mode, and the transmitter is configured to transmit the relative position of the pen in the second mode to a host device.

15. An electronic stylus device, comprising:

a user interface operable to render at least one button;

first electronics corresponding to a pen mode of operating for the electronic stylus device, the first electronics including a light emitting diode that is operable to illuminate a surface encoded with positional information, the first electronics additionally including an imager integrated circuit configured to receive a reflection of the light from a surface at a first frame rate;

a first memory location coupled to the imager integrated circuit configured to receive a first set of pixels representing the reflected light;

a processor coupled to the first memory configured to process the pixels representing the reflected light;

second electronics corresponding to a mouse mode of operation for the electronic stylus device, whereby when the electronic stylus device operates in the mouse mode, the electronic stylus device is configured to generate a speckle pattern on a surface, and to detect selection of said at least one button and to transmit a command associated with said at least one button to a host device; and

the imager integrated circuit configured to receive a reflection of the speckle pattern at a second frame rate, store pixels representing the speckle pattern in a second memory, and process the pixels representing the speckle pattern using a speckle pattern processor to determine a relative position of the stylus, wherein the imager integrated circuit, the second memory, and the speckle pattern processor are fabricated on the same die, further wherein the first frame rate is less than the second frame rate and the first set of pixels is larger than the second set of pixels.

16. An electronic stylus device according to claim 15, wherein the electronic stylus device further includes electronics corresponding to a pen mode of operation, whereby when the electronic stylus device operates in the pen mode, the electronic device is configured to receive light reflected off a surface that includes an embedded pattern that indicates at least one position of the surface.