Wireless human input device

• US 7,696,981 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Behavior Tech Computer Corporation
• Inventors: Hsieh, Kao-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US10/797,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20050200594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,224 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 345/168, 345/169, 348/734, 398/106, 340/825.72, 340/825.64, 340/825.44, 340/825.52, 341/173, 341/174, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0382 Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

The wireless human input device comprises at least one wireless human transmitting unit and a wireless human receiving unit. The wireless human transmitting unit generates leading signals and data signals and transmits the signals to the wireless human receiving unit. The wireless human receiving unit receives all of the leading signals and identifies the data signals based on the leading signals so as to distinguish the data signals being transmitted by which wireless human transmitting unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first wireless transmitting unit configured to transmit a first signal comprising a leading portion and a data portion different from the leading portion, the leading portion comprising a first waveform signal having a first wavelength;

a second wireless transmitting unit configured to transmit a second signal comprising a leading portion and a data portion different from the leading portion, the leading portion comprising a second waveform signal having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; and

a wireless receiving unit configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and determine the first signal was transmitted by the first wireless transmitting unit based on the first wavelength and the second signal was transmitted by the second wireless transmitting unit based on the second wavelength.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transmitting unit is a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard, or a wireless touch pad.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second wireless transmitting unit is a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard, or a wireless touch pad.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless receiving unit comprises an electronic circuit configured to determine the first signal was transmitted by the first wireless transmitting unit based on the first wavelength and the second signal was transmitted by the second wireless transmitting unit based on the second wavelength.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the electronic circuit is configured to output a low level signal when the wireless receiving unit receives the first signal and a high level signal when the wireless receiving unit receives the second signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transmitting unit comprises a timer configured to determine the first wavelength of the first waveform signal of the leading portion of the first signal and the second wireless transmitting unit comprises a timer configured to determine the second wavelength of the second waveform signal of the leading portion of the second signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the timer of the first wireless transmitting unit is set with a first time parameter configured to generate the first waveform signal having the first wavelength and the timer of the second wireless transmitting unit is set with a second time parameter different from the first time parameter configured to generate the second waveform signal having the second wavelength.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transmitting unit and the second wireless transmitting unit transmit the first and second signals, respectively, using the same transmit frequency.

9. A system comprising:

a first wireless transmitting unit comprising means for generating a first signal comprising a leading portion and a data portion different from the leading portion, the leading portion comprising a first waveform signal having a first wavelength and means for transmitting the first signal to a wireless receiving unit;

a second wireless transmitting unit means for generating a second signal comprising a leading portion and a data portion different from the leading portion, the leading portion comprising a second waveform signal having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength and means for transmitting the second signal to the wireless receiving unit; and

a wireless receiving unit comprising means for receiving the first signal and the second signal and means for determining the first signal was transmitted by the first wireless transmitting unit and the second signal was transmitted by the second wireless transmitting unit based on the first and second wavelengths.

10. A wireless receiving unit for use with a plurality of wireless transmitting units, each wireless transmitting unit transmitting a signal having a leading portion and a data portion different from the leading portion, the leading portion comprising a waveform signal, each of the waveform signals transmitted by the plurality of wireless transmitting units having a different wavelength, the wireless receiving unit comprising:

a wireless receiving module configured to receive the signals transmitted by the plurality of wireless transmitting units; and

an electronic circuit configured to distinguish the signals received from one another based on differences in the wavelengths of the waveform signals of the leading portions of the received signals.

11. The wireless receiving unit of claim 10, wherein the electronic circuit is configured to output a signal having a different signal level for each different wavelength of the waveform signals of the leading portions of the received signals.

12. The wireless receiving unit of claim 10, wherein the electronic circuit is a charging and discharging circuit.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first signal lacking a device identifier from a first wireless transmitting unit, the first signal having a leading portion preceding a data portion, the leading portion having a waveform signal with a first wavelength;

receiving a second signal lacking a device identifier from a second wireless transmitting unit, the second signal having a leading portion preceding a data portion, the leading portion having a waveform signal with a second wavelength; and

determining the first signal was transmitted by the first wireless transmitting unit and the second signal was transmitted by the second wireless transmitting unit based on the first and second wavelengths.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

at the first wireless transmitting unit, transmitting the first signal; and

at the second wireless transmitting unit, transmitting the second signal.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying first data in the first signal;

sending the first data to a first driver in a computer for processing thereby;

identifying second data in the second signal; and

sending the second data to a second driver in a computer for processing thereby.