User notification system with an illuminated computer input device

• US 8,629,838 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McDonough, Timothy A., Ledbetter, Carl J., Plank, Robert Scott, Fisher, Steven W., Kaneko, Steven T., Bathiche, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US13/612,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20130050086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 345/163, 345/165, 345/168, 345/169, 345/172, 715701-702, 382/313
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0337 Status LEDs integrated in the mouse to provide visual feedback to the user about the status of the input device, the PC, or the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

A user notification system and a computer input device, such as a mouse. The computer input device includes an illumination member that enables a user to quickly and accurately position the input device during poor lighting conditions and determine whether the computer is ON. The input device includes a housing and an illumination device that is supported by the housing. Illumination from the illumination device is visible when the input device is placed on a support surface. The illumination member is also used to notify the user if one or more of various events have occurred in a computer application being run on the computer. The notification information is presented to the user by changing the state of the illumination member. An example of event for notification includes the receipt of a message in a communications program such as an e-mail message.

Claims

1. A method for illuminating computer input devices, the method comprising:

configuring a notification agent on a computing device to monitor a predetermined event occurring in at least one application running on the computing device;

determining, by the notification agent, that the predetermined event has occurred; and

communicating with a computer input device having an illumination member to cause the illumination member to change states in response determining that the predetermined event has occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether at least one incoming message has been received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the computer input device comprises causing the illumination member to blink.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the computer input device comprises causing the illumination member to change intensity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating step includes causing the illumination member to change colors.

6. A method for controlling an illumination member on a computer input device, the method comprising:

determining, by a computer, whether a predetermined event has occurred; and

changing a state associated with the illumination member in response to determining that the predetermined event has occurred, the illumination member being associated with an optical sensor of an input device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein changing the state associated with the illumination member comprises transmitting a signal to the computer input device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether at least one incoming message has been received.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether at least one e-mail message has been received.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining the number of e-mail messages that has been received and not opened.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining the number of incoming messages received and said changing step includes causing the illumination member to change states in a manner corresponding to the number of incoming messages received.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising establishing a set of senders, and wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether a sender of the incoming message is in the set.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether an instant message has been received.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether a request to respond to one of a video conference call and an audio conference call has been received.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether a user is capable of receiving a solicitation.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises comparing a scheduled event time relative to an actual time set in the computer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether the actual time set in the computer is the same as the scheduled event time.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the predetermined event has occurred comprises determining whether the actual time set in the computer has reached a time prior to the scheduled event time.

19. A computer-readable device having a set of instructions which when executed cause a computer to perform a method, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

associate a first application with a first illumination member of an input device;

associate a second application with a second illumination member of the input device;

monitoring the first application and the second application for event occurrences, determining that a first event has occurred within the first application;

causing a state of the first illumination member of the input device to change in response to a determination that the first event has occurred;

determining that a second event has occurred within the second application; and

causing a state of the second illumination member to change in response to a determination that the second event has occurred.

20. The computer-readable device of claim 19, wherein determining whether the second event has occurred comprises determining a number of incoming messages received, and wherein causing the state of the illumination member to change comprises causing the illumination member to blink a number of times corresponding to the number of incoming messages received.