Ergonomic adaptive mouse without orientation limitation

• US 8,698,748 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Inventors: Tang, Sheng-Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US12/773,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 345163-166
• US Class Current: 345/166
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0332 Ergonomic shaped mouse adjustable to suit one of both hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

An adaptive mouse is disclosed. In the adaptive mouse, a cover layer made of a moldable material covers a mouse body, and a plurality of sensors is disposed between the mouse body and the cover layer. The sensors are used to sense a hand shape of a user when the user holds the cover layer. The sensors under the left and right finger predicting areas are defined as a left button and a right buttons to allow the user to operate the mouse normally. Then, the displacement signal of the mouse is adjusted. The adaptive mouse may increase comfortableness and relieve fatigue, and it also may be adapted to any holding states without orientation limitation.

Claims

1. An adaptive mouse comprising:

a mouse body;

a cover layer made of a moldable material and covering a surface of the mouse body, the cover layer being divided into a plurality of circularly distributed sensing parts, and deformed by holding of a user and contacting the user'"'"'s hand when held by the user without orientation limitation; and

a plurality of sensors, disposed between said circularly distributed sensing parts of the cover layer and the mouse body, for sensing deformation of the cover layer when held by the user to define a holding state of the user, and further define a signal detected by one of the circularly distributed sensing parts as an input button signal according to the holding state of the user;

wherein the holding state includes a holding direction and a holding position, and is defined by the hand shape of the user according to said deformation of the cover layer sensed by the sensors.

2. The adaptive mouse according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are Hall sensors.

3. The adaptive mouse according to claim 2, wherein a magnetic layer is disposed outside the mouse body and used for allowing the Hall sensors to sense the deformation of the cover layer.

4. The adaptive mouse according to claim 3, wherein when the cover layer is deformed, relative distances between the Hall sensors and the magnetic layer are changed, and the change of a magnetic field is sensed by the Hall sensors.

5. The adaptive mouse according to claim 1, wherein the input button signal is from a left button signal, a right button signal or a wheel signal.

6. The adaptive mouse according to claim 1, wherein the mouse body has a displacement sensing module and a microprocessor unit, the displacement sensing module detects displacement of the mouse body, and the displacement is transformed to be a displacement signal by the microprocessor unit.

7. The adaptive mouse according to claim 6, wherein the microprocessor unit adjusts the displacement sensing module according to the deformation of the cover layer sensed by the sensors.

8. The adaptive mouse of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are disposed between a single cover layer and the mouse body.