User control input device

• US 8,917,235 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Orsley, Timothy J., Machida, Akihiro, Xie, Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDIN, SHAHEDA A
• Application Number:
  US11/273,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,326 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/163, 345/167, 345/168, 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• 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 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/167 comprising optoelectronic devices, e.g. LED, photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/144 Devices controlled by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An optical input card is shaped and sized for removable slidable insertion within a slot of a portable computer. The optical input card comprises an optical navigation sensor, a control panel and a wireless communication module. The optical navigation sensor is disposed on the first side of the card for exposure to a navigation surface and is configured to capture a first user control input. The control panel on a second side of the card is configured to capture at least one second user control input. The wireless communication module is configured to wirelessly communicate the first user control input and the at least one second user control input to the portable computer.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a mouse shell configured to support a spherical member that is rotatably coupled to the mouse shell so that user can manually rotate the spherical member, the mouse shell including;

a wireless communication module;

a control panel configured to capture a first user control input for controlling at least one function of a computing device via the wireless communication module; and

a slot sized and shaped for slidable removable insertion of an optical navigation card including an optical navigation sensor into the slot of the mouse shell to position the optical navigation card such that a surface of the spherical member attached to the mouse shell is exposed to the optical navigation sensor of the optical navigation card when the optical navigation card is inserted into the slot for detection of relative motion between the optical navigation card and the surface of the spherical member to capture a second user control input for controlling the at least one function of the computing device via the wireless communication module, the optical navigation card being configured such that the surface of the spherical member is optically imaged by the optical navigation sensor as the surface of the spherical member is rotated relative to the optical navigation sensor to capture the second user control input.

2. The input device of claim 1 wherein the optical navigation card comprises a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one of the computing device and a controller within the shell of the input device.

3. The input device of claim 1 wherein the slot of the shell comprises a connector for releasably fixed wired communication between the optical navigation card and a controller within the shell of the input device and the control panel of the shell is coupled to a control panel of the optical navigation card.

4. A user control input device, comprising:

a card including a first side and a second side opposite the first side and the card being shaped and sized as at least one of a PCCard and an ExpressCard for removable slidable insertion within a PCCard slot or ExpressCard slot of a portable computer, the card comprising;

an optical navigation sensor disposed on the first side of the card for exposure to a navigation surface and configured to capture a first user control input;

a control panel on the second side of the card configured to capture at least one second user control input; and

a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate the first user control input and the at least one second user control input to the portable computer,

wherein the optical navigation sensor comprises a housing including a sensor array of pixels and a micro-lens array of micro-lenses, the number of the micro-lenses included in the micro-lens array being at least equal to the number of the pixels included in the sensor array so that each individual pixel on the sensor array corresponds to a different micro-lens of the micro-lens array on a one-to-one basis.

5. An input device comprising:

a mouse shell configured to support a spherical member that is rotatably coupled to the mouse shell so that user can manually rotate the spherical member, the mouse shell including;

a wireless communication module;

a control panel configured to capture a first user control input for controlling at least one function of a computing device via the wireless communication module; and

a slot sized and shaped for slidable removable insertion of an optical navigation card including an optical navigation sensor into the slot of the mouse shell to position the optical navigation card such that a navigation surface on which the input device is positioned is exposed to the optical navigation sensor of the optical navigation card when the optical navigation card is inserted into the slot for detection of relative motion between the optical navigation card and the navigation surface to capture a second user control input for controlling the at least one function of the computing device via the wireless communication module.