Touch screen stylus with IR-coupled selection buttons

• US 6,529,189 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Colgan, Evan George, Schappert, Michael Alan, Levine, James Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US09/500,194
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 345/145, 178/18.01, 178/18.07, 178/18.1, 178/19.03
• 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

Abstract

The invention is embodied in a wireless stylus that incorporates, for example, an infrared emitter for communicating with a receiver associated with a computer. The stylus is provided with push-buttons near its tip that can be actuated by the user during the course of pointing the stylus at a touch screen location. Accordingly, by the combined actuation of the touch screen and a concurrent actuation of one or more of the push buttons, a mouse input to the computer is accomplished.

Claims

1. A stylus system for enabling dispatch of control signals to a computer that is duplicative of a mouse button actuation, said stylus system comprising:

a stylus having a pointer end for actuation of a touch panel;

a controller housed in said stylus for transmitting said control signals through air; and

a user-operable actuator positioned on said stylus, connected to said controller and responsive to user actuation to cause said controller to dispatch said control signals, wherein said control signals are interpretable as a mouse output signal,

wherein said controller comprises an infrared transmitter for transmitting said control signals, and said computer comprises an infrared receiver for receiving and decoding said control signals,

wherein said pointer end includes a portion that is transparent to infrared signals and an infrared reflector,

wherein said infrared transmitter comprises a light emitting diode that emits light towards said infrared reflector that, in turn, redirects said light to said infrared receiver when a user holds said stylus against said touch panel, and

wherein said controller, after a first dispatch of a set of said control signals in response to depression of said actuator and a delay, automatically re-dispatches said set of control signals, said infrared receiver responsive to control signals received as a result of said first dispatch, to set a flag indicative of said depression, and further operative, after an interval, to reset said flag upon absence of receipt of said set of control signals from said re-dispatch.

2. The stylus system as recited in claim 1, wherein said infra-red receiver after receiving and decoding said control signals, feeds decoded signal levels to a mouse input of said computer.

3. The stylus system of claim 1, wherein said touch panel comprises a resistive membrane.

4. A stylus system for enabling dispatch of control signals to a computer that are duplicative of mouse button actuations, said stylus system comprising:

a stylus having a pointer end for actuation of a touch panel;

a controller housed in said stylus for transmitting said control signals through air; and

a user-operable actuator positioned on said stylus, connected to said controller and responsive to user actuation to cause said controller to dispatch said control signals,

wherein said user-operable actuator comprises a first actuator and a second actuator, user actuation of;

(i) said first actuator causing said controller to dispatch a control signal that is interpretable as a first mouse output signal and (ii) said second actuator causing said controller to dispatch a control signal that is interpretable as a second mouse output signal.

5. The stylus system as recited in claim 4, wherein said controller, responds to a depression of (i) said first actuator to transmit a control signal comprising a first pulse followed by a second pulse a time T1 later or (ii) said second actuator to transmit a control signal comprising said first pulse followed by a third pulse a time T2 later, wherein T2>

T1.

6. The stylus system of claim 4, wherein said touch panel comprises a resistive membrane.

7. A pointing system for enabling dispatch of a control signal through air to a computer that is duplicative of a push button actuation, said system comprising:

a manually held stylus for selection of position in at least one dimension, said stylus having a pointer end for actuation of a touch panel, and a member for directing a transmission signal, omni-directionally, in a plane that is generally parallel to a surface of said touch panel;

a controller housed in said stylus having a transmitter for transmitting said control signal via said member; and

a user activated button on said stylus for causing said controller to dispatch said control signal,

wherein said user-activated button comprises a first actuator and a second actuator, user actuation of;

(i) said first actuator causing said controller to dispatch a control signal that is interpretable as a first mouse output signal and (ii) said second actuator causing said controller to dispatch a control signal that is interpretable as a second mouse output signal.

8. The stylus system recited in claim 7, in which button actuation comprises making an electrical contact by mechanical displacement.

9. The stylus system recited in claim 7, wherein said button actuates a force-to-voltage transducer.

10. The stylus system recited in claim 7, wherein said transmitter comprises an infrared emitter.

11. The stylus system recited in claim 7, wherein said transmitter comprises a radio frequency emitter.

12. The stylus system recited in claim 7, wherein said transmitter comprises an ultrasonic emitter.

13. The stylus system of claim 7, wherein said touch panel comprises a resistive membrane.

14. The stylus system of claim 7,

wherein said member comprises an infrared reflector situated within said pointer end,

wherein said pointer end includes a portion that is transparent to infrared signals, and

wherein said transmitter emits infrared light towards said infrared reflector, which in turn directs said infrared light to said plane.