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Pointing device for navigating a 3 dimensional GUI interface

  • US 6,822,638 B2
  • Filed: 05/10/1999
  • Issued: 11/23/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An information processing system input device for entering data comprising:

  • a mouse for sensing movement in a horizontal plane upon which the mouse is resting, the mouse providing cursor control in two dimensions on a display attached to an information processing system;

    a joystick actuator mounted on a top surface of the mouse so that the joystick actuator is operable by at least one of a user'"'"'s index finger, middle finger, ring finger and pinky finger when a user'"'"'s palm is resting on the top surface of the mouse; and

    a software driver providing cursor control in a third dimension of the display so that the cursor is controlled in the third dimension in response to a combination of;

    (i) a vertical downward coaxial force on the joystick actuator applied in a direction which is perpendicular to the horizontal plane so as to move the joystick actuator from an upper vertical quiescent position to a lower vertical active position; and

    (ii) a force applied to the joystick actuator parallel to the horizontal plane, whereby a determination is made on whether the force applied parallel to the horizontal plane on the joystick actuator represents a double speed change in pressure, and if the force applied parallel to the horizontal plane on the joystick actuator represents a double speed change in pressure, then a scrolling speed in the third dimension of the display is doubled a scrolling speed in the third dimension of the display for a force that is less than the double speed change in pressure;

    wherein the scrolling speed in the third dimension of the display is expressed by a positional state of a third dimension windows queue W, where the state of the windows queue W in time changes in proportion to the scrolling speed, where W is the windows queue in the third dimension comprising windows w1, w2, w3, . . . wn, where w1, is a first window in the windows queue W, and where wn, is a last window in the windows queue W, whereby the change in state of the windows queue W(t) for a scrolling rate that is less than the double scroll rate in a first direction is given by W(t=0)=w1, w2, w3, w4, w5, . . . wn W(t=1)=w2, w3, w4, w5, . . . wn, w1 W(t=2)=w3, w4, w5, . . . wn, w1, w2 whereby the change in state of the windows queue W(t) for a scrolling rate that is the double scroll rate in the first direction is given by W(t=0)=w1, w2, w3, w4, w5, . . . wn W(t=1)=w3, w4, w5, . . . wn, w1, w2 W(t=2)=w5, . . . wn, w1, w2, w3, w4.

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