Cursor position controller for use with mouse and display systems

Abstract

Abstract Improved cursor-positioning apparatus is disclosed for use with a mouse-type cursor controller and a host computer display system to enable the mouse's operating area to remain relatively small, yet enabling normal-feeling mouse operation to provide both high-precision cursor pointing and very efficient coarse positioning of the cursor to any zone of a relatively larger display area. The disclosed apparatus provides an ideally limited operative-area for the attached mouse, comprising structure for defining a boundary limiting the range of X-Y movement of the mouse when it is operated within such contained operative-area. The apparatus also comprises elements that sense orthogonal forces that result when the travel of the mouse is limited by such structural boundaries, elements for synthesizing appropriate cursor-movement signals upon activation by the sense of such forces during mouse/boundary contact and elements for selectively coupling either such synthesized signals or normal mouse-generated signals to the host computer system.

Inventors

• 👤 Lee L. Bain

Bibliographic Details