Mouse with an optical encoder wheel for a computer
OwnerHuo-Lu Tsaiinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mouse includes a housing, a wheel disposed rotatably in the housing and movable in a radial direction between upper and lower positions, a shaft extending through a center of the wheel and secured thereto, a detecting unit for detecting movement of the wheel, and a spring unit mounted in the housing and having two opposing coil parts that are respectively sleeved on two opposite ends of the shaft. Each of the coil parts has opposing end sections that diverge therefrom to slidably abut against the housing so as to suspend the wheel in the housing and that define an angle therebetween. The angle is enlarged when the wheel is moved from the upper position to the lower position, thereby providing an urging force to move the wheel from the lower position to the upper position.
Claims4
A mouse adapted to provide electrical signals to a computer, said mouse comprising:
- a housing;
- a wheel mounted rotatably in said housing and having opposite left and right sides and a portion exposed from said housing for user operation;
- a shaft extending in an axial direction through a center of said wheel and secured thereto, said shaft having two opposite ends disposed at said left and right sides of said wheel, respectively, said wheel being operable to move together with said shaft in a radial direction relative to said shaft from an upper position to a lower position;
- a detecting unit disposed in said housing and adapted to provide electrical signals to the computer upon detecting movement of said wheel;
- and
- a spring unit mounted in said housing and including opposing first and second coil parts, each of which is sleeved on a respective one of said opposite ends of said shaft so as to permit rotation of said wheel together with said shaft relative to said first and second coil parts and so as to be movable together with said wheel and said shaft in said radial direction, and each of which has opposing first and second end sections that diverge therefrom to define an angle therebetween and that slidably abut against said housing so as to permit mounting of said wheel in said housing, said angle being enlarged when said wheel is moved together with said shaft and said first and second coil parts from said upper position to said lower position by an external force so as to provide an urging force to move said wheel together with said shaft and said first and second coil parts from said lower position to said upper position when said wheel is relieved from the external force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.