Pressure mouse wheel
AssigneeAzoteq Holdings Limited
InventorsFrederick Johannes BRUWER, Jean VILJOEN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of measuring wheel parameters of a user interface and using such information to implement a freewheeling (virtual rotation) output that operates independent of real rotation of the wheel. A specific application can be found in computer mouse products.
Claims16
A product comprising a housing, an electromechanical switch mechanism, a wheel which is rotatably mounted to the housing, a first sensor which, in response to force applied to the wheel, produces information related to said force (“force information”), a second sensor which, in response to rotation of the wheel, produces information related to said rotation (“rotation information”), and a controller, wherein the controller, responsive to the force information and the rotation information, implements a virtual freewheeling output that is independent of continued rotation of the wheel, and wherein said electromechanical switch mechanism is activated when a user-applied force to said wheel exceeds a predetermined level.
A method of implementing virtual freewheeling of a wheel, comprising the steps of:
- a) using a first sensor to derive information related to a force applied by a user to the wheel (“force information”);
- b) using a second sensor to produce information related to a rotational speed of the wheel when the user loses contact with the wheel (“rotation information”);
- c) implementing virtual freewheeling of the wheel using said force information and said rotation information;
- and
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.