Input device for digital processor based apparatus

A data input device comprising:

• a controller assembly including a manually accessible movable member having a manually accessible section comprising a projection and a slider section in the form of a disk integrally formed with said manually accessible section and slidably supported on a supporting base, said manually accessible section having a finger-receiving portion for receiving at least a finger of a user and formed on said slider section said supporting base having a plane surface at an upper side thereof for contacting a plate surface of a lower side of said slider section, said supporting base permitting movement of said movable member in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of the slide on said supporting base in response to a depression force for inputting data, said controller assembly also including a guide means defining an area of sliding motion of said movable member on said supporting base, said guide means comprising a cover which has a center hole opening at an upper surface wherein said projection of said movable member extends through said hole and is loosely guided by said hole, said projection having a cylindrical configuration with a circular cross section concentric with said center hole, said guide means further having a plurality of legs around said hole, said supporting base further having a plurality of slots which receive said legs of said guide means;
• a resilient means for resiliently supporting said controller assembly at a plurality of supporting points, said resilient means being deformable in response to the depression force;
• and
• electric means, responsive to deformation of said resilient means, for generating an output signal indicative of an input data corresponding to the position of said movable member, at which said inputting force is exerted.

A data input device for a digital processor and the line, comprising:

• a plurality of normally open switches respectively connected to corresponding output ports connected to said digital processor for inputting data, wherein each of said normally open switches comprises a pair of mutually separated stationary terminals on a stationary base and a movable contact movable between a first position in which it is positioned away from said stationary terminals, and a second position in which it contacts with said stationary terminals for establishing electrical communication therebetween, thereby permitting output of data through said output port;
• an elastically deformable contact carrier means which carries said movable contacts, said carrier means normally positioning said movable contact at said first position and allowing movement of said movable contact to said second position in response to an external depression force for inputting data;
• a slider base means having a flat and smooth surface section extending over at least a part of said contact carrier, said sliding base means having an actuation means associated with said contact carrier for selectively exerting said external depression force for causing shifting of at least one of said movable contact from said first position to second position;
• and
• a manually operable member having a surface mating with said flat and smooth surface of said supporting base means, said manually operable member being sliding movable on said slider base means for allowing manual actuation of at least one of said normally open switches and transmitting a depression force manually exerted thereonto for actuating said supporting base means.

A data input device comprising:

• a controller assembly which includes a manually accessible movable member having a manually accessible portion for contact with a user and a slider section integrally formed with said manually accessible portion and slidably supported on a supporting base, said slider section having a substantially planar lower portion for contacting a substantially planar upper portion on said supporting base, said supporting base permitting movement of said movable member in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of slide on said supporting base in response to a depression force for inputting data, said controller assembly also including a guide means defining an area of unbiased sliding motion of said movable member on said supporting base;
• a resilient means for resiliently supporting said controller assembly at a plurality of supporting points, said resilient means being deformable in response to a depression force by said user on said manually accessible portion;
• and
• electrical means, responsive to deformation of said resilient means, for generating an output signal indicative of input data corresponding to the position of said movable member at which said inputting force is exerted.