Electronic pointing apparatus and method

A method for generating movement data indicative of a direction and a distance a display or a displayed cursor on a computer-controlled display screen is to be moved in response to movement of a pointing apparatus, wherein the pointing apparatus includes a gyroscopic element, the method comprising:

• sampling an output of the gyroscopic element, the output indicating movement of the pointing apparatus;
• generating the movement data from the sampled output;
• determining a difference between a value of the sampled gyroscopic element output and a value of a previously sampled gyroscopic element output in a previous sample cycle;
• determining whether the difference is at least as large as a first threshold amount;
• in response to the difference not being at least as large as the first threshold amount, determining a period of time for which the difference between values of successive sampled outputs of the gyroscopic element has not been at least as large as the first threshold amount;
• in response to the period being greater than a select amount, determining the bias offset of the gyroscopic element from an average of all sampled outputs of the gyroscopic element generated in the period of time;
• and
• removing effects of the bias offset from the movement data.

A method for generating movement data indicative of a direction and a distance a display or displayed cursor on a computer-controlled display screen is to be moved in response to movement of a pointing apparatus, wherein the pointing apparatus includes a gyroscopic element, the method comprising:

• sampling an output of the gyroscopic element, the output indicating movement of the pointing apparatus;
• generating the movement data from the sampled output;
• determining whether a user of the pointing apparatus has selected an element on the computer-controlled display screen;
• in response to the user selecting an element on the computer-controlled display screen, determining whether the movement data indicates that the pointing apparatus has moved at least a first threshold amount;
• and
• in response to the movement data not indicating that the pointing apparatus has moved at least the first threshold amount, altering the movement data to indicate that the pointing apparatus has not moved.