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US 5,844,634 AGranted
Finger-controllable remote control unit
AssigneeZenith Electronics Corporation
InventorCarl W. Stacy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A remote control device for a television receiver or the like includes a housing that defines a cavity. IR emitter-detector pairs are arranged about the cavity to establish an x-y pattern of IR beams within the cavity. Interruption of the IR beams by an opaque object, such as a human finger, activates signal generating means for generating control signals.
Claims5
A controller comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity with walls having IR transparent portions;
- means for producing a plurality of IR beams arranged in an x-y axes pattern in said cavity;
- means for supporting said IR beam producing means and said detecting means, respectively, behind opposed ones of said IR, transparent portions;
- means for detecting an interruption of any of said IR beams in said cavity;
- signal means for generating a signal;
- means for operating said signal means responsive to said detecting means;
- and
- wherein said cavity is sized and contoured for accommodating a human thumb, with said x-y axis pattern being rotated in said cavity relative to the normal axial orientation of a person holding said housing in his hand.
5 more elements
A controller comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity that is sized to accommodate a range of movement of a human finger;
- means for producing a plurality of IR beams arranged in an x-y axes pattern in said cavity;
- means for detecting an interruption of any of said IR beams by said finger in said cavity;
- signal means for generating a signal;
- and
- means for operating said signal means responsive to said detecting means;
- said cavity having a neutral zone wherein said human finger does not interrupt any of said IR beams;
- and
- wherein said neutral zone is characterized by a change in tactile sense to said human finger from the remainder of said cavity.
6 more elements
A remote control unit comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity;
- means for generating four substantially coplanar IR beams to form an x-y pattern of IR beams traversing said cavity;
- said x-y pattern of four IR beams defining a centrally located neutral zone within which a human thumb may be positioned without interrupting any of said four IR beams;
- means for detecting interruptions of said x-y pattern of IR beams;
- and
- signal means, responsive to said detecting means, for generating signals in response to interruptions of said IR beams.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.