US 5,847,696 AGranted

X-Y coordinate input device

AssigneeAlps Electric Co., Ltd.

InventorsAkihisa Itoh, Nobuhiro Oura

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Abstract

An X-Y coordinate input device is made up of a mouse main body, a stop-position regulating member attached to the mouse main body, return springs for constantly biasing the stop-position regulating member in an upward direction, a disengaging button for downwardly pressing the stop-position regulating member, and a movable shell. First and second guide grooves are formed in the mouse main body, and first and second guide protuberances which are engageable with the first and second guide grooves are formed on the movable shell. First, second, and third stop-position regulating faces are formed on the upper surface of the stop-position regulating member. A stop-position regulating protuberance which is engageable with the first, second, and third stop-position regulating faces is formed on the movable shell. The movable shell is longitudinally moved with respect to the mouse main body by changing the position where the guide protuberances engage with the guide grooves as well as changing the stop-position regulating faces with which the stop-position regulating protuberance engages.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An X-Y coordinate input device including a mouse main body and a movable shell which is attached on top of the mouse main body so as to be changeable to another position with respect to the mouse main body, the improvement being characterized by that

the moveable shell is attached to the mouse main body so as to be movable in stages in a longitudinal direction thereof, and an interval between a switch actuating section disposed in the mouse main body and the area of the movable shell with which the palm of the hand comes into contact is made changeable, and
a stop-position regulating element is provided, said stop position regulating element being biasedly coupled to the mouse main body for releasably engaging with the movable shell at a position where the movable shell is moved,
wherein the element for regulating a stop position is provided with a plurality of faces for regulating a stop position which are spaced at given intervals away from, in parallel to, each other in the longitudinal direction of the mouse main body, and wherein projections for regulating a stop position project from the interior surface of the movable shell so as to be engagable with the respective faces for regulating a stop position, and as a result of selective engagement between the projection for regulating a stop position and any one of the faces for regulating a stop position, the position of the movable shell is set in stages with respect to the mouse main body.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.