Methods and apparatus to provide a handheld pointer-based user interface

A machine readable medium storing instructions, which when executed, cause a machine to:

• encode, at a wireless pointer component, a first human-computer interaction (HCI) signal with a first code to correspond to a first time associated with a first HCI operation;
• transmit via a first communication link the first encoded HCI signal from the wireless pointer component to a base component that is operatively coupled to a screen of a display;
• encode, at the wireless pointer component, a second HCI signal with a second code to correspond to a second time associated with the first HCI operation;
• transmit via the first communication link the second encoded HCI signal from the wireless pointer component to the base component, wherein the first code and the second code differ to indicate a difference between the first time and the second time;
• generate position information of associated with the wireless pointer component based on one of the first and second HCI signals;
• and
• transmit via a second communication link the information from the base component to a processor configured to generate screen information on the screen of the display.

An apparatus to provide a handheld pointer-based user interface comprising:

• a wireless pointer component configured to encode a first human-computer interaction (HCI) signal with a first code to correspond to a first time associated with a first HCI operation and to transmit via a first communication link the first encoded HCI signal, wherein the wireless pointer component is configured to encode a second HCI signal with a second code to correspond to a second time associated with the first HCI operation and to transmit via the first communication link the second encoded HCI signal;
• a base component operatively coupled to a screen of a display to receive via the first communication link the first and second encoded HCI signals from the wireless pointer component, the base component being configured to generate position information associated with the wireless pointer component based on the first and second encoded HCI signals, wherein the first code and the second code differ to indicate a difference between the first time and the second time;
• and
• a processor configured to generate screen information on the screen of the display, wherein the processor is to receive via a second communication link the position information from the base component.

A processor system to provide a hand held pointer-based user interface comprising:

• a display having a screen configured to generate one of text or graphics;
• a processor operatively coupled to the display to generate screen information on the screen of the display;
• and
• a handheld pointer-based user interface device having a wireless pointer component configured to transmit via a first communication link one or more human-computer interaction (HCI) signals associated with an HCI operation, wherein a first one of the HCI signals associated with the HCI operation is encoded differently from a second one of the HCI signals associated with the HCI operation to indicate a difference in time between a first time corresponding to the first one of the HCI signals and a second time corresponding to the second one of the HCI signals, and a base component operatively coupled to the screen of the display to receive via the first communication link the HCI signals from the wireless pointer component and configured to generate position information associated with the wireless pointer component based on the HCI signals, and to transmit via a second communication link the position information from the one or more base components to the processor.