Mouse pad

Abstract

A mouse pad may be provided. The mouse pad may include a base and a pad. The mouse pad may further include an illumination assembly sandwiched between the base and the pad. The lighting assembly may include a light transmissive body sandwiched between the base and the mat, the light transmissive body having a peripheral edge portion exposed from between the base and the mat. The lighting assembly may further include a light emitting device that may include an elongated substrate and a plurality of light sources distributed lengthwise along a length of the mounting surface of the elongated substrate. The light-emitting device and the light-transmitting body may be assembled together in such a manner that light from the plurality of light sources is transmitted through the light-transmitting body to irradiate a peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments relate generally to mouse pads, and more particularly to a mouse pad capable of displaying lighting effects. Background Art

[0002] Mouse pads are commonly used to provide a dedicated surface for a mouse device to glide on.

[0003] In particular, a mouse pad can enhance the usability of a mouse device by providing a flat surface that allows the mouse device to measure movements without jitter.

[0004] With the advent of optical mouse devices, much research has been devoted to developing materials for mouse pads that are easily read by and glide smoothly over optical mouse devices.

[0005] In addition to the above-mentioned concerns about the materials used for mouse pads, there seems to be little research devoted to developing mouse pads with enhanced functions. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to various embodiments, a mouse pad may be provided. The mouse pad may include a base and a cushion. The mouse pad may also include a lighting assembly sandwiched between the base and the cushion. The lighting assembly may include a light-transmitting body sandwiched between the base and the cushion, the light-transmitting body having a peripheral edge portion exposed from between the base and the cushion. The lighting assembly may further include a light-emitting arrangement, which may include an elongated substrate and a plurality of light sources distributed lengthwise along the length of the mounting surface of the elongated substrate. The light-emitting arrangement and the light-transmitting body may be assembled together in a manner such that light from the plurality of light sources is transmitted through the light-transmitting body to illuminate the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but emphasis is generally placed on illustrating the principles of the invention. In the following description, various embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1A shows a schematic top view of a mouse pad according to various embodiments;

[0009] Figure 1B Shown according to various embodiments Figure 1A A schematic top view of a mouse pad of , wherein a cushion of the mouse pad is removed to expose a lighting assembly of the mouse pad;

[0010] Figure 1C Shown according to various embodiments Figure 1BA schematic side view of a mouse pad;

[0011] Figure 1D and Figure 1E Shown according to various embodiments Figure 1C a schematic close-up side view of a mouse pad; and

[0012] Figure 2 A schematic side view of a mouse pad 200 is shown in accordance with various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The embodiments described below in the context of an apparatus are analogously valid for the corresponding method, and vice versa. Furthermore, it will be understood that the embodiments described below may be combined, for example, part of one embodiment may be combined with part of another embodiment.

[0014] It should be understood that the terms "upper", "above", "top", "bottom", "lower", "side", "rear", "left", "right", "front", "lateral", "side", "upward", "downward", etc., when used in the following description, are used for convenience and to help understand relative positions or directions, and are not intended to limit the orientation of any device or structure or any part of any device or structure. In addition, the singular terms "a", "an", "the", and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the word "or" is intended to include "and" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0015] Various embodiments seek to provide a mouse pad (or mouse pad or mouse mat, e.g., mouse pad device) capable of displaying lighting effects. In various embodiments, the mouse pad can be provided with a plurality of light sources for equipping the mouse pad with lighting capabilities. In particular, the plurality of light sources can be positioned in a center or middle region of the mouse pad, while light emitted from the plurality of light sources can be visible (e.g., visible to a user of the mouse pad) via an exposed peripheral edge portion (e.g., edge / side) of the mouse pad.

[0016] According to various embodiments, multiple light sources can be arranged in a manner that the mouse pad can evenly or uniformly illuminate its peripheral edge portion. For example, multiple light sources can be positioned so that the distance between each light source and the corresponding segment of the peripheral edge portion can be similar to each other or vary within a small range.

[0017] Additionally, according to various embodiments, the plurality of light sources may be arranged in a manner that minimizes the number of hot spots within the mouse pad (when power or electricity is supplied to the plurality of light sources) while enabling uniform (e.g., substantially uniform) illumination of the mouse pad through its peripheral edge portion. For example, the plurality of light sources of a mouse pad according to various embodiments may be spaced apart from one another in a non-uniform manner, and / or may be oriented to face in different directions.

[0018] The following examples relate to various embodiments.

[0019] Example 1 is a mouse pad. The mouse pad may include a base and a cushion. The mouse pad may further include a lighting assembly sandwiched between the base and the cushion. The lighting assembly may include a light-transmitting body sandwiched between the base and the cushion, the light-transmitting body having a peripheral edge portion exposed from between the base and the cushion. The lighting assembly may further include a light-emitting device, which may include an elongated substrate and a plurality of light sources distributed in a length direction along the length of a mounting surface of the elongated substrate. The light-emitting device and the light-transmitting body may be assembled together in such a way that light from the plurality of light sources is transmitted through the light-transmitting body to illuminate the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body.

[0020] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 may include: wherein the base is a flexible base. Furthermore, the pad may be a flexible pad. Furthermore, the light-transmitting body may be a flexible light-transmitting body. Furthermore, the substrate may be a flexible substrate.

[0021] In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 1 or Example 2 may include: wherein the light-transmitting body is an elongated light-transmitting body, and wherein the light-emitting device and the light-transmitting body are assembled together, wherein the elongated substrate is longitudinally aligned relative to the elongated light-transmitting body.

[0022] In Example 4, the subject matter of Example 3 can include wherein the elongated substrate is centrally aligned relative to the elongated light-transmissive body such that a longitudinal centerline of the elongated substrate coincides with a longitudinal centerline of the elongated light-transmissive body.

[0023] In Example 5, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 to 4 may include: wherein the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body extends around the periphery of the cushion. In addition, the plurality of light sources may include: a first subset of light sources configured to illuminate a first quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body; a second subset of light sources configured to illuminate a second quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body; a third subset of light sources configured to illuminate a third quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body; and a fourth subset of light sources configured to illuminate a fourth quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body. Each quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body may be defined by a longitudinal centerline of the light-transmitting body and a transverse centerline of the light-transmitting body.

[0024] In Example 6, the subject matter of any of Example 5 may include: wherein the light sources in each light source subset are oriented so that their beam axes point in different directions from each other in a manner that forms different angles relative to a longitudinal centerline of the light-transmitting body.

[0025] In Example 7, the subject matter of any one of Examples 5 or 6 may include: wherein each quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body includes a longitudinal edge segment of the light-transmitting body, a lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body, and a corner segment of the light-transmitting body, and the longitudinal edge segment and the lateral edge segment meet through the corner segment. In addition, each subset of light sources in the plurality of light sources may include: at least one light source directed to illuminate the longitudinal edge segment of the light-transmitting body, at least one light source directed to illuminate the lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body, and at least one light source directed to illuminate the corner segment of the light-transmitting body.

[0026] In Example 8, the subject matter of Example 7 may include: wherein at least one light source for illuminating a longitudinal edge segment of the light-transmitting body is oriented so that its beam axis intersects the longitudinal edge segment of the light-transmitting body in a non-perpendicular manner. In addition, at least one light source for illuminating a lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body may be oriented so that its beam axis intersects the lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body in a non-perpendicular manner. In addition, at least one light source for illuminating a corner segment of the light-transmitting body may be oriented so that its beam axis points in a non-perpendicular manner to a direction that is not perpendicular to the longitudinal edge portion of the light-transmitting body and is not perpendicular to the lateral edge portion of the light-transmitting body.

[0027] In Example 9, the subject matter of any one of Examples 5 to 8 may include wherein each subset of the plurality of light sources is distributed lengthwise along the elongated substrate in a manner such that they are spaced apart from each other at increasing intervals toward a lateral centerline of the light-transmitting body.

[0028] In Example 10, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 to 9 may include: wherein the plurality of light sources includes 32 light sources.

[0029] In Example 11, the subject matter of any one of Examples 5 to 9 may include: wherein each subset of light sources in the plurality of light sources includes 8 light sources.

[0030] In Example 12, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 to 11 may include: wherein the cushion is smaller than the light-transmitting body, and the cushion and the light-transmitting body are arranged in a concentric manner so that a peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body exposed between the cushion and the base includes a border region of the light-transmitting body extending outwardly from the periphery of the cushion to the periphery of the light-transmitting body. The border region of the light-transmitting body may have a width ranging from 1 mm to 4 mm.

[0031] In Example 13, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 to 12 may include: wherein the light-transmitting body includes at least one hole for accommodating a plurality of light sources therein. The at least one hole may define an inner surface serving as a light input surface, and light from the plurality of light sources is transmitted into the light-transmitting body through the light input surface.

[0032] In Example 14, the subject matter of Example 13 can include: wherein the light-transmitting body includes a plurality of holes, wherein each of the plurality of light sources is received within a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes.

[0033] In Example 15, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 to 14 may further include: a controller electrically coupled to the plurality of light sources and configured to control at least one of brightness, color, lighting mode, or lighting duration of the plurality of light sources.

[0034] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 may include: wherein the controller includes an interface for connecting to a power source.

[0035] In Example 17, Example 15 or the subject matter of Example 15 may include: wherein the controller is disposed at a lateral edge of the light-transmitting body and connected to a longitudinal end of the elongated substrate.

[0036] In Example 18, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 to 17 may include: wherein the exposed surface of the base includes an anti-slip arrangement.

[0037] Figure 1A shows a schematic top view of a mouse pad 100 according to various embodiments; Figure 1B Shown according to various embodiments Figure 1A A schematic top view of a mouse pad 100 with the cushion 115 of the mouse pad removed to expose the lighting assembly 120 of the mouse pad 100; and Figure 1C Shown according to various embodiments Figure 1B Schematic side view of mouse pad 100.

[0038] According to various embodiments, a mouse pad 100 may be provided.

[0039] The mouse pad 100 may include a base 110, a cushion 115, and a lighting assembly 120 that may be sandwiched between the base 110 and the cushion 115. According to various embodiments, the base 110, the cushion 115, and the lighting assembly 120 may be held together by any suitable fastening means, for example, via an adhesive and / or at least one fastener (e.g., such as Figure 1B The screw 7 shown, or a snap-fit ​​device, or a latch, or a pin, or a rivet, or a catch, etc.).

[0040] The base 110 of the mouse pad 100 may be the bottom layer of the mouse pad 100 for interfacing with an external surface (e.g., a desktop). According to various embodiments, the exposed (e.g., bottom) surface 111 of the base 110 may be configured to have anti-slip properties. In particular, the exposed surface of the base 110 may include an anti-slip device 113 (see Figure 1D ). For example, the bottom surface of the base 110 may include a rough surface of the material of the base 110 and / or may include an anti-slip pattern, an anti-slip groove, etc.

[0041] The pad 115 of the mouse pad 100 can be the topmost layer of the mouse pad 100 for providing an exposed tracking (eg, top) surface 116 for a mouse device (not shown) to glide on. Thus, the tracking surface 116 can be a smooth surface.

[0042] The lighting assembly 120 may be an intermediate layer of the mouse pad 100 sandwiched between the base 110 and the cushion 115 .

[0043] The lighting assembly 120 may include a light emitting device 160 and a light-transmitting body 130 .

[0044] The light emitting device 160 may include a substrate 170 and a plurality of light sources (or light emitting units) 180. According to various embodiments, Figure 1B As shown, the substrate 170 may be an elongated substrate 170. For example, the elongated substrate 170 may have a shape including, but not limited to, a rectangular shape, an oblong shape, an elongated oval shape, a stadium shape, or a rounded rectangular shape. According to various embodiments, the elongated substrate 170 may correspond to (in other words, may be similar to) the shape of the mouse pad 100. Thus, for example, the mouse pad 100 may be elongated in shape. According to various embodiments, a plurality of light sources 180 may be distributed along the elongated substrate 170 in a length direction (or in a longitudinal direction). Thus, the plurality of light sources 180 may be distributed in a manner such that a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated substrate 170 is formed. According to various embodiments, the plurality of light sources 180 may be mounted on a mounting surface 170a of the elongated substrate 170. Thus, the plurality of light sources 180 may be distributed along the length of the mounting surface 170a (e.g., the top surface) of the elongated substrate 170. According to various embodiments, the plurality of light sources 180 may be arranged in a straight line, which may be parallel or substantially parallel to the straight / linear longitudinal edge 134 of the mouse pad 100 (or the light-transmitting body 130). Thus, the elongated substrate 170 may be oriented so as to be parallel or substantially parallel to the straight / linear longitudinal edge 134 of the mouse pad 100 (or the light-transmitting body 130). As an example, referring to Figure 1BAccording to various embodiments, at least three or more (for example, four, five, etc.) or more than half of the total number of the multiple light sources 180 of the light emitting device 160 of the mouse pad 100 can be arranged in a straight line or along a straight line on the mounting surface 170a of the elongated substrate 170.

[0045] According to various embodiments, the direct distance (e.g., the shortest distance) measured between each of the plurality of light sources 180 and a corresponding segment of an edge / side (e.g., a lateral edge / side 133 or a longitudinal edge / side 134) of the mouse pad 100 (or the light-transmitting body 130) (for illuminating the edge / side (e.g., the lateral edge / side 133 or the longitudinal edge / side 134)) may be similar to each other or vary within a small range from each other. The direct distance may be a distance extending perpendicular to the edge / side (e.g., the lateral edge / side 133 or the longitudinal edge / side 134). In this way, according to various embodiments, the plurality of light sources 180 of the mouse pad 100 may provide or achieve consistent (e.g., substantially consistent) illumination to the edge / side (e.g., the lateral edge / side 133 or the longitudinal edge / side 134) of the mouse pad 100, in whole or in part.

[0046] According to various embodiments, the elongated substrate 170 may be or may include, but is not limited to, at least one of an electronic board, a circuit board, a printed circuit board, etc., or a flexible electronic board, a flexible circuit board, a flexible printed circuit board, etc. When mounted on the mounting surface 170a of the elongated substrate 170, each of the plurality of light sources 180 may be / may be electrically connected to the elongated substrate 170. According to various embodiments, each of the plurality of light sources 180 may be a light emitting diode (LED), such as an RGB (i.e., red, green, blue) LED, or any other type of light source.

[0047] According to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may be light-transmitting and may allow light (e.g., light emitted from the plurality of light sources 180) to pass through or across the light-transmitting body 130. According to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may be configured as or may include a waveguide or may be a waveguide. The light-transmitting body 130 may include at least one light input surface (e.g., Figure 2 The light-transmitting body 130 may include a peripheral edge portion 140 (e.g., a light output portion) for allowing light to exit the light-transmitting body 130. The peripheral edge portion 140 may be opposite (e.g., substantially opposite) to at least one light input surface. The light-transmitting body 130 may further include a first surface 152 (e.g., a flat surface) (see Figure 1D) and an opposing and / or parallel second surface 154 (e.g., a flat surface), the first surface 152 and the second surface 154 may extend between the at least one light input surface and the peripheral edge portion 140. Therefore, the first surface 152 and the second surface 154 may be the bottom surface and the top surface of the light-transmitting body 130, respectively (e.g., when the mouse pad 100 is in an operating or use orientation, in other words, when the mouse pad 100 is in an upright orientation or a substantially upright orientation). According to various embodiments, when the mouse pad 100 is in an upright orientation or a substantially upright orientation, the at least one light input surface may be an upright / vertical surface or a substantially upright / vertical surface of the light-transmitting body 130. According to various embodiments, the first surface 152 and the second surface 154 may be capable of reflecting light within the light-transmitting body 130, for example, based on total internal reflection of the first surface 152 and the second surface 154 of the light-transmitting body 130 (refer to later). Figure 2 Thus, even when the mouse pad 100 is bent or rolled up, the mouse pad 100 according to various embodiments can provide visible illumination to a user of the mouse pad 100 via its peripheral edge portion 140 .

[0048] In particular, according to various embodiments, the light emitting device 160 and the light-transmitting body 130 may be assembled together in such a manner that the light from the plurality of light sources 180 is transmitted through the light-transmitting body 130 to illuminate the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130. For example, according to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may include at least one (e.g., one or more) holes (e.g., blind holes, through holes, cutouts, etc.) (e.g., in Figure 2 5), at least one hole is shaped as or used to accommodate a plurality of light sources 180 therein. According to various embodiments, at least one inner surface of the at least one hole can be used as at least one light input surface 250, and light from the plurality of light sources 180 (e.g., positioned or arranged adjacent to and / or oriented to face the at least one light input surface) can be transmitted into / enter the light-transmitting body 130 through the at least one light input surface 250. As an example, according to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may include a plurality of holes, and each of the plurality of light sources 180 may be accommodated in a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes. As another example, according to various other embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may include a single (e.g., large or larger) hole for accommodating all of the plurality of light sources 180.

[0049] According to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may be sandwiched between the base 110 and the cushion 115, and may have a peripheral edge portion 140 exposed from between the base 110 and the cushion 115, so that light emitted from the peripheral edge portion 140 of the mouse pad may be visible to the user of the mouse pad 100. Specifically, according to various embodiments, the cushion 115 (and / or the base 110) may be smaller than the light-transmitting body 130. The cushion 115 (and / or the base 110) and the light-transmitting body 130 may be arranged in a concentric manner, so that the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130 exposed between the cushion 115 and the base 110 may include a border area 136 of the light-transmitting body 130 (see Figure 1D ), the border region 136 extends outward from the periphery of the cushion 115 to the periphery of the light-transmitting body 130 (or between the periphery of the cushion 115 and the periphery of the light-transmitting body 130). According to various embodiments, the border region 136 of the light-transmitting body 130 may have a width in the range of 1 mm to 4 mm (e.g., a uniform width along the entire border region 136). For example, the entire border region 136 may have a uniform width of approximately 3 mm. Figure 1D As shown, according to various embodiments, the peripheral edge portion 140, which may include a border region 136 of the light-transmitting body 130, may include at least (i) a segment (e.g., an exposed segment) of a second surface 154 (e.g., a top surface) of the light-transmitting body 130 at an edge region of the light-transmitting body 130, and (ii) a side surface (e.g., an upright / vertical surface or a substantially upright / vertical surface, e.g., an exposed side surface) 153 of the light-transmitting body 130 extending between the first surface 152 and the second surface 154 of the light-transmitting body 130. Therefore, light may be emitted from the side surface 153 of the light-transmitting body 130 in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline 132 and / or the transverse centerline 131 of the light-transmitting body 130 and / or may be emitted from the segment (e.g., an exposed segment) of the second surface 154 of the light-transmitting body 130 in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0050] According to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may be an integral piece formed as a single unit. Figure 1B As shown, according to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 can be, for example, a plate-shaped (or panel-shaped) light-transmitting body 130, which can include a pair of opposite and / or parallel lateral edges / sides 133 (e.g., straight or substantially straight lateral edges / sides), a pair of opposite and / or parallel longitudinal edges / sides 134 (e.g., straight or substantially straight longitudinal edges / sides extending between the pair of lateral edges / sides 133), and four corners 135 (e.g., rounded, chamfered, or straight corners), and the lateral edges / sides 133 and the longitudinal edges / sides 134 meet at these four corners.

[0051] According to various embodiments, the mouse pad 100 may be a flexible mouse pad 100 that is capable of being bent, rolled up, etc., while still being able to provide lighting effects (eg, via its lighting assembly 120 ).

[0052] Therefore, according to various embodiments, the base 110 of the mouse pad 100 may be a flexible base 110. The cushion 115 of the mouse pad 100 may be a flexible cushion 115. In other words, according to various embodiments, each of the base 110 and the cushion 115 of the mouse pad 100 may be made of a flexible material (e.g., completely made of a flexible material) or may include a flexible material, such as a polymer (e.g., a flexible polymer, such as polyester, etc.), a rubber (e.g., natural rubber), cloth, fabric, leather, etc. Therefore, for example, according to various embodiments, the base 110 may be made of natural rubber, and the cushion 115 may be made of polyester.

[0053] Furthermore, according to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may be a flexible light-transmitting body 130 (e.g., a flexible waveguide, a flexible optical instrument, etc.) for transmitting light across it from at least one input surface to a peripheral edge portion 140 of the flexible light-transmitting body 130. In particular, the light-transmitting body 130 may be made of (e.g., completely made of) a flexible light-transmitting (e.g., transparent or translucent) material or may include a flexible light-transmitting (e.g., transparent or translucent) material, such as glass (e.g., flexible glass), a polymer (e.g., a flexible polymer, such as polycarbonate, etc.), or any other suitable flexible light-transmitting material.

[0054] In addition, according to various embodiments, the substrate 170 may be a flexible substrate 170. For example, according to various embodiments, the substrate 170 may be or may include at least one of a flexible electronic board, a flexible circuit board, a flexible printed circuit board, etc. According to various embodiments, the substrate 170 may be made of a flexible polymer, including but not limited to a polyimide film or a polyester film.

[0055] refer to Figure 1B According to various embodiments, the light-transmitting body 130 may be an elongated light-transmitting body 130. As an example, Figure 1B The light-transmitting body 130 is shown as a long and thin plate-shaped (or panel-shaped) light-transmitting body 130 .

[0056] According to various embodiments, the light emitting device 160 and the light transmissive body 130 (e.g., an elongated light transmissive body) of the mouse pad 100 may be assembled together (e.g., stacked), wherein the elongated substrate 170 (e.g., a circuit board, a flexible circuit board, etc.) of the light emitting device 160 is longitudinally aligned relative to the elongated light transmissive body 130. That is, according to various embodiments, the longitudinal centerline 172 of the elongated substrate 170 may be parallel (e.g., substantially parallel) to the longitudinal centerline 132 of the elongated light transmissive body 130. In particular, as Figure 1B As shown, according to various embodiments, the elongated substrate 170 can be centrally aligned relative to the elongated light-transmitting body 130, so that the longitudinal centerline 172 of the elongated substrate 170 can coincide with the longitudinal centerline 132 of the elongated light-transmitting body 130 and / or so that the transverse centerline 171 of the elongated substrate 170 can coincide with the transverse centerline 131 of the elongated light-transmitting body 130.

[0057] As shown, according to various embodiments, the length of the elongated substrate 170 (e.g., measured along the longitudinal centerline 172 of the elongated substrate 170) may be shorter than the length (e.g., the total length) of the elongated light-transmitting body 130, and longer than half of the length (e.g., the total length) of the elongated light-transmitting body 130. In addition, the width of the elongated substrate 170 (e.g., measured along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline 172 of the elongated substrate 170) may be smaller than the width (e.g., the total width) of the elongated light-transmitting body 130 (e.g., smaller than half of the width or smaller than a quarter of the width).

[0058] refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B , the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130 may extend around (eg, substantially around or completely around) the periphery of the cushion 115. Figure 1B According to various embodiments, the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130 may include or may be divided into four quadrants 141, 142, 143, 144 (e.g., four quadrants of equal or substantially equal size). Each quadrant of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130 may be bounded or defined by (i) a longitudinal centerline 132 of the light-transmitting body 130 and (ii) a transverse centerline 131 of the light-transmitting body 130 (particularly note that the transverse centerline 131 of the light-transmitting body 130 is perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline 132). In particular, each quadrant of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130 may include corresponding / corresponding longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d of the light-transmitting body 130, corresponding / corresponding lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d of the light-transmitting body 130, and corresponding / corresponding corner segments 135a, 135b, 135c, 135d of the light-transmitting body 130, corresponding / corresponding longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d of the light-transmitting body 130. , 134d and the corresponding / corresponding lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d meet with the aid of (i.e., through) the corresponding / corresponding corner segments 135a, 135b, 135c, 135d (in other words, the corner segments 135a, 135b, 135c, 135d can be between the longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d and the lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d and can connect them).

[0059] According to various embodiments, the multiple light sources 180 of the mouse pad 100 may include or may be divided into: (i) a first light source subset, which is configured to face and / or illuminate the first quadrant 141 of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130, (ii) a second light source subset, which is configured to face and / or illuminate the second quadrant 142 of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130, (iii) a third light source subset, which is configured to face and / or illuminate the third quadrant 143 of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130, and (iv) a fourth light source subset, which is configured to face and / or illuminate the fourth quadrant 144 of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130.

[0060] According to various embodiments, the light sources (e.g., at least two or more than two or all light sources) in each light source subset (i.e., (i) the first light source subset, (ii) the second light source subset, (iii) the third light source subset, (iv) the fourth subset light source) of the plurality of light sources 180 may be oriented so that (their respective) beam axes point in different directions from each other in a manner such that different angles are formed relative to the longitudinal centerline 132 of the light-transmitting body 130. The beam axis of each light source may be a line from the light source along the center of the light beam emitted from the light source. According to various embodiments, the light sources in each light source subset of the plurality of light sources may be oriented so that the propagation of light (or the propagation of light beams) of the light sources together may continuously cover the corresponding quadrants 141, 142, 143, 144 of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130 to provide uniform or consistent (i.e., substantially consistent) or uninterrupted illumination along the corresponding quadrants 141, 142, 143, 144 of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the light-transmitting body 130. Thus, the plurality of light sources 180 can be capable of providing uniform or consistent (eg, substantially uniform) or uninterrupted illumination to the peripheral edge portion 140 (eg, the entire unobstructed peripheral edge portion 140 ) of the mouse pad 100 .

[0061] According to various embodiments, each subset of light sources among the plurality of light sources 180 may include (i) at least one (e.g., one or two or more) light source oriented to face and / or illuminate the longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d of the light-transmitting body 130, (ii) at least one light source oriented to face and / or illuminate the lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d of the light-transmitting body 130, and (iii) at least one light source oriented to face and / or illuminate the corner segments 135a, 135b, 135c, 135d of the light-transmitting body 130. According to various embodiments, at least one light source of each light source subset among the plurality of light sources 180 configured or used to illuminate the longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d of the light-transmitting body 130 may be oriented so that its (i.e., the at least one light source's) beam axis (or the normal to the light-emitting surface of the at least one light source) intersects the longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c of the light-transmitting body 130 in a non-perpendicular manner. At least one light source of each light source subset among the plurality of light sources 180 configured or used to illuminate the lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d of the light-transmitting body 130 may be oriented so that its beam axis intersects the lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d of the light-transmitting body 130 in a non-perpendicular manner. At least one light source of each subset of light sources in the plurality of light sources 180 configured or used to illuminate the corner segments 135a, 135b, 135c, 135d of the light-transmitting body 130 may be oriented such that its beam axis is directed in a non-perpendicular manner to a direction that is not perpendicular to the longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d of the light-transmitting body 130 and not perpendicular to the lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d of the light-transmitting body 130. As an example, the non-perpendicular manner may be such that the beam axis or normal forms an acute angle (e.g., within 1° to 89°) with respect to the corresponding / corresponding edge segments (i.e., longitudinal edge segments 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d / lateral edge segments 133a, 133b, 133c, 133d) of the corresponding / corresponding quadrant or the corresponding / corresponding corner segments 135a, 135b, 135c, 135d.

[0062] Figure 1D and Figure 1E Shown according to various embodiments Figure 1C Schematic close-up side view of mouse pad 100.

[0063] refer to Figure 1E , and return reference Figure 1BAccording to various embodiments, each subset of light sources in the plurality of light sources 180 may be distributed along the length direction of the elongated substrate 170 in such a manner that the light sources are spaced apart from each other at increasing intervals toward the transverse centerline 131 of the light-transmitting body 130 and / or the transverse centerline 171 of the substrate 170 (e.g., when the substrate 170 is centrally aligned with the light-transmitting body 130). Thus, the distance between two adjacent light sources may be greater for light sources placed closer to the transverse centerline 131 than for adjacent light sources further away from the transverse centerline 131.

[0064] According to various embodiments, the described spacing of the light sources may result in a reduced or minimized number of (potential) hot spots within the mouse pad 100 (eg, when the light sources of the mouse pad emit light and thereby generate heat during operation).

[0065] As shown in the figure, adjacent (e.g., immediately adjacent) light sources within a first group of light sources (i.e., away from the corresponding lateral edge 133 of the light-transmitting body 130) of each light source subset can be spaced apart from each other within a first distance range, while adjacent (e.g., immediately adjacent) light sources within a second group (i.e., close to the corresponding lateral edge 133 of the light-transmitting body 130) of the (same) light source subset can be spaced apart from each other within a second distance range, wherein the second distance range is smaller than the minimum value of the first distance range.

[0066] According to various embodiments, the plurality of light sources 180 of the light emitting device 160 of the mouse pad 100 may be or may include thirty-two light sources. Therefore, when the plurality of light sources 180 is or includes thirty-two light sources, each subset of light sources may be or may include eight light sources (i.e., eight light sources from the thirty-two light sources). In addition, according to various embodiments, when the plurality of light sources 180 is or includes thirty-two light sources, the first group of light sources of each subset of light sources may be or may include three (or four) light sources close to the transverse center line 131 of the light-transmitting body 130 and / or the transverse center line 171 of the substrate 170, and the second group of light sources of each subset of light sources may be or may include five (or four) light sources far from the transverse center line 131 of the light-transmitting body 130 and / or the transverse center line 171 of the substrate 170.

[0067] refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1BAccording to various embodiments, the mouse pad 100 may further include a controller 190 for controlling the plurality of light sources 180. Thus, when the plurality of light sources 180 are or include a plurality of LEDs, the controller 190 may be an "LED controller". According to various embodiments, the controller 190 may include a processor configured to or used to implement or execute functions or instructions, such as controlling the color (e.g., red, green, blue, etc.), brightness level (or light intensity), illumination duration (e.g., duration of light emission), illumination mode, illumination effect, etc., of each or any one or more or all of the plurality of light sources 180. Thus, for example, the controller 190 may be configured to control the color, brightness, duration of light emission (or illumination duration), illumination mode, illumination effect, etc., of each subset of light sources for independently illuminating the corresponding quadrants 141, 142, 143, 144. As yet another example, the controller 190 may be configured to synchronously control the color, brightness, duration of light emission (or illumination duration), illumination mode, illumination effect, etc., of the plurality of light sources 180. According to various embodiments, the plurality of light sources 180 may be divided into a plurality of subgroups. Each subgroup may include at least one (in other words, one or two or more) light source for illuminating a corresponding segment (also referred to as a "lighting zone") of the peripheral edge portion 140 of the mouse pad 100. The subgroups may contain the same number of light sources or different numbers of light sources from each other. As an example, the plurality of light sources 180 (e.g., thirty-two light sources) may be divided into ten subgroups for illuminating ten corresponding lighting zones. As another example, the plurality of light sources 180 (e.g., thirty-two light sources) may be divided into twenty subgroups for illuminating twenty corresponding lighting zones. According to various embodiments, the controller 190 may be configured to control the plurality of light sources 180 according to or through its subgroups.

[0068] The controller 190 may include an interface 191 (e.g., a port, a connector, a universal serial bus (USB), etc.) for connecting to a computing device (e.g., an external power source, a computer, a tablet, a smart phone, a flash drive, and a portable hard drive) for powering the controller 190, which in turn may transmit power (e.g., electrical energy) to the plurality of light sources 180 via a substrate 170 (e.g., an electronic board, a circuit board, etc.). According to various other embodiments, the mouse pad 100 may include an internal power source (e.g., a built-in power source, a removable / fixed battery, etc.) and / or an energy harvesting unit (e.g., a solar panel) (not shown) for providing power to the various electrical components of the mouse pad 100.

[0069] According to various embodiments, the controller 190 may be configured to receive data from a computing device (e.g., an external computing device) connected to the controller 190 via the interface 191. The data (i.e., data transmitted from the computing device to the controller 190 of the mouse pad 100) may include instructions from the computing device, for example, instructions on how to operate each of the plurality of light sources 180. That is, the data (i.e., data transmitted from the computing device to the controller 190 of the mouse pad 100) may include instructions on how any one or more or all of the plurality of light sources 180 are to be operated and / or illuminated and / or controlled (e.g., by the controller 190) independently or synchronously with at least one other light source in the plurality of light sources 180. For example, the controller 190 may be configured and / or instructed (e.g., by the computing device) to control at least one or more of the color, duration, and / or frequency of light generated or emitted by any one or more or all of the plurality of light sources 180. According to various embodiments, the controller 190 of the mouse pad 100 may also transmit data to a computing device (e.g., an external computing device), such as (and / or may include) a status report of the mouse pad 100, and / or an identifier of the mouse pad 100. According to various embodiments, the interface 191 may be, for example, a wireless transceiver configured to send and receive any of Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee, infrared signals, etc.

[0070] like Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, according to various embodiments, the controller 190 may be disposed at the lateral edge 133 of the light-transmitting body 130. Figure 1B As shown, the controller 190 may be coupled to a longitudinal end 173 of a substrate (eg, an elongated substrate) 170 .

[0071] Figure 2 A schematic side view of a mouse pad 200 is shown in accordance with various embodiments.

[0072] According to various embodiments, a mouse pad 200 may be provided. The mouse pad 200 may include Figure 1A and Figure 1B Any one or more or all of the features and / or limitations of the mouse pad 100. Hereinafter, the mouse pad 200 is generally identified by Figure 1A and Figure 1B 1. The same or corresponding parts / features of the mouse pad 100 are described with similar reference numerals. The description of parts / features made with respect to the mouse pad 200 may also be applicable to the mouse pad 100, and vice versa.

[0073] refer to Figure 2 ,and Figure 1A and Figure 1BSimilar to the mouse pad 100 , the mouse pad 200 may include a base 210 , a cushion 215 , and a lighting assembly 220 .

[0074] As shown, according to various embodiments, the lighting assembly 220 may include a light emitting device 260 and a light-transmitting body 230 .

[0075] The light emitting arrangement 260 of the mouse pad 200 may be similar to Figure 1A and Figure 1B The light emitting arrangement 160 of the mouse pad 100 includes a substrate 270 (eg, a flexible substrate, a flexible printed circuit board, etc.) and a plurality of light sources 280 disposed on the substrate 270 .

[0076] The light-transmitting body 230 may be a flexible light-transmitting body 230, which may include a first surface 252 (e.g., a flat surface) and an opposite second surface 254 (e.g., a flat surface). The first surface 252 may be parallel (e.g., substantially parallel) to the second surface 254. The light-transmitting body 230 may also include at least one light input surface 250 (e.g., a light output portion) and a peripheral edge portion 240 opposite to the at least one light input surface 250, which extend between the first surface 252 and the second surface 254 of the light-transmitting body 230 (e.g., upright).

[0077] refer to Figure 2 , light or light beams / rays 8 emitted by the plurality of light sources 280 and entering the light-transmitting body 230 via at least one light input surface 250 may be projected to the peripheral edge portion 240 by way of total internal reflection (e.g., total internal reflection of incident light rays on the inner surfaces of the first surface 252 and the second surface 254 of the light-transmitting body 230). As shown, light transmission (e.g., by way of total internal reflection) across the light-transmitting body 230 may occur even when the mouse pad 200 (e.g., at least a portion of the mouse pad) is bent or flexed. As an example, the plurality of light sources 280 may be side-emitting LEDs that may emit light laterally across the substrate 270 toward the light input surface 250. Therefore, according to various embodiments, the beam axis of each of the plurality of light sources 280 may intersect (e.g., may be substantially perpendicular or orthogonal to) the light input surface 250.

[0078] Various embodiments may therefore provide a mouse pad (or mouse pad device) that can provide lighting via its peripheral edge portion. The mouse pad of various embodiments may also be flexible while providing lighting via its peripheral edge portion.

[0079] Various embodiments may also provide a mouse pad that is capable of providing substantially uniform illumination via its peripheral edge portion, particularly through the configuration of its multiple light sources and its substrate.

[0080] Various embodiments may also provide a mouse pad that is capable of providing substantially uniform illumination via a peripheral edge portion thereof while reducing the number of potential hot spots on the mouse pad when the mouse pad (or mouse pad device) is in operation.

[0081] Although the present invention has been specifically shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, variations in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims, and is therefore intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims.

Claims

1. A mouse pad, comprising: Base; mat; as well as a lighting assembly, the lighting assembly being sandwiched between the base and the cushion; Wherein, the lighting assembly comprises: a light-transmitting body sandwiched between the base and the cushion, the light-transmitting body having a peripheral edge portion exposed from between the base and the cushion, and A light emitting device, comprising an elongated substrate, and a plurality of light sources, the plurality of light sources being distributed along the length of the mounting surface of the elongated substrate in a lengthwise direction, The light emitting device and the light-transmitting body are assembled together in such a way that the light from the plurality of light sources is transmitted through the light-transmitting body to illuminate the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body.

2. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The base is a flexible base; Wherein, the mat is a flexible mat; Wherein, the light-transmitting body is a flexible light-transmitting body; and Wherein, the substrate is a flexible substrate.

3. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The light-transmitting body is an elongated light-transmitting body; and The light emitting device and the light-transmitting body are assembled together, wherein the elongated substrate is longitudinally aligned relative to the elongated light-transmitting body.

4. The mouse pad according to claim 3, in, The elongated substrate is centrally aligned relative to the elongated light-transmitting body such that a longitudinal centerline of the elongated substrate coincides with a longitudinal centerline of the elongated light-transmitting body.

5. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The peripheral edge portion of the light-transmissive body extends around the periphery of the mat; Wherein, the multiple light sources include: a first subset of light sources, the first subset of light sources being configured to illuminate a first quadrant of a peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body, a second subset of light sources, the second subset of light sources being configured to illuminate a second quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body, a third subset of light sources configured to illuminate a third quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body, and a fourth subset of light sources, the fourth subset of light sources being configured to illuminate a fourth quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body, Each quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body is defined by a longitudinal centerline of the light-transmitting body and a transverse centerline of the light-transmitting body.

6. The mouse pad according to claim 5, in, The light sources in each subset of light sources are oriented such that the light beam axes point in different directions from each other in such a manner as to form different angles with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the light-transmitting body.

7. The mouse pad according to claim 5, in, Each quadrant of the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body includes a longitudinal edge segment of the light-transmitting body, a lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body, and a corner segment of the light-transmitting body, wherein the longitudinal edge segment and the lateral edge segment meet at the corner segment; Wherein, each light source subset of the plurality of light sources comprises: at least one light source directed to illuminate said longitudinal edge section of said light-transmitting body, at least one light source directed to illuminate the lateral edge segments of the light-transmitting body, and At least one light source is directed to illuminate the corner segment of the light-transmissive body.

8. The mouse pad according to claim 7, in, at least one light source for illuminating the longitudinal edge section of the light-transmitting body is oriented so that its light beam axis intersects the longitudinal edge section of the light-transmitting body in a non-perpendicular manner, wherein at least one light source for illuminating the lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body is oriented so that its light beam axis intersects the lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body in a non-perpendicular manner, Therein, at least one light source for illuminating the corner segment of the light-transmitting body is oriented so that its light beam axis points in a non-perpendicular manner in a direction that is not perpendicular to the longitudinal edge segment of the light-transmitting body and not perpendicular to the lateral edge segment of the light-transmitting body.

9. The mouse pad according to claim 5, in, Each subset of light sources in the plurality of light sources is distributed lengthwise along the elongated substrate in a manner such that the light sources are spaced apart from each other at increasing intervals toward the transverse centerline of the light-transmitting body.

10. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The plurality of light sources includes 32 light sources.

11. The mouse pad according to claim 5, in, Each subset of light sources in the plurality of light sources includes eight light sources.

12. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The cushion is smaller than the light-transmitting body, and the cushion and the light-transmitting body are arranged in a concentric manner so that the peripheral edge portion of the light-transmitting body exposed between the cushion and the base includes a boundary region of the light-transmitting body, and the boundary region of the light-transmitting body extends outward from the periphery of the cushion to the periphery of the light-transmitting body, Wherein, the border area of ​​the light-transmitting body has a width ranging from 1 mm to 4 mm.

13. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The light-transmitting body comprises at least one hole for accommodating the plurality of light sources therein; The at least one hole defines an inner surface serving as a light input surface, and light from the plurality of light sources is transmitted into the light-transmitting body through the light input surface.

14. The mouse pad according to claim 13, in, The light-transmitting body includes a plurality of holes, wherein each of the plurality of light sources is received in a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes.

15. The mouse pad according to claim 1, further comprising: A controller is electrically coupled to the plurality of light sources and configured to control at least one of brightness, color, lighting mode, or lighting duration of the plurality of light sources.

16. The mouse pad according to claim 15, in, The controller includes an interface for connecting to a computing device.

17. The mouse pad according to claim 15, in, The controller is disposed at a lateral edge of the light-transmitting body and connected to a longitudinal end of the elongated substrate.

18. The mouse pad according to claim 1, in, The exposed surface of the base includes an anti-slip feature.

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