823 results about "Computer mouse" patented technology

A desktop operated computer control mouse including a housing, electronic circuitry within the housing, a user manipulable rotatable ball for pointing control, a plurality of finger depressible buttons exposed on the housing and interfacing with sensors electrically connected with the circuitry. At least some of the finger depressible buttons are for user selection of signals to be sent to the computer for window or screen scroll control, and are associated with sensor(s) which are pressure-sensitive analog sensors structured for varying electrical conductance through at least three readable states or values. The readable states are dependant upon depressive pressure applied to the sensor(s) through the finger depressible button(s). The circuitry is structured to read the at least three readable states of the pressure-sensitive analog sensor(s) and to produce signals representing the state or value of the sensor(s). In one embodiment, the analog sensor(s) are elastomeric dome-cap sensor(s) including pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material positioned over proximal circuit elements of the circuitry. In another embodiment the sensors are packaged sensors including button depressible concavo-convexed conductive disks positioned to compress pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material forming at least a portion of an electrical flow path through the packaged sensor. The analog sensors are associated with window or screen scroll control, and provide user determinable scroll rates dependant upon pressure applied by the user through ergonomically correct finger depressible buttons. Methods of use and manufacture are also disclosed.

A method and apparatus of displaying a magnified image comprising obtaining an image of a scene using a camera with greater resolution than the display, and capturing the image in the native resolution of the display by either grouping pixels together, or by capturing a smaller region of interest whose pixel resolution matches that of the display. The invention also relates to a method whereby the location of the captured region of interest may be determined by external inputs such as the location of a person's gaze in the displayed unmagnified image, or coordinates from a computer mouse. The invention further relates to a method whereby a modified image can be superimposed on an unmodified image, in order to maintain the peripheral information or context from which the modified region of interest has been captured.

A computer pointing device including: a base portion with a lower surface adapted for sliding across a work surface, a spine portion, projecting substantially upward from said base portion and having a thumb-engaging surface on a first lateral side of the spine and at least fingertip-engaging surface on a second lateral side of the spine opposing said first lateral side. A keyboard with an altered arrangement of function of keys, such as an enlarged or truncated appearance in accordance with keys being re-mapped to sensors on a pointing device. A keyboard with a virtual screen display, which may be made semi-transparent by activating a sensor on a pointing device. A computer with a recess capable of accommodating a mouse device. A locked scrolling or zooming means, using any pointing device, in which scrolling or zooming in a defined direction is proportional to the distance travelled by the device, irrespective of direction of movement of the device.

Embodiments of the invention relate to haptic devices for use with a variety of computer/video interface devices. Such haptic devices can work in conjunction with and thereby provide “haptic augmentations” to otherwise conventional user-interface devices, including a variety of computer mice known in the art, irrespective of their types and manufactures. Such haptic devices can also be used to convey information to a user by way of haptic sensations.

An interface for a World Wide Web (WWW) browser is described which recognizes HyperText Markup Language (HTML) links embedded in WWW pages. Normally, such links are highlighted on a graphics screen and are activated using a pointing device such as a computer mouse. When each HTML link is recognized by the interface, it is assigned an identifier which can be selected by a user of a system incorporating the interface by means defined by the interface other than a mouse, for example by a keypad.

A system, method, and processor readable medium containing code embodied therein are provided that enable system users to view one or more system user's status and to establish communications with the one or more system users using a user indicator in an electronic document (e.g., electronic mail message, hypertext markup language document). The user indicator may be a system user's login identification presented as a hypertext link to one or more communication options. The system may include an identification module for identifying the one or more system users. The identification module may identify a system user's login identification (e.g., the system user's name, employee number) and provide the system user's status using the user indicator. A status module, responsive to the identification module, provides the status of the system users. The status module may provide a visual indication of a system user's status using, for example, color coding, formatting, symbols, etc. A communication module for establishing a communication link with the one or more system users using the user indicator may also be provided. The communication module may be used to establish a variety of communications with one or more of the system users. For example, a user may chat, telephone, transmit an electronic mail message, share one or more application programs (e.g., whiteboard presentations), fax, or page one or more of the system users by selecting (e.g., by using a conventional computer mouse or keyboard) the communication desired using user indicator.

A system and method in accordance with the present emulate a computer mouse operation. The system comprises a finger image sensor for capturing images relating to a finger and generating finger image data, a controller, and an emulator. The controller is coupled to the finger image sensor and is configured to receive the finger image data and generate movement and presence information related to the finger on the finger image sensor. The emulator is configured to receive the movement and presence information, determine duration corresponding to the presence of the finger on the finger image sensor, and generate data corresponding to a mouse output. In a preferred embodiment, the finger image sensor comprises one or more logical regions, each region corresponding to a positional mouse button. In this way, the system is able to emulate a left mouse click and, optionally, a right mouse click and a center mouse click.

A method of assembling situational Web-based dashboard from a wide array of web pages, digital media and components with just a few clicks and no programming, so a user can view scattered information from disparate sources on a single web-based screen. The components that can be included into dashboard pages are: live-area components created on-demand from any sub-region of any web page or web application; any rich media component such as rich text, video, picture, widget; and any office document (Microsoft Office documents and PDF etc.). Each dashboard page can contain any number of components. The size, position, location and layout of the components in the dashboard can be easily configured using a computer mouse, or through a touch screen interface. Each component in the dashboard can do auto-refresh from the source with a specified time interval, which also prevents user session timeout for secured web sites. The resulting dashboard can also be shared with others for collaboration. A set of dashboard pages can also be bundle together, and automatically display in a slideshow mode on-screen to auto display and monitor large number of information.

An apparatus and method for the remote control and/or interaction-with electronic-devices such as computers; home-entertainment-systems; media-centers; televisions; DVD-players; VCR-players; music systems; appliances; security systems; toys/games; and/or displays. A user may orient a pointer (e.g., laser pointer) to place a visible pointer-spot on/near object(s) on an active-display(s); and/or a fixed-display(s); and/or on real-world object(s) within a display region or pointer-spot detection-region. Detectors and/or camera(s) may be connected/attached to the display region and/or a structure that is connected/attached to display region. When the user initiates a “select”, the detectors/cameras may detect the location of the pointer-spot within the display region. Corresponding to the user's selection(s); control action(s) may be performed on the device(s) being controlled/interacted-with and additional selection-menus may be optionally presented on an active-display. In an alternative embodiment, the invention may operate equivalent to a computer-mouse or other pointing-device. In another alternative embodiment, the invention may be made inter-operable with existing electronic-devices [e.g., televisions] that are controlled with infrared signaling.

An method and device suitable for navigation on a wide variety of surfaces is introduced. Specular reflection is used to determine relative motion over typical surfaces. A specific application is a computer mouse.

The invention provides for a communications recording and analysis system including means for recording one or more communication streams, means for identifying the recorded stream, means for retrieving the content of said recordings by identifier tags, and wherein additional real-time information is inferred from analysis, in real-time or later, of keystrokes entered at a computer/terminal handling the interaction, and/or computer mouse actions, and/or internet traffic emanating from, or terminating at, any one or more of a number of computers/terminals handling the interaction, and/or the words and/or prosody spoken during the interaction is recorded. Furthermore graphical display means are provided such that the presentation of call flow recording is in the form of a direct graph showing the progress of the calls through the various states and transitions.

A computer mouse glove for transferring computer mouse functions to the hand of a computer user. The glove includes: a glove member having finger fittings and a thumb fitting; a computer cursor control system having buttons and a tracking system having an optical tracking device; a computer module; a power module; a connection module; a tracking ball; and a power switch. The glove member encases a user's hand. The computer cursor control system controls functions of a cursor on a computer screen. The buttons provides mouse electrical switching functions. The tracking system controls movement of the cursor on a computer screen. The power module provides energy to the computer glove mouse. The connection module transmits electronic signals from the computer glove mouse to computer module. The tracking ball controls movement of the computer cursor. The power switch enables a user to select either the tracking ball or optical tracking device.

A social network drawing system allows users of the social network to communicate with text as well as pictures that are posted on a web site. The social network program includes a user interface having drawing tools and a drawing area. The user selects the desired tools which include a marker, marker color, marker size and canvas size to prepare the illustration using a computer mouse. The completed illustrations are posted on the posting page which allows other users to view and respond with additional illustrations to the posted drawings.

Provided are embodiments of systems, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse including, a temperature sensor, a blood condition sensor and a blood pressure sensor. A method for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse including receiving, from the temperature sensor, temperature data corresponding to a sensed body temperature of the user, receiving, from the blood condition sensor, blood condition data corresponding to a sensed blood saturation level of the user, receiving, from the blood pressure sensor, blood pressure data corresponding to a sensed blood pressure of the user, and transmitting, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the temperature data, the blood condition data, and the blood pressure data for use in determining the body temperature, the blood saturation level, and the blood pressure of the user.

A system, method, and processor readable medium containing processor readable program code embodied therein are provided that enable network users to view one or more network user's status and to establish communications with the one or more network users using a user indicator in an electronic document (e.g., electronic mail message, hypertext markup language document). The user indicator may be a network user's login identification presented as a hypertext link to one or more communication options. The system may include an identification module for identifying the one or more network users. The identification module may identify a network user's login identification (e.g., the network user's name, employee number) and provide the network user's status using the user indicator. A status module, responsive to the identification module, provides the status of the network users. The status module may provide a visual indication of a network user's status using, for example, color coding, formatting, symbols, etc. A communication module for establishing a communication link with the one or more network users using the user indicator may also be provided. The communication module may be used to establish a variety of communications with one or more of the network users. For example, a user may chat, telephone, transmit an electronic mail message, share one or more application programs, whiteboard presentations, facsimile, or page to one or more of the network users by selecting the user indicator using a conventional computer mouse or keyboard.

A method for conveying and displaying a high-performance image in a standard web browser, via a pair of image data files in traditional formats which do not support such higher-performance individually, each downloaded by a web server in traditional manner and then re-combined via a software algorithm executed at the browser. Said high-performance features may include rendering the appearance of background transparency in and around opaque figures within the normal rectangular area of an image; variable semi-transparency; cropping (or retro-) transparency, and auto-shadowing of overlaid images.

Additionally, exploiting the infrastructure of the invention thus described, further means by which a single image, embedded in a group of images co-located within a shared display region, can be easily designated by a simple pointing device such as a computer mouse, even though said single image may appear substantially obscured by other irregularly-shaped images in the region.