Hybrid presentation controller and computer input device
Contents
1. Oct 29 1999 Retrieved from the Internet lt URL www freepen com index2 htm gt GyroMouse Pro online Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc 1998 1999 retrieved on Oct 29 1999 Retrieved from the Internet lt URL www diamondmm com products cur rent gyromouse cfm gt FreePen Cordless Computer Mouse User Manual Kanitech A S pp 4 14 1999 TrackMan Live retrieved on Apr 6 2001 1 page Retrieved from the Internet lt URL www Logitech com cf products productfeatures cfim 14 gt Logitech TrackMan Live Cordless Presentation Copyright 2001 Sys Con Publications Retrieved on Apr 6 2001 1 page Retrieved from the Internet lt URL www jdjstore com logtraclivco html gt JDJ Store Catalog Page retrieved on Apr 6 2001 2 pages Retrieved from the Internet lt URL www jdjstore com keyboardsmice html gt Networking For All Marco Pozzoni Apr 4 2001 retrieved on Apr 6 2001 1 page Retrieved from the Internet lt URL www cimpa org __chat1 000000f0 htm gt Agilent Technologies Solid State Optical Mouse Sensor with PS 2 and Quadrature Outputs Technical Data May 2000 10 pages Hinckley Ken and Sinclair Mike Touch Sensing Input Deveices Microsoft Research To appear in ACM CHI 99 Conf On Human Factors in Computing Systems 1999 8 pages cited by examiner U S Patent Jun 13 2006 Sheet 1 of 2 US 7 061 468 B2 U S Patent Jun 13 2006 Sheet 2 of 2 US 7 061 468 B22. 12 United States Patent Tiphane et al US007061468B2 US 7 061 468 B2 Jun 13 2006 a0 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 15 73 21 22 65 60 51 52 58 56 HYBRID PRESENTATION CONTROLLER AND COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE Inventors Guy Tiphane Atherton CA US Jan Edbrooke Cupertino CA US Laurent Plancherel Lausanne CH Florian Max Kehlstadt Aclens CH Assignee Logitech Europe S A CH Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 254 days Appl No 10 117 436 Filed Apr 4 2002 Prior Publication Data US 2003 0028688 Al Feb 6 2003 Related U S Application Data Provisional application No 60 283 109 filed on Apr 10 2001 Int Cl G09G 5 08 2006 01 US CL enueiar irii 345 158 345 166 Field of Classification Search 345 156 167 345 818 833 830 See application file for complete search history References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 521 772 A 6 1985 Lyon 4 521 773 A 6 1985 Lyon 4 794 384 A 12 1988 Jackson 4 799 055 A 1 1989 Nestler et al 5 288 993 A 2 1994 Bidiville et al 5 420 943 A 5 1995 Mak 5 453 758 A 9 1995 Sato 5 457 478 A 10 1995 Frank 5 481 265 A 1 1996 Russell 220 5 578 817 A 11 1996 Bidiville et al 5 617 304 A 4 1997 Huang 5 663 828 A 9 1997 Knowles et al 5 680 157 A 10 1997 Bidiville et al 5 690 418 A 11 1997 Hsiung 5 697 700 A 12 1997 Huang 5 703 3
3. 515 651 6 525 306 6 532 152 6 545 643 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS a a a a a a al a a et a el a a a a a a a a 11 1998 12 1998 12 1998 3 1999 3 1999 5 1999 9 1999 11 1999 11 1999 11 1999 12 1999 1 2000 1 2000 2 2000 5 2000 6 2000 6 2000 7 2000 8 2000 10 2000 10 2000 11 2000 11 2000 12 2000 1 2001 1 2001 2 2001 8 2001 1 2002 7 2002 7 2002 7 2002 2 2003 2 2003 3 2003 4 2003 Hwang Bidiville et al Junod et al Bodenmann et al Galli Dandliker et al Hu Chen Wu Knee et al Kipust Shiao Shimada et al Sekine et al Gordon et al Schnell Wolff et al Bidiville Siddiqui et al wn 345 164 Bear Liu Bard et al Badyal et al Krantz Gordon Stork et al Nelson et al Gordon et al Chevassus et al 345 158 Kurtenbach et al 345 810 Daniels Kim et al BerstiS oreren iis 345 157 Bohn 250 221 White et al 361 692 Sward et al wee 343 702 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 0 798 659 10171596 A 10171597 A WO 91 07826 WO 97 41502 10 1997 6 1998 6 1998 5 1991 11 1997 WO PCT WO 98 37379 8 1998 WO PCT WO 99 39304 8 1999 Wo PCT WO 00 33245 6 2000 Wo PCT WO 00 38103 6 2000 WO PCT WO 02 11058 A2 2 2002 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Logitech TrackMan Live online retrieved on Dec 5 2002 Retrieved from the Internet lt URL http www 001abc com mouse Logitech_trackman_live html FreePen On line online Kanitech 1999 retrieved on
4. the operator US 7 061 468 B2 7 will click one of the buttons to see that the presentation has advanced one slide forward and realize that the particular button is used to move forward in a presentation Or an operator will click the wheel and will be presented with a menu on a screen and will intuitively understand what additional clicks or scrolls of the wheel achieve This embodiment is configured to communicate with a host computer e g to control an electronic slide show applica tion program via a wired connection or alternately via a wireless connection A wireless presentation device allows its operator the freedom to move freely beyond the range of a wired presentation device while controlling a computer based presentation Other embodiments of this purely pre sentation controlling device optionally include a laser pointer device as is described above Various features of the embodiments of the present inven tion provide many advantages to a user of such a hybrid presentation controller and computer input device For example the plurality of buttons enable the user to easily move slides forward and backward in a computer based presentation The dual functionality of the device meets a greatly unmet need by providing one easy to use device that allows for the control of a computer based presentation as well providing the indispensable functionality of a computer input device all in one device The coupled laser pointer allo
5. the range of the device s receiver the LED flashes for example red once a second until the user moves back in range While connec tivity is maintained the connectivity LED flashes for example green every 30 seconds and when the user hits any of the buttons A recessed connect button is placed on the bottom side of the device 110 to enable the connection of a device 110 to its receiver at least for the very first time the device is used Alternately in addition to the switching between the two modes using the three way on off switch 118 the switching is enabled automatically An automatic switching from a first mode e g pointing device mode to a second mode e g presentation mode occurs when the device is lifted from the tabletop The device is configured to recognize that it has been lifted from the tabletop using mechanical means for a mechanical e g a ball type mouse mouse Alternately the device 110 is configured to recognize that it has been lifted from the tabletop using optical means for an optical mouse Mechanical means for example include a switch that is biased against the top of the ball and is configured to detect when the ball drops lower for example as in when the mouse is lifted from the table top Optical means for US 7 061 468 B2 5 example include using optical detectors to sense a change in the intensity of the detected light to indicate that very little reflected light is hitting the optical det
6. 110 r FIG 2 US 7 061 468 B2 1 HYBRID PRESENTATION CONTROLLER AND COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U S Provisional Application No 60 283 109 filed Apr 10 2001 the disclo sure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to computer input devices and in particular to computer input devices used for con trolling a computer based presentation The use of desktop and portable or notebook computers is steadily on the rise and along with this rise there is also a rise in the use of such computers for the preparation and presentation of computer based presentations Furthermore along with the increase in the use of computers there has also been an increase in the use of input devices such as computer mice trackballs and other pointing devices including joysticks gamepads etc These various computer input devices greatly enhance the operator s usability of the computer beyond that of a user having only a keyboard On another front the use of various projection based presentation devices has also been on the rise Such devices when interfaced with a computer enable a user to project his or her computer based presentation onto for example a large screen for viewing by an audience The problem is that the computer based presentation is driven from the
7. 56 A 12 1997 Bidiville et al 5 729 009 A 3 1998 D ndliker et al 5 786 804 A 7 1998 Gordon 5 791 766 A 8 1998 Lee 5 793 032 A 8 1998 Bard et al 5 803 582 A 9 1998 Hunag Continued FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS DE 298 23 417 5 1999 Continued OTHER PUBLICATIONS Interactive RF Remote Control for Presentations User s Guide version 1 6 1998 and data sheet 1999 Interlink Electronics Inc Camarillo CA USA Continued Primary Examiner Alexander Eisen 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP 57 ABSTRACT An input device having a housing a pointing device coupled with the housing having a plurality of buttons a scrolling element coupled with the housing and a module for detect ing user input for operating the input device in at least a first mode and a second mode where in the first mode the input device operates as a tabletop computer pointing device and where in the second mode the input device operates as a hand held presentation device used to control a computer based presentation 17 Claims 2 Drawing Sheets US 7 061 468 B2 Page 2 5 838 639 5 854 482 5 854 621 5 881 366 5 882 106 5 907 152 5 952 997 5 988 832 5 993 026 5 994 710 6 002 427 6 012 229 6 014 132 6 022 126 6 057 540 6 070 992 6 081 261 6 084 574 6 097 371 6 132 064 6 133 907 6 145 746 6 151 015 6 157 591 6 175 357 6 181 329 6 195 093 6 281 882 6 342 878 6 414 700 6 417 840 6 424 335 6
8. ality of LEDs visible through the top side of said housing said LEDs configured to indicate wireless connec tivity and battery level 14 The input device of claim 1 wherein the module is configured to detect a user input to configure said input device to operate in at least one of the first mode and the second mode 15 The input device of claim 1 wherein the first rate of change is associated with lifting the input device from the surface or placing the input device on the surface 16 The input device of claim 15 wherein the second rate of change is associated with a changing rate of power supplied by the power source 17 The input device of claim 1 wherein the first rate of change is greater than the second rate of change
9. ator the freedom to move freely beyond the range of a wired presentation device while controlling a computer based presentation In a wire less embodiment the device 110 communicates with the host computer 210 via a wireless receiver 212 which is coupled to the host computer 210 via a bus 214 In an embodiment the protocol for wireless communication between the device 110 and the host computer 210 via receiver 212 is an implementation based on the Bluetooth Human Interface Device HID profile and thus the device 110 will be compatible with devices based on this HID protocol While certain host computers may include a Blue tooth HID profile and thus not require the receiver 212 the receiver 212 serves as a bridge for host computers that do not use the Bluetooth HID profile using the host computer s bus which is for example a USB bus Blue tooth is a wireless technology that offers cable replace ment for personal electronic devices As is known to those skilled in the art other wireless communications protocols including fixed or spread spectrum wireless communications protocols are equally useable with the wireless implemen tation of the device 110 and the wireless receiver 212 The wireless receiver may be implemented as an external or internal receiver device a USB dongle a PCI card or a PCMCIA card Alternately the device is configured for operation in a combined wired and wireless mode In such an embodiment the d
10. com puter and the person presenting needs to have access to his or her computer to maneuver through the computer based presentation However the person presenting does not wish to hinder the effectiveness of the presentation by not being in front of his or her audience when making the presentation A presenter generally wishes to or needs to be in front of his or her audience while making the presentation and does not want to be back near his or her computer to control the presentation by using the computer s input device Further more most presentations to a large audience are conducted in a low light condition such as in a room with the lights turned down So besides being required to be near the computer input device and thus practically invisible to his or her audience the person presenting will have to maneuver the computer input device in the dark To address this problem some projection based presen tation device manufacturers offer a presentation controller that if properly interfaced with a computer would allow an operator to control the computer based presentation by using the presentation controller Suffice it to say that establishing such a proper interface between the presentation controller and the computer is no less than a Herculean task Further more most presentation controllers use very non intuitive and confusing interfaces that only complicate their cumber some and unruly assortment of buttons and switches The
11. configured to be used during the hand held mode to control a presentation The scroll element is used to control more complex opera tions than moving forward and backward which may be carried out by the button clicks as described above For example the scroll element may be used to select from various options while the device is held by the operator and where it is inconvenient to revert to the first mode e g by putting the device back on the tabletop The options are selected from a preprogrammed menu which is displayed on a presentation screen in response to the operator using the scroll element while holding the device in its hand held mode The preprogrammed menu is preferably a smaller menu so as not to disrupt the presentation by showing a full menu to the audience The preprogrammed menu which is modifiable may be installed and configured as a part of the initial device installation procedure To activate the preprogrammed menu the operator acti vates the scroll element to display a menu on the screen The operator chooses a menu item from the menu by using the scroll element and selects a menu option by clicking on it using the scroll element or one of the buttons One example of a menu item includes volume control where it is selected by a wheel click and the sound level is adjusted up or down by turning the wheel up or down respectively Another example of a scroll menu item includes scroll speed pro viding fast or slow an
12. d a range of scroll speeds Another example includes switching to another application program by clicking on programs and then choosing another pro gram with the scroll element and selecting the chosen program with another click operation Another example includes selecting another presentation in essentially the same manner as selecting another program as described above Another example includes selecting bookmarked web sites with a scroll element click and then choosing amongst the sites with the scroll element scroll and selecting a site by another scroll element click 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 These and other examples of most needed shortcuts for the device are loaded or preprogrammed into the scroll element menu before the device is used during a presenta tion in its hand held mode Having preprogrammed the scroll element menu the operator can hold the device in his or her hand and walk around during the presentation switch ing slides and or selecting preloaded functions easily by using the scroll element of the device As shown in FIG 2 the device 110 communicates with a host computer 210 e g to control an electronic slide show application program via a wired connection or alternately via a wireless connection The host computer 210 in con nected with a presentation device 216 for projecting a computer based presentation onto a screen 220 A wireless device 110 allows its oper
13. ector as in for example when the optical mouse is lifted from the tabletop Furthermore the optical detector is configured to detect the difference between a fast change in light intensity as in when the mouse is lifted from the table top from the more gradual case where the battery power level has been depleted The optical mouse embodiment houses an Agilent optical module including an Agilent optical sensor Alternately a manual switching between a tabletop mode and a handheld mode is achieved by indicating to the device through a software program which invokes a setup program to recognize button and scroll functions corresponding to either a tabletop computer mouse mode or a handheld presentation device mode Furthermore in addition to the manual switching and the automatic switching between the table top and handheld modes as described above a module for detecting user input for operating the input device in the first mode e g tabletop and a second mode e g handheld includes a software driver configured to recognize a switch between the first mode and the second mode and treat user inputs initiated in the first mode and the second mode for processing by a computer which is connected with the computer input device For example when the device 110 is in its presentation mode button clicks are configured to advance a slide forward or backward in a computer based presentation Further the scroll element on the device is
14. evice is preferably a wired device when operating in the mouse or tabletop mode thus conserving battery power by drawing power from the computer via the bus connection to the computer When the device is disconnected from the bus the device switches to a wireless device In an embodiment the shift from a wired to a wireless device also switches the device from its first or mouse mode to its second e g handheld or presentation mode This combined wired and wireless capability provides the advantages of a wireless device when operated as a presentation controller with the power saving feature of a wired device when operated as a mouse Another alternate embodiment of the present invention is a device that is used purely as a presentation controller In this embodiment the device is configured to function solely as a presentation controller and not also as computer input device In this embodiment a wheel is used as a scrolling element This embodiment is readily adopted by its operator to control a computer based presentation owing to its simi larity to a usual computer input device such as for example a mouse The operator of such a device will not need any additional training in its use since computer input devices have become a very common peripheral device An operator will click a button and or the wheel and will be presented with the results of each click and thus the operator will intuitively learn to use the device For example
15. he mouse mode a second button activation places the device in the presenta tion mode and a third activation turns the device 110 off In an embodiment when the device is in the presentation mode the laser pointer 120 is enabled and when the device is in a mouse mode the laser pointer is disabled Certain embodiments of the device 110 include status LEDs 114 such as for example two red green colored LEDs that are visible via windows in the top cover of the device 110 in front of buttons 112 In a wireless device embodiment the LEDs indicate battery power level and wireless connectivity For battery power level in an embodi ment the green light will shine for for example 5 seconds when the device is switched on and then go off when the battery level is good If the battery level gets low e g less than 50 hours or 20 of typical usage left the LED will flash red at a rate of for example once per 10 seconds Then if the battery is exceptionally low e g less than 5 of usage left the LED will remain a constant red If during use the battery level goes from an acceptable level to a low level the LED starts to flash red at rate of for example once every 5 seconds to warn the user that the battery is low For wireless connectivity the connectivity LED flashes for example once every second until the connection is made and then the green LED is on for for example 5 seconds and then off If the user starts to move out of
16. nt from the first rate of change and a module configured to change a mode of operation of the input device between a first mode and a second mode if the first rate of change of the intensity is detected by the optical detector and maintain the mode of operation of the input device if the second rate of change of the intensity is detected by the optical detector wherein in said first mode said input device operates as a tabletop computer pointing device and wherein in said second mode said input device operates as a hand held presentation device used to control a computer based presentation 0 40 45 65 8 2 The input device of claim 1 wherein said module comprises a software driver configured to recognize a switch between said first mode and said second mode and treat user inputs initiated in said first mode and said second mode for processing by a computer which is connected with said computer input device 3 The input device of claim 1 wherein said module comprises a three way switch coupled with said housing wherein a first activation of said switch places said input device in said first mode a second activation of said switch places said input device in said second mode and a third activation of said switch turns said input device off 4 The input device of claim 1 wherein said pointing device is a computer mouse and said scrolling element is a wheel a force sensitive roller a solid state roller a t
17. ontroller and computer input device of FIG 1A FIG 2 is a diagram of an embodiment of the hybrid presentation controller and computer input device of the present invention connected with a computer DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention combine features of an input device or a pointing device e g a computer mouse with a presentation controller As used herein a presentation controller is an interaction device that is used to control a computer based presentation e g a device used to control an application program such as Microsoft Power Point Such a computer based presentation is typically provided during a technical conference or a marketing seminar Further as used herein a computer mouse accord ing to embodiments of the present invention includes a US 7 061 468 B2 3 multi button computer mouse having a scrolling element The scrolling element includes a wheel a trackball pressure sensitive switches or solid state rollers that are configured to enable a scrolling function The scrolling element in such a computer mouse typically combines the operations which are normally carried out by a middle button of a three button mouse i e by being clickable with the operations that are well suited to the scrolling function of a mouse wheel as is known in the art Preferably the hybrid device of the present invention operates in at least two modes In a first or mouse mode or table
18. perating the input device in at least a first mode and a second mode includes a three way switch coupled with the housing wherein a first activation of the switch places the input device in the first mode a second activation of the switch places the input device in the second mode and a third activation of the switch turns the input device off In an embodiment the module for detecting user input for operating the input device in at least a first mode and a second mode includes a software driver configured to rec ognize a switch between the first mode and the second mode and treat user inputs initiated in the first mode and the second mode for processing by a computer which is con nected with the computer input device In some embodiments the input device is a wireless device that communicates with a host computer via a wireless receiver that is connected with the host computer via a communication bus In another aspect the input device also includes a laser pointing device that is coupled with the housing For further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention reference should be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accom panying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1A is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the hybrid presentation controller and computer input device of the present invention FIG 1B is a bottom perspective view of the hybrid presentation c
19. rackball a mini joystick a touchpad or combinations thereof 5 The input device of claim 1 wherein in said second mode one of said plurality of buttons is configured to move said computer based presentation in one direction and another of said plurality of buttons is configured to move said computer based presentation in another direction 6 The input device of claim 1 wherein an activation of said scrolling element of said input device in said second mode displays a menu on a screen presenting menu items configured to be selected by a subsequent scrolling element input 7 The input device of claim 6 wherein said scrolling element is a wheel a force sensitive roller or a solid state roller and wherein an item from said menu items is config ured to be chosen in response to a scrolling movement of said scrolling element and a chosen menu item is configured to be selected in response to a pressing motion on said scrolling element 8 The input device of claim 6 wherein said menu is a preloaded and a modifiable menu 9 The input device of claim 1 further comprising a laser pointing device coupled with said housing 10 The input device of claim 9 wherein said laser pointer is actuated by one of said plurality of buttons 11 The input device of claim 9 wherein said device is a wireless device 12 The input device of claim 1 wherein said device is a wireless device 13 The input device of claim 11 or 12 further comprising a plur
20. re is therefore an unmet need for a convenient pre sentation controller that also is able to function as a com puter input device BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an input device having a housing a pointing device coupled with the housing having a plurality of buttons a scrolling element coupled with the housing and a module for detecting user input for operating 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 the input device in at least a first mode and a second mode where in the first mode the input device operates as a tabletop computer pointing device and where in the second mode the input device operates as a hand held presentation device used to control a computer based presentation In certain embodiments the pointing device is a computer mouse and the scrolling element is a wheel a force sensitive roller a solid state roller a trackball a mini joystick a touchpad or combinations thereof In certain embodiments the input device while in the second or presentation mode uses one of the plurality of buttons to move the computer based presentation in one direction and another of the plurality of buttons to move the computer based presentation in another direction For example the left button is used to move one slide forward and the right button is used to move one slide backward in a computer based presentation In one embodiment the module for detecting user input for o
21. sentation mode the button functionality is changeable via a device setup software program that may be installed on a computer during the initial installation of the device The device 110 also has a scrolling element 116 Various embodiments of the scrolling element 116 include a track ball mini joystick a touchpad a wheel a solid state roller SSR or a force sensitive resistor The functionality of the force sensitive resistor that is implemented in a pointing device is described in a co pending U S patent application Ser No 10 010 072 entitled Pointing Device with Force Sensitive Resistor assigned to the assignee herein the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety In an embodiment that includes a solid state roller SSR scrolling is achieved by placement of a finger on metallic sensor s one pair at the front of the SSR to indicate a scroll up and one pair at the rear of the SSR to indicate scroll down One press of the SSR is equivalent to a roller ratchet and the continuous pressing of the SSR is equiva lent to a continuous scroll The scrolling element 116 is placed on the top side of the device 110 to allow a user to have scroll capabilities in the mouse as well as the presen tation modes Alternate embodiments of the device 110 include a laser pointer 120 that is coupled with the device 110 as is shown in FIG 1B The laser pointer 120 may be configured
22. to be activated in response to a mouse button click Moreover the laser pointer 120 may only be activatable when the device 120 is being operated in its hand held or presentation mode Laser pointers have become more popular as pointing 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 devices and some have even combined laser pointers with other devices such as watches pens range finders and firearm targeting devices The incorporation of a laser pointer with a presentation controller adds convenience in that the laser pointer has utility during a presentation since the operator can use such a presentation controller to control the presentation and use the laser pointer to point to sections of relevant screens without needing to carry both a presen tation controller and a laser pointer device Further a laser pointer that is coupled with a presentation device as is done in embodiments of the present invention is easily actuated by a button click of the device 110 The button used to activate the laser pointer 120 is any of the multiple mouse buttons 112 Alternately a dedicated button is used on the device 110 for the actuation of the laser pointer 120 A three position on off switch 118 shown in FIG 1B is placed on the underside of the device 110 to turn the device on and use it in either the presentation mode or the mouse mode In one embodiment a first activation of the button 118 turns the device on and places it in t
23. top mode the device functions as a usual computer input device e g a computer mouse which is placed on a flat surface to input position based information to a host computer In a second or presentation mode or a hand held mode the device is lifted from the tabletop and carried by its operator to control a computer based presentation by clicking any of the device s buttons to move forward or backward in the electronic slide presentation FIG 1A shows an embodiment of the hybrid presentation controller and computer input device 110 of the present invention The device 110 has two buttons 112 One button for example the left button operates as forward and the other for example the right one operates as backward while in a computer based presentation e g Microsoft PowerPoint when the device is in the presentation mode For example the clicking of one of the buttons is configured to advance the presentation forward by one slide frame while the clicking of another mouse button is configured to move the presentation one slide frame backward in the same way that using the page down and page up buttons on a computer keyboard cause a forward and a backward movement within an electronic slide document In the mouse mode the buttons act as they do in a typical mouse where the left button acts as the click select button and the right button acts as the alt select button In both the mouse and the pre
24. ws for the easy highlighting of key aspects of a presen tation and alleviates the need and trouble of handling another device Lastly the wireless implementation of the hybrid device enables the user to freely move about as the presentation is being controlled The wireless connectivity also avoids the hassles of having to wrestle another tangled cord As will be understood by those of skill in the art the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof For example the device communicate with a host computer via a wireless or a tethered connection or that the device may only be utilized in its hand held mode foregoing the usual computer input device mouse operations Accordingly the foregoing disclosure is intended to be illustrative but not limiting of the scope of the invention which is set forth in the following claims What is claimed is 1 A computer input device comprising a housing a pointing device coupled with said housing having a plurality of buttons a scrolling element coupled with said housing an optical source configured to emit radiation a power source configured to power the optical source an optical detector configured to detect a first rate of change of the intensity of the radiation reflected from a surface and a second rate of change of the intensity of the radiation reflected from the surface the second rate of change being differe
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