Foot-operated key pad
Contents
1. described above except that the user can operate controller 13 and controller buttons 14 without moving his feet forward from heel support 11 as illustrated by foot sole 60 in FIG 3 In this embodiment there is no foot button 12 However controller buttons 13 and 14 may be actuated with a simple heel rotation before applying pressure on buttons 13 and 14 with the toes or ball of the foot Moving on to FIGS 5 and 6 an alternative embodiment of data entry pad 10 is shown It is shown with three foot buttons 12 and with no controller or controller buttons Foot buttons 12 function as in the preferred embodiment described above except that the interval between data points is three rather than four because of the number of foot buttons 12 included Preferably the two embodiments in FIGS 3 6 are used in conjunction giving the user all the capabilities of the preferred embodiment The user may operate each device with a separate foot or may switch his foot back and forth as the user prefers Referring to FIG 7 the preferred embodiment of data entry pad 10 is illustrated connected to a typical computer system 50 used for data entry Data entry pad 10 is connected to multiplexer 30 Mouse 53 and keyboard 52 are also connected to multiplexer 30 Multiplexer 30 is connected to computer tower 51 via two cords which connect to the computer s mouse and keyboard ports not shown Multi plexer 30 receives signals from keyboard 52 mouse 52. they are staggered to maximize distance between the buttons As described in more detail below the data value sent to the computer preferably depends on which foot button 12 is pressed and also on the number of times or the length of time that it is pressed As illustrated by the inclusion of foot sole 60 in FIG 1 controller 13 and controller buttons 14 are preferably beyond the reach of the user s foot when the heel is touching heel support 11 to prevent accidental activation of controller 13 and or controller buttons 14 Other foot buttons 12 could be added to the data entry pad to mimic for example the shift key control key or mouse buttons etc Alternatively a controller button 14 may be replaced by designing heel support 11 to register and transmit a signal e g either mouse button signal when heel support 11 is pressed down by the user s heel In some applications one or both of controller buttons 14 could be omitted 35 40 45 55 65 4 The preferred foot buttons 12 are Hall effect sensors They are preferably narrower than a foot to allow them to be closer together and position error tolerant if foot buttons 12 were as wide as a foot the user would have to move his foot at least one foot width between foot buttons 12 and foot buttons 12 would have to be spaced at least one foot width apart If foot buttons 12 are as in the preferred embodiment only one half inch in diameter then when the user is pr
3. 3 and data entry pad 10 Signals from data entry pad 10 are identified as mouse type or keyboard type signals Signals from all input devices are prioritized and sent to the appro priate computer port i e the mouse or keyboard port Although the preferred embodiment is shown connected to computer system 50 via wires any or all of the connections may be wireless using any wireless technology e g meth ods used for a wireless mouse or wireless laptop connec tions Ideally the data input device should be connected to the computer in a way that is invisible to the application software Connecting to the serial port would require modi fying application software to look for data input at that port Connecting to a USB port is simple but in some cases will require installing special driver software This is a reason able approach as it will be invisible to the application software that is manipulating or storing the data The pre ferred embodiment is to input data and cursor movement through the mouse and keyboard PS 2 ports This is where the computer and application software receive their data and cursor instructions Unplugging the keyboard and mouse to connect the foot pedal then changing back for hand typing additional data would be unacceptable especially because the computer must be turned off to plug and unplug devices to the PS 2 ports Therefore a means to mix or multiplex the signals from mouse and joystick and mix the s
4. 7 369 116 B2 Press Button Button Transmits 1 to PC Button Transmits 2 to PC Button Option to say T pressed Enter here Stop As many layers as desired i FIGURE 10 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 8 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 Clock BEES Cored Ao ep an cepe n edo ol Mice o Ceca TO MOSFET 14 Matyas ee P 1e v e E Jo miego oed ol s out kre viden 6 Keb eek PRA e le ter ow oy pes code Schott Ky o RMN ol to keyboard M Zee ee coliz Cre cle cs REL wh KR 5 oa rd FIGURE 11 Deda bing rest ie we bourd Ax ie co drole f ERE Ji Er ty p x ic fo o gt F pt Cro jo iHe p aee 12 0 6 G CoO NAOT ON driva data ioa Yo p daten in amp S hot Ey S FIGURE 12 US 7 369 116 B2 1 FOOT OPERATED KEY PAD This application claim priority of Provisional Application Ser No 60 513 929 filed Oct 23 2003 and entitled Foot Operated Data Entry Pad which is hereby incorporated by reference BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to data entry devices for computers and more particularly to foot operated data entry pads 2 Related Art As an example of date entry measuring and recording the depth of a periodontal pocket caused by a periodontal disease such as gingivitis is one of the most important diagnostic activities in dental care There are m
5. United States Patent US007369116B2 12 10 Patent No US 7 369 116 B2 Logue 45 Date of Patent May 6 2008 54 FOOT OPERATED KEY PAD 5 552 807 A 9 1996 Hayes et al 345 156 5 745 055 A 4 1998 Redlich et al 341 20 75 Inventor Becky Logue Meridian ID US 5 838 305 A 11 1998 Bookstein 345 163 73 Assignee Beckmer Products Inc Meridian ID outimied US FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this JE ILAT patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Continued U S C 154 b by 631 days OTHER PUBLICATIONS 21 Appl No 10 973 999 Kinesis Programmable Foot Switch PS 2 Version User s Manual i Aug 2000 Edition 22 Filed Oct 25 2004 Continued 65 Prior Publication Data Primary Examiner Ricardo Osorio US 2005 0156878 A1 Jul 21 2005 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Pedersen amp Co PLLC Ken J Pedersen Barbara S Pedersen Related U S Application Data AN Me 57 ABSTRACT 60 Provisional application No 60 513 929 filed on Oct 23 2003 A foot operated data entry pad has a plurality of foot buttons The foot buttons are used to enter data values e g num 51 Int CI bers or symbols separately or in combination Each button is G09G 5 00 2006 01 capable of entering different data values preferably depend 52 USSU Gb d rnt deba etes 345 156 345 163 ing on the length of time that it is pressed or on the number 58 F
6. any known apparatus for taking these measurements Commonly these measurements are entered into a digital database via a computer However conventionally the dental worker tak ing the measurements has been unable to enter the data manually without having to put the measuring instruments down and move to a computer keyboard and or mouse to record the measurements Thus the job is often performed by two or more workers Thus there is a need for such a data entry system that can be operated easily without the use of hands For example Grenfell et al U S Pat No 3 943 914 attaches a foot pedal to an automatic probe used to measure gingival sulcus The user positions the probe for measure ment and then activates the foot pedal This triggers the automatic probe to take a depth measurement and transmit the result to the data recording system Other devices such as Murphy et al U S Pat No 4 904 184 Murphy U S Pat No 5 144 753 Jeffcoat U S Pat No 5 318 442 and Matoba et al U S Pat No 5 993 209 have similarly used a footpad to instruct an instrument to take a measurement and transmit the reading to a data recording system Ackerman et al U S Pat No 5 197 487 uses a foot activated switch to switch between different modes of opera tion for analyzing and organizing data from a probe How ever the switch is not used to actually enter any data Eenboom et al U S Pat No 4 446 453 discloses a foot pad c
7. apable of very simple data entry This device is capable of entering a bare yes no response for the presence of plaque on a patient s teeth Matoba et al U S Pat No 5 993 209 also teaches a device that also is used to indicate whether plaque is present on a patient s teeth None of these devices are capable of entering information beyond a simple binary data set e g yes or no either or or on or off Also there are references which disclose foot operated controls for computers For example Hayes et al U S Pat No 5 552 807 discloses foot pedal controls for both flying and driving games Also Bookstein U S Pat No 5 838 305 and Howell U S Pat No 6 091 402 discloses foot operated control of the position and movement of the computer s cursor Also Klarlund U S Pat No 5 889 510 discloses a foot operated keyboard with two arrays of switches one in the toe resting region and one in the heel resting region Also Cochran et al U S Pat No 5 910 139 and Davidson et al U S Pat No 6 470 222 discloses remote control of surgical and or dental instru ments with a foot pedal controller However there is still a need for a foot operated data entry system capable of allowing entry of a wider range of data such as numeric or alphanumeric information an 5 20 25 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is a foot operated data entry pad designed for ente
8. ase the capacity of the system BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invented foot operated data entry pad with a sche matic shoe sole included for illustrative purposes FIG 2 is a perspective view from a slightly different angle of the embodiment of FIG 1 with the schematic shoe sole removed FIG 3 is a perspective view of one alternative embodi ment of the invented data entry pad with a schematic shoe sole included for illustrative purposes FIG 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG 3 with the schematic shoe sole removed FIG 5 is a perspective view of one alternative embodi ment of the invented data entry pad with a schematic shoe sole included for illustrative purposes FIG 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG 5 with the schematic shoe sole removed FIG 7 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS 1 and 2 of the invention in connection with a computer system FIG 8 is a logical flow diagram illustrating the foot button operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention FIG 9 is a logical flow diagram illustrating the foot button operation of an alternative embodiment of the invention FIG 10 is a logical flow diagram illustrating the foot button operation of another alternative embodiment of the invention FIG 11 is a schematic wiring diagram of the clock line circuit for the multiplexer of the preferred embodiment of
9. ate the device clock line is already low so clock transitions on the PC side will not be changing the clock line through the diode but the diode allows the line to go high When the device is inhibited it will let its data line float high The data line on the PC line can go high and low while being isolated from the device by the diode i A further aspect of the invention is that the micro controller can monitor communication between a device and the PC One use of this is to determine which kind of mouse to emulate The PC queries the mouse at start up to deter mine which kind of mouse it is and therefore knows how to read and interpret the mouse information it receives If the micro controller monitors this communication it can then emulate that same kind of mouse in its communication This allows the multiplexer to be universal in application with any standard PS 2 mouse j Although less user friendly a simpler implementation to select between the most common mouse types is to use configuration switches set at the factory or by the user For example one setting would cause three byte mouse packets to be transmitted and another setting would cause four byte mouse packets to be transmitted k Watching PC to mouse communication also allows the micro controller to capture and emulate the same resolution scaling and other factors relevant to cursor movement m The keyboard or mouse can be kept in an inhibited state for several mil
10. buttons being spaced apart in a generally radial planar pattern on said pad each of said foot buttons being distanced about 5 10 inches from the center of a heel support area also on said pad 2 The pad of claim 1 wherein the code of actuation depends upon how long the buttons are continuously depressed 3 The pad of claim 1 wherein the code of actuation depends upon how many times the buttons are depressed released and re depressed 4 The pad of claim 1 which comprises a cursor controller further from the heel support area than said foot buttons 5 The pad of claim 4 which comprises a mouse control button further from the heel support area than said foot buttons 6 The pad of claim 4 which comprises a mouse control button in the heel support area US 7 369 116 B2 11 7 A foot key pad for a computer which comprises a cursor controller and a mouse controller button the cursor controller and mouse controller button being spaced apart in a generally radial planar pattern on said pad and both said cursor controller and said mouse controller button being distanced about 5 10 inches from the center of a heel support area also on said pad 5 12 8 The key pad of claim 7 which comprises a plurality of mouse controller buttons 9 The key pad of claim 8 wherein one mouse controller button is in the heel support area
11. creased by four and the new value is sent to the automated voice system for announcement but not to the computer system The data value is sent to the computer system once the foot button is released Optionally the data value could be reannounced as entered at this point In the preferred embodiment each foot button 12 is associated with two data values g 1 and 5 for the first button as illustrated in FIG 8 covering the integers from one to eight inclusive Although the preferred embodiment US 7 369 116 B2 5 permits entry of only a small range of data values any appropriate data values can be chosen as the upper and lower limits including no upper limit or infinity or an upper limit and no lower limit with descending rather than ascend ing numbers Thus continuing to hold foot button 12 in this example could result in the data value increasing by four i e to 9 13 etc infinitely or preferably to any appro priate maximum for a given application Also the increment between data values need not be one or any other value but can be set at any appropriate amount for a given application Besides 1 This routine is for each button Any number of buttons can be used 2 Digit entry is shown here but entry can be any digit character symbol word phrase etc that is desired to be entered into the PC 3 Wait times between increments can be set to any value to optimize usability 4 More tiers of
12. e been described as having four foot buttons it is not limited to any particular number of foot buttons and may be adapted to enter any numerical range just as a standard number pad on a keyboard i e the data entry pad enters digits 0 through 9 with a decimal point as needed to input data values The invention preferably includes an automated voice system that announces data values at various points in the system s operation Any conventional automated voice sys tem may be used and the voice may be broadcast from a built in speaker s or over the computer system s audio system e g by adding a connection to the computer s microphone jack Alternatively a simpler system such as an audible beep may be used to indicate that for example a data value has changed However this is less preferred because it increases the probability that the user will acci dentally and possibly unknowingly enter an incorrect data value Although this invention has been described above with reference to particular means materials and embodiments it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed particulars but extends instead to all equivalents within the scope of the Description Drawings and follow ing Claims I claim 1 A data entry pad for a computer comprising a plurality of foot buttons said foot buttons being configured to enter different data values according to a code of actuation of the foot buttons the
13. essing one foot button 12 the other foot buttons 12 can be close to the user s foot on either side Therefore the preferred space between foot buttons 12 is one half foot width plus one quarter inch about 3 inches As a result the user only has to rotate the foot by this reduced pitch This gives more foot buttons 12 for the same ankle rotation or reduces the amount of ankle rotation Alternatively heel support 11 could be designed to allow the user s heel to move laterally by sliding or lifting it to reach foot buttons 12 while reducing or eliminating the need for ankle rotation Each foot pedal key can be used for multiple purposes by double clicking or by holding down for an extended time For example if the one button is held for one second or longer it becomes a five Voice feedback can say one if the pedal is released before one second and it can say five at the one second point so that the user knows to release the button In the case of two functions per button the data can be transmitted either at the transition time or upon pedal release Additional functions can be achieved by holding the button longer still Also mouse functions and keyboard functions can be mixed For example holding the four button for one second makes it an eight button but holding it for three seconds makes it a mouse right click button If there are three or more functions per pedal the data cannot be transmitted
14. form of dithering motions can achieve very fine cursor manipulation while pressing the joystick longer can cause the cursor to traverse the screen in a reasonable amount of time Although applicable to foot operation this feature of the invention can also be used for a hand operated device for those who cannot perform fine motor movements with their hands In the preferred embodiment the user is able to perform any point and click operations that the user s software includes with controller 13 and one or more controller buttons 14 The preferred controller 13 is a short joystick Alternatively a rocking panel may be used Controller 13 controls the cursor by causing it to move in a chosen direction Optionally the speed of the cursor may be adjust able and or increasing the longer controller 13 is held off center Preferably one or more controller buttons 14 are placed to one or both sides of controller 14 Alternatively a controller button 14 may placed in the center of the con troller so that when the controller is released the button is released and activated to send a computer mouse left or right button signal to computer 51 Because controller 13 and controller buttons 14 are placed beyond the reach of the user s foot when the foot is contacting heel support 11 the user moves his foot forward from heel support 11 to operate controller 13 and controller buttons 14 In the preferred embodiment controller buttons 14 mimic the fu
15. ield of Classification Search 345 156 168 of times that it is pressed in succession A small controller See application file for complete search history may be included to allow the user to control the computer s pointer allowing the user to switch between data entry 56 References Cited fields as with a mouse An automated voice system or other U S PATENT DOCUMENTS audible and or visual indicator system may also be included to help the user keep track of the data value as it changes and 3 943 914 A 3 1976 Grenfell et al 128 2 S is entered Various embodiments are capable of entering a 4 446 453 A 5 1984 Eenboom et al 340 286 M variety of alphanumeric data rather than a simple binary 4 904 184 A 2 1990 Murphy et al 433 72 type data set such as yes no or on off or instructions such NE ND Crandall e al Senia 600 535 as a joystick used with a flight simulator program Multiple 5 144 753 A 9 1992 Murphy 33 514 dat t d ti nalih di net 5 197 487 A 3 1993 Ackerman et al 128 776 ala entry pads MAy ODHODA yo DE USE UV CONJUIC UDI 5 318 442 A 6 1994 Jeffcoat et al 433 72 5 334 997 A 8 1994 Scallon 345 167 9 Claims 8 Drawing Sheets US 7 369 116 B2 Page 2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 6 980 133 B2 12 2005 Foong 341 20 7 062 365 B1 6 2006 Fei 701 36 5 886 685 A 3 1999 Best seen 345 163 2002 0030661 Al 3 2002 Gemunde
16. ignals from the keyboard and foot pedal is required 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 There are several ways to accomplish this multiplexing or wye connection a An 8 pole double throw switch could connect the four mouse lines and four keyboard lines from the computer to either the keyboard and mouse or to the foot pedal and joystick device b All the ground common negative lines could be per manently connected together and a 6 pole double throw switch can be used to connect the remaining lines c Adding a large capacitor between power and ground lines on the computer side of these switches could minimize the effects of hot switching d The ground common negative lines could be perma nently connected together the power lines could be perma nently connected together and then a 4 pole double throw switch would connect the two data lines and two clock lines This requires that power consumption of the foot pedal device plus keyboard and mouse to be low enough to fit within the PS 2 specification for computer supplied power e Same as d above but power is augmented with a wall transformer For example if optical detectors are used their LEDs could be powered by an auxiliary power source f The switches in the scenarios above could be replaced by solid state switching devices or relays g The scenarios above all require the user to flip a switch to change between devices A smart techniq
17. increments can be added The voice says something new after each increment time period but the entry is not transmitted until the button is released Referring to FIG 9 the operation of the foot buttons in one alternative embodiment is illustrated In this example the initial data value is 1 and increases by increments of 1 This could be the case where there is only one foot button 12 where the initial data values for other foot buttons 12 are non integers e g 1 25 1 5 and 1 75 or where other foot buttons 12 operate for number ranges wholly greater or lesser than those for the foot button 12 in the example e g one button could be used to enter values from 1 to 10 another to enter values from 11 to 20 and so on In the embodiment of FIG 9 the button is held down until the desired entry is heard Then upon releasing the button the entry is transmitted to the PC The set time period after which the data value is increased is 0 5 seconds rather than the 1 0 second of the preferred embodiment any time period can be chosen but it should preferably be long enough for the user to release the foot button 12 before the data value changes without being so long as to make the device unproductively slow No limit to the values that can be entered is shown in the embodiment of FIG 9 but one could be added Likewise any increment between data values may be chosen depending on the needs of any given application When the chosen foot but
18. liseconds after the micro controller transmits a foot pedal command to see if the PC sends a resend command If so the micro controller must retrans mit its last data n If the voltage drop across the Schottky diode is problematic then an open collector op amp comparator cir cuit can be used as a buffer to follow signals to their low level state A rail to rail op amp will achieve an almost perfect zero voltage o Many N type MOSFETs have a diode between their source and drain If their voltage drop is not a problem then it is possible to implement the circuit without the external diode shown in the sketch Although the invention is shown at one size various methods may be used to accommodate various sizes of feet For example models may be made in different sizes More preferably heel support 11 may be made adjustable so that it may be moved forward or backward i e along a line passing through the center of heel support 11 and controller 13 The adjustment method may be continuous i e may be set at any point or have discreet setting i e a plurality of locking points The preferred embodiment is designed for entering peri odontal data e g the depth of gingival sulcus Based on the needs of this application the preferred embodiment has four foot buttons and is capable of entering data values from one to eight inclusive For example the user would take a measurement with an instrument g a 3 The third foo
19. lues until the button is not re pressed within the preset time period At that point the last data value is sent to the computer system s with the other embodiments limits on the range or data values enterable may be imposed for convenience but are not required Likewise the incre ment between data values may be set at any amount appro priate for a given application The techniques discussed above relating to FIGS 8 10 with timing or repeat features amount to a code of actuation for the foot buttons s Most people are not able to accomplish fine motor move ments with their feet Therefore it is a further aspect of this invention to develop a joystick which can precisely position a cursor on a computer screen but which doesn t require accurate foot movements The joystick is digital meaning that it is on or off rather than proportional If it is pressed up the cursor begins moving up If it is released the cursor stops The joystick does not control cursor position or cursor speed It only controls approximate direction of travel In the preferred embodiment the joystick will only move in eight discrete directions up right 45 degrees up and right etc Alternatively the joystick could be made to move the cursor in any direction The cursor can move at a constant speed but in the preferred embodiment it starts out slowly and then increases its speed more as the joystick is pressed longer In this way quick on and off in a
20. nctions of the left and or right mouse buttons Digits or other data can be input using one of several foot pedals or buttons Alternatively the heel or foot can rest on a pivoting platform pad cradle or footrest When the pivoting member rotates about an axis roughly parallel with the ankle its rotational position may be sensed by optical mechanical Hall effect proximity or other means and is interpreted as being in one of N positions For example four discrete positions can be detected using only two discrete detectors If the detectors are optical then an interrupter cam or reflector plate could trigger only the first detector both detectors only the second detector or no detectors Depending upon which of these four combinations is detected the correct data is selected for transmission Then the data can be entered for example by rocking the pivoting foot device about a second axis roughly perpendicular to the US 7 369 116 B2 7 first When the foot device rocks it detects the rotational motion Alternatively the foot could rock forward whether the foot device pivots or is shaped to allow the foot to rock and touch a button or bar or be sensed in another way to activate a switch and initiate an entry Referring to FIGS 3 and 4 one alternative embodiment is data entry pad 10 with only controller 13 and controller buttons 14 is shown Controller 13 and controller buttons 14 function as in the preferred embodiment
21. r et al 345 156 5 889 510 A 3 1999 Klarlund 345 168 5 907 318 A 5 1999 Medina ee 345 163 5 910 139 A 6 1999 Cochran et al 606 1 FOREIGNESTENT DOCUMENTS 5 993 209 A 11 1999 Matoba et al 433 72 JP 09 258887 10 1997 6 091 402 A 7 2000 Howell 345 157 6 470 222 B1 10 2002 Davidson et al e 700 2 6 600 477 Bl 7 2003 Howell 345 157 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 6 611 250 B1 8 2003 Prince et al 345 163 Kinesis Corporation Retail Price List dated Aug 22 2003 6 714 188 B1 3 2004 Zebuhr et al wee 345 163 6 798 396 B2 9 2004 Gemunder et al 345 156 cited by examiner U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 1 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 2 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 3 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 4 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 5 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 Press 1 Button First Tier Button Transmit Voice released 1 to PC says 1 No No Button released Voice Says g Button held gt 1s No Transmit BU do PC FIGURE 8 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 6 of 8 US 7 369 116 B2 Press Button Transmits i to PC held gt 0 5s Says 2 Transmits 2 to PC l t I Stop FIGURE 9 U S Patent May 6 2008 Sheet 7 of 8 US
22. ring informational data over a desired range for recordation In a preferred embodiment one or more foot buttons are provided Data is entered by pressing the appro priate foot button Foot buttons are arranged in a spaced apart generally radial planar pattern distanced about of an average foot length about 5 10 inches from a heel rest region Optionally the heel rest region may also comprise another switch Preferably different discreet values may be entered by pressing the same foot button different lengths of time or in an alternative embodiment by repeatedly press ing it Additionally in the preferred embodiment a joystick type or other controller is used to control the computer s pointer as it is often necessary to move a cursor between data entry fields Preferably the data entry pad will work seamlessly with existing hardware and software by mimick ing the mouse and keyboard i e the computer receives and processes input from the data entry pad as signals from the mouse and keyboard Optionally the preferred embodiment also includes an automated voice system that announces entered values and or the current value to be entered if the user releases a foot button or otherwise ceases to cause the data value to increment Alternatively the controller and data entry functions may be separated into two separate devices or the controller function may be omitted Multiple data entry pads may also be used together to incre
23. s input by users and at a speed still exceeding the user s ability to enter the data Data from all devices gets processed and the computer cannot tell whether a cursor movement was initiated by a mouse or joystick or whether data is coming from a keyboard or foot pedal h A micro controller between a keyboard and PC or between a mouse and PC will cause signal delays which could potentially result in malfunction Therefore the pre ferred embodiment uses MOSFETs and diodes to connect and disconnect the signals between these devices See the FIGS 11 and 12 following The clock and data lines of a PS 2 port are open collector they float high with the help of a resistor and can be pulled low by either the PC or peripheral device keyboard or mouse When the devices are connected MOSFETs are turned on by pulling gates high the keyboard or mouse can communicate directly with US 7 369 116 B2 9 the PC and there is essentially no signal delay The device pulls the clock line low through the MOSFET and pulls the data line low through the diode The PC pulls the device clock line low through the diode and pulls the data line low through the MOSFET When the MOSFETs are turned off gates are pulled low the device is disconnected the device is inhibited by pulling its clock line low and the clock and data lines on the PC side can be manipulated by the micro controller to communicate foot pedal information to the PC In this disconnected st
24. s not refer to instructions such as sent by a controller for a pointer or program operation such as a video game control Data also does not refer for this invention to simple binary data sets i e where one of two options such as yes or no red or green or on and off is the only correct choice Referring to FIGS 1 and 2 the preferred embodiment of the invented data entry pad 10 comprises a heel support 11 plurality of foot buttons 12 controller 13 and one or more controller buttons 14 The user places the heel of the foot on heel support 11 and pivots the foot on that point to reach each of the foot 12 buttons The foot buttons 12 are arranged in a spaced apart generally radial planar pattern This way the data entry pad operator may access each of the buttons singly without disturbing the other buttons Also this way the operator may access each of the buttons by simply rotating the foot about the heel which is in the heel support area 11 Typically the foot buttons 12 are spaced apart about 1 5 inches Also typically the foot buttons are distanced about of an average foot length about 5 10 inches from the center of heel support area 11 The foot button radial pattern may extend in an expanding pie shape out from the heel support area 11 from about 30 to abut 150 depending upon the number of buttons in the pattern The buttons may be present in one or more rows When there are multiple rows of buttons preferably
25. t button of the data entry pad is then pressed and promptly released to enter this value If necessary the controller is used to move a cursor or similar pointer to another data 5 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 entry field on the screen The next measurement is taken and recorded e g a 5 The first foot button of the data entry pad is pressed and held until the data value is incremented to 5 It is then released and the data value is recorded This process continues until all necessary measurements are taken and recorded In cases wherein the measurements are always taken in the same order and the software is adapted to receive this order of measurements there may be no need for controller use between the measurements Although the invention has been described as applied to recording the depths of gingival sulcus it may be used to enter data for any purpose without exceeding the scope of the invention Although the invention has been described as including one data entry pad a second pad could be added The user could use both feet and the number of foot buttons that could be included would be expanded Also the invented foot operated data entry pad may be adapted to input other than numerical data For example by adding foot buttons and using two data entry pads the invention could be used to enter other types of data such as alphanumeric symbols words or phrases Although the embodiments hav
26. the invention FIG 12 is a schematic wiring diagram of the data line circuit for the multiplexer of the preferred embodiment of the invention US 7 369 116 B2 3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the Figures there are shown several but not all embodiments of the invented foot operated data entry pad As illustrated in FIG 7 the invented data entry pad integrates with a larger system that preferably includes a computer with its usual accessories i e mouse keyboard and monitor not shown and preferably an adapter called a multiplexer that allows the footpad to interface seamlessly with existing computer hardware and software The pre ferred multiplexer connects to the data entry pad and the computer s other input devices i e mouse and key board and controls their respective signals so that the computer perceives all input as though it came only from the mouse or keyboard Thus with the preferred embodiment there is no need for additional or new software and the data entry pad can be integrated easily with existing systems The term data is used herein to refer to information to be stored for later retrieval In the preferred embodiment the data is an integer referring to the depth of a periodontal pocket measured in millimeters However the term may include any information represented by numbers or other symbols such as letters that is stored for later review The term data doe
27. ton 12 is pressed the initial data value is sent to the automated voice system and announced Each time the data value changes it is sent to the automated voice system and announced The data value is sent to the computer only after the chosen foot button 12 is released Optionally this data value could be re sent to the automated voice system and reannounced as entered Referring to FIG 10 the operation of the foot buttons in another alternative embodiment is illustrated In this varia tion the button is pressed and released until the desired entry is heard Then when the button has been released for over 1 2 second the entry is transmitted to the PC In this case a chosen foot button 12 is pressed released and re pressed within a set period of time to enter a data value Like the embodiment of FIG 9 the initial data value is one and the increment between data values for a foot button 12 is 1 When the appropriate foot button 12 is pressed the associ ated initial data value is announced When the button is released the device waits a preset period of time in this case 0 5 seconds to see whether the button is re pressed If the button is not re pressed the data value is sent to the computer system If the button is re pressed during the preset time period the data value is incremented and the new value announced This process is repeated with increasing 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 data va
28. ue would allow input to be received from any device without user interven tion The user should be allowed to seamlessly switch from keyboard to foot pedal and mouse to joystick and vice versa One way to accomplish this is to use one or two micro controllers to manage the communication between the peripheral devices and the PC In PS 2 communication the PC is the host If the micro controller acted like a host to the keyboard and mouse it could receive their input data and could also receive data from the foot pedal Then the micro controller could act like a slave to the PC looking like a keyboard and mouse In this way it could input the data from all devices while looking like one keyboard and one mouse Communication between the foot pedal and micro controller could be PS 2 IC or any other proprietary or standard protocol or the foot pedal sensors could input directly to the micro controller The micro controller could pass signals in near real time mimicking the clock and data signals from a peripheral or PC or it could process one data byte or packet at a time before relaying it to the PC While the micro controller is sending data from the foot pedal to the PC it can pull the keyboard clock line low to inhibit the keyboard The keyboard will buffer any data it has to send until the clock line goes high In this way data from the keyboard mouse and foot pedal can be inter mixed multi plexed to be fed to the PC in the order it i
29. until the pedal is released If there are three or more functions the voice feedback can simply announce the next functional level or can insert a substitute word such as rather before the function or data name e g rather nine Referring to FIG 8 the operation of the foot buttons in the preferred embodiment for dental application is illus trated The first foot button 12 with an initial data value of l is used for illustrative purposes Preferably each foot button 12 is capable of entering more than one data value This is preferably accomplished by making the data value entered dependent on which foot button 12 is pressed and on how often or on how long it is continuously pressed To enter a given data value the user presses the appro priate foot button 12 but the data value 1s preferably sent to computer 51 only after foot button 12 is released For example if the chosen foot button 12 is released before a set time period preferably one second has passed the initial data value associated with the chosen foot button 12 is transmitted to an automatic voice system which announces the data value and to the computer system for recording As illustrated in FIG 8 the resulting data value would be 1 The other three foot buttons 12 have initial data values of 2 3 and 4 If the foot button is not released in less than the set period of time i e one second for the preferred embodi ment the initial data value is in
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