Textured cushion for keyboard cursor control stick
Contents
1. 9 FIG 11 is a cross sectional view of an alternate embodi ment of the cushion of this invention indicated generally at 500 The cushion 500 preferably has a generally cylindrical lower portion 502 and a generally cup shaped upper portion 504 The upper portion 504 overlays and is bonded to a portion of the lower portion 502 that is disposed within the cup shaped upper portion 504 The upper portion 504 includes a central portion 505 that may be generally described as convex concave lens shaped in that the central portion 505 is dished and increases in thickness toward the center of the central portion 505 The upper portion 504 includes an upper surface 505a The upper surface 505a may be textured as is described in the embodi ments illustrated in FIGS 20 through 23 The upper portion 504 also includes a depending skirt portion 506 formed at the circumferential periphery of the central portion 505 The upper portion 504 may be made from any suitable material such as a foam or a gel or a thermoplastic rubber The material from which the upper portion 504 is formed is selected to have a relatively low hardness so that the upper portion 504 is relatively soft and compliant The upper portion 504 is preferably formed from a material like the suitable material described for the upper portion 404 of FIGS 8 and 9 and will have a Shore A durometer of about 3 to about 10 when fully cured As shown in FIGS 11 and 12 the lower portion 502 is2. d placing the first material into said cavity of said second mold depositing a second material into said cavity of said second mold so that said second material come into contact with said first material while said first material is still only partially cured said second material form ing a second portion of the cushion and f fully curing said first material and said second material to form said cushion wherein said first material has a first hardness and said second material has a second hardness which is softer than said first hardness 40 The method of claim 39 wherein said first material is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 41 The method of claim 39 wherein said second material is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 42 The method of claim 39 wherein said first material has a Shore A durometer of about 3 to about 15 43 The method of claim 39 wherein said second material has a Shore A durometer of about 55 to about 75 44 The method of claim 39 wherein said second mold has a surface with texture 45 The method of claim 44 wherein said texture is created by abrading said surface of said second mold 46 The method of claim 44 wherein said texture on said surface of said second mold is created by an elect
3. 36 The cushion of claim 35 wherein each of said nubs has a hexagonal cross section 37 The cushion of claim 35 wherein each of said nubs has a rounded upper portion 38 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said first end of said cushion defines a pocket in said US 6 724 369 B2 17 first end of said cushion said pocket being sized to accom modate at least a portion of a computer cursor control stick therein wherein said first material has a Shore A durometer of about 3 to about 10 and is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds wherein said second material has a Shore A durometer of about 55 to about 65 and is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 39 A method of manufacturing a cushion for a control Stick comprising the steps of providing a first mold having an internal cavity b depositing a first material into said cavity of said first mold to form a first portion of the cushion and allowing said first material to partially cure c providing a second mold having an internal cavity
4. Continuation in part of application No 09 703 041 filed on Mastenimed Onwnez page Oct 31 2000 which is a continuation in part of application Primary Examiner Regina Liang No 09 281 126 filed on Mar 29 1999 now Pat No 6 140 998 which is a division of application No 08 717 Assistant Examiner Jennifer T Ngu yen 220 filed on Sep 26 1996 now Pat No 5 889 508 Agent or Firm MacMillan Sobanski amp o gt 51 Unt Cl G09G 5 08 52 U S 345 161 345 157 345 158 57 ABSTRACT i 343 163 A gel cushion that can be attached to an existing cursor 58 Field of Search 345 157 158 pointing device control stick on a computer or keyboard 345 156 160 161 163 or be integrally formed with the cap during manufacture 56 References Cited The gel cushion is flexible enough to prevent tissue damage U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 3 898 397 A 8 1975 Devore et al 4 565 460 A 1 1986 Kline 400 490 4 896 003 A 1 1990 Hsieh 200 6 A 5 087 904 A 2 1992 DeVolpi 5 134 008 A 7 1992 Alm 5 290 115 A 3 1994 Little 400 491 5 407 285 A 4 1995 Franz 12 INSIDE OF COVER VZZ 1S WHEN CLOSED to the user s fingers due to repetitive motions over an extended period of use yet firm enough to transmit the desired pressure to the control stick The gel cushion designed to be
5. generally cylindrical and partially disposed within the depending skirt 506 of the upper portion 504 The lower portion 502 preferably includes a flange 508 that extends radially outwardly from a lower most part of the lower portion 502 The depending skirt 506 abuts the flange 508 and is preferably bonded thereto The lower portion 502 has a lower surface 509 The lower surface 509 defines a pocket 510 in a central portion thereof The pocket 510 is adapted to receive the upper end of a cursor control stick such as the cursor control stick 10 seen in FIGS 1 and 2 Preferably the pocket 510 and indeed any of the pockets described in this application as receiving a cursor control stick is pref erably sized to receive the cursor control stick with a stretch fit the pocket 510 as formed is slightly smaller in cross section than the cursor control stick When installing the cushion 500 on a cursor control stick the cursor control stick is forced into the pocket 510 which stretches the material of the lower portion 502 to accommodate the larger cross section of the cursor control stick The resulting elastic forces hold the cushion 500 on the cursor control stick through friction creating an elastic or stretch fit between the pocket 510 and the cursor control stick 10 The lower portion 502 is preferably formed of a material with a higher durometer than the upper portion 504 but the lower portion 502 may nevertheless be formed of any s
6. having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein a portion of said second end is textured 33 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said second end is textured by the provision of at least one of a plurality of raised nubs and a plurality of raised ridges 34 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said second end is textured by the provision of at least one of a plurality of raised nubs each of said nubs has circular cross section 35 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said second end is textured by the provision of at least one of a plurality of raised nubs each of said nubs has a polygonal cross section
7. with the upper end of the cursor control stick 10 engaging the step 614 the cushion 600 15 thereby roughly aligned with the cursor control stick 10 The cushion 600 is then pushed downwardly onto the cursor control stick 10 driving the cursor control stick 10 rela tively upwardly into the second recess 613 to engage the walls of the second recess 613 with a stretch fit in the same manner described above for the pocket 510 of the cushion as illustrated in FIG 11 As is indicated in the phantom view when the cursor control stick 10 is received in the pocket 610 the lower portion 602 of the cushion 600 may be slightly deformed as a result of the stretching as shown As illustrated the cursor control stick 10 does not engage the US 6 724 369 B2 13 third recess 616 of the pocket 610 although such is not required The third recess 616 creates a void of stiff material below the central portion 605 This void gives the central portion 605 a soft feel to the user similar to the soft feel of the central portion 505 without having the thickness of soft material of the central portion 505 As is illustrated in FIG 19 the cursor control stick 10 is received in the pocket 610 of the cushion 600 The lower portion 602 of the cushion 600 may deform as shown when the cursor control stick 10 15 received in the pocket 610 As is also indicated in the phantom view the cushion 600 may deform under the pressure of a user s finger
8. FOR MOLDING ONE OF LOWER 451 PORTION AND UPPER PORTION INSERT FIRST MATERIAL CURING TO A FIRST DUROMETER 452 IN THE FIRST MOLD PROVIDE A SECOND MOLD IN SHAPE OF THE OTHER OF THE 453 UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS MOVE PARTIALLY CURED FIRST MATERIAL FROM THE FIRST MOLD 454 TO THE SECOND MOLD INJECT SECOND MATERIAL CURING TO SECOND DUROMETER INTO 455 SECOND MOLD IN CONTACT WITH PARTIALLY CURED FIRST MATERIAL REMOVE BONDED FIRST AND SECOND MATERIALS FROM 456 SECOND MOLD IG 24 US 6 724 369 B2 1 TEXTURED CUSHION FOR KEYBOARD CURSOR CONTROL STICK CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Continuation In Part of U S patent application Ser No 09 703 041 filed on Oct 31 2000 which was a Continuation In Part of U S patent application Ser No 09 281 126 filed on Mar 29 1999 now U S Pat No 6 140 998 which was a Divisional of Application Ser No 08 717 220 filed Sep 26 1996 now U S Pat No 5 889 508 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to a computer input device and in particular to a cursor pointing device cursor control stick of a notebook type portable computer or similar device A finger mouse or cursor control stick as used in this application is a man machine interface device which con trols the motion of a computer display cursor In particular a control stick is a type of miniature joystick which is intended to be o
9. For example a typical 10 15 20 25 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 prior art cap such as a cap supplied with the TrackPoint II control stick is made of a relatively hard elastomeric material During testing a probe having a contact surface of approximately 1 square millimeter was pressed against such cap to cause the probe to deflect the surface of the cap approximately 0 25 millimeters A force of approximately 15 grams was required to compress the surface of the cap inwardly this small amount In contrast one embodiment of the cushion 20 of the present invention required a force of only 5 grams to be exerted by the probe to compress the surface of the cushion 20 the same distance According to the invention a cushion 20 having a measurement of hard ness or durometer which would permit a probe having a contact surface of approximately 1 square millimeter to deflect the surface of the cushion 20 by at least 0 25 millimeters when urged by a force of 10 grams would generally be acceptable The preferred embodiment of the invention has a hardness such that only 5 grams of force is required to cause a probe having a contact surface of 1 square millimeter to deflect the surface of the cushion 20 by at least 0 25 millimeters Preferably the cushion 20 also provides a high coefficient of friction with the user s finger to permit easy positioning of the control stick 10 The polyurethane foam of the cushion 20 is
10. a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon wherein said upper portion includes an upper surface said upper surface defining a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter 52 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon wherein said upper portion includes an upper surface wherein at least a portion of said upper surface is generally one of convex concave and flat 53 cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon wherein said upper portion includes an upper surface wherein at least a portion of said upper surface is textured 54 The cushion of claim 53 wherein said upper surface is one of convex concave and flat 55 The cushion of claim 53 wherein at least a portion of said upper surface is textured with an open pattern texture 56 The cushion of claim 53 wherein at least a portion of said upper surface is textured with a ridge extending around the periphery of said upper surface 57 The cushion of claim 53 wherein a first portion of
11. cushion of claim 99 wherein said upper surface is generally convex 101 The cushion of claim 99 wherein said upper surface is generally concave 102 The cushion of claim 99 wherein said upper surface is generally flat 103 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and having a generally cylindrical outer surface defining a first diameter and an upper portion a portion of said upper portion having second diameter that is larger than the first diameter kW ce ce 4S AK
12. formed of a thermoplastic rubber compound such as SANTOPRENE thermoplastic rubber with a formulation that cures to a Shore A durometer above 55 The lower portion 502 has a lower surface 509 The lower surface 509 defines a pocket 510 in a central portion thereof The pocket 510 like the pocket 510 in the cushion 500 is shaped to receive the upper end of a cursor control Stick such as the cursor control stick 10 In the illustrated embodiment the pocket 510 is rectilinear having a rectan gular cross section adapted to receive a control stick with a rectangular cross section The pocket 510 of the cushion 500 is of somewhat different structure than that of pocket 510 of the cushion 500 being a stepped recess A first recess 512 1s defined in the interior end surface of the pocket 510 with slightly larger cross section than that of a second recess 513 A step 514 is thereby formed between the first recess 512 and the second recess 513 As illustrated a cursor control stick not shown does not engage the second recess 513 of the pocket 510 although such is not required The second recess 513 creates a void of stiff material below the central portion 505 void gives the central portion 505 a softer feel to the user alternate embodiment of the cushion of this invention indicated generally at 600 is shown in FIGS 15 and 16 The cushion 600 preferably has a generally cylin drical lower portion 602 and a generall
13. in the mold at the area where the convex end 32 is formed and a second material which is harder than the first material would be injected in the mold at the area where the recess 34 is formed Accel erating agents compatabilizing agents fillers mold release agents and coloring agents can be introduced as well as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art Somewhere between the two ends 32 and 33 the first and second materials come into contact and become affixed to one another The cushion 30 would therefore be a single structure formed from two different materials having dif ferent hardness characteristics when set or cured For the purposes of the present invention curing can be accom plished by using any suitable methods of solidifying or hardening a material such as for example by adding or removing heat inducing a catalytic reaction or containment for a period of time to allow hardening to occur Another method of manufacturing the cushion 30 having multiple areas with different levels of hardness would be to form the cushion 30 from a single material but altering the setting or formation of the material so that the different areas have different hardness characteristics This alteration of the formation process can be accomplished by varying the temperature gradient surrounding the mold creating minia ture air pockets within selected portions of the material or by any other suitable manufacturing process As an al
14. rings A control stick cushion surface texture the sidewalls of which texture rises at approximately right angles to the surrounding upper surface In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment However it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illus trated without departing from its spirit or scope What is claimed is 1 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer US 6 724 369 B2 15 2 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said first material is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 3 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said second material is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 4 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said second material has a Shore A durometer of about 3 to about 10 5 cushion of claim 1 wherein said first material has a Shore A durometer of about 55 to about 65 6 The cushion of claim 1 wherein sai
15. said upper surface is textured with a ridge extending around the periphery of said upper surface and a second portion of said upper surface is textured 58 The cushion of claim 53 wherein at least a portion of said upper surface is textured with at least one of a raised nub and a raised ridge 59 The cushion of claim 53 wherein said upper surface defines at least one of a raised nub and a raised ridge extending substantially perpendicular to said upper surface 60 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and having a generally cylindrical outer surface defining a first diameter and an upper portion said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon wherein said upper portion including an upper surface said upper surface having a second diameter that 1s larger than the first diameter said upper surface being concave a central portion of said upper surface having textured surface said upper face further including ridge around the periphery of said upper surface 61 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and US 6 724 369 B2 19 having a generally cylindrical outer surface defining a first diameter and an upper porti
16. that 15 larger than the first diameter 90 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a generally cylindrical lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and defining a first diameter and 10 m 50 55 60 65 US 6 724 369 B2 21 an upper portion at least a portion of said upper portion defining a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter 91 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface having a texture formed thereon at least a portion of said upper surface including a plurality of nubs 92 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface having a texture formed thereon at least a portion of said upper surface including at least one ridge 93 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion sai
17. the textured cap is still irritating to the finger of a user when used extensively even with the lighter touch allowed by the textured surface The uneven and relatively hard surface of such caps still can cause inflamed tissue bruising soreness and finger fatigue in users which limits their ability to comfortably use such a control stick for periods of extended use The present invention provides a cushioned cap for a control stick which cap may suitably be formed from two materials having different durometers measures of hardness with a finger contact surface which provides the needed finger to cap friction to easily use the control stick to move the cursor with a light touch and which is formed of a relatively soft material so that the cap does not irritate the body tissues of the user or result in finger fatigue even after periods of extended use A soft texturing may be added to the finger contact surface Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the follow ing detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in light of the accompanying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a perspective view of a typical portable com puter employing a control stick having a cushioned cap in accordance with this invention FIG 2 is a side view partly in section of the control stick illustrated in FIG 1 FIG 3 is an enlarged sectional side v
18. used on an existing control stick can be applied with an adhesive to a cap or with a frictional fit directly to the control stick The gel cushion is designed to be easily installed and replaced when worn 103 Claims 14 Drawing Sheets XE lo US 6 724 369 B2 Page 2 5 870 082 5 889 507 5 889 508 6 019 534 6 040 758 6 057 540 6 135 476 6 140 998 6 239 786 6 271 834 6 353 431 6 390 423 6 400 354 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 2 1999 3 1999 3 1999 2 2000 3 2000 5 2000 10 2000 10 2000 5 2001 8 2001 3 2002 5 2002 6 2002 Selker et al Engle et al Slotta Heins Sedor et al Gordon et al Dickie et al 345 161 Burry et al May et al Poole et al Danzyger et al Pin Chien OTHER PUBLICATIONS TPE Applications for Broad Industry Needs Information sheet online Advanced Elastomer Systems L P retrieved on Oct 30 2000 Retrieved from the Internet URL www santoprene com aes applications html gt IBM ThinkPad R40 CNET Reviews 2003 retrieved May 28 2003 Retrieved from Internet lt http computers cnet com hardware 0 1027 405 20833353 1 html IBM ThinkPad R40 PC Watch Japan Jan 29 2003 re trieved 2003 05 28 Retrieved from Internet http pc watch impress co jp docs 2003 0129 ibm htm gt cited by examiner U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 1 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 r INSIDE OF COVER IS WHEN cLosep LLA U S Patent A
19. 650 In some applications it may be desirable to provide a textured surface on the cap Any suitable texture pattern may be provided Raised nubs and raised ridges are among the patterns which may be suitable Referring now to FIGS 20 and 20a an alternative embodiment of an upper portion 804 of the cushion of this invention indicated generally at 800 is shown FIG 20a is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the upper portion 804 illustrated in FIG 20 The upper portion 804 of the cushion 800 has a top surface containing one or more nubs 830 The nubs 830 may be of any suitable height However in one preferred embodiment the nub height is 0 5 millimeters to 1 0 millimeter As illustrated the nubs 830 are hexagonal in shape but it is to be understood that the nubs may be any shape and may be spaced in any configuration Without excluding circular nubs from the scope of the invention it is believed that having side walls of the nubs 830 extend at right angles from the upper surface of the upper portion 804 as shown in FIG 20 will provide a more non slip surface while the relatively soft material of the upper portion 804 will help keep the cushion 800 from irritating the finger of a user The nubs 830 are spaced from about 0 5 millimeters to about 1 0 millimeters on center and the nubs are about 0 5 millimeters to about 0 10 millimeters in width Spacing the nubs 830 apart creates an open pattern texture It is believed that the open pat
20. United States Patent US006724369B2 12 10 Patent No US 6 724 369 B2 Slotta 45 Date of Patent Apr 20 2004 54 TEXTURED CUSHION FOR KEYBOARD 5 488 206 A 1 1996 Wu 200 6 CURSOR CONTROL STICK 5 504 502 4 1996 Arita et al 5 568 987 10 1996 Franz 75 Inventor Mark R Slotta Highland MI US 5 570 112 A 10 1996 Robinson 5 670 988 A 9 1997 Tickle 5 5 691 747 11 1997 Amano 345 167 73 Assignee GIV LLC Highland MI US 5 694 123 A 12 1997 Selker et al ER 5 701 142 12 1997 B t al Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 5 705 778 A 1 1998 Matsui m i EINAN 200 11 R patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5 708 562 1 1998 Agata et al U S C 154 b by 0 days 5 712 660 A 1 1998 Martin 5 754 166 A 5 1998 Baba 42422222422 345 157 This patent is subject to a terminal dis 5 798 754 8 1998 Selker et al 345 161 claimer List continued on next page 21 Appl No 10 194 715 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 22 Filed Jul 12 2002 IBM ThinkPad 750 and 750C User s Manual pp 4 27 through 4 29 dated prior to invention 65 Prior Publication Data Santoprene Thermoplastic Rubber Datasheet online 2 Advanced Elastomer Systems L P retrieved on Oct 30 ener 2000 Retrieved from the Internet URL www santo Related U S Application Data prene com aes santoprene html List continued t 60
21. ble depression 17 The cushion of claim 11 wherein said pocket is a two stepped recess having a first recess a second recess and a third recess 18 The cushion of claim 17 wherein said first recess has a diameter larger than the diameter of a cursor control stick 19 The cushion of claim 17 wherein the walls surround ing said first recess is used to substantially align a cursor control stick for engagement with said second recess 20 The cushion of claim 17 wherein said second recess allows said second end additional flexible depression 21 The cushion of claim 17 wherein said third recess allows said second end additional flexible depression 22 The cushion of claim 1 wherein a portion of said second end is textured 23 The cushion of claim 22 wherein said texture of said second end forms an open pattern texture 24 The cushion of claim 23 wherein said second end is textured by the provision of at least one of a plurality of raised nubs and a plurality of raised ridges 25 The cushion of claim 24 wherein each of said nubs extends substantially perpendicular to said second end 26 The cushion of claim 24 wherein each of said nubs has a round cross section 27 The cushion of claim 24 wherein each of said nubs has a polygonal cross section 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 16 28 The cushion of claim 27 wherein each of said nubs has a hexagonal cross section 29 A comp
22. ck 67 The cushion of claim 66 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one nub 68 A generally mushroom shaped cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a generally cylindrical lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an enlarged upper portion 69 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a generally cylindrical lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon 70 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising an upper portion and lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick said cushion having an open pattern texture formed thereon 71 The cushion of claim 70 wherein said open pattern texture is formed on at least a portion of said upper portion 72 cushion of claim 70 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one nub 73 The cushion of claim 70 wherein said cushion has at least one ridge formed thereon 74 The cushion of claim 70 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one ridge and at least one nub 75 cushion of claim 70 wherein said open pattern texture is formed on a generally convex surface
23. ck 10 The convex end 22 will generally be a surface providing a good frictional interface In the preferred embodiment the convex end 22 is a sealed smooth easily cleaned surface such as a closed cell skin formed on polyurethane foam The resiliency of the cushion 20 permits the cushion 20 to be deformed and still provide excellent friction even when the surface thereof is smooth However if desired the surface of the convex end 22 may be textured or knurled The second end 24 of the cushion 20 will be attached to the outer surface 19 of the cap 18 on the control stick 10 In the preferred embodiment a suitable adhesive is used to attach the cushion 20 to the outer surface 19 of the cap 18 FIG 5 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the cushion of this invention indicated generally at 30 The cushion 30 is generally cylindrical and includes a convex end 32 and a relatively flat end 33 opposite the end 32 Although in the illustrated embodiment the end 32 is US 6 724 369 B2 5 convex the end 32 may be formed to any suitable shape such as a flat or a concave surface as may the end 22 of the cushion 20 A recess 34 is defined in the cushion 30 which generally conforms to the outer surface of the end 21 of the control stick 10 For example as shown in FIG 6 the recess 34 may have a square perimeter if the end 21 of the control stick 10 18 square in cross section The control stick 10 extends into the recess 34 Pref
24. d second material is elastic 7 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said second end is flat and has a uniform thickness of the center portion of said second end 8 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said second end has a depression therein that is suitable to receive a fingertip of a user 9 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said second end decreases in thickness from the circumferential periphery of said second end to the center of said second end 10 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said second end decreases in thickness from the center of said second end to the circumferential periphery of said second end 11 The cushion of claim 1 wherein said first end of said cushion defines a pocket in said first end of said cushion said pocket being sized to accommodate at least a portion of computer cursor control stick therein 12 The cushion of claim 11 wherein said pocket is a stepped recess having a first recess and a second recess 13 The cushion of claim 12 wherein said first recess has a diameter larger than the diameter of a cursor control stick 14 The cushion of claim 12 wherein said second recess has a diameter smaller than the diameter of a cursor control stick 15 The cushion of claim 12 wherein the walls surround ing said first recess are used to substantially align a cursor control stick for engagement with said second recess 16 The cushion of claim 12 wherein said second recess allows said second end additional flexi
25. d upper portion including an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface having texture formed thereon said upper surface being con cave 94 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface having texture formed thereon said upper surface being flat 5 10 15 20 25 22 95 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface having a plurality of nubs formed thereon 96 The cushion of claim 95 wherein said upper surface is generally convex 97 cushion of claim 95 wherein said upper surface is generally concave 98 The cushion of claim 95 wherein said upper surface is generally flat 99 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface having at least one ridge formed thereon 100 The
26. e open pattern of the spaced apart nubs 830 will make the cushion 800 relatively easy to keep clean and allows the user to maintain accuracy with the cursor control stick Another alternate embodiment of an upper portion 804 of the cushion of this invention indicated generally at 800 is 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 14 shown in FIGS 22 and 23 In this embodiment the texture is provided in the form of concentric rings 830 each preferably having a rectangular cross section Additionally the upper portion 804 increases in thick ness from the center of the upper portion 804 of the cushion 800 toward the circumferential periphery of the upper portion 804 of the cushion 800 as shown The resulting upper portion of the cushion 800 is concave in shape as is shown in FIG 23 This concave shape may be considered another form of texture and as illustrated may be used in conjunction with other forms of texture such as the con centric rings 830 as shown in FIGS 22 23 or the nubs 830 as shown FIGS 21 214 or the nubs 830 as shown in FIGS 20 20a Of course concentric rings could be added to a flat or convex upper portion In summary various aspects of this invention include A control stick with a contact surface which is relatively soft and nonirritating to the body tissue of a user A cushion for a control stick the cushion being softer than the control stick A cush
27. erably to install the cushion 30 onto the control stick 10 a suitable adhesive is applied to the upper end 21 of the control stick to the interior surface of the recess 34 in the cushion 30 or to both the upper end 21 of the control stick and to the interior surface of the recess 34 in the cushion 30 The cushion 30 is placed on the end 21 of the control stick 10 so that the cushion 30 adheres to the end 21 of the control stick 10 Of course the cushion 30 could also be affixed to the control stick 10 by a resilient fit between the recess 34 of the cushion 30 and the end 21 of the control stick 10 The cushion 30 is comprised of a soft material to permit use for an extended period of time without causing irritation to the finger tissue It may be desirable to manufacture the cushion 30 with portions having different levels of hardness For example the convex end 32 could be softer than the area of the cushion 30 surrounding the recess 34 The harder area surrounding the recess 34 would assist in retaining the cushion 30 on the control stick 10 by maintaining its form while the convex end 32 of the cushion could be relatively soft One method of manufacturing the cushion 30 with por tions having different levels of hardness would involve simultaneously injecting two separate types of material simultaneously into a cavity of single mold to form the cushion 30 For example a first material having relatively soft properties would be injected
28. esent invention can be used in various devices such as computers cellular phones MP3 players and personal digital assistants The control stick 10 is mounted in a keyboard 12 of a typical notebook style microcomputer 14 having a pivotally mounted display screen 15 The control stick 10 is mounted at a first end not shown to the microcomputer 14 between the keys of the keyboard 12 A cap 18 is removably mounted on the other end 21 of the control stick 10 The control stick 10 is usually made of a plastic material and translates the pressure on the cap 18 into a command to move a cursor on video display of the computer 14 The cap 18 of the control stick 10 is made of a relatively hard elastomeric material At least a central portion of the outer surface 17 of the cap 18 is provided with an attached cushion 20 The cushion 20 can be made of any resilient material that can be attached to the outer surface 19 of the cap 18 Examples which may be suitable materials include soft rubber soft foam and polyurethane foam The preferred material for the cushion 20 is polyurethane foam such as the type used in expandable earplugs This type of foam product provides a finger contact surface that is relatively soft so as not to damage the tissues in the finger of a user during periods of extended use Hardness can be characterized by measuring the force applied to a given area which is required to compress or deflect a material a given distance
29. iew of the cap and the control stick illustrated in FIGS 1 and 2 FIG 4 is a side view of the cushioned cap illustrated 1n FIGS 1 through 3 FIG 5 is a sectional side view of a second embodiment of cushioned cap in accordance with this disclosure FIG 6 is a bottom plan view of the cap illustrated in FIG 5 FIG 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufac turing a control stick in accordance with this disclosure FIG 8 is perspective view of a gel cushion for a keyboard cursor control stick FIG 9 is a side sectional view of the gel cushion of FIG 8 FIG 10 is a view similar to FIG 9 except showing an alternate embodiment of the gel cushion FIG 11 is a view similar to FIG 9 except showing an alternate embodiment of the gel cushion FIG 12 is a bottom plan view of the gel cushion illus trated in FIG 11 FIG 13 is a view similar to FIG 11 except showing an alternate embodiment of the gel cushion FIG 14 is a bottom plan view of the gel cushion illus trated in FIG 13 FIG 15 is a view similar to FIG 11 except showing an alternate embodiment of the gel cushion and with stick guide US 6 724 369 B2 3 FIG 16 is a bottom plan view of the gel cushion illus trated in FIG 15 FIG 17 is a view similar to FIG 13 except showing an alternate embodiment of the gel cushion and with stick guide FIG 18 is a bottom plan view of the gel cushion illus trated in FIG 17 FIG 19 is a view simi
30. ild up of natural body oils Thus a user has to press their finger with relatively great force against the cap to prevent their finger from slipping on the surface of the cap The need to press hard on the cap makes control difficult since the user cannot use the finesse and delicate movements typically needed for rapid accurate cursor movement Also pressing hard on the control stick is physically tiring to the finger hand and forearm muscles of user and causes irritation inflammation and bruising of the finger tissue after a period of extended use A period of extended use as used in this application means a period of use of more than about one hour and generally more than four hours and less than twelve hours During such period of use the user frequently manipulates the control stick The frequency of manipulation of the 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 50 55 60 65 2 control stick during a representative task such as word processing will typically be at least every ten minutes on average and may be much more frequently depending on the particular task and the particular user Another type of a cap for a control stick has a hard textured outer surface For example one known control stick is equipped with a cap which is stippled with bumps which are about the same size and spacing as the abrasive on 150 grit sandpaper While this approach may help prevent the slipping common with the earliest model cap
31. indicated generally at 400 is formed of a gel material As used herein the term gel means a semi rigid solid and includes a colloidal suspension of a solid dis persed in a liquid and materials with similar characteristics as load bearing surfaces e g stiffness hardness malleability etc cushion 400 preferably has a generally cylindrical lower portion 402 and a generally conic upper portion 404 which increases in diameter toward an upper surface 406 of the cushion 400 Thus at least a portion of the upper portion 404 is generally frustoconical The upper surface 406 is preferably formed with a depression 408 therein that is suitable to receive a fingertip of a user Like the cushions described in the other embodiments above the cushion 400 will deform if pressed against the computer display screen It is contemplated that the cushion 400 may be manufactured to have a suitable relatively rigid pocket seen in FIGS 9 and 10 to accept the upper end of a control stick of a computer such as the control stick 10 It is also contemplated that the cushion 400 could otherwise be fixed to a control stick cap like the cap 18 in FIG 2 such as by adhesively fixing the cushion 400 to the cap It is also US 6 724 369 B2 7 contemplated that the cushion 400 may be manufactured to form an integral part of a removable control stick or portion of a control stick not shown FIG 9 is a cross sectional view of the cushion 400 The
32. ion 600 may be manufactured to form an integral part of a removable control stick or portion of a control stick not shown cushion 600 may be formed by any suitable process on standard equipment Thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds for example can be injection molded extruded blow molded and thermo formed with the efficiency and economy associated with thermoplastic materials In a preferred process the cushion 600 is formed in a two step injection molding process as was described above with respect to the cushion 400 and FIG 23 An alternate embodiment of the cushion 600 is illustrated at 600 in FIGS 17 and 18 The cushion 600 is similar in outer shape to the cushion 600 illustrated in FIG 15 and has similar qualities of deformation for comfort and protection of computer video screens and smoothness and tack for ergonomic reasons and may be constructed of similar mate rial as the cushion 600 However the cushion 600 is con structed somewhat differently as will be described Like the cushion 600 the cushion 600 preferably has a generally cylindrical lower portion 602 and a generally cup shaped upper portion 604 The upper portion 604 may have a structure and composition identical to the upper portion 604 described above However the upper portion 604 may include a flange portion 611 The flange portion 611 extends radially outwardly from the upper portion 604 The lower p
33. ion for a control stick the cushion being formed of a gel material softer than the control stick A control stick cushion which can contact a display screen of a computer display deform elastically and not damage the display screen A cushion for a control stick joystick or similar device which is soft and non irritating to the body tissue of a user during extended periods of normal use A control stick cushion formed of two or more materials having different hardnesses A control stick cushion formed from a two step injection process A control stick cushion formed from a two step injection process with an upper surface with a texture created by a mold with an abraded surface A control stick cushion having an upper portion of a relatively soft material preferably having a Shore A durom eter of about 3 to about 10 the upper surface of the upper portion may be provided with a surface texture A control stick cushion having an upper portion and a lower portion the lower portion of a material relatively harder than the material of the upper portion preferably having a Shore A durometer of about 55 to about 65 A control stick cushion having a concave upper surface A control stick cushion surface texture the pattern of which is an open pattern A control stick cushion surface texture the pattern of which is shaped as spaced hexagonal nubs A control stick cushion surface texture the pattern of which is shaped as concentric
34. lar to FIG 16 with the gel cushion deformed under the pressure of a user s finger FIG 20 is a cross sectional view of the cushioned cap illustrated in FIG 18 FIG 20a is an enlarged top view of a third embodiment of the cushioned cap with textured surface illustrated in FIG 20 taken along the line 20a 20a FIG 21 is a cross sectional view of the cushioned cap illustrated in FIG 18 FIG 21a is an enlarged top view of a fourth embodiment of the cushioned cap with textured surface illustrated in FIG 21 taken along the line 21a 21a FIG 22 is similar to FIG 18 except showing an alternate embodiment of the textured surface FIG 23 is a cross sectional view of the cushioned cap illustrated in FIG 22 FIG 24 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufac turing a gel cushion in accordance with this disclosure DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings FIGS 1 through 6 illus trate a first embodiment of a control stick indicated gener ally at 10 according to this invention The illustrated control stick 10 is a miniature joy stick such as the Trackpoint Trackpoint II or Trackpoint III control sticks on notebook computers sold by the International Business Machines Corporation However it will be appreciated in light of the following disclosure that the invention may be practiced on control devices other than such miniature joysticks The cursor control stick of the pr
35. n pattern texture formed thereon at least a portion of said upper portion defining a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter 83 The cushion of claim 82 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one nub 84 The cushion of claim 82 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one ridge 85 cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and defining a first diameter and an upper portion having an upper surface at least a portion of said upper portion having an open pattern texture formed thereon an upper surface defining a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter 86 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion having an upper surface said upper surface being generally concave 87 The cushion of claim 86 wherein at least a portion of said upper portion is frustoconical 88 The cushion of claim 86 wherein said lower portion defines a first diameter at least portion of said upper portion defines a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter 89 The cushion of claim 86 wherein said lower portion defines a first diameter said upper surface defines a second diameter
36. ny suitable material It is believed that thermo plastic rubber compounds may be particularly suitable for this application The lower portion 402 is preferably cured to be relatively harder than the upper portion 404 such as to a Shore A durometer of about 55 to about 65 These thermoplastic elastomeric and rubber materials are believed to be particularly suitable because of the tack their surfaces have which gives the cushion 400 a smooth non irritating yet non slip surface for improved perfor mance The cushion 400 may be formed with any suitable machinery of any suitable material by any suitable process Thermoplastic rubber compounds for example can be injection molded extruded blow molded and thermoformed with the efficiency and economy associated with thermo plastic materials As a further example the cushion 400 may be formed of thermoplastic rubber compounds using a two step injection process on standard thermoplastic injec tion molding equipment In a preferred process illustrated in FIG 23 the cushion 400 is formed in a two step injection molding process In a first step 451 a first mold is provided shaped to form one of the lower portion 402 and the upper portion 404 In one preferred embodiment the first mold is shaped to form the lower portion 402 In a second step 452 a first material curing to a first durometer is injected into the first mold In the preferred embodiment in which the first mold is the lower po
37. ocess on standard thermoplastic equipment Thermoplastic rubber compounds or thermoplastic elastomeric compounds for example can be injection molded extruded blow molded and thermoformed with the efficiency and economy associ ated with such materials In a preferred process the cushion 500 is formed in a two step injection molding process such as was described above with respect to the cushion 400 and illustrated in FIG 23 An alternate embodiment of the cushion 500 is illustrated at 500 in FIGS 13 and 14 The cushion 500 is similar in outer shape to the cushion 500 illustrated in FIG 11 and has similar qualities of deformation for comfort and protection of computer video screens and smoothness and tack for ergonomic reasons and may be constructed of similar mate rial as the cushion 500 However the cushion 500 is con structed somewhat differently as will be described Like the cushion 500 the cushion 500 preferably has a generally cylindrical lower portion 502 and a generally cup shaped upper portion 504 The upper portion 504 may have a structure and composition identical to the upper portion 504 described above The upper portion 504 includes an upper surface 505a The upper surface 505a may be textured as is described in the embodiments illus trated in FIGS 20 through 23 lower portion 502 of the cushion 500 may be formed of any suitable material Like the cushion 500 the lower portion 502 is preferably
38. of the cushion 20 76 cushion of claim 70 wherein said open pattern texture is formed on a generally concave surface of the cushion 77 The cushion of claim 70 wherein said open pattern 5 texture is formed on a generally flat surface of the cushion 78 cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon at least a portion of said upper portion being generally frusto conical 79 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion 5 comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon said upper portion having an open pattern texture formed thereon 80 The cushion of claim 79 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one nub 81 The cushion of claim 79 wherein said open pattern texture includes at least one ridge 82 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and defining a first diameter and an upper portion at least a portion of said upper portion having an ope
39. on and said upper portion including a radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon wherein said upper portion including an upper surface said upper surface has a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter said upper surface being convex a portion of said upper surface including a plurality of nubs having a circular cross section 62 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising generally frustoconical upper portion a ridge extending around the periphery of said upper portion and lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick 63 The cushion of claim 62 wherein said upper portion and said lower portion are integrally formed 64 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising an upper portion a portion of said upper portion being generally frustoconical and a generally cylindrical lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick 65 The cushion of claim 64 wherein said upper portion and said lower portion are integrally formed 66 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising an upper surface at least a portion of said upper surface is textured with an open pattern texture a generally frustoconical portion and a lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control sti
40. ortion 602 of the cushion 600 may be formed of any suitable material Like the cushion 600 the lower portion 602 is preferably formed of a thermoplastic rubber compound such as SANTOPRENE thermoplastic rubber with a formulation that cures to a Shore A durometer above 55 The lower portion 602 has a lower surface 609 The lower surface 609 defines a pocket 610 in a central portion thereof The pocket 610 like the pocket 610 in the cushion 600 is shaped to receive the upper end of a cursor control Stick such as the cursor control stick 10 In the illustrated embodiment the pocket 610 has a rectangular cross section adapted to receive the cursor control stick 10 which has a rectangular cross section The pocket 610 of the cushion 600 is of somewhat different structure than that of pocket 610 of the cushion 600 being a two stepped recess A first recess 612 defined in the interior surface of the pocket 610 with slightly larger cross section than that of second first recess 613 A step 614 is thereby formed between the first recess 612 and the second recess 613 A third recess 616 with a slightly smaller cross section than that of the second recess 613 is defined in the interior end surface of the pocket 610 A step 618 is thereby formed between the second recess 612 and the third recess 616 During the installation of the cushion 600 on the cursor control stick 10 the cursor control stick 10 is fitted into the pocket 610
41. osite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said first end of said cushion defines a pocket in said first end of said cushion said pocket being sized to accom modate at least a portion of a computer cursor control stick therein 30 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said first material is selected from the group com prising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 31 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material having a first durometer and a second end formed of a second material having a second durometer said first durometer being greater than said second durometer wherein said second material is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 32 A composite cushion for a cursor control stick wherein said cushion has a first end formed of a first material
42. perated by the tip of one finger of the user Typically a control stick is mounted in a central location a computer keyboard such as between the G H and keys on a standard QWERTY type keyboard The control stick has a position sensing mechanism which detects horizontal pressure in any horizontal direction The cursor moves in a direction that corresponds to the direction of pressure exerted on the control stick and in some embodiments at a speed that corresponds to the amount of pressure exerted on the control stick The control stick includes an elongated shaft The shaft of the control stick has a small diameter thus allowing the control stick to be mounted between the keys of the computer keyboard with out causing the placement of the keys to vary greatly from that expected by an experienced user A cap is typically removably mounted on the upper end of the control stick shaft in order to provide an enlarged contact surface for a user to press against on the small diameter shaft of the control stick Heins U S Pat No 6 019 534 discloses a gripping device for a writing instrument with a plurality of annular ribs formed of soft rubber with an internal gel filled cham ber It is known to use a gel material confined in a chamber as is shown in Heins SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Some models of control sticks have a cap with a hard smooth surface which became slippery during use from perspiration or a bu
43. pr 20 2004 Sheet 2 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 21 lo a lO NR 24 LG 4 32 ef 33 34 20 FIG 5 6 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 3 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 PROVIDE A CURSOR POINTING DEVICE CONTROL STICK WITH A CAP HAVING A FIRST HARDNESS 100 PROVIDE A CUSHION HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE OF A SECOND HARDNESS LESS THAN SAID FIRST HARDNESS 200 300 AFFIX THE SOFT CUSHION TO THE CAP IG 7 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 4 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 404 402 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 5 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 6 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 ye 500 t IG 11 500 510 508 509 502 504 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 7 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 t IG 14 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 8 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 600 d y 900 613 610 604 602 614 612 F LG 6 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 9 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 600 d rt IG 18 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 10 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 11 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 a 800 a a 830 804 ero 20 g 800 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 12 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 x 900 F 1 214 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 13 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 y 9007 8307 165 22 yore 830 F 10 23 U S Patent Apr 20 2004 Sheet 14 of 14 US 6 724 369 B2 PROVIDE A FIRST MOLD
44. rical discharge machine 47 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and an upper portion said upper portion including a generally radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon 48 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick a portion of said lower portion defining a first diameter and an upper portion said upper portion including a generally radially outwardly extending flange formed thereon wherein a portion of said upper portion defines a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter 49 The cushion of claim 47 wherein the upper portion and lower portion are each formed from a first material 10 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 18 50 The cushion of claim 49 wherein the first material is selected from the group comprising at least one of silicone gels thermoplastic rubber compounds and thermoplastic elastomeric compounds 51 A cushion for a cursor control stick said cushion comprising lower portion said lower portion defining a recess for receiving at least a portion of a cursor control stick and a portion of said lower portion defining a first diameter and an upper portion said upper portion including
45. rtion 402 the first material is a thermoplastic rubber material that will have a Shore A durometer of about 55 to about 65 when fully cured In a third step 453 second mold is provided shaped to form the other of the lower portion 402 and the upper portion 404 In the preferred embodiment in which the first mold is the lower portion 402 the second mold is shaped to form the upper portion 404 In a fourth step 454 the molded first material is removed while only partially cured and placed into the second mold 10 15 20 25 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 In the preferred embodiment the first material is removed from the first mold as soon as sufficiently cured to be parted from the first mold In a fifth step 455 second material curing to a second durometer different from the first durometer is injected into the second mold in contact with the partially cured first material so that the second material bonds to portions of the partially cured first material with which the second material comes into contact In the preferred embodiment in which the first mold provided in step 451 is the lower portion 402 the second material is a thermoplastic rubber material that will have a Shore A durometer of about 3 to about 10 when fully cured and will form the upper portion 404 The upper portion 404 is thus overmolded onto the partially cured lower portion 402 with the material of the upper portion 404 chemically bonding
46. s a generally cylindrical lower portion 402 and a generally conic upper portion 404 which increases in diameter toward an upper surface 406 of the cushion 400 The upper surface 406 is preferably formed with a depression 408 therein that 1s suitable to receive a fingertip of a user lower portion 402 of the cushion 400 is formed of any suitable material and like the cushion 400 is preferably formed of a thermoplastic rubber compound such as SAN TOPRENE thermoplastic rubber The lower portion 402 defines a pocket 410 in a lower surface 412 thereof The pocket 410 like the pocket 410 in the cushion 400 is adapted to receive the upper end of a cursor control stick such as the cursor control stick 10 upper portion 404 of the cushion 400 is of somewhat different structure that the cushion 400 The outer surface of the upper portion 404 is an envelope 428 which may be formed of any suitable material It is believed that a ther moplastic rubber compound such as SANTOPRENE ther moplastic rubber would be suitable in this application and the envelope 428 is preferably formed integrally with the lower portion 402 The envelope 428 is filled with a suitable material 430 The material 430 may be any suitable gel such as a silicone gel or a thermoplastic elastomeric compound such as KRATON thermoplastic elastomer formulated to form a low durometer hardness 1 to form a very soft material US 6 724 369 B2
47. st recess 612 defined in the interior end surface of the pocket 610 with slightly larger cross section than that of the second recess 613 A step 614 is thereby formed between the first recess 612 and the second recess 613 The pocket 610 is adapted to receive the upper end of a cursor control stick 10 Preferably the second recess 613 of the pocket 610 and indeed any of the pockets described in this application as receiving a cursor control stick is sized with a cross section greater than the cross section of the cursor control stick 10 and the cross section of the first recess 612 being slightly smaller than the cross section of the cursor control stick 10 During the installation of the cushion 600 on the cursor control stick 10 the cursor control stick 10 is fitted into the pocket 610 with the upper end of the cursor control stick 10 engaging the step 614 the cushion 600 is thereby roughly aligned with the cursor control stick 10 The cushion 600 is then pushed downwardly onto the cursor control stick 10 driving the cursor control stick 10 relatively upwardly into the second recess 613 to engage the walls of the second recess 613 with a stretch fit in the same manner described above for the pocket 510 of the cushion as illustrated in FIG 11 As is indicated in the phantom view when the cursor control stick 10 is received in the pocket 610 the lower portion 602 of the cushion 600 may be slightly deformed as a result of the s
48. tern of the spaced apart nubs 830 will make the cushion 800 relatively easy to keep clean and allows the user to maintain accuracy with the cursor control stick Referring now to FIGS 21 and 21a an alternative embodiment of an upper portion 804 of the cushion of this invention indicated generally at 800 is shown FIG 21a is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the upper portion 804 illustrated in FIG 21 The upper portion 804 of the cushion 800 has a top surface containing one or more nubs 830 The nubs 830 may be of any suitable height and may be of different heights from one another However in one pre ferred embodiment the nub height is about 0 25 millimeters to about 1 0 millimeter As illustrated the nubs 830 are round in shape but it is to be understood that the nubs may be any shape and may be spaced in any configuration Without excluding rounded nubs from the scope of the invention it is believed that having side walls of the nubs 830 extend at right angles from the upper surface of the upper portion 804 as shown in FIG 21 will provide a more non slip surface while the relatively soft material of the upper portion 804 will help keep the cushion 800 from irritating the finger of a user The nubs 830 are spaced from about 0 25 millimeters to about 1 0 millimeters on center and the nubs are about 0 5 to about 1 0 millimeters in width Spacing the nubs 830 apart creates an open pattern texture It is believed that th
49. ternate embodiment it is contemplated that a cushion of the invention could be formed to completely encompass the cap 18 shown in FIGS 2 and 3 except where the shaft of the control stick 10 extends outwardly there from Such a cushion would have a cavity therein which includes a flange of material about an opening into the 10 15 20 25 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 cavity Such a flange of material would restrict the size of the opening into the cavity to a diameter which is less than the diameter of the cap 18 and thus retain the cushion on the cap 18 either alone or in combination with a suitable adhesive The opening into such a cushion could be resiliently expanded to slip the cushion onto the cap 18 during assembly or when the cushion is replaced Although the preferred embodiment of the cushion 20 or 30 is for use on a portable notebook computer 14 it is envisioned that the cushion 20 or 30 could be used on any keyboard or in any convenient location on any instrument requiring a control stick like movement Itis contemplated that the cushions 20 or 30 of the present invention can be sold separately from a notebook type portable computer as replacements or substitutes to the original control stick and cap configuration The cushions 20 or 30 can be sold in a kit form which preferably includes the necessary materials to affix the cushions 20 or 30 to a control stick of a computer The kit may include a pl
50. tretching as shown The lower portion 602 is preferably formed of a material with a higher durometer than the upper portion 604 but the lower portion 602 may nevertheless be formed of any suitable material such as the material described as suitable for the lower portion 402 illustrated in FIGS 8 and 9 Like the cushions described in the other embodiments in this application the cushion 600 will deform if pressed against the display screen As discussed above it is con templated that the cushion 600 may be manufactured to have a suitable relatively rigid pocket 610 shown in FIGS 15 and 16 to accept the upper end of the control stick 10 It is also contemplated that the cushion 600 could otherwise be fixed to a control stick cap like the control stick cap 18 illustrated in FIG 2 such as by adhesively fixing the cushion 600 with an appropriately shaped pocket 610 to such a control stick cap It is also contemplated that the cushion 600 could be fixed to such a control stick cap by having a pocket 610 which is sufficiently deep to completely contain such a cap therein The lower portion 602 of such a cushion 600 could have an inwardly extending flexible flange not shown which would resiliently extend under a portion of the cap after the cap is inserted into the pocket 610 to retain the 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 control stick cap in the pocket 610 It is also contemplated that the cush
51. uitable material such as the material described as suitable for the lower portion 402 of the cushion 400 illustrated in FIGS 8 and 9 Like the cushions described in the other embodiments in this application the cushion 500 will deform if pressed against the display screen It is contemplated that the cush ion 500 may be manufactured to have a suitable relatively rigid pocket 510 shown in FIGS 11 and 12 to accept the upper end of a control stick of a computer such as the control stick 10 It is also contemplated that the cushion 500 could otherwise be fixed to a control stick cap like the cap 18 in FIG 2 such as by adhesively fixing the cushion 500 with an appropriately shaped pocket 510 to such a control Stick cap It is also contemplated that the cushion 500 could be fixed to such a control stick cap by having a pocket 510 which is sufficiently deep to completely contain such a cap 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 therein In this embodiment an inwardly extending flexible flange not shown of the lower portion 502 of the cushion 500 will resiliently extend under a portion of the cap after the cap is inserted into the pocket 510 to retain the control stick cap in the pocket 510 It is also contemplated that the cushion 500 may be manufactured to form an integral part of a removable control stick or portion of a control stick not shown cushion 500 may be formed by any suitable pr
52. upper portion 404 of the cushion 400 is made from a different material than the lower portion 402 The upper portion 404 may be made from any suitable material It is believed that thermoplastic elastomeric compounds such as KRATON thermoplastic elastomers available from the Royal Dutch Shell Group or thermoplastic rubber com pounds such as SANTOPRENE available from Advanced Elastomer Systems L P 388 South Main Street Akron Ohio U S A 44311 may be particularly suitable for this application The material from which the upper portion 404 is formed is selected to have a relatively low hardness so that the upper portion 404 is relatively soft and compliant upper portion 404 in a preferred embodiment is cured to a Shore A durometer of about 3 to about 10 though of course some variance from this softness may be desirable in certain applications particularly if other features such as air pockets in the material of the cushion 400 are provided that affect the overall feel of the cushion 400 The material of the upper portion 404 may be a gel or a gel contained in a non gel pocket The lower portion 402 defines a pocket 410 in a lower surface 412 thereof The pocket 410 is adapted to receive the upper end of a cursor control stick such as the cursor control stick 10 The lower portion 402 is preferably formed of a material with a higher durometer than the upper portion 404 The lower portion 402 may nevertheless be formed of a
53. urality of cushions 20 or 30 and a suitable adhesive material such as container of contact cement or a pressure sensitive self adhesive strip which is pre applied to the cushions 20 or 30 For example if contact cement is supplied with the kit the user simply applies a coating of contact cement to either the originally supplied cap 18 or the end 21 of the control stick 10 depending on the type of cushion 20 or 30 used A coating of contact cement is also applied to the cushion 20 or 30 The coatings of contact cement are then allowed to dry The cushion 20 or 30 is then pressed against the coated portion of the original cap 18 or control stick 10 thereby affixing the cushion 20 or 30 to the control stick 10 FIG 7 is a flow diagram of a method of forming a cushioned control stick according to the invention The method of forming a cushioned control stick may be sum marized as follows In a first step 100 a cursor pointing device control stick with a cap having a first hardness is provided In a second step 200 a soft cushion is provided which has an outer surface of a second hardness which is less than the first hardness of the cap i e the cushion is softer than the cap In a third step 300 the soft cushion is affixed to the relatively harder cap It will be appreciated that the soft cushions described above may be formed in a variety of ways of a variety of materials For instance in an embodiment shown in FIG 8 a cushion
54. with the material of the lower portion 402 In a sixth step 456 both the first and second materials are removed from the second mold One or both of the first and second materials may be fully cured before the bonded first and second materials removed from second mold Similarly one or both of the first and second materials may only be partially cured before the bonded first and second materials are removed from second mold In a preferred embodiment the mold for the upper portion 404 has an abraded inner surface such that the upper surface 406 of the upper portion 404 is textured corresponding to the abraded surface of the mold The inner surface of the mold may be abraded in any conventional manner such as by sand blasting or by electrical discharge machine In a preferred embodiment the mold for the upper portion 404 has an inner surface with a textured pattern such that the upper surface 406 of the upper portion 404 is textured corresponding to the textured surface of the mold An alternate embodiment of the cushion 400 is illustrated by the cross sectional view of FIG 10 A cushion 400 is similar in outer shape to the cushion 400 illustrated in FIG 8 and has similar qualities of deformation for comfort and protection of computer display screens and smoothness and tack for ergonomic reasons However the cushion 400 is constructed somewhat differently as will be described Like the cushion 400 the cushion 400 preferably ha
55. y cup shaped upper portion 604 The upper portion 604 overlays and is bonded to a portion of the lower portion 602 that is disposed within the cup shaped upper portion 604 upper portion 604 includes a central portion 605 that is preferably flat in shape The upper portion 604 also US 6 724 369 B2 11 includes depending skirt portion 606 formed at the cir cumferential periphery of the central portion 605 The upper portion 604 may be made from any suitable material such as a foam or a gel or a thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic elastomeric compound The material from which the upper portion 604 is formed is selected to have a relatively low hardness so that the upper portion 604 is relatively soft and compliant The upper portion 604 is preferably formed from a material like the suitable material described for the upper portion 404 of the cushion 400 illustrated in FIGS 8 and 9 As shown in FIGS 15 and 16 the lower portion 602 is generally cylindrical and partially disposed within the depending skirt 606 of the upper portion 604 The lower portion 602 preferably includes a relatively thick flange 608 that extends radially outwardly from a lower most part of the lower portion 602 The depending skirt 606 abuts the flange 608 and is preferably bonded thereto The lower portion 602 has a lower surface 609 The lower surface 609 defines a pocket 610 in a central portion thereof The pocket 610 is a stepped recess having a fir
56. yielding to a degree dependent upon the thickness of the cushion 20 The thickness of the cushion 20 can easily be modified during manufacture to any desired thickness Referring to FIG 2 when the display screen 15 is folded down over the keyboard 12 for storage as is typical for most notebook computers the display screen 15 may contact the cushion 20 The cushion 20 is flattened as indicated by the phantom line 19 but will resiliently return to the position indicated by the solid outline of the cushion 20 The resil iency of the cushion 20 allows the cap 18 to have an enlarged contact surface area and greater height above the keyboard 12 for increased comfort of the user without having to increase the spacing between the display screen 15 and the keyboard 12 It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the cushion 20 will preferably not be made from a material which would damage or stick to the display screen 15 if the display screen 15 contacts the cushion 20 Referring to FIGS 3 and 4 the cushion 20 is preferably a disk of material having a generally semi circular cross section However the cushion 20 may have any suitable shape such as that of a flat ended or hollow ended cylinder In the illustrated embodiment the cushion 20 has a convex end 22 and a second end 24 The convex end 22 is the contact surface of the cushion 20 that is the surface that the user of the control stick 10 will contact to move the control sti
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