Input device including a scroll wheel assembly for manipulating an
Contents
1. http www macworld com 2000 10 reviews turboring html publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page from Van s Hardware http www vanshardware com reviews 2001 october 011002 TurboRing 011002_TurboRing htm published Oct 2 2001 Web page reviewing TurboRing http www keyalt com pointdevices turboring htm publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for Micro TRAC gt http fvww microspeed com products pd600s html publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for Kid TRAC model PD 2808 http Avww microspeed com products kidtrac html publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for Kid TRAC User s Manual http www microspeed com pages supports manuals kidtracm html publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for Ateck A4 RFW 33 Radio Wireless PS 2 Mouse http www shop store yahoo com 4itech a4rfradwirps html publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for Sakar Yahoo 4D Internet Scroll Mouse and Sakar Optical Mouse w Email alert Metallic Silver USB http vww slarp com products Input Devices Mice and _ Trackballs publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for ICONCEPTS 70152 http Awww panwebi com products computer mouse2. C oz e U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 9 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 124 Q 122 a S A S A N 175 NS FIG 9A U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 10 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 122 FIG 9B ma FIG 9C FIG 9D US 7 042 441 B2 1 INPUT DEVICE INCLUDING A SCROLL WHEEL ASSEMBLY FOR MANIPULATING AN IMAGE IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an input device including an assembly for moving an image in multiple directions on a display screen More particularly the present invention relates to a scroll wheel assembly that when part of a peripheral or integral input device that is operatively con nected to a host computer can move an image in multiple axes relative to the display screen BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The viewable contents of a computer file such as a text document spreadsheet digital photograph Web page or other image rendered on a conventional display screen may possess a size exceeding the viewable boundaries of the display screen To address this issue an individual may utilize a scrolling method to scroll the image relative to the display screen Scrolling as used herein and as is known in the art describes the movement of an image relative to a display screen in a particular direction For example scroll ing down generally describes moving the viewable contents of a file such as a text document or image relative to a displ
3. cate by wireless connection and or be battery powered FIG 2 is an enlarged perspective view of scroll wheel assembly 20 enclosed by the dashed circle in FIG 1 but separated from the housing and other components of mouse 10 The illustrated embodiment includes a main body 26 An encoder shaft 28 is rotatably held by main body 26 in hole 30 One end of encoder shaft 28 is in contact with a side portion of the scroll wheel 22 Attached to encoder shaft 28 on the opposite side of main body 26 is encoder wheel 32 When the scroll wheel 22 rotates with respect to main body 26 friction between encoder shaft 28 and the side of scroll 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 wheel 22 causes encoder shaft 28 to rotate Encoder shaft 28 thereby rotates encoder wheel 32 which lies between ele ments of encoder 34 As scroll wheel 22 rotates the rota tional motion is thus sensed by encoder 34 and the image 1 is scrolled in either a positive or a negative vertical direction that extends parallel to the Y axis on display 2 As known in the art encoder 34 can include a light source 36 and a light detector shown as item 38 in FIG 3 Blades on encoder wheel 32 periodically obstruct the light beam when encoder wheel 32 rotates The light detector senses these obstructions and is coupled to a controller not shown to generate and relay a signal to the host computer 5 to scroll the image up or down in the Y direction Further detai
4. least two actuated conditions and tilting the actuator away from the longitudinal axis in a fourth direction places the actuator in a fourth of the at least two actuated conditions 10 The device of claim 8 wherein the actuator is biased against movement away from the longitudinal axis 11 The device of claim 8 wherein at least one of the distinguishable signals corresponds to at least one of pan 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 10 ning zooming in or out adjusting focus adjusting bright ness and adjusting sound volume 12 The device of claim 8 wherein the actuator is placed in the first actuated condition by imposition of a first force in a first direction the actuator is placed in the second actuated condition by imposition of a second force in a second direction the actuator is placed in a modified first actuated condition by imposition of a third force in the first direction the actuator is placed in a modified second actuated condition by imposition of a fourth force in the second direction distinguishable signals are generated when the first force is imposed on the actuator in the first direction and when the third force is imposed on the actuator in the first direction and distinguishable signals are generated when the second force is imposed on the actuator in the second direction and when the fourth force is imposed on the actuator in the second direction 13 The device of claim 8 wherein the actuator
5. such as for accommodation of left handed users Various functions described for button and wheel movements can be rear ranged or otherwise altered in manners in addition to those already suggested Additional buttons could be located just outside the perimeter of or otherwise in close proximity to the scroll wheel These and other modifications are within the scope of the invention which is only limited by the attached claims The invention claimed is 1 Adevice for manipulating an image on a display device screen comprising an input device in communication with the display device screen the input device including a housing having an opening defined therein an actuator positioned within the input device and at least partially protruding through the opening the actuator having at least two actuated conditions in which dis tinguishable signals are generated US 7 042 441 B2 9 a rotational member surrounding the actuator and at least partially protruding through the opening the rotational member being rotatable with respect to the housing and continuously rotatable through multiple complete revo lutions an encoder for encoding amounts by which the rotational member is rotated wherein the actuator has a limited range of motion the actuator is engageable independent of the rotational member and a cylindrical portion wherein the rotational member rotates about the cylindrical portion and the actuator is positioned
6. 70152 htm publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Web page for Yahoo 8D Internet Mouse http www panwebi com products computer mouse 8dinternetmouse htm publication date unknown but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 Photo A photograph of scroll wheel from LOGITECH cordless optical mouse P N 851497 0000 date of first availability and or disclosure prior to or believed to be prior to application filing date Photo B photograph of scroll wheel from LOGITECH cordless optical mouse P N 851497 0000 date of first availability and or disclosure prior to or believed to be prior to application filing date Photo C photograph of scroll wheel from mouse manufactured by A4tech Co Ltd Taipei Taiwan date of first availability and or disclosure prior to or believed to be prior to application filing date Photo D second photograph of scroll wheel from mouse manufactured by A4tech Co Ltd Taipei Taiwan date of first availability and or disclosure prior to or believed to be prior to application filing date Photo E photograph of scroll wheel from mouse manufactured by KYE Systems Taipei Taiwan date of first availability and or disclosure prior to or believed to be prior to application filing date Photo F photograph of scroll wheel frm RAZER Boomslang mouse available from Kama LLC Taiwan date of first availability and or disclosure p
7. is placed in the first actuated condition by moving the actuator a first distance in a first direction the actuator is placed in the second actuated condition by moving the actuator a second distance in a second direction the actuator is placed in a modified first actuated condition by moving the actuator a third distance in the first direction the actuator is placed in a modified second actuated condition by moving the actuator a fourth distance in the second direction distinguishable signals are generated when the actuator is moved the first distance in the first direction and when the actuator is moved the third distance in the first direction and distinguishable signals are generated when the actuator is moved the second distance in the second direction and when the actuator is moved the fourth distance in the second direction 14 The device of claim 1 further comprising an encoder shaft rotating in response to rotation of the rotational member and an encoder wheel attached to the encoder shaft and rotatable within the encoder 15 The device of claim 1 wherein rotation of the rota tional member corresponds to increasing or decreasing sound volume
8. that does not require any appreciable movement of a switch element For example separate piezoelectric elements could be located at various positions around the central axis Z within switch 42 Exerting force upon switch element 44 in a particular direction would exert pressure on one or more corresponding piezoelectric components and a signal gen erated that corresponds to the force in that direction Other types of switches or combinations of switches could also be used In the example of FIGS 1 7 mouse 10 could be config ured such that tilting element 44 in the direction of arrow U FIG 3 could cause an image on display 2 to move scroll to the right along the X axis If element 44 were instead tilted in the direction of arrow D the image could instead scroll to the left along the X axis Mouse 10 could be further configured so that tilting in the F or B directions scrolls an image up or down this may occur at a different rate than a user might normally scroll by turning scroll wheel 22 Mouse 10 could even be configured so that tilting element 44 in the directions of arrows F or B duplicates the effect of tilting in the U or D directions e g tilting in the F direction moves the image to the right and tilting in the B direction moves the image to the left or vice versa In this manner a computer input device having scroll wheel assem bly 20 could accommodate different users some of whom may find it eas
9. US007042441B2 az United States Patent ao Patent No US 7 042 441 B2 Adams et al 45 Date of Patent May 9 2006 54 INPUT DEVICE INCLUDING A SCROLL 5 477 508 A 12 1995 Will WHEEL ASSEMBLY FOR MANIPULATING 5 510 811 A 4 1996 Tobey et al AN IMAGE IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS 5 517 257 A 5 1996 Dunn et al 5 521 617 A 5 1996 Imai etal 345 167 75 Inventors Aditha M Adams Seattle WA US 5 530 455 A 6 1996 Gillick 7 5 771 038 A 6 1998 Wang Steven N Bathiche Redmond WA 5 774075 A 6 1998 P ETA alalau et al 341 35 US Steven W Fisher Edmonds WA 5 808 568 A 9 1998 Su US Gino Garcia Edmonds WA 59 10 789 A 6 1999 Kim US Daan Lindhout Seattle WA 5 912 661 A 6 1999 Siddiqui US Timothy Michael Muss Seattle 5 952 997 A 9 1999 Hu WA US Mark Newton Bellevue WA 5 956 018 A 9 1999 Pejic et al w 345 157 US 5 959 614 A 9 1999 Ho wieeececeeceeeeeeeeeeee 345 167 73 Assignee Microsoft Corporation Redmond WA Continued US FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this EP 1258019 B9 11 2002 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 396 days Continued 21 Appl No 10 183 993 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Web page reviewing Kensington TurboRing Trackball 22 Filed Jun 28 2002 http www avault com hardware print__ 65 Por ication Dat review asp review turboring publication date unknown KIOr S UDICAON Tasa
10. art of main body 26 Alternatively scroll wheel assembly 20 could be mounted to the inside surface of the device housing as shown in FIG 7 via an attached or integral bracket 90 The scroll wheel 22 and button 24 can then be accessed through an opening in the housing 11 of mouse 10 Other mounting arrangements are within the scope of the invention and readily apparent to persons skilled in the art once such persons are provided with the disclosures herein FIGS 1 6 and 7 further illustrate an additional aspect of the invention Specifically the scroll wheel assembly is located on a side of mouse 10 and in a position where scroll wheel 22 can easily be gripped by the thumb and index finger of a user when the palm of the user s hand contacts the upper surface of the mouse 10 Although only intended as one example the irregularly shaped dashed area 9 in FIG 1 represents a typical area where a user s palm might contact the mouse 10 when holding the mouse for movement across a work surface Actual placement might vary by user As is apparent however this placement allows a user to conve niently scroll a display in multiple directions when the user is simultaneously holding the mouse 10 in a manner to move the mouse across a work surface As seen in FIG 6 scroll wheel assembly 20 may also be positioned in a transition area lying between a generally steep sloped side region 95 and a generally shallow sloped top region 97 In this man ne
11. at least partially inside the cylindrical por tion 2 The device of claim 1 wherein the input device is a computer mouse 3 The device of claim 1 wherein the input is a keyboard 4 The device of claim 1 wherein the actuator is an electrical switch having at least two positions corresponding to the at least two actuated conditions 5 The device of claim 1 wherein the actuator includes potentiometers located at various positions such that move ments in different directions away from a longitudinal switch axis causes resistance changes in different circuits 6 The device of claim 1 wherein the actuator includes piezoelectric elements and is engageable without appre ciable movement 7 The device of claim 1 wherein the actuator has a longitudinal axis and movement of the actuator parallel to the longitudinal axis places the actuator in a third actuated condition in which a distinguishable signal is generated 8 The device of claim 1 wherein the actuator has a longitudinal axis tilting the actuator away from the longitudinal axis in a first direction places the actuator in a first of the at least two actuated conditions and tilting the actuator away from the longitudinal axis in a second direction places the actuator in a second of the at least two actuated conditions 9 The device of claim 8 wherein tilting the actuator away from the longitudinal axis in a third direction places the actuator in a third of the at
12. ay screen so as to produce an effect of moving down in the document or image Similarly the terms scroll up scroll left and scroll right relate to moving the viewable contents of a file relative to a screen so as to produce an effect of moving a document or image up left and right respectively The term scrolling as used herein also includes panning which is the automatic and or continuous scrolling of an image often in response to a single command or input Scroll wheels have been provided on computer mice and have been used by computer operators to move an image on a display screen A scroll wheel assembly typically includes a rotatable scroll wheel and a sensor to measure and encode rotation Typically the scroll wheel is located within a housing of a mouse or other peripheral computer device A portion of the scroll wheel protrudes upwardly out of an opening in the housing and is rotated in order to vertically scroll the image displayed on the screen An example of a mouse including a known scroll wheel assembly is described in US Pat No 5 912 661 entitled Z ENCODER MECHANISM which is hereby fully incorporated by ref erence In operation a conventional scroll wheel is normally rotated about a transversely extending axis secured within a housing An encoder wheel is coupled to the scroll wheel and rotates when the scroll wheel rotates As the scroll wheel is rotated an encoder senses the rotation of the encoder wheel and
13. but believed to be prior to Jun 28 2002 US 2005 0259077 A1 Nov 24 2005 Continued 51 Int Cl Pama y Examiner Lun yi Lao ore 3 00 2006 01 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Banner amp Witcoff Ltd O2 US CE ate esate 345 163 345 157 345 164 58 Field of Classification Search 345 156 169 57 ABSTRACT 345 784 785 786 787 200 5 A 6 A 348 734 715 784 787 463 37 38 273 148 B See application file for complete search history A scroll wheel assembly includes a rotatable member Encoded rotation of the rotating member causes scrolling of 56 References Cited an image on a display screen along an axis An actuator is located within the rotational member Pressure on different U S PATENT DOCUMENTS parts of the actuator causes scrolling of the image in oppos ing directions along a second axis Pressure upon additional 4 712 101 A 12 1987 Culver parts of the actuator can provide additional screen functions Ss A R a asi Sg et al Ba Functions and commands caused by manipulation of the 063 asinski et al sccsescecses 5 235 868 A 8 1993 Culver rotatable member or actuator may also be programmable 5 404 152 A 4 1995 Nagai ddr 345 157 5 446 481 A 8 1995 Gillick et al 15 Claims 10 Drawing Sheets US 7 042 441 B2 Page 2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 5 963 197 A 10 1999 Bacon et al 6 075 518 A 6 2000 Pruchniak 6 075 575 A 6 2000 Schein et al 6 097 371 A 8 2000 Siddiqui et al 6 097 372 A 8 2000 S
14. cording to the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIGS 1 7 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a scroll wheel assembly 20 of the present invention as adapted for use in an input device such as computer mouse 10 For convenience the invention will first be described with reference to the mouse 10 of FIG 1 However the invention is not so limited and as set forth in detail below can be used in multiple devices and in multiple configurations Scroll wheel assembly 20 includes a rotatable member 22 and a button 24 Rotatable member 22 will generally though not necessarily be round For convenience rotatable member 22 will hereinafter be referred to as a scroll wheel However and as set forth herein rotatable member 22 could also be used as a zoom wheel a volume control or for other purposes By rotating scroll wheel 22 an image 1 which may be text graphics a combination of text and graphics or other displayable information on the screen of display 2 may be moved up or down along a Y axis By pressing button 24 image 1 may be scrolled from left to right along a X axis Mouse 10 is in communication with computer 5 via wire 6 and thereby also communicates with display 2 as used herein communicate includes both direct communi cation with a device and indirect communication via inter mediary devices and or software Mouse 10 also receives power via cord 6 Alternatively mouse 10 could communi
15. could occur in a various ways in response to pressure upon button 24 In one embodiment the image 1 will scroll across the display 2 at a constant predetermined speed i e panning as long as the button 24 is pressed The scrolling speed may be programmed set or changed by a user via numerous known techniques Alternatively the scrolling could be time sensi tive For example the scrolling may be at a first speed when the button 24 is pressed for a first period of time If button 24 remains pressed longer than that first period of time the scrolling speed may be increased Switch 42 could sense degrees of actuation force or distance e g how hard the user is pushing the activation element in a certain direction or how far off the Z axis the element has moved and the scroll speed increased for increased actuation force or distance A user input device incorporating scroll wheel assembly 20 might also be configured to avoid inadvertent movement of screen images because of accidental bumping or other unintentional movement of button 24 For example before a screen image would be scrolled or otherwise affected a user may be required to press button 24 with force above a certain threshold and or for an amount of time above a particular threshold The scroll wheel assembly 20 could also be used to execute commands other than scroll right and scroll left or scroll up and scroll down For example and similar to k
16. delivers a corresponding signal to a host com puter That signal can be used to move an image as is known in the art and disclosed in U S Pat No 5 912 661 Notably this allows a user to scroll the image without changing the position of the mouse and or the cursor and instead only requires rotating the scroll wheel versus the entire mouse or other device with a thumb or finger However displayable portions of spreadsheets and many other types of documents and screen images are often wider than the display screen and the user must also scroll horizontally across the screen to see the entire file When the user needs to move the image horizontally across the display screen the user must typi cally perform additional steps beyond what is required for vertical scrolling This can include locating a graphical user 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 interface in the form of a horizontal scroll bar usually located near the bottom of the display positioning the cursor on the scroll bar and then rotating the wheel Locat ing the scroll bar can be very difficult for people with bad eyesight small display screens and or poor hand eye coor dination Using a horizontal scroll bar also requires a user to shift his or her gaze from the portion of the document being viewed and then relocate that portion after horizontal scroll ing Even if the size of the horizontal scroll bar and or the screen resolution can be adju
17. eys on mice and keyboards various positions of button 24 could programmable Pressing button 24 in one direction could activate a pre programmed command such as 20 40 45 50 65 8 BACK and pressing button 24 in another direction could activate a pre programmed command such as FOR WARD Other positions of button 24 could similarly be programmable Indeed scroll wheel 22 could also be pro grammable to perform functions in addition to scrolling these could include functions affecting a visual display as well as functions not affecting a visual display e g adjust ing sound volume Further with the use of modifier keys it is possible to expand the number of available functions For example the combined actions of an Alt keystroke and rotation of scroll wheel 22 could control zooming in and out the combination of a modifier key and pressing button 24 could angularly rotate an image on the display such as a drawing object Pressing the Alt and F keys could increase the rate at which an image is scrolled or otherwise moved on the display when button 24 is pressed or when scroll wheel 22 is rotated Numerous other alternatives are possible and readily apparent to persons skilled in the art in light of the disclosures herein Programming of these addi tional functions as well as of other functions described herein could be achieved with software incorporated into firmware within the user inp
18. h of the wheels Accordingly there remains a need for improved input devices facilitating scrolling in multiple directions SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention allows a user to conveniently scroll a screen image in multiple directions with simple thumb or finger movements In one embodiment the invention includes a scroll wheel assembly having a rotatable member attached to a device for sensing and encoding rotational motion The encoded rotational motion in turn causes scroll ing of an image on a display screen along an axis Positioned within the rotatable member is an actuator that in response to pressure on different parts of the actuator can scroll the image along a second axis The scroll wheel assembly can be used in a mouse in a keyboard in a trackball in an internet appliance in a notebook computer in a tablet computer in a pocket computer in a Personal Digital Assistant and in other applications where multidirectional scrolling is desired or useful Pressure upon additional parts of the actuator can in some embodiments provide additional screen functions Functions and commands corresponding to manipulation of the actuator and or rotatable member may also be program mable In one embodiment the invention includes an input device that is in communication with the display device screen The input device has a housing with an opening defined therein An actuator is positioned within the input device and a
19. ier to tilt button 24 from side to side instead of up and down As yet another alternative tilting in the F and B directions could be assigned other functions such as panning zooming in or out adjusting focus brightness or US 7 042 441 B2 5 other display characteristics adjusting sound volume and numerous other functions and commands Scroll wheel assembly 20 may also be part of an input device wherein the functions or commands corresponding to button 24 and or scroll wheel 22 are programmable by the user The user would thus be able to assign any of numerous functions to button 24 or even assign different functions to rotation of wheel 22 Moreover switch 42 need not be limited to a switch with only 4 conditions or that only responds to tilting of element 44 away from axis Z For example pushing element 44 along axis Z could create or allow creation of a distinguishable signal Switch 42 might also be of a type that in addition to allowing distinct signals for movement or force in B F U or D directions allows for signals indicative of combinations of such move ment or forces In other words and as one example move ment of switch element 44 in a diagonal direction between the F and U directions or to approximately 9 00 if the face of button 24 in FIG 3 were a clock could scroll an image in a diagonal screen direction Movement in other diagonal directions could scroll i
20. ls of an exemplary encoding system are disclosed in U S Pat No 5 912 661 previously incorporated by reference Although one encod ing system has been shown any system capable of sensing and encoding rotation of scroll wheel 22 may be used FIG 3 is an exploded perspective view of the scroll wheel assembly 20 of FIG 2 As shown in FIG 3 main body 26 includes a generally cylindrical portion 40 Scroll wheel 22 fits over cylindrical portion 40 and rotates about portion 40 as shown by double headed arrow T Disposed within a hollow region of cylindrical portion 40 is switch 42 Switch 42 which may be of various types known in the art and available from multiple commercial sources in various con figurations including for example a 5 position switch available from Panasonic Industrial Co of Suwanee Ga having part number EVZQSAOSK allows distinguishable signals to be generated for movement of the switch in different directions or from force exerted on the switch in different directions For example switch 42 may have multiple internal electrical contacts such that movement of the switch element 44 away from axis Z in different direc tions closes different contacts Switch 42 may include poten tiometers located at various positions movement in different directions away from axis Z would cause changes in resis tance in different circuits allowing detection of degrees of movement in various directions Switch 42 may be of a type
21. n other diagonal screen directions FIG 4 is a cross section of scroll wheel assembly 20 showing arrangement of various components Cylindrical portion 40 of main body 26 fits within the center 46 of scroll wheel 22 Although not shown scroll wheel 22 can be rotatably attached to main body 26 by numerous mechanical arrangements known in the art Such attachments include but are not limited to matching grooves and ribs e g a groove formed in portion 40 and a rib formed in center 46 or vice versa Switch 42 fits within cylindrical portion 40 and may rest against a shoulder 48 formed inside cylindrical portion 40 A suitable fastener 50 e g a nut a push on fastener a retainer ring etc may hold switch 42 in place against shoulder 48 Switch 42 could alternatively be glued in place could be held in place by a tight or force fit or attached in other known manners Emanating from switch 42 are multiple conductors 52 which are electrically con nected to the input device Preferably conductors 52 are connected to a controller not shown that interprets the output from switch 42 converts it to a signal indicating the direction and optionally the magnitude in which switch element 44 was moved or the location and or magnitude of exerted force and delivers the signal to the host computer 5 Preferably the same controller receives signals from encoder 36 and switch 42 The controller can be any known component or combination of com
22. ould alternatively be located in a computer monitor or as part of a computer kiosk As suggested above the scroll wheel assembly of the present invention could be configured or configurable to move an image along a Y axis when scroll wheel 22 is rotated and along an X axis when button 24 is pressed Of course these functions could be reversed i e scroll on the X axis for wheel rotation and on the Y axis for button actuation However the orientation of the scrolling axes corresponding to scroll wheel 22 and button 24 is not limited to conventional X and Y axes For example rotation of scroll wheel 22 could scroll an image along some other axis that is rotated any arbitrary angle with respect to a conventional X or Y axis Similarly pressing button 24 could scroll an image along any arbitrarily chosen axis The axes corre sponding to scroll wheel 22 and button 24 need not be perpendicular to one another Alternative modes of multidi rectional movement are also within the scope of the inven tion As but one example scroll wheel assembly 20 could scroll in a polar coordinate scheme with rotation of scroll wheel 22 rotating a screen image about some axis and pressing of button 24 moving the image radially An input device could be configured such that either the button 24 or scroll wheel 22 moves a displayed image along a Z axis on the display i e enlarges or reduces the image size Horizontal or other directional scrolling
23. ponents that can receive input from encoder 36 and or switch 42 and provide appro priate output signals In one embodiment the controller includes a microprocessor With regard to button 24 the controller could thus provide a signal that scrolls the image 1 in a manner that is consistent with the direction and magnitude if desired of the force applied to button 24 Button 24 is attached to switch element 44 by force fit by adhesive or by other known manner of attachment Button 24 rests within the center of scroll wheel 22 FIG 5 illustrates actuation of one type of switch 42 A user actuates switch 42 by pressing upon button 24 as indicated by arrow P Button 24 thereby tilts element 44 from its neutral i e unactuated position axis Z to an actuated position axis Z Element 44 and thus button 24 are preferably biased in an untilted position Of course the user could also press down upon another location on the surface of button 24 to tilt button 24 and thus element 44 in a different direction and thereby generate a different signal Scroll wheel assembly 20 can be attached to mouse 10 or other input device in any suitable manner As shown in FIG 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 6 for example scroll wheel assembly 20 could be modular in design and mounted upon a circuit board 80 A small mounting bracket 89 or other appropriate fixture could be attached to or formed as an integral p
24. r more surface area is exposed along the upper portion 27 of the circumference of scroll wheel 22 than is exposed along the lower portion 29 of the circumference of scroll wheel 22 This positioning accommodates the greater range of motion or dexterity that a user might have in an index finger contacting upper portion 27 than in a thumb con tacting lower portion 29 Numerous other modifications to scroll wheel assembly 20 are also possible and within the scope of the invention For example instead of friction between encoder shaft 28 and scroll wheel 22 gear teeth could be formed on encoder shaft 28 and around a peripheral portion of scroll wheel 22 As another example scroll wheel 22 and encoder wheel 28 could be arranged so as to rotate coaxially Detents could also be incorporated into the scroll wheel assembly 20 such that rotation of scroll wheel 22 provides a user with an indexed tactile sensation as the scroll wheel 22 is rotated Other types of switches could also be used For example instead of a single centrally located switch several indi vidual switches could be located in various sectors of button 24 Moreover instead of the switch or switches being normally open and then closed by pressure on button 24 a switch or switches could be normally closed and then opened by pressure upon button 24 Additionally other well known pressure and movement sensors such as optical sensors and mercury switches could be used As wi
25. rior to or believed to be prior to application filing date lt http www mside net microscrollii html gt MSIDE net showing Micro Scroll II mouse from Micro 2 sheets Dec 2000 lt http www contourdesign conyrollerbar htm gt Contour Design RollerBar Mousing Station Optical Technology 2 sheets Jan 2001 and 1 sheet press release dated Nov 29 2000 lt http www mousetrapper dk gt Mouse Trapper product description 12 color sheets including original Danish language and English translation as performed by Transla tion Experts Ltd Service date of product release unknown but prior to filing date of application U S Appl No 10 158 996 filed Jun 3 2002 cited by examiner U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 1 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 FIG 1 U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 2 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 FIG 2 U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 3 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 20 FIG 3 U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 4 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 24 Mt i 5 32 FIG 4 U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 5 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 N i 2225 5 wes UX QO Re Seamer i i 24 s 22 FIG 5 U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 6 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 FIG 6 U S Patent May 9 2006 Sheet 7 of 10 US 7 042 441 B2 26 ANNAN RAAN ANNARRA 90 f 80 FIG 7 US 7 042 441 B2 Sheet 8 of 10 May 9 2006 U S Patent Ba 5 686 8 DIA PEEN Orr meg mg OOO ad
26. sted the user must nevertheless perform additional pointing tasks which are more time consuming and mentally intensive than simply rotating a wheel or pushing a button Alternative graphically assisted tools for horizontal scrolling e g positioning a cursor over a horizontal scroll bar selecting the scroll bar and moving the cursor also require cursor repositioning and have similar drawbacks Microside Corporation of Miami Fla offers a Micro Scroll IT mouse that permits a user to scroll an image in multiple perpendicular directions This mouse includes a first rotatable wheel for scrolling an image up and down and a second separate rotatable wheel for scrolling an image left and right The rotatable wheels are oriented so they extend and rotate in planes that are perpendicular to each other The two scroll wheels are independently operable However this arrangement has drawbacks The two wheels take up limited space on the upper surface area on the mouse which could be used for supporting the hand of the user or for additional input keys Further the two wheels are relatively small in size so as to accommodate both wheels on the upper surface of the mouse The smaller sized scroll wheels make the scrolling more difficult to control Additionally the location of the horizontal scroll wheel can be inconvenient for effective control Further with this design it might be difficult for some users to easily reach and manipulate bot
27. t least part of that actuator protrudes through the opening The actuator has at least two actuated condi tions Distinguishable signals are generated in those actuated US 7 042 441 B2 3 conditions A rotational member surrounds the actuator and also protrudes at least partially through the opening The rotational member is rotatable with respect to the housing and continuously rotatable through multiple complete revo lutions Further advantages and features of the invention are set forth in the detailed description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 illustrates one input device according to the present invention for scrolling an image in multiple directions on a display screen of a host computer FIG 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a scroll wheel assembly according to the present invention FIG 3 is an exploded perspective view of the scroll wheel assembly of FIG 2 FIG 4 is partial cross section in partially schematic form of the scroll wheel assembly of FIG 3 FIG 5 is partial cross section similar to FIG 4 but showing button 24 in an actuated condition FIGS 6 and 7 are partially schematic partial cut away views of various mounting arrangements for the scroll wheel assembly of the invention within a computer mouse FIG 8 is a drawing of a scroll wheel assembly according to the present invention as part of a keyboard and FIGS 9A 9D show an another embodiment of a scroll wheel assembly ac
28. th the type of switch es used the invention is not limited by materials from which the scroll wheel assembly 20 can be composed However exemplary materials for main body 26 button 24 scroll wheel 22 encoder wheel 32 and encoder shaft 28 include any suitable plastic or non plastic material The invention is similarly not limited by the precise dimensions of the various components However when incorporated into a computer mouse scroll wheel 22 preferably has an outer diameter in the range of about 15 millimeters mm to about 35 mm and more preferably has an outer diameter in the range of about 25 mm to about 30 mm In a preferred embodiment the diameter of the scroll US 7 042 441 B2 7 wheel 22 is about 28 mm Similarly when used in a computer mouse button 24 preferably has an outer diameter in the range of about 10 mm to about 25 mm and more preferably has an outer diameter in the range of about 15 mm to about 20 mm and even more preferably of about 17 mm Scroll wheel assembly 20 can also be incorporated into other input devices For example scroll wheel assembly 20 could be located on a keyboard FIG 8 Alternatively the scroll wheel assembly 20 could be located on a trackball device or a similar input device Scroll wheel assembly 20 could be located in the bezel of a hand held computer in a larger portable computing device in a web pad in an internet appliance or on a laptop computer The scroll wheel assembly 20 c
29. ut device as part of hardware driver software operating on a computer or other device in communication with the input device or in other manners known in the art FIG 9A shows an exploded view of another embodiment of a scroll wheel assembly according to the present inven tion As shown in FIG 9A rotatable member 122 could be part of a commercially available rotary encoder 171 such as might be used in e g an automotive stereo having a sufficiently large open space in the center Rotary encoder 171 may have leads 173 that connect to a printed circuit board 175 Switch 142 is similar to switch 42 described above and fits within the open space in the center of rotary encoder 171 Button 124 attaches to switch 142 FIGS 9B 9C and 9D are respectively side top and cross section views of the embodiment shown in FIG 9A Although several examples of carrying out the invention have been described those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described examples that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims In addition to the alternatives and variations already dis cussed further variations are possible and within the scope of the invention For example the illustrated locations of scroll wheel assembly 20 on a mouse or keyboard are examples only Scroll wheel assembly 20 could be posi tioned in a different place on an input device
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