Mouse with slider control for computer scrolling

[0002] The present invention relates to a computer mouse for entering data into a computer and more particularly to a computer mouse which has a slider control which regulates the scrolling of an image on a display screen of a computer.

[0003] The ubiquitous computer mouse has considerably enhanced the productivity of computer users. The functions and operations of a computer mouse are well known in the art and will not be repeated herein. However, some control functions of the computer which the mouse is capable of performing require conjunctive action such as the operation of a selection switch on the mouse coupled with movement of the mouse (so called drag and drop function) in order to scroll or move images on a computer screen. This conjunctive action is sometimes awkward for novice computer users or small children. Accordingly, efforts have been made to simplify the operations which a user is required to perform in order to have the mouse perform a scrolling operation.

[0004] Once such effort is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,455. This patent discloses a computer mouse having a roller ball thereon which is operable by a computer user to scroll a display image. However, a roller can be continued to be rotated far beyond a desired scrolled image on the screen thus potentially providing an incorrect or awkward scrolling function for a user. Accordingly, a simplified mechanism for scrolling a computer image would be desirable.

[0005] The invention provides a simplified mechanism for scrolling a mouse which employs a slider which slides along a body of a mouse and which is easily maneuvered by a finger of a user to scroll an image and without requiring a conjunctive operation of a selection switch and movement of the mouse body.

[0006] The slider, which moves relative to the mouse body, provides data signals representing the amount of movement of the slider relative to the mouse body as well as a direction of movement of the slider. This data is in turn provided to a mouse driver which interprets the data and provides scrolling data to an operating system of the computer which controls image scrolling.

[0007] With the invention a user merely needs to move the slider in a first or second direction to control scrolling in an upward or downward direction and can control the rate of scrolling by the amount of movement of the slider from its rest position.

[0008] These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the invention which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a mouse incorporating the invention;

[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates output signals produced by the mouse which are supplied to a computer;

[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates in schematic form the mechanical connection of the slider to the mouse body as well as the matter of generating control signals representing slider movement;

[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates the matter in which the slider illustrated in other drawings is biased to a rest position;

[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates an optical system which may be used in the invention to provide signals representing the movement of the slider;

[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates another circuit employing variable resistance for providing signals representing the movement of the slider;

[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates the input of signals representing the slider movement to a mouse driver and in turn to a windows handler;

[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates a variant of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5;

[0017] FIG. 9 illustrates the data flow from the mouse through the mouse driver to an operating system of the computer;

[0018] FIG. 10 further illustrates the relationship of the slider to a light detector array; and

[0019] FIG. 11 illustrates yet another variant of the invention.

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which a mouse 11 is shown as having a mouse body 13, conventional selection switches 17 and 19 and an upper surface 25 thereof and a slider 15 which is labeled to slide back and forth in a slot 18 provided in the upper surface 25 in a forward and backward direction. A cord 23 exits the mouse as is conventional and terminates in a connector plug 21 which is adapted to be inserted into an input/output port of a computer.

[0021] The mouse has a conventional mouse movement detector 31 and its undersurface (FIG. 2) including a roller ball 33 which provides the usual signals to a computer upon movement of the mouse across a surface. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 the mouse also has the conventional signal outputs attended selection switches 17 and 19. Finally, the mouse is also provided with additional output signal as shown in FIG. 2 which is generated based on movement of the slider 15 in the forward and reverse direction.

[0022] The slider is preferably biased to a rest position approximately midway of the longitudinal direction of slot 18 by a biasing mechanism, shown as a pair of springs 51 which are respectively connected to a downward extension from slider 35 and which are respectively anchored to the mouse body at a point near the opposite ends of the slot 18. The downward projection of the slider 35 terminates at light emitter 45 which emits a narrow beam of focus light towards a light detector array 43, as best shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 7 and 10. Power for energizing the light emitter 45, which may be an LED, or a laser diode, is provided by respective conductors 41 and 39 which are provided on the downward projection of slider 15 and extend along its undersurface and connect with corresponding conductors provided adjacent sidewalls 20 of the slot (FIG. 3). These slot conductors 35 and 37 respectively connect with a power source providing power to the mouse from a computer. As well known, power is applied to the mouse from the computer when the computer is operating and is supplied through connector 21. As best illustrated in the sectional top view of FIG. 5, as the slider 15 is moveable in a forward and aft direction the light emitter 45 moves along a path where it selectively illuminates one of the plurality of light detectors provided in a light detector array 43. Thus, the direction of movement of the slider as well as the amount of movement of the slider from a rest position can be registered by the light detector array 43. The output from the light detector array which can be in the form of a digital signal is supplied, as shown in FIG. 7 to the input of a mouse driver 53 which in turn provides control data into a windows handler 55 which is part of the operating system of a computer. Consequently, as slider 15 moves fore and aft relative to the mouse body 13 signals are provided by the detector array 43 to the mouse driver 53 as inputs to the mouse driver 53 which in turn provides the control data to the windows handler 55 instructing the windows handler to scroll a computer image or object up or down and at what rate. In the invention the rate is controlled by the amount of movement of the slider relative to the amount body that is, the farther the slider 15 is moved from its rest position the faster the mouse driver 53 instructs the window handler 55 to scroll the image or object.

[0023] FIG. 8 illustrates a variation of a signal generator for the slider 15 in which the array of light detectors 43 is connected to an array of threshold devices 47. The threshold devices serve to sharpen the output signals from each of the light sensors in the detector array 43 and the output of the threshold array 47 can be supplied either directly or through a suitable decoder 49 as data to a computer.

[0024] The slider movement signals generated by the light detector array 43 are provided at the computer connector 21 where the computer takes the slider movement signals and applies them to the mouse driver 53 which is operating within the computer. The mouse driver receives the input signals which represent both the direction of movement of the slider as well as the amount the slider has moved from its rest position and translates those input signals into control data for the windows to handler 25. The windows handler is provided in the operating system of the computer and manages the software module which manages a display image on the computer within an open window. The data from the mouse driver tells the window handler in what direction to scroll the displayed image and at what rate the rate corresponding to the amount of movement of the slider from its rest position (FIG. 9).

[0025] Although the invention has been illustrated with a signal generator operating under optical principles to provide the data representing the direction and degree of movement of the slider 15 and also possible to use other mechanisms for determining the direction and degree of movement of slider 15. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment in which a variable resister 63 is provided as a stationary element and a moveable portion 65 of the variable resistance is provided to move in conjunction with movement of both in direction and amount of slider 15. The variable resister is included in a circuit which is effected by the variations and resistance both in direction and magnitude caused by movement of the slider 15 and the output of the circuit is applied to an analog to digital converter which applies input signals to the mouse driver once again indicating both the direction of movement of the slider as well as the degree or amount of movement. Other methodologies for generating the input signals to the mouse driver 53 will also readily occur to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0026] It should be noted that in the optical embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8 that although the light emitter 45 has been provided to move in conjunction with the slider passed the light detector array 43 which is stationary it is also possible to reverse the roles of these two elements such that the detector array moves in conjunction with movement of the slider 15 while the light emitter 45 remains stationary. In addition, although FIG. 3 illustrates that the slider 15 has recesses 22 on each side thereof for engaging with sidewalls 20 of a slot 18 provided in the upper surface 25 of the mouse body 13, it is also possible to have many other configurations which will allow slider 15 to slide relative to the mouse body 13.

[0027] As noted above, the present invention provides a mouse which has a slider which is capable of controlling the scrolling function of a computer by movement of a slider from a rest position in a forward and backward position with the direction of movement and the amount of movement of the slider controlling the direction of scrolling and the rate of scrolling at the computer. In addition, although the invention has been illustrated with respect to having a slider biased to a middle position in its movement path it is also possible to bias the slider at other positions and to also provide a logrhythmic or other non-linear function into the slider movement. These functions could be built either in the mouse itself or in the mouse driver 53 software. It is also possible to have the slider only move in a single direction from a rest position and use one of the selector switches 17 and 19 to control the direction of scrolling if desired.

[0028] Another variation of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 11 wherein the slider 15 is positioned on the side of side 29 of the mouse body 13 for operation by a user's thumb. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-9 the slider is positioned on the upper surface and would normally be operated by a user's index finger.

[0029] While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that many modifications can be made to the invention within the spirit and scope of the invention. Numerous substitutions of equivalents can be made to the structures described and illustrated above without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the foregoing description, it is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.