MXPA01009628A - An actuator device for a personal computer - Google Patents

Abstract

A finger controlled actuator for a mouse or other personal computer device for providing pressure to force sensitive resistor circuitry to provide for scrolling or other like control functions on and for a personal computer, wherein the actuator has specially surfaced, such as ribbed, and configured surfaces, such as saddle like in shape for cradling the finger of a personal computer user and allowing for satisfactory gripping between the flesh of the finger and the surface of the actuator to prevent slippage in any one of multiple directions about both the vertical and horizontal directions or some quadrant of both directions, while providing for comfort to the finger and hand of the user and for self orienting of the finger relative to actuator and the mouse body for proper control and operation, for example, the scrolling friction.

Description

AN ACTUATOR DEVICE FOR A PERSONAL COMPUTER FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a driving device for a personal computer, typically to be included as a joystick in a computer mouse.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The IBM ScrollPoint mouse is a mouse with a miniature joystick on the upper front end of a mouse. This particular control lever is dedicated to the functions of displacing the display screen and enlarging and / or reducing images when observing and working on an electronic document as observed in web pages. The control lever is implemented with an SFR sensor (force-sensitive resistance), which converts the force applied to the axis into electronic signals, which are processed and sent to the central computer as scroll messages of the display screen. The joystick is manipulated by any finger, which is placed more comfortably on the outer portion of the end cap of the joystick. The shape of the actuator lid has a critical impact on the user experience with a device, such as the ScrollPoint mouse. Some older IBM ScrollPoint mice used a small or approximately 0.7 mm wide circular dome shaped actuator, which resulted in some of the following situations, which are less than desirable. For example, due to the relatively small contact surface at the bottom of the fingertip, it was considered preferable to develop a fibrous material in the form of a "cat tongue" for the actuator to increase friction between the finger against the cap. It required a multi-phase process, somewhat elaborated, for the manufacture of this material to create a durable product. As a result, the cat tongue surface is relatively expensive for the total cost of the mouse. In addition, although this provides good or satisfactory friction for finger control, material in the form of a cat's tongue is considered by some to be unpleasant to the touch. Additionally, with the nail-shaped actuator, a user can not easily differentiate, satisfactorily, the sensation between the vertical and horizontal direction. When you want to move the display screen of a document vertically, a horizontal element can be introduced by accidentally pressing the dome-shaped actuator diagonally.

The displacement of the display screen is different from the indication, and often requires movement along strictly vertical or strictly horizontal directions. These aspects are important for the use and marketability of a computer device since a mouse is an important part of a computer that users touch and feel easily during the time of selecting a system to buy it, of course, later, when doing use of the selected machine. The patent application GB 2 264 196 describes a button for use on the numeric keypad, for example, on a calculator or a telephone, having an upper surface which is controlled so that it has a concave profile seen from an X direction and a convex profile seen from an orthogonal direction Y.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the invention provides an actuator device for a joystick of a personal computer, the device having a top surface for coming into contact with a user's finger of the device formed in the form of a saddle for a finger when in contact with the surface of the device, and moving in a lateral direction to control the joystick. Such configuration and shape of the actuating surface of the device are very suitable for use with the displacement control lever of the display screen of, for example, the IBM Corporation ScrollPoint mouse, or any other mouse or other button design used, for example, with a joystick to scroll the integrated display screen. The actuator device (or lid thereof) provides the user with better control, and a more pleasant feel at a lower manufacturing cost. The specially shaped and textured saddle shaped actuator provides a device which a user can easily and successfully control and enjoy the comfort experienced when executing an operation involving the control device. Although in the preferred embodiment the actuator device has been designed to be used and implemented with the IBM ScrollPoint mouse, the same design can be applied to any other devices operated by any middle finger or thumb for use with personal computer controls. In particular, the IBM ScrollPoint device is an isometric joystick that detects forces applied to a multiplicity of, and preferably four, force resistance or FRS sensors. The same actuator design can be applied to non-isometric detection or displacement control devices. The original cat tongue design was adopted from the TrackPoint device for IBM Thick Pad. In the case of the TrackPoint device, the actuator has to be small to be placed between the keys of the keyboard. The TrackPoint device has been mainly for pointing, so that an asymmetric shape was not used. Since there is less restriction of space in a mouse and the displacement of the display screen is effected by the dedicated sensor, the shape of the actuator according to the displacement needs of the display screen can be optimized. In essence, a shaped design having an asymmetric geometry on the lateral direction against the vertical is preferred. The saddle-shaped actuator of the preferred embodiment is comfortable to the touch and easy to operate in part due to the removal of the need for a surface similar to a cat tongue, due to the increase in the area of contact with the finger, due to the comfort of the contour of the actuator with the shape of the finger, and due to the concentric pattern of oval edges on the surface of the actuator that reduces the sliding of the finger. Due to the preferred asymmetry between the lateral and frontal profiles, the user has strong clues to differentiate between the vertical and horizontal display screen displacement. In this way a control surface and a surface form of an input device for a personal computer are described, and in particular the texturing and multiangulated facets of such devices to come into contact with the finger of a human hand to apply pressure and force it to produce the manipulation, maneuver and speed control of the cursor and the images of the screen of a personal computer monitor. According to the preferred embodiment, the finger-controlled actuator for a mouse or other personal computer device provides pressure to force the sensitive resistor circuit to provide the displacement of the display screen or other similar control functions on and for a personal computer, wherein the actuator has a specially chrome-plated surface, such as ridged and shaped surfaces, such as in a manner similar to a saddle to support the finger of a user of a personal computer and allow satisfactory hold between the fingertip and the surface of the actuator to prevent sliding in any of multiple directions around both vertical and horizontal directions or some quadrant of both directions, while providing comfort to the user's finger and hand and to self-orienting the finger in relation to the actuator and The body of the mouse for control and operation apr opiate, for example, friction for the displacement of the display screen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a mouse with the saddle-shaped actuator, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the saddle shaped actuator, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a view of the upper surface, with an oval racetrack appearance, of the actuator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the texture of the upper surface illustrated; FIGURE 4 is a view of the symmetrical concave configuration of the actuator when viewed from left to right through the actuator, or a front view (seen from the tip of the finger) or, alternatively, a rear view (viewed from the center of the mouse); FIGURE 5 is a side view of the actuator, along the entire length of a finger used to control the actuator, showing the symmetrical convex configuration of the contact surface when viewed from front to back on either side of the actuator from left to right; FIGURE 6 is a further illustration of the actuator as shown in FIGURE 4 and is a front view of a human finger on the actuator cap, showing the movement of the finger and a diagram of the force or force vectors applied to the actuator. through the geometry of the actuator; and FIGURE 7 is a further illustration of the actuator as shown in FIGURE 5 and is a side view, or side view of a finger on the actuator or cap showing the oscillating movement of a finger on the cap that produces vectors of force on the lid and transfers them on and through the shaft attached to the lid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates a saddle-shaped actuator 10 and is placed inside the body of a mouse 12, which has other buttons, such as buttons 14, 16 and 18 to control functions of a personal computer. FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of an asymmetrically shaped actuator, a textured surface, which may be a laundry pattern, or a surface formed with closure teeth 22, or any surface with slightly raised ridges or similar projections pustules or grains on the upper surface 22 of the actuator 10, suitable for a better grip of the finger when a force is applied directly on or in a directional vector or shape, different to a direction perpendicular or in line with the axis 20 of a control lever, as it is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. The preferred shape, or configuration, or surface texture can be applied using any number of manufacturing techniques, including molding the texture or surface configuration directly on the surface 22. The surface needs to be levels of height differentiation or a material to provide support by contact between the finger and the surface of the actuator 22. A suitable and durable function material is preferred. A rubberized material can be a suitable alternative. There are other techniques available to apply the texturing after the manufacture of the actuator 10. The axis 20 is illustrated in part and shown in partial cross-section in the figures. The top view of the actuator 10 in FIGURE 3 shows a preferred textured pattern or shape for the surface 22. The upper surface of the actuator 10, according to the preferred embodiment, is concave from left to right or from right to left, as it is illustrated in FIGURE 4 and concave from front to back or from front to back, as illustrated in FIGURE 5. In the preferred illustrations this was formed somewhat like a hyperbolic paraboloid. The illustrations deviate from the real form of the hyperbolic paraboloid only in that, when viewed from top to bottom, the anterior and posterior dimension or length of the saddle and its central line, do not change substantially when the other anterior and posterior dimensions are observed laterally outward from the position of the central line towards the sides of the mouse body 12. A real hyperbolic paraboloid is as defined by its geometric formula. There may be symmetry towards the center line of the surface 22 in either the front or side views of FIGURES 3 or 4, or there may not be symmetry around any of the central lines of the actuator 10. For example, as seen in FIG. FIGURE 5, that portion of the convex curve toward the user's hand could have a different slope to that of the portion of the convex curve toward the tip of the user's finger. The top view in FIGURE 3 of the actuator could be described as an oval race track, and in preferred embodiments measures approximately 14 mm from left to right, wide, and 10 mm from front to rear, in length. Such a design offers at least the following advantages, which work by linking the undesirable characteristics of the surfaces and actuator configurations of the prior art. Increasing the surface area provides additional and sufficient friction between the surface of the finger and the surface 22 of the actuator 10. With such a method in this solution there is no need for the cat tongue surface, thereby reducing the cost of manufacturing. Mechanically it works in the following way. The shape of the actuator cover 10 is only suitable for the precise application of forces by the tip of the finger. There has been a study of the movement of the joints of a finger, and the muscles used when pressure is applied to the tip of the finger, and the interaction of the soft part of the tip of the finger with the shape of the hard cover. It has been shown that the dynamics of the finger structure are very different when applying forces from front to back, compared to the application of forces from left to right or lateral.

In horizontal movement, the tip of the finger rotates or oscillates, somewhat as illustrated by the double-headed arrow 21 of FIGURE 4, slightly in the direction in which the force is applied, applying pressure to the flared surfaces towards the lateral supports 24 and 26 of the lid 10. Those flared surfaces approach the edges 24 and 26 and prevent the finger from slipping, as best seen in FIGURES 4 and 6. As shown in FIGURE 5, the finger 28 may have movement in any of the directions of the double-headed arrow 30, or backward and forward, against the surface 22 of the actuator 10, which action creates a force on the surface 22 that is translated to the bar 20 attached to the actuator 10 as shown in the partial view of FIGURE 5. As is known and has been the case for the IBM ScrollPoint mouse, the transferred force results in the displacement action of the display screen, as a example of what the actuator and this way of applying a force can provide. The necessary signals provided are from FSR sensors in the mounting unit FSR illustrated schematically 23. The action of the finger as illustrated in FIGURE 5, which shows a front view of the finger 28 on the cover 10, provides forward movement towards behind. This results in the vertical displacement of the display screen on the monitor and to achieve this, the tip of the finger oscillates slightly in one direction, see the curved arrow 32 (figure 7), opposite to the force applied to the surface of the top. The soft tissue of the finger 28 conforms to the convex shape of the actuator 10 in the anterior and posterior directions, applying continuous force to the cap 10 without slipping, as shown in FIGURE 7. In FIGURE 7, where there is a side view of the finger 28 on the lid 10, the movement of the finger on the lid 10 producing forces on the shaft 20 is also shown therein.

Claims (12)

1. CLAIMS 1. An actuator device for a joystick of a personal computer, the device is characterized in that it has a top surface to contact a finger of a user of the device formed in the form of a saddle to support the finger when is in contact with the surface of the device, and moves in the lateral direction to control the joystick. The actuator device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device is for a mouse for a personal computer, the device has a top surface for receiving the mouse user's finger, which surface is substantially oval in shape when see in the planar view and surface which has a topography which when viewed from a first position, which constitutes a first side view, is concave in shape on the surface when viewed from a second position, orthogonal in the first position, which constitutes a second side view, is convex on the surface. 3. The arcing device according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a texture imposed on the surface to provide restraint to the user's finger of the mouse to the concave and convex shapes of the surface of the actuator device. 4. The actuator device according to claim 3, characterized in that the texture imposed on the surface and the device allows the user to differentiate between the directions of displacement of the display screen. The actuator device according to claim 4, characterized in that the texture comprises projections extending from the surface to provide grip of the finger to the surface when the finger is pressed against the displacing device of the display screen to achieve the Scrolling of the display screen inside the personal computer. The actuator device according to claim 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that the texture imposed on the surface is similar to that of the rubber in composition, which provides a feeling of friction to the user's finger. The actuator device according to any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the concave shape of the surface of the device provides an area for applying pressure of the finger to the device for translation under pressure on the surface area to a mounting of force-sensitive resistors to achieve the displacement of the display screen by the personal computer. 8. The actuator device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is for moving the display screen and the surface of the device is formed in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid to receive the user's finger to operate the device to effect the displacement of the display screen on the personal computer. The actuator device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface is textured to form projections extending from the surface to provide grip of the finger to the surface when the finger is pressed against the device to achieve displacement. of the display screen inside the personal computer. The actuator device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper surface is configured to have a convex shape when seen in cross section along a plane through a central line towards the actuator device extending towards back and forth, towards the actuator body, and configured to have a concave shape when seen in cross section along a plane through a central line towards the actuator device extending laterally towards the actuator body. 11. A mouse, characterized in that it comprises a control lever having an actuator cover according to any of the preceding claims for being used to effect the operation of displacing the display screen. 12. A personal computer, characterized in that it includes the mouse according to claim 11.