US5367631A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cursor control device with programmable preset cursor positions
Assignee: Apple Inc
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Filing: 1992-04-14
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Granted: 1994-11-22
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Expires: 2012-04-14
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for instantaneously and discontinuously moving the cursor in a computer system to any one of a plurality of user-selected screen positions is disclosed. In many known computer systems, a cursor control device known as a mouse is used to move and manipulate the position of the display's cursor. In a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, X- and Y-axis position sensing means are incorporated into the mouse's known electronics. A program correlates a plurality of X- and Y-axis mouse positions with a plurality of cursor positions on the display. When the computer user moves the cursor control device into any one of these programmed positions, the cursor on the display automatically moves to the predetermined position. In addition, less extreme motion of the mouse will result in a rate of cursor movement across the screen which increases linearly with the degree of tilt, up to the point where a predefined threshold is reached, at which time the cursor automatically and discontinuously jumps to the user's predefined screen location (s).
Inventors
- 👤 David H. Levy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 19:13
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0481; G06F3/04812; G06F3/03; G06F3/033; G06F3/0354; G06F3/03543; G06F3/038; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/20; Y10T74/20012; Y10T74/20201
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
In a computer system having a central processing unit, a display coupled to the central processing unit, a cursor which is displayed on the display and indicates the location where next display data will be located, and a cursor control device for moving the cursor across the display, an apparatus for moving the cursor to selected positions on the display automatically, the apparatus comprising: X- and Y-axis sensing means mounted within the cursor control device; X- and Y-axis position correlating means coupled to the X- and Y-axis sensing means for receiving the X- and Y-axis position signals generated by the X and Y-axis sensing means and generating an X- and Y-axis position signal; memory means for storing a given X- and Y-axis position signal in relation with a user selected cursor display position, the memory means being coupled to the X- and Y-axis position correlating means, the cursor moving to the user selected display position automatically when the cursor control device is subsequently moved into the X- and Y-axis position associated with that display position stored in the memory means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
In a computer system having a central processing unit, a display coupled to the central processing unit, a cursor which is displayed on the display and indicates the location where next display data will be located, and a cursor control device for moving the cursor across the display, an apparatus for moving the cursor to selected positions on the display automatically, the apparatus comprising: X- and Y-axis sensing means mounted within the cursor control device; X- and Y-axis position correlating means coupled to the X- and Y-axis sensing means for receiving the X- and Y-axis position signals generated by the X and Y-axis sensing means and generating an X- and Y-axis position signal; memory means for storing a given X- and Y-axis position signal in relation with a user selected cursor display position, the memory means being coupled to the X- and Y-axis position correlating means, the cursor moving to the user selected display position automatically when the cursor control device is subsequently moved into the X- and Y-axis position associated with that display position stored in the memory means.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
133 words
A method for automatically moving a display cursor to a user-selected position in a computer system having a display, a display cursor, and a display cursor control means, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a first X-axis position of the display cursor control means; detecting a first Y-axis position of the display cursor control means: relating the first X- and Y-axis positions with a user-selected display cursor position on the display and storing the relation in a first memory means, the display cursor subsequently moving to the user-selected display cursor position each time the display cursor control means is tilted to the first X- and Y-axis position; and repeating the detecting steps and relating steps until a predetermined number of positions have been related to a predetermined number of display cursor positions.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
133 words
A method for automatically moving a display cursor to a user-selected position in a computer system having a display, a display cursor, and a display cursor control means, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a first X-axis position of the display cursor control means; detecting a first Y-axis position of the display cursor control means: relating the first X- and Y-axis positions with a user-selected display cursor position on the display and storing the relation in a first memory means, the display cursor subsequently moving to the user-selected display cursor position each time the display cursor control means is tilted to the first X- and Y-axis position; and repeating the detecting steps and relating steps until a predetermined number of positions have been related to a predetermined number of display cursor positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the X- and Y-axis sensing means comprise magneto-transistors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the X- and Y-axis sensing means comprise electrolytic sensors.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
91 words
In a computer system having a display with a cursor, a variable rate cursor movement control device comprising: X-axis tilt sensor means; Y-axis tilt sensor means; X- and Y-axis tilt measurement means coupled to the X- and Y-axis tilt sensor means for measuring the degree of tilt in both the X- and Y-axis; and processor means coupled to the X- and Y-axis tilt measurement means and the cursor for moving in both the X- and Y- axis at a rate which increases as the degree of tilt along that axis increases.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
91 words
In a computer system having a display with a cursor, a variable rate cursor movement control device comprising: X-axis tilt sensor means; Y-axis tilt sensor means; X- and Y-axis tilt measurement means coupled to the X- and Y-axis tilt sensor means for measuring the degree of tilt in both the X- and Y-axis; and processor means coupled to the X- and Y-axis tilt measurement means and the cursor for moving in both the X- and Y- axis at a rate which increases as the degree of tilt along that axis increases.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The variable rate cursor movement control device of claim 5 wherein the processor means further automatically and instantaneously moves the cursor to a predefined location on the display when the degree of tilt along either or both axis exceeds a predefined amount.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The variable rate cursor movement control device of claim 6 wherein the X- and Y-axis tilt sensor means comprise a pair of magneto-transistors.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The variable rate cursor control device of claim 6 wherein the X- and Y-axis tilt sensor means comprise a pair of electrolytic sensors.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
The variable rate cursor movement device of claim 6 wherein the device has a select button with a select function that is activated when the select button is depressed and wherein a user defined tilt input activates the same function as depressing the select button.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5260696A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-11-21 | 1998-05-23 | 1998-11-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-11-21 | 2002-05-23 | 2002-11-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-11-21 | 2006-05-23 | 2006-11-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |