A graphic input device for controlling the movement of a cursor upon a visual display. The device includes a number of variable resistance pressure transducers corresponding to the primary orthogonal directions of cursor movement. Each pressure transducer comprises a first electrode for selecting the direction of movement and a second electrode spaced from the first electrode, one of the electrodes being made of an electrically resistive elastomeric material. A manipulable force transmitting device is provided to move the electrodes toward one another and into contact, the contact area being variable with the force applied, so that the resistance across the electrodes is high when the contact area is small and lower when the contact area is larger. The device is connected to the visual display via an electrical circuit which supplies signals to move the cursor in a selected direction at a speed inversely proportional to the resistance condition.
Improvements in a manual control device wherein an incremental touch key or a decremental touch key is depressed by hand so as to bring a manipulated value and a set value into agreement. The manual control device comprises a pressure sensor which converts a contact pressure of a hand into a voltage level which is proportional to the pressure, a level encoder which delivers a pulse at any one of a plurality of different frequencies to a counter in correspondence with the output of the pressure sensor, a D/A converter which converts a digital output of the counter into an analog output, and an output driver which controls a base current of a transistor for driving a manipulated-value indicator, by the A.C. output of the D/A converter.
A control panel having a display for displaying selected statements from a plurality of stored statements containing one or more separate elements of alterable information; four selectively operable push-button switches; and a computer for storing the stored messages and controlling the display. The switches include left and right scroll switches and up and down-increment switches. The computer controls a cursor on the display movable left and right between one or more pre-programmed positions in each displayed statement in response to operation of the scroll switches. Each of the pre-programmed positions corresponds to one of the segments of alterable information. The scroll switches cause the computer to scroll left or right for sequentially displaying the next left or right statement. Scrolling to the next stored statement is in response to the scroll switch indicating an attempt to move the cursor left or right beyond the leftmost or rightmost pre-programmed position for the displayed statement. The computer increments up and down the segment of alterable information corresponding to the pre-programmed position to which the cursor has been moved in response to operation of the increment switches.
A cursor movement control key switch for controlling movement of a cursor on a display screen of a CRT or the like requires only one key. Operation of a single key allows both control of the direction of the cursor, and control of brightness of the display, volume level of sounds at a speaker, a display size of the cursor or the like. A CPU periodically detects the states of signals at terminals corresponding to contacts disposed in the key switch so as to produce signals to perform the above control operations. The key switchy provides improved operability.
A method and apparatus for intelligent scrolling. In a computer system that has a user interface which allows for the movement of items from a first open window to a second open window or to a second region, such as a desktop, the present invention allows a user to select one or more items in the first window, move the selected item(s) to within a predetermined distance from an edge of the first window for a predetermined period of time and cause the viewable portion of the data and/or document within the first window to scroll in a corresponding direction.
A pressure sensitive electronic device has a display, a case, a processor, and a pressure sensor, such as one or more force sensitive resistors. When the pressure sensor detects pressure on the case, the information displayed on the display is changed. Pressure in one or more dimensions (X, Y, and/or Z) on the case is detected by the pressure sensor. Most commonly, the information that is changed on the display is the repositioning of a cursor on the display, although switching between various operating modes and/or writing on the device can also be performed. The cursor is repositioned corresponding to the direction and magnitude of the pressure detected on the case. Pressure can also be used to execute an operation corresponding to the position of the cursor on the display. Keys or other input devices (mouse, trackball, etc) are not required to control the movement of the cursor on the display, execute operations, or switch between various operating modes of the device.
