Granted Patent B2

US 8,502,781 · App. 12/922,847 · Granted Aug 6, 2013

Abstract

Claims (35)

1. An input device comprising:

a ball;

a sensor assembly configured to sense the position of the ball; and

a controller operatively coupled with the sensor assembly, wherein the controller is configured to determine both an X-Y motion of the ball and a spin of the ball, wherein the controller is set to a spin mode when the sensor assembly detects spin of the ball, and wherein the controller is set to an X-Y mode when the sensor assembly does not detect spin of the ball.

2. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the ball comprises a diameter approximately parallel to a work surface, and further wherein the spin of the ball comprises a rotation of the ball about the diameter.

3. The input device of claim 2 , wherein the spin of the ball comprises either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise rotation of the ball about the diameter.

4. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the ball comprises a vertical axis, and further wherein the controller determines spin of the ball upon a rotation of the ball about the vertical axis.

5. The input device of claim 1 , further comprising a host interface, wherein the host interface is configured to emit a first control signal to a host system when the controller is set to the spin mode, and further wherein the host interface is configured to emit a second control signal to the host system when the controller is set to the X-Y mode.

6. The input device of claim 1 wherein the sensor assembly is a first sensor assembly, the input device further comprising:

a second sensor assembly operatively coupled to the controller and configured to sense the position of the ball, wherein the controller determines the spin of the ball using both the first sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly.

7. The input device of claim 6 , wherein the first sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly are located approximately 90 degrees apart from each other.

8. The input device of claim 6 , wherein the first sensor assembly is a first optical sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly is a second optical sensor assembly.

9. The input device of claim 6 , wherein the ball comprises a diameter approximately parallel to a work surface, and further wherein the first sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly are located approximately at or below the diameter of the ball.

10. A system comprising:

an input device comprising:

a ball;

a sensor assembly configured to sense the position of the ball; and

a controller operatively coupled with the sensor assembly, wherein the controller is configured to determine both an X-Y motion of the ball and a spin of the ball, wherein the controller is set to a spin mode when the sensor assembly detects spin of the ball, and wherein the controller is set to an X-Y mode when the sensor assembly does not detect spin of the ball; and

a display screen connected to the input device, wherein the X-Y motion of the ball produces a first type of result on the display screen, and wherein the spin of the ball produces a second type of result on the display screen.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the first type of result comprises movement of a cursor and the second type of result comprises a scrolling of a window in the display screen.

12. An input device for providing a control signal to a host system, the input device comprising:

a ball;

a first sensor assembly configured to sense the position of the ball;

a second sensor assembly configured to sense the position of the ball; and

a controller operatively coupled with the first sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly, wherein the controller is set to a spin mode when both the first sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly detect spin, and the controller is set to an X-Y mode when at least one of the first sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly do not detect spin.

13. The input device of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second sensor assemblies can determine ball movement in an X direction and in a Y direction, further wherein the first sensor assembly detects spin upon determining that the ball movement in the X direction is greater than the ball movement in the Y direction, and the second sensor assembly detects spin upon determining that the ball movement in the X direction is greater than the ball movement in the Y direction.

14. The input device of claim 12 , wherein the first sensor assembly is a first optical sensor assembly and the second sensor assembly is a second optical sensor assembly.

15. The input device of claim 12 , further comprising a housing around the controller and the first and second sensors, wherein at least half of the surface of the ball extends above the housing.

16. A method of controlling a host system using an input device including a ball, the method comprising:

determining, by a controller, a spin of the ball sensed by a sensor assembly and sending a first type of control signal to the host system; and

determining, by the controller, the movement of the ball in an X-Y rotation such that the sensor assembly does not detect the spin of the ball and sending a second type of control signal to the host system.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the ball comprises a diameter approximately parallel to a work surface, and further wherein the spin of the ball comprises a rotation of the ball about the diameter.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the spin of the ball comprises a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the ball comprises an axis approximately perpendicular to a work surface, wherein the spin of the ball comprises a rotation of the ball about the axis such that the axis remains approximately perpendicular to the work surface.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the X-Y rotation comprises a rotation of the ball such that axis does not remain approximately perpendicular to the work surface.

Assignments (6)