Adaptive scroll wheel
A peripheral device with an adaptive scroll wheel can be used to provide additional control of a host computing device. A variable force is used to change friction on the adaptive scroll wheel for different situations. Examples include stopping a scroll wheel at an end of a document, changing a number of ratchet steps based on a number of items on a list, and changing scroll profiles based on application, such as a scroll profile for document processing and a scroll profile for gaming.
1. A system comprising:
an application program interface configured to run on a computer, the application program interface comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:
transmit to a peripheral device data of a number of items; and
transmit to the peripheral device data comprising parameters; and
the peripheral device, wherein:
the peripheral device comprises a rotatable member; and
the peripheral device is configured to:
receive the data of the number of items;
receive the data comprising parameters; and
adjust a force on the rotatable member according to a resistance profile, wherein the resistance profile is based on the data of the number of items and the parameters.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device is a computer mouse.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the rotatable member is scroll wheel of the computer mouse.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable member is a knob.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device is a keyboard.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameters include a number of ratchet steps per rotation, length of a ratchet step, or a shape of a ratchet step.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data of the number of items is a list of items.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device is configured to transmit, to the computer, data of force applied to the rotatable member.
9. A method comprising:
transmitting, from a computer to a peripheral device:
data of a number of items; and
data comprising parameters; and
receiving, at the peripheral device, the data of the number of items;
receiving, at the peripheral device, the data comprising parameters; and
adjusting a force on a rotatable member of the peripheral device according to a resistance profile, wherein the resistance profile is based on the data of the number of items and the parameters.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the rotatable member is a scroll wheel of a computer mouse.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the parameters include a number of ratchet steps per rotation, length of a ratchet step, or a shape of a ratchet step.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the data of the number of items is a list of items.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the peripheral device is configured to transmit, to the computer, data of force applied to the rotatable member.
14. A computer input peripheral apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a rotatable member; and
a memory device comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more memory devices to perform the following steps:
receiving, at the apparatus from a computer, data of a number of items;
receiving, at the apparatus from the computer, data comprising parameters; and
adjusting a force on the rotatable member according to a resistance profile, wherein the resistance profile is based on the data of the number of items and the parameters received by the apparatus.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the apparatus is a computer mouse.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the rotatable member is a knob.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the apparatus is a keyboard.
18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the parameters include a number of ratchet steps per rotation, length of a ratchet step, or a shape of a ratchet step.
19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the data of the number of items is a list of items.
20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit to the computer data of force applied to the rotatable member.