Apple patent involves mouse with optically-based scrolling feature
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jun 26, 2008 at 6:28am
Will Apple’s Mighty Mouse incorporate a touch pad in the future? Maybe. An Apple patent (number 20080150898) for a mouse having an optically-based scrolling feature has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. It relates generally to an input device for use in a computer system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mouse having an optically-based scrolling feature.
Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “The invention relates, in one embodiment, to a peripheral input device for controlling movements on a display screen. The peripheral input device includes a housing and an optical touch pad carried by the housing. The optical touch pad is configured to translate finger motion into movements on the display screen.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a mouse having a finger actuated scrolling region that is integrated into a housing of the mouse. The scrolling region represents the working area of an optical system disposed inside the housing. The optical system is configured to detect finger movement across the scrolling region.
“The invention relates, in another embodiment, to a mouse for use in a computer system having a display screen. The mouse includes a first position detection mechanism configured to track the position of a finger moving across an outer surface of the mouse and to generate signals for controlling movements on the display screen. The mouse also includes a second position detection mechanism configured to track the position of the mouse moving across a surface and to generate signals for controlling movements on the display screen.
The inventors are Wing Kong Low, Brian H. Berkley and Benjamin Bendix Lyon. The graphic below is a perspective diagram of a peripheral input device, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
A peripheral input device for controlling movements on a display screen. The peripheral input device includes a housing and an optical touch pad carried by the housing. The optical touch pad is configured to translate finger motion into movements on the display screen.
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Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 10,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
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