JP2005063369A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize comfortable operability with little load, and to prevent the dirt of the hand. <P>SOLUTION: This input device is configured to make an operator grip the input device main body by the hand from the upper part, and to move it to a horizontal direction to designate an arbitrary position on a screen. A support part on which at least a part of the hand of the operator is placed is formed so as to be projected in at least a part of the bottom peripheral edge of the input device main body. The support part is formed at the both side parts of the input device main body, or at the both side parts and front part of the input device main body. At the time of operating this input device, an operator places the thumb, little finger, or wrist part on this support part, for using the device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device for designating an arbitrary position on a screen by moving an operator in a horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a mouse widely used as an input device for a computer generally has a mouse body 11 that is large enough to be gripped by a palm and has a protruding amount on a mouse mounting surface and a moving direction. A ball or optical sensor (not shown) for detecting an image is incorporated, and a click button 12 that is pressed with an index finger and a middle finger, a scroll button 13 that quickly scrolls the display screen of the display, and the like are provided. .

  The size of the mouse is usually smaller than the size of the operator's hand. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, the mouse body 11 is lightly gripped so that the index finger and middle finger are positioned on the button 12. Sometimes the thumb and little finger protrude from the mouse body 11. For example, when the mouse is operated with the right hand and moved in the right direction, a force A applied by the inner side surface of the thumb to the mouse body 11 is used as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). In this case, since the same muscle is always used when moving the mouse in the lateral direction, there is a problem that a burden is placed on the hand. Further, each time the mouse is moved, the thumb and little finger and the placement surface rub against each other, and accordingly, a force is required to move the mouse, which places a burden on the hand. Furthermore, the friction between the fingers and the mouse pad, the desk, etc. causes inconvenience that the dust adhering to the mouse pad or the like is transferred to the hand and the fingers become dirty and unsanitary.

  On the other hand, in order to avoid contact with the mouse pad or desk, the mouse may be used with the protruding finger floating. However, in this case, it is unnecessary to keep the finger or wrist always floating. Since force is required, it can cause fatigue of the hand after prolonged use.

As a mouse that does not cause pain or fatigue to the operator, for example, a grip part that extends obliquely or upward from the mounting surface and can be gripped with a hand, and a palm or a wrist part can be placed with the grip part held As described above, a mouse (see, for example, Patent Document 1) including a support portion formed in a skirt shape or a flat shape at the back or around the grip portion or a part of the palm in a natural state without twisting the upper arm tendon. There has been proposed a computer input device (see, for example, Patent Document 2) having a structure in which a handless operation unit having a click button that is placed and pushed by any of the five fingertips in that state is provided. .
JP 2001-5604 A JP-A-10-124249

  However, the mouse described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is for performing a moving operation in a state where a grip portion or the like extending obliquely or upward is vertically held, and the mouse is moved in a state where the palm is turned down. The feeling of use is remarkably different from the current mainstream mouse. For this reason, these mice are very difficult to handle by operators who are used to ordinary mice, and it takes a long time to master the operations.

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of such a conventional situation, and an object thereof is to provide an input device capable of realizing comfortable operability.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an input device according to the present invention is an input device that specifies an arbitrary position on a screen by holding the input device main body from above with an operator's hand and moving it in the horizontal direction. In the present invention, a support portion on which at least a portion of the operator's hand is placed is formed to protrude at least at a portion of the bottom periphery of the input device main body.

  The input device according to the present invention is intended to specify an arbitrary position on the screen by holding the input device main body from above with the operator's hand and moving it in the horizontal direction. A mouse. Therefore, the operator can perform the pointing operation with a feeling of use that is not different from that of a normal mouse.

  In addition, since the support portion is formed so as to protrude from the bottom periphery of the input device body, the operator can place a part of a finger, such as a thumb or a little finger, on the support portion during operation, and protrude from the input device body. Friction between the fingers and the mounting surface is prevented. In addition, the force applied when the input device is moved in the lateral direction includes the force applied to the input device body by either one of the thumb or the little finger (pressing force) and the force applied to the support portion by the other finger. It is distributed to (pull force). Therefore, the input device can be moved with a relatively light force, and the operability is greatly improved. Furthermore, since the hand is placed on the support portion, the migration of dirt due to the friction between the fingers and the placement surface is prevented.

  According to the present invention, an input that can be used with the same operational feeling as that of a widely used mouse, can realize comfortable operability, and can reduce fatigue when operated for a long time. An apparatus can be provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the contact between the finger and the placement surface can be prevented by the support portion, it is possible to provide an input device that can be used in a sanitary manner by preventing the finger from being soiled.

  Hereinafter, an input device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, an example of a so-called mouse will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mouse according to the present embodiment includes a button 2 provided at a position where the index finger and the middle finger can be pressed on the mouse body 1 having a size and a height that can be grasped with a palm, It is configured to include a scroll button 3 for quickly scrolling the display screen, and a ball or optical sensor (not shown) provided on the bottom surface on which the mouse is placed to detect the amount and direction of movement of the mouse. .

  The mouse of this embodiment, like a mouse that has been widely used, designates an arbitrary position on the screen by holding the input device body from above with the operator's hand and moving it in the horizontal direction. It is. Then, when the mouse body 1 is gripped so that the index finger and the middle finger are positioned on the button 2, support parts 4 for placing the thumb and the little finger that protrude from the mouse body 1 are provided on both sides of the mouse body 1. This is a major feature. The support portion has a raised portion 4a having a shape that substantially matches the surface shape of the thumb and little finger as a thick portion, and restricts the horizontal movement of the thumb and little finger. In addition, as a shape of the support part 4, it can be set as arbitrary shapes, such as a heart shape and the main wing shape of an airplane other than the shape corresponding to the shape of a finger | toe.

In the mouse having such a support portion 4, as shown in FIG. 2A, the operation is performed with the mouse body 1 held so that the index finger and the middle finger are positioned on the button 2. Since the raised portion 4a provided on the support portion 4 restricts the lateral movement of the thumb and little finger, for example, the force when moving the mouse to the right with the right hand is indicated by an arrow A in FIG. The force is pushed into two types, that is, the force of pushing with a thumb like that shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to operate with a light force compared to the case of operating a normal mouse without the support unit 4, and since the protruding fingers are placed on the support unit 4, these fingers and the placement unit are placed. A force against the frictional force with the surface and a force that keeps the finger floating to avoid contact between the finger and the mounting surface are not required. From the above, with the mouse of this embodiment, a comfortable operational feeling can be obtained and the feeling of fatigue caused by prolonged use can be reduced. Moreover, since the support part 4 prevents a finger and a mounting surface from contacting, a finger does not get dirty. Furthermore, since the mouse of this embodiment is operated with the operator's hand covered from the top like the conventionally widely used mouse, the operator can operate with almost no sense of incongruity. It is extremely practical.

  In addition, the said support part 4 may be plate shape which borders the peripheral part of the position corresponding to the both sides | surfaces and wrist of the mouse main body 1 as shown in FIG. The shape of the support portion 4 is such that the wrist protruding from the mouse body 1 is placed in a state where the mouse body 1 is gripped so that the index finger and the middle finger are positioned on the button 2. Prevents contact with the mounting surface, eliminating the force required to lift the wrist and the force against the friction between the wrist and the mounting surface, greatly improving operability and realizing more comfortable operation. can do.

  The support portion 4 may be integrated with the mouse body 1, but can be folded so as to be in contact with the side surface of the mouse body 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. In this mouse, the support part 4 and the mouse body 1 are connected via a hinge part 5, for example. Since the whole mouse can be reduced in size by folding the support part 4 when not in use, it is convenient for storing and carrying the mouse.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the support portion 4 may be detachable from the mouse body 1. In this mouse, for example, a ridge portion 6a and a groove portion 6b each having a T-shaped cross section are formed at the connection portion between the support portion 4 and the mouse body 1, and the support body 4 and the mouse body 1 are slid by sliding them. It can be attached and removed. As a result, the mouse can be miniaturized by removing the support portion 4 when not in use, which is convenient for storing and carrying the mouse. Further, the mouse body 1 with the support portion 4 removed can be used in the same manner as a conventional mouse, and the presence or absence of the support portion 4 can be freely selected according to the preference of the operator. Further, the operability can be further improved by attaching the support portion 4 in accordance with the dimensions of the operator's hand, and the design can be improved by selecting and attaching the support portion 4 having a desired shape of the operator. A typical mouse can also be personalized. Moreover, by providing the storage part which accommodates the support body 4 removed in the mouse body 1, it is possible to reduce the size of the mouse and at the same time prevent the support part 4 removed when not in use from being lost.

It is a top view which shows an example of the mouse | mouth to which this invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the use condition with the right hand of the mouse | mouth shown in FIG. 1, (a) is a top view, (b) is a cross-sectional view. It is a top view which shows the modification of the mouse | mouth to which this invention is applied. It is a front view which shows the other modification of the mouse | mouth to which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the further another modification of the mouse | mouth to which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the conventional mouse | mouth. It is a figure for demonstrating the use condition with the right hand of the mouse | mouth shown in FIG. 1, (a) is a top view, (b) is a cross-sectional view.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mouse body 2 Button 3 Wheel 4 Support part

Claims (7)

In the input device that specifies the arbitrary position on the screen by holding the input device main body from above with the operator's hand and moving in the horizontal direction,
An input device, wherein a support portion on which at least a part of an operator's hand is placed is formed to protrude on at least a part of the bottom periphery of the input device main body.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is formed on both side portions of the input device body, and an operator's fingers are placed during operation.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is formed on both sides and a front portion of the input device main body, and an operator's fingers and wrist are placed during operation.   The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a part of the outer peripheral edge of the support portion is thick.   The support portion and the input device main body are connected by a rotatable hinge portion, and the support portion is foldable so as to be in contact with a side surface of the input device main body through the hinge portion. Item 1. The input device according to Item 1.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is detachable from the input device body. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a mouse.

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