JPH0869352A - Small sized mouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the portability of the mouse through miniaturization and to allow the mouse to easily and surely execute many kinds of entry operations. CONSTITUTION: A thumb Ma is touched to a recessed part 2 of a package 1 and the third finger Mb is touched to a recessed part 3. In this case, the thumb Ma and the third finger Mb press lightly the package 1 in the center direction and hold the package to have the entire package inbetween. Then the forefinger Mc is touched to a pressing switch 4. Furthermore, a middle finger Md is touched to a pressing switch 5. In this case, a little finger Me is not used. In this state, the entire small sized mouse is moved freely on a table for the instruction of a display picture of an information processing unit and entry of a mouse signal is given by depressing the pressing switch 4 or 5 with the forefinger Mc or the middle finger Md.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small mouse which is used in an information processing device such as a computer or a word processor to perform an input operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a mouse of this type is placed on a table or the like, and is held by being wrapped in the palm of a person's hand, and the table or the like is moved to be displayed on the screen of a display device in an information processing device. The mark is aligned with the desired item. Then, the switch provided on the mouse is pressed with the index finger or the middle finger to select an item on the display screen.

When such a mouse is moved on the table, a ball, a part of which is exposed from the bottom, comes into contact with the table top and rotates. The X-coordinate detecting and Y-coordinate detecting rotary shafts arranged at right angles to and in contact with the ball rotate. The X-coordinate detection encoder and the Y-coordinate detection encoder detect the rotations on the respective rotation axes, and send the X-coordinate information and the Y-coordinate information to the information processing device through a connection code. In this way, the input operation can be reliably performed even with the conventional mouse.

[0004]

However, the small mouse of the above-mentioned conventional example is large enough to wrap the whole in the palm of a human hand and to press the switch provided at the tip with the index finger or the middle finger. That is, its volume is relatively large. Therefore, the recent B5
The size of the personal computer of the size and the word processor of the palm size is disproportionate, and the portability thereof is poor.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to reduce the size and store a code, improve its portability, and easily perform various input operations. The purpose is to provide a small mouse that can be reliably operated.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the small mouse according to claim 1 has two recesses formed on the exterior body so that the two fingers are placed so as to be sandwiched by the two fingers. , A switch that is pressed by a finger other than the two depressions on the exterior body is arranged, and the small mouse is moved while holding the small mouse with the two fingers applied to the two depressions. It is configured to be pressed for input operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the small mouse, a thumb and a middle finger of a person's hand are placed in the two recesses of the exterior body, and one switch is arranged to perform a pressing operation on the exterior body in the direction of the index finger. It is configured to be.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small mouse in which two thumbs and ring fingers of a person's hand are placed in the two recesses of the exterior body, and two switches for performing a pressing operation on the exterior body in the pointing direction of the index finger and the middle finger. Is arranged.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the small mouse, the thumb and the little finger of a person's hand are put on the two recessed portions of the exterior body, and the exterior body in the pointing direction of the index finger, the middle finger, and the third finger is pressed. This is a configuration in which two switches are arranged.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the small mouse, the thumb and the ring finger of a human hand are put on the two recessed portions of the exterior body, and the exterior body in the pointing direction of the index finger, the middle finger and the little finger is pressed. This is a configuration in which two switches are arranged.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the small mouse, the exterior body is hemispherical in shape, and two recesses are formed on the side surfaces of the hemisphere, which are divided in both directions from the center of the hemisphere.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the small mouse, the exterior body has a quadrangular shape, and two recessed portions are formed on both parallel side surfaces.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small mouse in which a concave portion is provided on a peripheral side surface of the exterior body, and a cord for sending an output signal from the device is wound around the concave portion to be housed.

[0014]

According to the small mouse of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, two small recesses are provided on both sides of the hemispherical exterior body, or two small recesses are provided on both sides of the square exterior body in parallel. The thumb and the middle finger of a person's hand are applied to the two recesses, and the whole is held and moved, and one switch is pressed with the index finger to perform an input operation. Therefore, it becomes possible to move the small mouse by sandwiching it with two fingers, and the entire mouse is miniaturized and input as compared to the mouse that is wrapped and moved by the commonly used palm. The operation is easy and reliable.

The small mouse according to any one of claims 3 to 7 has a human body in the two recesses provided on both sides of the hemispherical exterior body, or the two recesses provided on both sides of the square exterior body in parallel. The thumb and ring finger of the hand are applied to hold and move the entire small mouse, and the input operation is performed by pressing two switches with the index finger and the middle finger. The thumb and little finger of a person's hand are applied to the two depressions, or the thumb and the ring finger are applied to hold and move the entire small mouse, and the index finger, the middle finger and the ring finger, or the index finger, the middle finger and I press the three switches with my little finger. Therefore, the entire device can be downsized, and various input operations can be performed easily and reliably.

In the small mouse according to the eighth aspect, a cord for sending an output signal from the device is wound around and housed in a recess provided on the peripheral side surface of the exterior body. Therefore, the entire size is reduced, the input operation is performed easily and surely, the cord does not interfere with the transportation, and the portability is improved.

[0017]

Embodiments of the small mouse of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B show the external configuration of a first embodiment of a small mouse of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a top view of the external configuration, FIG. 1B is a side view of the external configuration, and FIG. 1C is the external configuration of FIG. A rear view and (d) are bottom views of the external configuration. In FIG. 1, this example shows an oval recess 2 for putting a thumb and a recess 3 for putting a ring finger on the left and right sides of a hemispherical exterior body 1 made by plastic molding or the like.
Are formed. Further, the small mouse has a tip switch (upper part in the drawing) for pressing a switch 4 for giving an input instruction (coordinate instruction, execution processing, etc.) to an information processing device such as a computer or a word processor to which the small mouse is connected. , 5 and coordinate data from the small mouse, and a code 6 for outputting the input instruction signal and the like.

The cord 6 is pulled out through a bush 7 which is a damper arranged on the exterior body 1. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1B to 1C, a ball that comes into contact with the table top surface and rotates from the bottom is partially exposed.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the inside of the small mouse shown in FIG. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the ball 8 is pressed by the table surface and slightly displaced when being operated,
At this time, an X-axis rotating member 10 that is in contact with and rotates according to the rotation of the ball 8 is provided. Furthermore, this X
The Y-axis rotating member 11 arranged orthogonal to the axis rotating member 10.
And an X-coordinate detection encoder 13 provided at one end of the X-axis rotating member 10 for detecting the amount of rotation of this member as X-coordinate displacement data, and provided at one end of the Y-axis rotating member 11 to measure the amount of rotation of this member. A Y-coordinate detection encoder 14 that detects the Y-coordinate displacement data is provided.

The X-coordinate detection encoder 13 and the Y-coordinate detection encoder 14 have a conventional structure including a slit disk, a light emitting element and a light receiving element. In addition, an X-coordinate detection encoder 13 and a Y-coordinate detection encoder 14 are arranged in the exterior body 1 of the small mouse, and pulse waveforms detected by this encoder are counted to generate displacement amount data. An electric circuit for outputting is provided.

This electric circuit is mounted on a circuit board (not shown). In addition, press switch 4,
5 pins and a cord 6 are connected. Further, the cord 6 also uses a cable thinner than a cable having a diameter used conventionally. This is because the small mouse is moved with a human finger as described in detail below, so that the movement does not become unreasonable.

Next, the function of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the small mouse of the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, this small mouse is placed on a table and operated with only four fingers. First, in the case of a right-handed person, the thumb Ma is placed in the depression 2 and the ring finger Mb is placed in the depression 3.
Guess In this case, the exterior body 1 is lightly pressed in the central direction by the thumb Ma and the ring finger Mb so as to be sandwiched, and the state is maintained. Next, the index finger Mc is applied to the push switch 4. Further, the middle finger Md is applied to the push switch 5. In this case, the little finger Me is not used.

In this state, the entire small mouse is freely moved on the table to give an instruction on the display screen of the information processing device (not shown), and the pressing switch 4 or the pressing switch 5 is pressed with the index finger Mc or the middle finger Md. , Perform the input operation.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the entire small mouse is sandwiched between the thumb Ma and the ring finger Mb so that the entire mouse is held and moved, and the pressing switch 4 or the pressing switch 5 is pressed by the index finger Mc or the middle finger Md. Press the button to perform the input operation. In other words, this small mouse is required to have a size that can be held by being sandwiched by the index finger Mc or the middle finger Md, and a size of the exterior body 1 that can store the internal configuration. In other words, as described above, the entire mouse can be downsized as compared with a conventional mouse that moves by wrapping it in the entire palm.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, three push switches can be operated. FIG. 4 is a top view showing the configuration of the second embodiment. In FIG. 4, pressing switches 11, 12, and 13 are arranged at the tip of the exterior body 1, which is the upper part of the drawing. The internal structure of the outer package 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

Next, the function of the second embodiment will be described. A thumb of a person's hand is placed on the depression 2 of the outer package 1, and a little finger is placed on the depression 3. The thumb and the little finger sandwich and hold the whole of the small mouse, and the forefinger is put on the push switch 11 and the middle finger is put on the push switch 12. Furthermore, the ring finger is applied to the push switch 13. The subsequent operations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As described above, in the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, the entire small mouse can be held and moved by pinching it with the thumb and the little finger. Further, the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger can be used to perform an input operation by pressing the push switches 11, 12, and 13. That is, more various input operations can be performed. Also in this case, the entire outer shape can be downsized.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the outer shape is rectangular or quadrangular. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the third embodiment. In FIG. 5, this configuration is basically the same as in the first and second embodiments, but the thumbs are put on the left and right sides of the exterior body 11, and the depression 12 for holding the entire body and the ring finger are provided. A depression 13 for applying is formed.

Further, the tip of this small mouse is
Press switches 14 and 15 for giving an input instruction (coordinate instruction, instruction for processing execution, etc.) to an information processing apparatus such as a computer or word processor to which the small mouse is connected,
Coordinate data from the small mouse, a code 16 for outputting the input instruction signal, and a bush 17 are provided. In addition, a hemispherical protrusion 11a is provided in the center of the exterior body 11, and a ball (not shown) is accommodated in the protrusion 11a.

Next, the function of the third embodiment will be described. The function of each part in the configuration shown in FIG.
This is the same as the embodiment and is the same as the usage shown in FIG. That is, the thumb is placed on the depression 12 and the ring finger is placed on the depression 13. In this case, the exterior body 11 is lightly pressed in the center direction by the thumb and the ring finger, and the whole body is sandwiched and held. Next, the index finger is applied to the pressure switch 14, and the middle finger is applied to the pressure switch 15. Also in this case, the little finger is not used.

In this state, the entire small mouse is freely moved on the table to give an instruction on the display screen of the information processing apparatus (not shown), and the pressing switch 14 or the pressing switch 15 is pressed with the index finger or the middle finger to Perform input operation.

As described above, since the outer shape of the third embodiment is rectangular or quadrangular, for example, it becomes easy to store the whole by fitting it into the recess provided in the information processing apparatus P. In particular, it can be easily carried by being housed in a housing of a small-sized B5 size personal computer, a palm-sized word processor or the like.
That is, portability is improved.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the cord can be stored in the small mouse itself. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of the fourth embodiment. 6, in this example, a concave portion 11b is formed in the lower part and the periphery of the outer casing 11 in the configuration of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the cord 16 when the small mouse is not used is formed in the concave portion 11b. It is wrapped and stored. Other configurations and functions are the same as those in the third embodiment. In this case, the plug 16a at the tip of the cord is not housed in the recess 11b.

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, a push switch is further added to the third embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 7, this example is basically the same as the configuration of the third embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the protruding portion 11 a and the depressions 12 and 13 are formed on the exterior body 11.
Is formed, and the push switches 14 and 15 and the cord 1 are formed.
6 and a bush 17 are provided. Further, a pressure switch 20 as a fifth embodiment is provided on one side surface (upper part in the drawing) of the exterior body 11 on the cord 16 side.

Next, the function of the fifth embodiment will be described. The function of each part in the configuration shown in FIG.
The configuration is basically the same as that of the third embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the thumb is placed on the depression 12 and the ring finger is placed on the depression 13. In this case, the exterior body 11 is lightly pressed in the center direction by the thumb and the ring finger, and the whole body is held so as to be sandwiched.
Next, the index finger is applied to the pressure switch 14, and the middle finger is applied to the pressure switch 15. Further, the little finger is put on the pressing switch 20.

In this state, the entire small mouse is freely moved on the table, an instruction is given on the display screen of the information processing device (not shown), and the pressing switch 14 or the pressing switch 15 is pressed with the index finger or the middle finger, Perform the input operation. Further, the push switch 20 is pushed with the little finger to perform the input operation.

As described above, since the outer shape of the fifth embodiment is rectangular or quadrangular, it can be easily fitted into the recess provided in the information processing apparatus, and the portability can be improved. Since the push switch 20 is added,
More various input operations are possible. In the fifth embodiment as well, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a recess may be formed in the lower part and the periphery of the outer package 11, and a cord may be wound around this part for storage.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 as well, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a recess is formed in the lower part and the periphery of the outer package, and a cord is wound around this part for storage. May be. Further, although two pressing switches are provided in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5, one may be provided. In this case, the thumb and the middle finger are held against the depression and held, and one pressing switch is pressed with the index finger. Further, although the recess of each example is formed so as to be recessed directly from the member surface of the exterior body, the edge of the recess may be formed in a convex shape so that the finger can be easily applied. Further, the depressions are symmetrical and have the same size, but if the shape of the depression is changed in consideration of the contact condition of the finger, it becomes easier to handle.

[0039]

As is clear from the above description, according to the small mouse of the first, second, sixth, and seventh aspects, the two recesses or the quadrangular shape provided on both sides of the hemispherical exterior body are provided. The thumb and middle finger of a person's hand are applied to the two recesses provided on both sides of the exterior body in parallel, and the whole is held and moved.
Since the input operation is performed by pressing one switch with the index finger, the small mouse can be moved by sandwiching it with two fingers, and the entire mouse can be downsized, and the input operation can be performed easily and reliably. Has the effect.

The small mouse according to any one of claims 3 to 7 has a human body in the two recesses provided on both sides of the hemispherical exterior body or the two recesses provided on both sides of the square exterior body in parallel. Hold the whole small mouse and move it with your thumb and ring finger. Furthermore, while pressing the two switches with the index finger and the middle finger to perform the input operation, put the thumb and little finger of the person's hand or the thumb and ring finger on the two depressions to hold the entire small mouse. And three fingers are pressed with the index finger, middle finger and ring finger, or index finger, middle finger and little finger, the entire size is reduced and various input operations are easy and reliable. It has the effect of being able to.

In the small mouse according to the eighth aspect, since the cord for transmitting the output signal from the device is wound around the concave portion provided on the peripheral side surface of the outer casing, the cord does not hinder the transportation. It has the effect of improving its portability.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are external views of a first embodiment of a small mouse of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a top view, FIG. 1B is a side view, FIG. 1C is a rear view, and FIG.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing the outline of the internal configuration of the small mouse shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the small mouse of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing the configuration of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fifth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 11 Exterior body 11a Projection part 11b Recessed part 2, 3, 12, 13 Depression 4, 5, 11-14, 15, 20 Press switch 6,16 Code 8 ball 13 X coordinate detection encoder 14 Y coordinate detection encoder

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A switch in which two recesses for putting the fingers on the exterior body are formed so as to be sandwiched between the two fingers, and a pressing operation is performed by a finger other than the two recesses of the exterior body. Is arranged, and the small mouse is moved while holding the small mouse with two fingers applied to the two recesses, and the input operation is performed by pressing the switch with another finger. 2. A switch for placing a thumb and a middle finger of a person's hand on the exterior body in the directivity direction of the forefinger and arranging one switch for pressing the exterior body in the directing direction of the index finger. The small mouse according to claim 1. 3. The thumb and ring finger of a person's hand are applied to the two recessed portions of the exterior body, and two switches for performing a pressing operation are arranged on the exterior body in the directional directions of the index finger and the middle finger. The small mouse according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 4. The thumb and the little finger of a human hand are placed on the two recessed portions of the exterior body, and three switches for performing a pressing operation on the exterior body in the directional directions of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger are arranged. The small mouse according to claim 1, characterized in that 5. The thumb and the ring finger of a person's hand are applied to the two recessed portions of the exterior body, and three switches for performing a pressing operation on the exterior body in the directional directions of the index finger, the middle finger, and the little finger are arranged. The small mouse according to claim 1, characterized in that 6. The outer package has a hemispherical shape, and two recesses are formed on side surfaces of the hemispherical surface that are distributed in both directions from the center of the hemisphere. Small mouse. 7. The small mouse according to claim 1, wherein the exterior body has a quadrangular shape and two recesses are formed on both side surfaces in parallel. 8. A recess is provided on a peripheral side surface of the exterior body, and a cord for sending an output signal from the device is wound around the recess to be housed.
The small mouse according to 4, 5, 6 or 7.