Force sensitive transducer for use in a computer keyboard
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Force sensitive transducer for use in a computer keyboard is a strain sensitive transducer that consists of a sheet of conductive material that slices against an upstanding columnar sensor which provides the pointing functions of a graphical user interface device, so the force that is applied to the column is measured accordingly. The patent number 5489900 was granted on 1996. [1]
Description
Force sensitive transducer for use in a computer keyboard
- Inventors: : Matthew F. Cali, Jerome J. Cuomo, Donald J. Mikalsen, Joseph D. Rutledge, and Edwin J. Selker.
- Patent number: 5489900
- Filing date: 3 June 1994
- Issue date: 6 February 1996
- Assigned to: IBM
Improvements
The improvements that were outlined by the inventors are as follow:
(1) The adoption of a flexible sheet of plastic - due to its malleable properties, so patterns could be implemented onto the column, as opposed to the prior method which involved adhering separate strain gauges to the column, or imprinting patterns into a ceramic sensor.
(2) An improved force sensor as mentioned above.
(3) A new method to fabricate a force sensor.
Cited patents
- US patent 3673354, Fujio Oda, "Semiconductor stress transducer", issued 2 June 1972, assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
- US patent 3691316, Fujio Oda, "Semiconductor stress transducer", issued 4 May 1970, assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
- US patent 4322707, Werner Ort, "Strain gage transducer with a foil strain gage arrangement secured to a spring", issued 30 March 1982, assigned to Hottinger Baldwin Measurements, Inc.
- US patent 5124689, "Integrated keyboard and pointing device system", issued 23 June 1992, assigned to Home Row, Inc.
- US patent 5231386, Eric L. Brandenburg; Patrick J. Franz; David H. Straayer, "Keyswitch-integrated pointing assembly", issued 27 July 1993, assigned to Home Row, Inc.
- US patent 5252971, Patrick J. Franz, "Data acquisition in a multi-function keyboard system which corrects for preloading of force sensors", issued 12 October 1993, assigned to Home Row, Inc.
- US patent 5278557, Ronald G. Stokes, "Cursor movement control key and electronic computer keyboard for computers having a video display", issued 11 January 1994, assigned to Key Tronic Corporation
Referenced by
- US patent 5640178, Michiko Endo; Mieko Kawamoto; Takashi Arita; Masanori Okahashi, "Pointing device", issued 17 June 1997, assigned to Fujitsu Limited
- US patent 5680154, Sadakazu Shiga; Masaru Komatsu; Minoru Numata, "Operation inputting apparatus", issued 21 October 1997, assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
- US patent 5694123, Edwin Joseph Selker; Michio Suzuki; Tomoyuki Takahaski; Yoshiharu Uchiyama, "Keyboard with integrated pointing device and click buttons with lock down for drag operation in a computer system with a graphical user interface", issued 2 December 1997, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation
- US patent 5754166, Ikuo Baba, "Coordinate input device", issued 19 May 1998, assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
- US patent 5754167, Tsuyoshi Narusawa; Yoichi Hattori; Ryouichi Maeda, "Coordinate inputting device for a computer keyboard", issued 19 May 1998, assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
- US patent 5811694, Boris Kamentser; Eugenia Kamentser; Michael C. Scofield, "Force transducer", issued 22 September 1998, assigned to Bokam Engineering Bourns, Inc.
- US patent 5877749, Sadakazu Shiga; Masaru Komatsu; Minoru Numata, "Operation inputting apparatus", issued 2 March 1999, assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
- US patent 5894301, Lewis L. Seffernick, "Collar mounted pointing stick", issued 13 April 1999, assigned to CST Corporation
- US patent 5912612, Dean R. DeVolpi, "Multi-speed multi-direction analog pointing device", issued 15 June 1999
- US patent 5940063, Masaru Komatsu, "Coordinate input apparatus", issued 17 August 1999, assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
- US patent 5966117, Lewis L. Seffernick; Robert M. VandenBoom; Mark N. Grube; David L. Poole, "Z-axis sensing pointing stick with base as strain concentrator", issued 12 October 1999, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6002388, Lewis L. Seffernick, "Pointing stick having a flexible interposer", issued 14 December 1999, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patentp 6040823, Lewis L. Seffernick, "Computer keyboard having top molded housing with rigid pointing stick integral and normal to front surface of housing as one unit part to be used with strain sensors in navigational control", issued 21 March 2000, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6067005, Dean R. DeVolpi, "Multi-speed multi-direction analog pointing device", issued 23 May 2000
- US patent 6121954, Lewis L. Seffernick, "Unified bodied z-axis sensing pointing stick", issued 19 September 2000, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6137475, Steven N. Ginn; James N. Hufford; John Zdanys, Jr., "Pointing stick having an interposer connecting layer", issued 24 October 2000, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6195082, Kim Wesley May; Edwin Joseph Selker; Barton Allen Smith, "Low noise circuit board for trackpoint pointing device", issued 27 February 2001, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation
- US patent 6222524, Christopher Jesse Salem, "Mouth operated input device for an electronically responsive device", issued 24 April 2001, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation
- US patent 6239786, Stephen W. Burry; Nelson T. Clark; Ronald J. Dedert; Mark Grube, Timothy L. Hartigan; David L. Poole; Dennis Raesner; Lewis L. Seffernick; Ronald Stuckey; Eric B. Taylor; Robert M. VandenBoom, "Pointing stick with top mounted z-axis sensor", issued 29 May 2001, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6243077, Alan Manara; Michael C. Scofield; Blake Cheal, "Sensor and circuit architecture for three axis strain gauge pointing device and force transducer", issued 5 June 2001, assigned to Boourns, Inc.
- US patent 6323840, Steven L. Steinbrunner, "Surface-mount pointing device", issued 27 November 2001, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6331849, Robert M. VandenBoom, "Integrated surface-mount pointing device", issued 18 December 2001, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6356257, Kazuo Kaneo, "Input device", issued 12 March 2002
- US patent 6359613, David L. Poole, "Pointing stick having chip resistors", issued 19 March 2002
- US patent 6445382, David L. Poole, "Keyboard with integrated pointing stick cable", issued 3 September 2002, assigned to CTS Corporation
- US patent 6486871, Victor Marten, "Pointing device with Z-axis functionality and reduced component count", issued 26 November 2002, assigned to Semtech Corporation
- US patent 6512510, Ryoichi Maeda, "Keyboard device with pointing device using strain gauges incorporated therein", issued 28 January 2003, assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
- US patent 6654004, Roger Philip Hoggarth, "Control post or joystick electromechanically engaging a keypad-centered pointer device for a laptop computer or the like", issued 25 November 2003, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation
- US patent 6970159, Robin S. Gray, "Mouse printing device with integrated touch pad button", issued 29 November 2005
- US patent 7126586, Xie Jianping; Ming Hai; Zhao Tianpeng; Lv Liang; Gui Huaqiao; Yuan Kong; Craig S. Ranta, "Data input devices and methods for detecting movement of a tracking surface by detecting laser doppler self-mixing effects of a frequency modulated laser light beam", issued 24 October 2006, assigned to Microsoft Corporation
- US patent 7176891, Atsuomi Inukai, "Pointing device, keyboard mounting the pointing device, and electronic device provided with the keyboard", issued 13 February 2007, assigned to Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- US patent 7292232, Craig S. Ranta; John M. Lutian, "Data input devices and methods for detecting movement of a tracking surface by a laser speckle pattern", issued 6 November 2007, assigned to Microsoft Corporation
- US patent 7451664, Casey Hanlon, "User interface force sensor system", issued 18 November 2008, assigned to Honeywell International Inc.
- US patent 7476952, Vladimir Vaganov, "Semiconductor input control device", issued 13 January 2009
- US patent 7554167, Vladimir Vaganov, "Three dimensional analog input control device", issued 30 June 2009
- US patent 7772657, Vladimir Vaganov, "Three-dimensional force input control device and fabrication", issued 10 August 2010
- US patent 7804680, Kevin Mundt; Ron Langerhans; James R. Utz, "System and method for connecting information handling system with a unified keyboard and mouse cable", issued 28 September 2010, assigned to Dell Products L.P.
- US patent 7880247, Vladimir Vaganov, "Semiconductor input control device", issued 1 February 2011
- US patent 7918140, Huang Shih-Lang, "Stress sensor and electronic device with same", issued 5 April 2011, assigned to Elan Microelectronics Corp.
- US patent 8004052, Vladimir Vaganov, "Three-dimensional analog input control device", issued 23 August 2011
- US patent 8053267, Vladimir Vaganov, "Three-dimensional force input control device and fabrication", issued 8 November 2011
Images
References
- ↑ US patent 5489900, Matthew F. Cali; Jerome J. Cuomo; Donald J. Mikalsen; Joseph D. Rutledge; and Edwin J. Selker., "Force sensitive transducer for use in a computer keyboard", issued 6 February 1996, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation
