Patent Grant
7817137
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a computer mouse. More particularly, the invention relates to such a computer mouse with a sliding cover when the sliding cover is closed, the computer mouse of the present invention may be used as a regular computer mouse; when the sliding cover is opened, a user may access the control keys. The computer mouse of the present invention has a nice appearance and an ergonomic design and is easy to use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most of the modern electronic devices have a screen. Take computer as example; a user may use a mouse to move the cursor on the screen or to activate something by pointing the cursor at a certain place corresponding to a particular function and clicking on it. The mouse can sense the user's motion and clicks and send them to the computer so it can respond appropriately. The computer mouse is easy to use.
In the beginning, the computer mouse has only one button; later, the computer mouse has two buttons and then three buttons; then, the third button was evolved into a scroll wheel with the function of a button Then, more buttons were provided on the computer mouse, but such design did not acquire much market share because we only have four fingers and one thumb on our hand and such design was not ergonomic.
With the fast advancement of the hardware and software of electronic devices, computer may be used for ordinary purposes and briefings and even as a home entertainment center. Therefore, various types of input devices (such as pointing pen, joy stick and media player remote control) are to be provided.
In the related art, mice with more control keys have been developed. However, the additional control keys affect the appearance of a mouse and hinder the regular use of a mouse; in addition, these keys are easily pressed by accident.
To eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art, the inventor has put in a lot of effort in the subject and has successfully come up with the computer mouse of the present invention. During the regular use, the control keys may be hidden by the sliding cover; when a user needs to access the control keys, he may open the sliding cover. Also, such sliding cover would not increase the size of a computer mouse and would not affect the nice appearance of a computer mouse.
The present invention is to provide a computer mouse in which a sliding cover is used to hide several control keys so that the mouse may have additional functions and may be used in more applications.
The present invention is to provide a computer mouse in which the sliding cover does not affect the size or nice appearance of the mouse so that a user may use the mouse as a regular mouse and may use it easily.
The present invention is to provide a computer mouse in which the sliding cover has an arcuate shape and may be slid open in an arcuate manner so as to enhance the appearance of the mouse and to make the mouse of the present invention more popular.
The computer mouse of the present invention comprises a sliding cover and a control platform. The sliding cover is disposed on the top surface of the computer mouse, and the control platform is disposed under the sliding cover. Several control keys are provided on the control platform. Two rails are provided on the sliding cover and two grooves are provided on the computer mouse so that the sliding cover may be slid downwards. A trigger switch or a sensor may be used so that the control keys may be automatically activated when the sliding cover is slid downwards. During the regular use, the control keys may be hidden by the sliding cover, and the use may use the mouse like a regular mouse. When a user needs to access the control keys, he may open the sliding cover by sliding the sliding cover downwards.
The drawings disclose an illustrative embodiment of the present invention which serves to exemplify the various advantages and objects hereof, and are as follows:
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Because a user uses the control keys 31 occasionally, the control keys 31 may be deactivated most of the time; they may be activated when the user needs to use them so as to save electricity. A switch 32 may be disposed on the control platform 3 and may be used to activate and deactivate the control keys 31. Alternatively, a trigger switch (not shown in the drawings) may be provided on the area connecting the sliding cover 2 with the computer mouse 1 so that the control keys 31 may be activated when the sliding cover 2 is slid downwards. Also, a sensor may be used to activate the control keys 31. Other methods may be used to achieve the same purpose, and these methods should be included in the scope of the present invention.
The activation mechanism and the circuits of the control keys 31 and the relevant electricity supplying mechanism and interface are disposed inside the computer mouse 1. This has been well known in the art, and we will not elaborate on it.
Many changes and modifications in the above described embodiment of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6304249 | Derocher et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6323842 | Krukovsky | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 20070188452 | Chen et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20080186277 A1 | Aug 2008 | US |
