Patent Application
20050057505
This invention relates to a mouse used as a pointing device for an information processing unit such as a personal computer.
Conventionally a mouse used as a pointing device for a personal computer is a general semiellipse in a side view and used with making its bottom face contact with an upper face of a top plate.
When using a mouse having the above shape, whole of the mouse is slightly gripped with keeping fingers usually stretched and a button is pushed with keeping the fingers stretched.
However, in accordance with the mouse having the above shape, it might be difficult for a small hand to put a finger on the button naturally with keeping the mouse slightly gripped.
It is considered to be effective to downsize the mouse in order just to simply avoid the above problem. However, it is not good for a person with a big hand if the mouse is downsized because a length of a finger will be too long to grip the mouse slightly and to put the finger on the button. This may cause a problem that the finger has to be folded unnaturally in order to put the finger on the button.
The present claimed invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and discloses an arrangement of a mouse that can be operated in a more natural posture irrespective of a size of a hand.
A mouse in accordance with the present claimed invention is used as a pointing device for an information processing unit such as a personal computer and is characterized by that a space into which an operator can insert his or her finger is arranged under a button as an input operating portion.
In accordance with the arrangement, a size of the body can be so made that a person with a small hand can operate the mouse with keeping his or her hand put on the button with ease and that a person with a big hand can operate the mouse with keeping his or her finger put on the button and an extra portion of the finger put into the space, which makes it possible to operate the mouse comfortably irrespective of a size of the hand of the operator.
Further, if the button can be operated with a pulling movement of the finger, it is possible to operate the button with keeping the finger put on the button and the extra portion of the finger put into the space without replacing the finger. As a result, the mouse can be operated with ease irrespective of a size of a hand.
As a concrete embodiment of the mouse represented is that a projecting portion is arranged on an upper portion to project forward and generally horizontally and the projecting portion is so formed to have the button at a distal end portion thereof.
In addition, as a concrete embodiment of the mouse wherein the button can be pushed with the pulling movement of the finger represented is that a face of the button to receive an operational force faces at least forward. In accordance with the arrangement, the button can be pushed down toward the operator by an operational force from the forward. The term “a face to receive an operational force faces at least forward” here is a concept including a whole meaning that the button goes under when an operational force from the forward is applied to the button.
Further, in order to make the button go under when an operational force is applied to the button from the front and the upward it is preferable that the face of the button to receive an operational force stands from the front lower edge portion of the projecting portion toward a rear upper direction.
In order to make it possible to operate the above-mentioned mouse comfortably it is preferable that a height of a fingertip locates between an upper surface of the top plate and an upper edge of the button with keeping a condition that a standard body-built person puts his or her finger on the button. In accordance with the arrangement, a fingertip will not touch the top plate when the finger is put on the button and the finger is pulled to operate the button.
In order to make it more comfortably to operate the mouse it is preferable that the front end portion of the projecting portion is in a tapered shape toward the front. In accordance with the arrangement, it is possible to put a finger of the operator on the button without stretching the finger by force.
In order to make it easy to grip the body of the mouse it may be so arranged that the space reaches a part under a proximal end portion of the projecting portion and a thumb and an annular finger or a pinkie are inserted into the space so that a lower portion of the body can be gripped with the thumb and the annular finger or the pinkie. In accordance with the arrangement it is possible to grip the mouse naturally from the back, front, right and left directions with the thumb and the annular finger or the pinkie.
In order to make it easy to move the mouse irrespective of a size of a hand it is preferable that a hand placing portion on which a hand can be put is arranged under the body having the button. In accordance with the arrangement, there is no need of gripping the mouse since the mouse can be moved with keeping the wrist or the hand put on the hand placing portion.
In the present claimed invention “forward” indicates a direction heading toward a fingertip of an operator who grips the mouse.
As mentioned above, since the mouse of the present claimed invention has the space into which the finger can be inserted under the button as the input operating portion, it is possible to set a size of the body so that even an operator with a small hand can put his or her finger on the buttons with keeping the body gripped easily and that an operator with a big hand can insert an excessive part of his or her finger into the space when operating the buttons. As a result, the mouse can be operated comfortably by anyone regardless of a size of the hand.
An embodiment of the present claimed invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A mouse M in accordance with the embodiment, whose perspective is shown in
More concretely, as shown in
The hand placing portion 2 has, as shown in
The traveling direction detecting portion 3 comprises, as shown in
The mouse M having the above arrangement is used, as shown in
As shown in
More concretely, the buttons 11, 12 are so arranged that each of its lower end locates at a front lower edge portion of the projecting portion 1a and a face to receive an operating force stands from the front lower edge portion of the projecting portion 1a toward a rear upper direction and faces a front upper side direction. When the index finger F1 or the middle finger F2 is pulled toward the operator so as to operate the buttons 11, 12, each distal end portion of the fingers F1 and F2 moves toward the operator in the space S. The space S reaches under a proximal end portion of the projecting portion 1a so that the thumb and the annular finger F3 are inserted into the space S and the lower portion of the body 1 can be gripped with the thumb and the annular finger F3 from the back, front, right and left directions.
Further, the mouse M can be moved with keeping the hand put on the hand placing portion 2 and the wrist, an outer portion of the thumb and an outer portion of the pinkie can be placed on the hand placing portion 2.
In accordance with this arrangement, since a size of the body 1 is so set that even an operator with a small hand can put his or her index finger F1 and middle finger F2 on the buttons 11, 12 with keeping the body 1 gripped and that an operator with a big hand can insert an excessive part of his or her finger into the space S when operating the buttons 11, 12, it is possible for anyone to operate the mouse M comfortably regardless of a size of the hand.
In addition, since the buttons 11, 12 can be operated by pulling the finger toward the operator, it is possible to operate the mouse M with ease with keeping the finger inserted into the space S.
Further, since the face of the buttons 11, 12 to receive the operating force is arranged to face a front upper direction, the face of the buttons 11, 12 to receive the operating force goes under due to the operating force from the front direction when the finger is pulled, thereby to operate the buttons 11, 12 naturally by pulling the finger.
Since the projecting portion 1a of the body 1 is tapered toward the forward and the buttons 11, 12 and the wheel 13 are arranged at the front, it is possible to operate the buttons 11, 12 and the wheel 13 with positioning the finger at a desired position.
Further, since the hand placing portion 2 is arranged under the body 1, it is possible to move the mouse M with keeping the wrist or the hand put on the placing portion 2, which makes it possible to move the mouse M even for a person who can not grip the body 1 because his or her hand is injured.
In addition, since the body 1 is arranged to stand from the sheet-shaped hand placing portion 2, an arrangement of the hand placing portion 2 can be simplified.
Further, since the hand placing face 2a is made of the soft material, the hand placing face 2a transforms itself by following a posture of the operator handling the mouse M and supports the hand with the hand placing face 2a irrespective of a posture of the operator handling the mouse M, which makes the mouse M user-friendly and soft to the touch. The hand placing portion 2 absorbs a load on the wrist, thereby to effectively prevent tendovaginitis or callus.
In addition, since the sliding portion 23 made of tetrafluoroethylene resin is arranged around the traveling direction detecting portion 3, it is possible to move the mouse M smoothly on the top plate.
The present claimed invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.
For example, a shape of the body 1 may not be tapered toward the forward. It is possible to operate a mouse comfortably as far as a space is arranged under a button.
The hand placing portion may not be in a shape of a sheet. For example, it may be formed in a shape of a plate. Or a dent is arranged on a mouse to place a hand on so that an inner side of the dent constitutes the body and the dent constitutes the hand placing portion. The hand placing portion may be omitted.
Further, if the face of the button to receive the operational force faces upward, it is possible to operate the button by pulling the finger even though a shape of a body is different from the above-mentioned shape of the body 1. In addition, if the face of the button to receive the operational force does not face upward, the mouse can be operated comfortably irrespective of a size of a hand as far as a space is arranged under the button.
The space is not necessarily continuous from a part under the front end of the projecting portion to a part under the proximal end portion of the projecting portion. It is possible to grip a mouse with taking a natural posture as far as a space is arranged at a portion a thumb touches and a portion an index finger or a pinkie touches.
The button is not necessarily operated by a movement of pulling a finger. If a space is arranged under a button, it is possible operate a mouse comfortably irrespective of a size of a hand as far as the button is so arranged to be operated with a portion near a proximal end of a finger.
In addition, the traveling direction detecting portion may have the same arrangement as that of a well-known traveling direction detecting portion as a ball-type mouse.
The sliding portion may be made of a material other than tetrafluoroethylene resin and the sliding portion itself may be omitted.
Other component may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.
