The Boeing Company

Eric S Bang

Charles A Pullen

Robert E Chaney

Rebecca S Mowry

John L Groce, Deceased

A cursor control device (20) suitable for use with a computer-controlled display (66) is disclosed. The cursor control device (20) includes a touch-pad controller (24) and interface electronics (22) that produce cursor control output signals (40) suitable for controlling the location of a cursor on the computer-controlled display (66). The touch-pad controller (24) includes a housing (28) having: (i) a base (39); (ii) a surface (41) that slopes upwardly from the base (39); and a pair of side walls (43) that extend from the base (39) to the sloped surface (41). The slope angle is greater than 10.degree., and preferably is greater than 20.degree.. A touch sensitive pad (26) mounted in the sloped surface (41) senses the location of an object, such as a finger pressing against the touch sensitive pad (26). Further, a thumb switch (30) is mounted in one side wall (43) of the housing (28). The interface electronics (28) are coupled to the touch sensitive pad (26) and to the thumb switch (30) and determine the location and movement (distance and direction) of an object pressing against the touch sensitive pad (26) and the status of the thumb switch (30), The previously mentioned cursor control output signals (40) are produced by the interface electronics (22) based on the object location and movement determinations.

Touch-pad cursor control device

An aircraft navigation control system includes a flight management system control display unit (12), a navigation display unit (40), logic circuitry (60) and a cursor control input device (70). The flight management system control display unit (12) includes a keyboard (30) to allow desired route waypoint modification via keyboard entries. These entries appear on a display (20) which provides a text listing of the selected waypoints. The navigation display (40) produces a graphical depiction of the selected waypoints as provided on the flight management system control display unit (12). In addition, the user may modify or create a new desired route by movement of a cursor (4) on the navigation display (40) to thereby highlight and select various waypoints as depicted on the display (40). By use of this graphical interface via a cursor control device (70) and the cursor (74) on the navigation display (40), a user may create, by a connect the dot approach, a new desired navigation route. Changes so entered on the navigation display (40) by the cursor control device (70) correspondingly create changes in the text display of the control display unit (12).

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Eric S Bang