American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

At&t Bell Laboratories

Michael G Grisham

David C Danielson

David C Stowers

Gihyun Cho

James J Hartmann

David F Prontnicki

Telephone station having a touch-screen display

Combined voice and data terminal or similar article

A manipulandum contained in a portable housing unit adapted for grasping by hand and situated at one end thereof within an area reachable by the thumb without rearranging the grasp. In one preferred embodiment, the manipulandum is a joystick extending a short distance from the surface of the housing, with its center of neutral position being essentially perpendicular to the center line of the elongated segment in the neighborhood of the joystick. The joystick has a fixed number of positions, with each position being contained within a preselected solid angle. An additional control dimension is realized by moving the joystick along its axis, against a resilient spring, so as to activate or make contact with an electrical switch.

Thumb-controlled, hand-held joystick

Growing community of inventors

New York, NY, United States of America

Michael G Grisham