Cursor control stick

Abstract

A cursor control stick includes a rigid tube having an outwardly-tapering conical throughbore and horizontal protrusions at its base, and a plunger having an outwardly-tapering conical body shaped in correspondence with the throughbore. The plunger slidably fits inside the rigid tube and includes a neck which extends beyond the rigid tube and which is adapted to be manipulated by the user. Electrically-conductive biasing means is disposed beneath and in contact with the plunger, and pressure sensitive resistive material is disposed beneath and in contact with the horizontal protrusions. A base containing electrical circuitry is disposed beneath both the electrically-conductive biasing means and the pressure sensitive resistive material. The plunger is manipulable by the user between a depressed position and an undepressed position such that in the undepressed position the conical body of the plunger engages the conical throughbore of the rigid tube, and in the depressed position the conical body disengages the conical throughbore as the plunger moves downwardly inside the rigid tube. In response to a lateral force applied to the plunger in the undepressed position, the horizontal protrusions deform the pressure sensitive resistive material to complete an electric circuit which signals movement of the cursor on the computer screen. In the depressed position, the electrically-conductive biasing means is deformed so that the electrically-conductive biasing means contacts the base containing electrical circuitry and completes an electric circuit thereon which signals selection of an item on the computer screen.