Mouseless optical and position translation type screen pointer control

Abstract

A mouseless, optical and position translation type screen pointer control images a portion of the texture or fingerprint on one of the user's digits, which may be a thumb or a finger. Motion of the digit produces motion of the image that is detected by a movement sensor and is translated into corresponding motion of the screen pointer. The digit is placed onto an end of a rod lens that either extends upward amongst the keys: say, proximate the junction of the 'H', 'J', 'Y' and 'U' keys; or, horizontally outward from the front edge of the keyboard. As the image 'moves' within the movement sensor a portion of it disappears from the field of view, and is replaced with other image patterns. A sufficiently changed image is maintained as a new current image, which then itself changes, and so on. A comparison between a reference frame (previous image) and the current frame (present image) allows detection of the amount and direction of image motion. These detected amounts corresponds to rotation of a mouse ball, and are sent to the computer's software to be treated as such. Since there is now no mouse, the buttons or switches that are part of a regular mouse may be replicated as separate keys on the keyboard. The SPACE bar may be shortened to provided room for these new keys.