Trackball device
Patent 4404865 Issued on September 20, 1983. Estimated Expiration Date: 
February 10, 2002. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
February 10, 2002. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesInventorAssigneeApplicationNo. 06/347469 filed on 02/10/1982US Classes:74/471XY, Control moves in two planes250/231.14, Incremental shaft readers; i.e., with means to generate increments of angular shaft rotation345/167, Trackball463/38, Pivotally-translatable handle (e.g., joystick, etc.)476/36FRICTION GEAR IS BALLExaminersPrimary: Staab, Lawrence J.Assistant: Bednarek, Michael D. Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassG06F 3/033 (20060101)AbstractA trackball device includes a housing containing a plurality of rotatable supports and a ball seated thereon with a portion of the ball projecting through an opening in the housing for manual rotation by a user. First and second ones of the supports comprise shafts respectively rotatable about orthogonally related axes, the shafts being rotatably mounted in bearings receivable in slots in the housing accommodating slight movement thereof in directions perpendicular to the plane of the ball opening. Bias springs resiliently urge the bearings, and thereby the shafts and ball toward the ball opening. The device may also include illumination means and a light-transmitting ball.Field of SearchMultiple controlled elements | |
