Spherical coordinates cursor, mouse, and method

Abstract

A three-dimensional computer cursor is controlled by a 3D mouse using the spherical coordinate system, where the computer cursor can move in lines, curves, or geometrical grids in 2D or 3D. The 3D mouse enables the user to interact with the computer games physically by moving the user's hand as in real games where the 3D mouse provides the computer system with the details of the hand movement's rotation. The 3D mouse can be in the shape of a ring where the user can put it on his/her finger to operate the computer. A 3D trackball is also presented to enable the user to move, navigate, or edit in 3D. The invention enables the user to move the computer cursor using the spherical, polar, cylindrical, or Cartesian coordinate system to facilitate using many applications such as the Microsoft Windows Vista, Google Earth, and CAD/CAM/CAE software.

1 . A 3D mouse to provide an input for the three components (θ, φ, and ρ) of the spherical coordinate system to a computer system, wherein said three components represent positional information of a cursor on the computer display, and said 3D mouse is comprised of:
 a) a mouse that is able to provide x and y inputs to the computer system to represent the mouse's movement on a surface.   b) a first scroll wheel  160  on the left side of said mouse which has its axis perpendicular to the mouse pad surface, and can be rotated horizontally clockwise or counterclockwise by the thumb finger to provide, respectively, immediate negative or positive input for θ.   c) a second scroll wheel  170  on the right side of said mouse which has its axis parallel to the mouse pad surface, perpendicular to the axis of the first scroll wheel  160 , and can be rotated vertically clockwise or counterclockwise by the middle or ring finger to provide, respectively, immediate negative or positive input for φ.   d) a third scroll wheel  180  on the top side of said mouse which has its axis parallel to the mouse pad surface, perpendicular to the axes of the first scroll wheel  160  and second scroll wheel  170 , and can be rotated vertically up or down by the index or middle finger to provide, respectively, immediate positive or negative input for ρ.   
   
   
       2 . A computer cursor that can be rotated about its nock to move in a specific direction on the computer display in two and/or three dimensions, where said computer cursor is manipulated by providing an input for the three components (θ, φ, and ρ) of the spherical coordinate system to the computer system, where said cursor is named “Spherical Cursor” and comprised of:
 a) a dotted line  100  serving as a ray reaching all possible target points in the cursor's direction on the computer display.   b) a solid line  110  that represents the radial distal movement length of the cursor ρ, in its determined direction on the dotted line from a starting point  120  to a targeted point  130 .   c) a horizontal circular portion  140  that gives the feeling of the xy-plane and indicates the value of θ.   d) a vertical circular portion  150  that gives the feeling of the cursor rotation in third dimension, perpendicular to the xy-plane and indicates the value of φ.   
   
   
       3 . A method to move the computer cursor in two and/or three dimensions from a start point to a targeted point on the computer display, by providing an input for the three components (θ, φ, and ρ) of the spherical coordinate system to the computer system, wherein,
 a) θ is the angle between the positive x-axis and the line from the start point to the target point projected onto the xy-plane, to represent the computer cursor rotation in xy-plane.   b) φ is the angle between the xy-plane and the line from the start point to the target point, to represent the computer cursor rotation in third dimension perpendicular to the xy-plane.   c) ρ is the distance between the start point and the target point, to represent the computer cursor movement in its determined direction on the computer display.   
   
   
       4 . A device to provide an input for the two components θ and φ of the spherical coordinate system to the computer system to represent the user's hand rotation in three dimensions wherein said device comprised of:
 a) a chassis which is suitable for a user to grasp with one hand.   b) a first scroll wheel on the right side of said chassis to be rotated by the user's thumb finger to provide immediate input for θ to the computer system.   c) a second scroll wheel on the left side of said chassis to be rotated by the user's index, or middle finger to provide immediate input for φ to the computer system.   Wherein rotating the user's hand from “left” to “right”, rotates the first scroll wheel horizontally clockwise, and rotates the second scroll wheel vertically clockwise, while rotating the user's hand from “right” to “left” rotates the first scroll wheel horizontally counterclockwise, and rotates the second scroll wheel vertically counterclockwise.   
   
   
       5 . A ring mouse to provide an input for the three components θ, φ, and ρ of the spherical coordinate system to a computer system, wherein said three components represent positional information of a cursor on the computer display, where said ring mouse is comprised of:
 a) a finger ring to hold the components of said ring mouse.   b) a first scroll wheel  190  on the top side of the ring to be rotated horizontally clockwise or counterclockwise by the thumb finger to provide, respectively, negative or positive input for θ.   c) a second scroll wheel  200  on the left side of the ring to be rotated vertically clockwise or counterclockwise by the thumb finger to provide, respectively, negative or positive input for φ.   d) a third scroll wheel  210  on the front side of the ring to be rotated vertically “up” or “down” by the thumb finger to provide, respectively, positive or negative input for ρ.   
   
   
       6 . A 3D trackball to provide an input for the three components (θ, φ, and ρ) of the spherical coordinate system to a computer system, wherein said three components represent positional information of a cursor on the computer display, where said 3D trackball is comprised of:
 a) a ball  230  to be rotated horizontally or vertically by the user's fingers.   b) a base  240  to hold the components of said 3D trackball.   b) a first button  250 , second button  260 , third button  270 , and fourth button  280  to be pressed by said ball during its rotations.   c) an optical sensor  290  to detect the rotational direction of said ball.   e) a first section  300 , second section  310 , and third section  320  that are dividing the ball  230  into three imaginary sections.   Wherein said ball  230 , provides an input for θ to the computer system when said first section  300  is rotated horizontally by the thumb finger to press on the first button  250  and the second button  260 , while provides an input for φ to the computer system when said second section  310  is rotated vertically by the middle or ring finger to press on the third button  270  and the fourth button  280 , and provides an input for ρ to the computer system when said third section  320  is rotated “up” or “down” by the index finger to press, respectively, on the first button  250  and the fourth button  280 , or on the second button  260  and the third button  270 .   
   
   
       7 . A horizontal tilt wheel to provide an input for the three components θ, φ, and ρ of the spherical coordinate system to a computer system, wherein said three components represent positional information of a cursor on the computer display, where said horizontal tilt wheel is comprised of:
 a) a horizontal scroll wheel  330  to be rotated horizontally about its vertical axis by the user's finger to provide input for θ.   b) a left button  340  to function as a regular mouse left button.   c) a right button  350  to function as a regular mouse right button.   d) a first button  360 , second button  370 , third button  380 , and fourth button  390 , respectively, in the East, West, North, and South bottom directions of said horizontal tilt wheel to detect the tilting direction of said scroll wheel.   Wherein pressing on the top side of said scroll wheel  330  by the user's finger from, its East side provides negative input for φ, from its West side provides positive input for φ, from its North side provides positive input for ρ, and from its South side provides negative input for ρ to the computer system.   
   
   
       8 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  further each of said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel  180  can be pressed lightly by the user's fingers during the rotation to touch a sensor to generate a signal to the computer system identifying that a specific scroll wheel is pressed during its rotation. 
   
   
       9 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said mouse is a computer keyboard wherein said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel  180  are incorporated on top of said computer keyboard. 
   
   
       10 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  whereas one or more of the input of said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , or said third scroll wheel  180  is replaced with the input of said mouse movement on a surface to provide an input for θ, φ, or ρ to the computer system. 
   
   
       11 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said first scroll wheel  160  and said second scroll wheel  170  are a trackball that is manipulated with the palm or the fingers of the user's hand to provide immediate input for θ, and φ to the computer system. 
   
   
       12 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein one or more of said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , or said third scroll wheel  180  is replaced with a touch-sensitive pad to detect the user's finger movement to provide input for θ, φ, or ρ to the computer system. 
   
   
       13 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  whereas one or more of said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , or said third scroll wheel  180  is replaced with two pressure sensitive buttons to detect the user's finger pressing to provide positive or negative input for θ, φ, or ρ to the computer system. 
   
   
       14 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  whereas said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel  180  are tilt wheels that can be rotated or tilted by the user's finger to provide six degrees of freedom to the computer system, whereas:
 a) rotating the first scroll wheel  160  provides a rotation about the z-axis, while tilting it from “down” to “up” provides a movement along the positive z-axis, and tilting it from “up” to “down” provides a movement along the negative z-axis.   b) rotating the second scroll wheel  170  provides a rotation about the y-axis, while tilting it forward provides a movement along the positive y-axis, and tilting it backward provides a movement along the negative y-axis.   c) rotating the third scroll wheel  180  provides a rotation about the x-axis, while tilting it from “left” to “right” provides a movement along the positive x-axis, and tilting it from “right” to “left” provides a movement along the negative x-axis.   
   
   
       15 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said mouse has an optical sensor to detect said mouse movement on the surface. 
   
   
       16 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said computer mouse has a laser sensor to detect said mouse movement on the surface. 
   
   
       17 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel  180  use optical encoding disks including light holes, wherein infrared LED's shine through the disks and sensors gather light pulses to convert the rotation of the scroll wheel into inputs for θ, φ, and ρ. 
   
   
       18 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel  180  are fixed wheels enable to detect the movement of the user's finger in two perpendicular directions by using capacitive sensors. 
   
   
       19 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel  180  are fixed wheels with a light hole to enable detecting the movement of the user's finger by using a special-purpose image processing chip. 
   
   
       20 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  wherein two or three of said first scroll wheel  160 , second scroll wheel  170 , and third scroll wheel  180  are on the same side of said computer mouse to be rotated by one user's finger. 
   
   
       21 . The 3D mouse of  claim 1  further allows applying forces, vibration, or motion to said first scroll wheel  160 , said second scroll wheel  170 , and said third scroll wheel to make the user feels weight, shape, texture, dimension, or force effects while using said 3D mouse to move the computer cursor or an object on the computer display. 
   
   
       22 . The computer cursor of  claim 2  further numerical digits are shown on the computer display; beside the solid line  110  to indicate the input value of ρ, beside the horizontal circular portion  140  to indicate the input value of θ, and beside the vertical circular portion  150  to indicate the input value of φ. 
   
   
       23 . The computer cursor of  claim 2  further a regular computer cursor is provided on the computer display, where said regular computer cursor is manipulated to move in two dimensions by providing the two component x and y of the Cartesian coordinate system to the computer system, and said spherical cursor is manipulated to move in three dimensions by providing the three components θ, φ, or ρ of the spherical coordinate system to the computer system, wherein one of said regular computer cursor or said spherical cursor can click or drag and move the other to change its position in two and/or three dimension on the computer display. 
   
   
       24 . The computer cursor of  claim 2  whereas it is moved on the xy-plane on the computer display, which means there no input provided for φ to the computer system, which means in this case, the vertical circular portion  150  of said computer cursor doesn't exist. 
   
   
       25 . The computer cursor of  claim 2  whereas it is moved on the xz-plane on the computer display, which means there no input provided for θ to the computer system, which means in this case, the horizontal circular portion  140  of said computer cursor doesn't exist. 
   
   
       26 . The computer cursor of  claim 2  whereas it is moved on a specific plane on the computer display where the computer system considers said specific plane as an xy-plane, which means there no input provided for φ to the computer system, which means in this case, the vertical circular portion  150  doesn't exist, and when the user provides an input for φ to the computer system then the computer system recognizes the user's need to move in three dimensions out of said specific plane, and then the vertical circular portion  150  exists which means appears on the computer display. 
   
   
       27 . The spherical cursor of  claim 2  wherein said horizontal circular portion  140  and said vertical circular portion  150  are a line which is a projection of said solid line  110  on the xy-plane on the computer display to indicate the inclination of the solid line  110  in three dimensions. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 3  whereas the input for θ and/or φ are provided to the computer system before the input for ρ, to enable the computer system to identify the user's need to move the computer cursor in lines on the computer display. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 3  whereas the input for ρ is provided to the computer system before the input for θ and/or φ to enable the computer system to identify the user's need to move the computer cursor in curves on the computer display. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 3  whereas each of θ, φ, and ρ has a step value which indicates the smallest numerical unit used that can be multiplied to provide the input value for θ, φ, or ρ to the computer system to move the computer cursor on specific grid on the computer display. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 3  whereas the computer cursor is targeting a spot on a plane in 3D on the computer display, wherein the value of ρ is not provided to the computer system where the computer system calculates it mathematically, by solving the intersection equation between the equation of the dotted line  100  of the spherical cursor which is defined by its start point  120  coordinates, and the two angle θ and φ, and the equation of said targeted plane. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 3  further providing the input for θ, φ, and ρ to the computer system by moving an object whereas:
 a) horizontally moving said object clockwise or counterclockwise provides, respectively, a negative or positive input for θ.   b) vertically moving said object clockwise or counterclockwise provides, respectively, a negative or positive input for φ.   c) moving said object forward or backward provides, respectively, a positive or negative input for ρ.   
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the input of θ is provided to the computer system by a regular mouse movement on a surface where rotating said mouse horizontally on said surface rotates the computer cursor horizontally on the computer display, and the input of φ is provided to the computer mouse by rotating a scroll wheel on said mouse where rotating said scroll wheel rotates the computer cursor vertically on the computer display, where said mouse movement and said scroll wheel's rotation enable the computer cursor's direction to scan the computer display in 3D horizontally and vertically. 
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said computer cursor is an icon to be moved in 3D on the computer display. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said computer cursor is a menu to be moved in 3D on the computer display. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said computer cursor is a virtual camera's orientation to be moved on in 3D the computer display. 
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said computer cursor is an object to be moved in 3D on the computer display. 
   
   
       38 . The device of  claim 4  wherein said first scroll wheel is a first press button to be pressed by the user's thumb finger during the user's hand rotation to provide an input for θ to the computer system, and said second scroll wheel is a second press button to be pressed by the user's index or middle finger during the user's hand rotation to provide an input for φ to the computer system. 
   
   
       39 . The device of  claim 4  wherein said first scroll wheel is an optical sensor to detect the horizontal rotation of the user's thumb finger during the user's hand rotation to provide an input for θ to the computer system, and said second scroll wheel is an optical sensor to detect the vertical rotation of the user's index or middle finger during the user's hand rotation to provide an input for φ to the computer system. 
   
   
       40 . The device of  claim 4  further applying forces, vibration, or motion to said first scroll wheel, and said second scroll wheel to make the user feel haptic feedback such as weight, shape, texture, dimension, and force effects while using said device to move the computer cursor or an object on the computer display. 
   
   
       41 . The ring mouse of  claim 5  further each of said first scroll wheel  200 , said second scroll wheel  210 , and said third scroll wheel  220  can be pressed lightly by the user's thumb finger during the rotation to touch a sensor that generates a signal to the computer system identifying that a specific scroll wheel is pressed during its rotation. 
   
   
       42 . The ring mouse of  claim 5  further said ring is a cube to hold the components of said ring mouse whereas an appendage is attached to said cube to be wrapped around the user's finger with Velcro-like fabric. 
   
   
       43 . The ring mouse of  claim 5  further each of said first scroll wheel  200 , said second scroll wheel  210 , and said third scroll wheel  220  utilizes a digital sensor to detect said scroll wheel's rotation. 
   
   
       44 . The ring mouse of  claim 5  further allows applying forces, vibration, or motion to said first scroll wheel  190 , said second scroll wheel  200 , and said third scroll  210  wheel to make the user feel haptic feedback such as weight, shape, texture, dimension, and force effects while using said ring mouse to move the computer cursor or an object on the computer display 
   
   
       45 . The 3D trackball of  claim 6  further provides six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) motion control to the computer system whereas:
 a) to move along the x-axis on the computer display, the first section  300  is rotated horizontally by the thumb finger to press on the first button  250  and the second button  260 .   b) to move along the y-axis on the computer display, the third section  320  is rotated up or down by the index finger to press, respectively, on the first button  250  and the fourth button  280 , or on the second button  260  and the third button  270 .   c) to move along the z-axis on the computer display, the second section  310  is rotated vertically by the middle finger to press on the third button  270  and the fourth button  280 .   d) to rotate about the x-axis on the computer display, the third section  320  is rotated up or down by the index finger while pushing the first section  300  laterally by the thumb finger to press on the first button  250  and the second button  260 .   e) to rotate about the y-axis on the computer display, the second section  310  is rotated vertically by the middle finger while pushing the third section  320  laterally by the index finger to press on the second button  260  and the third button  270 .   f) to rotate about the z-axis on the computer display, the first section  300  is rotated horizontally by the thumb finger while pushing vertically the top point of the third section  320  by the index finger to prevent the ball from pressing on any of the four buttons.   
   
   
       46 . The 3D trackball of  claim 6  wherein said 3D trackball is incorporated on a top side of a computer keyboard. 
   
   
       47 . The 3D trackball of  claim 6  wherein said 3D trackball is incorporated on the top side or a computer mouse. 
   
   
       48 . The 3D trackball of  claim 6  wherein said optical sensor  290  is a laser sensor to detect the rotational direction of said ball  230 . 
   
   
       49 . The 3D trackball of  claim 6  wherein each of said first button  250 , second button  260 , third button  270 , and fourth button  280  are two-way digital buttons that can be “ON” when it is pressed and be “OFF” when it is not pressed. 
   
   
       50 . The 3D trackball of  claim 6  further allows applying forces, vibration, or motion to said ball  230  to make the user feel haptic feedback such as weight, shape, texture, dimension, and force effects while using said 3D trackball to move the computer cursor or an object on the computer display. 
   
   
       51 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  wherein said horizontal tilt wheel is incorporated on the top side of a computer keyboard. 
   
   
       52 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  wherein said horizontal tilt wheel is incorporated on the top side of a computer mouse. 
   
   
       53 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  wherein said horizontal tilt wheel is attached to a finger ring to be put on the index or middle finger of the user's hand and be operated by the thumb finger. 
   
   
       54 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  further said horizontal scroll wheel  360  utilizes a digital sensor to provide the computer system with digital data representing the horizontal rotation of said horizontal scroll wheel. 
   
   
       55 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  further said first button  360 , said second button  370 , said third button  380 , and said fourth button  390  are a four-way analog sensor with its printed circuit board to process raw analog signals and convert them into digital signals that can be used for the microprocessor of the computer system. 
   
   
       56 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  further said first button  360 , said second button  370 , said third button  380 , and said fourth button  390  are a 4-way digital sensor with its related PCB to provide four independent digital ON-OFF signals that can be used for the microprocessor of the computer system. 
   
   
       57 . The horizontal tilt wheel of  claim 7  further allows applying forces, vibration, or motion to said horizontal scroll wheel  330  to make the user feel haptic feedback such as weight, shape, texture, dimension, and force effects while using said horizontal tilt wheel to move the computer cursor or an object on the computer display. 
   
   
       58 . The 3D Mouse of  claim 8  further provides six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) motion control to the computer system whereas:
 a) to move along the x-axis on the computer display, the first scroll wheel  160  is rotated horizontally by the thumb finger.   b) to move along the y-axis on the computer display, the third scroll wheel  180  is rotated up or down by the index finger.   c) to move along the z-axis on the computer display, the second scroll wheel  170  is rotated vertically by the middle or ring finger.   d) to rotate about the x-axis on the computer display, the third scroll wheel  180  is rotated up or down while pressing it lightly by the index finger.   e) to rotate about the y-axis on the computer display, the second scroll wheel  170  is rotated vertically while pressing it lightly by the middle or ring finger.   e) to rotate about the z-axis on the computer display, the first scroll wheel  160  is rotated horizontally while pressing it lightly by the thumb finger.   
   
   
       59 . The 3D mouse of  claim 10  wherein said mouse movement on a surface provides an input for x and y mouse movement on said surface to the computer system, where the x and y values represent an input for θ, φ, or ρ equal to (x 2 +y 2 ) 0.5 , where said input is positive if the mouse movement is forward, and said input is negative if the mouse movement is backward. 
   
   
       60 . The 3D mouse of  claim 10  wherein said mouse movement on a surface provides an input for x and y mouse movement on said surface to the computer system, where said mouse movement represents; positive input for θ if the movement is in the direction of the positive x-axis, negative input for θ if the movement is in the direction of the negative x-axis, positive input for φ if the movement is in the direction of the positive y-axis, negative input for φ if the movement is in the direction of the negative y-axis, negative input for ρ if the movement's direction is between the positive x and y-axis, and negative input for ρ if the movement's direction is between the negative x and y-axis. 
   
   
       61 . The 3D mouse of  claim 12  wherein said user's finger movement on said touch-sensitive pad provides the computer system with; positive input for θ when the movement is a counterclockwise  520 , negative input for θ when the movement is clockwise  530 , positive input for φ when the movement is vertical  540  from “down” to “up”, negative input for φ when the movement is vertical  550  from “up” to “down”, positive input for ρ when the movement is horizontal  560  from “left” to “right”, and negative input for ρ when the movement is horizontal  570  from “right” to “left”. 
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 30  whereas the step value of θ is equal to 90, and the step value of φ is equal to 90 which means the computer cursor moves on the computer display parallel to the x, y, or z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system. 
   
   
       63 . The method of  claim 30  whereas said step value is a multiple-step which consists of a plurality of values as opposed to only one value. 
   
   
       64 . The method of  claim 31  wherein said spot on said plane is an icon, menu, or object where said icon, menu, or object is highlighted or its color or shape changed when it intersects with the direction of the computer cursor on the computer display. 
   
   
       65 . The method of  claim 32  whereas said object is a user's finger that is moved on a touch-sensitive pad to provide input for θ, φ, and ρ to the computer system. 
   
   
       66 . The method of  claim 32  whereas said object is a pointing stick. 
   
   
       67 . The method of  claim 32  whereas said object is a joystick. 
   
   
       68 . The method of  claim 32  wherein said object is a computer mouse that can be moved in steps comprised of:
 a) moving the computer mouse on a surface horizontally parallel to the positive or negative x-axis to provide, respectively, positive or negative input for θ.   b) moving the computer mouse on a surface vertically parallel to the positive or negative y-axis to provide, respectively, positive or negative input for φ.   c) moving the computer mouse on a surface, inwards/closer to the horizontal direction of the spherical cursor to provide positive input for ρ, or inwards/closer to the opposite horizontal direction of the spherical cursor to provide negative input for ρ.   
   
   
       69 . The method of  claim 32  to provide positional information to the computer system to move the computer cursor of  claim 2  in two dimensions using the polar coordinate system, wherein said object is a computer mouse that is moved in steps comprised of:
 a) moving said mouse on a surface in a specific direction for less than one inch where the direction of said mouse movement manipulates the dotted line  100  to the same direction on the computer display to provide an input for θ to the computer system.   b) moving said mouse on a surface in or close to the direction of said dotted line  100  for one inch or more to move the solid line  110  a relative distance on the computer display to provide an input for ρ to the computer system.