Patent ID: 6529189
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A stylus system for enabling dispatch of control signals to a computer that is duplicative of a mouse button actuation, said stylus system comprising:a stylus having a pointer end for actuation of a touch panel; a controller housed in said stylus for transmitting said control signals through air; and a user-operable actuator positioned on said stylus, connected to said controller and responsive to user actuation to cause said controller to dispatch said control signals, wherein said control signals are interpretable as a mouse output signal, wherein said controller comprises an infrared transmitter for transmitting said control signals, and said computer comprises an infrared receiver for receiving and decoding said control signals, wherein said pointer end includes a portion that is transparent to infrared signals and an infrared reflector, wherein said infrared transmitter comprises a light emitting diode that emits light towards said infrared reflector that, in turn, redirects said light to said infrared receiver when a user holds said stylus against said touch panel, and wherein said controller, after a first dispatch of a set of said control signals in response to depression of said actuator and a delay, automatically re-dispatches said set of control signals, said infrared receiver responsive to control signals received as a result of said first dispatch, to set a flag indicative of said depression, and further operative, after an interval, to reset said flag upon absence of receipt of said set of control signals from said re-dispatch.