Patent ID: 6203432
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: A63F

Abstract:
A positional input device for use by an operator to input data to a computer, the device comprising:user interface hardware structured to allow manipulation throughout a plurality of input positions by the operator;input-to-output conversion hardware structured to convert the input position of the user interface hardware into an output signal corresponding to an output position with respect to an output position axis having an extreme negative position, an extreme positive position and a nominal zero position;deadband controller hardware structured to allow the operator to specify a deadband range of input positions that will be converted by the input-to-output conversion hardware as corresponding to the nominal zero position of the output position axis; andend-of-range controller hardware structured to allow the operator to specify at least one end-of-range position of the user interface hardware that corresponds to at least one of the extreme negative position and the extreme positive position of the output position, with the deadband controller hardware and the end-of-range controller hardware being structured to allow specification of deadband range independently of the at least one end-of-range position.