Abstract:
A pointing device adapted to allow a user to set a pointing arrow to point towards another location, such as a city in another country. The pointing arrow is adapted to not point in a direction along the surface of the earth but to point accurately through the Earth. An apparatus including a pointing device and a calculation portion adapted to allow the user to determine how to point the pointing arrow towards the desired location. The calculation portion may include an electronic device and may include the use of a global computer network.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/125,250, to Kilgus, filed Apr. 22, 2008. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
       [0002]    This invention relates to directional pointing, and more specifically to an apparatus and system for pointing to a location. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    A pointing device adapted to allow a user to set a pointing arrow to point towards another location, such as a city in another country. The pointing arrow is adapted to not point in a direction along the surface of the earth but to point accurately through the Earth. An apparatus including a pointing device and a calculation portion adapted to allow the user to determine how to point the pointing arrow towards the desired location. The calculation portion may include an electronic device and may include the use of a global computer network. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a conceptual illustration of the use of a pointing device according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a pointing device according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a pointing device according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary chart showing look out and look down angles according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a sketch of a pointing device used with a computing device according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0009]    In some embodiments of the present invention, as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a pointing device  100  is adapted to point an indicator  101  in a compass direction coupled with a look down angle. As seen in  FIG. 1 , an observer  106  is seen in a conceptual illustration at a point  103  on the surface of the Earth. The pointing device  101  is adapted such that the indicator may be set point at different location on the Earth  104 , as well as a person  105  at the different location  104 . 
         [0010]    As seen in  FIG. 2 , the pointing device  100  has a pointer  125  which has an arrow indicator, or pointer,  101 . The base  121  of the device  100  may have degree markers  123  which may be used to indicate compass direction. The degree markers  123  may be of a 0-360 degree scale. The base  121  is has a bottom surface  133  which is adapted to be placed upon a surface when the device is used, although the device  100  could also be held or otherwise suspended. In some embodiments, a compass  120  is embedded into the base  121 , and may be used to allow for the alignment of the degree markers  123  on the base  121  to magnetic north. 
         [0011]    As seen if  FIG. 1 , if a user desires to point an indicator from a first point on the Earth to a second point on the Earth, especially if the second point is at distance, the indicator may be set by using an offset from north in a rotation plane, which may be referred to as a rotation angle, and then by selecting a look down angle. Setting an indicator using the rotation angle and the look down angle thus provides the information necessary to achieve the desired pointing direction. 
         [0012]    In some embodiments, a rotating partial disk, or sail  122 , is adapted to reside on the base  121 . The sail  122  may be pinned to the top surface of the base  121  such that it is perpendicular to the base  121 , and such that the sail  122  may be rotated around a center point  136  of the base  121 . The sail  122  may have degree markers  124  on its periphery, which may be from 0 to 90 degrees. A directional indicator  125  with a pointer  101  is adapted to be rotated on the sail such that the pointer may point down at a selected look down angle. The look down angle may be set using the degree markers  124  on the sail, and may be read using a window  126  in the directional indicator  125 . The directional indicator  125  may be pinned to the sail  122  to allow for movement along a range of look down angles. 
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a pointing device  100  according to some embodiments of the present invention. The base  121  is adapted to be placed upon a flat surface when the pointing device  100  is in use. A compass  120  may be inserted into a recess in the base  121 . A base hole  130  is adapted to receive a base pin  131 , which in turn receives a hole in the bottom of the sail  122 . The sail  122  may have a marker  127  adapted to align the rotatable sail with a direction on the base. The directional indicator  125  may be rotatably pinned to the sail  122  with a sail pin  132 . The sail  122  may have recesses  126  in its bottom surface to allow for clearance over the compass  120 , or for ease of rotation, or for other reasons. 
         [0014]    In use, the base may first be aligned with the compass to set the north indicator on the base to be aligned with the north of the compass. Next, the sail may be rotated to a pre-selected rotation angle by aligning the marker  127  with the corresponding degree marker on the base. Then, the directional indicator may be rotated to an angle corresponding to a pre-selected look down angle. If a user selects a pre-selected look out angle and look down angle to indicate the direction from the user&#39;s location to a selected second point on the Earth, and then orients the pointing device as described above, the pointer  101  will be pointing to the selected second point. 
         [0015]    The pointing device may be used to set the pointer towards the location of a city of interest, of religious significance, or of other significance. The pointer will point towards the selected location directly, in the shortest line, as opposed to a direction along the surface of the Earth at the user&#39;s location. In another scenario, the user may want to point the pointer in the direction of a person, such as a loved one, that is at another location. The pointing device may be used to point as a reminder to the user where a selected location is. The pointing device may be used to remind the user of the location of a loved one. 
         [0016]    In order to set the pointer properly, the user must know the rotation and look down angles associated with the selected second location with regard to the user&#39;s location. In some embodiments, as seen in  FIG. 4 , a lookup table  200  may be used. The table may include locations of the user in a column, and then a list of second locations across a top row. The rotation and look down angles are then seen in the location where the start location in the first column intersects with the second location in the top row. In the example of a lookup table as seen in  FIG. 4 , each intersection point between a start location in the first column and a second location across the top row is seen with two numbers together. The first number represents the look down angle, and the second number represents the rotation angle. These two numbers represent the values for the rotation and look down angles that a user would set the pointing device to in order to point at the selected second location from the user&#39;s location. 
         [0017]    In some embodiments of the present invention, as seen in  FIG. 5 , an electronic computing device  150  may be used to determine the look out angle and the look down angle. The user&#39;s location and the location towards which the pointer is to be pointed may be entered into the electronic computing device  150 . The inputs may be put in using city data, or latitude and longitude. In some embodiments, the electronic computing device  150  may contain code for determining the angles, and the code may be contained on a computer readable medium. In some embodiments, the electronic computing device  150  may be connected to an electronic system  151  via a global area computer network  152 , such as the Internet. The electronic system may contain a computer program product containing code for determining a rotation angle and a look down angle as described above. 
         [0018]    The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.