Patent ID: 7187360

Claim:
A pointing device for detecting a slid distance and a slid direction of an operation key located approximately at the center of an opening section to generate a control signal according to the detected slid distance and the slid direction, wherein: when an original point is defined as a point where a slid distance of the operation key is zero, and a maximum value and a minimum value are defined as max_max and min_max, respectively, in the state where the operation key is moved until reaching the rim of the opening section, the pointing device generates the control signal corresponding to the slid distance of the operation key by: determining a strength of the control signal as zero in the case where the operation key is located within a circular area whose center is located at the original point and whose radius is n/N of the max_max (n and N are arbitrary positive integers, and n<N); determining a strength of the control signal corresponding to the slid distance of the operation key on the basis of a predetermined rule of operation in the case where the operation key is located within a toric area whose distance from the original point is larger than n/N of the max_max and smaller than the min_max; or determining a strength of the control signal corresponding to a strength obtained when a slid distance of the operation key is the min_max in the case where the operation key is located within an area whose distance from the original point is larger than the min_max.