Patent ID: 8723803

Claim:
A pointing device for at least partially controlling a feature on a computer-generated image, comprising: an enclosure designed to be handheld and designed to be wielded by a user in mid-air, said enclosure including: an image capturing device for generating first data, said image capturing device being sensitive to infrared radiation emanating from at least one external base station; an accelerometer for generating second data; a processing unit coupled to said image capturing device and to said accelerometer; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to said processing unit and storing computer-executable instructions for causing said processing unit to: generate third data, said third data being indicative of said image capturing device being outside of operational range of said at least one external base station when said image capturing device is outside of said operational range, and generate fourth data based on at least said second data when said third data indicates that said image capturing device is outside of said operational range, and based on at least said first data when said third data does not indicate that said image capturing device is outside of said operational range; and a communication device for communicating said fourth data to the computer for use in at least partially controlling the feature, said communication device being coupled to said processing unit; wherein said first data is dependent on at least one orientation aspect of said image capturing device relative to said at least one external base station when position of said image capturing device relative to said at least one external base station remains constant and said image capturing device is within said operational range, and wherein said second data is dependent on the orientation of said enclosure relative to gravity.