Patent ID: 7167157

Claim:
A man-machine interface device for a computer, comprising: a first sealed chamber filled with a fluid medium, said first sealed chamber including at least an operational portion formed to change an inner volume thereof responsive to an operation of a user; a second sealed chamber connected to said first sealed chamber by a passageway so that said fluid medium is allowed to flow through said passageway between said first and second sealed chambers, said second sealed chamber containing gas medium for pushing back a fluid medium flown in from said first sealed chamber through said passageway during absence of the user's operation of said operational portion of said first sealed chamber; a sensor disposed in said first sealed chamber for generating electrical signals with respect to a detected change of a pressure of said fluid medium in said first sealed chamber; a transmission circuit through which the signals generated by said sensor are fed to a computer; a restriction device disposed in said passageway for variably controlling resistance to the fluid flow through said passageway; and a receiver circuit for driving said restriction device through the application of a control response signal applied to said restriction device from said computer.