Patent ID: 8576171

Claim:
A mouse input device comprising: a housing having an exterior surface; a touch-sensitive surface disposed within the exterior surface of the housing, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touch screen and is configured to transmit a contact signal indicating a contact with the touch-sensitive surface; a sensor disposed within the housing, the sensor configured to sense movement of the mouse input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the mouse input device; an actuator disposed within the housing, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based on an actuator signal; and a processor in communication with the touch-sensitive surface, the sensor, the actuator, and a host computer implementing a graphical environment, the processor configured to: transmit, to the host computer, a signal comprising contact information associated with the contact signal, receive a haptic signal from the host computer, wherein the haptic signal is based on the contact information, and determine the actuator signal based at least in part on the haptic signal.