Patent ID: 7489296

Claim:
A pointing device, comprising: a base section; an operating section shiftably supported on said base section; a magnet carried on said operating section; said operating section including a holding part securely holding said magnet and shiftably supported on said base section, and an elastic part connected to said holding part and exerting an elastic force for returning said holding part to a home position in a shifting range, while accompanying a shifting operation of said holding part on said base section; a magneto-electro transducer carried on said base section at a location close to said magnet; and a shifting limiting element in contact with said elastic part and defining said shifting range of said holding pad on said base, a center axis of the shifting limiting element constituting a center axis of the pointing device and defining said home position of the holding part, and wherein said elastic part of said operating section is provided integrally with a major portion surrounding substantially an entire outer circumference of said holding part, and said elastic pad has a first connecting portion connected to said holding part at one end of said major portion and said major portion exerts an even elastic biasing force irrespective of a shifting direction of said holding part on said base section.