Patent Document ID: 20030206306
Application ID: 10448120
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus for optically detecting a position of a designating device inserted into an at least substantially flat two-dimensional coordinate inputting/detecting area of the apparatus, comprising: a coordinate determining device configured to determine two-dimensional coordinates of the designating device in the coordinate inputting/detecting area; a distance determining device configured to determine a distance of the designating device from a surface of the coordinate inputting/detecting area when the designating device is located in vicinity to the coordinate inputting/detecting area; a storing device configured to store information of the two-dimensional coordinates determined by the coordinates determining device and information of the distance determined by the distance determining device so as to be associated with each other; a coordinates change detecting/storing device configured to detect a change of the two-dimensional coordinates information stored in the storing device at a predetermined time interval and to store the detected change of the two-dimensional coordinates information; a distance change detecting/storing device configured to detect a change of the distance information stored in the storing device at a predetermined time interval and to store the detected change of the distance information; and a state allocating device configured to allocate at least one designating state among designating states of the designating device stored in advance, based upon the coordinate change information detected and stored by the coordinate change detecting/storing device and the distance change information detected and stored by the distance change detecting/storing device.