Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Measuring anatomical characteristic or force applied to or...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-26
2003-05-13
Jeffery, John A. (Department: 3742)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Measuring anatomical characteristic or force applied to or...
C345S163000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561993
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to computer systems and more particularly to the use of pointing devices in such computer systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1
is a pictorial view of a computer system. The computer system includes a monitor
12
with a keyboard
16
and a computing unit coupled to the monitor
14
. Typically, connected to the computing unit is a pointing device such as a mouse
18
which is controlled by a user's hand
20
. In such a system, if a person has some type of tremor disorder it could affect the use of the pointing device
18
by the user
20
.
Essential tremor (ET), characterized by rhythmic “back and forth” movement from involuntary musculature contraction, affects as many as 1 in 20 people over 40 and 1 in 5 people over 65. With the exception of stroke, essential tremor is more common than any other neurological disease, affecting over 5 million Americans. It is very difficult for people with ET to effectively use a handheld computer pointing device, such as a mouse, due to continuous hand displacement caused by tremor. Tracking tasks and tasks where the individual must click on a small target (e.g., the “close window” button in a graphical user interface) are especially difficult.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for responding to essential tremors when using a pointing device that is simple, easy to implement and is acceptable to many different individuals. The present invention addresses such a need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system and method for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system is disclosed. The system and method comprises obtaining an individual's tremor characteristics and calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients. The method and system further includes creating a calibration profile comprised of the digital coefficient that plugs into a pointing device driver; and utilizing the modified device driver to eliminate the effects of the essential tremors.
The system and method includes a software tuning algorithm used to obtain an individual's tremor characteristics. A spectral analysis system will calculate the frequency components of the tremor and digital filter coefficients will be saved as a calibration profile. The system and method further includes a device driver modified by calibration profile created from the tuning algorithm. The modified device driver will filter the pointing device input data based on the filter coefficients saved in the calibration profile and eliminate tremor effects from the on-screen pointer.
Because the calibration profile is transferable, if a device driver capable of accepting the calibration profile plug-in were already installed on a computer, the profile could be loaded and used immediately on the computer without the need for re-calibration.
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Adapathya Ravi Shankarnarayan
Champion David Frederick
Happ Alan Joseph
Lawrence Brad Michael
Schultz Kevin Laverne
Jeffery John A.
Sawyer Law Group LLP
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