Appeal No. 1996-3362
Application No. 08/258,601
point of the touch-sensitive surface corresponds
isomorphically to a point of the display screen, and to a
relative pointing mode wherein a displacement of the cursor on
the display screen is controlled by a homothetic movement of
the finger close to said surface, and switching means for
selecting said absolute pointing mode if said force rises
above a predetermined threshold, and said relative mode if
said force remains below said threshold, said method
comprising successively:
a first step during which the finger is applied with a force
exceeding said threshold on a first location of the touch-
sensitive surface so as to coarsely position the cursor on a
first location on the display screen near said desired
location,
a second step during which the force exerted by said finger on
said touch-sensitive surface is reduced to a value below said
threshold so as to select the relative pointing mode, said
finger staying on said first location of the touch-sensitive
surface while the cursor stays on said first location on the
display screen, and
a third step during which said finger exerts on said surface a
force which remains below said threshold and is moved so as to
accurately move the cursor from said first location on the
display screen to said desired location.
The Examiner relies on the following references:
Faulkerson 4,804,949 Feb. 14, 1989
Levine 4,954,817 Sep. 4, 1990
Claims 3 through 6 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as being unpatentable over Levine in view of Faulkerson.
Rather than reiterate the arguments of Appellants and the
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