WO2005050430A1

WO2005050430A1 - Mouse pad

Info

Publication number: WO2005050430A1
Application number: PCT/EP2003/014753
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hsing-Chong Liu
Original assignee: Hsing-Chong Liu
Priority date: 2003-10-29
Filing date: 2003-12-22
Publication date: 2005-06-02
Also published as: AU2003298229A1; DE10350335A1

Abstract

Mouse pad made of loose sheets, which is also a notice pad, provides a new clean surface any time for the tracking ball and mechanism in the mouse, so that it prevents the collection of dust and dirt on the surface of the tracking ball and mechanism in the mouse. The life time of mouse will be thereby lengthened. The notice pad can be thereof replaced.

Description

MOUSE PAD

Description

The invention relates to a computer mouse pad made of loose sheets, keeping the moving mechanism inside the mouse clean and additionally being used as a note pad.

The mouse becomes indispensable for PC since the Operating System of Windows is adopted. A mouse pad is thereto used to be a base for the mouse for better contacting and tracking. Thereby the cursor can be moved to the place wherever the user wants. It is known that there are numerous disclosures about how to ensure the contact between mouse and mouse pad. There are also some inventions concerning the mouse pad, which is made of several layers for various additional purposes. DE- 94 16 045.7 (D1) discloses a pad for operating und dropping off, which consists of a bottom part and an upper part of several few sheets. US- 5 405 168 A (D2) discloses a combination of mouse pad and note pad with a certain structure on the surface of each layer for reaching a minimum coefficient of friction to assure the contact between mouse pad and track ball. WO- 01/ 97116 A1 (D3) discloses a mouse pad with a pile of papers. Each paper is extra coated for writing. Documents DE 94 01 196 U1 (D4), WO 98/ 48 375 A1 (D5) and GB- 2 289 520 A (D7) disclose a mouse pad to eliminate the problem of soiling in mouse with special material of sheets. GB- 2 307 445 A (D6) discloses a mouse pad to be used as appointment calendar. Further, DE- 297 15 302 U1 (D8) discloses a mouse pad with several separable printed layer made of thick material for printing advertisements. DE- 295 12 079 U1 (D9) discloses a mouse pad with coated papers for preventing soiling. Some other coated mouse pad for cleaning track ball are disclosed in US 5 876 010 (D10) and US 5 971 340 (D11) separately. US 5 217 781 (D12) discloses a mouse pad made of non-static plastic material. While DE 298 20 324 U11 (D13) discloses a mouse pad, which consists of several sheets of paper, having no card board as bottom but has extra roughened anti-slip surface of paper.

All mouse pads in aforementioned publications have either a thick base as bottom or specially coated or treated paper as surfaces. Some has both. The mouse pads as such has disadvantage of production cost. The mouse pad with two parts, that means mouse pad has a pile of sheets as upper part and a thick bottom as lower part, must be punched or cut separately because of different material. First the upper part or the lower part and then put them upon each other, aligned, probably punched or cut again, and finally glued or bound together. Therefore it raise higher cost for producing. Besides, the different materials must be purchased and deposited separately. It causes extra operating cost for sourcing and for logistic handling. The aforesaid mouse pads combined with note pads have further disadvantage of waste disposal of the thick base which are thrown away frequently because there are only few sheets on it provided for writing (D1 ,D2,D4 and D7). The coating and special treatment of paper raise a huge production cost. An additional pollution problem will be incurred by threw away sheets which are coated with plastic, wax or other substances (D2,D3,D6,D9,D10,D11 and D12). Some of them are so inconveniently bound that a tool will be needed to separate the upper sheet from the pile of sheets in order that the uppermost sheet is not torn into pieces (D1 ,D4,D6 and D7). Some of them are not designed for writing and notes can not be written on it (D3,D5 and D8). The mouse pad in D13 has no bottom base for fixing. There is problem of stability. It moves or slips away while the mouse is drawn to and fro.

All disadvantages cited above and accordingly the tasks to improve the function or usage of mouse pad make the mouse pad as such either too expensive, polluting or not practical for users. As a result of it, the technical problem remains unsolved because a technical solution for certain technical problem creates another technical problem.

The object of the invention is to provide a mouse pad, which solves aforementioned technical problems all at once, i.e. eliminating the soiling problem in mouse and concurrently being used as a note pad, non-polluting, economical and practical for users. Thereby the life time of mouse will be lengthened and the pollution problem of electronic components will be reduced, which is caused by threw away mouse because the cursor can not be moved freely any more. Another important object is to reduce the cost of producing mouse pad, which can fulfil the aforesaid objects but cost-saving and practical for use. Further object is to have such a mouse pad to replace the traditional note pad to make more space on the desk.

The new invention differs from that of prior art by virtue of no thick bottom in mouse pad, but merely a plurality of same kind of thin materials, preferably commercially obtainable writing paper, with a removable self-stick attaching material added on the last few sheets, but no coating or any treatment or structuring on the surface of paper. Thereby at least 30% of production cost can be saved in comparison with same kind of mouse pad of prior art. For coated or treated mouse pad, even very much more. The waste of thick card board is accordingly vanished. The upper sheet can be torn off by hand from the pile of sheets without damage. The single sheet of normal writing paper is so cheap that it can be torn off anytime without considering about its cost. There is always a new clean surface free from dust and dirt for drawing mouse. The mouse pad as such shows another advantage that the user has a mouse pad and a note pad simultaneously on the desk. It is no more necessary to look for a piece of paper for noticing something. This is specially advantageous in the office while talking on the telephone and looking for something to note. Besides, it can replace the traditional note pad and make more space on the desk, which is already full of papers and devices.

The size of the new invented mouse pad can be made conformable to the standard size in one country, for example DIN A4 or A5 for Germany, in order to optimise the usage of the single sheet. Certainly, it can be also made in other sizes to fit the purpose of use. The pile of sheets will be bound/hold by means of commercially obtainable technique, such like gluing, clamping, crimping, tacking, etc. Another possibility to make the sheets economically be used and thereby less polluting is to introduce the washable sheets, for example the thin plastic foil which can be used again after abrading or cleaning. In such case, it is favourably to clamp the loose sheets together and to make it easy to be exchanged (Fig. 4a). In the case of gluing the pile of sheets, it is preferable to glue the two adjacent side edges 2 and 3, in the way that one glued side edge 3 closes to the user or in the downward position (Fig. 4c), for the purpose of avoiding the lift up or fold over of paper at the lower corners of sheet while drawing mouse on the surface of paper. The rest side edges 4 and 5 remain free from anything. In this way, the user can separate the uppermost sheet from the pile of sheets easily without any tool and without damaging the sheet.

The height or thickness of new invented mouse pad is preferred between 5 and 15 mm because of ergonomic reason. The last sheet may have different colour to distinguish each pile of sheets. For the purpose of filing, holes may be punched on margin of sheets. A removable self-stick material is brought onto the back side of the last few sheets. There are two advantages to do so. Firstly, the mouse pad can sit on the desk firmly against slipping. The traditional mouse base, which is made to prevent slipping, is therefore no more necessary. Secondly, when the pile of sheets becomes smaller, the rest few sheets can be put on a new pile of sheets to form a new pile of sheets together and every single piece of sheets can be used without any dissipation. It is advantageous, against the garbage making.

Depend on the purpose of use, various formulas, forms, motive and design, also pictures, calendars, photography, advertisements can be printed on the surface of mouse pad. It can be also used as a note for telephone talking, appointment making, meeting record, also as a desk calendar with or without pictures etc. Besides, the mouse pad can be made in different forms or designs. Figure 1 show some of the possible embodiments. Figure 2 shows one of the embodiments of printed mouse pad to be used as telephone note. Figure 3 shows the side view of the mouse pad. Figure 4 shows some of embodiments of the commercially obtainable technique to bind or to hold the sheets. Figure 4a shows the sheets are hold in a cartage, which has one side open for exchange the sheets. Figure 4b shows sheets are clipped on one side, in the way like daily calendar. Figure 4c shows the two sides gluing. The side edge 2 and 3 are glued with removable adhesive material. Side edge 4 and 5 are free from glue. The upper sheet can be torn off by hand without any tools. Figure 4d shows the simple one side gluing to hold the sheets together. Figure 4e shows the other way of sticking sheets together by means of removable self-stick attaching material on the back side of sheets, either only on one margin area 6 or on several margin area around the sheets. Figure 4f shows a further possibility to bind sheets together with plastic or metal binding devices.

Figure 5 shows some of different forms of removable self-stick attaching material in circle, point, polygon, strike or strip, heart, astern .or mixture of them, which is brought on the back side of sheets.

Claims

Claims:

1. Computer mouse pad made of several layers, characterised in that the mouse pad sorely consists of a plurality of single sheets (1), which are as thin as commercially obtainable writing sheets, thereupon notes will be written, bound/hold together in a way that the single sheet will be separated/exchanged from the pile of sheets, whereat a removable self-stick attaching material is added onto the back side (6) of at least one sheet in the pile.

2. Computer mouse pad of claim 1 , wherein the sheets are bound/hold together at least at one side edge (2).

3. Computer mouse pad of any preceding claim, wherein the sheets are bound/hold along two adjacent side edges (2, 3).

4. Computer mouse pad of any preceding claim, wherein the material of sheets is paper, foil or synthetic products.

5. Computer mouse pad of any preceding claim, wherein the sheets are printed with/without formula, forms, tables, calendars, pictures, photography, words or sentences.

6. Computer mouse pad of any preceding claim, wherein the sheets are telephone notes, meeting notes, appointment notes, drawing notes or general notes.

7. Computer mouse pad of any preceding claim, wherein the sheets are provided with/without holes for filing on at least one margin of the sheet.

8. Computer mouse pad of any preceding claim, wherein the removable self-stick attaching material is added on part/whole page of the back side of at least one sheet.