Importance

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Abstract

The direct pointing apparatus and method therefor has a light sensing arrangement including a plurality of light receivers positioned around the outer periphery of a computer display and A/D interface circuitry coupling the light receivers to a host computer (laptop CPU) for processing converted digital values which are based on the IR intensities received by the light receivers from the directed light emitter. In accordance with this scheme, the location on the display to where the light emitter is pointing is computed from the intensities of light being sensed by the light receivers, the computing of the location being substantially independent of the distance of the light emitter from the light sensing arrangement. In one example, the incoming signals to the A/D interface circuitry from the light receivers are continuous and in parallel while the output of the A/D converter is an asynchronous serial signal. The resulting converted digital values are transmitted to the host computer/laptop CPU for processing by the host program. This scheme is also applicable with interactive television in substantially the same way, although the light emitting pointer circuitry would be incorporated instead into the remote controller of the television.

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First Claim