| 摘要 |
An improved auxiliary input device for use with various computer applications which is more versatile and easier to use than prior devices. A touchscreen device is used to provide easier inputs to the computer applications. The layout of the touchscreen display may be customized using layout software that maps visual indicators on the touchscreen to user-defined key sequences, mouse events, external calling of Dynamic Link Libraries, URL links, or other miscellaneous actions. Control software runs in the background for loading the saved layout configurations and executing the user-defined key sequences or mouse events whenever the touchscreen is touched by the user. The control software can be configured to automatically load layouts based on the active program or game being played. The touchscreen configuration for each game may be programmed with bitmaps and key sequences and then stored for later retrieval. In order to provide rapid retrieval of a configuration, the touchscreen device is connected to the system through the USB port rather than the keyboard port. Once a layout is loaded onto the touchscreen display, the input device senses pressure on the integral touchscreen. Whenever pressure is sensed, the touchscreen display sends a signal back to the computer through the USB port, and the computer microprocessor executes the key sequence or other command associated with the location on the touchscreen that was pressed. Each location or area on the touchscreen is mapped to an entry in the user-defined table created using the layout editor.
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