MOUSE-LIKE INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICE WITH DISPLAY SCREEN AND METHOD FOR ITS USE

摘要

A computer mouse (10) for blind users and a method for its use. The mouse (10) has a display area (20) on its upper surface (14) in which a portion of the computer's screen display is reproduced in tactile form, for example by raising and lowering members of an array of pins (22). A monochrome display is encoded by pin height. A color display may be encoded in various ways. Preferably, lightness is encoded as the range of vertical motion of the pins and hue is encoded as pin motion frequency. A blind user scans the screen display by moving the mouse around on a mouse pad and feeling the relative heights and frequencies of the pins.