Abstract: A mouse operating pad to permit high resolution operation of a mouse at a work station. The pad includes a control surface which incorporates a uniform random texture permitting the tracking member to stably rest at any point on the control surface. The control surface is formed on a control layer which is supported on a resilient intermediate layer. The hardness of the intermediate layer and the control layer is chosen so that the control surface is isolated from any imperfections in the work surface. The pad is placed on a work surface and the mouse is operated on the control surface. Optionally when the control layer is formed of a transparent material, an information display surface can be provided on the side of the control layer opposite from the control surface that allows visual information to be permanently displayed, or in one embodiment of the invention, removably displayed.

Abstract: A cursor moves at a constant velocity in a constant direction in a display space for displaying a three-dimensional image. When two parameters for representing a direction in a three-dimensional space are entered, the cursor changes its direction according to the entered direction at a rate determined by the entered magnitude. When a parameter for changing the velocity is entered, the cursor velocity is changed. It is not necessary to enter a three-dimensional coordinate to control the cursor to reach the desired position, and the manipulation of the cursor is very much simplified.