Patents by Inventor Brent N. LaPorte

Brent N. LaPorte has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Touchpad with scroll and pan regions
    Patent number: 5748185
    Abstract: A touchpad (50) having multiple regions that may be linked to various commands or functions within a graphical user interface (GUI). Preferably, a cursor control region (54), a scroll control region (56), and a pan control region (58) are defined on the touchpad. Movement of a contact point in the cursor control region causes movement of a cursor in the GUI. Movement of a contact point in the scroll control region or the pan control region causes scrolling or panning, respectively, of the workspace in the GUI. The multiple regions may be mapped onto a single touchpad member (80) or each region identified with a separate touchpad member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Stratos Product Development Group
    Inventors: Allan H. Stephan, Brent N. LaPorte, Stephen B. Powers, Mark McNeely