Apple Inc. Patents Ambidextrous, Unibody Mouse

Apple is now known to have patented an ambidextrous mouse capable of sensing which hand the user is working it with, via specialized sensors. The yet-theoretical input device resembles the Magic Mouse in that it lacks buttons.

The patent abstract explains, that “The ambidextrous mouse is configured for both left and right handed use. The mouse may include right handed buttons on the front side of the mouse and left handed buttons on the back side of the mouse.”

Published just yesterday, the filing also reveals that “The user may change the handedness of the mouse by rotating the mouse about a vertical axis of the mouse such that the left hand can use the left hand buttons and the right hand can use the right hand buttons.

“The mouse may include a handedness selection system for configuring the mouse for right handed or left handed use even though the mouse has the capability for both right and left hands,” the inventors also say.

In one (and perhaps the key) embodiment, the invention relates to an ambidextrous mouse configured for left and right handed use.

“The handedness of the mouse is changed by rotating the mouse about a vertical axis of the mouse by 180 degrees,” Apple explains.

The invention also relates to a touch sensitive mouse comprising a touch sensitive surface that senses a user's touch when the user grabs the mouse, in another embodiment.

According to the disclosure of another embodiment, this mouse is similar to current hardware in that it can be configured to work differently, based on user preferences.

The device would have a unibody housing, and a buttonless touch sensitive surface divided into an array of independent and spatially distinct sensing regions.

At least some of the sensing regions are positioned substantially around most of the periphery of the unibody housing, according to Apple.

Each sensing region is configured to generate a signal when the sensing region detects that a portion of a user's hand is touching it.