Apple Patents: Optical Touch Pad Mouse?

[itsa]

If it's a two button mouse I like it...

Come on apple , how hard can it be to add arother button and a scroll??

 

[wdlove]

The URL to the Patent and Trade Office returns 45 hits. Here’s a link to just the right one.

Thank you for the link beetle. Maybe we will see the fruits of this invention at WWDC.

 

[Kid Red]

I think the concept is really revolutionary and I would love to see Apple develop it. My ideal design would be BT and the scroll on the mouse would have a depressible button underneath, as do traditional scroll mice. Once I figured out what the ctrl button does, I do not need a two buttoned mouse. However, I keep one around so that I can set the F9 expose function to it. Imagine if this type of scroll could do the same. I am understanding that this scroll is similar to the one in the iPod (which I love).

I am also thinking more of this rendition:

<img src=http://www.macplus.org/magplus/IMG/jpg/souris2.jpg>

As mentioned, kenningston already made this, not sure how Apple plans to get a patent for it unless Kenningston slept on it.

I have the mouse and I'm not happy with the permanent smudge marks it gets.