Method and apparatus for performing power conservation in a pointing device located on a wireless data entry device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION According to the present invention, a remote control input device is disclosed for use with a computer system.
The remote control input device typically includes means for wirelessly connecting the remote control input device to the computer system, a trackball, coupled to the connecting means for manipulating a pointing icon displayed on the video monitor, and a power source that powers the remote control input device.
The remote control input device further includes a power management means for managing the power of the power source by monitoring the status and activity of the trackball used on the remote control input device.
The remote control input device typically includes a first set of keys that provide input to the computer system and a second set of keys that are assigned to the trackball that control the pointing icon manipulated by the trackball.
Additionally, the remote control input device may be a keyboard type arrangement with a trackball attached and first and second wrist wings can be located adjacent on either side of the keys typically below the key set in order to provide adequate support of the wrists during operation.
The power management means further includes an active monitoring means that checks the trackball activity continually.
The power management means further includes several sleep levels.
The device selects the sleep level based on the amount of time the device has been idle.
Typically, these preselected levels are three levels that are whether the trackball been left idle for more than twenty seconds, whether the trackball has been idle for more than ten minutes, or whether the trackball has been idle for more than thirty minutes.
Based on the particular level of idleness, the system powers down the micro device for either activation every half second, every one second, or every two seconds, thereby preserving battery life in the remote control device.
This remote control input device may be used in not only a computer system, but also in a video monitoring system that includes a video monitor and a display output controller