{
  "patent_number": "US 3541541",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Douglas Engelbart Invented the Computer Mouse",
  "original_title": "X-y position indicator for a display system",
  "summary": "The 1970 patent for the X-Y position indicator, better known as the computer mouse, which allowed users to move a cursor across a screen for the first time.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a device with two wheels positioned at a 90-degree angle to each other. As the user moves the device across a flat surface, the wheels rotate independently to track movement in the X and Y axes. This mechanical data is transmitted to a computer to move a cursor on a display screen. It replaced the need for complex keyboard commands to navigate graphical interfaces.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover optical sensors, as this patent relies on physical wheels for tracking.",
    "Does not cover wireless connectivity, as the original design required a physical cord.",
    "Does not cover multi-button configurations, as the original patent focused on a single-button design."
  ],
  "filed": "1967-06-21",
  "granted": "1970-11-17",
  "expires": "1987-11-17",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Stanford Research Institute",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/stanford-research-institute",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Douglas C Engelbart",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/douglas-c-engelbart"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 162,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3541541/computer-mouse-input-device",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3541541/computer-mouse-input-device/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3541541",
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}