US Patent 7168047 Mouse having a button-less panning and scrolling switch

A mouse for controlling movements on a display screen is disclosed. The mouse includes a housing that is gripped by a user during manipulation of the mouse and a sensor configured to detect the presence of a user's hand or portions thereof located outside of and in close proximity to a predetermined portion of the housing. The signals produced by the sensor are used to control functionalities of the mouse, as for example, switching between a cursor control mode and a scroll/pan control mode of the mouse.