Microsoft’s new Surface Pen may replace the mouse

Microsoft

has been awarded a patent for a computer-screen stylus that may eventually replace the mouse as the main way of controlling your PC.

The device, described in the patent as a ‘Stylus with touch-sensitive retention clip’, aims to emulate the scroll wheel of a mouse, letting you scroll up and down pages, and zoom in and out of content.

An illustration of the stylus (pictured above) shows in yellow a clip that responds to touch. Rolling your finger along it zooms and scrolls the screen (pictured left). The two buttons (216A and 216B) replace the left- and rightclick buttons on a mouse.

Inside the stylus is a conductive material that connects to a sensor. This measures the electrical charges produced when you touch it.

If manufactured, the device would be an updated version of Microsoft’s Surface Pen, available for £99.99 from the company’s online store: www.snipca.com/27046. Popular with artists and designers, it lets you write and draw on compatible Windows 10 laptops and tablets, but scrolling is trickier than using a mouse because you need to precisely place the tip on a scroll bar.

The patent also outlines how the device would switch from power-saving mode when it senses touch, making it instantly ready to use.

Two of Microsoft’s biggest rivals have also recently been granted patents for

groundbreaking styluses. Last year, Samsung revealed how its S Pen phone stylus could also be used as a microphone and a breathalyser, while in February Apple showed how its Pencil stylus could write on-screen in mid air.