From mechanical trackballs to...

Prior to Gerpheide's creation of touch pads, laptop computers used mechanical trackballs needing frequent cleaning and subject to erratic operation.

Ubiquitous touch pads

Gerpheide's technical and business Creation Moved the World Forward!

The world's oldest pointing device

"They rely on the world's oldest pointing device: the finger. Everyone knows how to use their finger." — Gerpheide

Year of the Cat

Cirque began marketed products quite cleverly with their "Cat" brand.

Now ... cell phones

Cell phones in asia are starting to incorporate Gerpheide's touch pad technology for smoother user interface.

Capacitance-Based Touchpad

The story of how George Gerpheide took the touchpad from the workshop to the world marketplace is a classic case study in entrepreneurship (click icon).

Dr. Gerpheide founded Cirque Corporation in 1991 to further develop and commercialize the capacitance-based touchpad technology he had invented in his basement. This became the first commercially successful touchpad for laptop computers (US Patent No.5,305,017 - parent application 16 August 1989), continuing widespread volume to this day. With a handful of employees in 1991, Dr. Gerpheide turned Cirque into one of the fastest growing companies in the United States in just five years. Still breaking down barriers between people and machines, Cirque Corporation continues to provide touch input solutions across a range of consumer and industrial markets.

Understanding what is technically possible and what makes commercial sense is one of Dr. Gerpheide's key strengths. Always on the cutting edge, he developed the touchpad before pointing-and-clicking was even a standard input method. At that time, the need for a novel pointing device was not apparent, but Dr. Gerpheide recognized potential markets for Cirque's products and persevered to make the company a leading provider of touchpad technology.

Innovative Products and Marketing

Under George Gerpheide's leadership as CEO, the Cirque Corporation created an entirely new category of products in the retail computer market. With creative marketing and effective strategic business planning, Cirque's line of pointing devices and keyboards moved into the spotlight.

A Hot Product

PC Magazine named GlidePoint® one of the best products of 1994. Cirque's touchpads were a "hot pick" for PC World Magazine, and HomePC magazine called GlidePoint® devices "hot stuff."

Authority in the Industry

George Gerpheide's capacitance touchpad appealed to the editors of Scientific American, who invited him to write this article on his invention for publication in the July 1998 issue.

Retail Success

Cirque's touchpads quickly took their places on the shelves at major consumer electronics retail stores.