U.S. Pat. No. 12,023,576

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS.1-8Bshow a video game controller. The video game controller is a guitar-shaped video game controller1000(“controller”). The controller1000can be used with multiple platforms, such as, for example, PlayStation®, Xbox®, as well as personal computer (PC) and other platforms, such as Samsung TV and mobile via Bluetooth®. The controller1000has a body100, a neck200and a headstock300, the neck200attached to the body100and attached to the headstock300.

The body100has a shape resembling a body of the guitar and includes a front surface or cabinet10and a rear surface or cabinet20. The controller1000includes one or more control inputs1, optionally including a whammy bar22, a strum bar30, one or more input buttons40, a D-pad46and a guide button47. The body100can have strap pegs50,52that can couple to a strap.

The neck200has a shape that resembles a neck of a guitar and can have a front surface or cabinet210and rear surface or cabinet220and extends from a proximal portion202to a distal portion204. The neck200includes a fret board205with fretboard dots240and a plurality of fret buttons230or action buttons (e.g., on a front side of the neck200). The headstock300has a shape that resembles a headstock of a guitar. Therefore, a user playing a video game with the controller1000can pretend they are playing an actual guitar while playing the video game (e.g., by pressing the fret buttons230or action buttons, for example based on the rhythm of a song in a video game such as Guitar Hero).

With references toFIG.2, the controller1000can have a thumbstick60(e.g., an analog thumbstick). The thumbstick60can in one example have a rubber overmold. In another example, the thumbstick60can have a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) overmold. The thumbstick60can be disposed on the neck200. In one implementation, the thumbstick60can be disposed on a side (e.g., rear side) of the neck200opposite the side (e.g., front side) of the neck200that has the fret buttons230or action buttons (e.g., the thumbstick60is disposed opposite the fret buttons230or action buttons). In one implementation, shown inFIGS.3-5the thumbstick60is on the rear side of the neck200proximate the headstock300. As shown inFIG.5, the thumbstick60is aligned adjacent the fret buttons230or action buttons (e.g., when viewing the neck200from a side perpendicular to the front or rear side of the neck200). Advantageously, the thumbstick60is located so that a user can simultaneously actuate the fret buttons230or action buttons and the thumbstick60with one hand, as shown inFIGS.6A-6B(e.g., where the user can actuate the thumbstick60with a thumb T and actuate the fret buttons230or action buttons with the fingers of the same hand). In one implementation, the user can actuate the thumbstick60to navigate or move an avatar point of view while playing the video game.

With reference toFIGS.7-8B, the thumbstick60is disposed in a recess R of the rear surface or cabinet220of the neck200so that the head H of the thumbstick60does not protrude significantly out of the recess R (e.g., is flush with he rear surface or cabinet220of the neck200when in a neutral position) to advantageously inhibit (e.g., prevent) inadvertent actuation of the thumbstick60as the user moves their hand along the neck200while playing a video game. In one example, the head H of the thumbstick60can protrude between about 1 mm and about 2 mm past the rear surface or cabinet220of the neck200when articulated to the maximum position. The thumbstick60is an analog stick and pivoting the thumbstick60. The user can pivot the thumbstick60from a neutral or default position (shown inFIG.8A) to an actuated or angled position (shown inFIG.8B) by pushing the head H of the thumbstick60in a direction (X-Y) perpendicular to the axis of the thumbstick60. The thumbstick60can also be pressed P in the direction of its axis (as shown inFIG.7) to actuate digital electronics E.

FIGS.9-11show a video game controller1000′ (hereafter “the controller1000′”). The controller1000′ is similar to the controller1000inFIGS.1-8B. Thus, reference numerals used to designate the various components of the controller1000′ are identical to those used for identifying the corresponding components of the controller1000inFIGS.1-8B, except that a “′” has been added to the end of the numerical identifier. Therefore, the structure and description for the various features and components of the controller1000′ and how they're operated and controlled inFIGS.1-8Bare understood to also apply to the corresponding features of the controller1000′ inFIGS.9-11, except as described below.

The controller1000′ differs from the controller1000in that the thumbstick60′ is disposed on the rear surface or cabinet220′ of the neck200′ opposite the fret buttons230or action buttons that are proximate the body100′ (e.g., the thumbstick60′ is opposite and spaced from, such as aligned adjacent, the fret buttons230or action buttons230). As shown inFIG.11, a user can advantageously simultaneously actuate the fret buttons230or action buttons and actuate the thumbstick60′ with the same hand (e.g., actuate the fret buttons230or action buttons with the fingers and actuate the thumbstick60′ with the thumb T of the same hand). In another implementation, the video game controller can have more than one thumbstick60,60′ on the rear surface or cabinet220,220′ of the neck200,200′ (e.g., have a thumbstick60proximate the headstock300and also have a thumbstick60′ proximate the body100′).

FIG.12shows a block diagram of a video game system2000utilizing the video game controller1000. The system2000includes a console1800that communicates with the controller1000via a wired or wireless connection. The console1800can include a bus1802, one or more processors1804, a main memory1806, a read-only memory (ROM)1808, a storage device1810and a communication interface1818. The one or more processors1804can execute video game instructions, for example in a memory1806or ROM1808that communicates with the one or more processors1804. The instructions can be stored in the storage device1810and transferred to the memory1806and/or ROM1808as commanded by the processor(s)1804. The console1800can receive inputs from the controller1000(i.e., from the user pressing on the fret buttons230or operating the whammy bar22or strum bar30), and can communicate with a display1830via the communication interface1818to provide display data (e.g., images) to the display (e.g., computer monitor, television, etc.).

Although this disclosure describes certain embodiments and examples of video game controllers, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many aspects of the methods and devices shown and described in the present disclosure may be differently combined and/or modified to form still further embodiments or acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, a wide variety of designs and approaches are possible and are within the scope of this disclosure. No feature, structure, or step disclosed herein is essential or indispensable. Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, the scope of any and all embodiments having equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across various embodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated by those in the art based on the present disclosure.

Furthermore, certain features that are described in this disclosure in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimed combination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and the combination may be claimed as a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings or described in the specification in a particular order, such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Other operations that are not depicted or described can be incorporated in the example methods and processes. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the described operations. Further, the operations may be rearranged or reordered in other implementations. Also, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single product or packaged into multiple products.

For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or a group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent a value, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, or characteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”, “generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. As another example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel” and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristic that departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, 0.1 degree, or otherwise.

The language of the claims is to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to the examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.

Some embodiments have been described in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, the figures are not drawn to scale, unless indicated otherwise. Distances, angles, etc. are merely illustrative and do not necessarily bear an exact relationship to actual dimensions and layout of the devices illustrated. Components can be added, removed, and/or rearranged. Further, the disclosure herein of any particular feature, aspect, method, property, characteristic, quality, attribute, element, or the like in connection with various embodiments can be used in all other embodiments set forth herein. Additionally, it will be recognized that any methods described herein may be practiced using any device suitable for performing the recited steps.

In summary, various illustrative embodiments and examples of video game controllers have been disclosed. Although the video game controllers have been disclosed in the context of those embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that this disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or other uses of the embodiments, as well as to certain modifications and equivalents thereof. This disclosure expressly contemplates that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with, or substituted for, one another. Accordingly, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow as well as their full scope of equivalents.