Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Player-actuated control structure
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-11
2001-04-10
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Player-actuated control structure
C463S036000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213880
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to input devices for computer systems, video games and other electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a game pad device that can be used both for playing games, and also for controlling digital video disk (DVD) systems, via software.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer applications are produced by an endless variety of manufacturers and developers. The commands to control these applications are as diverse as the numbers of applications themselves. In the field of computer gaming, for example, a user must learn one set of commands to play one game, and another set of commands to play another game. To make matters more complicated, each application may also use different input devices. If a user owns a game that requires keyboard entries, a game requiring a joystick, a Digital Video Disk (DVD) player requiring specific keyboard commands, and an internet browser requiring mouse commands, the user must have two or three different input devices coupled to the user's computer. Switching between applications entails switching between input devices, or, more likely, coupling and decoupling input devices from the computer as most computers only have a limited amount of input/output ports.
Conventional input devices and game pads have other drawbacks. Keyboards are bulky and typically have slow response time. Wireless remote input devices are expensive due to their wireless features, and they require an additional device to be coupled to the computer. Mousetype controllers require desktop space for control and to be fully effective. Moreover, mousetype controllers only have only two buttons, and in rare instances three, and complicated navigation requires more buttons than mouse-type controllers can provide. In particular, in order to control a DVD-player more than one button must be pressed sequentially. Conventional mouse controllers cannot provide this type of functionality. Although joysticks are useful input devices for controlling games, they are not useful for controlling other applications. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method for using the same device to access video game machines, computers, and DVD systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a novel game pad (
100
). In the preferred embodiment, the game pad (
100
) is coupled to a memory (
312
) for storing at least one keymap file (
362
) and a translator module (
368
), a processor (
300
) for translating the signals generated by the game pad (
100
) in accordance with the translator module (
368
) and the stored keymap file (
362
) into commands in mouse protocol or keyboard protocol, and a DVD-player (
332
), for responding to the commands issued by the game pad (
100
). The keymap file (
362
) provides programmable mapping between game pad buttons (
102
) and application modules and DVD-player commands. In one embodiment, when the present invention detects that an application module (
366
) is activated, it loads the corresponding keymap file (
362
) into memory (
312
), thus allowing the game pad (
100
) to seamlessly control the application module (
366
) using the user-defined commands. Multiple keystrokes or commands may be assigned to each button (
102
), and multiple keymap files (
362
) may be created for each application module (
366
). The present invention fully integrates DVD navigation capability with a game pad (
100
), including printing navigation icons (
201
) on the game pad (
100
) for ease of use of the game pad (
100
) for controlling DVD functionality. Default keymap files (
367
,
390
) may be created for mouse emulation and DVD-emulation to further ease user interaction. Thus, the game pad (
100
) of the present invention allows a game pad (
100
) to be used for playing games requiring a keyboard (
401
) or a joystick, for applications requiring a mouse input, and for navigating in a DVD system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5394168 (1995-02-01), Smith, III et al.
patent: 5699059 (1997-12-01), Hiller
patent: 5749735 (1998-05-01), Redford et al.
patent: 5874906 (1999-02-01), Willner et al.
patent: 5896125 (1999-04-01), Niedzwiecki
patent: 5977886 (1999-11-01), Barlie et al.
patent: 0 654 289 A1 (1994-04-01), None
patent: 0 686 973 A1 (1994-12-01), None
patent: WO 97/00713 (1997-01-01), None
Creative Technology Ltd.
Fenwick & West LLP
Kasick Julie
Martin-Wallace Valencia
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