Game keyboard device

Details Game keyboard device Game keyboard device

2002-12-02

2004-09-07

Harrison, Jessica (Department: 3713)

Amusement devices: games

Including means for processing electronic data

Player-actuated control structure

C463S038000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06786823

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a keyboard device. More explicitly, the invention relates to a game keyboard device that can switch between the functions of a joystick and a mouse and the configuration thereof.
2. Related Art
The keyboard and mouse are the main input peripheral devices of a personal computer (PC). The keyboard provides the data input of characters, numbers, and other setting function keys. The mouse provides the cursor control. Nowadays, PC uses have become even more popular in families to assist document and data processing and, furthermore, they provide users entertainments. However, the user often has to purchase an additional joystick device according to the requirements of various games. Such additional input peripheral devices greatly occupy the user's working space.
In order to save space, the prior art has provided various kinds of integrated input devices that combine the functions of keyboard, mouse and joystick devices. For example, there exist keyboard devices with the mouse function and keyboard devices with both the joystick and mouse functions. These integrated input devices simply provide additional mouse and joystick devices that independently implement the mouse and joystick functions. The user is able to simultaneously operate the mouse and joystick on a single keyboard device, without too much table space being occupied.
However, when a user uses a PC, he/she usually only processes one job at the same time. Even if the PC is capable of performing word processing, data processing and game software simultaneously, the user still switches the PC to implement only a single task so that the PC responds to the corresponding input device. For example, when the PC is running the Windows operating system (OS), the user can simultaneously open Microsoft Word for word processing, Microsoft Excel for data processing, and a game at the same time. However, the user must switch the OS to Microsoft Word and use the keyboard and mouse for word processing, or to the game and use the joystick to play the game. Therefore, integrating the joystick and the mouse on the keyboard is not necessary because the user often does not use the joystick and the mouse at the same time.
The invention provides a game keyboard device, which uses a switch key to switch a direction control mechanism whereby either a joystick function or a mouse function is implemented. Thus, the disclosed game keyboard device can selectively implement the joystick and mouse functions using a single direction control mechanism. Accordingly, the hardware manufacturing cost can be considerably reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a game keyboard device with a switch key to switch a single direction control mechanism whereby either a joystick function or a mouse function is implemented.
Another object of the invention is to provide a game keyboard device configuration. A smaller right portion with a direction control mechanism and mouse keys is provided on the right side of the keyboard body. A larger left portion with a plurality of game keys is provided on the left side of the keyboard body. Therefore, the right side provides the function of mouse operations, and the left side provides with convenient operation of game keys during the implementation of game software.
A further object of the invention is to provide a game keyboard device that uses a single direction control mechanism to perform joystick or mouse operations according to the needs of PC utilities.
The prior art simply install a mouse and a joystick on a keyboard, independently implementing the mouse and joystick functions, simultaneously. The mouse and joystick functions cannot be effectively integrated according to practical operation needs using the direction control mechanism in the hardware design. Therefore, the invention provides a game keyboard device that fully integrates the mouse and joystick functions in the hardware design. A switch key is provided to switch whereby either a joystick function or a mouse function is implemented. The hardware manufacturing cost of the invention is thus greatly reduced.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a game keyboard device comprising a key matrix
104
, a direction control mechanism
21
, and a microprocessor
101
. The key matrix
104
comprising 101 standard keys
13
, game keys
31
for the joystick function, mouse keys
22
for the mouse function, and a switch key
11
. The direction control mechanism
21
generates a direction signal according to the direction input by the user. The microprocessor
101
scans the key status of the key matrix
104
and receives the direction signal. The microprocessor
101
outputs a direction signal of the mouse pattern or joystick pattern according to the key status of the switch key
11
, enabling the operation of the corresponding mouse keys
22
or game keys
31
. In addition, the disclosed game keyboard device further includes: a serial interface
102
and a light-emitting diode (LED) driver
103
. The serial interface
102
is electrically connected to the microprocessor
101
for transmitting the direction signal output from the microprocessor
101
to a PC host. The LED driver
103
is electrically connected to the microprocessor
101
for indicating the key status of the switch key
11
on an LED
12
.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the configuration of the game keyboard device comprising a body
10
, a right portion
20
, and a left portion
30
. The body is installed with the
101
standard keys
13
. The right portion
20
is connected to the right side of the body
10
and has a direction control mechanism
21
and a plurality of mouse keys
22
thereon. The right portion has a first protruding surface
23
near the direction control mechanism
21
. The left portion
30
is connected to the left side of the body
10
and has a plurality of game keys
31
thereon. The left portion
30
has a second protruding surface
32
. The right portion
20
is smaller than the left portion
30
, and the curvature of the first protruding surface
23
is greater than that of the second protruding surface
32
. The user puts the right palm on the first protruding surface to control the direction control mechanism and the left palm on the second protruding surface to control the game keys.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a game keyboard device is in electrical communications with a PC host. The game keyboard device comprising a key matrix, a direction control mechanism, and a microprocessor. The key matrix comprising the standard keys, game keys for the joystick function, mouse keys for the mouse function. The direction control mechanism generates a direction signal according to the direction input by the user. The microprocessor scans the key status of the key matrix and receives the direction signal. The microprocessor outputs the direction signal and the key status to the PC host. The PC host implements a driver in response to a utility program (such as word processing or game software). The direction signal output by the microprocessor is then decoded as a mouse pattern signal or a joystick pattern signal for the utility. The key status of the mouse keys or the game keys is also enabled.


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patent: 6587094 (2003-07-01), Anderson

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