Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Player-actuated control structure
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-25
2001-02-27
Harrison, Jessica J. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Player-actuated control structure
C273S14800B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193609
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a hand-held control unit for generating control signals for a display screen-oriented computer game, said control unit comprising:
a housing with a front side;
a set of control members lying generally flush with said front side for through actuating thereof, controlling actions of in-game display items;
output means for communicating representative signals of said actuating to said computer,
for controlling display screen means for displaying said actions within said game. A control unit of this kind has been disclosed in EP 679 986 A1 to SEGA Enterprises. Such a game can be played with one or more persons, and the display is generally of the raster scan type. Alternatively, a preconfigured LCD screen can be used. The game is often merchandised on an appropriate medium, such as a tape cartridge, a floppy disc, or a CD-I or CD-ROM optical disc. Another possibility is to load the game from a distant source, such as by broadcast or cable means. Typical games depend on the skill of players to dynamically control items that move in the game, or to solve logical problems that are posed explicitly or implicitly. The platform for playing the game can for example be a CD-I or CD-ROM machine or a personal computer, that can interface to the control unit, which may have a particular shape that is ergonomically feasible. Various such units are being marketed, although also keyboards of the Querty or similar type are being used. In case of a preconfigured LCD screen, present day games usually have all control members integrated with the display in a single housing.
The present inventor has recognized the uniformity of the control units in that they do not depend on the actual game, although they may strongly depend on the type of platform. Other control units may be specific for a whole category of games, such as a control unit for aeroplane-related games that comes with a joystick, or a control unit for a racing car-related game, that comes with a steering wheel. Generally, the control units considered by the present invention are of a more elementary character, however. Generally, for a particular platform, a limited set of control members such as buttons, may have widely varying functions over respective games. In consequence, making the control units game-specific would let users, in particular children of pre-school or kindergarten age that cannot read, more easily recognize the functions that a particular control unit may have for controlling the characters or other items of the associated game.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, amongst other things, it is an object of the present invention to provide game-specific control units that can be made user-friendly through providing an organization that is instructive as well as easy manipulatable, for so enabling a user, in particular a child, to quickly and easily befriending the game in question. Now, according to one of its aspects, the invention is characterized in that said control unit has at said front side a representation of an associated game item which generally coincides with one or more said control members that are thereby functionally integrated with said representation. The more or less flat dimensioning of the front side of the control unit allows easy manufacturing, while the representation of the game character or item -such as a person, an animal, or a representation of a lifeless thing like an aeroplane-lends more activity to the game. The control unit itself may be based on a soft keyboard, such as realized in a touch screen, or with hard keys or similar control members that respond in a manner known therefor. They may thus be mechanically actuatable, capacitive or inductive keys, or other as necessary. For example, if applicable, a tracker ball feature may be realized in the control unit.
Advantageously, the screen is a video screen, and the representation is a covering flexible layer on top of said control members that are pressure sensitive. This embodiment has been considered a prime target for merchandising, although various other technologies could be used as well.
Advantageously, the unit has a display screen for reversibly displaying said representation, and said control members being implemented as various locations of said display screen that is a touch sensitive display screen. This enhances flexibility, while the unit may still remain low cost.
Advantageously, said representation comprises a control member located in conformity with a particular part of a display item representation, which primarily controls an action of that particular part while being in-game displayed. The conformity can mean that the representation has various extremities, and the control members are likewise positioned in a configuration that corresponds to these extremities, for example: up, down, left, right, center. The representation may be colocated with the control members, or rather, a shift, rotation or change-of-size between the representation and the configuration of the control members may have been effected. A control member that is positioned in conformity with a particular part of the representation on the control unit may control a corresponding part of the on-screen representation. For example, the top control member may control head movements of a character person, or a bottom control member may control a foot for executing a jumping motion.
Advantageously, the control unit may have cointegrated cursor keys for allowing very flexible controlling. Such cursor may immediately control a position and/or rather a direction of motion of an in-game item. Advantageously, the control unit has a detachable electronic interface to said computer, provided with identifier code signalling means towards said computer. This allows to play various games in sequence, while the successive activation of these games can be rendered automatically. By itself, automatic self-identification of electronic items to a computer in a test environment has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,189 to the present assignee.
The invention also relates to a housing for therein detacheably embedding a unit as recited supra, therewith electrically mapping on electric interface of the unit so embedded.
The invention also relates to a video display computer game executed with a plurality of characters of which one or more are assigned to associated and specifically organized control units as described above. Various further advantageous aspects of the invention are recited in dependent Claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 261402 (1981-10-01), Lovejoy
patent: 4359222 (1982-11-01), Smith, III et al.
patent: 4540176 (1985-09-01), Baer
patent: 5088928 (1992-02-01), Chan
patent: 5312114 (1994-05-01), Lipson
patent: 5393072 (1995-02-01), Best
patent: 5645277 (1997-07-01), Cheng
patent: 5759100 (1998-06-01), Nakanishi
patent: 5766077 (1998-06-01), Hongo
patent: 5796388 (1998-08-01), Yasuhara et al.
patent: 5853327 (1998-12-01), Gilboa
patent: 5976018 (1999-11-01), Druckman
patent: 0679986A1 (1995-11-01), None
patent: 06285259 (1994-10-01), None
Copy of translation of Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 6[Oct. 1994]-285259 to Murata, previously of record.
Harrison Jessica J.
U.S. Philips Corporation
Wieghaus Brian J.
LandOfFree
Hand held control unit for controlling a display... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Hand held control unit for controlling a display..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hand held control unit for controlling a display... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2583602