Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-29
2002-12-17
Chiu, Raleigh W. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Housing
C463S047000, C273S14800B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06494786
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an LCD game apparatus which can be easily held.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a conventional LCD game apparatus which is formed in a thin shape with flat front and rear surfaces of its body and is provided with a liquid crystal display portion and operating buttons on the front surface, in which a flat rear cover of a battery compartment is screwed on to be fixed to the rear surface.
The conventional LCD game apparatus is designed to permit the user to play games displayed on the liquid crystal display by gripping the sides of the apparatus body with the palms of the hands, holding the rear surface of the body with the four fingers of each hand and pressing the operating buttons with the thumbs of each hand. Since the conventional LCD game apparatus is formed in a flat thin shape, the required hand-holding position is not always stable and the operating buttons may be sometimes pressed incorrectly. In addition, as the speed of games progressively increase, a player may drop the game as the player becomes absorbed in the game playing as to unintentionally handle the apparatus body forcefully and swing it, or when the player's hands get slippery with perspiration. Since the LCD game apparatus is equipped with a precise LSI, it may sometimes be broken just by being dropped.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above drawbacks. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an LCD game apparatus in which a protrusion is formed on the rear surface of the body which may be hooked by the fingers to make the position of holding the apparatus stable so that the possibility of incorrectly pressing the operating buttons may be eliminated. The implementation of such an arrangement provides the advantage of greatly decreasing the likelihood the game will be dropped, even if a player is so absorbed in the game playing as to unintentionally handle the apparatus body forcefully and swing it, or when the player's hands get slippery with perspiration.
In order to attain the above objects and other objects and advantages, an LCD game apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has the following features:
(1) A liquid crystal display portion and operating buttons are provided on the front surface of the apparatus body; and
(2) A protrusion extending substantially parallel with one side edge of the apparatus body is formed on its rear surface.
Furthermore, the protrusion may form a battery compartment. The protrusion may also be formed on a battery case which is attachably and detachably installed to the apparatus body.
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patent: 09-253332 (1997-09-01), None
Chiu Raleigh W.
Kabushiki Kabushiki Bandai
Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP
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