Game controller

• US 10,335,675 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Suetake, Fumiyoshi, Tsuchiya, Hitoshi, Okamura, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Tramar Y
• Application Number:
  US15/370,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details

Abstract

An example game controller includes L and R buttons provided in both left and right end portions on an upper surface of a housing and ZL and ZR buttons provided to sides of the L and R buttons closer to a back surface of the game controller. The ZL/ZR button includes a protruding portion protruding in the direction of the back surface of the game controller and the direction of a side surface of the game controller. This makes it possible to increase the area of an upper surface of a key top of the ZL/ZR button and improve the operability of the ZL/ZR button.

Claims

1. A game controller comprising:

a holding portion configured to be held by a user;

a first button placed on an upper surface of a main body of the game controller and configured to allow the user to operate the first button with a finger of the user while holding the holding portion, the first button having a lower portion and an upper portion that is configured to be contacted by the user'"'"'s finger, and

a second button placed on the upper surface of the main body and configured to allow the user to operate the second button with the same finger of the user that operates the first button, the second button being located closer to a front surface of the main body than the first button, wherein

the upper portion of the first button includes a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the lower portion in a direction from the front surface to a back surface of the game controller and in a direction from a center of the game controller to a side surface of the game controller, the protruding portion warps upward in the direction from the front surface to the back surface, and an end portion of the first button in the direction of the side surface has a sloped portion, the sloped portion including a portion sloping at a first sloping angle and a portion sloping at a second sloping angle greater than the first sloping angle, the portion sloping at the first sloping angle and the portion sloping at the second sloping angle are within an outer perimeter of the upper portion when the first button is viewed towards the upper surface.

2. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion protrudes continuously from a back surface side to a side surface side of the game controller.

3. The game controller according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the protruding portion from the back surface side to the side surface side has a round shape.

4. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is disposed such that an upper surface of the protruding portion forms an integrated surface with an upper surface of a portion of the first button other than the protruding portion.

5. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button is on a side surface side of the game controller, and

the direction of the side surface in which the protruding portion protrudes is a direction of a side surface on a side on which the first button is placed in the game controller.

6. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the protruding portion in the direction of the back surface has a round shape as viewed from a side surface side of the game controller.

7. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of an upper surface of the first button on a center side of the game controller has a sloped portion that is sloped relative to a central portion of the upper surface of the first button.

8. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein a portion of a top surface of the second button that is adjacent the side surface of the game controller slopes downward relative to a central portion of the top surface of the second button, and wherein the closer to the side surface of the game controller, the greater the downward slope.

9. The game controller according to claim 8, wherein the portion of the top surface of the second button that is adjacent the side surface of the game controller includes a first portion sloping at a first sloping angle relative to the central portion and a second portion sloping at a second sloping angle relative to the central portion, the second sloping angle being greater than the first sloping angle.

10. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein a width of a portion of an upper surface of the second button located adjacent the side surface of the game controller is smaller than a width of a portion of the upper surface of the second button located adjacent a center of the game controller.

11. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the second button includes a sloped portion in an end portion of the second button adjacent a front surface side of the game controller, the sloped portion being sloped relative to a central portion of the upper surface of the second button.

12. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein a stationary surface is disposed between the first button and the second button.

13. The game controller according to claim 12, wherein a height of an end portion of the stationary surface located closest to the back surface side of the game controller is smaller than a height of an end portion of the first button located closest to the front surface side of the game controller when the first button is pressed.

14. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the second button on a center side of the game controller has a sloped portion.

15. The game controller according to claim 14, wherein the second button is supported to be pivotable by a shaft placed on the center side of the game controller and extends from the shaft in the direction of the side surface of the game controller.

16. The game controller according to claim 1, further comprising

an operation section configured to be contacted by the user'"'"'s finger is on the front surface of the main body, wherein

with respect to a straight line parallel with a direction of pressing the operation section, an end portion of the first button on a front surface side is lower than an end portion of the second button on a back surface side.

17. The game controller according to claim 16, wherein the first button is lower than the second button from the end portion of the first button on the front surface side to an end portion of the first button on the back surface side.

18. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the first button on a center side of the game controller is located closer to the side surface of the game controller than an end portion of the second button on the center side of the game controller.

19. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein when the game controller is placed on a planar surface with a front surface of the game controller facing up, the game controller is supported on a back surface of the main body.

20. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the first button has a concave curved shape, and wherein a curvature of the upper surface of the first button becomes greater towards a back surface side of the game controller.

21. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button is supported to be pivotable by a first shaft extending in a left-right direction of the game controller, and

the first shaft is configured to be inserted only from a center side of the game controller in the direction of the side surface of the game controller.

22. The game controller according to claim 21, wherein the first shaft is inserted into a shaft insertion opening placed in an end portion of the game controller on a side surface side of the game controller, and a buffer material is disposed within the shaft insertion opening.

23. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button includes a first detection section configured to detect that the first button is pressed,

the second button includes a second detection section configured to detect that the second button is pressed, and

the first detection section is located further in the direction of the side surface of the game controller than the second detection section is.

24. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button includes a first detection section configured to detect that the first button is pressed,

the first button is supported to be pivotable by a first shaft extending in a left-right direction of the game controller, and

the first button, the first detection section, and the first shaft are integrated.

25. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button and the second button are so formed that lengths of the first button and the second button are longer in a first direction extending between opposite side surfaces of the game controller than lengths of the first button and the second button in a second direction extending between the back surface and the front surface of the game controller.

26. The game controller according to claim 1 wherein the protruding portion of the upper portion of the first button extends further in the direction of the back surface of the game controller than an underlying portion of the main body that is adjacent a corresponding part of the lower portion of the first button.

27. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion of the upper portion of the first button extends further in the direction of the side surface of the game controller than an underlying portion of the main body that is adjacent a corresponding part of the lower portion of the first button.

28. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the upper portion of the first button warps upward in the direction from the front surface to the back surface and a degree of warping gradually becomes larger along the direction from the front surface to the back surface.