PERIPHERAL AND GAME FOR HANDHELD DEVICE

• US 20090170598A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Oberg, Gregory Keith, Booth, Jesse Nathaniel
• Application Number:
  US11/968,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170598A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

A handheld device and peripheral, and game using the handheld device and peripheral. The peripheral includes user inputs, with the peripheral interfacing with the handheld device by way of a handheld device memory port, for example a memory port generally configured for use with game cartridges.

Claims

1. A music game system, comprising:

a handheld game device with at least one display, a touchscreen for the at least one display, and at least two ports, the handheld device having at least one processor, memory coupled to the processor, and circuitry configured to receive electrical signals from the ports, circuitry to receive touchscreen inputs, circuitry to provide displays on the display, and circuitry to provide audio presentations;

a peripheral at least partially inserted into a first port of the at least two ports such that electrical contacts of the peripheral are coupled to electrical contacts of the first port, the peripheral including a plurality of user operable buttons and circuitry for providing status of the buttons to the electrical contacts of the peripheral; and

the handheld game device capable of receiving program instructions for a music game, the program instructions including program instructions which configure the at least one processor to;

command display on the display of user instruction information including graphical symbols following at least one path;

determine compliance with the user instruction information comprising determine if at least one particular user operable button of the plurality of user operable buttons is in a depressed state in response to the user instruction information, the at least one particular user operable button of the plurality of user operable buttons depending on the user instruction; and

command presentation of audio, with content of the audio dependent on the determination of compliance with the user instruction information.

2. The music game system of claim 1 wherein at least two of the at least two ports are configured for receiving game cartridges.

3. The music game system of claim 1, wherein the graphical symbols have a visual correspondence to the user operable buttons.

4. The music game system of claim 1, wherein the graphical symbols follow a plurality of paths, each graphical symbol following one of the plurality of paths, wherein the program instructions to determine user compliance with the user instruction information includes program instructions to determine if the at least one particular user operable button of the plurality of user operable buttons is in a depressed state when at least one graphical symbol is in a predefined area of the display, the at least one user operable button of the plurality of user operable buttons depending on the at least one graphical symbol in the predefined area of the display.

5. The music game system of claim 4, wherein at least some portion of each graphical symbol includes a color that corresponds to a color on at least some portion of each user operable button.

6. The music game system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of user operable buttons are arranged in a linear order, the plurality of paths are arranged in a linear order, the linear order of the user operable buttons and the linear order of the plurality of paths determining correspondence between the particular user operable button and the particular path.

7. The music game system of claim 1 wherein the content of the audio is a portion of a song if there is compliance with user instruction information.

8. The music game system of claim 1 wherein the content of the audio is non-song audio if there is not compliance with user instruction information.

9. The music game system of claim 4 wherein determine compliance with the user instruction information further comprises determine if the touchscreen indicates an appropriate input when the graphical symbol is in the predefined area of the display.

10. The music game system of claim 9 wherein the appropriate input is a sequence of depressions across a portion of the touchscreen.

11. The music game system of claim 10 wherein the program instructions further include program instructions to configure the at least one processor to command display of a representation of a strum bar about a portion of the display corresponding to the portion of the touchscreen.

12. The music game system of claim 1 wherein the user operable buttons of the peripheral extend away from a side surface of a housing of the handheld game device, the side surface of the housing of the handheld device being adjacent a top surface of the handheld device, the top surface including the display.

13. The music game system of claim 9 wherein the peripheral includes a structure extending under a bottom surface of the housing of the handheld device, the bottom surface being opposite the top surface of the handheld device.

14. A peripheral for a handheld device, the peripheral comprising:

a mount forming a first cross-sectional leg;

a plurality of user operable input devices along the mount, the plurality of user operable input devices arranged in a substantially linear order;

a tongue extending from the mount, the tongue including electrical contacts, the tongue configured for at least partial insertion into a memory port of a handheld game device;

circuitry for presenting status of the user operable buttons on at least some of the electrical contacts;

a grippable structure forming a second cross-sectional leg, the first cross-sectional leg and the second cross-sectional leg providing a pair of surfaces in an L-shape.

15. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 14 wherein the user operable input devices comprise buttons.

16. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 15 wherein the buttons extend in a first direction from the mount.

17. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 16 wherein the tongue extends in a second direction from the mount, the second direction approximately opposite the first direction.

18. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 14, wherein the grippable structure includes a rounded outer surface and a tapered end, the tapered end forming an abutment.

19. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 14 further comprising a strap looped around the rounded outer surface.

20. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 14 wherein the circuitry for presenting status of the user operable input devices on at least some of the electrical contacts includes memory.

21. A handheld device and peripheral for use with game software, comprising:

a handheld device including a processing element, a display, memory, and at least one port configured to receive a removable memory device, the processing element configurable by program instructions in the memory to execute a game;

a peripheral including at least one user operable input device and circuitry to present input device status on at least one electrical contact, the peripheral at least partially insertable into at least one of the at least one port so as to couple the at least one electrical contact to at least one electrical contact of the at least one port.

22. A handheld device and peripheral for use with game software, comprising:

a handheld device including a processor, memory, a display, user input devices, and two memory ports for receiving memory devices;

a peripheral including a plurality of buttons, electrical contacts coupleable to electrical contacts of at least one of the two memory ports, and means for presenting status of the buttons on at least some of the electrical contacts.

23. A handheld game, comprising:

a housing including a display, at least one processor, and at least one memory port;

a peripheral insertable into and removable from the memory port, the peripheral including a plurality of buttons and configured to present button status information to the processor by way of the memory port;

the processor configured to command presentation of user instruction information on the display, the user instruction information providing instruction information as to depression of the plurality of buttons, the processor further configured to determine compliance with the user instruction information and accumulate user points responsive to compliance with the user instruction information.

24. The handheld game of claim 23 wherein the plurality of buttons correspond in number to a number of paths followed by graphical symbols of the user instruction information, each particular path of the paths followed by a graphical symbol having a correspondence to a particular button of the plurality of buttons.

25. The handheld game of claim 24 wherein the paths are parallel paths.

26. The handheld game of claim 24 wherein the paths vary over time.

27. The handheld game of claim 24 wherein the buttons are arranged linearly.

28. The handheld game of claim 27 wherein the paths are parallel paths, and adjacent paths provide user instruction information to adjacent buttons.

29. The handheld game of claim 23 wherein the plurality of buttons correspond in number to a number of shapes of graphical symbols of the user instruction information.

30. The handheld game device of claim 29 wherein each shape of the graphical symbols has a correspondence to a particular button of the plurality of buttons.

31. A peripheral for a handheld device, comprising:

a structure with a substantially L-shaped cross-section;

a tongue extending from the structure;

electrical contacts coupled to the tongue;

at least one input device coupled to the structure; and

electrical circuitry coupling the at least one input device and at least one of the electrical contacts.

32. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 31 wherein the tongue include an electrical connector, the electrical contacts being part of the electrical connector.

33. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 31 wherein the at least one input device comprises a plurality of buttons.

34. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 33 wherein the plurality of buttons are about a first exterior surface of the structure.

35. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 33 wherein the plurality of buttons are arranged substantially linearly about a first exterior surface of the structure.

36. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 34 further comprising a strap about a second exterior surface of the structure.

37. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 33 wherein the plurality of buttons each have a different shape.

38. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 33 wherein the plurality of buttons each have a different color.

39. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 31 wherein each of the plurality of buttons are coupled by the electrical circuitry to a corresponding electrical contact of the electrical contacts.

40. The peripheral for a handheld device of claim 39 wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to present button status of the plurality of buttons on the electrical contacts.