APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING OPERATIONS OF ACCESSORIES

• US 20110009192A1
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelseries Aps, Steelseries Hq
• Original Assignee: Steelseries Hq
• Inventors: Soelberg, Tino, Aronzon, Michael, Wolff-Petersen, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a computing device having a controller to present a plurality of associable actions and a plurality of accessories of distinct operational types, associate an action with an input function of a select one of the plurality of accessories, monitor the selected accessory for a stimulation of the input function, and transmit the action to an operating system to launch a first software application or to convey to a second software application the action or an aspect of the action. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions to:

present in a graphical user interface a plurality of associable actions and a plurality of accessories of distinct operational types, wherein the plurality of accessories are for navigating in or controlling a software application operable in a computer system or a gaming console;

associate one of the plurality of associable actions with an input function of a select one of the plurality of accessories;

record the association of the action and the input function;

detect a stimulation of the input function while monitoring the selected accessory in use;

retrieve the action associated with the input function; and

transmit the action to an operating system.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operating system transmits the action or an aspect thereof to a software application.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, wherein the software application is a gaming application which invokes a gaming feature according to the action or the aspect of the action received from the operating system.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operating system launches a software application according to the action.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of accessories correspond to at least two distinct accessory types from a group comprising a keyboard, a gaming pad, a mouse, a gaming console controller, a joystick, a microphone, a headset with a microphone, and wherein the distinct accessory types correspond to accessories having disparate operational parameters.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to:

record a sequence of input function stimuli of one or more of the plurality of accessories; and

associate the sequence of input functions to a macro.

7. The storage medium of claim 6, wherein the macro corresponds to one of the plurality of associable actions.

8. The storage medium of claim 6, comprising computer instructions to record timing characteristics of the sequence of input function stimuli.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, comprising computer instructions to modify at least a portion of the timing characteristics according to user provided instructions.

10. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of associable actions comprise one or more output signals of at least one of the plurality of accessories.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more output signals comprise a code to identify a stimulated input function of an accessory or an audible signal.

12. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein at least a portion the plurality of associable actions correspond to one or more actions that control aspects of a software gaming application.

13. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to present a statistical frequency of stimulation of one or more input functions of at least one of the plurality of accessories.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions to present one or more suggestions to modify an efficiency of usage of the at least one accessory.

15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the statistical frequency of stimulation presented corresponds to a color-coded symbolic usage of the one or more input functions of the at least one accessory.

16. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to store the associated action and input function in a profile.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to associated the profile with one or more software applications.

18. The storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to combine the profile with another profile comprising one or more associations of an action and an input function.

19. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to:

detect an unknown accessory;

present a depiction of an accessory of similar or same category;

receive instructions describing all or a portion of input functions of the unknown accessory;

create an accessory identity;

associate the accessory identity with the instructions;

record the association; and

present the accessory identity with the plurality of accessories when the unknown accessory is communicatively coupled to a computing device from which the storage medium operates.

20. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to:

present a plurality of programmable layers of input functions of the accessory;

detect a selection from the plurality of programming layers;

record the association according to the selected programming layer; and

monitor the selected accessory according to the plurality of programming layers.

21. A method, comprising:

presenting in a graphical user interface a plurality of associable actions and a plurality of accessories of distinct operational types, wherein the plurality of accessories are for navigating in or controlling software applications operable in a computing device;

receiving a request to associate one of the plurality of associable actions with an input function of a select one of the plurality of accessories;

associating the action with the input function;

monitoring the selected accessory for a stimulation of the input function; and

transmitting the action to an operating system responsive to detecting the stimulation of the input function.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the computing device corresponds to one of a computer system and a gaming console.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising:

generating a human interface device (HID) report including the action; and

transmitting the HID report to the operating system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the operating system retrieves the action from the HID report, and conveys the action to a software application.

25. The method of claim 21, comprising presenting a mapping of a frequency of stimulation of input functions of at least one of the plurality of accessories.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising presenting the mapping according to a color coding scheme applied to the input functions of the at least one accessory.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of accessories correspond to at least two distinct accessory types from a group comprising a keyboard, a gaming pad, a mouse, a gaming console controller, a joystick, a microphone, a headset with a microphone, wherein the distinct operational types correspond to accessories having disparate operational parameters, and wherein each of the plurality of associable actions comprise one or more output signals of at least one of the plurality of accessories.

28. A computing device, comprising a controller to:

present a plurality of associable actions and a plurality of accessories of distinct operational types, wherein the plurality of accessories are for navigating in or controlling software applications operable in the computing device;

associate an action with an input function of a select one of the plurality of accessories;

monitor the selected accessory for a stimulation of the input function; and

transmit the action to an operating system to launch a first software application or to convey to a second software application the action or an aspect of the action.

29. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the computing device comprises one of a computer and a gaming console.

30. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the plurality of accessories correspond to at least two distinct accessory types from a group comprising a keyboard, a gaming pad, a mouse, a gaming console controller, a joystick, a microphone, a headset with a microphone, and wherein each of the plurality of associable actions comprise one or more output signals of at least one of the plurality of accessories.