GAME CONTROLLER WITH TOUCH PAD USER INTERFACE

• US 20110118025A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: LUKAS, ROBERT M., FU, QIANG, YU, XINYU, GUPTA, MONIKA, KWAN, TOM W., SOBEL, DAVID A., RANGANATHAN, SUMANT
• Application Number:
  US12/912,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041

Abstract

A game controller with a communications interface, at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements, and processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and the at least one touch sensitive pad. The processing circuitry receives touch pad input via the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the at least one touch sensitive pad. The processing circuitry then transmits the touch pad input to a game console via the communications interface. The touch sensitive pad can have a plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads, allowing the processing circuitry to receive touch pad input via each of the plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads. Touch pad input could include user finger and/or user thumb touch pad input.

Claims

1. A game controller comprising:

a communications interface;

at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and

processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry is operable to;

receive touch pad input via the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the at least one touch sensitive pad; and

transmit the touch pad input to a game console via the communications interface.

2. The game controller of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one touch sensitive pad comprises a plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads, each of which includes a plurality of touch sensitive elements;

the processing circuitry is operable to;

receive touch pad input via each of the plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads;

process the touch pad input;

accumulate the touch pad input received from the plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads; and

transmit accumulated touch pad user input to the game console via the communications interface.

3. The game controller of claim 2, wherein the touch pad input comprises user finger touch pad input and user thumb touch pad input.

4. The game controller of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is operable to:

receive user finger touch pad input from a first touch sensitive pad;

receive user thumb touch pad input from a second touch sensitive pad;

combine the user finger touch pad input with the user thumb touch pad input to produce combined user touch pad input; and

transmit the combined touch pad input to the game console via the communications interface.

5. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one touch sensitive pad resides on multiple surfaces of a body of the game controller such that one or more of the at least one touch sensitive elements resides in three-dimensions.

6. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one touch sensitive pad conforms to a three dimensional surface of the game controller.

7. The game controller of claim 1, wherein a touch sensitive pad resides upon a battery cover of the game controller.

8. The game controller of claim 1, further comprising a second communicatively coupled game controller comprising:

a second communications interface;

at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and

second processing circuitry coupled to the wireless communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry operable to;

receive second touch pad input via the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the at least one touch sensitive pad; and

transmit the second touch pad input to the communications interface of the game console via the second communications interface.

9. The game controller of claim 8, wherein the second communicatively coupled game controller comprises one or more of:

a controller communicatively tethered to the game controller;

a gaming piece; and

a floor pad.

10. The game controller of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is operable to:

receive the second touch pad input via the communications interface;

process the second touch pad input together with the touch pad input to produce combined touch pad input; and

transmit the combined touch pad input to the game console via the communications interface.

11. The game controller of claim 1, wherein:

the processing circuitry is operable to perform first processing operations of the touch pad input; and

transmit the touch pad input to the game console via the communications interface for second processing operations of the touch pad input so that processing duties for the touch pad input are shared between the game controller and the game console.

12. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the touch pad input is used for both user identification and gaming input.

13. A method for operating a game controller comprising:

receiving touch pad input from at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements of the game controller, the touch pad input corresponding to a user'"'"'s touch of at least some of the plurality of touch sensitive elements;

processing the touch pad input by processing circuitry of the game controller; and

transmitting the touch pad input to a game console via a communications interface of the game controller for further processing by the game console.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

receiving the touch pad input comprises;

receiving first touch pad input via a first touch pad that comprises a first plurality of touch sensitive elements;

receiving second touch pad input via a second touch pad that comprises a second plurality of touch sensitive elements, the second touch pad input separate and distinct from the first touch pad input; and

transmitting the touch pad input to a game console via a communications interface of the game controller for further processing by the game console comprises transmitting combined touch pad input that is a combination of the first touch pad input and the second touch pad input.

15. The method of claim 14:

wherein the first touch pad input comprises user finger touch pad input;

wherein the second touch pad input comprises user thumb touch pad input; and

further comprising combining the user finger touch pad input with the user thumb touch pad input to produce the combined user touch pad input.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein

the second touch pad input is received from a second communicatively coupled game controller, the second touch pad input captured by a touch pad of the second communicatively coupled game controller having a plurality of touch sensitive elements;

and

transmitting the touch pad input to a game console via a communications interface of the game controller for further processing by the game console comprises transmitting combined touch pad input that is a combination of the first touch pad input and the second touch pad input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second communicatively coupled game controller comprises one or more of:

a controller communicatively tethered to the game controller;

a gaming piece; and

a floor pad.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

the game controller performing first processing operations on the touch pad input; and

transmitting the touch pad input to the game console for second processing operations on the touch pad input so that processing duties for the touch pad input are shared between the game controller and the game console.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the touch pad input for both user identification and gaming input.

20. A game controller comprising:

a communications interface;

a plurality of least one touch sensitive pads, each having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and

processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry is operable to;

receive first touch pad input via a first plurality of touch sensitive elements of a first touch sensitive pad;

receive second touch pad input via a second plurality of touch sensitive elements of a second touch sensitive pad;

process the first touch pad input in conjunction with the second touch pad input to produce processed combined touch pad input; and

transmit the processed combined touch pad input to a game console via the communications interface.