Multi-Action Game Controller with Touch Screen Input Device

• US 20130093690A1
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Papakipos, Matthew Nicholas, Cahill, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/275,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093690A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

In one embodiment, a player controls a computer game by using one or more touch events associated with a touch screen interface and a touchpad interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a device housing;

a memory;

a touchpad interface disposed on a lateral edge of the device housing;

a touch screen display disposed on a front face of the device housing;

one or more processors;

computer program code stored on a non-transitory medium comprising instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to;

provide a first application and render one or more objects on the touch screen display;

present a first virtual controller element on the touch screen display;

respond to touch inputs on the touch screen display corresponding to the first virtual controller element by implementing one or more functions associated with the first virtual controller element; and

respond to touch inputs on the touchpad interface by implementing one or more functions associated with a second controller element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first application is a computer game application.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touchpad interface comprises a concave surface.

4. One or more computer-readable tangible storage media embodying software operable when executed by a computing device to:

provide a first application and render one or more objects on a touch screen display disposed on a front face of the computing device;

present a first virtual controller element on the touch screen display;

respond to touch inputs on the touch screen display corresponding to the first virtual controller element by implementing one or more functions associated with the first virtual controller element; and

respond to touch inputs on a touchpad interface disposed on a lateral edge of the computing device, by implementing one or more functions associated with a second controller element.

5. A method, by a computing device, comprising:

providing a first application and render one or more objects on a touch screen display disposed on a front face of the computing device;

presenting a first virtual controller element on the touch screen display;

responding to touch inputs on the touch screen display corresponding to the first virtual controller element by implementing one or more functions associated with the first virtual controller element; and

responding to touch inputs on a touchpad interface disposed on a lateral edge of the computing device, by implementing one or more functions associated with a second controller element.