OPERATION APPARATUS

• US 20150261321A1
• Filed: 02/19/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: MASUBUCHI, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 9,798,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

An example operation apparatus includes: a direction input operation section provided on a front surface of a housing of the operation apparatus and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with at least one hand of a user, the direction input operation section is allowed to be operated with a thumb of the hand; and a rotation operation section which is provided on a surface different from the front surface of the housing and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with the hand or the other hand of the user, the rotation operation section is allowed to be operated with an index finger of the hand or the other hand and which is an operation section capable of being rotationally operated.

Claims

1. An operation apparatus enabling an operation input by a user for performing predetermined information processing, the operation apparatus comprising:

a direction input operation section provided on a front surface of a housing of the operation apparatus and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with at least one hand of a user, the direction input operation section is allowed to be operated with a thumb of the hand, the direction input operation section being an operation section for direction input; and

a rotation operation section provided on a surface different from the front surface of the housing and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with the hand or the other hand of the user, the rotation operation section is allowed to be operated with an index finger of the hand or the other hand, the rotation operation section being an operation section capable of being rotationally operated.

2. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation operation section is provided at a position included in two of side surfaces of the housing of the operation apparatus.

3. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation operation section is provided at either one of side surfaces of the housing of the operation apparatus.

4. The operation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rotation operation section is provided near a position where two of the side surfaces of the housing of the operation apparatus intersect each other.

5. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation operation section is provided at a shoulder portion of the housing.

6. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotation direction of the rotation operation section is a rotation direction about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the housing.

7. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation operation section has a pressing mechanism capable of pressing the rotation operation section in a direction toward an interior of the housing.

8. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing of the operation apparatus is a housing having a shape which allows the operation section to be operated while the housing is held with both hands of the user.

9. The operation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rotation operation section includes:

a first rotation operation section provided at a position which allows the first rotation operation section to be operated with an index finger of a left hand in a state where the operation apparatus is held with both hands of the user; and

a second rotation operation section provided at a position which allows the second rotation operation section to be performed with an index finger of a right hand in the state.

10. The operation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the direction input operation section includes:

a first direction input operation section provided at a position which allows the first direction input operation section to be operated with the thumb of the left hand in a state where the operation apparatus is held with both hands of the user; and

a second direction input operation section provided at a position which allows the second direction input operation section to be operated with the thumb of the right hand in the state,

the first rotation operation section is provided near the first direction input operation section, and

the second rotation operation section is provided near the second direction input operation section.

11. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation apparatus further includes a display screen on the front surface of the housing.

12. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation section further includes a touch panel on the front surface of the housing.

13. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation apparatus is a hand-held game apparatus.

14. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction input operation section is a direction input device which enables an input in a 360 degree direction with, as a center, a neutral state which is a non-operation state.

15. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction input operation section is a direction input device capable of, when an input operation is performed in a predetermined direction, outputting an intermediate value in an input performed until the direction input device reaches, from a neutral state which is a non-operation state, a limit position to which an input in the direction is enabled.

16. An operation apparatus enabling an operation input by a user for performing predetermined information processing, the operation apparatus comprising:

a direction input operation section provided on a front surface of a housing of the operation apparatus and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with a hand of a user, the direction input operation section is allowed to be operated with a thumb of the hand, the direction input operation section being an operation section for direction input; and

a rotation operation section provided on a surface different from the front surface of the housing and near the direction input operation section, the rotation operation section being an operation section capable of being rotationally operated.

17. The operation apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the direction input operation section and the rotation operation section are disposed at positions which allow the direction input operation section and the rotation operation section to be operated simultaneously.

18. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an operation section on which an operation input is performed by a user; and

a processing section configured to perform predetermined information processing in accordance with the operation input on the operation section, wherein

the operation section includes;

a direction input operation section provided on a front surface of a housing of the information processing apparatus and at such a position that, in a state where the information processing apparatus is held with at least one hand of a user, the direction input operation section is allowed to be operated with a thumb of the hand, the direction input operation section being an operation section for direction input; and

a rotation operation section provided on a surface different from the front surface of the housing and at such a position that, in a state where the information processing apparatus is held with the hand or the other hand of the user, the rotation operation section is allowed to be operated with an index finger of the hand or the other hand, the rotation operation section being an operation section capable of being rotationally operated, and

the processing section performs information processing in accordance with an operation input on at least either one of the direction input operation section and the rotation operation section.