Invertible hand-held electronic game apparatus

• US 4,969,647 A
• Filed: 06/02/1989
• Issued: 11/13/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Original Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Inventors: Morse, David S., Mical, Robert J., Needle, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Szczepanik, Valerie
• Application Number:
  US07/360,385
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 273/85 G, 273/85 R, 273/1 E, 273/313, 273/DIG. 28, 340/727, 368/82
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

An invertible, hand-held, electronic game apparatus having a manually engageable housing, a display screen mounting in the housing, an electronic circuit electrically connected to drive the display screen, and a control switch assembly mounted for manipulation by at least one hand of the player while holding the housing. The control switch assembly includes a joypad and fire buttons which are positioned on the housing to permit rotation or inverting of the housing and operation of the switches in a rotated position. Inversion of the housing and operation of the switches is possible when the images are vertically or horizontally oriented. In the preferred form, the control switch assembly includes a joypad on one side of the display screen and two pairs of functionally duplicate fire buttons symmetrically positioned about a central plane of the housing on an opposite side of the screen. The back of the housing is formed with protruding convex surfaces to facilitate gripping.

Claims

1. A hand-held electronic game apparatus including a manually engageable housing, a display screen mounted in said housing, and control switch means mounted to said housing and electrically connected for manipulation of movable images displayed on said display screen by at least one hand of a player while holding said housing, wherein the improvement comprises:

said housing being formed for gripping by said player while oriented in two different positions with one of said positions being rotated about an axis normal to said display screen relative to the other of said positions;

said control switch means being positioned relative to said housing to permit rotation of said housing between said two different positions and to enable manipulation of said control switch means by one hand of said player in each of said two different positions, and

circuit means operable in response to player input independently of operation of said control switch means, said circuit means being formed and electrically connected for rotation of the orientation of all images on said display screen about said axis by an amount corresponding to rotation of said housing for selective use of said game apparatus in either of said two different positions.

2. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said control switch means includes a joypad control switch assembly and a fire switch means,

said housing is elongated with said display screen centrally located therein,

said joypad control switch assembly is positioned on one side of said display screen,

said fire switch means is positioned on an opposite side of said control screen, and

said circuit means, when input by said player to rotate all images on said display screen, further is electrically connected to and reverses the directions of right and left motion of movable images on said display screen and reverses the directions of up and down motion of movable images on said display screen produced by player input to said joypad control switch assembly.

3. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein,

said fire switch means is provided as two fire switches having the same image control function over the same image with one of said fire switches positioned proximate an upper side and another of said fire switches positioned proximate a lower side of said housing, said fire switches being further positioned proximate one end of said housing, and

said joypad control switch assembly is positioned centrally of said sides of said housing proximate an opposite end of said housing.

4. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein,

said fire switch means is provided as two pairs of fire switches with a pair of fire switches having the same image control functions over the same images proximate each side of said one end of said housing;

said fire switches all are simultaneously activated for use of any fire switch by the player.

5. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein,

said housing includes gripping surfaces on a backside thereof opposite said display screen, said gripping surfaces being formed to facilitate holding of said housing by the opposite ends thereof.

6. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein,

said gripping surfaces are provided by convex transversely extending surfaces proximate said opposite ends.

7. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said circuit means for rotating all images on said display screen includes switch means extending to an exterior of said housing for player input, and an electronic circuit formed to rotate all images displayed on said screen by 180°

upon input by said player.

8. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said control switch means includes a thumb-actuated joypad switch assembly having a plurality of control directions and located on a central plane of said housing on a first side of said display screen;

two pairs of fire switch assemblies with each pair of fire switch assemblies being located in substantially equidistant spaced apart relation from said central plane of said housing on a second side of said display screen; and

said circuit means for rotating all images on said display screen further is formed for and, upon input by said player to rotate all images, simultaneously reverses control of right and left motion and reverses the control of up and down motion of movable images produced by player input to said joypad switch assembly.

9. The hand-held electronic game apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein,

said housing is formed with a protruding convex transversely extending surface on a back side thereof subjacent each of said joypad switch assembly and said pairs of fire switch assemblies.

10. An invertible hand-held game apparatus comprising:

an elongated housing having opposite ends;

an image display screen mounted in said housing centrally of said opposite ends;

electronic circuit means electrically connected to drive said display screen;

a manually manipulatable first control switch means electrically connected to said circuit means and controlling a first aspect of movement of movable images displayed on said display screen of said game apparatus, said first control switch means being mounted on said housing on a first side of said display screen at about a mid-plane of said housing;

a manually manipulatable second control switch means electrically connected to said circuit means and controlling a second aspect of movement of movable images displayed on said display screen of said game apparatus, said second control switch means being mounted on a second side of said display screen from said first control switch assembly; and

image display rotation switch means electrically connected to said circuit means and inverting the display of all images on said screen upon player input to permit right-handed and left-handed play of said game apparatus.

11. The invertible hand-held game apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein,

said second control switch means includes four manually manipulatable switch assemblies positioned symmetrically about said mid-plane of said housing on said opposite side of said display screen.

12. The invertible hand-held game apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein,

said first control switch means is a joypad switch assembly having a plurality of switches controlling right and left motion and up and down motion of movable images on said display screen;

and

means responsive to player input electrically connected to said joypad switch assembly and selectively reversing the directions of control of right and left motion and reversing the directions of control of up and down motion of said movable images.

19. A hand-held electronic apparatus as in claim 10 wherein said manually operable motion control is positioned in the housing for operation by one hand of a user and the housing is adapted such that the one hand may support the housing while operating the manually operable motion control, the hand-held electronic apparatus further comprising another manually operable control for providing a control signal to the processor, the other manually operable control positioned in the housing for operation by the other hand of the user and the housing adapted such that the other hand may support the housing while operating the other manually operable control.

20. A hand-held electronic apparatus as in claim 19 wherein the display screen is positioned between the manually operable motion control and the other manually operable control.

13. A hand-held electronic game apparatus including a manually engageable housing, a display screen mounted in said housing, and movable image control switch means mounted to said housing for manipulation by at least one hand of a player while holding said housing, said movable image control switch means being electrically connected and responsive to input by a player to manipulate movable images displayed on said screen relative to stationary images displayed on said screen, wherein the improvement comprises:

said housing being formed for gripping by said player with said screen in a vertical orientation and for gripping by said player with said screen in a horizontal orientation; and

said movable image control switch means being carried by said housing at a position for manipulation by at least one hand of said player when said screen is in each of said vertical orientation and said horizontal orientation.

14. The game apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein,

said movable image control switch means includes a joypad control switch assembly positioned proximate one end of said housing at about a mid-plane of said housing;

and

said movable image control switch means further includes a first fire button switch positioned proximate an opposite end of said housing and proximate a one side of said housing, and a second fire button switch positioned proximate said opposite end of said housing and proximate and opposite side of said housing.

15. The game apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein,

said movable image control switch means includes a third fire button switch positioned proximate said first fire button switch and a fourth button switch positioned proximate said second fire button switch.

16. The game apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein,

said housing is formed for rotation of a first horizontal orientation about an axis normal to said screen by 180°

to an inverted second horizontal orientation of said screen and is formed for gripping by said player in each of said first horizontal orientation and said second horizontal orientation; and

said housing also is formed for rotation from a first vertical orientation about an axis normal to said screen by 180°

to an inverted second vertical orientation of said screen and is formed for gripping by said player in each of said first vertical orientation and said second vertical orientation; and

circuit means responsive to player input and electrically connected to rotate the orientation of movable images and stationary images displayed on said display screen by an amount corresponding to rotation of said housing for selective use of said game apparatus in any one of said first horizontal orientation, said inverted second horizontal orientation, said first vertical orientation and said inverted second vertical orientation.

17. The game apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein,

said movable image control switch means includes a multi-directional image control switch assembly having a right input switch operating to control movement of movable images to the right on said screen, a left input switch operating to control movement of movable images to the left on said screen, an up input switch operating to control movement of movable images in an upward direction on said screen, and a down input switch operating to control movement of movable images in a downward direction on said screen;

and

said circuit means for rotating movable and stationary images further includes means responsive to user input for simultaneously changing said right input switch to operate as a left input switch and said left input switch to operate as a right input switch, and further for simultaneously changing said up input switch to operate as a down input switch and said down input switch to operate as an up input switch.

18. A hand-held electronic apparatus including a housing adapted to be hand-held, a display screen mounted to the housing, a processor for providing a display on the display screen, and a manually operable motion control mounted in the housing for controlling motion of images on the display, the hand-held electronic apparatus further comprising:

a manually operable inversion switch mounted in the housing;

means for inverting the display in response to operation of the inversion switch; and

means for inverting the operation of the manually operable motion control in response to operation of the inversion switch.