Game controller with analog pressure sensor(s)
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. An improved controller of the type held in two hands simultaneously for controlling electronic imagery, said controller including a housing, a plurality of depressible surfaces at least in-part exposed on said housing with the depressible surfaces acting on electricity manipulating devices contained within said housing and controlled by depression of said depressible surfaces for manipulating electrical outputs at least useful for controlling electronic imagery;
- wherein the improvements comprise;
at least one of said electricity manipulating devices is a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied to at least one depressible surface of the plurality of depressible surfaces;
means for outputting a signal to an image generation machine, said signal at least representational of said analog electrical outputs;
the at least one said sensor includes pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material means for changing electrical conductance defendant upon the pressure applied;
a resilient dome cap operatively associated with said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material means.
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Abstract
A game controller of the type held in two hands simultaneously for controlling electronic games, including a housing, a plurality of depressible surfaces at least in-part exposed on the housing with the depressible surfaces in operational association with electricity manipulating devices contained within the housing and controlled by depression of the depressible surfaces for manipulating electrical outputs at least useful for controlling electronic games. At least one of the electricity manipulating devices is a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied to at least one depressible surface. The analog electrical output is output as a signal at least representational of the analog electrical output to an image generation machine for controlling electronic imagery. Also disclosed are methods of use and manufacture of game controllers having at least one pressure-sensitive analog sensor.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An improved controller of the type held in two hands simultaneously for controlling electronic imagery, said controller including a housing, a plurality of depressible surfaces at least in-part exposed on said housing with the depressible surfaces acting on electricity manipulating devices contained within said housing and controlled by depression of said depressible surfaces for manipulating electrical outputs at least useful for controlling electronic imagery;
- wherein the improvements comprise;
at least one of said electricity manipulating devices is a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied to at least one depressible surface of the plurality of depressible surfaces; means for outputting a signal to an image generation machine, said signal at least representational of said analog electrical outputs; the at least one said sensor includes pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material means for changing electrical conductance defendant upon the pressure applied; a resilient dome cap operatively associated with said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- wherein the improvements comprise;
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5. A game controller structured to be held by a human user in two hands simultaneously, said controller comprising:
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housing means for being held by the human user; a plurality of depressible individual buttons exposed on said housing means and depressible by digits of the user'"'"'s hands to operate electricity manipulating devices contained within said housing means and operated for manipulating electrical outputs of said electricity manipulating devices by depression of said depressible individual buttons;
at least one of said electricity manipulating devices includingmeans for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied by at least one depressible individual button of the plurality of depressible individual buttons; means for outputting a signal to an image generation machine, said signal at least representational of said analog electrical output. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A game controller comprising
a housing to be grasped and held simultaneously by two hands of a human user with thumbs of the grasping hands remaining free of grasping responsibilities; - said housing including a right-hand area and a left-hand area, said right-hand area being an area for grasping by the user'"'"'s right hand, said left-hand area being an area for grasping by the user'"'"'s left hand;
a plurality of depressible individual buttons each at least in-part exposed on said housing in at least said right-hand area, said plurality of depressible individual buttons positioned on said housing to be within reach of the user'"'"'s right-hand thumb with the user'"'"'s hand grasping said housing in said at least said right-hand area; a plurality of electricity manipulating devices each operatively associated with a depressible individual button of said plurality of depressible individual buttons;
each of said electricity manipulating devices contained at least in-part within said housing and capable of electrical output manipulation upon physically applied depressive pressure of its associated depressible individual button of said plurality of depressible individual buttons;at least one of said electricity manipulating devices including means for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying applied physical pressure; means for outputting to an image generation machine a signal at least representational of said analog electrical output. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
- said housing including a right-hand area and a left-hand area, said right-hand area being an area for grasping by the user'"'"'s right hand, said left-hand area being an area for grasping by the user'"'"'s left hand;
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12. An improved method of using a game controller of the type structured to be held by a user in two hands simultaneously, the controller connected to an image generation machine connected to a visual display, in which a user'"'"'s hand digits depress individual buttons upon a housing of the controller to manipulate imagery on the display, wherein the improvement includes;
depressing at least one of said individual buttons with varying degrees of pressure for manipulating imagery in proportion to the degree of depressive pressure. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An improved method of controlling action intensity of imagery within a visual display by way of depressing a depressible individual button on a housing of a two-hand held controller linked to an image generation machine which in turn is linked to the display;
- wherein the improvement includes the step
depressing said depressible individual button with varying degrees of pressure for varying the action intensity of the imagery proportional to the degree of depressive pressure. - View Dependent Claims (15)
- wherein the improvement includes the step
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16. An improved method of manufacturing a two-hand held type controller manufactured by way of assembling into a housing circuitry formed to be at least in-part a component of electricity manipulating devices and installing single digit depressible buttons in-part exposed on said housing and positioned to be depressed onto said electricity manipulating devices, wherein the improvement comprises;
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installing into said controller at least one pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor for creating an analog electrical output in proportion to pressure applied to at least one of said depressible buttons; installing into said controller means for outputting to an image generation machine a signal at least representational of said analog electrical output for providing a user of the controller proportional control of action intensity of electronic imagery. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification