GAME CONTROLLER

• US 20170354869A1
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: SUETAKE, Fumiyoshi, TSUCHIYA, Hitoshi, OKAMURA, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 10,335,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details

Abstract

An example game controller includes L and R buttons provided in both left and right end portions on an upper surface of a housing and ZL and ZR buttons provided to sides of the L and R buttons closer to a back surface of the game controller. The ZL/ZR button includes a protruding portion protruding in the direction of the back surface of the game controller and the direction of a side surface of the game controller. This makes it possible to increase the area of an upper surface of a key top of the ZL/ZR button and improve the operability of the ZL/ZR button.

Claims

1. A game controller comprising:

a holding portion configured to be held by a user;

a first button placed on an upper surface of a main body of the game controller and configured to allow the user to operate the first button with a finger of the user while holding the holding portion, the first button having a lower portion and an upper portion that is configured to be contacted by the user'"'"'s finger, and

a second button placed on the upper surface of the main body and configured to allow the user to operate the second button with the same finger of the user that operates the first button, the second button being located closer to a front surface of the main body than the first button, wherein

the upper portion of the first button includes a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the lower portion in a direction of a back surface of the game controller and a direction of a side surface of the game controller.

2. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the protruding portion protrudes continuously from a back surface side to a side surface side of the game controller.

3. The game controller according to claim 2, wherein

a portion of the protruding portion from the back surface side to the side surface side has a round shape.

4. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the protruding portion is disposed such that an upper surface of the protruding portion forms an integrated surface with an upper surface of a portion of the first button other than the protruding portion.

5. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button is on a side surface side of the game controller, and

the direction of the side surface in which the protruding portion protrudes is a direction of a side surface on a side on which the first button is placed in the game controller.

6. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

an end portion of the protruding portion in the direction of the back surface has a round shape as viewed from a side surface side of the game controller.

7. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

an end portion of the first button on a center side of the game controller has a slope portion.

8. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

an end portion of the first button in the direction of the side surface has a slope portion, the slope portion including a portion sloping at a first sloping angle and a portion sloping at a second sloping angle greater than the first sloping angle.

9. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the further in the direction of the side surface of the game controller, the further downward the second button slopes.

10. The game controller according to claim 9, wherein

an end portion of the second button in the direction of the side surface has a slope portion, the slope portion including a portion sloping at a first sloping angle and a portion sloping at a second sloping angle greater than the first sloping angle.

11. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the further in the direction of the side surface of the game controller, the smaller a width of an upper surface of the second button.

12. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the second button includes a slope portion in an end portion of the second button on a front surface side of the game controller.

13. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

a stationary surface is disposed between the first button and the second button.

14. The game controller according to claim 13, wherein

a height of an end portion of the stationary surface on the back surface side of the game controller is smaller than a height of an end portion of the first button on the front surface side of the game controller when the first button is pressed.

15. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

an end portion of the second button on a center side of the game controller has a slope portion.

16. The game controller according to claim 15, wherein

the second button is supported to be pivotable by a second shaft placed on the center side of the game controller and extends from the second shaft in the direction of the side surface of the game controller.

17. The game controller according to claim 1, further comprising

an operation section configured to be contacted by the user'"'"'s finger is on the front surface of the main body, wherein

with respect to a straight line parallel with a direction of pressing the operation section, an end portion of the first button on a front surface side is lower than an end portion of the second button on a back surface side.

18. The game controller according to claim 17, wherein

the first button is lower than the second button from the end portion of the first button on the front surface side to an end portion of the first button on the back surface side.

19. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

an end portion of the first button on a center side of the game controller is located closer to the side surface of the game controller than an end portion of the second button on the center side of the game controller is.

20. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

when the game controller is placed on a planar surface with a front surface of the game controller facing up, the game controller is supported on a back surface of the main body.

21. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button is curved in a direction of an upper surface of the first button such that the closer to a back surface side of the game controller, the greater a curvature of the curve.

22. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button is supported to be pivotable by a first shaft extending in a left-right direction of the game controller, and

the first shaft is configured to be inserted only from a center side of the game controller in the direction of the side surface of the game controller.

23. The game controller according to claim 22, wherein

the first shaft is inserted into a shaft insertion opening placed in an end portion of the game controller on a side surface side of the game controller, and a buffer material is disposed within the shaft insertion opening.

24. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button includes a first detection section configured to detect that the first button is pressed,

the second button includes a second detection section configured to detect that the second button is pressed, and

the first detection section is located further in the direction of the side surface of the game controller than the second detection section is.

25. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the first button includes a first detection section configured to detect that the first button is pressed,

the first button is supported to be pivotable by a first shaft extending in a left-right direction of the game controller, and

the first button, the first detection section, and the first shaft are integrated.

26. A game controller comprising:

a holding portion configured to be held by a user;

a first button placed on an upper surface of a main body of the game controller and configured to allow the user to operate the first button with a finger of the user while holding the holding portion, the first button having a lower portion and an upper portion that is configured to be contacted by the user'"'"'s finger; and

a second button placed on the upper surface of the game controller and closer to a front surface of the game controller than the first button is, wherein

the upper portion of the first button includes a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the lower portion at least in a direction of a back surface of the game controller, and

the first button and the second button are so formed that lengths of the first button and the second button are longer in a first direction extending between opposite side surfaces of the game controller than lengths of the first button and the second button in a second direction extending between the back surface and the front surface of the game controller.

27. A game controller comprising:

a holding portion configured to be held by a user;

a first button placed on an upper surface of a main body of the game controller and configured to allow the user to operate the first button with a finger of the user while holding the holding portion; and

a second button placed on the upper surface of the main body of the game controller and closer to a front surface of the game controller than the first button is, wherein a first end portion of the first button adjacent to a center of the game controller has a first slope portion,

a second end portion of the second button adjacent to the center of the game controller has a second slope portion, and

a third end portion of the second button adjacent to a side surface of the game controller has a third slope portion, the third slope portion including a portion sloping at a first sloping angle and a portion sloping at a second sloping angle greater than the first sloping angle.

28. A game controller comprising:

a holding portion configured to be held by a user;

a first button placed on an upper surface of a main body of the game controller and configured to allow the user to operate the first button with a finger of the user while holding the holding portion, the first button having a lower portion and an upper portion that is configured to be contacted by the user'"'"'s finger; and

a second button placed on the upper surface of the main body of the game controller and closer to a front surface of the game controller than the first button is, wherein

a stationary surface is disposed between the first button and the second button such that the first button is separated from the second button by the stationary surface, and

the upper surface of the first button includes a protruding portion that protrudes at least in a direction of a side surface of the game controller.