Patents by Inventor Doyle A. Nickless

Doyle A. Nickless has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20020032055
    Abstract: The invention uses the conventional PC game port as a port for a digital game input device, employing a Digital Game Port (DGP) protocol which uses the four discrete or button lines and a single analog line (one of four) on the conventional game board to form a dual serial port. Data from a DGP control device is packetized with each packet consisting of 13 bytes of data. The packets or blocks are then grouped into frames. A frame consists of two blocks of data. A total of two frames are transmitted to the driver for each driver request. The 13-byte data block is divided between six one byte analog values and four bytes of digital data, with three bytes that identify and define the device. This device definition and identification is unique. By sending the device identification and configuration to the driver, the driver can determine not only the presence of the device but also very specific aspects of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Applicant: Thrustmaster, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Church, Doyle A. Nickless, Stephen T. Kaminsky, Louis A. Ashford
  • Patent number: 6270415
    Abstract: The invention uses the conventional PC game port as a port for a digital game input device, employing a Digital Game Port (DGP) protocol which uses the four discrete or button lines and a single analog line (one of four) on the conventional game board to form a dual serial port. Data from a DGP control device is packetized with each packet consisting of 13 bytes of data. The packets or blocks are then grouped into frames. A frame consists of two blocks of data. A total of two frames are transmitted to the driver for each driver request. The 13-byte data block is divided between six one byte analog values and four bytes of digital data, with three bytes that identify and define the device. This device definition and identification is unique. By sending the device identification and configuration to the driver, the driver can determine not only the presence of the device but also very specific aspects of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Guillemot Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Church, Doyle A. Nickless, Stephen T. Kaminsky, Louis A. Ashford