GAME CONTROLLER WITH TOUCH PAD USER INTERFACE
A game controller with a communications interface, at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements, and processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and the at least one touch sensitive pad. The processing circuitry receives touch pad input via the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the at least one touch sensitive pad. The processing circuitry then transmits the touch pad input to a game console via the communications interface. The touch sensitive pad can have a plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads, allowing the processing circuitry to receive touch pad input via each of the plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads. Touch pad input could include user finger and/or user thumb touch pad input.
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The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/261,702, entitled “TOUCH PAD USER IDENTIFICATION, GAMING INPUT, AND PREFERENCE INPUT,” (Attorney Docket No. BP20924), filed Nov. 16, 2009, pending, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent Application for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic gaming devices; and more particularly to game controllers of video gaming devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
User gaming devices are fairly well known. These devices include game consoles with communicatively coupled controllers such as Nintendo game consoles, Sony game consoles, Microsoft game consoles, and various other game console devices. These game consoles couple to a television, may couple to an audio system, and support user game playing. Some of these game consoles support wireless communications with handheld game controllers and/or other game controllers. For example, the Nintendo Wii includes handheld controllers that detect their orientation to some degree, acceleration to some degree, and receive standard button inputs from a user. This information is wirelessly relayed to the game controller to control operation of corresponding game elements within the gaming environment. Other game controllers may include simulated game pieces such as musical instruments, baseball bats, golf clubs, and various other types of simulated devices.
With the continued advancement of technology, the complexities and capabilities of game consoles have become advanced. The game controllers support sophisticated gaming inputs received via numerous input sources, e.g., buttons, accelerometers, IR orientation detectors, positional detectors, and various other gaming inputs. The gaming environment in which these gaming inputs are received is very complex, providing a fairly realistic experience for a user of the gaming device/console. While some games supported by a game console may support only a few gaming inputs, other games require a large number of gaming inputs.
Most game consoles support many differing games, which are software controlled via respective software programming. Sometimes game controllers are specific to the particular game being supported, e.g., guitar hero, rock star, and various other particular types of games. In such a case, these various types of inputs must be supported by differing unique game controllers. The expense and complexity of the multiple game controllers can be overwhelming for some users from a cost standpoint.
Many gaming systems are contained within one unit such as the Nintendo Game Boy and its successors and the Sony Play Station and its successors, for example. These gaming systems include processing resources and a user interface contained within a single unit. With these units, various buttons receive user input while a display and speakers provide user output. Because of the limited battery life available for these units, their functionality has been limited in some regard.
Audio/video entertainment systems that include cable boxes, satellite boxes, and audio visual components typically include one or more remote control devices. These remote control devices allow users to remotely control system operation. Such technology is very old and has been prevalent for a number of years. However, one problem with these devices is that the operation generally of the set-top box is generic to all users and must be uniquely programmed if desired for a particular user. However, this particular programming in other settings is typically applied across the board to all potential users of the device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operation that are further described in the following Brief Description of the Drawings, the Detailed Description, and the claims. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The game controllers 108A, 108B, and 108C communicate with the game console 102 via one or more of a wired and/or wireless communication link. The wired communication link may be a tethered controller including conductors that support wired communications. Wireless communications may be in various RF frequency bands and/or in the infrared range. Thus, each of the game controllers 108A, 108B, and 108C includes communication circuitry that allow the game controllers 108A, 108B, and 108C to communicate with the game console 102.
According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, each of game controllers 108A, 108B, and 108C includes one or more touch sensitive pads/touch pads/touch pads (referred to herein interchangeably) 110A, 110B, and 110C, respectively. According to some aspect of the present invention, the touch pads of the game controllers are used to identify users of the game controllers, to provide gaming input, to determine whether a user is active, and/or to provide other information to the game console 102 for subsequent action. Data captured by the touch pads may be solely processed by a host game controller, e.g., 108A, may be partially processed and transmitted to the game console 102 for further processing, or may be transferred in an unprocessed format from the game controller 108A to the game console 102. Based upon one or more embodiments of the present invention, touch pads are coupled to touch pad circuitry that measures capacitance (inductance or RF propagation) characteristics observed by a plurality of touch sensitive elements of the touch pads. Based upon the capacitive (inductance/RF propagation) information gathered from the touch pads, a user may be identified by game console 102 and/or game controller 108A, 108B, or 108C.
According to one aspect of the present invention as will be further described with reference to the FIGs., the touch pad of a particular game controller includes a plurality of touch sensitive elements, each of which measures a characteristic at its location, i.e., capacitance, inductance, RF propagation characteristics, a combination of these, etc. In various embodiments, capacitance, inductance, RF propagation characteristics, and/or other characteristics of touch sensitive elements are measured over time. Based upon particular touch sensitive element characteristics/values as measured over time, the game controller and/or game console may identify the particular user of the game controller. The user identity may then be used to set the characteristics of the particular game being operated or supported by the game console.
Alternatively, the input received via the touch pads 110A, 110B, and/or 110C may be used for gaming input to the game console to modify operations of the game currently being supported by a game console to modify operation of the game currently being supported by a game console. According to another operation of the present invention, the input received via the touch pad 110A, 110B, and/or 110C may be used to replace button functionality of previous generation game controllers. In such case, the touch pads may have a back lit display that provides representations of replaced buttons. According to various other operations of the present invention, the touch pads are calibrated so as to provide accurate input and/or altered in their operation to enact improved input operations.
The inventive concepts described herein may also be applied to/embodied by a single package video game, i.e., a video game system that is contained in a single housing. In such embodiments, the video game system includes a display, a user input, which includes one or more touch pads, processing components, memory components, and powering components, such as a battery and power circuitry.
The IR interface 206 couples to the IR transmit/receive element 207 and supports IR communications with game controllers 108A, 108B, and 108C as shown in
The user interface 214 may include a keypad, a video display, cursor control, a touch pad, or other type of interface that allows a user to interface with the game console 202. The video interface 216 couples the game console 202 to one or more video monitors to provide display for the gaming environment supported by game console 202. The communications link between the video interface 216 and the video monitor(s) may be an HDMI interface, a composite video interface, component video interface, an S-video interface, or another type of video interface supported by both the video monitor and the game console 202. The audio interface 218 couples the game console 212 to speakers and/or microphones for audio content delivery and receipt. The video camera/video camera interface 202 may include an onboard video camera or may couple the game console 202 to an external video camera. The external video camera may be used to provide gaming input or other types of information that the game console 202 uses within its operation to produce a gaming environment.
The primary game controller 402 couples to secondary game controller 404 via either a wired or a wireless interface. The secondary game controller 404 includes input components 421, 422, and 424. These input components of the secondary game controller 404 may be embodied by either mechanical input devices or touch pads. The manner in which touch pads are implemented are described further herein. Data collected from these input components 421, 422, and 424 are relayed to game controller 402, which may process the inputs. Alternately, the input received from input components 421, 422, and/or 424 may be relayed to a servicing game console. The primary game controller 402 and the secondary game controller 404 may both be hand-held devices. Alternately, one or the other of these game controllers may be placed on the floor, inserted into a simulated gaming piece, e.g., guitar, drums, simulated golf club, simulated baseball bat, etc. Each of these game controllers 402 and 404 may capture touch pad input as is further described herein with reference to the FIGs. The touch pad input captured by game controllers 402 and 404 may be processed to produce combined gaming input or transmitted separately to a game console 202. The combined or separate touch pad input may be used as gaming input, may be processed to identify a user, or may be processed to otherwise provide input to a supported video game.
The game controller 502 includes one or more touch pad(s) 518, motion/position detector 520, orientation detector 522, display 524, speaker/microphone 526, and a video camera 528. The game controller 502 may also include other components such as one or more environmental conditions detectors 530 that are used to sense environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and other environmental conditions. The structure and operations of the touch pads 518 will be described further herein with reference to subsequent FIGs. The motion/position detector 520 detects motion/acceleration/position of the game controller 502. Detection of such motion/acceleration/position may be performed in conjunction with the game controller, using a GPS system, using an accelerometer or gyrator of the game controller 502 and/or using external components to determine motion/acceleration position of the game controller. The motion/position detector 520 may also determine position of the game controller. The manner in which the motion/position detector 520 determines the position of the game controller 502 is not described further herein. However, the position detector 520 may use external reference devices in order to determine position of the game controller within a gaming environment. Motion, acceleration, and position of the game controller 502 may be provided to a servicing game console as gaming input.
The orientation detector 522 determines an orientation and/or direction in which the game controller is pointed. Such orientation detection provided by orientation detector 522 may be accomplished in conjunction with the IR interface 506 of the game controller 502. Such orientation detection may be performed in conjunction with the IR detector 106 of the gaming system 100 of
The display 524 of the game controller 502 may have a relatively small size or relatively large size that presents information to a user and that allows the user to respond accordingly. The speaker/microphone 526 may receive audio input and provide audio output to a user of the game controller 502. Audio input captured by the microphone may be used in conjunction with touch pad 518 input for user identification and/or for gaming input. Video camera 528 of the game controller may be used to determine a location of the game controller and/or may be used to provide additional gaming input for gaming environments supported by the game controller 502.
According to one particular aspect of the gaming system of
Referring again to
The data received from one or more touch pads according to the present invention may be used to identify a user of the gaming system. Data captured by one or more touch pads or panels is used to distinguish a user from a plurality of users based upon finger width, finger length, finger spacing, knuckle joint location, finger angle, and other characteristics of a user's hand/fingers that is used to grasp the game controller. Identification of the user is done based upon pattern matching using various techniques, some of which are known. Further, the touch pads and related operations supported by the structures of the present invention may identify users based upon their heat transfer characteristics, their pulse rate characteristics, and other characteristics that would be gathered via input at a touch pad.
In establishing user characteristic/user ID correspondence, there may be multiple levels of training. With one level of training, a user sets-up his or her identity within the gaming system. Then, a first operation establishes correspondence between touch pad characteristics and the user. The gaming system may query a user to confirm that he or she is currently using the game controller with this operation by receiving input from a touch pad and then confirming that the particular user identity is correct. Further, the training may proceed so that it is initially intrusive and asks a number of questions of the user but then decreases its intrusions when matching stored users with touch pad input characteristics.
Alternatively, the game controller may simply automatically relate user characteristics as received from a touch pad with game characteristics or settings of the gaming system. Generally, the user identification learning process should be as automatic as possible so as not to be burdensome to users of the system. Further, the user identification system of the present invention should delete inactive users from the database so that they are not considered as candidates when determining whether or not a current user is one of a plurality of registered or prior users of a system.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch pad input that is used to identify the user may be used in conjunction with auxiliary information to identify a particular user. This auxiliary information may include game usage levels, game selections, time of day at which game is performed, day of week at which game is performed, gyrator input (accelerometer input), coupled secondary gaming devices or service devices, and/or additional auxiliary information. For example, one particular user may select generally games A, B and C while another user may select generally games C, D, and E. Based upon a particular game selection and data input received from a touch pad, the auxiliary information of game selection may be used to assist in identifying the user that is currently using the gaming system. Moreover, a particular user may only use the system during certain times of the day or days of the week and such information is further used to determine identity of the user of the gaming system. Some users may only use certain auxiliary devices such as nun chucks, guitars, drums, car driving accessories, plane control accessories, or other coupled devices of the game controllers. In such case, the operations of the present invention may use the fact that these devices are coupled to further limit the number of potential users that are considered for identification at a particular time.
Once a user is identified, a user ID is employed to enact a user's custom game data or settings for the gaming system. For example, a particular user is identified and this user's game selection, game settings, and other preferences that have been previously inputted into the game system are automatically enacted. According to another aspect of the present invention, once a user is identified, the gaming environment settings are altered based upon such identification. For example, once the user is identified, the game difficulty level, game entry point, game controller button functions, game controller touch sensitive panel/touch pad gaming input functions, and/or other custom settings of the gaming system may be altered. In one particular example, once a user is identified, a sequence of touches on the touch pad may alter some game operation or game selection operations. These particular custom operations are based upon the fact that a particular user is identified as currently operating the gaming system. Further, menus and other user input selections may be altered after a user is identified. For example, the user may have previously indicated that he or she only wants to use certain games. Once that user is identified the gaming system only gives that particular user the option of selecting from a list of previously selected games. Further, the user may have customized the menu of the gaming system previously and when the user is identified the customized user interface of the gaming system is enacted.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch pad is operable to determine a relative hand position of the user of the game controller. For example, some types of video games such as tennis or golf require that a user hold the game controller at a particular position. While other games require that the user holds the game controller at a differing position. According to one aspect of the present invention, the game controller and/or the game console is able to determine the position that the user is holding onto the game controller based upon touch pad input. Once this position is identified, the game controller/game console is able to limit the types of games that the user may play based upon the position of the hand with regard to the position of the controller. Thus, the game is customized to some degree based upon a hand position of the user with respect to the controller.
According to another aspect of the present invention, touch pad input received via touch pads or panels may be used for gaming input. For example, the touch pads may be used to determine that a user has changed his or her hand or finger positions, changed his or her grip positions or otherwise abruptly changed an input to a game controller that is used within a gaming system. Such detection may be used with one scanning rate of the touch pad. Alternatively, the scanning rate of the touch pad may be altered based upon a game being played. For example, when the game being played is one that has minimal input requirements, the scanning rate may be relatively lower. However, when a game is being played that has a relatively higher input rate such as a fitness program, the scanning rate of one or more touch pads of one or more game controllers may be increased. Further, scanning of one or more of the touch pads may be enabled for some portions of the game while not enabled for another portion of the game. For example, grip/finger position movement or pressure changes may be enabled during a first portion of the game and not enabled for other portions of the game. Such is the case because the particular gaming input that is being sensed by changing finger position or grip pressure is only relevant during some portions of the game and not others.
The gaming input may be based upon a change from a prior hand position or a prior relationship between the hand and the game controller and a current position of the hand with respect to the game controller. For example also, a baseline position for the hand with respect to the game controller may be established during a baseline mode of operation. Then, any alteration of the position of the hand with respect to the game controller will serve as a differing gaming input while operation of the game progresses.
Further, each of a plurality of touch sensitive pads of the game controller may be reconfigured by the game console based upon a game being played. Because each game being played may have particular gaming input requirements, the configuration of the touch pad may be required to be customized for the particular game being played so that the gaming input is most relevant to the particular game. For example, a game in which the touch pad provides multiple types of input to the game may require a configuration of the touch pad other than when the game controller touch pad only indicates whether or not the user has picked up the game controller. Further, configuration of the touch pads may be selected by user based upon the gaming parameters. For example, the configuration of the gaming panels may change a particular game point based upon a selection of the user.
Moreover, configuration of touch pad functions may be based upon the orientation of a controller. For example, when a golf, baseball, tennis or sword input is selected, the touch pad functions may differ for each of the particular types of games. Such is the case because the game controller may be held in different relative positions with respect to the hands for each of these types of games. Thus, the manner in which the touch pads provide gaming input will change based upon not only orientation of the controller but with regard to its simulated game piece function.
Further, each game may have its own particular touch input language that implements particular game function(s). Such game touch input language may be considered as a sequence of touches with the touches in particular portions of the touch pad providing input to the game. The sequence of touches provided to the touch pad is similar to those that may be provided via sequence of button selections via mechanical buttons of the prior game controller. However, because the touch pad of the present invention game controller is very configurable and not limited by mechanical button limitations, the touch pad may be configured at different points in time to have particular touch sequence input functions.
Touch pad circuitry 606 scans the plurality of touch sensitive elements 604 via access of particular row-column combinations at particular times. The frequency or voltage at which the touch pad circuitry 606 scans the plurality of touch sensitive elements 604 may be altered over time. Choosing the scanning frequency or scanning voltage may be based upon a particular operational use of the touch pad. For example, at some points in time the manner in which the touch pad is scanned will change based upon a particular point in a game of a gaming system with which the touch pad functions as a gaming input device. Further, a first scanning frequency/scanning voltage may be employed for user identification while a second scanning frequency/scanning voltage may be employed for gaming input functions.
The scanning done by the touch pad circuitry 606 of the plurality of touch sensitive elements 604 may be made using a spread spectrum frequency scanning technique. Such technique may be employed to more efficiently capture information from the touch pad 602 at the various touch sensitive elements 604 or to determine which particular scanning frequencies are more successful than others in capturing input information.
Further, the scanning of each row and column corresponding to a particular touch sensitive element 604 may be altered based upon a detected capacitance (inductance/RF propagation) at the location. For example, one particular touch sensitive element 604 may have a fixed capacitance that does not vary over time. Such fixed capacitance may indicate that the particular touch sensitive element 604 is inoperable or that it receives no discernable input. In such case, by not scanning the particular touch sensitive element, other touch sensitive elements may be more frequently scanned or energy may be saved by not scanning all touch sensitive elements.
According to another aspect of the present invention, some portions of the touch pad may be disabled while others are enabled at differing points in time. Enablement of some touch sensitive elements and not others may be based upon a custom configuration of the touch pad for a particular input function provided.
The touch pad 602 may also be calibrated by the touch pad circuitry 606 based upon the environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and surrounding noise from the capacitance, inductance, or RF perspective. Calibration of the touch pad 602 allows the touch pad 602 to have more efficient and effective touch pad input for user identification and/or for other input purposes.
The touch pad 602 may also be calibrated by the touch pad circuitry 606 based upon the environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and surrounding noise as detected by measured capacitance, inductance, or RF propagation characteristics. Calibration of the touch pad 602 allows the touch pad 602 to be more efficient and more effectively receive touch pad input for user identification and/or for other input purposes. The calibration of the touch pad 602 by the touch pad circuitry 606 may be initiated at particular points in time. The touch pad circuitry 606 may simply initiate calibration of the touch pad 602 upon the expiration of a timer such that the touch pad is calibrated at a particular regular time interval. Alternatively, the touch pad 602 may be calibrated after a period of inactivity, i.e., the touch pad circuitry 606 performs calibration when it determines that no input is present on the touch pad 602. With other operations or embodiments, the touch pad 602 may be calibrated by the touch pad circuitry 606 using other input criteria as well.
The capacitance pattern of the user's hand 702 upon the touch pad 602 is a signature of a particular user. The size of user's hands, the positions of their knuckles, the relative angle at which they grip the location in the vehicle. Thus, based upon this variation of the capacitive pattern upon the touch screen 602, differing users can be identified. Further, considering that the touch pad 602 may serve as an input device, the capacitance of the touch sensitive elements 604 of the touch pad of 602 over time as it varies may be used to indicate touch pad input. Based upon the scanning frequency, the scanning voltage, and other scanning factors of the touch pad 602 at the various touch sensitive elements 604, the characteristics measured at each touch sensitive element 604 over time will enable the device to identify a user or to try particular input via the touch pad 602.
The apparatus of
The touch pad input corresponds to a user's touch of at least some of the plurality of touch sensitive elements. The touch pad input is processed by processing circuitry of the game controller, step 804. The game controller may perform first processing operations on the touch pad input and transmit the touch pad input to the game console for second processing operations such that processing operations on the touch pad input are shared between the game controller and the game console. Alternately the game controller may simply transmit raw touch pad input to the game console for processing. In still other operations, all processing of the touch pad input is performed by the game controller.
The at least partially processed touch pad input is transmitted to the game console via a communications interface of the game controller, step 806. The game console processes the touch pad input for user identification, gaming input, game operation alterations (e.g. power down game, pause game, game settings, and the like), step 808. The game console may then direct the game controller to alter its operations at step 810, including altering operations of the touch sensitive pad.
Generally, the manner with which touch pad input is used to identify users is described with reference to
The first touch pad input may be user finger touch pad input, user thumb touch pad input, user hand touch pad input, or a combination of these. The user finger touch pad input can be combined with the user thumb touch pad input to produce combined user touch pad input. Further, the first touch pad input may be captured by a touch pad of the first game controller and the second touch pad input may be captured by a touch pad of the second game controller and combined to produce the combined touch pad input. In such case, the first touch pad input may be from a first hand of a user and the second touch pad input may be from a second hand of the user (or from the hand of another user). Alternately, the first touch pad input may be of a hand of the user and the second touch pad input may be of a foot of the user. Of course, the teachings of the present invention apply to other combinations of input(s) as well.
The combined touch pad input is transmitted to the game console via a communications interface of the game controller, step 908. The game console then uses the touch pad input for user identification, gaming input, game operation alterations (e.g. power down game, pause game, game setting, and the like), step 910. The game console may direct the game controller to alter operations of at least one touch sensitive pad, step 912.
In one embodiment, initial operational parameters are set for the least one touch sensitive pad of the game controller by either the game controller or the game console. Based upon further input received by the game controller, the operations of the touch sensitive pad are altered. These operations will be described further herein with reference to
In another embodiment, other touch pad input is received from at least one touch sensitive pad of a communicatively coupled secondary game controller. The game controller transmits the combined processed touch pad input for processing to identify the user via pattern recognition. The pattern recognition used at step 1008 may be based upon user finger characteristics, hand characteristics, foot characteristics, or a combination of these. These characteristics and processing employed to determine these characteristics are described further herein with reference to
User finger characteristics, e.g., at least one finger orientation, at least one finger spacing, at least one finger width, a plurality of finger knuckle/joint locations, and a plurality of finger lengths, may be determined by either or both of the game console and the game controller. The touch pad input can be processed by either/both the game console and the game controller to determine these characteristics. Once, determined, these characteristics are compared to stored data of the same type for user identification. At initial setup, these characteristics were stored for particular users.
When intermediate user identification mode is selected, step 1506, touch pad input is captured, step 1518. The system partially interacts with the user to correlate processed touch pad input to user profiles, step 1520. A user is selected based upon touch pad input and user interaction, step 1522. Such partial interaction may query the user to indicate that a correct user ID was selected based upon finger/hand/foot characteristics, for example. However, the extent of user interaction is much less than that of the initial user identification mode 1504.
When automatic user identification mode is selected, step 1508, touch pad input is captured, step 1524. The system correlates the processed touch pad input to user profiles without user interaction, step 1526. User is selected based upon only the touch pad input and user profiles, without additional user interaction, step 1528. Thus, with the operations beginning at step 1508 no user interaction is required.
The touch pad input is based upon a user's touch. The user's touch may be hand touch, finger touch, thumb touch, foot touch, stylus touch, or another touch of a user. Processing touch pad input for use as gaming input can be done by determining hand/foot position, including finger and/or thumb position, changes in hand/foot position, hand grip/foot pressure, changes in hand grip/foot pressure based upon the touch pad input, or from other user touches. Processing the touch pad input for use as gaming input may be by determining a sequence of user touches based upon the touch pad input. The sequence of user touches can be determined based upon user touches of differing portions of the touch sensitive pad. A baseline hand/foot position can be established based on touch pad input. A current hand/foot position can be determined based upon touch pad input. The gaming input is based upon a difference between the current hand/foot position and baseline hand/foot position.
Other touch pad input can be received via the communications interface. The other touch pad input is from at least one touch sensitive pad of a secondary game controller. Both the touch pad input and the other touch pad input are processed to produce combined touch pad input that is subsequently used as gaming input. A configuration for the at least one touch sensitive pad is determined to receive gaming input based upon at least one of a game being played, at least one game parameter, and/or at least one user selection. The configuration of the at least one touch sensitive pad is transmitted to the game controller for use when the configuration is determined by the game console.
The operations in
Thus, in the decision blocks of steps 2708 and/or 2806, the game controller or game console considers one or more of the conditions of
The terms “circuit” and “circuitry” as used herein may refer to an independent circuit or to a portion of a multifunctional circuit that performs multiple underlying functions. For example, depending on the embodiment, processing circuitry may be implemented as a single chip processor or as a plurality of processing chips. Likewise, a first circuit and a second circuit may be combined in one embodiment into a single circuit or, in another embodiment, operate independently perhaps in separate chips. The term “chip,” as used herein, refers to an integrated circuit. Circuits and circuitry may comprise general or specific purpose hardware, or may comprise such hardware and associated software such as firmware or object code.
The present invention has also been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating the performance of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functional building blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.
The present invention has been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the performance of certain significant functions. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries could be defined as long as the certain significant functions are appropriately performed. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also have been arbitrarily defined herein to illustrate certain significant functionality. To the extent used, the flow diagram block boundaries and sequence could have been defined otherwise and still perform the certain significant functionality. Such alternate definitions of both functional building blocks and flow diagram blocks and sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. One of average skill in the art will also recognize that the functional building blocks, and other illustrative blocks, modules and components herein, can be implemented as illustrated or by discrete components, application specific integrated circuits, processors executing appropriate software and the like or any combination thereof.
As may be used herein, the terms “substantially” and “approximately” provides an industry-accepted tolerance for its corresponding term and/or relativity between items. Such an industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than one percent to fifty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process variations, temperature variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. Such relativity between items ranges from a difference of a few percent to magnitude differences. As may also be used herein, the term(s) “coupled to” and/or “coupling” and/or includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via an intervening item (e.g., an item includes, but is not limited to, a component, an element, a circuit, and/or a module) where, for indirect coupling, the intervening item does not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As may further be used herein, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two items in the same manner as “coupled to.” As may even further be used herein, the term “operable to” indicates that an item includes one or more of power connections, input(s), output(s), etc., to perform one or more its corresponding functions and may further include inferred coupling to one or more other items. As may still further be used herein, the term “associated with,” includes direct and/or indirect coupling of separate items and/or one item being embedded within another item. As may be used herein, the term “compares favorably,” indicates that a comparison between two or more items, signals, etc., provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater magnitude than signal 2, a favorable comparison may be achieved when the magnitude of signal 1 is greater than that of signal 2 or when the magnitude of signal 2 is less than that of signal 1.
The present invention has also been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating the performance of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functional building blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.
Moreover, although described in detail for purposes of clarity and understanding by way of the aforementioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It will be obvious to one of average skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be practiced within the spirit and scope of the invention, as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A game controller comprising:
- a communications interface;
- at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and
- processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry is operable to: receive touch pad input via the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the at least one touch sensitive pad; and transmit the touch pad input to a game console via the communications interface.
2. The game controller of claim 1, wherein:
- the at least one touch sensitive pad comprises a plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads, each of which includes a plurality of touch sensitive elements;
- the processing circuitry is operable to: receive touch pad input via each of the plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads; process the touch pad input; accumulate the touch pad input received from the plurality of separate and distinct touch sensitive pads; and transmit accumulated touch pad user input to the game console via the communications interface.
3. The game controller of claim 2, wherein the touch pad input comprises user finger touch pad input and user thumb touch pad input.
4. The game controller of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is operable to:
- receive user finger touch pad input from a first touch sensitive pad;
- receive user thumb touch pad input from a second touch sensitive pad;
- combine the user finger touch pad input with the user thumb touch pad input to produce combined user touch pad input; and
- transmit the combined touch pad input to the game console via the communications interface.
5. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one touch sensitive pad resides on multiple surfaces of a body of the game controller such that one or more of the at least one touch sensitive elements resides in three-dimensions.
6. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one touch sensitive pad conforms to a three dimensional surface of the game controller.
7. The game controller of claim 1, wherein a touch sensitive pad resides upon a battery cover of the game controller.
8. The game controller of claim 1, further comprising a second communicatively coupled game controller comprising:
- a second communications interface;
- at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and
- second processing circuitry coupled to the wireless communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry operable to: receive second touch pad input via the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the at least one touch sensitive pad; and transmit the second touch pad input to the communications interface of the game console via the second communications interface.
9. The game controller of claim 8, wherein the second communicatively coupled game controller comprises one or more of:
- a controller communicatively tethered to the game controller;
- a gaming piece; and
- a floor pad.
10. The game controller of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is operable to:
- receive the second touch pad input via the communications interface;
- process the second touch pad input together with the touch pad input to produce combined touch pad input; and
- transmit the combined touch pad input to the game console via the communications interface.
11. The game controller of claim 1, wherein:
- the processing circuitry is operable to perform first processing operations of the touch pad input; and
- transmit the touch pad input to the game console via the communications interface for second processing operations of the touch pad input so that processing duties for the touch pad input are shared between the game controller and the game console.
12. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the touch pad input is used for both user identification and gaming input.
13. A method for operating a game controller comprising:
- receiving touch pad input from at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements of the game controller, the touch pad input corresponding to a user's touch of at least some of the plurality of touch sensitive elements;
- processing the touch pad input by processing circuitry of the game controller; and
- transmitting the touch pad input to a game console via a communications interface of the game controller for further processing by the game console.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein:
- receiving the touch pad input comprises: receiving first touch pad input via a first touch pad that comprises a first plurality of touch sensitive elements; receiving second touch pad input via a second touch pad that comprises a second plurality of touch sensitive elements, the second touch pad input separate and distinct from the first touch pad input; and
- transmitting the touch pad input to a game console via a communications interface of the game controller for further processing by the game console comprises transmitting combined touch pad input that is a combination of the first touch pad input and the second touch pad input.
15. The method of claim 14:
- wherein the first touch pad input comprises user finger touch pad input;
- wherein the second touch pad input comprises user thumb touch pad input; and
- further comprising combining the user finger touch pad input with the user thumb touch pad input to produce the combined user touch pad input.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein
- the second touch pad input is received from a second communicatively coupled game controller, the second touch pad input captured by a touch pad of the second communicatively coupled game controller having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and
- transmitting the touch pad input to a game console via a communications interface of the game controller for further processing by the game console comprises transmitting combined touch pad input that is a combination of the first touch pad input and the second touch pad input.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second communicatively coupled game controller comprises one or more of:
- a controller communicatively tethered to the game controller;
- a gaming piece; and
- a floor pad.
18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
- the game controller performing first processing operations on the touch pad input; and
- transmitting the touch pad input to the game console for second processing operations on the touch pad input so that processing duties for the touch pad input are shared between the game controller and the game console.
19. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the touch pad input for both user identification and gaming input.
20. A game controller comprising:
- a communications interface;
- a plurality of least one touch sensitive pads, each having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and
- processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry is operable to: receive first touch pad input via a first plurality of touch sensitive elements of a first touch sensitive pad; receive second touch pad input via a second plurality of touch sensitive elements of a second touch sensitive pad; process the first touch pad input in conjunction with the second touch pad input to produce processed combined touch pad input; and transmit the processed combined touch pad input to a game console via the communications interface.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 26, 2010
Publication Date: May 19, 2011
Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION (IRVINE, CA)
Inventors: ROBERT M. LUKAS (DELTA), DAVID A. SOBEL (LOS ALTOS, CA), MONIKA GUPTA (IRVINE, CA), QIANG FU (IRVINE, CA), SUMANT RANGANATHAN (SARATOGA, CA), TOM W. KWAN (CUPERTINO, CA), XINYU YU (SAN JOSE, CA)
Application Number: 12/912,422
International Classification: A63F 13/06 (20060101);