Patent · US Expired

Reconfigurable video game controller with graphical reconfiguration display

US5551701A · kind A · utility

277Cited by
22References
38Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 5, 1994
Grant dateSep 3, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 5, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05G2009/04774
  • WIPO fieldFurniture, games
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

A video game/simulator system in a personal computer (PC) with game port and keyboard port includes a joystick includes a base and a joystick handle pivotally mounted on the base for two-dimensional movement. The joystick controller is connectable to both the game port of the personal computer and to the keyboard port via a second, throttle controller. The throttle and joystick controller inputs are reconfigurable to work with different video game/simulator programs by downloading a new set of keycodes from the personal computer via the keyboard port to a microcontroller and nonvolatile memory in the throttle controller. The throttle and joystick controller have variable inputs which can be input to the PC in either analog or digital form. The digital inputs can be calibrated by changing their corresponding keycodes. A multi-stage trigger switch is hingedly mounted on the joystick for actuation by a user's index finger. The multi-stage trigger has a default position, a first actuated position, and a second actuated position and can be configured to fire a weapon in the first position and control a camera in the second position during operation of the video game/simulator.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.