U.S. patent application number 12/317912 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-24 for brandable thumbstick cover for game controllers.
Invention is credited to Michael Minuto, Tammy Visco.
Application Number | 20090239665 12/317912 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41089472 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090239665 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Minuto; Michael ; et
al. |
September 24, 2009 |
Brandable thumbstick cover for game controllers
Abstract
A brandable thumbstick cover for video game controllers includes
a thumbstick cap and an adapter ring meant to cover the thumbstick
on the game controller. The thumbstick cap is the primary location
for branding or inclusion of video game related images and text,
which may appear on any surface of the thumbstick cap. The adapter
ring is used to provide removable attachment between the thumbstick
cap and the thumbstick itself and allows for a single sized
thumbstick cap to be used across differently sized thumbsticks. The
bottom cavity portion of the adapter ring is sized appropriately so
as to receive the upper portion of the thumbstick and snap into
place or be held by friction and/or pressure. The upper portion of
the adapter ring provides a mechanism for attachment of the
thumbstick cap. Alternative embodiments include the elimination of
the adapter ring and the direct attachment of the thumbstick cap to
the thumbstick. The thumbstick cap may have images and text applied
directly, or it may contain a recessed top area that allows for
branding in the form of a printed domed label. The domed label
consists of a printed substrate material covered with a clear
epoxy-type substance so that the printed graphics are shown through
the dome, and an adhesive on the bottom of the substrate that is
used to adhere to the thumbstick cap.
Inventors: |
Minuto; Michael;
(Wellington, FL) ; Visco; Tammy; (Wellington,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Michael Minuto
8953 Alexandra Circle
Wellington
FL
33414
US
|
Family ID: |
41089472 |
Appl. No.: |
12/317912 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61009794 |
Dec 31, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/08 20130101;
A63F 2300/1043 20130101; A63F 13/24 20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/38 |
International
Class: |
A63F 11/00 20060101
A63F011/00 |
Claims
1. A cover device for a video game controller thumbstick that has
an upper portion with a top surface and a peripheral side edge,
said cover device comprising: a cap that is sized, structured and
disposed for removeable attachment on the video game controller
thumbstick in a manner that covers the top surface of the
thumbstick, and said cap having a thumb engaging surface to allow
manipulation of the thumbstick, and said cap further including at
least one area for placement of an image and text.
2. The cover device as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one
area for placement of the image and text is on a top of said
cap.
3. The cover device as recited in claim 2 wherein the top of said
cap includes a recess.
4. The cover device as recited in claim 3 further comprising: a
domed label sized, structured and disposed for attached receipt
within said recess on the top of said cap, and said domed label
defining said at least one area for placement of the image and
text.
5. The cover device as recited in claim 2 further comprising: an
adapter ring including an open bottom surrounded by a rim and
communicating with a cavity that is sized, structured and disposed
for snug receipt of the upper portion of the thumbstick therein,
and said adapter ring further including a top portion for
removeable attachment of said cap thereto.
6. The cover device as recited in claim 5 wherein said adapter ring
includes a slip resistant surface surrounding said cavity for
promoting firm gripped attachment of said adapter ring to the upper
portion of the thumbstick.
7. The cover device as recited in claim 5 wherein said rim
surrounding said open bottom of said adapter ring extends radially
inward relative to said open bottom and said cavity, and said rim
being structured and disposed for retaining said adapter ring on
the upper portion of the thumbstick while maneuvering the
thumbstick by applying directional pressure on the cover
device.
8. The cover device as recited in claim 5 wherein said top portion
of said adapter ring and said cap include cooperating screw threads
for removeably attaching said cap to said adapter ring.
9. The cover device as recited in claim 5 wherein said cap
magnetically attaches to the top portion of said adapter ring.
10. The cover device as recited in claim 5 wherein said adapter
ring and said cap are provided with a plurality of cooperating pegs
and peg receptors for removeably attaching said cap to said adapter
ring.
11. The cover device as recited in claim 5 wherein said adapter
ring further comprises a V-shaped groove communicating with said
open bottom and said cavity, and said V-shaped groove being sized,
structured and disposed for horizontal sliding receipt of the upper
portion of the thumbstick within said cavity of said adapter ring.
Description
[0001] This non-provisional patent application is based on
provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/009,794 filed on Dec.
31, 2007 and we hereby claim the benefit under Title 35, United
States Code section 119(e).
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to game controllers,
and more specifically to the thumbstick portions of game
controllers and decorative, branded accessories that may be used
for them.
[0004] Video games are catching up to movies as a primary form of
entertainment, and the characters depicted in video games are
becoming well-known franchises. Hence an opportunity for
merchandising of character branded products (ie, lunchboxes bearing
the likenesses of Star Wars characters, Pokemon trading cards, etc)
in the video game space is increasing.
[0005] The majority of video game consoles sold today include
various methods for the game player to control and provide input to
the game. The most frequently used style of game controller
contains at least one and usually two thumbsticks, which are the
mushroom-shaped protrusions at the top of the game controller, and
which are meant to be manipulated via the game player's thumbs.
[0006] While there are many existing products which allow the game
player to customize or decorate the appearance of their video game
hardware using a video game branded product (for example covers for
full game consoles or covers for an entire game controller), no
existing product provides for a video game branded accessory that
can attach and detach easily to/from the thumbstick on the game
controller.
[0007] The present invention is meant to serve several functions.
The thumbstick cap is meant to be a decorative cover for the
thumbstick, where detailed images from popular video games may be
displayed. It is also meant to be used as a collectible item, where
the rarity of certain pieces may have more collectible value and
can be bought or traded just as baseball cards or collector coins
would. Finally, the many sections available to contain special
markings on the thumbstick cap itself could allow it to be used as
a piece in a trading or board game; the piece could contain
markings indicating hit points, shield points, attack points,
etc.
[0008] 2. Discussion of Related Art
[0009] Although similar in usage, the present invention (the
brandable thumbstick cover) has several major differences and
advantages over a prior art joystick cover device disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 7,167,159 to Bailey.
ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION
[0010] The design of the present invention allows for thumbstick
caps to be adapted to any size thumbstick, whereas the prior art is
limited to a fixed size and can only accommodate thumbsticks that
are very similar in size.
[0011] The present invention also allows for a size sufficient
enough to display detailed images from video games, whereas the
prior art has a very small area that is much less sufficient for
displaying detailed images.
[0012] The present invention is meant to be collectible in nature,
where sales of the product would be stimulated by providing a
constant stream of newly branded, limited run thumbstick caps as
new video games are released, whereas the prior art does not
provide enough differentiation aside from colors to stimulate
repeat sales.
[0013] The present invention, particularly the thumbstick cap
portion, is not limited to being constructed from elastomer
materials, as is the case in the prior art. The present invention
may be constructed of many different types of material in order to
add to the collectible value of the piece.
[0014] The present invention is designed for easy manufacturing and
stocking of generic pieces which may be assembled in different ways
to produce a different product; ie. A domed label specific to the
Halo .TM. video game would attach to a generically sized thumbstick
cap, which would then be attached to a thumbstick adapter ring
sized specifically for an XBOX 360.TM. controller.
SUMMARY
[0015] A cover device for a video game controller thumbstick that
has an upper portion with a top surface and a peripheral side edge,
said cover device comprising: an adapter ring and cap that is
sized, structured and disposed for removable attachment on the
video game controller thumbstick in a manner that covers the top
surface of the thumbstick, and said cap having a thumb engaging
surface to allow manipulation of the thumbstick, and said cap
further including at least one area for placement of an image and
text.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a side view of the domed label (1), thumbstick
cap (2), adapter ring (3), and the top of the thumbstick itself
(4).
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a closer view of the adapter ring, angled
slightly from the bottom (thumbstick side) so as to show the radial
inward extension (3a) along the inner circumference of the adapter
ring.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a closer view of the thumbstick cap, angled
slightly from the bottom (adapter ring side) so as to show the
threading on the underside of the cap which is intended to receive
the threaded male portion of the adapter ring.
[0019] FIG. 4 shows another side view of the domed label (1),
thumbstick cap (2), adapter ring (3), and the top of the thumbstick
itself (4), with proper shading.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION--PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown
in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. It consists of 3 main pieces: the domed label
1, the thumbstick cap 2 (including recess), and the adapter ring 3,
as shown in FIG. 1.
[0021] As thumbsticks for various game systems are all different
sizes, and since it is desirable to maintain a consistent size of
thumbstick cap for ease of manufacturing and portability from one
type of game controller to another, the use of an adapter ring is
recommended, as is the use of a domed label 1 and a thumbstick cap
2 that includes a recess.
[0022] The adapter ring is a small plastic piece in the shape of a
ring, or any shape as appropriate to fit the top portion of a
particular thumbstick. The center of the adapter ring may be hollow
(ring shaped) or may be filled in. The purpose of the adapter ring
is to adapt different sized thumbsticks such that a single sized
thumbstick cap 2 may be used for any sized thumbstick 4.
Cooperating screw threads on the top portion of the adapter ring 3
and the bottom portion of thumbstick cap 2 are used for attachment.
A detailed view of the adapter ring 3 with threads is shown in FIG.
2. A detailed view of the thumbstick cap 2 with threads is shown in
FIG. 3.
[0023] To facilitate the use of a domed label 1, the top of the
thumbstick cap 2 should include a recess that is sized sufficiently
to receive and self-center the domed label 1.
[0024] The domed label 1 consists of a printed substrate material
covered by a clear epoxy-type layer, with an adhesive on the
underside to allow for secure attachment to the thumbstick cap 2.
The domed label 1 may be a preformed piece that is manufactured
separately and attached to the thumbstick cap 2 in a separate
process, or the manufacturing may happen simultaneously, where the
printed substrate material is attached with adhesive to the top of
the thumbstick cap within the recess, and then the epoxy-like
covering is applied to the top of the thumbstick cap 2 within the
provided recess and allowed to dry.
Alternative Embodiment 1
[0025] An alternative embodiment provides for the direct attachment
of thumbstick cap 2 to thumbstick 4 without the use of an adapter
ring 3. The underside of the thumbstick cap 2 would be sized and
structured for removable attachment to the thumbstick 4. Possible
attachment methods as outlined in alternative embodiments 3, 4, or
5 could be used.
Alternative Embodiment 2
[0026] An alternative embodiment provides for a thumbstick cap 2
without a top recess or usage of a domed label 1, where the
placement of images and text would occur directly as opposed to
through the usage of the domed label method. Placement of the
images and text could occur in a variety of ways depending on the
materials used, for example, Tampo printing, laser etching, molded
inscriptions, etc.
Alternative Embodiment 3
[0027] An alternative embodiment provides for an adapter ring 3
that includes a slip resistant surface lining some or all of the
bottom cavity of the adapter ring 3, which would allow for a firmer
grip to the upper portion of the thumbstick.
Alternative Embodiment 4
[0028] An alternative embodiment provides for an adapter ring 3
which extends radially inward, either in whole or in part, so as to
provide a more snug fit or a snap-on/snap-off type function. FIG.
2, portion 3a shows one embodiment of a partial inward extension
along the entire inner radius of the adapter ring 3 cavity.
Alternative Embodiment 5
[0029] An alternative embodiment provides for an adapter ring 3
that has a V-shaped groove at its bottom. The groove is sized and
structured in such a way so as to allow the adapter ring 3 to slide
horizontally onto the thumbstick 4, and would ensure that the
adapter ring 3 would not slide off or pop off except in the
direction it was originally installed, and only at the specific
intent and effort of the user. This could allow for an even more
generic adapter ring to be constructed and be compatible with many
differently-sized thumbsticks.
Alternative Embodiment 6
[0030] An alternative embodiment provides for a magnetic attachment
between the adapter ring 3 and the thumbstick cap 2. The bottom
portion of the thumbstick cap 2 and the top portion of the adapter
ring 3 would be sized and structured in such a way as to allow
magnets of opposite polarity on either piece to provide snug yet
removable attachment of the two pieces.
Alternative Embodiment 7
[0031] An alternative embodiment provides for the attachment of the
adapter ring 3 to the thumbstick cap 2 via a peg and peg receptor
type system. The adapter ring 3 could contain one or more pegs
protruding from the top of the ring, the pegs ideally being placed
equidistantly from each other. The pegs could have a mushroom type
shape to them, where the head of the peg was wider than its base.
The thumbstick cap 2 would contain appropriately shaped peg
receptors on its bottom so as to receive the pegs on the adapter
ring 3, allowing the cover to snap or slide into place.
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