U.S. patent application number 13/553636 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-23 for changing icons on user input device.
This patent application is currently assigned to MICROSOFT CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is Bryon Ashley, Quintin Morris. Invention is credited to Bryon Ashley, Quintin Morris.
Application Number | 20140024456 13/553636 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48901192 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140024456 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ashley; Bryon ; et
al. |
January 23, 2014 |
CHANGING ICONS ON USER INPUT DEVICE
Abstract
Embodiments are disclosed that relate to pushable buttons
comprising individually controllable display devices. For example,
one disclosed embodiment provides a hand-held game controller
comprising a body and a plurality of pushable buttons movably
coupled to the body, each pushable button comprising a transparent
cap and an individually controllable display device arranged behind
the transparent cap such that the display device is viewable
through the transparent cap. The hand-held game controller further
comprises a controller configured to receive an input from an
application requesting display of a first icon on a first display
device of a first pushable button of the plurality of pushable
buttons and a second icon on a second display device of a second
button of the plurality of pushable buttons, and, in response,
display the first icon on the first display device and display the
second icon on the second display device.
Inventors: |
Ashley; Bryon; (Maple
Valley, WA) ; Morris; Quintin; (Issaquah,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ashley; Bryon
Morris; Quintin |
Maple Valley
Issaquah |
WA
WA |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
48901192 |
Appl. No.: |
13/553636 |
Filed: |
July 19, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/26 20140902;
A63F 2300/1043 20130101; A63F 13/24 20140902; A63F 13/235 20140902;
A63F 2300/203 20130101; A63F 2300/301 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/37 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A hand-held video game controller, comprising: a body; a
plurality of pushable buttons movably coupled to the body, each
pushable button comprising a transparent cap and an individually
controllable display device arranged behind the transparent cap
such that the display device is viewable through the transparent
cap; and a controller configured to: receive an input from an
application requesting display of a first icon on a first display
device of a first pushable button of the plurality of pushable
buttons and a second icon on a second display device of a second
button of the plurality of pushable buttons; and in response,
display the first icon on the first display device and display the
second icon on the second display device.
2. The hand-held video game controller of claim 1, wherein each
pushable button further comprises a support structure located
behind the individually controllable display device to support the
individually controllable display device against the transparent
cap.
3. The hand-held video game controller of claim 2, wherein, for
each pushable button, the support structure is retained within the
pushable button by one or more retaining tabs.
4. The hand-held video game controller of claim 2, wherein, for
each pushable button, the support structure is retained within the
pushable button by an adhesive.
5. The hand-held video game controller of claim 2, wherein, for
each pushable button, the support structure comprises one or more
vias configured to accommodate one or more electrical connections
to the individually controllable display.
6. The hand-held video game controller of claim 5, wherein the one
or more vias are formed along one or more side portions of the
support structure.
7. The hand-held video game controller of claim 1, wherein each
pushable button of the plurality of pushable buttons comprises a
single actuatable component.
8. The hand-held video game controller of claim 1, wherein each
display device is configured to display two or more predefined
fixed icons.
9. The hand-held video game controller of claim 8, wherein each
display device comprises an electronic paper display device.
10. The hand-held video game controller of claim 1, wherein each
display device comprises an active matrix display, and wherein the
controller is configured to provide image data to each active
matrix display specifying an image to be displayed.
11. A hand-held video game controller, comprising: a body; a
plurality of pushable buttons movably coupled to the body, each
pushable button comprising a transparent cap, an individually
controllable display device arranged behind the transparent cap
such that the display device is viewable through the transparent
cap, and a support structure configured to support the individually
controllable display device against the transparent cap; a logic
subsystem; and memory comprising code representing a plurality of
predefined icons displayable on the individually controllable
display devices, the memory also comprising executable instructions
that are executable by the logic subsystem to: display on each
display device icons selected from a fixed set of predefined icons;
receive an input from an application requesting display of a first
predefined icon on a first display device of a first pushable
button of the plurality of pushable buttons and a second predefined
icon on a second display device of a second pushable button of the
plurality of pushable buttons; and in response, display the first
predefined icon on the first display device and display the second
predefined icon on the second display device, thereby causing the
first predefined icon to appear on the first pushable button and
the second predefined icon to appear on the second pushable
button.
12. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, wherein the
code representing the predefined icons includes code representing a
default icon for each pushable button, and wherein the executable
instructions are further executable to display the default icon for
each pushable button for which the application does not request
display of one of the predefined icons.
13. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, wherein each
pushable button of the plurality of pushable buttons comprises a
single actuatable component.
14. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, wherein each
display device comprises an electronic paper display device.
15. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, wherein, for
each pushable button, the support structure is retained within the
pushable button by one or more retaining tabs.
16. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, wherein, for
each pushable button, the support structure is retained within the
pushable button by an adhesive.
17. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, wherein, for
each pushable button, the support structure comprises one or more
vias formed along one or more side portions of the support
structure and configured to accommodate one or more electrical
connections to the individually controllable display.
18. The hand-held video game controller of claim 11, further
comprising a directional pad disposed on the body at a location
spaced apart from the plurality of pushable buttons, the
directional pad comprising a plurality of pushable directions and a
corresponding plurality of actuatable components, and wherein the
directional pad comprises a transparent directional pad cap and a
directional pad display device located behind the transparent
directional pad cap such that the directional pad display device is
viewable through the transparent directional pad cap, and a
directional pad support structure configured to support the
directional pad display device against the transparent cap.
19. A method of operating a hand-held video game controller, the
hand-held video game controller comprising a plurality of pushable
buttons each having a transparent cap and an individually
controllable display device arranged behind the transparent cap
such that the display device is viewable through the transparent
cap, a logic subsystem, and memory comprising code representing a
plurality of predefined icons displayable on the individually
controllable display devices, the method comprising: receiving an
input front a first application requesting display of a first
predefined icon on a first display device of a first pushable
button of the plurality of pushable buttons and a second predefined
icon on a second display device of a second button of the plurality
of pushable buttons; in response, display the first predefined icon
on the first display device, display the second predefined icon on
the second display device, and display a default icon on a third
display device of a third pushable button, thereby causing the
first predefined icon to appear on the first pushable button, the
second predefined icon to appear on the second pushable button, and
the default icon to appear on the third pushable button.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: detecting user
actuation of the of the third pushable button; receiving an input
from the first application requesting display of a first dynamic
icon on the third display device of the third pushable button; and
displaying the first dynamic icon on the third display device of
the third pushable button.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] User input devices, such as hand-held game controllers,
include one or more input mechanisms for effecting control over a
computing device or applications presented thereby. Input
mechanisms, such as buttons and directional pads, may include
generic, fixed markings to identify the input mechanisms.
SUMMARY
[0002] Embodiments are disclosed that relate to pushable buttons
comprising individually controllable display devices. For example,
one disclosed embodiment provides a hand-held game controller
comprising a body and a plurality of pushable buttons movably
coupled to the body, each pushable button comprising a transparent
cap and an individually controllable display device arranged behind
the transparent cap such that the display device is viewable
through the transparent cap. The hand-held game controller further
comprises a controller configured to receive an input from an
application requesting display of a first icon on a first display
device of a first pushable button of the plurality of pushable
buttons and a second icon on a second display device of a second
button of the plurality of pushable buttons, and, in response,
display the first icon on the first display device and display the
second icon on the second display device.
[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed
subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not
limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages
noted in any part of this disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a hand-held video game
controller in an example use environment.
[0005] FIG. 2 shows an example of an embodiment of a pushable
button comprising an individually controllable display device.
[0006] FIG. 3 shows a top-view of an embodiment of a pushable
button comprising an individually controllable display device.
[0007] FIG. 4-5 shows an example use case scenario for an
embodiment of a hand-held video game controller comprising a
plurality of pushable buttons.
[0008] FIG. 6 shows a process flow depicting an embodiment of a
method of operating a hand-held video game controller.
[0009] FIG. 7 shows a non-limiting example of an embodiment of a
computing device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] As mentioned above, an input device may include one or more
input mechanisms (e.g., buttons, directional pads, triggers, etc.)
that may be user-actuatable in order to effect control over a
computing device and/or over applications presented thereby (e.g.,
video games). Said input mechanisms typically include one or more
fixed markings, such as arrows, alphanumeric characters, symbols,
etc., to identify the input mechanism.
[0011] In some instances, an input mechanism may not be utilized in
a consistent manner, for example, for different applications.
Instead, customized functionality may be defined by the computing
device manufacturer, the application developer, the user, and/or
other entity. For example, the "up" direction of a directional pad
may effect forward motion of an on-screen character in a first set
of applications, whereas the "up" direction may fire an on-screen
weapon in a second set of applications. A user of an input device
may rely on their own memory and/or may access on-screen help
(e.g., a controller legend) in order to ascertain which input
mechanism is associated with a given activity, function, weapon,
ability, etc.
[0012] Accordingly, various embodiments are disclosed herein that
relate to the display of context-specific icons on such input
devices to allow the user to quickly at the controller to recall
the assignments. In this way, a user may be able to quickly and
accurately ascertain the functionality of a given input mechanism
without referring to additional instructional materials (e.g.,
instruction manuals, etc.). Such a configuration may thus enable
novice and experienced users alike to accurately and efficiently
operate the input mechanism.
[0013] FIG. 1 shows an example use environment 100 comprising an
embodiment of a hand-held video game controller 102. Controller 102
comprises body 104 configured to be held in one or both hands. In
some embodiments, body 104 may be "hollow" such that body 104 forms
one or more cavities in which other elements of controller 102, in
whole or in part, are oriented.
[0014] Body 104 may be further configured to provide support and/or
positioning for one or more input mechanisms. For example,
controller 102 may include input mechanisms such as joystick 106
and/or buttons 108 movably coupled to body 104. These input
mechanisms may be usable to effect control over computing device
110 and/or over applications presented thereby. Controller 102 may
be used, for example, to control the motion of game character 112
of application 113 rendered by computing device 110 and displayed
via display device 114. As such, controller 102 may further
comprise a communication subsystem configured to provide
unidirectional or bidirectional communication with computing device
110 to allow controller 102 to send control information to
computing device 110 for controlling the computing device, and also
to receive communications from the computing device 110. The
control information sent to the computing device 110 may comprise,
for example, state information regarding the current state of
joystick 106 and/or buttons 108.
[0015] Although illustrated as a wireless connection, it will be
appreciated that controller 102 communicate with computing device
110 via a wireless connection, a wired connection, or a combination
thereof. Wireless communication may be performed via infrared
light, visible light, radio-frequency (e.g., 802.11 or mobile
telephony), combinations thereof, or via any other suitable
mechanism.
[0016] In addition to joystick 106 and/or buttons 108, controller
102 may further comprise one or more input mechanisms each
comprising an individually controllable display device, embodiments
of which are shown as pushable buttons 116. It will be appreciated
that the term "pushable button" as used herein refers to any input
mechanism configured to be user-actuatable by a pressing motion
(e.g., via thumb or other finger) that causes movement of the
button into a body of the controller to actuate an actuatable
component.
[0017] Independently controllable displays may be configured to
provide formation, such as icons, to a user of controller 102 to
convey the functionality provided by actuation of the corresponding
pushable button. It will be appreciated that the term "icon" as
used herein refers to any image, textual and/or graphical,
displayed via an individually controllable display device. For
example, buttons 116 may be configured to alternatively display
alphanumeric icons 118 and graphical icons 120. Accordingly, during
use of computing device 110 (e.g., during interaction with
application 113), specific actions or activities (e.g., jump,
crouch, run, change weapon, etc.) may be assigned to buttons 116,
and corresponding icons may be displayed thereon. Further, upon the
occurrence of user actuation of buttons 116 and/or upon the
occurrence of various triggers (e.g., video game game play
situations), the icons may be updated to reflect an updated state
(e.g., updated functionality of the associated input
mechanism).
[0018] Controller 102 may further include one or more directional
pads 122 each comprising an individually controllable display
device and disposed on body 104 apart from pushable buttons 116. As
with pushable buttons 116, directional pad 122 may be configured to
display a variety of icons, including, but not limited to,
directional icons 124 (e.g., arrows similar to "standard"
directional pad markings), graphical icons 126 (e.g., "run" icon),
and textual icons (e.g., international and/or extended character
sets to facilitate user input of text).
[0019] In contrast to buttons 116, it will be appreciated that
directional pad 122 may comprise a unitary body that is
user-actuatable in a plurality of directions 123 (e.g., up, down,
left, right, etc.). Accordingly, each of directions 123 may
comprise a corresponding actuatable component in order to register
user-actuation of the direction. Regardless of the number and
orientation of the directions, directional pad 122 may comprise a
monolithic transparent directional cap spanning the plurality of
directions 123 such that a single directional pad display device
may be utilized for the plurality of directions.
[0020] In some embodiments, the display device may be substantially
coextensive with the directional cap (e.g., cross-shaped, etc.)
such that the display device is disposed substantially within the
transparent directional cap. In other embodiments, the display
device array comprise a quadrilateral display area (e.g., 16:9
display, 4:3 display, square display, etc.) or other shape such
that a portion of the display device is viewable through the
directional cap while the remainder of the display device is
obscured via the directional cap and/or the controller body. In
such embodiments, the underside of the display device may be
configured to interact with the plurality of actuatable components.
In yet other embodiments, a plurality of individually controllable
display devices (e.g., one display per direction 213) may be
disposed beneath the transparent cap. It will be appreciated that
directional pads may have various configurations without departing
from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0021] In various embodiments, an input mechanism comprising an
individually controllable display device may be configured to
display any configuration and combination of "fixed" or "dynamic"
icons. Fixed icons are predefined icons that may be included with
controller 102 and/or computing device 110 (e.g., via one or more
data structures within non-volatile memory). For example, each of
pushable buttons may be configured to display one or more
alphanumeric icons (e.g., icon 118) and/or one or more graphical
icons (e.g., icon 120). Applications configured to interact with
the individually controllable display devices (e.g., application
113) may therefore be capable of selecting and displaying one of
said fixed icons on each individually controllable display device.
It will be appreciated that fixed icons may have any suitable
configuration, including, but not limited to, generic alphanumeric
characters, generic images (e.g., media controls, etc.), and/or
geometric shapes.
[0022] In other embodiments, icons may be "dynamic." Dynamic icons
may be specific to one or more applications presented by computing
device 110, and array enable application developers to provide
custom icons suited for the particular digital experience (e.g.,
video game, media player, etc.). For example, in media player
scenarios, one or more media functions may be presented to the user
(e.g., playback controls, playlist controls, etc.) in order to
provide a more customized and intuitive user experience. It will be
appreciated that in such scenarios, there may exist any number and
configuration of dynamic icons as provided by applications
utilizing the controller 102.
[0023] Further, each of pushable buttons 116 may be configured to
display one or more "default" icons. Said default icons may be
displayed by one or more pushable buttons 116 upon startup of
controller 102, during interaction with applications that do not
support the individually controllable display devices, during
interaction with applications that are not currently utilizing a
given button, and/or in any other scenario where display of a fixed
icon or a dynamic icon via pushable buttons 116 is not requested.
For example, in some embodiments, a default icon may comprise an
alphanumeric indicator (e.g., A, B, X, Y, etc.). In other
embodiments, a default icon may comprise a blank image (i.e. all
pixels on or all pixels off). It will be appreciated that these
scenarios are presented for the purpose of example, and are not
intended to be limiting in any manner.
[0024] Any suitable display technologies may be utilized to display
icons as disclosed herein. For example, in the instance of fixed
icons, as the set of fixed icons does not change over time, it may
be advantageous to use a "segmented" display technology, such as
electronic paper. In such scenarios, each of the fixed icons may be
represented by activating/de-activating one or more display
"segments." Further, to provide greater flexibility in providing
dynamic icons, a pixel-based display technology (e.g., active
matrix) may be used. It will be appreciated that these
configurations are presented for the purpose of example, and that
any suitable display technology may be utilized without departing
from the scope of the present disclosure. Other example display
technologies include, but are not limited to, liquid crystal
displays, organic light emitting device displays, and projection
displays.
[0025] It will be appreciated that a game controller in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise any
suitable combination and configuration of pushable buttons and
individually controllable display devices, and that said
individually controllable display devices maybe configured to
display any configuration of dynamic icons, fixed icons, and/or
default icons. Further, the behavior (e.g., timing, update
triggers, etc.) may be determined by the controller, a
communicatively coupled computing device (e.g., computing device
110), an application presented by the computing device (e.g.,
application 113), and/or any combination thereof.
[0026] Turning now to FIG. 2, a sectional view of an embodiment of
a pushable button 200 comprising an individually controllable
display device 202 is shown. Button 200 comprises transparent cap
204 configured to be actuated by the user. Although illustrated as
comprising a convex top surface, it will be appreciated that
transparent cap 204 may have any suitable configuration (e.g.,
concave, flat, angled, etc.) without departing from the scope of
the present disclosure.
[0027] As illustrated, individually controllable display device 202
is disposed under transparent cap 204 such that display device 202
is viewable through the top of transparent cap 204. In order to
support display device 202 against transparent cap 204, button 200
further comprises a support structure 206 located behind the
individually controllable display device. Support structure 206 may
take any suitable form and may be coupled to transparent cap 204
via any suitable mechanism or combination of mechanisms. For
example, as illustrated, transparent cap 204 may comprise one or
more retaining tabs 208 disposed along the inner surface of the
transparent cap and configured to interact with edge 210 of support
structure 206. In some embodiments, tabs 208 may comprise plural
discrete features formed on an inside surface of transparent cap
204, whereas in other embodiments, the inner surface of transparent
cap 204 may comprise a substantially continuous feature (e.g.,
flange) configured to interacy with edge 210 of support structure
206 instead of, or in addition to, retaining tabs 208. In other
embodiments, one or more tabs may be formed on support structure
206 for engagement with complementary features on transparent cap
204. In yet other embodiments, support structure 206 may be
retained within transparent cap 204 via an adhesive.
[0028] Display device 202 may be further retained within the
transparent cap 204 via any suitable mechanism or combination of
mechanisms, in some embodiments, display device 202 may be retained
via friction with transparent cap 204 and support structure 206. In
other embodiments, display device 202 may be affixed to transparent
cap 204 and/or support structure 206 via adhesive. In yet other
embodiments, display device 202 may be mechanically coupled to
transparent cap 204 and/or support structure 206 via one or more
mechanical features (e.g., complimentary features, pressure
fittings, screws, etc.).
[0029] As illustrated, button 200 is disposed within an opening of
body 212 (e.g., body 104 of FIG. 1). Accordingly, upon
user-actuation of transparent cap 204, button 200 is configured to
move in a direction substantially perpendicular to body 212, in
order to retain button 200 within the opening, the button may
further comprise flange 214 configured to interact with an inner
surface of body 212. In other embodiments, button 200 may comprise
one or more discrete tabs configured to retain the button within
the opening instead of, or in addition to, flange 214.
[0030] Button 200 further comprises actuatable component 216
coupled to board 218 (e.g., multi-layer printed circuit board) and
configured to translate user actuation of the button into one or
more representative analog and/or digital electrical signals.
Actuatable component 216 may comprise any suitable mechanism or
combination of mechanisms, including, but not limited to,
mechanical sensors (e.g., tactile switch, membrane switch, etc.),
optical sensors (e.g., optical encoder, optical break sensor,
etc.), magnetic sensors (e.g., magnetic reed switch), and/or
capacitive sensors.
[0031] In some embodiments, button 200 may further comprise one or
more mechanisms configured to mechanically couple actuatable
component 216 and one or more of transparent cap 204, display
device 202, and support structure 206. For example, in some
embodiments, button 200 may comprise rod 220 configured to couple
actuatable component 216 to support structure 206. In other
embodiments, actuatable component 216 may be configured to interact
directly with transparent cap 204 and/or support structure 206. For
example, actuatable component 216 may be disposed below flange 214
such that user actuation of transparent cap 204 effects interaction
between flange 214 and actuatable component 216. It be appreciated
these configurations are presented for the purpose of example, and
are not intended to be limiting in any manner.
[0032] Board 218 may be disposed within body 212 to provide
structural and/or electrical interfaces for button 200. Board 218
may be further configured to electrically couple display device 202
to one or more electrical components (e.g., display controller,
non-volatile memory, communication subsystem, etc.). Accordingly,
display device 202 may comprise one or more electrical connections
222 (e.g., ribbon cable, flexible flat cable, etc.) to provide said
coupling. Further, support structure 206 may comprise one or more
vias 224 to accommodate electrical connections 222. As illustrated,
via 224 may comprise an opening through op portion of support
structure 206. In some embodiments, via 224 may further comprise
one or more features extending below the top portion of support
structure 206 and configured to at least partially enclose
electrical connections 222. Said features may provide additional
routing and support of electrical connections 222 within button
200, and may therefore decrease mechanical fatigue experienced by
electrical connections 222 (e.g., via pinching, friction, etc.).
Although via 224 is illustrated as being disposed through the top
portion of support structure 206, it will be appreciated that vias
224 and electrical connections 222 may have any suitable
configuration, examples of which are discussed in greater detail
below with reference to FIG. 3.
[0033] Although the discussion of FIG. 2 is with reference to a
single pushable button, it will be appreciated that the discussion
is also applicable to the directional pads mentioned above, as
button 200 may represent a single "direction" of the directional
control pad. In other words, the directional pad may comprises a
transparent directional pad cap (e.g., cap 204) and a directional
pad display device (e.g., display device 202) located behind the
transparent directional pad cap such that the directional pad
display device is viewable through the transparent directional pad
cap. Further, a directional pad support structure (e.g., support
structure 206) may be included to support the directional pad
display device against the transparent cap. As mentioned above, in
contrast to an individual pushable button, a directional pad may
comprise a single directional pad cap and a plurality of actuatable
components (e.g., one actuatable component per "direction").
[0034] Turning now to FIG. 3, a op view of an embodiment of
pushable button 200 comprising individually controllable display
device 202 (illustrated as displaying an "X" icon) viewable through
transparent cap 204 is shown. As described above, button 200
comprises support structure 206 retained within transparent cap
204, the support structure being configured to support display
device 202 against transparent cap 204. Although button 200 is
illustrated as being substantially circular, it will be appreciated
that pushable buttons as disclosed herein may comprise any suitable
shape without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0035] As mentioned above, support structure 206 may comprise one
or more vias to accommodate electrical connections to display
device 202. Such vias may be disposed through the top portion of
the support structure, as illustrated at 224. As mentioned above,
such embodiments may further comprise one or more features
extending below the top portion in order to provide additional
routing. Alternatively, such vias also may be formed along one or
more side portions of the support structure such that the one or
more electrical connections are disposed between the support
structure and transparent cap, as illustrated at 226. In such
embodiments, via 226 may further comprise one or more elements
configured to at least partially enclose the electrical
connections. The electrical connections may be disposed freely
within via 226 and/or may be mechanically coupled thereto via one
or more mechanisms (e.g., tabs, loops, adhesive, etc.). It will be
appreciated that pushable buttons may comprise any combination and
configuration of vias to accommodate the one or more electrical
connections of the individually controllable display device without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0036] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a plurality of pushable buttons 400
displaying various icons (e.g., icons for a first-person combat
video game). First, as shown in the example of FIG. 4, first
pushable button 402 of the plurality of pushable buttons 400 is
displaying icon 404, illustrated as a default "X" icon. In response
to actuation of button 402 by a user (e.g., via thumb 406), button
402 may be configured to display an icon different than icon 404.
FIG. 5 shows pushable buttons 400 after user actuation of button
402. As illustrated, button 402 is displaying icon 408 in the form
of a grenade. As such, further actuation of button 402 may result
in use of a grenade by an in-game character. Although the icon
change of FIGS. 4 and 5 is presented with respect to user-actuation
of a button during interaction with a video game, it will be
appreciated that that a change in display state for one or more of
the individually controllable displays may be effected by any
mechanism (e.g. user actuation, change in application state, change
in computing device state, etc.) and that icons may be presented
for any suitable user experience (e.g., media player, etc.) without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0037] Turning now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram depicting an
embodiment of a method 600 of operating a hand-held video game
controller (e.g., controller 102) is shown. At 602, method 600
comprises receiving an input from an application (e.g. application
113) requesting display of a first icon on a first display device
of a first pushable button of a plurality of pushable buttons and a
second icon on a second display device of a second button of the
plurality of pushable buttons. As mentioned above, icons displayed
by each individually controllable display device may comprise fixed
icons 604 and/or dynamic icons 606 in any combination and
configuration.
[0038] In some scenarios (e.g., dynamic icon scenarios), it will be
appreciated that the custom icon image data may be provided by the
application and/or computing device in communication with the
controller. As such, method 600 may further comprise, at 608,
providing image data (e.g., pixel array or other suitable data
structure) to each display specifying an image to be displayed. In
some embodiments, said image data may be provided to the
controller, and thus stored by the controller, upon initialization
of the computing device and/or the application. In other
embodiments, the image data may be dynamically provided.
[0039] At 610, method 600 further comprises, in response,
displaying the first icon on the first display device and display
the second icon on the second display device, thereby causing the
first icon to appear on the first pushable button and the second
icon to appear on the second pushable button. As mentioned above,
in some embodiments, pushable buttons comprising an individually
controllable display device may be configured to display one or
more "default" icons (e.g., generic text, generic images, blank
image, etc.). Default icons may be displayed, for example, when no
fixed or dynamic icon has been requested for a given pushable
button. As such, method 600 may further comprise, at 612,
displaying a default icon on a third display device of a third
pushable button, thereby causing the default icon to appear on the
third pushable button.
[0040] As mentioned above, the icons displayed on the individually
controllable display devices may be updated upon user input, upon
change in application state, upon change in computing device state,
and/or according to any other suitable trigger or combination of
triggers. Accordingly, at 614, method 600 further may further
comprise detecting user actuation of the third pushable button.
Method 600 may further comprise, at 616, receiving an input from
the first application requesting display of a first dynamic icon on
the third display device of the third pushable button. At 618,
method 600 may further comprise displaying the third icon on the
third display device of the third pushable button.
[0041] The above described methods and processes may be tied to a
computing system including one or more computers. In particular,
the methods and processes described herein may be implemented as a
computer application, computer service, computer API, computer
library, and/or other computer program product.
[0042] FIG. 7 schematically shows a nonlimiting computing system
700 that may perform one or more of the above described methods and
processes. Controller 102 and computing device 110 are non-limiting
examples of computing system 700. Computing system 700 is shown in
simplified form. It is to be understood that virtually any computer
architecture may be used without departing from the scope of this
disclosure. In different embodiments, computing system 700 may take
the form of a mainframe computer, server computer, desktop
computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, home entertainment
computer, network computing device, mobile computing device, mobile
communication device, gaining device, user input device, etc.
[0043] Computing system 700 includes a logic subsystem 702 and a
data-holding subsystem 704. Computing system 700 may optionally
include a display subsystem 706, communication subsystem 708,
and/or other components not shown in FIG. 7. Computing system 700
may also optionally include user input devices such as keyboards,
mice, game controllers, cameras, microphones, and/or touch screens,
for example.
[0044] Logic subsystem 702 may include one or more physical devices
configured to execute one or more instructions. For example, the
logic subsystem may be configured to execute one or more
instructions that are part of one or more applications, services,
programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data
structures, or other logical constructs. Such instructions may be
implemented to perform a task, implement a data type, transform the
state of one or more devices, or otherwise arrive at a desired
result.
[0045] The logic subsystem may include one or more processors that
are configured to execute software instructions. Additionally or
alternatively, the logic subsystem may include one or more hardware
or firmware logic machines configured to execute hardware or
firmware instructions. Processors of the logic subsystem may be
single core or multicore, and the programs executed thereon may be
configured for parallel or distributed processing. The logic
subsystem may optionally include individual components that are
distributed throughout two or more devices, which may be remotely
located and/or configured for coordinated processing. One or more
aspects of the logic subsystem may be virtualized and executed by
remotely accessible networked computing devices configured in a
cloud computing configuration.
[0046] Data-holding subsystem 704 may include one or more physical,
non-transitory, devices configured to hold data and/or instructions
executable by the logic subsystem to implement the herein described
methods and processes. When such methods and processes are
implemented, the state of data-holding subsystem 704 may be
transformed (e.g., to hold different data).
[0047] Data-holding subsystem 704 may include removable media
anchor built-in devices. Data-holding subsystem 704 may include
optical memory devices (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, etc.),
semiconductor memory devices (e.g., RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.)
and/or magnetic memory devices (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk
drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), among others. Data-holding
subsystem 704 may include devices with one or more of the following
characteristics: volatile, nonvolatile, dynamic, static,
read/write, read-only, random access sequential access, location
addressable, file addressable, and content addressable. In some
embodiments, logic subsystem 702 and data-holding subsystem 704 may
be integrated into one or more common devices, such as an
application specific integrated circuit or a system on a chip.
[0048] FIG. 7 also shows an aspect of the data-holding subsystem in
the form of removable computer-readable storage media 710 which may
be used to store and/or transfer data and/or instructions
executable to implement the herein described methods and processes.
Removable computer-readable storage media 710 may take the form of
CDs, DVDs, HD-DVDs, Blu-Ray Discs, EEPROMs, and/or floppy disks,
among others.
[0049] It is to be appreciated that data-holding subsystem 704
includes one or more physical, non-transitory devices. In contrast,
in some embodiments aspects of the instructions described herein
array be propagated in a transitory fashion by a pure signal (e.g.,
an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, etc.) that is not
held by a physical device for at least a finite duration.
Furthermore, data and/or other forms of information pertaining to
the present disclosure may be propagated by a pure signal.
[0050] The terms "application," "program," and the like may be used
to describe an aspect of computing system 700 that is implemented
to perform one or more particular functions. In some cases, such an
application and/or program may be instantiated via logic subsystem
702 executing instructions held by data-holding subsystem 704. It
is to be understood that different applications and/or programs may
be instantiated from the same service, code block, object, library,
routine, API, function, etc. Likewise, the same application and/or
programs may be instantiated by different services, code blocks,
objects, routines, APIs, functions, etc. The terms application
and/or program are meant to encompass individual or groups of
executable files, data files, libraries, drivers, scripts, etc.
[0051] When included, display subsystem 706 may be used to present
a visual representation of data held by data-holding subsystem 704.
As the herein described methods and processes change the data held
by the data-holding subsystem, and thus transform the state of the
data-holding subsystem, the state of display subsystem 706 may
likewise be transformed to visually represent changes in the
underlying data. Display subsystem 706 may include one or more
display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such
display devices may be combined with logic subsystem 702 and/or
data-holding subsystem 704 in a shared enclosure, or such display
devices may be peripheral display devices.
[0052] When included, communication subsystem 708 may be configured
to communicatively couple computing system 700 with one or more
other computing devices. Communication subsystem 708 may include
wired and/or wireless communication devices compatible with one or
more different communication protocols. As nonlimiting examples,
the communication subsystem may be configured for communication via
a wireless telephone network, a wireless local area network, a
wired local area network, a wireless wide area network, a wired
wide area network, etc. In some embodiments, the communication
subsystem may allow computing system 700 to send and/or receive
messages to and/or from other devices via a network such as the
Internet.
[0053] It is to be understood that the configurations and/or
approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these
specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a
limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The
specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or
more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various acts
illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in other
sequences, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the
order of the above-described processes may be changed.
[0054] The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all
novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the
various processes, systems and configurations, and other features,
functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any
and all equivalents thereof.
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