Abstract:
A control unit for a video game has user-manipulable controls, a display panel, and an input connector via which the display panel receives video signals from an external source. The control unit is useful where a television set is unavailable for use with the video game.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a handheld controller having a display panel. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a handheld game controller having a pivotable LCD panel that receives video signals from an external source.  
           [0002]    Electronic television games are known to comprise apparatus attached to the television via the TV&#39;s antenna input or AV input socket. Modern electronic game machines such as the Sony PlayStation®, PlayStation 2®, Microsoft XBox® and Nintendo GameCube®, have a game console into which a game-specific DVD is received and within which there is a processor for generating video and sound signals to be transmitted to the television. The console receives input from, and sometimes transmits feedback signals to, one or more control panels, each having say a steering wheel, a gear change selector, a pointing device etc, for a single player or multiple game players. There might also be included for the one or each player a throttle and a brake pedal input unit for example. All the input devices are attached to the console.  
           [0003]    When playing games with such machines, the television is monopolised by the game player or players. However, if the television is to be used for normal viewing—usually by somebody other than the game player(s), the game must cease.  
           [0004]    Also, the sound effects generated by the processor must be relayed through the television&#39;s speakers, or speakers forming part of an AV system with which the television might ordinarily be associated. Clearly, a television programme for example cannot be viewed by one or more individuals, whilst other individuals in the same room are playing video games using the same AV equipment.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or more generally to provide a handheld controller for a video game machine, wherein the controller has a display panel attached thereto or formed integrally therewith for displaying video signals received from an external source.  
         DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    There is disclosed herein a handheld video game control unit, comprising:  
           [0007]    user-manipulable controls,  
           [0008]    a control signal output via which control signals generated by the controls are transmitted by the unit to a game console,  
           [0009]    a display panel, and  
           [0010]    an input via which the display panel receives video signals from an external source.  
           [0011]    Preferably, the control unit further comprises speakers and/or an earphone/headphone jack for audio signals received via said or another input.  
           [0012]    Preferably, the control unit further comprises a base unit to which the display panel is attached by a pivot connection.  
           [0013]    More preferably, there is associated with the pivot connection a locking device for locking the display panel at one of a number of selected orientations with respect to the base unit.  
           [0014]    In a preferred embodiment, the control unit includes a shaft between the display panel and the base unit, and a clutching device for locking the display panel against pivotal movement with respect to the base unit. A pushbutton is provided at each end of the shaft, by which the shaft is movable longitudinally to operate the clutching device to enable pivotal movement of the display panel with respect to the base unit.  
           [0015]    More preferably, the clutching device comprises a spline fixed relative to one of the base unit and display panel, and a number of clutching fingers fixed relative to the other of the display panel and base unit. The fingers are engageable with one of the pushbuttons to bear against the spline when the shaft is moved longitudinally.  
           [0016]    There is further disclosed herein a video game system comprising:  
           [0017]    the above-disclosed control unit, and  
           [0018]    a game console having a video output transmitting video information to the input of the control unit, and a control signal input receiving control signals from the control signal output of the control unit. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective and partially cross-sectional view of a video game control unit having a display panel attached hingedly to a base unit with a locking device, associated with the hinge in a position locking against pivotal movement of the display panel;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the locking device of FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the locking device of FIG. 1;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a perspective and partially cross-sectional view of the video game control unit of FIG. 1 having the locking device in a position enabling pivotal movement of the display panel;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the locking device of FIG. 2;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the locking device of FIG. 2;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the control unit of FIG. 1 or  2 ;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the hinge by which the display panel of the control unit is attached to the base unit;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is an exposed perspective view of the control unit of FIG. 1 or  2 ;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the control unit of FIG. 1 or  2  attached to a Sony PlayStation 2® console via both an AV cable and a control cable;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the control unit of FIG. 1 or  2 ;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 is a close-up view of a lower portion of the display panel of FIG. 1 or  2 ;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 is a view depicting stereo speakers positioned on both sides of the display panel of FIG. 1 or  2 ;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the display panel and hinge of FIG. 1 or  2 ;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 11 is a side elevational sequence diagram of the control unit of FIG. 1 or  2  in various stages of pivotal movement of the display panel; and  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-player system having a number of the control units of FIG. 1 or  2  linked to a Sony PlayStation 2® console. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0036]    In the accompanying drawings, there is depicted schematically a control unit or controller  10  for a video game. Control unit  10  comprises a base unit  11  to which there is hingedly attached a display panel  12 . Details of the hinge  13  between the base unit  11  and the display panel  12  will be described later.  
         [0037]    The base unit  11  has a pair of grasping portions  14  to be grasped by a player in his or her left and right hands respectively. A protrusion  11 A upstanding centrally from a rear periphery of the base unit  11  constitutes one part of the hinge  13 . The protrusion  11 A is formed, at its opposite left and right ends, with a pair of annular grooves  11 AA.  
         [0038]    Control buttons and toggles  15  are provided upon an upper surface of the base unit  11  for controlling output signals generated by the control unit. These toggles and buttons  15  are designated “Turbo”, “select”, “analog”, “start”, “clear”, etc. The signals manipulated by these keys are transmitted from the control unit  10  via a cord  29  (FIG. 6). Alternatively however, control signals could be transmitted by an infrared light transmitting diode or RF transmission for example or other means of transmission. The signals are to be received by a game console such as a Sony PlayStation 2®.  
         [0039]    The display panel  12  has a visible area  16  that displays video signals received via cord  29  from an external source. The external source is typically the same console that receives the control signals via cord  29 . There are stereo speakers  17  flanking the display area  16 . Just below the display area  16 , there are display and volume controls  18 , which are typically designated “volume”, “colour”, “brightness” and “contrast” for example.  
         [0040]    A pair of hollow legs  12 A depending symmetrically from a bottom periphery of the display panel  12  constitutes the other part of the hinge  13 . The two legs  12 A flank the protrusion  11 A and enclose its left and right ends respectively. Each leg  12 A includes an apertured inner wall that engages around, and within, the corresponding annular end groove  11 AA of the protrusion  11 A, such that the display unit  12  is pivotable with regard to the base unit  11  about a horizontal hinge axis.  
         [0041]    The hinge  13  includes a horizontal shaft  19  housed therein, which extends along the hinge axis. Two pushbuttons  20  and  21  are connected co-axially to opposite left and right ends of the shaft  19 . The pushbuttons  20  and  21  are used to slide the shaft  19  left or right to either lock the display panel  12  in a selected pivotal orientation, or allow movement of it. In FIG. 1 the shaft  19  is shifted to the right to lock against pivotal movement of the display panel  12 , whereas in FIG. 2 the shaft  19  is shifted to the left and the display panel  12  is released.  
         [0042]    Located about the left end portion of the shaft  19  is a hollow spline component  22  that is fixed against rotation with respect to the base unit  11 . This component  22  has a hollow cylindrical portion  23 , around an outer end of which longitudinally extending splines  24  are formed.  
         [0043]    Positioned about the cylindrical portion  23  is a clamping component  25  that is fixed against rotation with respect to the display panel  12 . The clamping component  25  has four longitudinally extending fingers  26  projecting from an outer side thereof. These fingers  26  are parallel to the shaft  19  and extend into a hollow of the pushbutton  20  when the pushbutton  20  is depressed to thereby shift the shaft  19  to the right. There is a ramping interengagement between the fingers  26  and the hollow of the pushbutton  20 , which causes the fingers  26  to deform or bend inwardly to thereby bear against and engage with the splines  24  to prevent relative rotation between the spline component  22  and the clamping component  25 . As a result, the pivotal orientation of the display panel  12  with respect to the base unit  11  is fixed.  
         [0044]    Upon depression of the other pushbutton  21 , the fingers  26  are released from the hollow of the pushbutton  20 . As a result, the fingers  26  bend away from the splines  24  under their own resilience, thereby enabling pivotal movement of the display panel  12  with respect to the base unit  11 .  
         [0045]    There are electrical conductors, for example in the form of a ribbon cable or flex-film, passing through the hinge structure from the base unit  11  to the display panel  12  for delivering video signals thereto.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 6, there might be a single cord  29  extending from the base unit  11  to a boxed junction  27 . Electrical power from a transformer  28  can be delivered via the junction  27  and cord  29  to the control unit  10 . A game console  30  has a game port  31  and an AV adapter  32 . A control signal cord  33  extending from the junction  27  passes control signals from the controller  10  via cord  29  to the game port  31  of the console  30 . Audio and video signals for reproduction and display at the display panel  12  are transmitted to the control unit  10  via an audio/video cable  34 , the junction  27  and cord  29 . As an alternative to the specific network structure depicted in FIG. 6, the console  30  might have infrared receiving and transmitting devices and the controller  10  might also have infrared receiving and transmitting devices for communication therewith.  
         [0047]    Moreover, the controller  10  is not limited to use with the Sony PlayStation 2®, and any other game consoles and future game consoles may be employed. Also, instead of cables or infrared transmission, RF transmission or other means of transmission are envisaged.  
         [0048]    There is a phone jack  35  at one side of the display panel  12  (FIG. 10) to which headphones or earphones can be connected. The phone jack  35  would have associated with it a speaker out of circuit featuring to disable the stereo speakers  17  when headphones or earphones are used. At the bottom right corner of the display unit  12 , a power on/off switch  37  is provided for switching off the display unit  12  when it is not in use.  
         [0049]    A four-player system shown in FIG. 12 may comprise a multi-tap  37  to which the cord  29  of each of the control units  10  is connected. A single control cord  38  from the multi-tap  37  is connected to the game port  31  of the game console  30 . Also, there may be attached to the AV adapter  32  of the console  30  a piggy-backed interconnection of audio/video cables  34  via which audio and video signals are relayed to the respective control units  10 .  
         [0050]    It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations obvious to those skilled in the art are not to be considered as beyond the scope of the present invention. For example, the display panel  12  need not be pivotable with respect to the base unit  11  and the control unit  10  itself is not limited in its application to Sony PlayStation 2®.