Patent Publication Number: US-2023140183-A1

Title: Game controller with adjustable trigger throw length

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION (PRIORITY CLAIM) 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/274,600, filed Nov. 2, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention generally relates to game controllers, and more specifically relates to a game controller having a trigger button that has an adjustable throw length. 
     Throw length is defined as the total distance a trigger button on a game controller needs to move in order to be fully pressed. 
     Trigger buttons on game controllers have an analog and/or a digital input. 
     With regard to an analog input, typically a linear analog slider potentiometer is used, wherein the analog input varies depending on how far the trigger button is pressed. More specifically, the throw length typically allows for a range of analog input values (usually 0-255). 
     On the other hand, with regard to a digital input, the input is only activated when the trigger button is fully depressed. 
     Sometimes a user will want to have a shorter trigger throw length because they want to be able to activate the digital input without needing to press the button as far. 
     A typical game controller is not configured to provide that the throw length of a trigger button on the game controller is adjustable. Therefore, to achieve this on a typical game controller, a user would have to open the game controller and add either some material or one or more inserts into the controller, i.e., within the trigger button. 
     Most game controllers are not configured to be easily opened. As such, a user risks damaging the game controller when the user opens the game controller in an attempt to adjust the throw length of one or more of the trigger buttons by adding either some material or one or more inserts into the controller. 
     SUMMARY 
     One object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller having a trigger button that has an adjustable throw length. 
     Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller having a trigger button that has a throw length that can be adjusted without opening the controller. 
     Still another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller having a trigger button that has a throw length that can be adjusted from outside the game controller. 
     Still yet another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller having a trigger button that has a throw length that can be adjusted from outside the game controller using a tool. 
     Briefly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a game controller which comprises a trigger button. The trigger button comprises a rotatable member that is user accessible from outside the game controller. The rotatable member is threadably engaged with a translatable member that is disposed within the game controller. User rotation of the rotatable member causes the translatable member to translate within the trigger button, thereby adjusting the throw length of the trigger button. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which: 
         FIG.  1    provides an exterior view of a trigger button of a game controller, where the trigger button is in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is similar to  FIG.  1   , but shows inside a trigger assembly; 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view of the trigger button shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   ; 
         FIGS.  4  and  5    are side cross-sectional views of the trigger button shown in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view of the trigger button shown in  FIG.  1   ; and  FIG.  7    is similar to  FIG.  6   , but shows the components in cross-section. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     While this invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail, a specific embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated. 
       FIG.  1    provides an exterior view of a trigger button  10  of a game controller  12 , where the trigger button  10  is in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically,  FIG.  1    shows the exterior of a trigger assembly  14  after a cap  15  (See  FIGS.  6  and  7   ) has been removed. The cap  15  is what the user touches when pushing down on the trigger button  10 . As shown, once the cap is removed, preferably a user interface  16  is exposed. The user interface  16  allows the user to adjust the throw length of the trigger button  10 . While  FIG.  1    shows the user interface  16  as being an insert for receiving a hex wrench, still other forms of the user interface  16  can be used while still staying within the scope of the present invention. For example, the user interface  16  could instead be a twist knob, a button, a switch, or any other standard user input interface. 
     As shown, the trigger button  10  includes a retention plate  18  and the retention plate  18  may have indicia  20  thereon relating to the throw length and the position (i.e., rotational setting) of the user interface  16 . 
       FIG.  2    is similar to  FIG.  1    but shows inside the trigger assembly  14  (i.e., inside the trigger enclosure  22 ). The trigger enclosure  22  preferably comprises teeth  24 , such as female teeth, and these teeth  24  are configured to engage corresponding teeth  26 , such as male teeth, on a rotatable member such as an inner adjuster  28 . In other words, the teeth  24 ,  26  of the two components collectively act as a gear that provides that the inner adjuster  28  can rotate relative to the trigger enclosure  22  but does not translate relative to the trigger enclosure  22  when rotated. The user interface  16  shown in  FIG.  1    is preferably provided in contact with the inner adjuster  28  such that the user can interact with the inner adjuster  28  and rotate the inner adjuster  28  in order to adjust the throw length of the trigger button  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  3 - 5   , in addition to being engaged with the trigger enclosure  22 , the inner adjuster  28  is preferably in threaded engagement with an outer adjuster  30  (via external thread  31  on inner adjuster  28  (see  FIGS.  6  and  7   ) interacting with internal thread  33  on outer adjuster  30  (See  FIG.  7   )), and preferably the outer adjuster  30  includes one or more, such as six (6), wings  32  (see  FIG.  3   ) that effectively key into corresponding slots  34  that are provided in a tube  36  that is disposed inside the trigger enclosure  22 . The engagement between the wings  32  on the outer adjuster  30  and the slots  34  in the tube  36  provides that when the inner adjuster  28  is rotated by a user (as indicated by arrow  38  in  FIG.  1   ), the outer adjuster  30  does not rotate but instead translates either up or down within the tube  36  (as indicated by arrow  40  in  FIGS.  4  and  5   ), i.e., up or down depending on which direction the user rotates the inner adjuster  28  via the user interface  16 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , preferably at the bottom of the trigger button  10 , preferably at the bottom of the tube  36 , sits a digital trigger input  42 , such as a rubberized conductive pad. The more a user rotates the inner adjuster  28  (via the user interface  16 ) in one direction causing the outer adjuster  30  to translate closer to the digital trigger input  42 , the less of a distance the trigger button  10  will need to be pushed for the bottom  44  of the outer adjuster  30  to contact and push down on the digital trigger input  42 . Conversely, the more a user rotates the inner adjuster  28  (via the user interface  16 ) in the other direction causing the outer adjuster  30  to translate further away from the digital trigger input  42 , the more of a distance the trigger button  10  will need to be pushed for the bottom  44  of the outer adjuster  30  to contact and push down on the digital trigger input  42 . As such, rotation of the inner adjuster  28  in either direction (via the user interface  16 ) adjusts the throw length of the trigger button  10 . 
     As also shown in  FIG.  4   , preferably the trigger enclosure  22  is connected to, or otherwise in communication with, a linear analog slider potentiometer  46  or some other appropriate analog measuring device. As such, the trigger button  10  is configured to provide a digital input (using the digital trigger input  42 ) as well as an analog input (using the linear analog slider potentiometer  46 ). 
     As shown in  FIGS.  4  and  5   , the outer adjuster  30  is disposed inside the tube  36  and ultimately gets pushed down into the tube  36  when a user pushes on the trigger button  10 . Preferably, the trigger button  10  is configured to be biased outward (i.e., away from a pushed down position) by one or more springs (not shown). As shown, the inner adjuster  28  preferably extends into (and, as previously discussed, is in threaded engagement with) the outer adjuster  30 . As discussed above, the inner adjuster  28  is also in a gear-like engagement with the trigger enclosure  22 . 
     Due to the engagement of the inner adjuster  28  with the trigger enclosure  22 , the inner adjuster  28  does not translate when rotated by the user interacting with the user interface  16 . Due to the threaded engagement of the inner adjuster  28  with the outer adjuster  30 , and due to the one or more wings  32  of the outer adjuster  30  (see  FIG.  3   ) being engaged with the one or more slots  34  in the tube  36 , rotation of the inner adjuster  28  (via the user interface  16 ) causes the outer adjuster  30  to translate either up or down in the tube  36 . The position of the bottom  44  of the outer adjuster  30  relative to the digital trigger input  42  at the bottom of the trigger button  10  effectively defines the throw length. 
     The embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein allows for a user to modify the throw length of the trigger button  10  from the outside of the main controller assembly  12 . The advantage of this is that the user does not need to open a controller which most of the time is not made to be opened, possibly damaging the controller, and add something not originally intended for the controller on the inside of it. Instead, the user can customize the throw length from the outside of the controller. 
     With regard to assembly, the inner adjuster  28  is snapped into a center hole of the trigger enclosure  22 . When the inner adjuster  28  snaps in, the inner adjuster  28  becomes fixed translationally, but the inner adjuster  28  can be rotated inside the trigger enclosure  22 . When the inner adjuster  28  rotates inside the trigger enclosure  22 , the gear teeth engagement between the trigger enclosure  22  and the inner adjuster  28  prevent inadvertent rotation. In other words, the gear teeth engagement prevents inadvertent rotation of the inner adjuster  28  unless enough force is intentionally applied to the user interface  16 . 
     The user interface  16  (such as a hex wrench interface) is then inserted into the inner adjuster  28 , which is held in place by the retention plate  18  which is snapped into the trigger enclosure  22  after the user interface  16  is fully inserted. The inner thread  33  of outer adjuster  30  is then threaded onto the outer thread  31  of the inner adjuster  28 . As discussed above, the outer adjuster  30  has one or more, such as six (6), twist locking wings  32  along its outer diameter. When fully assembled, the outer adjuster  30  slides inside the tube  36 , where it is locked from rotating by the corresponding slots  34  in the tube  36  in which the wings  32  are sitting. 
     In operation, when the user rotates the user interface  16  (such as by inserting a hex wrench into the user interface  16  and rotating the hex wrench), there will be some resistance from the teeth  26  of the inner adjuster  28  pressing against the teeth  24  of the trigger enclosure  22 . Once this resistance is overcome, the inner adjuster  28  rotates to the next tooth of the trigger enclosure  22 . The rotation of the inner adjuster  28  causes the outer adjuster  30  to move linearly along the inside of the tube  36  because the outer adjuster  30  is rotationally locked inside the tube  36  and the outer adjuster  30  is connected to the inner adjuster  28  by threads. The linear change in location of the outer adjuster  30  either shortens or lengthens the distance between the bottom  44  of the outer adjuster  30  and the digital trigger input  42 . As such, the total distance the bottom  44  of the outer adjuster  30  needs to travel before it hits the digital trigger input  42  (i.e., the throw length) is adjusted. 
     While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.