Patent Publication Number: US-2023148072-A1

Title: Game controller with onboard calibration

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION (PRIORITY CLAIM) 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/277,304, filed Nov. 9, 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 onboard calibration. 
     Newer game consoles provide the ability to calibrate a game controller that is connected (either via wired or wireless connection) to the game console. Typically, a user will use the game controller to direct the game console enter a game controller calibration mode during which mode the game console will use the television screen to prompt the user to press certain buttons or triggers on the game controller or to move directional controls, such as joysticks, etc., in certain directions. The game console uses the game controller inputs it receives from the user to calibrate the game controller. 
     Older game consoles do not have a calibration mode. As such, a user has no way to calibrate his or her game controller for use with an older game console. 
     SUMMARY 
     One object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller that has onboard calibration. 
     Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller that can be calibrated without having to rely on any game console or television screen. 
     Still another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game controller that can be calibrated while being connected to a game console that does not provide any type of game controller calibration mode for that game controller. 
     Briefly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a game controller which includes lights that illuminate to prompt the user to interact with the game controller by pressing one or more triggers and/or by moving one or more joysticks in certain directions. The game controller uses the inputs it receives from the user to calibrate the trigger(s) and/or joystick(s). The software which performs this calibration (i.e., by illuminating the lights, receiving the inputs and calibrating the controls) is onboard the game controller. As such, the game controller can be calibrated without having to rely on any game console. The game controller can be calibrated while being connected to a game console, such as an older game console, that does not provide any type of game controller calibration mode for that game controller. 
    
    
     
       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 a top view of a game controller that is in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the game controller includes lights that the game controller illuminates to effectively guide the user through a calibration mode; and 
         FIG.  2    is a block diagram of the game controller shown in  FIG.  1   . 
     
    
    
     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 a top view of a game controller  10  that is in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The game controller  10  has onboard calibration and at least one user interactive control. Specifically, there is software  12  that runs inside the game controller  10  that illuminates lights  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  on the game controller  10  to effectively guide a user through a calibration mode by having the user press certain buttons  34 , triggers  36 ,  38 , etc. and move certain joysticks  40 ,  42 , etc. in certain directions. While the user performs these actions on the game controller  10 , the game controller  10  receives these user responses (i.e., inputs) and uses these inputs to calibrate the game controller  10 . 
       FIG.  1    shows just one example of a game controller  10  that could employ this technology. As shown, the game controller  10  has two analog joysticks  40 ,  42  and two analog triggers  36 ,  38 , in addition to a plurality of digital push buttons  34  and a digital directional control  44 . Lights  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  are provided adjacent the analog controls, namely the two joysticks  40 ,  42  and the two triggers  36 ,  38 . The lights  14 ,  16  associated with each of the triggers  36 ,  38  illuminate to direct the user to press that particular trigger  36  or  38 . The lights  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  associated with each of the joysticks  40 ,  42  illuminate to direct the user to move each of the joysticks  40 ,  42  in certain directions. While the user performs these actions on the game controller  10 , the game controller  10  receives these user responses (i.e., inputs) and uses these inputs to calibrate the different analog inputs  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42  on the game controller  10 . 
     Preferably, the software  12  running inside the controller  10  is configured such that the game controller  10  starts this calibration mode upon the user intentionally pressing certain buttons and/or triggers, etc. in a certain order. Alternatively, a switch or button can be provided, such as on the bottom of the game controller  10 , with which the user can interact in order to have the game controller  10  initiate the calibration mode. 
     As a specific example with regard to the game controller  10  shown in  FIG.  1   , the software  12  could be configured such that when the game controller  10  enters the calibration mode the light  14  associated with the left trigger  36  illuminates. After the user presses the left trigger  36 , the light  14  associated with the left trigger  36  goes out and the light  16  associated with the right trigger  38  illuminates. After the user presses the right trigger  36 , the light  16  associated with the right trigger  38  goes out and one of the lights  18  associated with the left joystick  40  illuminates. Specifically, preferably the top light  18  associated with the left joystick  40  illuminates. After the user presses the left joystick  40  up, the top light  18  goes out and the light  20  to the right of the left joystick  40  illuminates. After the user presses the left  40  joystick the right, the light  20  goes out and the light  22  to the bottom of the left joystick  40  illuminates. After the user presses the left joystick  40  down, the light  22  goes out and the light  24  to the left of the left joystick  40  illuminates. After the user presses the left joystick  40  to the left, the light  24  goes out and the light  26  to the top of the right joystick  42  illuminates. After the user presses the right joystick  42  up, the light  26  goes out and the light  28  to the right of the right joystick  42  illuminates. After the user presses the right joystick  42  the right, the light  28  goes out and the light  30  to the bottom of the right joystick  42  illuminates. After the user presses the right joystick  42  down, the light  30  goes out and the light  32  to the left of the right joystick  42  illuminates. After the user presses the left joystick  42  to the left, the light  32  goes out and the calibration mode is complete. At that point, all the lights  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  could blink a couple times to indicate to the user that the game controller  10  was successfully calibrated. This is just one example of how the software  12  could be programmed and just one example of the specific controls that could be provided on the game controller  10 . Of course, countless possibilities exist while still staying very much within the scope of the present invention. For example, different controls can be provided on the game controller  10  and/or the lights could illuminate in a different order. Furthermore,  FIG.  1    shows lights being provided in four directions (up, down, right, left) for each of the joysticks  40 ,  42 , lights can be provided for even more directions than that, such as diagonal. Regardless, the game controller  10  is configured to use the lights on the controller  10  to direct the user to perform certain actions on the game controller  10  and the game controller  10  receives these user responses (i.e., inputs) and uses them to calibrate the controls  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42  on the game controller  10 . 
     Regarding what powers the game controller, the game controller  10  could be wireless and be configured to be powered by batteries. As such, the game controller  10  would not have to be connected to any game console to be calibrated. On the other hand, the game controller  10  could be configured to be hardwired to a game console and receive its power from the game console. Either way, the game controller  10  has software  12  onboard that is configured to perform the calibration and that calibration is not performed by the game console but rather by the game controller  10  itself. 
       FIG.  2    is a block diagram of the game controller  10  shown in  FIG.  1    and is self-explanatory. The software  12  which runs the calibration is stored in memory  50  inside the game controller  10  and is run by a processor  52 . There is a console interface  54  configured to interface with a game console. The “other components”  56  indicated in  FIG.  2    could be other components not specifically related to the invention, such as force feedback components, as well as other components that are conventional regarding game controllers. 
     The game controller  10  has onboard calibration. As such, the game controller  10  can be calibrated without having to rely on any game console or television screen. The game controller  10  can be calibrated while being connected to a game console, such as an older game console that does not provide any type of game controller calibration mode for that game controller. 
     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.