US 5669685

I'll search for authoritative information on this patent number, including any litigation or CAFC docket activity.

Let me check specifically for litigation/PTAB/CAFC activity and confirm the granted patent metadata.

Search results: USPTO / CAFC 2026 docket activity

I was unable to find any Federal Circuit (CAFC) or other litigation docket, PTAB proceeding, or 2026 court activity involving U.S. Patent No. 5,669,685. The searches I ran returned:

• The patent's own Google Patents, Justia, and EveryPatent records (metadata and full text).
• Unrelated hit-string collisions I want to flag explicitly, because they are not this patent:
  • JP 5669685 U — a Japanese utility model (JPS61173922U) whose application number happens to read "5669685." Different jurisdiction, different register.
  • 2012 WL 5669685 — a Westlaw citation number in Barabin v. AstenJohnson (9th Cir.), unrelated.
  • Konami Gaming Inc. v. High 5 Games, LLC (CAFC Nos. 22-1370, 22-1249; dist. ct. D. Nev. 2:14-cv-01483) — a real Konami patent appeal, but the asserted patents are Konami's slot-machine patents (e.g., the "'869 patent"), not US 5,669,685. I did not verify at what point any of those patents is 5,669,685, and on the record I retrieved it is not.

So: no confirmed 2026 docket or litigation history for 5,669,685. Treat that as "no evidence found," not as proof of absence.

Bibliographic data for US 5,669,685

Abstract (as granted): "A game machine includes a diorama mounting cabinet on the front side containing a diorama object and a semitransparent mirror and a projector mounting cabinet on the rear side containing a cathode ray tube and a screen. An image displayed on the cathode ray tube is projected onto the screen in such a way that it is superimposed on a virtual image of the diorama object, as viewed form a player. The cathode ray tube and screen are integrally mounted in a projector housing which is made movable within the projector mounting cabinet. This makes it possible to vary relative positions of the individual images in depth directions so that depth relationships therebetween can be changed to provide increased reality and flexibility in three-dimensional visual presentation." (The "form a player" typo is in the granted text.)

Independent claim — plain-language overview

Claim 1 is the only independent claim in the patent. Claims 2–12 are all dependent (2 on 1; 3 on 1; 4 on 3; 5 on 3; 6 and 7 on 5; 8 on 7; 9 on 1; 10 on 9; 11 and 12 on 10). I note this because dependent claims 3 and 9 recite substantial additional structure and are easy to mistake for independent claims.

Claim 1 — a game machine with just two required elements:

1. A diorama object (a physical, three-dimensional model/scene element).
2. An image generator positioned behind the diorama object, arranged so that:
   • the image it forms is superimposed on the image of the diorama object in a specified depth relation, and
   • the two images are movable in depth directions relative to each other.

The point of novelty over the prior art (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 3-131288 and 4-134489, both discussed in the specification) is the relative depth adjustability — prior systems superimposed a diorama image and a CRT image at fixed relative depth.

Substantive dependent claims worth noting

• Claim 3 (dep. 1): diorama object placed outside the viewing zone of the generated image, plus a virtual image forming device that projects a virtual image of the diorama object over the generated image.
• Claim 4 (dep. 3): the virtual image forming device is a semitransparent mirror between the diorama object and the image, angled to reflect the diorama image to the player (the "Pepper's Ghost" arrangement).
• Claim 5 (dep. 3): face-shaped diorama object + generated eye image aligned to the virtual image.
• Claims 6/7 (dep. 5): relative movement range constrained so the eye image is behind (claim 6) or in front of (claim 7) the virtual diorama image — the "recessed vs. projected eyes" effect.
• Claim 9 (dep. 1): the image generator itself is movable in depth.
• Claim 10 (dep. 9): image generator = movable projector housing + screen in the housing + projector projecting onto the screen.
• Claim 11 (dep. 10): a diorama housing with multiple holding positions at different depths for the projector housing (the screw-hole/bracket positioning described at 48A/48B/48C).
• Claim 12 (dep. 10): a drive mechanism (the rack 52 / pinion 54 / motor 56 embodiment of FIG. 4) to move the projector housing.

Uncertainty / caveats

• No authoritative docket confirmation. I found no CAFC, district court, or PTAB record asserting or challenging 5,669,685. Any statement that it has been litigated (or not) in 2026 is something I could not verify from the sources retrieved.
• The Konami CAFC appeals surfaced by search involve different patents; I am not asserting any connection to 5,669,685.
• Claim count (12), claim dependencies, inventors, dates, and assignee data above are drawn from the granted patent text and the Google Patents/Justia records, which agree with each other. For any filing/deadline-critical purpose, the USPTO Patent Center record should be checked directly.