US 6478679

I've completed the searches I could run (I hit the search-step limit before I could retrieve the full 21-claim text or the verbatim abstract from a primary source). Here is a concise summary, with confidence levels flagged.

US Patent 6,478,679 B1 — Summary

Title: Memory device, controller and electronic device
Patent number: US 6,478,679 B1 (application no. 09/269,973; PCT/JP98/02097)
Assignee (original): Sega Enterprises, Ltd. (Japan)
Current assignee (per Google Patents, flagged as possibly inaccurate): Sega Corp.
Inventors: Atsunori Himoto, Kenji Tosaki, Madoka Nakayama, Miyuki Yasuoka, and Koji Tsuchiya (all of Tokyo, Japan)
Filing date: May 12, 1998 (PCT filing date; § 371 national-stage entry date July 21, 1999; PCT publication WO 99/08231, Feb. 18, 1999)
Priority dates: JP 9-214322 (Aug. 8, 1997); JP 9-235875 (Sep. 1, 1997); JP 10-054814 (Mar. 6, 1998)
Issue date: November 12, 2002
Status: Expired — Fee Related; anticipated expiration May 12, 2018 (per Google Patents)
U.S. Cl. / Int. Cl.: 463/36; Int. Cl. A63F 13/02 (per the Official Gazette listing)
Claims count: 21 claims (per the Official Gazette entry)
Division: US 6,786,826 B2 (Appl. 10/121,856), a division of the 09/269,973 application, claims a related "game playing method" (4 claims).

CAFC 2026 docket search: I found no Federal Circuit (CAFC) docket or litigation tied to this specific patent number in my searches. The only non-patent hits for "6478679" were unrelated items (a PubMed article PMID and a chemical catalog number), which I disregarded per your instruction to interpret the ID literally and not return similar numbers.

Abstract: I could not retrieve the verbatim abstract text from an authoritative source in the searches performed (the Google Patents full text provided to me does not include a formal abstract). Based on the specification, the invention is, in plain terms: a memory device (memory card) that expands the conventional game-memory-card function by adding its own display (LCD) and operation buttons on the case, so the card can display its stored contents by itself, be operated standalone like a small portable game device, run downloaded sub-games, and connect to a game apparatus body, controller, or another memory card.

Independent claims — plain-language overview

Claim 1 (verbatim, from the Official Gazette listing — authoritative):

"A controller including an operation key and transmitting a command signal, comprising: a control unit; and a loading portion, coupled to the control unit, for loading a memory device; wherein the memory device further comprises, a case; a display disposed on one side of the case for displaying information; at least one operation button, for selecting or saving information, to be operated by an operator; a memory circuit disposed in the case for storing information; and at least two connection terminals including a first male connection terminal and a first female connection terminal each disposed on one end of the case for transferring information."

Plain language (Claim 1): A game controller that has a slot for plugging in a memory card; the memory card itself has a display, at least one button for selecting/saving info, a memory circuit, and both male and female connectors so cards can daisy-chain or link directly.

Other independent-claim themes (approximate — flagged for uncertainty): I was not able to retrieve the full text of all 21 claims from a primary source, so the following is based on the Google Patents "Definitions" extraction in the provided full text (an AI-generated summary, not the formal claim text) and should not be treated as verbatim claim language:

• Memory device claim(s): A memory card with a case, internal memory, connection terminal(s) on one end, a display on one side, and operator-operated buttons — enabling standalone display and control of stored contents (e.g., viewing backup data, erasing, write-protecting).
• Memory/backup organization claim(s): Backup data and/or a program stored from opposite ends of the address space (program from low address upward; backup data from high address downward) so they don't overwrite each other; and a first program run when the card is standalone vs. a second program run when connected to an external apparatus.
• Game system claims: Systems where the card is loaded into a controller and (a) shows a different display (sub-screen) than the main monitor, (b) receives data/programs transferred from the game apparatus body, (c) transfers data/programs back to the game apparatus body, or (d) two cards connect directly to each other via male/female connectors.
• Controller claims: Controllers with a loading portion for such a memory device, optionally adding selection keys and/or save keys, and a version with a window exposing a region (display, memorandum label, buttons, or microphone) of the loaded card.
• Electronic-device claims: An electronic device (game apparatus) with a loading portion for the card, optionally with selecting means and/or saving means; dependent versions where selection is based on a program's development scene (e.g., selecting a sub-game), and where saving is triggered automatically upon detecting loading of the card or connection of the controller.
• Optical-communication claim(s) (7th embodiment): A memory card with a light-emitting unit and light-detecting unit for optical data transfer between two cards, where the light-detecting unit can also act as a solar cell to supply power.

Key uncertainties

1. Full claim text: Only Claim 1 was retrieved verbatim from an authoritative source (Official Gazette). The other independent-claim descriptions above are inferred from Google's "Definitions" extraction and are not verbatim; the exact claim numbering is unverified.
2. Abstract: Not retrieved verbatim; paraphrase provided from the specification.
3. Assignee: "Sega Enterprises, Ltd." is authoritative; Google's "Sega Corp" current-assignee listing is explicitly marked by Google as possibly inaccurate.
4. Litigation: No CAFC 2026 (or other) docket activity was found for this patent; its expired status (as of May 12, 2018) is consistent with the "Expired — Fee Related" notation.