US 8641525

A concise summary of US Patent 8,641,525 is as follows:

Title: Controller for video game console

Assignee: The current assignee listed is Ironburg Inventions Ltd. The original assignee was also Ironburg Inventions Ltd.

Inventors:

• Simon Burgess
• Duncan Ironmonger

Filing Date: June 17, 2011

Issue Date: February 4, 2014

Abstract:
An improved controller (10) for a game console that is intended to be held by a user in both hands in the same manner as a conventional controller (1), which has controls on the front operable by the thumbs (2), (3), (4), (5), and has two additional controls (11) located on the back in positions to be operated by the middle fingers of a user.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

This patent has two independent claims, claim 1 and claim 20.

• Claim 1: This claim describes a hand-held game controller with a standard layout: a case with front, back, top, and bottom edges, and at least one control on the front for the user's thumb. The key innovation is the addition of two "back controls" on the rear of the controller. These back controls are described as long, thin "elongate members" that are naturally springy and flexible and stretch nearly the full height of the controller, from the top edge to the bottom edge.

• Claim 20: This claim is very similar to claim 1. It describes a hand-held game controller with a case and a front control for the thumb. It also includes two back controls that are "elongate members" located on the back of the controller. The main distinction from claim 1 is that this claim requires the back controls to extend "substantially the full distance" between the top and bottom edges, but it does not include the requirement that these members be "inherently resilient and flexible."

Litigation in CAFC Dockets for 2026:

As of April 26, 2026, a search of the dockets for the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for the year 2026 did not reveal any cases specifically involving US Patent 8,641,525. However, it is important to note that this patent has been subject to litigation in the past, including proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and various US district and appellate courts.