US 9352229

Patent Information

I am unable to directly access and search the USPTO database or CAFC dockets. However, I can provide a summary of U.S. Patent 9,352,229 based on the information that is publicly available.

Here is a summary of U.S. Patent 9,352,229:

Title: Controller for a games console

Assignee: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.

Inventors: Simon Burgess, Duncan Ironmonger.

Filing Date: June 11, 2015

Issue Date: May 31, 2016

Abstract: The patent describes a hand-held controller for a gaming console. The controller has an outer case and multiple controls on its front and top surfaces. It's designed to be held with both hands, with the thumbs operating the front controls and the index fingers operating the top controls. A key feature is the addition of at least one extra control on the back of the controller. This extra control is positioned to be operated by the user's middle finger and includes a long, flexible, and resilient member. This member is partially housed in a channel on the back of the controller and can be moved by the user to activate a control function.

Plain-Language Summary of Independent Claims

This patent has six independent claims, which can be summarized as follows:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a hand-held game controller with the standard front and top controls. The key innovation is an additional control on the back of the controller. This control is an elongated, flexible, and resilient piece that sits in a channel and can be pressed by the user's middle finger to activate a function.

• Claim 10: This claim focuses on a hand-held game controller with a mounting plate on the back. This mounting plate has at least one channel to hold an elongated, flexible control that can be operated by the user's middle finger.

• Claim 14: This claim details a hand-held game controller with a mounting mechanism on the back for attaching and detaching at least one extra control. This control is an elongated, flexible member that can be pressed to activate a function. The claim specifies a complementary locking mechanism, where one part is on the elongated member and the other is on the controller, to secure it in place.

• Claim 18: This claim describes a hand-held game controller with at least two additional controls on the back for the user's middle fingers. These controls consist of a single body with at least two integrally formed, flexible, elongated members that can be pressed to activate a function.

• Claim 22: This claim is for a hand-held game controller that includes a detachable "over-grip" on its back. This over-grip is designed to be held by the user.

• Claim 23: This claim describes a hand-held game controller with at least one additional control on the back, operated by the middle finger. A key feature of this claim is a "remap device" that allows the user to reassign the function of this extra control to mimic one of the standard buttons on the front of the controller, even while the game is being played. This is done through a "remap initiation device."

Regarding any legal disputes, I do not have access to real-time court dockets, including those of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). Therefore, I cannot provide information on any ongoing or past litigation involving this patent.