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.

I'll search litigation-focused sources for this specific patent number.

Initial searches surfaced no relevant litigation. Let me query litigation-specific databases directly.

Still no litigation hits. Let me try case-database-specific queries.

Litigation search report — US Patent 6,478,679 B1

Bottom line: No litigation involving US 6,478,679 was found. I could not identify any district court action, Federal Circuit appeal, ITC investigation, or PTAB proceeding asserting or challenging this patent (or its division, US 6,786,826 B2).

What I searched and what came back

Disambiguation of false-positive "6478679" hits (all unrelated — I did not conflate them):

• JP 6478679 B2 — a Japanese patent (Canon, image forming apparatus, filed 2015). A different patent in a different jurisdiction; the number collision is incidental.
• A chess-results GameID 6478679; a Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.6478679; an NHS pharmacy phone number ending 6478679; a Croatian cadastral parcel number; a 5.20% entry in a RiverNorth/DoubleLine fund schedule of investments. None is a US patent or a litigation record.

Important caveats on this "no result"

1. I could not directly query the primary litigation databases. The Unified Patents litigation portal, PACER, CourtListener/ RECAP, and Docket Alarm are not directly accessible through the tools available to me; I could only run general web searches against them. A "no hits" result from open web search is not equivalent to a verified docket check. If you need a legally conclusive answer, the definitive steps are: (a) PACER Docket Search on 6,478,679; (b) Unified Patents' litigation and PTAB portals at https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/caselist; (c) a Lex Machina / Docket Navigator query on the patent number.
2. Search-step limit reached. My last query (Sega Enterprises patent lawsuit Dreamcast memory card "6,478,679" defendant) was cut off by the tool limit before returning results.
3. Timing makes litigation unlikely but not impossible. The patent issued Nov. 12, 2002 and expired ~May 12, 2018 (per Google Patents), giving roughly a 15½-year enforceability window. Sega (original assignee Sega Enterprises, Ltd.) is a known assertion-active patent holder, so an action in that window is plausible even though none surfaced.

Related-but-distinct litigation I did find (NOT this patent)

• Sega Corporation v. Bank of Innovation (Tokyo District Court, filed ~Oct. 2024) — Sega asserts five Japanese patents on game mechanics against the mobile/idle RPGs Genjuu Keiyaku Cryptract and Memento Mori, seeking an injunction and ¥1 billion in damages. Reporting (Automaton Media; patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara commentary) indicates the suit relates to Japanese patents and followed failed license negotiations, with settlement expected. This does not involve US 6,478,679 and is a trademark/patent action in Japan, not a US case.
• Sega Corporation & Sega of America, Inc. v. Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule "A" — e.g., S.D. Fla. Case No. 1:25-cv-25442-JB (and a related 2025 case, No. 25-cv-22807 before Judge Beth Bloom). These are trademark/copyright counterfeiting actions over the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise (Lanham Act, Copyright Act, TRO/preliminary injunction, voluntary dismissals). No patent is asserted, and 6,478,679 is not at issue.

Proposed entries in the requested format

Because no case was found, there is nothing to tabulate:

Conclusion: Based on the searches performed, no known litigation (district court, CAFC, ITC, or PTAB) involves US Patent 6,478,679. This conclusion is bounded by the caveats above — it reflects absence of evidence in open web searches, not a verified PACER/Docket Navigator check. I recommend confirming via PACER and the Unified Patents litigation portal before relying on it for a legal opinion.