Apple Patents DualShock-Style Game Controller
- Thread starter onQ
- Start date
That's a lousy bit of journalism from technologically naive journalists. This is not a patent for a game controller.
Reading a 100+ page patent is clearly more effort than it's worth and I'm certainly not going to wade through patent-lawyer mangled pseudo-English, but there are a few steps anyone wanting to understand the meat of a patent should take to get the key info in a few minutes.
Firstly, read the title. Secondly, read the introduction describing the need that the invention is to fulfill. Finally, find the Claims and read the first one.
This is a patent for a touch device like a phone to provide a custom control interface to another device, selecting the interface based on NFC. That is, you swipe your iPhone near a TV or Digibox and get a control interface for it, as I understand it (I'm not reading more than a cursory galnce. Someone else can dive in for a better understanding!
). NFC and RFID have a range of centimetres, so the notion of this being a wireless controller using them is laughable. But even if the journalists lack the knowledge to understand this, the key aspects of the patent are pretty clear. Just looking through the pictures for understanding like a six year old is pretty shameful and leads to a lot of misinformation. Any half-decent journalist endeavour would have a technical advisor on hand to ask such questions of first before blurting out their false discovery to the world to be parroted as fact by more clueless journalists who don't check the sources.
Reading a 100+ page patent is clearly more effort than it's worth and I'm certainly not going to wade through patent-lawyer mangled pseudo-English, but there are a few steps anyone wanting to understand the meat of a patent should take to get the key info in a few minutes.
Firstly, read the title. Secondly, read the introduction describing the need that the invention is to fulfill. Finally, find the Claims and read the first one.
This is a patent for a touch device like a phone to provide a custom control interface to another device, selecting the interface based on NFC. That is, you swipe your iPhone near a TV or Digibox and get a control interface for it, as I understand it (I'm not reading more than a cursory galnce. Someone else can dive in for a better understanding!
). NFC and RFID have a range of centimetres, so the notion of this being a wireless controller using them is laughable. But even if the journalists lack the knowledge to understand this, the key aspects of the patent are pretty clear. Just looking through the pictures for understanding like a six year old is pretty shameful and leads to a lot of misinformation. Any half-decent journalist endeavour would have a technical advisor on hand to ask such questions of first before blurting out their false discovery to the world to be parroted as fact by more clueless journalists who don't check the sources.
RancidLunchmeat
Veteran
I understand what you're saying Shifty, but because I'm lazy and want everything spoon fed to me, can you tell me how the diagram of a PS Dualshock controller integrates with a patent on a touch device interface?
So it sounds like it is just a patent for a method to quickly pair bluetooth devices in the context of using a touch device as a controller.
It's a more novel invention than most patents.
It is just an app concept though, although it would require a communications protocol between target devices and the host controller which makes it a little more specialist than just a programmable remote app.
Just another Apple lawsuit waiting to happen. We invented the word swipe, the concept of measurement. Oh,and the full stop. That's ours too.
Figured I post this news here instead of creating a new thread. Figured they might have something to do with each other...
"Apple will launch an official gaming joypad soon"
http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/Various/Apple+news/news.asp?c=49737
Tommy McClain
"Apple will launch an official gaming joypad soon"
http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/Various/Apple+news/news.asp?c=49737
PocketGamer.biz said:
Tommy McClain
Why because you thought about this idea years ago?
Maybe you should get a job at the USPTO since you're so good at deciding what shouldn't be patentable...
Anyway....this news about Apple releasing a controller is pretty cool. I hate virtual buttons/thumbsticks on touchscreens. This will allow iOS devices to compete quite well against the Ouya.
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the people at the USPTO are utterly crap at deciding what should and shouldn't be patentable.Why because you thought about this idea years ago?
Maybe you should get a job at the USPTO since you're so good at deciding what shouldn't be patentable...
yes, part of the reasons a patent is granted in US regs is its gotta be NONOBVIOUSthe people at the USPTO are utterly crap at deciding what should and shouldn't be patentable.
yet the patent office grants obvious patents all the time
curious - anyone know any site that lists the dumbest patents granted, ala 'one click to buy'
Ouya dodges a bullet there. Official iOS gamepad + AppleTV refresh with App store = Ouya DOA.
In not sure you get the point of Ouya, it's to skip ANY barrier to releasing games, including a certification process. Of course, curation needs to happen, but it has to on any platform. Waiting 7 days on small bug fixes is ludicrous.
