Touch Pen Attachment Slide Mechanism for Game Controller

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional game systems lack the ability to expand the functionality of touch pens, limiting their input capabilities and convenience.

Innovation Solution

A touch pen attachment that integrates with a game controller via a slide mechanism, allowing for both traditional button inputs and touch inputs, featuring a conductive pen point and attachment-side slide portion for enhanced capacitance and mechanical strength, enabling easy attachment and detachment for improved convenience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a touch pen attachment is integrated with a game controller, then the functionality of the touch pen is expanded, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunctionality of touch penVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The touch pen attachment is merged with the game controller through a slide mechanism that integrates both components into a unified structure. The attachment includes a touch pen portion and a slide mechanism that connects to the controller, allowing them to function together as an integrated input device while maintaining the ability to separate when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The touch pen attachment is designed as a separate detachable component that can be attached to or removed from the game controller. This segmentation allows the touch pen functionality to be added only when needed, avoiding permanent complexity while enabling expanded functionality on demand.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the touch pen attachment is made detachable via slide mechanism, then the convenience is improved, but the reliability of connection may worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconvenience of attachmentVSAvoidconnection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The connection between the touch pen attachment and game controller is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed. The slide mechanism allows the attachment to be easily inserted and removed, providing adaptability in the connection state. This dynamic connection maintains reliability during use while enabling easy detachment when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The touch pen attachment expands the input capabilities of the game system, allowing for a wider range of instructions through touch inputs, enhancing user experience and convenience by providing a versatile and durable solution for touch pen functionality.

Implementation Method 1

The touch pen portion may include a conductive pen point. The attachment-side slide portion may be conductive. The touch pen attachment may further include a conductive connecting portion that connects together the pen point and the attachment-side slide portion. With configuration (2) above, the touch pen attachment can be used with a capacitive touch panel.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCapacitance: Capacitance

Implementation Method 2

The touch pen portion may include a conductive pen point. The attachment-side slide portion may be conductive. The touch pen attachment may further include a conductive connecting portion that connects together the pen point and the attachment-side slide portion.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConduction (electrical): Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentEP3594788B1Touch pen attachment, controller system and game system
Publication Date: 2023.11.15 NINTENDO CO LTD
  • EP3594788B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3594788B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3594788B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A touch pen attachment is attachable to a game controller including a controller-side slide portion. The touch pen attachment includes a housing, an attachment-side slide portion, a stopper portion, and a touch pen portion. The attachment-side slide portion is configured to slidably engage with the controller-side slide portion in a slide direction, wherein the attachment-side slide portion has a first side and a second side with respect to the slide direction, and the controller-side slide portion is insertable into the attachment-side slide portion from the first side. The stopper portion stops a slide movement, in an insertion direction, of the controller-side slide portion. The touch pen portion is on at least one of an end portion of the housing on the first side in the slide direction and another end portion thereof on the second side in the slide direction.