Hardware & Devices

Sony received 3 patents covering vehicle-to-game integration and adaptive controller technology. The first describes a system that allows video games to control physical car components like headlights, horns, and seats while the vehicle is parked, creating a bridge between gaming software and automotive hardware without requiring separate peripherals. Another patent covers a drone swarm that projects game visuals onto outdoor surfaces, using coordinated aerial units to render a complete image with built-in redundancy if individual drones fail. The third patent describes a controller with optical sensors and reconfigurable touch surfaces that detect finger movements before contact and adapt button layouts to different users, eliminating fixed physical buttons entirely.

Backbone Labs received 2 patents addressing mobile gaming controller design. One describes a handheld controller with a removable charger component, allowing the battery pack to detach from the main controller body rather than remaining permanently integrated. The second patent covers input device engineering for controllers that attach to smartphones, addressing the spatial constraints of mobile-paired form factors while maintaining full controller functionality.

Acco Brands received 2 patents focused on controller connectivity and customization. The first describes a game controller with dual USB-C ports that can receive power while simultaneously charging external devices, replacing traditional 3.5mm connectors with modern ports that handle both data and power. The second patent covers controller faceplates with embedded NFC chips that automatically load custom settings when swapped, enabling instant profile changes through physical faceplate replacement rather than software menus.

Embracer Freemode received 1 patent for guitar controller technology using Hall Effect sensors in fret buttons. The contactless sensor design eliminates mechanical switches that wear out over time and provides analog position data instead of simple on/off signals, allowing for adjustable actuation points and potentially velocity-sensitive inputs for rhythm games.

Honda received 1 patent for a dongle system that converts vehicle controls into VR game controllers during charging sessions. The system uses an OBD dongle to safely disable the ignition while enabling the steering wheel, pedals, and shifter to function as game inputs, creating a racing simulation interface without separate gaming hardware.

Hasbro received 1 patent for magnetic tracking on electronic game boards. The system uses magnetically differentiated pieces with varying strengths and polarity configurations to identify which specific character or token occupies each location, going beyond simple presence detection to enable hybrid physical-digital gameplay with precise piece recognition.

Razer (Asia-Pacific) received 1 patent for multi-stream haptic feedback processing. The system generates differentiated vibration responses from multiple simultaneous audio and video sources, using machine learning to analyze content characteristics and create individualized tactile feedback for each stream rather than blending them into a single output.

KOMUSE Co. received 1 patent for an arcade cabinet where players hit a ball up a rail toward rotating scored goal holes. The machine combines a rotating annular plate with encoder-tracked hole positions and a rack-and-pinion ball delivery system that automates ball supply for continuous play, with varied hole sizes creating different reward tiers.

Seven Towns received 1 patent for a water-filled capsule toy game where characters float or sink based on hydraulic pressure. Players shoot projectiles to knock off a target seal, draining water through atmospheric pressure to determine the winner, using water evacuation as a physical win/lose indicator rather than electronic or mechanical scoring.

Setex Technologies received 1 patent for a dual-material thumbstick cover designed to reduce repetitive strain injuries. Unlike existing covers with rigid bases topped by soft surfaces, this design uses two compliant materials throughout the entire assembly to avoid transmitting hard-stop forces back to the user's hands and joints.

Nintendo received 1 patent for an optical sensor-based directional pad that replaces traditional rubber contact switches with photo sensors. The design maintains tactile feedback through mechanical cushion and stopper elements while eliminating physical switch contacts, with the optical sensor positioned on the outer side of the detection target to reduce size and erroneous inputs.

Helix Leisure Pte received 1 patent for an arcade controller that switches between turret and steering wheel modes through software-controlled axis restriction. The unified hardware platform eliminates the need for separate cabinets per game genre, providing haptic feedback and physical actuation across both shooting and driving simulation modes within a single VR-ready device.

LYMB.iO received 1 patent for an AI-powered squash wall system with real-time fitness scoring and dynamic difficulty adjustment. The system actively blocks target field positions that would create unreachable return trajectories based on the player's current physical condition and position, personalizing each shot placement to prevent premature game endings from physical limitations.

Apple received 1 patent for a hand tracking system that combines smartwatch sensors with adaptive frame rate cameras. The wearable device acts as a motion trigger to control when the camera captures detailed images, reducing power consumption by 60% to 80% compared to continuous high-frame-rate tracking while maintaining gesture recognition accuracy.

Robert Michael Lyden received 1 patent for a modular game controller with swappable triggers, bumpers, thumbsticks, and touch-sensitive controls. The design includes ultra-low actuation force touch controls with a 10 to 50 gram threshold and capacitive proximity controls that activate without physical contact, extending modularity beyond existing designs to include the trigger and bumper mechanisms themselves with options to swap between mechanical, resistive touch, and capacitive input types.

Hisense Visual Technology received 1 patent for adaptive display technology that adjusts image quality parameters based on game signal type and interaction mode. Rather than using fixed gaming presets, the system dynamically calculates target display settings by combining signal-specific base parameters with game-interaction offsets to automatically optimize visuals for different scenarios without manual user adjustment.

Gamer Cycle Fitness received 1 patent for an exercise bike with an ergonomic desktop designed for playing console video games. The device enables play of any existing mainstream console game on standard hardware rather than requiring specialized software, using a dual-angle desk design and specific pedal-to-torso geometry to maintain comfortable gaming posture during actual cycling effort.

CIC Games received 1 patent for Quarterboard, a physical board game where players slide discs or coins into scoring zones on a planar surface. The design features multi-zone scoring layouts at both ends of a rectangular surface with varied shapes and sizes creating differentiated scoring regions for multiple skill levels and gameplay objectives.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft received 1 patent for an in-car multiplayer gaming system using existing door-panel control screens. The system repurposes vehicle-integrated passenger comfort screens as networked game consoles connected via the vehicle's native Ethernet and WLAN gateway to synchronize gameplay across seats without requiring additional dedicated hardware.

Aifrutech Co. received 1 patent for a UWB-based game controller system that achieves input latency below 1.2 milliseconds. The technology applies ultra-wideband radio communication with a precisely engineered scan-buffer-transmit pipeline delivering 0.2 millisecond minimum latency and configurable maximum of 8.2 milliseconds, while dual-mode positioning leverages UWB's ranging capability for spatial game interaction without external tracking hardware.