BACKGROUND ART Multi-directional switch assemblies are in widespread use in connection with electronic and computer game apparatus. So-called "joysticks" and "joypads" are commonly used as input means for control of the images on video display screens of such game apparatus. A typical joystick multi-directional switch assembly is shown in United States Patent No. 4,408,103, and a similar joypad multi-directional switch assembly is shown in United States Patent No. 4,687,200.

These multi-directional switches often include a plurality of contact or terminal pairs formed as part of a printed circuit board. Superimposed over the switch terminals are a plurality of electrically conductive members that are carried by a resiliently deformable member, such as a rubber or synthetic rubber diaphragm or cone assembly. Mounted to deform or displace the resilient contact-carrying member is

a manually engageable movable input member, such as the joystick of U.S. Patent No. 4,408,103 or the joypad of U.S. Patent No. 4,687,200.

The joypad or joystick input members are mounted for tilting about a central universal or gimbal support assembly. When the pad or stick is tilted about the support assembly, an edge or arm thereof presses the deformable contact-carrying member down until the contacts span across the switch terminals on the printed circuit board to close the switch. Arrangement of the switch to have four mutually perpendicular arms allows such multi-directional switch assemblies to control movement of video screen images in a direction which corresponds to the direction of displacement of the joystick or joypad. Thus, a user-friendly interface or input means for control of image motion is provided by such multi¬ directional switch assemblies.

A common objective in the design of electronic game apparatus, and particularly hand-held electronic game apparatus, is to minimize the overall volume of the game unit. Economies of space, therefore ^' , are pursued wherever possible in connection with electronic games. The result is that multi- directional joystick or joypad assemblies normally are mounted directly on printed circuit boards. The printed circuit board has the switch terminals integrated in an upper surface thereof, and the deformable rubber member which carries the switch closing contacts similarly is mounted on the printed circuit board, as is the pivotal support assembly for the joypad or joystick.

The play of computer games, which require intricate and rapid image manipulation, can result, however, in

considerable stress or shock loading of the game apparatus through the rapid and sometimes forceful use of the joystick or joypad. As the tension and speed of the game increase, the player is likely to press harder and faster on the joypad or joystick. Additionally, such rapid and intricate image control requires a high degree of responsiveness of the control switching to joystick displacement. Joysticks and joypads are, therefore, preferably mounted by support assemblies having a minimum of play or slack which can reduce the responsiveness of the image to the joystick displacement. Thus, support of the joystick or joypad by a support mechanism that is relatively free of play and can effectively withstand shock loading and fatigue without transferring the loading forces to the somewhat fragile electronic circuitry is an important requirement of electronic game apparatus joystick assemblies.

One mounting structure which has been found to be particularly well suited for the mounting of multi¬ directional switch input joysticks or pads is the provision of a column or post assembly underneath the center of the stick or pad input member. The post assembly usually includes mating spherical surfaces which provide a universal joint underneath the stick or pad that is tilted. This type of joystick mount has the advantage of affording an assembly which is very responsive to stick or pad motion, while at the same time being capable of withstanding substantial thrust forces. The collar-type of joystick mount, for example as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,395,134, is less desirable in that it includes substantial lateral play in the stick, making the stick less responsive to user input.

Two broad types of mounting structures generally have been employed for joysticks and joypads having central support post assemblies. First, as shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,687,200, 4,408,103, 4,256,931, 4,029,915 and 3,005,055, the central support structure for the joystick or joypad can be mounted directly on the switch terminal carrying substrate, usually the printed circuit board. The disadvantage of this approach is that while the joystick or pad is well supported, the thrust forces on the stick or pad are transmitted directly to the supporting printed circuit board or substrate containing the electrical circuitry for the game.

The other basic approach for central support of joysticks and joypads is for the central support column to extend through an opening in the circuitry carrying substrate to a base or frame member below the printed circuit board. Typical of such an approach are the joypad and joystick switch assemblies of U.S. Patent Nos. 4,428,649, 4,246,452 and 4,124,787. The primary disadvantage of this approach is that as the game apparatus becomes more complex it is less and less desirable to provide apertures in the printed circuit board since they interfere with the efficiency and density of the circuit layout which could otherwise be achieved.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-directional switch assembly having the tight responsiveness of a central supporting column and yet a column mounting structure which minimizes the transfer of thrust forces to the electronic circuitry.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-directional switch assembly having an

improved support structure capable of substantially isolating the electronic circuitry from thrust and shock forces normally applied to the input element of the switch assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a joystick/joypad switch assembly for an electronic game or the like which has a high degree of responsiveness and improved reliability of operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-directional switch assembly which is durable, easy to construct and is very compact.

The multi-directional switch assembly of the present invention has other objects and features of advantage which will become apparent from, or are set forth in more detail in, the accompanying drawing and following Best Mode Of Carrying Out The Invention.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The multi-directional switch assembly of the present invention includes a printed circuit board having a plurality of switch terminals, a resilient deformable member having a plurality of electronic conductive contact elements carried thereby and mounted proximate the printed circuit board with the contact elements superimposed and spaced from the switch terminals. A manually engageable input member is mounted proximate the deformable member and is displaceable into engagement with the deformable member to displace the same by an amount sufficient to move the contact elements into engagement with the switch terminals. The mounting means for the input member includes a central post structure having a universal support surface means to provide controlled

and tight responsiveness. The improvement in the switch assembly of the present invention comprises, briefly, a supporting frame assembly coupled to the central post means which is constructed to substantially isolate and independently support the post assembly and input member with respect to the printed circuit board. In the preferred form, the post assembly is supported on a transversely extending frame member having openings therethrough to permit movement of the input member to be transmitted to the deformable member through the frame. The frame assembly extends laterally to span the subjacent printed circuit board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of an electronic game apparatus having a multi-directional switch assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end-elevation view, in cross-section, of the game apparatus of FIGURE 1 taken substantially along the plane of line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, end elevation view of the area bounded by line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, top plan view of an end of the electronic game apparatus of FIGURE 1 with the joypad assembly removed.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the joypad input element suitable for mounting to the housing of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a bottom plan view of the input joypad of FIGURE 5.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A hand-held electronic game apparatus, generally designated 21, can be seen in FIGURE 1 to include an elongated housing, generally designated 22, in which a video display screen 23 is centrally mounted. On either side of screen 23 are a multi-directional switch assembly, generally designated 24, and fire buttons 26 which enable the game player to manipulate images on screen 23 for the play of various games. The game apparatus further includes an "on" button 27 and an "off" button 28, as well as switches 29, 30 and 31, which are, respectively, "invert," "pause" and "restart" switches or buttons.

Inside housing 22 is an electronic circuit assembly including a CPU and associated electronics for the display of images on screen 23 during play of the game. The construction and operation of the electronic game circuitry is not regarded as being a novel portion of the present invention and will not be described in detail herein.

As may be seen from FIGURE 1, multi-directional switch assembly 24 preferably takes the form of a joypad switch assembly in which there is a generally disk-like input member or pad element 41 that is mounted in a generally horizontal orientation and has four radially extending arm members 42 which can be depressed by the thumb of the game player while gripping the housing ends, particularly back surface 43 of the housing, with the player's fingers.

As is conventional, joypad 41 includes four laterally extending arms 42 which can be used to manipulate the image on screen 23 in the up, down, right and left directions.

The details of construction of the multi-directional switch assembly of the present invention can best be understood by reference to FIGURES 2 and 3. As will be seen, the disk-like input pad or member 41 is mounted in superimposed relation to a resilient deformable member 43, which carries a plurality of electrically conductive contact elements 44. The contact elements 44 are mounted proximate but in spaced relation to switch terminals 46 carried on an upper surface 47 of substrate, most preferably printed circuit board 50.

In order to enable input pad 41 to close the various switches on circuit board 47, a central support post means, generally designated 48, is positioned beneath input joypad member 41 and includes an upwardly facing spherical surface 49 which mates with a downwardly facing spherical surface 51 in joypad input member 41. As will be appreciated, post assembly 48 can also include a reversal of parts in which the spherical surface carried by member 41 is a downwardly projecting convex element that is received by a spherical socket 51 in post assembly 48.

Universal central post assembly 48 provides the joypad with a mount which permits tilting of the pad about the central post to effect deformation of the resiliently deformable rubber member 43. This deformation can be accomplished through cruciform- shaped arms 52 which have arcuate protruding surfaces 53 that engage upper surface 54 of deformable rubber member 43. The construction of arms 52 also can be seen in FIGURE 6.

As will be appreciated, therefore, when joypad member 41 is tilted about post means 48, the arcuate

surfaces 53 engage and depress upper surface 54 of deformable member 43. This deformation causes collapsing of the conical portions 56 of member 43, with the result that a contact 44 is displaced against switch terminals 46 on the printed circuit board to close, or change the state, of the switch.

As thus far described, joypad assembly 24 is constructed in a manner well known in the prior art. In the improved multi-directional switch assembly of the present invention, the post assembly 48 is mounted in a manner which isolates the post assembly and thrust applied to input joypad 41 from printed circuit board 50.

In the present invention, isolation of the thrust forces applied to member 41 is provided by frame means, generally designated 61, mounting support posts means 48 independently of and in spaced relation to printed circuit board 50. This is accomplished by providing a housing wall portion 61 which extends beneath post 48 in spaced relation to board 50. Housing wall 61 extends laterally and then steps upwardly at shoulder 62. The housing continues at housing wall portion 63, until it reaches side housing walls 64, which are supported on bottom housing walls 66.

As will be seen from FIGURE 2, therefore, the joypad member and post assembly 48 are effectively supported directly from the side walls of the housing. Printed circuit board 50 is supported by fasteners 71 from bosses 72 which extend downwardly from housing wall 63. A downward thrust on input pad member 41, however, is not directly transferred to the printed circuit board, since support post 48 is carried by the transversely extending housing wall portion 61,

which extends completely to the side walls. The downward thrust, therefore, is resisted or supported by the side walls 64.

While printed circuit board 50 is supported from upper housing wall portion 63, it is not centrally stressed in bending, as would be the case if post means 48 were supported directly on the printed circuit board. Instead, any bending of walls 63 due to the downward thrust on input member 41 merely causes the entire board assembly to be displaced downwardly, rather than inducing bending moments in the printed circuit board.

In order to permit the transmission of motion from the input joypad 41 to the deformable rubber member 43, transversely extending housing wall portion 61, which supports post 48, is formed with a plurality of apertures or openings 74, which can be most clearly seen in FIGURE 4.

As also can be seen in FIGURE 4, housing wall 61 preferably is formed with openings 76 which receive fasteners 77 (FIGURE 3) that are used to secure a collar 78 to housing wall 61. The joypad mounting collar has an L-shaped cross section that holds the input pad 41 in place in the recess defined by shoulder 62 in the upper surface of housing 22. As best may be seen in FIGURE 5, collar 78, shown in phantom, traps the laterally extending flanges 79 on joypad member 41.

The mounting structure of the multi-directional switch assembly of the present invention affords a highly responsive and play-free switch which is nevertheless substantially isolated from or does not transmit substantial thrust force through to the

printed circuit board. This allows the joypad assembly to withstand substantial thrust forces, while permitting rapid manipulation, which are common in electronic game apparatus.