Sony applies for “controller docking on PSP” patent

Sony applies for patent: controller docking on PSP - Image 1Now we could have reported this as another rumor, but then many things we would state here are factual to the extent of the patent filing, except for the actual implementation of the technology. Anyway, a recent filing for a PSP-related patent turned Sony‘s name up again, but this time it involves an idea to dock controllers to the PSP.

If the image provided to your right wasn’t apparent enough, the idea is that a controller, such as the PlayStation 2 (PS2) controller, would be made dockable onto a PlayStation Portable handheld by way of a “control docking apparatus.” So if a PS2 controller was made attachable to a PSP, PSP games can be made playable with Rumble and with the classic control feel of the dual-analog stick gamepad.

We know we’re being specific here, but then it’s also considering the fact of where Sony can immediately apply such technology, and the mention of “portable processing unit” and “controller” brings four options to mind: the PSP, the SIXAXIS controller, the PS2 controller, and a general controller which includes keypads and a keyboard-like interface. And since the patent mentions the integration of keypads and a “plurality of keypads” on the controller, we won’t rule them out.

We haven’t ruled out SIXAXIS either, because at one point of the patent, there is a claim that unveils further compatibility with the wireless SIXAXIS controller. It states the inclusion of an accessory port on the control interface module that “comprises a wireless receiver,” of which the accessory port was made to be “configured to allow coupling an external device with the portable processing unit.”

The control docking apparatus is a particularly curious object here, because it won’t require Sony to touch the PSP at all. In fact, the control docking apparatus was claimed as a separate body coupled to the portable processing unit (PSP hugger, we can assume), with a few user controls itself.

Two possibilities exist for its future form, however: it either could be a mini-unit designed to let external controllers interface with the PSP, or it can be the external controller itself with built in mechanisms to communicate with the PSP. Claims 25 and 26 highlight these two possibilities. How it turns out may or may not be the same as claimed.

Via US Patent and Trademark Office

Sony applies for patent: controller docking on PSP - Image 1Now we could have reported this as another rumor, but then many things we would state here are factual to the extent of the patent filing, except for the actual implementation of the technology. Anyway, a recent filing for a PSP-related patent turned Sony‘s name up again, but this time it involves an idea to dock controllers to the PSP.

If the image provided to your right wasn’t apparent enough, the idea is that a controller, such as the PlayStation 2 (PS2) controller, would be made dockable onto a PlayStation Portable handheld by way of a “control docking apparatus.” So if a PS2 controller was made attachable to a PSP, PSP games can be made playable with Rumble and with the classic control feel of the dual-analog stick gamepad.

We know we’re being specific here, but then it’s also considering the fact of where Sony can immediately apply such technology, and the mention of “portable processing unit” and “controller” brings four options to mind: the PSP, the SIXAXIS controller, the PS2 controller, and a general controller which includes keypads and a keyboard-like interface. And since the patent mentions the integration of keypads and a “plurality of keypads” on the controller, we won’t rule them out.

We haven’t ruled out SIXAXIS either, because at one point of the patent, there is a claim that unveils further compatibility with the wireless SIXAXIS controller. It states the inclusion of an accessory port on the control interface module that “comprises a wireless receiver,” of which the accessory port was made to be “configured to allow coupling an external device with the portable processing unit.”

The control docking apparatus is a particularly curious object here, because it won’t require Sony to touch the PSP at all. In fact, the control docking apparatus was claimed as a separate body coupled to the portable processing unit (PSP hugger, we can assume), with a few user controls itself.

Two possibilities exist for its future form, however: it either could be a mini-unit designed to let external controllers interface with the PSP, or it can be the external controller itself with built in mechanisms to communicate with the PSP. Claims 25 and 26 highlight these two possibilities. How it turns out may or may not be the same as claimed.

Via US Patent and Trademark Office

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