US 7,479,064 B2
Operating apparatus for game machine
Noboru Wakitani, Kyoto (Japan); Junji Takamoto, Kyoto (Japan); Takeshi Nagareda, Kyoto (Japan); Kuniaki Ito, Kyoto (Japan); Hideo Nagata, Kyoto (Japan); Hiroshi Igarashi, Tokyo (Japan); and Akio Onda, Tokyo (Japan)
Assigned to Nintendo Co., Ltd., Kyoto-shi (Japan); and Namco Limited, Ota-ku (Japan)
Filed on Sep. 10, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/937,411.
Claims priority of application No. 2003-320801 (JP), filed on Sep. 12, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2005/0056997 A1, Mar. 17, 2005
Int. Cl. A63F 9/24 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 463—36 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An operating apparatus for a game machine to be used by being connected to a game machine, comprising:
a housing provided with a plurality of holes on its surface;
an operation input portion that is provided on an upper surface of said housing and is elastically changed in response to a percussion operation by an operator;
a depressing member that is placed between said housing and said operation input portion, provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions that engage an inside wall of said housing through said holes of said housing at both ends thereof in such a manner as to protrude downwardly, and provided with a plurality of depressing protrusions in such a manner as to protrude downwardly between said plurality of engaging protrusions;
a board housed within said housing;
at least more than one elastic member that is housed within said housing such that its surface is exposed through said hole of said housing, arranged at a position opposed to said depressing protrusion, and has a rear surface thereof being opposed to said board;
a first contact that formed on the rear surface of said elastic member;
a second contact formed in a manner so as to be opposed to said first contact on said board, wherein
said depressing member is depressed in response to a percussion operation by said operator, said elastic member is depressed by said depressing protrusion, said first contact is brought into contact with said second contact, and whereby, an operation signal is output.