WO2001008763A1

WO2001008763A1 - Apparatus and method for game control on a personal digital assistant

Info

Publication number: WO2001008763A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/021512
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brendan Boyle; Jeffrey Grant; Theodore Gillman; Dennis Boyle; Joseph Hei; Brian Zmijewski
Original assignee: Ideo Product Development Inc.
Priority date: 1999-08-03
Filing date: 2000-08-03
Publication date: 2001-02-08
Also published as: AU6760300A

Abstract

The present invention discloses a game attachment to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that provides an apparatus and method for translating game control inputs, such as those used in arcades or home gaming systems, into PDA control button inputs.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GAME CONTROL ON A

PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT

Brendan J. Boyle

Jeffrey A. Grant

Bryan D. Zmijewski

Theodore J. Gillmann Dennis J. Boyle

Joseph S. Hei

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/147,051, filed on August 3, 1999, entitled GAME CONTROL ATTACHMENT FOR PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS, which is incorporated herein by reference .

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field This invention relates generally to a personal digital assistant (PDA) , and more particularly to an apparatus and method for game control on a PDA.

2. Description of Related Art Hand-held portable personal digital assistants (PDAs) have become very popular in the marketplace for use by those who wish to have small, lightweight electronic devices that they can utilize to store address lists, personal calendars, databases, calculators, and other information. Examples of such PDAs are the Palm™ personal digital assistant, manufactured and marketed by 3Com Corp., and the Handspring Visor™, manufactured and marketed by Handspring, Inc. These units, held in the palm of a user's hand, allow the user to enter names and addresses of friends and business acquaintances, take notes, and enter other information onto databases by the use of a touch screen and an input stylus, instead of having to handwrite this information into pocket type notebooks by pen or pencil .

The PDAs on the market also have the capability of storing software downloaded from personal computers or the Internet. Such software is typically obtainable for a fee, although some shareware is available. Some of these software programs allow a PDA user to play a game on the PDA for amusement and entertainment.

Many PDAs have input buttons arranged at certain locations on the unit. These buttons can be programmed by the game software to assign certain inputs and controls to the PDA buttons. Games can be played by utilizing these input buttons, but the use of the buttons in controlling a game on the PDA is not completely satisfactory to a user who wishes to use the PDA for games that require quick, accurate and intuitive responses to the game requirements. Consequently, a need exists for an apparatus and method for game control on a PDA, and more specifically, an apparatus which provides accurate and quick game control inputs for a PDA similar to game controls found in arcades and home gaming systems.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes or substantially alleviates prior problems associated with game control inputs on a personal digital assistant (PDA) . In general, the present invention provides an attachment for translating game control inputs into PDA control button inputs .

The attachment includes a left button, right button and a control device. The attachment is removably positioned over a PDA such that a control structure coupled to the control device contacts the center forward, backward, left, and right control buttons on the PDA. When the control device is depressed or a user presses the joystick in a certain direction, the force is translated to the control structure. Subsequently, the control structure directs the pressure onto one or more of the PDA control buttons thus causing a corresponding movement in a current game operating on the PDA.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the attachment is coupled to the PDA by top and bottom tabs on the attachment with protrusions that snap into corresponding recesses on the PDA. Alternatively, the attachment may be attached by sliding the attachment on, using attachment rails, or by a pivot and tab mechanism. Accordingly, the present system and method provides accurate and quick game control inputs for a PDA similar to game controls found in arcades and home gaming systems. Other advantages, features, and embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the drawings and detailed description as set forth below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art, by referencing the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding and simplicity, common numbering of elements within the illustrations is employed where an element is the same in different drawings.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a game control attachment in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the game control attachment both on and off the PDA;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment set forth in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B is an exploded front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a control structure for use in depressing the four center buttons on a PDA;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a control structure similar to that shown in FIG. 8 with directional arrows illustrating its use; FIG. 10 is a side section view of the preferred embodiment of a control structure pivot device as shown in conjunction with FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the control structure of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side section view of another embodiment of a control structure pivot device as shown in conjunction with FIGS. 8 and 9; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the control structure of FIG. 12, in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a typical Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) 102 with an overlay attachment 100 of the present invention before being mounted thereon. The overlay attachment 100 provides a left button 106, a right button 110 and a joystick 108. A screen 105 of the PDA 102 is viewed through a rectangular hole 104 formed in the overlay attachment 100. In order to couple the overlay attachment 100 to the PDA 102, a bottom tab 112 attaches to complementary attachment points on the PDA 102, as will be described in more detail in connection with FIG. 2.

As FIG. 1 shows, the PDA 102 provides a series of PDA control buttons 150. The PDA control buttons 150 include a forward control button 151, a backward control button 152, a left control button 153 and a right control button 154. These buttons are used to manipulate the direction of the object under control in the game that is running on the PDA 102. The PDA control buttons 150 further include two miscellaneous control buttons 155 and 156, whose function is dictated by the program running on the PDA 102. It should be noted that the present invention operates on any PDA that is designed with the forward control button 151 and the backward control button 152 located in the same general area as that of the PDA 102 of FIG. 1. For example, as will be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the invention will operate on a PDA 102 that utilizes a continuous rocker button structure as its forward and backward control buttons .

FIG. 2 is a side section view illustrating the connection of the overlay attachment 100 to the PDA 102.

For the sake of simplification, the overlay attachment 100 is shown in a side view to illustrate only the mounted and unmounted configuration with PDA 102. The bottom tab 112 includes a bottom protrusion 204, which mates into an adjoining recess 206 located on the PDA 102. Similarly, on the opposing end of the overlay attachment 100 is a top tab 213, including a top protrusion 202 that snaps into an adjoining recess 205 that is located at the top end of the PDA 102. Thus, to install the overlay attachment 100 to PDA 102, the bottom protrusion 204 is placed in the recess 206 on the PDA 102. Then, the top end of the overlay attachment 100 is pivoted about the bottom protrusion 204 to allow the top protrusion 202 to snap into the recess 205 on the PDA 102. To remove the overlay attachment 100 from the PDA 102, either the bottom tab 112 or the top tab 213 is pried and slightly deformed by hand to remove the bottom protrusion 204 from recess 206, or alternatively, to remove the top protrusion 202 from recess 205, thereby allowing the overlay attachment 100 to decouple from the PDA 102.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the overlay attachment 100 discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 3, the overlay attachment 100 further includes a cover 302, a center control section 304, and a bottom plate 306. The center control section 304 contains the left and right buttons 106 and 110, and a control device. The control device may be a directional control pad 350, the joystick 108, or a combination of both. The cover 302 contains apertures 320, 321 and 322, while the bottom plate 306 has holes 340, 342 and 344.

The cover 302, the center control section 304, and the bottom plate 306 are all joined together by passing a plurality of tabs 310, formed on the bottom plate 306, through a plurality of matching tab holes 311 formed on the center control section 304, then snapping the tabs 310 into a plurality of snap holes (not shown) formed on the underside of the cover 302.

When fully assembled and snapped together, the left and right control buttons 106 and 110 pass through the apertures 321 and 322, respectively, of the cover 302. The directional control pad 350 passes through the aperture 320 of the cover 302. The left button 106 and the right button 110 each have a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portions of the left button 106 and the right button 110 have protrusions (not shown) that extend through holes 340 and 344, respectively, of bottom plate 306. The directional control pad 350 likewise consists of a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion of the directional control pad 350 includes four protrusions (not shown) that extend through holes 342 of the bottom plate 306. In an alternate embodiment where the control device is a joystick only, the joystick 108 would likewise contain four protrusions on a bottom portion thereof and would function in the same manner described above. The utility and operation of the directional control pad 350, the joystick 108, and the left and right buttons 106 and 110 are described in more detail below and in connection with FIGS. 8 through 13.

The joystick 108 may be optionally attached to the directional control pad 350 by screwing a joystick leg 361 into an insert 360, which is inserted into the center of the directional control pad 350. The insert 360 has threads that mate with matching threads on the joystick leg 361. Other means of attachment of the joystick 108 to the control pad 350 may be contemplated, such as a snap on means where the friction between the joystick leg 361 and the insert 360 hold the members in place. Using the present invention, a user can control the PDA control buttons with the overlay attachment 100 using either the directional control pad 350 alone or the joystick 108 (by attaching it to the directional control pad 350) .

Integrated into the center control section 304 are spring arms 370. The spring arms 370 are located between the directional control pad 350 and the left and right buttons 106 and 110. The spring arms 370 allow the left button 106, the right button 110, and the directional control pad 350 (and the joystick 108 if so attached) to return to their original positions after depression by a user. Upon depression of any of these elements, the spring arms 370 deform, and when human intervention is removed from the element, the spring arms 370 cause the elements to return to their original operating positions. Force exerted on the joystick 108 in a plane perpendicular to the PDA button activation direction is countered by a restoring force provided by either the spring arms 370, the pivot points (described in FIGS. 10 and 11 below), interference between the center control section 304 itself, or any combination thereof.

Referring back to FIG. 1, and in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the overlay attachment 100 operates such that the left button 106, when depressed in the vertical direction, transfers the pressure to miscellaneous control button 155 on the PDA 102. Likewise, the right button 110, when depressed in the vertical direction, transfers the pressure to miscellaneous control button 156 on the PDA. The directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 (or the joystick 108 if so attached) transfers pressure to the forward, backward, left and right control buttons 151, 152, 153 and 154 on the PDA 102, depending on the direction that the user manipulates the directional control pad 350 or joystick 108. When the directional control pad 350 (or joystick 108 if so attached) is pressed in a direction away from a user, the associated protrusion on the bottom section of the directional control pad 350 depresses forward control button 151 on the PDA 102. Pushing the directional control pad 350 (or joystick 108 if so attached) in a direction toward a user causes the associated protrusion on the bottom section of the directional control pad 350 to depress backward control button 152 on the PDA 102. Likewise, pressing the directional control pad 350 (or joystick 108 if so attached) to the left operates the left control button 153 on the PDA, and if pressed to the right, operates the right control button 154 on PDA 102. Pressing the directional control pad 350 (or joystick 108 if so attached) in any combination of directions will operate two corresponding PDA buttons simultaneously.

FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the overlay attachment 100 discussed above. As seen in FIG. 4A, this embodiment of the overlay attachment 100 further includes a top cover 402, a center section 404, a bottom plate 406, and a control structure 420. The top cover 402, the center section 404, the left and right buttons 106 and 110, the control structure 420 and the bottom plate 406 are all held together by screws or other mounting devices (not shown) through a plurality of mounting holes 405. The top cover 402 also contains apertures 408, 410 and 412, while the center section 404 includes holes 424, 426, and 428 and the bottom plate 406 has holes 440, 442 and 444. The overlay attachment 100 of FIG. 4A further provides a control device, shown as a control pad 414, to which the joystick 108 may be optionally attached in a fashion similar to that described above in the preferred embodiment. The control pad 414 rests on the top cover 402, protrudes through the aperture 410, and attaches to the control structure 420. Using this embodiment of the invention, a user can use the overlay attachment 100 with the control pad 414 alone or with the joystick 108 (by attaching it to the control pad 414).

The left button 106 and the right button 110 each have a top portion and a bottom portion and are mounted on center section 404. The bottom portions of the left button 106 and the right button 110 protrude through holes 424 and 428, respectively, of center section 404, and through holes 440 and 444, respectively, of bottom plate 406. The top portions of the left button 106 and the right button 110 protrude through apertures 408 and 412, respectively, of the top cover 402 for access by a user.

The control structure 420 likewise consists of a top portion and a bottom portion, and is mounted on the center section 404. The bottom portion of the control structure 420 includes four protrusions that extend through holes 426 of the center section 404 and through holes 442 of bottom plate 406. The utility and operation of the control structure 420 is described in more detail below and in connection with FIGS. 8 through 13.

FIG. 4B is an exploded front view of the same arrangement seen in FIG. 4A. In an additional embodiment of the invention, a resilient foam rubber pad 418 may optionally be inserted on top of the center section 404 and beneath the left button 106, the right button 110, and the control structure 420. This allows the left button 106, the right button 110, and the control pad 414 (and the joystick 108 if so attached) to return to their original positions after activation by a user. Upon depression of any of these elements, the foam rubber pad 418 deforms, and when human intervention is removed from the element, the foam rubber pad causes the elements to return to their original operating positions. Alternatively, a wave type washer or other forms of padding may be located under the elements to return the buttons to their initial upright positions .

The overlay attachment 100 of FIGS. 4A and 4B operates in much the same way as described above. The left button 106 transfers the pressure to miscellaneous control button 155 and the right button 110 transfers the pressure to miscellaneous control button 156 on the PDA. The control pad 414 (or the joystick 108 if so attached) transfers pressure to the control structure 420, which in turn activates the forward, backward, left and right control buttons 151, 152, 153 and 154 on the PDA 102, depending on the direction that the user manipulates the control pad 414 or joystick 108. When the control pad 414 (or joystick 108 if so attached) is pressed in a direction away from a user, the associated protrusion on the bottom section of the control structure 420 depresses forward control button 151 on the PDA 102. Pushing the control pad 414 (or joystick 108 if so attached) in a direction toward a user causes the associated protrusion on the bottom section of the control structure 420 to depress backward control button 152 on the PDA 102. Likewise, pressing the control pad 414 (or joystick 108 if so attached) to the left operates the left control button 153 on the PDA, and if pressed to the right, operates the right control button 154 on PDA 102. Pressing the control pad 414 (or joystick 108 if so attached) in any combination of directions will operate two corresponding PDA buttons simultaneously.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, a slide-on attachment 500 couples to the PDA 102 at the front end of the PDA 102, rather than over the top surface of the PDA as shown and described previously with the overlay attachment 100 of FIG. 1. This embodiment similarly includes the left and right buttons 106 and 110, and the directional control pad 350, which is located in the center of the slide-on attachment 500. The directional control pad 350 and the control pad 414 operate in a similar manner as previously described in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4A, respectively, and may also include the joystick 108 (not shown) . The left and right button 106 and 110, which protrude through the slide-on attachment 500, operate the miscellaneous control buttons 155 and 156 of FIG. 1, respectively, on the PDA 102 in the same manner as described in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4A.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment having a pivot attachment 600. As with previously described embodiments, the pivot attachment 600 incorporates the directional control pad 350 or the control pad 414 (and the joystick 108 if so attached) , which operate in a similar manner as described in the previous embodiments. The pivot attachment 600 further includes the left and right buttons 106 and 110, which extend through a top cover 610 of the pivot attachment 600. The appearance and application of the embodiment of

FIG. 6 provides a pair of upper attach points 602 on either side of the pivot attachment 600 that couple the pivot attachment 600 to the PDA 102. The upper attach points 602 include direct fastening means that attach the pivot attachment 600 to the PDA 102 while allowing the pivot attachment 600 to pivot about the upper attach points 602. Alternatively, the upper attach points 602 may consist of tabs (not shown) that snap into indents (not shown) on the side of the PDA 102. To further secure the pivot attachment 600 to the PDA 102, a tab similar to the bottom tab 112 of FIGS. 1 and 2 (not shown), may be used to snap the pivot attachment 600 into place. Once the pivot attachment 600 is attached to the PDA 102, the directional control pad 350 and the left and right buttons 106 and 110 come into contact with corresponding PDA control buttons 150 of the PDA 102. A user then operates the controls of the pivot attachment 600 in the same manner as the overlay attachment 100 of FIG. 1 and the slide-on attachment 500 of FIG. 5.

There are several advantages of the pivot attachment 600 over the other embodiments. First, the user can easily and quickly pivot the pivot attachment 600 away from the PDA control buttons 150 when the pivot attachment is not in use. Further, the attachment will remain coupled to the PDA 102 when not in use, thus minimizing the chances of displacemen .

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a double-rail slide attachment 700 is provided having a rail 702 on at least one side of the slide attachment 700. In this embodiment, the PDA 102 includes a slide cutout 704 located on at least one side of the PDA 102. Preferably, rails 702 are located on both sides of the slide attachment 700 with the PDA 102 having corresponding slide cutouts 704. Similar to previous embodiments, the double-rail slide attachment 700 also utilizes the directional control pad 350 or the control pad 414 (and the joystick 108 if so attached), in addition to the left and right buttons 106 and 110, all of which extend through the top of the double-rail slide attachment 700. Both the directional control pad 350 and the control pad 414 operate in a similar manner as described in previous embodiments.

The double-rail slide attachment 700 mounts onto the PDA 102 by mating the rail 702 with the adjoining slide cutout 704 on the PDA 102. The rail 702 makes sliding contact with slide cutout 704, allowing the double-rail slide attachment 700 to slide onto PDA 102. When so attached, the directional control pad 350 and left and right buttons 106 and 110 come into contact with corresponding PDA control buttons 150 of the PDA 102. A user then operates the controls of the double-rail attachment 700 in the same manner as the overlay attachment 100 of FIG. 1, the slide-on attachment 500 of FIG. 5 and the pivot attachment 600 of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a pivoting mechanism 800 of the directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 and the control structure 420 of FIG. 4A used in the embodiments of the present invention. The function of the directional control pad 350 (or the control structure 420) is to translate pressure from the directional control pad 350 (or movements from the joystick 108 if so attached) to vertical pressure on one or more of the corresponding PDA control buttons 150. The directional control pad 350 (or the control structure 420) thus translates the 360° directional movement of the directional control pad 350 (or the control pad 414) or the joystick 108 to direct pressure that will engage one or more PDA control buttons 150 at the same time.

The pivoting mechanism 800 consists of a circular main section 804 and a center section 803. The center section

803 is preferably domed-shaped and rises slightly above the plane of the circular main section 804. The center section 803 has an opening 812 at the top of the dome. The opening 812 coincides with the opening in the center of directional control pad 350, into which the joystick insert 360 fits (FIG. 3) . The joystick 108 may be attached to the directional control pad 350 as seen above in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7.

In the alternate embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the inside surface of the opening 812 is threaded to allow the control pad 414, having mating threads, to be attached thereto. The control structure 420 thus connects to the control pad 414 for this embodiment of the invention. The joystick 108 may be attached to the control pad 414 as seen above in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a plurality of feet protrusions 906 extend from the bottom of the pivot mechanism 800. Preferably, pivot mechanism 800 provides four feet protrusions 906 spaced angularly about the circular main section 804 and are spaced to coincide with and contact the PDA control buttons 150 (FIG. 1) .

The arrows in FIG. 9 show the operation of the pivot mechanism 800. When an operator pushes the directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 or the control pad 414 of FIG. 4A (or the joystick 108 if so attached) in a forward direction away from the user, one of the foot protrusions 906 engages the forward control button 151 (not shown) of the PDA 102 (FIG. 1) . If the directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 or the control pad 414 of FIG. 4A (or the joystick 108 if so attached) is pulled in a rearward direction toward the user, one of the foot protrusions 906 engages the backward control button 152 (not shown) of the PDA 102 (FIG. 1) . Likewise, if the directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 or the control pad 414 of FIG. 4A (or the joystick 108 if so attached) is moved to the right, one of the foot protrusions 906 engages the right control button 154; if moved to the left, the foot protrusion 906 engages the left control button 153 of the PDA 102 (FIG. 1) .

In order for the pivoting mechanism 800 to pivot in the forward, backward, right, or left directions as described above, a pivot point must be used to give the directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 or the control structure 420 of FIG. 4A ample freedom to move in any direction. It also must allow a user to press desired buttons in a chosen direction without inadvertently pressing non-desired buttons at the same time, avoiding unintentional PDA button activation.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a preferred embodiment of a pivot point. FIG. 10 shows the directional control pad 350 of FIG. 3 pivoting about a pivot point device, such as indent 1032 formed on the bottom plate 306 (FIG. 3) . A point 1030 is formed on the bottom of the directional control pad 350, which substantially fits into the indent 1032. This allows the directional control pad 350 to pivot about point 1030. Thus, as a user presses the directional control pad 350 in any direction, the PDA control buttons 150 are activated in a manner as set forth above.

FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view that further illustrates the pivot point of FIG. 10. It can be seen that point 1030 fits into the indent 1032 formed in the bottom plate 306, and causes the directional control pad 350 to pivot about the point 1030.

In the alternate embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the point 1030 is formed on the control structure 420 and the indent 1032 is formed on the center section 404. The functionality of the pivot point otherwise operates as given in FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show another embodiment of a pivot point. The features of FIG. 12 are in an opposite configuration from FIG. 10. FIG. 12 shows the directional control pad 350 pivoting about a pivot point device 1220 provided along the center axis of the bottom plate 306 of FIG. 3. The pivot point device 1220 is a dome-shaped member and substantially fits into a pivoting device on the directional control pad 350 such as depression 1221. Thus, as a user presses the directional control pad 350 in any direction, it pivots about the pivot point device 1220 to activate the PDA control buttons 150 as set forth above. FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view that further illustrates the pivot point of FIG. 12. It can be seen that the pivot point device 1220 is used as a pivot point in the adjoining depression 1221 formed in the directional control pad 350 that allows it to pivot about the pivot point device 1220.

In the alternate embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the pivot point device 1220 is formed on the center section 404 and the depression 1221 is formed on the control structure 420. The functionality of the pivot point otherwise operates as given in FIGS 12 and 13.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The foregoing description and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A system for game control on a personal digital assistant, comprising: a game attachment removably coupled to the personal digital assistant; and a control device located on the game attachment for receiving user inputs for game movements and translating the user inputs to PDA control button inputs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the game attachment is an overlay attachment further comprising a bottom and top tab.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the game attachment is a slide-on attachment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the game attachment is a pivot attachment further comprising upper attach points.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the game attachment is double-rail slide attachment further comprising a rail on either side of the double-rail slide attachment.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the control device is a control pad.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the control device is a joystick.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises a control structure.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises a plurality of protrusions extending from a bottom of the control device for contacting control buttons on the personal digital assistant.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of protrusions comprises four foot protrusions.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the game attachment further comprises a pivot point device for constraining the movement of the control device to prevent undesired activation of PDA buttons.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the pivot point device comprises an indent on a center section of the game attachment which corresponds to a complementary protrusion extending from a bottom of the control device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the pivot point device is a dome-shaped member on a center section of the game attachment that corresponds to a depression on a bottom of the control device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the attachment further comprises a spring arm for returning a button or the control device to its original position after activation.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the attachment further comprises a resilient pad for returning a button or the control device to its original position after activation.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the attachment further comprises a wave type washer for returning a button or the control device to its original position after activation .

17. A control section of a game attachment for a personal digital assistant, comprising: a control pad; a plurality of protrusions extending from a bottom surface of the control pad for contacting control buttons on the personal digital assistant; at least one spring arm coupled to the control pad; and a pivoting device on a bottom of the control pad corresponding to a pivot point device on a bottom plate of the game attachment.

18. The control section of claim 17, wherein the plurality of protrusions comprises four foot protrusions.

19. The control section of claim 17, wherein the pivoting device is a protrusion extending from the bottom of the control pad corresponding to a mating indent on the bottom section.

20. The control section of claim 17, wherein the pivoting device is a depression corresponding to a dome-shaped member on the bottom section.

21. A control structure of a game attachment for a personal digital assistant, comprising: a main section; a plurality of protrusions extending from a bottom surface of the main section for contacting control buttons on the personal digital assistant; a center section extending from a top surface of the main section, the center section being coupled to a control pad used for game movement inputs; and a pivoting device on a bottom of the main section corresponding to a pivot point device on the game attachment.

22. The control structure of claim 21, wherein the plurality of protrusions comprises four foot protrusions.

23. The control structure of claim 21, wherein the pivoting device is a protrusion extending from the bottom of the control structure corresponding to a mating indent on a center section of the game attachment.

24. The control structure of claim 21, wherein the pivoting device is a depression corresponding to a dome- shaped member on a center section of the game attachment

25. The control structure of claim 21, wherein the center section is domed shaped and further comprises a threaded opening for coupling to the control pad.

26. A method for game control on a personal digital assistant, comprising the steps of: providing a game attachment; and providing a control device located on the game attachment for receiving user inputs representing game movements.

27. The method of claim 26, whereby the step of providing a control device further comprises the steps of providing a control structure connected to the control device