# US 2025/0153045 A1 · Virtual Game Controller > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0153045 A1 - Document ID: US20250153045A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/388,922 - Filed: 2023-11-13 - Published: 2025-05-15 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-13 - Assignees: Backbone Labs, Inc. - Applicants: Backbone Labs, Inc. - Inventors: Shawn O'Connor; Maneet Khaira; Andrew Sibert; Joshua Donlan; Timothy Aldridge - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250153045A1 ## CPC - A63F 13/42: by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle - A63F 13/2145: the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens - A63F 13/22: Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment - A63F 13/335: using Internet - A63F 13/92: Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A game controller can provide input to a video game played on a mobile computing device. Some games require a touch input on the touch screen of a mobile computing device, but a game controller may not have its own touch screen to receive and provide the required touch input. The game controller can be manually configured by a user of the game controller to convert an actuation of a control surface (e.g., a button, joystick, etc.) of the game controller to a touch screen input. However, this can be a very cumbersome and frustrating process for the user and has several limitations. The embodiments described herein can overcome this problem by providing a map that is automatically configured, without user configuration, to convert an input representing an actuation of the control surface into a touch screen input. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A game controller comprising: a control surface; one or more processors; a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: receiving a map from a computing device comprising a touch screen, wherein the map is automatically configured, without user configuration, to convert an input representing an actuation of the control surface into a touch screen input; receiving the input representing the actuation of the control surface; using the map to convert the input representing the actuation of the control surface into the touch screen input; and sending the touch screen input to the computing device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, further comprising at least one additional control surface, wherein the map is further automatically configured, without user configuration, to convert a combination of actuations of the control surface and the at least one additional control surface into another touch screen input. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, wherein the map is one of a plurality of maps stored in the game controller, and wherein each of the plurality of maps is associated with a different game. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: receiving the map from the computing device after user selection of a game to play using the computing device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: receiving, from the computing device, information about a configuration of the touch screen of the computing device; and automatically scaling the touch screen input for the configuration of the touch screen of the computing device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: presenting the game controller to the computing device as both a game controller and an external touch screen. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, wherein the input representing the actuation of the control surface is converted into the touch screen input via a touch synthesis engine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The game controller of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: receiving a selection of a different game mode; and in response to receiving the selection of the different game mode, using a different map. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The game controller of claim 8, wherein the selection of the different game mode is determined from a contextual clue. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The game controller of claim 8, wherein the selection of the different game mode is made via user interaction with a displayed radial wheel. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: performing by a computing device comprising a touch screen and coupled with a game controller: receiving a selection of a game to play using the computing device; fetching a map that is automatically configured, without user configuration, to convert an input representing an actuation of a control surface of the game controller into a touch screen input; and sending the map to the game controller. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the map is fetched from a network location. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: detecting a selection of a different game mode; and in response to detecting the selection of the different game mode, sending a different map to the game controller. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the selection of the different game mode is determined from a contextual clue. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the selection of the different game mode is made via user interaction with a displayed radial wheel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: enabling a human interface device (HID) touch screen; disabling a HID game controller; displaying overlays; and launching the game. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device comprising a touch screen, cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: fetching a map that is automatically configured, without user configuration, to convert an input representing an actuation of a control surface of a game controller into a touch screen input; and sending the map to the game controller. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the game controller further comprises at least one additional control surface, and wherein the map is further automatically configured, without user configuration, to convert a combination of actuations of the control surface and the at least one additional control surface into another touch screen input. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the map is fetched in response to selection of a game associated with the map. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the map is fetched from a network location.