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Konix Multisystem Patents
Tucked away for the last 16 years or so have been the patent records for the Multisystem. They're public records and as such are actually quite easy to find. They haven't told me everything there is to know about the Multisystem, and I'd still like to find one for the chair, but what they have done is lead to the discovery of sketches of the Multisystem which must be very similar to, or are in fact the original sketches that Wyn produced.
Two obvious US patents exist although they essentially seem to be for the same thing:
- Vehicle control simulator - United States Patent# D322094
Control device - United States Patent# 5125843
Patent text: United States Patent 5125843
The control device, which provides control signals to a computer simulating a vehicle being driven, includes a handle 10 which is manually rotatable about a first axis 11, the handle comprising a handlebar 16 extending outwards from the first axis on either side thereof. The handlebar includes an inner portion 17 and hand grips 18 on the ends thereof inner portion, the hand grips being slightly curved and obliquely pivoted to the respective inner portion of the handlebar in such a way that in a first disposition the hand grip is substantially aligned with the inner portion to simulate handlebars of a motor cycle, and in a second disposition the hand grips are in a position simulating a joystick of an aircraft, wherein the inner portions represent spokes and the hand grips are generally parallel to one another. Conveniently, the control device also includes a hand wheel to simulate a steering wheel of a car or the like, the hand wheel being adapted to attach onto the hand grips when the latter are in the aircraft joystick simulating position.
Interestingly, Microsoft has cited one of Wyn's patents in it's own patent for a force feedback joystick design: Force feedback joystick with digital signal processor controlled by host processor United States Patent 5742278
A great place to look at these patenst is Free patents online
Here are some of the images (you may have noticed a few adourning the site already)
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