# Ichiro Shirai — Patents explained on PatentBrief

Ichiro Shirai has 1 landmark patent explained in plain English on PatentBrief.

- [How the Nintendo D-Pad Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4687200/nintendo-d-pad-directional) — granted 1987
  A mechanical switch design that allows a user to control directional movement in video games using a single, tilting thumb-operated button.

**Full profile:** https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ichiro-shirai

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Plain-English explanations of US patents._