Patents Represented by Attorney NDQ&M Watchstone LLP
  • Patent number: 8162733
    Abstract: When a free game is finished, a chance game that determines whether or not the free game is executed again is executed. In the chance game, if the number of re-trigger symbols in a symbol display frame 111 of a liquid crystal panel 5B is a predetermined number or more, it is determined that the free game is executed again. In this determination, the number of execution times of a unit game of the free game that is executed again is determined according to the number of the re-trigger symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8164288
    Abstract: To estimate a fluctuation component of the torque generated at the motor accurately, a motor control device (3) which controls a motor with a stator having armature winding and a rotor having a permanent magnet is provided to include a torque fluctuation component estimation unit for estimating a torque fluctuation component generated at the motor based on flux-linkage of the armature winding and an armature current that flows the armature winding. The torque fluctuation component estimation unit estimates the torque fluctuation component (Trp) based on an inner product (Fd·id+Fq·iq) of a flux-linkage vector which is a vectorial representation of the flux-linkage and a current vector which is a vectorial representation of the armature current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Hida, Yoshio Tomigashi, Kenji Ueyama
  • Patent number: 8159161
    Abstract: To estimate an initial magnetic pole position, estimated control axes corresponding to the d-axis and q-axis are set as the ?-axis and ?-axis, and a with high frequency rotation voltage or alternating voltage on the ?? coordinate system applied to the motor. A high frequency current ih flowing in the motor is then extracted from a detected motor current (armature current) and a direct current component (ih?×ih?)DC of a product of the ?-axis and ?-axis components of the high frequency current ih is derived. Alternatively, the ??-axis component ich? and the ??-axis component 66 of the high frequency current ih that are shifted by ?/4 in electric angle from the ?-axis and the ?-axis are used to obtain a direct current component of their product (ich?×ich?)DC. The magnetic pole position is then estimated by computing the axial error ?? between the ?-d axes utilizing the direct current components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshio Tomigashi
  • Patent number: 8155795
    Abstract: A demand control system 1 according to the present invention includes a CPU 41 and a power database 45. The power database 45 stores actual data in a state where the actual data are classified according to environmental conditions, the actual data being based on a consumption integration value of power actually consumed by the power consuming device. The CPU 41 calculates a predicted integration value of power predicted to be consumed in the demand time period, by using contents stored in the power database 45 at a start or before the start of the current demand time period. Further, the CPU 41 lowers a power target value when the calculated predicted integration value falls below the power target value being a target value of the power to be consumed in the demand time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Ohuchi, Tsuyoshi Kawaai
  • Patent number: 8147733
    Abstract: Plastic foam has excellent heat insulation properties, however, moisture absorption is causing a decrease in the heat insulation, and plastic foam has almost no mechanical strength. Therefore, a heat insulation material that absorbs almost no moisture and has satisfactory strength is desired to appear. According to the present invention, a foam composite with a skin can be formed in one shot by charging plastic powders or minute particles together with polyolefin pellets that can be cross-linked and foamed in a mold, and heating the mold while rotating. The composite absorbs almost no moisture, having satisfactory strength, being excellent as an insulating material. Further, providing a covering of a non-foaming or a slightly foaming material to the pellet of polyolefin that can be cross-linked and foamed, and conducting the forming, foamed granules of preferably 5 to 50 mm largeness as a core, and a covering of a reinforcing member with 0.05 to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Shiina Kasei Co.
    Inventors: Naonori Shiina, Hideo Sekiguchi, Toshio Horie, Akira Kitaichi, Susumu Nakako, Hiroko Nakano, legal representative, Shinya Nakano, legal representative, Hiroo Miyairi
  • Patent number: 8144235
    Abstract: An easy-to-carry image pickup device is provided to obtain images with multiple view angles in which a target subject is positioned in an appropriate size. When capturing an image of a person as a target subject, the size and position of the person's face in the image are detected as a specified part, and a zoom magnification ratio for a lens unit and a shift amount of the incident light position for a light-axis shifting unit are automatically controlled based on the detected size and position of the person's face, so that the person's face has a predetermined size and is positioned in a predetermined position in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukio Mori
  • Patent number: 8142278
    Abstract: A slot machine of the present invention comprises: a removable key provided so as to correspond to the gaming machine; and a controller, the controller programmed to execute the processing of (A) determining whether or not the key has been removed, and (B) controlling the gaming machine so as to make a game executable when determining in the processing (A) that the key has not been removed, while controlling the gaming machine so as to make the game unexecutable when determining in the processing (A) that the key has been removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Nakayasu Tsukahara
  • Patent number: 8144468
    Abstract: A display device according to the present invention comprises a display panel, an accommodating part accommodating the display panel, circulating means for circulating air in the accommodating part around the display panel, a heat exchanger collecting heat from the air, which is arranged on a rear surface side of the display panel, and a heat insulating member provided between the heat exchanger and the display panel. Another display device according to the present invention comprises a display panel, an accommodating part accommodating the display panel, a fan forming an air flow on a display screen of the display panel, a heat exchanger collecting heat from air, which is arranged on a rear surface side of the display panel, and a heat insulating member provided between the heat exchanger and the display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Masaya Nakamichi, Shohei Takahashi, Nobuyuki Take
  • Patent number: 8142275
    Abstract: A game environment will be described. A specific area is selectable and if a specific symbol (for example, COFFIN symbol) is stopped on the selected specific area in a free game, image effect is made and additional payout amount is provided based on the number of stopped specific symbols and additional amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventor: Tatsuya Teranishi
  • Patent number: 8139123
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging device comprising means for binning by adding up and reading out pixel signals from a plurality of pixels arranged in a first direction and a second direction of a pixel arrangement of an imaging element. The imaging device is provided with first means for changing a combination pattern of added pixel signals on a per-frame basis, and second means for generating image signals for one frame based on added signals from plural frames having different combination patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norikazu Tsunekawa, Seiji Okada, Akihiro Maenaka
  • Patent number: 8128482
    Abstract: In a slot machine, once a player indicates the bet amount with respect to a “continuous game”, one or a plurality of “continuous games” including unit games that are executed by the number of times which can be indicated by the player is specified through the bet amount with respect to the “continuous game” indicated by the player and the minimum bet amount with respect to a unit game which can be set by the player. Thereafter, the operation with respect to all buttons corresponding to the “continuous game” thus specified is validated. The player operates any of the buttons thus validated, whereby the “continuous game”, which is constituted of unit games executed by the number of times indicated by the player through the above-mentioned operation, is executed. Then, the bet amount with respect to the “continuous game” indicated by the player is evenly allocated to each unit game constituting the “continuous game” indicated by the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8128481
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes: a plurality of first video reels 31, 31, . . . on which partial pictures of one entire sheet are arranged, respectively; and a plurality of second video reels 32, 32, . . . on which plural types of symbols are arranged, respectively. Operating a start button starts a base game. After the first video reels 31 and the second video reels have been displayed in a rotating manner on a first liquid crystal display panel 11, each of the first video reels 31 is displayed in a stopped state. Completing one entire sheet by the partial pictures displayed in a stopped state starts a second game corresponding to the competed picture. In the second game, like the base game, symbols arranged on the second video reels are employed. Thus, players can intuitively comprehend that a second game associated with the base game is started. Thereafter, an activated area is determined, and a prize is established if specific symbols have stopped in the determined activated area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8123617
    Abstract: A game system of the present invention has a plurality of gaming machines capable of communicating with each other via a communication line. The plurality of gaming machines each have an input device operable to input an insurance BET. The plurality of gaming machines carry out the following processing. The plurality of gaming machines store a first predetermined value in a memory and count the insurance BET input from the input device in an accumulative manner. Then, the plural types of symbols displayed on the display are automatically re-arranged. As result of repeating a game, if it is judged that the insurance BET number accumulatively counted at least two or more gaming machines from the plurality of gaming machines has reached the first predetermined value, the accumulated insurance BET numbers are summed up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoaki Oomori
  • Patent number: 8123612
    Abstract: A game system according to the present invention includes a plurality of slot machines and a common game machine. The plurality of slot machines each includes: a display having a symbol display region for displaying plural types of symbols in a matrix form; a memory for cumulatively storing bonus points in the case where the specific symbol is rearranged under a specific condition; and a controller. The common game machine is provided in common to the plurality of slot machines. The common game machine has: a common display device having a symbol display region for displaying plural types of symbols in a matrix form; a common memory for cumulatively storing a part of credit having been bet; and a common controller for selecting a column or row of a matrix displayed on the display device of each of the slot machines and rearranging, on the common display device, the symbol to be rearranged in the column or row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8123615
    Abstract: Herein disclosed is a gaming machine executing a game and paying out a predetermined amount of credits according to a game result; generating voice data based on a player's voice; identifying a voice pattern corresponding to the voice data by retrieving the dialogue voice database and identifying a type of voice corresponding to the voice data, so as to store the voice data along with the voice pattern into the memory; calculating a value indicative of a game result, and updating the play history data stored in the memory using the result of the calculation; comparing the play history data thus updated with a predetermined threshold value data; generating voice data according to the voice pattern based on the play history data if the play history data thus updated exceeds the predetermined threshold value data; and outputting voices from the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventor: Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 8124867
    Abstract: A back metal electrode, a bottom cell using microcrystalline silicon for a photoelectric conversion layer, a front cell using amorphous silicon for a photoelectric conversion layer, and a transparent front electrode are formed in this order on a supporting substrate. At least one of the concentration of impurities contained in the front photoelectric conversion layer and the concentration of impurities contained in the bottom photoelectric conversion layer is controlled such that the concentration of impurities in the bottom photoelectric conversion layer is higher than the concentration of impurities in the front photoelectric conversion layer. Impurities do not include a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant but are any one, two, or all of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Shima, Kunimoto Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 8123603
    Abstract: A gaming machine of the present invention displays a dealer image selected from a plurality of types of dealer images to a display, and offers a profit (e.g. a game support advantageous for the player) in accordance with the dealer image to a station where an additional BET has been placed. Then, the gaming machine calculates and compares a total number of BETs in each station over a unit number of games, and accepts a selection of a dealer image at the station where the total number of BETs is the largest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8125541
    Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus has: an optical zoom control portion varying the size of the subject image on the source images by optical zooming; a particular subject detection portion detecting the position and size of a particular subject on the source images based on the image data of the source images; a narrow-angle image extraction portion setting a narrow-angle image including the particular subject to set the position and size of the narrow-angle image on image; a wide-angle image extraction portion extracting a wide-angle image that includes the narrow-angle image; a resolution enhancement processing portion cutting out a plurality of narrow-angle images according to a setting in the narrow-angle image extraction portion, to generate a narrow-angle high-resolution image having a number of pixels greater than the number of pixels of the narrow-angle image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kanichi Koyama, Yukio Mori
  • Patent number: 8123611
    Abstract: The present invention provides a gaming machine which: displays a moving symbol on a main display in a case where a plurality of specific symbols are displayed; displays a plurality of score symbols associated with scores on a second display from one side edge to another side edge of the second display; displays the moving symbol in a direction that intersects with a moving direction of the score symbols displayed on the second display in response to an input from an input device; and, in a case where the moving symbol is determined to overlap any one of the plurality of score symbols, provides an award corresponding to a score of the score symbol being overlapped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 8118661
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes plural stations and a processor. Each station can determine a game result and execute a game independently. The processor obtains an operation status of each station when a predetermined condition is satisfied. There is selected an event game among a plurality of event games, based on the operation status of each station. Then, there is executed the selected event game in common at plural stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
    Inventor: Yukinori Inamura