Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Russell D. Culbertson, Esq.
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Patent number: 8348754Abstract: A progressive jackpot slot machine, or group of slot machines, is described herein. A plurality of progressive jackpots are accumulated as the slot machine is played. In one preferred embodiment, a first progressive jackpot is accumulated at a first rate, and a second progressive jackpot is accumulated at a rate higher than the first rate. Additional jackpots accumulate at higher rates. The betting of additional monetary amounts enables the player to win additional jackpots. This provides added incentive for the player to bet additional monetary amounts.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2012Date of Patent: January 8, 2013Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: James P. Jackson, Robert J. Piechowiak
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Patent number: 8342937Abstract: Gaming methods, apparatus, and program products prompt players to move between different gaming machines or player stations included in a gaming system. One preferred method includes receiving a player input at a first player station in a network gaming system. Upon receiving the player input at the first player station, a station changing prompt is produced at the first player station. A multi-station game result for the player is then awarded to the player after the player makes some input at a second player station in the system.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2007Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventor: Clifton Lind
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Patent number: 8342957Abstract: A convertible in-revenue and out-of-revenue gaming system is disclosed that includes a server connected to automatically convert operating modes and control in-revenue and out-of-revenue operation of one or more banks of gaming machines wherein each of the gaming machines includes a video camera connected to capture live player video feed during competition or tournament operating mode, and each of the gaming machines is operable to display a tournament game presentation simultaneously with a player dashboard. The player dashboard includes a display of the live player video, the player position, the player score, and remaining time in the competition or tournament.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2011Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: John J. Carpenter, Keith Riggs, Allison Pope, Michael D. Conway, Clint Owen, Bradley W. Johnson, JP Cody
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Patent number: 7878900Abstract: A reveal request is initiated through a result reveal station by a person (user) who has previously been assigned a number of sweepstakes entries in an assignment order from a set of available sweepstakes entries for a sweepstakes game. This reveal request represents a request to reveal one or more of the results associated with the assigned sweepstakes entries. The reveal station employs a game presentation including various graphics and audio effects to show sweepstakes results in an entertaining fashion. In response to the reveal request, or perhaps even prior to the reveal request, one or more sweepstakes entries are selected to be revealed for the reveal request. The sweepstakes entries are selected in an order different from the order in which the sweepstakes entries were assigned to the user based on a set of game characteristics associated with the game presentation provided at the reveal station.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2006Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton E. Lind, Jefferson C. Lind, Brian A. Watkins, Eric W. Brown
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Patent number: 6480992Abstract: The method includes defining at least one sizing parameter for a capacitor arrangement (11). Once the parameter or parameters are defined, the method includes applying at least one sizing parameter to select a particular capacitor arrangement (11) for a free area on the integrated circuit chip (12). The selected capacitor arrangement comprises the largest arrangement which is accommodated within the free area, subject to the sizing parameter or parameters employed. Sizing parameters may include a height dimension range between a maximum and minimum height dimension for the capacitor arrangement, and permissible width dimensions for the capacitor arrangement. Steps in the layout method may be performed on a computer system (51) under the control of operational program code.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1999Date of Patent: November 12, 2002Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Stephen Larry Runyon
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Patent number: 6462762Abstract: A particular node (24) in a tree structure (23) defined in a data processing system (10) may be selected for display as the root node in a tree structure display window (21). Once a particular node (24) is selected as the root node, only that portion of the tree structure branching from the selected node (24) is displayed. The portion of the tree structure (23) which does not branch from the selected node (24) is omitted from the display. In addition to the portion of the tree structure branching from the selected node (24), the system also displays a path map window (22) containing information about the portion of the tree structure omitted from the display. The path map window (22) may include a representation of the selected node (24) and a representation of each ancestor USA node for the selected node, all arranged in the order of the path from the actual root node to the selected node.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 1999Date of Patent: October 8, 2002Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William Hsiao-Yu Ku, John Shih-Yuan Wang
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Patent number: 6445236Abstract: A master-slave flip-flop circuit (200, 200′) includes a master latch circuit (202) and slave latch circuit (203). A hold control component (220) included in the master latch circuit (202) is interposed between a master latch node (ML) and a slave input node (SI). The hold control component blocks the transfer of data from the master latch node (ML) to the slave input node (SI) in response to a hold input. In the preferred form of the invention of the hold control component (220) comprises a tri-state inverter having an input connected to the master latch node (ML) and an output connected to the slave input node (SI). The hold input, comprising a high level hold signal and its complementary or inverted signal, disables the tri-state inverter and thus prevent data from being transferred from the master latch node (ML) to the slave input node (SI).Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2001Date of Patent: September 3, 2002Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jennifer Michelle Bernard, Christopher M. Durham, Peter Juergen Klim, Donald Mikan, Jr.
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Patent number: 6339440Abstract: A method for positioning a cursor (20) on a display (16) includes receiving a store signal from a user input arrangement associated with a computer system (10). In response to the store signal, a set of display location data is stored in a display location memory array. The set of display location data defines the position of the cursor (20) at the time of the store signal. The user may then move the cursor (20) to any other position on the display (16). In response to a jump signal produced by the user, the stored set of display location data is read from the display location memory array and the cursor (20) is immediately repositioned from its current position to the location defined by the stored set of display location data.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 1998Date of Patent: January 15, 2002Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Craig H. Becker, Dave W. Glass, Clifford A. Pickover