Patents Examined by Ankit Doshi
  • Patent number: 10046231
    Abstract: A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in a X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. The sensor and switch detect at least one of an amount (e.g., tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like) and a direction (e.g., tilt direction, movement direction, impact direction or the like) of a change applied to the housing. A simulation program provides simulation such that a state of a game space is changed related to at least one of the amount and direction of the change applied to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Iwao Masuyama, Toshiaki Suzuki, Akira Tahara
  • Patent number: 9990808
    Abstract: Games, lotteries, and/or sweepstakes as well as tickets, systems, technologies, and/or methods related thereto. In some embodiments, unique games and/or unique administrations of games and/or unique tickets useful for participating in games. In certain preferred embodiments, games which can be administrated or participated in contemporaneously with an event, such as a sporting event, music performance, or trade show (e.g., at the same time or during a live event). In certain of such preferred embodiments, participants in games make no payment to participate in the games.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Inventors: Reidar Magnus Nordby, Finn Harald Andreassen, Nikolai Fasting
  • Patent number: 9987556
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for providing a virtualized application hosting environment comprising: a plurality of application/game servers each having a memory for storing application program code and data and a processor for executing the application program code and processing the data on behalf of a client; a virtualization service executed on each of the application/game servers, the virtualization service comprising a file redirection module for redirecting file system operations generated by the application program code to one or more virtualized file locations; and a registry redirection module for intercepting registry operations generated by the application program code and executing the registry operations on behalf of the application program code at one or more virtualized registry locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: Vinod Mamtani, Jay Markello, Brett McLarnon
  • Patent number: 9990858
    Abstract: Provided is a golf swing classification method that is capable of optimizing selection of a golf club. A golf swing classification method when a golf club hits a golf ball according to the present invention includes the steps of: acquiring acceleration in at least a single point on the golf club or in at least one point that follows the single point during the golf swing; and mapping a behavior of the golf club based on a time period from a time point when an absolute value of the acceleration is at a maximum to a time point when the golf club hits the golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION, Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Senno, Koji Takao, Daisuke Kondo, Hideo Matsunaga, Hirotada Iwade
  • Patent number: 9981180
    Abstract: A die rolling and identification apparatus having a die container with a die shaker, an opening connector and a die slide and containing a least one die, the opening connector is between the die shaker and the die slide to enable the die to move between the die shaker and the die slide through the opening connector; a motor and a plurality of gears connected to the motor. The plurality of gears turn the die container, the die slide has a slide lower surface and slide upper surface, the slide lower surface and the slide upper surface are substantially parallel such that the die slides in the die slide without rolling, the die shaken in the die shaker are stopped in a prescribed position in the die slide and the die are read by light sensors disposed on a surface of the die slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Inventors: Takashi Koyanagi, Koichi Mori
  • Patent number: 9950251
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a system comprises an interface, a set of compilation rules, a trigger indication selection module, and a compilation reel generation module. The interface may be configured to receive metadata corresponding to gameplay on a digital device. The metadata may include a set of trigger indicators associated with a set of gameplay events occurring during the gameplay. The set of trigger indicators may be based on a set of trigger conditions occurring during the gameplay. The trigger indicator selection module may be configured to select a subset of the set of trigger indicators based on the set of compilation reel rules. The compilation reel generation module may be configured to generate a compilation reel based on the subset of trigger indicators selected by the trigger indicator selection module, the compilation reel including video of the gameplay events corresponding to the subset of trigger indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
    Inventors: Michael Lewis, Hans Van Veenendaal, Jonathan Back, Thomas Bruckschlegel
  • Patent number: 9950247
    Abstract: Pinball machines are described. A method includes detecting an event during a game played at least in part over a surface of a playfield in a pinball machine. The playfield has first and second playfield portions. In response to the event, a playfield reducer located between the first and second portions is electronically activated in a manner sufficient to prevent a pinball from traveling between the first and second playfield portions. A pinball machine includes a playfield reducer that is operable to be in and transition between first and second positions during normal gameplay. When the playfield reducer is in the first position, the pinball is capable of rolling into and out of a portion of the playfield surface, and when the playfield reducer is in the second position, the playfield reducer prevents the pinball from accessing or from leaving the portion of the playfield surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Multimorphic, Inc.
    Inventor: Gerald Stellenberg
  • Patent number: 9937425
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method are described for managing audio chat for an online video game or application. For example, a system according to one embodiment comprises: an online video game or application execution engine to execute an online video game or application in response to input from one or more users of the video game or application and to responsively generate audio and video of the video game or application; and a chat subsystem to establish audio chat sessions with the one or more users and one or more spectators to the video game or application, the chat subsystem establishing a plurality of audio chat channels including a spectator channel over which the spectators participate in audio chat and a user channel over which the users participate in audio chat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: David R. Sullivan, Robert McCool, Stephen G. Perlman
  • Patent number: 9911274
    Abstract: A secure distributed gambling system and method is described. The system includes a plurality of mobile computing devices and a plurality of secure gambling microprocessors. Each of the plurality of secure gambling microprocessors is coupled with a different one of the plurality of mobile computing devices to provide a plurality of secure stand-alone gambling platforms. A gambling management system is communicatively coupled with one or more of the plurality of secure stand-alone gambling platforms to maintain gambling integrity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Tapcentive, Inc.
    Inventors: Gavin Shenker, David Wentker, Mike Lindelsee, Gabriel Wachob
  • Patent number: 9892759
    Abstract: Various embodiments are generally directed to use of ancillary information related to play of a game event in which actions in the game are timestamped to enable synchronized presentation alongside an audio/visual program of the game event. An apparatus includes logic to receive a program data comprising a video recording of a game event, receive ancillary data including an indication of an action related to play of the game event, a first timestamp indicating a first time for start of the video recording, and a second timestamp indicating a second time for the action; visually present the video recording in a first portion of the display; and use the first and second timestamps to synchronize a visual presentation of the action in a second portion of the display with a depiction of the action in the visual presentation of the video recording. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc.
    Inventor: Brett Marcus Crossley
  • Patent number: 9892592
    Abstract: Unidentified player tracking systems and related methods of tracking an unidentified player are disclosed herein. According to one method, an unidentified player initiates a first gaming session on a first networked gaming machine, and the gaming activity data during the first gaming session is accumulated. A printed voucher that includes an identification number is issued in response to input from the unidentified player to terminate the first gaming session. The accumulated gaming activity data is then associated with the identification number of the printed voucher, and the identification number of the printed voucher and the associated gaming activity of the unidentified player is stored for future analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian P. Finnimore
  • Patent number: 9892658
    Abstract: Tutorial assets may be dynamically integrated into a mobile application at different locations in game play in a staged manner such that individual tutorial assets can be integrated into the mobile application without requiring a wholesale update of the mobile application. The staged updating may be effected without requiring users to access an updated version of the application from an “app store” or other similar online marketplace for mobile applications. This may be accomplished by implementing the mobile application as an “app” including compiled code that implements game assets and tutorial assets to provide a view of the game to the user. The game assets and tutorial assets may be non-compiled information objects, such as images, scripts, and/or other non-compiled information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Aftershock Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Curtis, Michael C. Caldarone, Quynh Phan, Nathan Forget
  • Patent number: 9891741
    Abstract: A controller for interfacing with an interactive application includes an interface region disposed on a surface of a body of the controller. The interface region includes a plurality of interface elements for providing input to the interactive application. One of the interface elements is an input surface that is defined by an indentation and is configured to receive touch input. Plurality of sensors disposed under the input surface detects movement of a finger of a user. Processing circuitry is used to analyze the movement of the finger of the user over the input surface and transmit signals that are used by the interactive application to drive interaction in the interactive application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Ennin Huang, Anton Mikhailov
  • Patent number: 9886822
    Abstract: A gaming system is provided, the gaming system including a plurality of reels, each reel having a plurality of display positions at which symbols can be positioned for display. The gaming system further includes a reel display controller arranged so as to reveal symbols that are positioned at display positions of at least one reel to a player, or to hide symbols that are positioned at the display positions of the at least one reel from the player. The gaming system is arranged to spin the reels in an initial spin, during which symbols positioned at the display positions of the at least one reel are revealed. The gaming system is then arranged to reposition the at least one reel after the initial spin and while symbols positioned at the display positions of the at least one reel are hidden and to reveal symbols displayed at the display positions of the at least one reel after the at least one reel has been repositioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventors: Gary Joseph Penacho, Tricia Tylman, Scott Monroe Stewart
  • Patent number: 9878235
    Abstract: A method for transitioning gameplay is provided, the method including: receiving a signal to interrupt gameplay of a video game, the gameplay being presented on a head-mounted display; in response to receiving the signal, transitioning the gameplay from an active state to a paused state; wherein transitioning the gameplay includes identifying an intensity of a gameplay aspect, and progressively reducing the intensity of the gameplay aspect before entering the paused state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Osman, Xiadong Mao
  • Patent number: 9874964
    Abstract: A controller device to interface with a computer gaming system includes a body having a handle and an object disposed at one end of the handle. A touch surface is disposed on one side of the handle. The touch surface has an indicator that is identified by a surface characteristic on the touch surface. The touch surface provides an area for receiving directionality control in response to interfacing by a finger of a user. In addition to the touch surface, a plurality of buttons are disposed on the body. A circuitry is disposed in the body of the controller. The circuitry is configured to receive data indicative of a directionality control and transmit the data to a game console for impacting an action by a program executing on the computer gaming system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Ennin Huang, Anton Mikhailov
  • Patent number: 9855495
    Abstract: A game machine acquires predetermined information used to reproduce a image of character during a game from a character card, and uses the image of character for a progress of the game. The game machine includes a Bar code reader adapted and configured to acquire from the character card, information of player name that is associated with a image of character as information used to identify each player playing the game. And, the game machine reproduces a plurality of images of characters during the game based on the predetermined information of each character card, and classifies each image of character reproduced during the game based on the information of player name associated with each image of character into classifications which are dealt with differently from each other in the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eiri Mikoshiba, Hiroshi Asato, Akihiro Takatoku
  • Patent number: 9839828
    Abstract: A golf aid for assisting a user in reading a green includes a user tracking system to determine the location of a user on a golf course, a heads up display, and a processor. The heads up display is configured to be worn on the user's head, and to display an image within a field of view of the user. The processor is in communication with the user tracking system and with the heads up display, and maintains a representation of a topology for each of a plurality of golf greens, receives an indication of the location of the user from the user tracking system, identifies one of the plurality of golf greens that is the closest to the user, and displays a representation of the topology within the field of view of the user via the heads up display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas A. Leech, Michael Wallans
  • Patent number: 9833675
    Abstract: A batting swing trainer, including a laser for generating a laser beam, a photodetector spaced apart from the laser so as to define a swing space through which a batter swings a bat and for detecting and sensing disruptions in the laser beam, and a microcontroller. The system further includes a speaker for emitting audible signals in relation to which a batter attempts to time swings and a user interface for a user to input pitch data into the microcontroller. When a batter swings a bat through the swing space so as to disrupt said laser beam, the microcontroller detects and measures changes in the laser beam and calculates bat speed, a ball contact time, and the difference between the contact time and the target time, and then provides to the user a visual indication of the effect of the swing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: About 52 Feet, LLC
    Inventor: Maximilian T. Bynum
  • Patent number: 9823740
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for providing a notification to a player playing a gesture-based game of a potentially dangerous condition. In some examples, a safety component of a gesture-based game system includes a gesture range determination unit configured to determine a gesture range associated with a gesture-based game; a detection unit configured to detect a movement of an object; and an alarm unit configured to generate an alarm in response to a determination based on the movement of the object which is within the gesture range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventor: Seungil Kim