Patents Examined by Bach Hoang
  • Patent number: 9202337
    Abstract: A gaming machine and method are provided which allow a player to play a gaming machine. The gaming machine and method allow a player to make a wager, display a first game on a display device, generate an outcome associated with the first game, and award the player an award for the first game based at least in part on the generated first game outcome. In addition, the gaming machine determines if a triggering condition occurred, displays a second game if the triggering condition has occurred, and calculates a current trigger cycle of the generated second game. The current trigger cycle is equal to a number of first games played after an occurrence of a previous second game triggering condition. The player is provided an award for the second game based at least in part on the second game current trigger cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: KONAMI GAMING, INC.
    Inventors: Arthur Lee, Scott Delekta
  • Patent number: 9165422
    Abstract: A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can include detecting a user request to initiate a group wagering game from a host wagering game player account, via a local-area networking device at a non-casino geographic location and providing group wagering game content to the local-area networking device in response to the request. The operations can further include detecting wagering activity from members of a group at the geographic location, providing wagering game outcome information related to the wagering activity, and assigning a portion of the wagering activity to the host wagering game player account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: WMS Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Barclay, Andrew C. Guinn, Richard B. Robbins
  • Patent number: 9149682
    Abstract: A system and method for sharing athletic performance data are described herein. The system and method provide the upload of athletic performance data to a publish/subscribe infrastructure. Sensors coupled to a mobile device track various athletic performance metrics. The mobile device transmits this sensor data to an upload server in the form of athletic performance data. The upload server makes the athletic performance available via a publish/subscribe infrastructure. The publish/subscribe infrastructure allows data servers to subscribe to particular data feeds associated with sets of athletic performance data. The data servers receive the athletic performance data via the data feeds to which they are subscribed, and host the athletic performance data. This data may thus be presented to users in a variety of formats, such as by displaying competitors in an event on a map along with the heart rate, cadence, and other performance indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Sandor Dornbush, Rodrigo Damazio, Nicholas Julian Pelly, Eduardo Cordeiro
  • Patent number: 9138649
    Abstract: In a game device, a game control unit arranges an object in a three-dimensional space provided in a game field. A temperature-distribution simulator simulates a physical phenomenon on a two-dimensional plane, onto which a three-dimensional space is projected, in reference to a distribution-data storage unit. The game control unit applies the simulated physical phenomenon on an object in the three-dimensional space. A mycelial-growth simulator similarly simulates a physical phenomenon on a two-dimensional plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Matsushita, Taro Matsuda, Hidehito Kojima
  • Patent number: 9132355
    Abstract: To provide a game device which enables a user to relatively easily know of the existence of a player character suitable as a pass target or an area suitable as a movement destination. A display control unit (72) displays a partial area of a game space on a game screen based on a position of a reference player character selected from among player characters belonging to a first team and a second team or a position of a moving object. An acquiring unit (72a) acquires, in a case where the first team is in possession of the moving object, a movement destination candidate or a pass target candidate of a player character belonging to the first team based on the positions of the player characters belonging to the second team. A control unit (72c) controls the partial area based on the position of the reference player character or the position of the moving object, and the movement destination candidate or the pass target candidate acquired by the acquiring unit (72a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Terada, Ryuji Mimura
  • Patent number: 9132354
    Abstract: A game having a plurality of engines is described. In one or more implementations, a computing device displays an output of a first engine of a game by a computing device. An input is received by the computing device to switch from the output of the first engine of the game to an output of a second engine of the game, the first and second engines being executed concurrently by the computing device. Responsive to the receipt of the input, the computing device switches from displaying of the output of the first engine of the game to displaying the output of the second engine of the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel M. Ayoub, Gregory A. Hermann, Dennis W. Ries
  • Patent number: 9118968
    Abstract: A method by which a streaming interactive video user session is handed off from one streaming interactive video server to another without noticeable disruption to the video stream or the user interactivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: Stephen G. Perlman, Roger Van der Laan
  • Patent number: 9101839
    Abstract: The game apparatus displays on a television a scene in which a pirate shoots an arrow at a first timing. Next, the game apparatus determines, at a second timing which is a timing after a predetermined time period has elapsed from the first timing, whether the attitude of a terminal device is an attitude in accordance with an instruction issued by the pirate when the pirate shot the arrow at the first timing. When the attitude of the terminal device is the attitude in accordance with the instruction issued by the pirate, the game apparatus displays a scene in which the arrow has reached the screen of the terminal device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Goro Abe
  • Patent number: 9092934
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques and equipment for saving game history data and package identification information for software packages used to provide a game cycle on a wager gaming machine. The game cycle may later be re-created using the game history data and software packages. For scenarios where some or all of the software packages used are no longer present on the gaming machine at the time of re-creation, the package identification information may be referenced to determine which software packages are missing and need to be provided to enable full game cycle re-creation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Jacob T. Graham, Paul W. Bolton, Dwayne R. Nelson, Rex Y. Lam, Steven G. LeMay, Warner R. Cockerille, IV, William R. Brosnan, Xuedong Chen, Sean M. Gilliland
  • Patent number: 9092944
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing group play bonus events with multiple game devices. A group play bonus event is initiated based in part on the occurrence of a group play bonus event trigger. End users of game devices participate in an initiated group play bonus event if the end users qualify to participate in the group play bonus event at the time of the occurrence of the group play bonus event trigger. In some situations, group play bonus events are initiated by the occurrence of a randomly generated group play bonus event trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Kisenwether, Jeff Mincey, Loren Nelson
  • Patent number: 9072963
    Abstract: A lottery game system includes a number of lottery tickets, a playing area disposed on each lottery ticket, the playing area having a number of paths each traversing in the playing area. A starting point and an end point are disposed on the playing area. A winning predetermined path begins at the starting point and ends at the end point and is initially concealed from a player prior to commencing play of the lottery game. A special point is disposed among the various paths is positioned before the end point. The lottery game system may further include a lottery wand manipulated by a user wherein the lottery wand remains in contact with said lottery ticket along said winning path. Further, the lottery game system may include at least one lottery terminal which is operative to print at least one playing area and to dispense at least one lottery ticket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Inventor: Constantinos Antonopoulos
  • Patent number: 9076301
    Abstract: A gaming machine 13 determines a position of a symbol statically displayed corresponding to a random number thus generated, statically displays the video reels 3A to 3E which were rotationally displayed in sequence, in a case where a bonus game is statically displayed, displays an image corresponding to the total number of the bonus symbols statically displayed on the display every time the video reels 3A to 3E are statically displayed. Furthermore, in a case where the total number of the bonus symbols which were statically displayed is a predetermined number, and when the bonus symbol included in a video reel to be statically displayed next is determined to be stopped at a predetermined stop position, displays a predetermined image on the display while the video reel to be statically displayed next is being rotationally displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9070250
    Abstract: A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played is disclosed. The gaming system includes a game server and a plurality of game units connected to the game server via a network. In this gaming system, at least a portion of the network is a wireless network, and wherein the game system enables wireless real time gaming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan M. Kelly, Matthew F. Kelly, John G. Kroeckel, John E. Link, Norman B. Petermeier
  • Patent number: 9061212
    Abstract: A game device includes an input receiving unit for receiving the input of user's operations, a control unit for controlling a game where a player's character plays golf, according to the input of the user's operation, and a screen generating unit for displaying a game screen. The control unit includes an impact determining unit for acquiring the position of an input device at the start of a shot and the position of the input device at the time of an impact, when the user swings the input device while holding it and then comparing the respective positions with each other so as to determine the impact position, and a ball path calculating unit for calculating the path of a ball hit in the impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Takanori Kikuchi, Hisashi Kishida, Masashi Muramori, Toshiyuki Kuwabara, Hirofumi Hashimoto, Yoshinori Kotsugai, Kentaro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9056255
    Abstract: A game controller, a game machine, and a game system including the game system. The game controller is a device for manipulating a game program, and at least a portion of a body portion of the game controller is deformable to have forms that are adapted to contents of a game. Accordingly, a physical sensation when a user plays a game may be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: TOSHIBA SAMSUNG STORAGE TECHNOLOGY KOREA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Byung-youn Song, Nag-eui Choi
  • Patent number: 9044661
    Abstract: The present invention provides a simulated golf putting device to improve a golfer's putting skill, comprising means to execute a simulated putt and to determine if the putt would be on target, and if not in which direction the simulated putt would miss the target. The device provides near-instantaneous signals to the user whether a simulated putt is good or a miss. The device is compact and self-contained, and can be readied for use in virtually any location in seconds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Inventor: Schalk J. Leonard
  • Patent number: 9041739
    Abstract: Embodiments for matching participants in a virtual multiplayer entertainment experience are provided. For example, one embodiment provides a method including receiving from each user of a plurality of users a request to join the virtual multiplayer entertainment experience, receiving from each user of the plurality of users information regarding characteristics of a physical space in which each user is located, and matching two or more users of the plurality of users for participation in the virtual multiplayer entertainment experience based on the characteristics of the physical space of each of the two or more users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Latta, Kevin Geisner, Brian Mount, Daniel McCulloch, Cameron Brown, Jeffrey Alan Kohler, Wei Zhang, Ryan Hastings, Darren Bennett, Ian McIntyre
  • Patent number: 9039517
    Abstract: An illustrative method controls a gaming device that supports wagering on games. A communication is received at a gaming device coupled to the gaming network from another gaming device coupled to the gaming network. A determination is made by the gaming device if proprietary information is present in the communication or requested to be transmitted by the communication from the gaming device to the another gaming device. A determination is made by the gaming device whether the another gaming device is a trusted source. The gaming device processes the proprietary information associated with the communication only if the gaming device determines that the another gaming device is a trusted source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: WMS Gaming Inc.
    Inventors: Dale R. Buchholz, Srinivyasa Murthy Adiraju, Christopher J. Frattinger
  • Patent number: 9017167
    Abstract: An improved user input device is disclosed having ergonomically-configurable features to custom fit individual users. The arms of the gamepad may be extended from the body of the gamepad, and may be rotated. This may be at user determined angles, or may be set to a predetermined limit. The rotation may be on one or more axes depending on the specific implementation. Similarly, the thumb grooves may be extensible and/or rotatable. Further customization may be provided by modular user input systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Min-Liang Tan, Chern Ann Ng
  • Patent number: 9017164
    Abstract: A game device includes: a display device; a rear touch panel provided on the other side of a surface on which the display device is mounted; an activation control unit operative, when the rear touch panel detects an operation of bringing an input means into contact with the rear touch panel and moving the input means in a predetermined direction, to activate a function determined in accordance with the direction; and a screen image managing unit operative to display a screen image displayed by the function activated by the activation control unit on the display device so that the screen image slides from an edge of the screen of the display device in the direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Masaharu Sakai