Patents Examined by Eric M. Thomas
  • Patent number: 11633669
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for video transmission. In one example, computer-readable storage media store instructions cause a processor to: generate first motion data; distribute, toward terminal devices of a plurality of viewers via a communication line, the first motion data; receive a web page; receive first operation data from a user interface; generate a second video related to a computer-implemented game on the basis of the first operation data by using the received web page; distribute the second video toward the terminal devices of the plurality of viewer; receive viewer data regarding a plurality of viewers; extract a selected game object out of a plurality of game objects to be used in the game; calculate a control parameter related to the selected game object on the basis of the viewer data; generate the second video including the selected game object; and distribute the second video toward the terminal devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventor: Yosuke Kanaya
  • Patent number: 11625985
    Abstract: Various aspects described for implementing tournament hybrid arcade/wager-based gaming techniques via computer networks, including one or more casino gaming networks. The tournament hybrid arcade/wager-based game may include a non-wager based gaming portion and a wager-based gaming portion. One or more players are able to concurrently engage in continuous game play of the non-wager based gaming portion during execution of wager-based gaming events which are automatically triggered based on events which occur during play of the non-wager based gaming portion. Payouts for a given wager-based game event outcome may include both monetary payouts and/or non-monetary payouts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: AKKADIAN ENTERPRISES
    Inventors: Georg Washington, Joe Serra
  • Patent number: 11622236
    Abstract: A system includes linked hardware devices for tracking and managing races and race participants. The hardware device, which track position and motion, may be mounted on a vehicle of each participant of a race. A computing device, such as a mobile device, a laptop computer, or other processing device, may be coupled to the hardware device. Each computing device of each participant may link with each of the computing devices of each of the other participants to provide for a synchronized race view and information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Inventor: Charlie Hinds
  • Patent number: 11617960
    Abstract: Systems and methods to predict player churn for players of an online gaming platform, based on information recorded on permanent registries, are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may execute instances of a game; manage player accounts associated with the players, including a first player account associated with a first player; monitor player-specific recorded information on one or more permanent registries; determine player-specific registry metrics; determine a churn score based on the player-specific registry metrics; and/or take actions based on the churn score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Mythical, Inc.
    Inventor: Cameron Thacker
  • Patent number: 11617956
    Abstract: A first game in which at least a use character that can be used regardless of whether the use character is owned or not owned by a user is used is executed. In addition, a second game in which an owned character that is owned by the user is used is executed. In the first game, when a game is advanced on the basis of a user operation and a progress status of the game satisfies a first condition associated with a skill of the use character, the skill is exercised. Meanwhile, in the second game, when a game is advanced on the basis of a user operation and a progress status of the game satisfies a condition that is associated with a skill of the owned character and different from the first condition associated with the skill in the first game, the skill is exercised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuki Yoshihara, Shinji Takei, Soonbae Hwang, Sungyong Kim, Buhyun Cho, Jinung Ju
  • Patent number: 11583728
    Abstract: The present invention provides system and method for tracking and analyzing golf shot, the method comprising: turning on a light source; a capturing a pair of images of the golf shot using a pair of stereo cameras having a same focal length and triggered by single signal; a analyzing a disparity between the pair of images; a producing a disparity map, a three dimension simulation, and a first motion analysis data; a capturing an image of the golf shot from before to after contact between a golf club and a golf ball using a single camera; a analyzing image sequences captured by the single camera; a producing a second motion analysis data including at least one of ball spinning, club face angle, and swing, and displaying the three dimension simulation, the image sequence, and the first and the second motion analysis data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventor: Soo Ihl Kim
  • Patent number: 11583767
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for video transmission. According to one example, computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer having at least one processor, cause the computer to: change, during or after execution of a computer-implemented game, at least one current parameter of an avatar of a first distributor on the basis of second data or display in a second video, during or after execution of the computer-implemented game, an avatar of the first distributor and an avatar of at least any user of one or more users on the basis of the second data, wherein first data is data regarding at least any of the following: one or more users who jointly distributed a computer-implemented game with the first distributor, and one or more users who jointly distributed with the first distributor using an avatar of the first distributor and his/her own avatar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventor: Yosuke Kanaya
  • Patent number: 11583763
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to unlocking game content for users of an online game. In implementations, affiliations between users may be established, and content may be made available to users individually based on the number of users within an affiliation. Content made available to a first user of the affiliation may be made available to the first user individually and independently from other users included in the affiliation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Kabam, Inc.
    Inventors: Kent Wakeford, Clifford J. Harrington
  • Patent number: 11577172
    Abstract: A method of enabling a user to play a game with a virtual friend includes determining a virtual friend having first feature information on the basis of user information, determining a message from the virtual friend to be transmitted to the user on a basis of the user information and the first feature information, transmitting the message to the user; and when the user who has received the message accesses a game, transmitting an invitation message from the virtual friend to the user within the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: NEXON KOREA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Dae Hyun Kang
  • Patent number: 11581006
    Abstract: An enunciation system (ES) enables users to gain acquaintance, understanding, and mastery of the relationship between letters and sounds in the context of an alphabetic writing system. The ES enables the user to experience the action of sounding out a word, before their own phonics knowledge enables them to sound out the word independently; its continuous, unbroken speech output or input avoids the common confusions that ensue from analyzing words by breaking them up into discrete sounds; its user-controlled pacing allows the user to slow down enunciation at specific points of difficulty within the word; its real-time touch control allows the written word to be “played” like a musical instrument, with expressive and aesthetic possibilities; and its highlighting of the letter cluster that is responsible for the recognized phoneme enunciated by the user as it occurs allows the user to more easily associated the letters with the sounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Tertl Studos, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Hancock
  • Patent number: 11571628
    Abstract: Methods and systems for modifying game content include providing content of a video game to a first user. A request is received from a second user for accessing the video game. Responsive to the request, behavior of the first user is determined and content representing the second user is modified to hide the identity of the second user. The modified content representing the second user is included with content of the video game presented to the first user, and the unmodified content representing the second user is included with content of the video game presented to the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: Victoria Dorn, Tomoyo Kimura, Regina Huricks-Trapp, Jing Li
  • Patent number: 11559743
    Abstract: A method for connecting game plays between different players playing a video game. The method includes determining that a first character has accomplished a mission within a region of a virtual environment of the video game, wherein the first character is controlled by a first player playing the video game in a first game play. The method includes opening access by the first character to a regional inter-game communication medium in response to accomplishing the task. The method includes generating first data in the first game play. The method includes cross-pollinating the first data using the regional inter-game communication medium across a plurality of virtual environments of a plurality of asynchronous game plays of a plurality of players.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventor: Hideo Kojima
  • Patent number: 11538304
    Abstract: A system includes a gaming table, at least one light sensor, an electronic system, and a central computer. The gaming table includes a tabletop covered by a fabric. The at least one light sensor is positioned in proximity to a player position at the gaming table. In addition, the at least one light sensor is positioned beneath the fabric to detect light intensity through the fabric. The electronic system is communicably coupled to the at least one light sensor. Furthermore, the electronic system is operable to detect changes in light intensity at the at least one light sensor. The central computer is communicably coupled to the electronic system. Additionally, the central computer is operable to perform at least one operation based on a status of the at least one light sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Genesis Gaming Solutions, Inc
    Inventors: Randy L. Knust, Eric Schoppe
  • Patent number: 11524245
    Abstract: Methods and systems for improving engagement metrics of a spectator include identifying a group of spectators watching game play of a video game and generating an aggregate group profile for the group. Engagement metrics for the group are analyzed to identify engagement level of the group toward the game play of the player. One or more suggestions are provided to adjust game play of the video game so as to improve engagement level of the group toward the game play of the video game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Osman, Saket Kumar, Yuichiro Nakamura, Katrine Chow, Xavier Menendez-Pidal
  • Patent number: 11517813
    Abstract: A lens assembly, related methods and constituent optical elements are described. The assembly may be used to direct and focus light for various applications. In one instance, the lens assembly is used in conjunction with one or more sources of light such as projected images or video as part of a virtual reality system. The lens assembly includes two or more optical elements arranged to receive light or direct light through different spatial regions of the assembly at different focal powers corresponding to a first user viewing zone and a second user viewing zone. In one instance, the first user viewing zone is a peripheral viewing zone and the second viewing zone is a primary or non-peripheral viewing zone (or vice versa).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Hyper Reality Partners, LLC
    Inventor: Sajid Patel
  • Patent number: 11497997
    Abstract: A server is configured to detect an option element of an advantage option for an option set player and customize a specification of the advantage option that has been set or to be set in the future, based on the option element thus detected, to increase the attractiveness of the advantage option so that the player will be more motivated to actively acquire the advantage option.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Kouji Asuna, Kiyoshi Minami, Tatsuki Mizuno, Kenichi Ogura, Akio Onda, Takashi Aoki, Shintaro Murai, Yusuke Tsutsumi
  • Patent number: 11498000
    Abstract: Embodiments of this application disclose an information display method and apparatus for a virtual object, a device, and a storage medium. The method includes: determining, in a running process of an application (APP), an identity of a first virtual object that appears in a target user interface of the APP, the identity being used for identifying a controller of the first virtual object; determining a display manner of the identity of the first virtual object in the target user interface when the identity of the first virtual object belongs to a whitelist, controllers corresponding to identities in the whitelist being authenticated users on a third-party service platform, and the third-party service platform having a corresponding platform icon; and displaying the platform icon and the identity on the target user interface according to the display manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Jin Yang
  • Patent number: 11471768
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a user interface display method and apparatus, a device, and a storage medium. The method includes: displaying a user interface; receiving a display instruction from a server, the display instruction including data of a first-class object and data of a second-class object, the first-class object being a virtual object having obtained a larger quantity of virtual resources than a target virtual object, the second-class object being a virtual object having obtained a same or smaller quantity of virtual resources than the target virtual object; and displaying first visible information corresponding to the first-class object in the user interface, or displaying first visible information and second visible information corresponding to the second-class object in the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Ka Ho Chan, Yin Pu
  • Patent number: 11471766
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to allow the points allotted for time restoration to be easily obtained even after automatic restoration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SEGA GAMES
    Inventor: Takahiro Otomo
  • Patent number: 11458405
    Abstract: A method, at a server computer, for verifying the results of an electronic game includes obtaining a unique identifier from a client device running a game application. The server computer then receives, from the client device, video information in a real-time video stream. The video information is evaluated at the server computer using a machine learning model to identify a virtual object in a first frame of the video information and identify the virtual object in a second frame of the video information. The method also includes determining a change in the virtual object between the first frame and the second frame and comparing the change to one or more rules of a ruleset. The method includes determining a legality of the change in the virtual object based at least partially on the ruleset. If an illegal event is identified, the change is presented to a moderator for review.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nathan Henry Welch, Donald Frank Brinkman