Patents Examined by Ross Williams
  • Patent number: 10661169
    Abstract: A gaming server can host a gaming session involving multiple players utilizing separate gaming devices. To ensure consistency across devices, the gaming server receives player-specific game data from each device then sends updated game state data to the gaming devices. Each gaming device includes a circular buffer that can contain up to a determined amount of recent game state data. If a device is to provide an instant replay, the devices can pull the state data from the circular buffer and cause the game replay to be rendered according to the timeline of the buffered game state data. Once the replay is finished, the game session resumes and new game state data is stored to the circular buffer. The gaming server can also store the game state data such that after the session the state data can be downloaded and a full replay rendered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Saucedo
  • Patent number: 10661162
    Abstract: A game system includes operation units, a game processing unit that performs game processing on the basis of operation onto the operation units, a waveform information generator that generates vibration waveform information representing a vibration waveform corresponding to a first event that occurs in the game processing, and vibration units that vibrate on the basis of the vibration waveform information. In a case where the first event continues, the waveform information generator generates the vibration waveform information such that the amplitude of the vibration waveform decreases in accordance with the lapse of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shigetoshi Gohara
  • Patent number: 10594752
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for managing multiple video players executing on a client software platform. The method includes the operation of displaying a plurality of video players viewable by an end user. Each video player can have at least one video data stream supplied over a data network. A priority value can be applied to selected video players. In addition, an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players can then be determined. Another operation is calculating whether the selected video players can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold using the determined amount of bandwidth available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
    Inventors: Mark B. Hurst, David S. Anderson, Krysta L. Hurst
  • Patent number: 10593156
    Abstract: Provided are methods for gaming drop box management. Methods include receiving, from an electronic gaming machine (EGM), drop box initiator data that corresponds to a drop box initiator ticket that is received by the EGM, automatically identifying the drop box initiator ticket as a first transaction item in a drop box session that begins responsive to a drop box being installed in the EGM and that ends corresponding to the drop box being removed from the EGM, and receiving, from the EGM, drop box session transaction data that occurs after the drop box initiator ticket is received by the EGM during the drop box session. Methods further include automatically associating the drop box with the EGM for the time period corresponding to the drop box session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventor: Clyde Ruckle
  • Patent number: 10586428
    Abstract: The present system incorporates mobile computing devices to play games, such as electronic pull-tabs, in a plurality of venues, each having a local wireless network. Each network communicates with a central system that generates decks of game outcomes and associated awards. All wagers and awards for each game are tracked on the central system, which also provides each game award and associated outcome from a deck stored on the central system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: PATENT INVESTMENT & LICENSING COMPANY
    Inventors: John F. Acres, Warren White, Mark N. Dailey, William Dale Hermansen, Anthony Morelli, Alex White, Cyrus A. Luciano, John G. Schmitz, Andrew King, Patrick B. Ferguson
  • Patent number: 10586425
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system and method to transfer money may include a mobile device associated with a player, a location server designed to: track a device position of the mobile device and track a vessel position, and a mobile gaming management server designed to: receive a fund transfer request from a gaming server for the mobile device, the fund transfer request including a fund amount; determine if the fund amount can be transferred to the mobile device based on the device position and the vessel position; and transfer the fund amount to the mobile device if it is determined that the fund amount can be transferred to the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Nguyen Gaming LLC
    Inventor: Binh T. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10576374
    Abstract: A system and method for facilitating users to obtain location information in a virtual space is disclosed. Query items may be offered to sell to the users. Upon user activation of the query items, identification information identifying target entities may be obtained from the users. Based on such identification information, location information regarding virtual space locations controlled by or associated with the target entities may be provided to the users. The provided location information may include coordinate information reflecting virtual space coordinates of such locations. In some examples, the level of detail and/or accuracy of such location information provided to the users may be based on the activated query items being specific grades and/or based on levels of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
    Inventors: Inyang Akpan, Bryan Tsao, Albert Wei, John Kim, David McNeill, Kevin Chanthasiriphan
  • Patent number: 10556179
    Abstract: A video game audio controller includes a headset audio port configured to connect to an audio headset and receive a headset audio signal, a chat audio port configured to receive a chat audio signal from another controller, a game audio port configured to receive a game audio signal from a video game console, and control circuitry configured to sum the headset audio signal and the chat audio signal and to output the combined chat audio signal from the controller. A local chat audio gaming network can include a plurality of such video game audio controllers removably connectable with each other via one or more cables, wherein the combined chat audio signal is communicated in only one direction between the plurality of video game audio controllers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Performance Designed Products LLC
    Inventors: Ozhan Maker, Kevin Zuccaro, Trevor Lehr
  • Patent number: 10549182
    Abstract: An information processing system includes an operation apparatus and a main body apparatus which is capable of communicating with the operation apparatus. The operation apparatus includes a first transceiver which transmits operation data to the main body apparatus. The main body apparatus includes a memory in which an operation scheme of the operation apparatus is registered, a second transceiver which receives the operation data, and a controller. The controller registers the operation scheme of the operation apparatus in the memory as a first operation scheme when the operation data received by the second transceiver indicates a first operation and registers the operation scheme of the operation apparatus in the memory as a second operation scheme when the operation data received by the second transceiver indicates a second operation, and performs processing based on the operation scheme registered in the memory onto the operation data received by the second transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Miwa, Shumpei Yasuda, Shinji Takenaka, Sumikazu Ono, Kiyomi Itani, Ryota Oiwa
  • Patent number: 10546464
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a wagering system associated with a first wagering facility, the system communicably coupled with a network and including a memory operable to store betting odds on a plurality of wagering events hosted by the first wagering facility. The system further includes a processor coupled to the memory and operable to receive a first bet on a particular event via the network, the particular event comprising at least one of the wagering events hosted by the first wagering facility. If a second bet is received within a predetermined period of time after the first bet is received, then the processor recalculates the betting odds on the particular event based upon both of the first bet and the second bet. If a second bet is not received within a predetermined period of time after the first bet is received, then the processor recalculates the betting odds on the particular event based upon the first bet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph M. Asher, Howard W. Lutnick
  • Patent number: 10537821
    Abstract: An interactive play set is described which comprises one or more active physical play pieces. In an embodiment, each active physical play piece receives data from one or more other play pieces in the play set and uses this data to generate proximity data. The proximity data describes distances between two or more play pieces from which it receives data to three or more proximity levels. The proximity data is then transmitted to an interactive entertainment experience (such as a game) which reflects changes in proximity level. For example, the changes may be visible in a graphical user interface or another play piece or audible to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Haiyan Zhang, James William Scott, Nicolas Villar, Alexandra Keeley Bunting, Lee Jason Schuneman, Michael Paul Rouse
  • Patent number: 10537808
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system and method for controlling mobile gaming on a vessel may have a plurality of mobile gaming devices, a location server operable to track a device position of each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices and track a vessel position of the vessel, and a mobile gaming management server configured to communicate with the location server and a gaming server, the mobile gaming management server operable to individually control whether each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is permitted to play a game of chance based on the device position and the vessel position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Nguyem Gaming LLC
    Inventor: Binh T. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10518160
    Abstract: A Smart-court system, adaptive to constrained sport environment, for enabling real time analysis and debriefing of sport activities is provided herein. The Smart-court system is comprised of: (i) an automatic recording system comprising a plurality of video cameras located in a court, arranged to real-time (RT) recording of a sport session and utilizing automatic calibration and stabilization module; and (ii) a data processing system comprising: (a) a capture module for grabbing a video stream; (b) an objects' detector module arranged to extract during the RT sport session, the objects from the foreground of each frame; (c) an event module for automatically analyzing, the motion and the activities of the tracked objects for automatically identifying and classifying events, creating a synchronized event log and calculating statistics that occurred during the RT sport session; and (d) a presentation module enabling to perform instant debriefing, combined biomechanical and tactical analysis of the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: PLAYSIGHT INTERACTIVE LTD.
    Inventors: Chen Shachar, Evgeni Khazanov, Yoram Ben Zur
  • Patent number: 10512835
    Abstract: A portable sensor unit for capturing motion and/or other data may be securely mounted on objects such as a user's limb, a vehicle, or other items. The sensor unit may then collect motion and/or other data from the object to which it is affixed, and may provide this data to a data logger which stores the data. The data logger may subsequently communicate the data to a gaming system which may tailor the motion characteristics of a virtual object to resemble those of the real-world object from which the motion data was captured. Thus, a user can (for example) capture motion data from a vehicle, with this data being supplied to a video gaming unit which provides a virtual vehicle having the same acceleration/deceleration, handling, and other characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Inventors: Christopher Lee Kavars, Leslie Davis
  • Patent number: 10512846
    Abstract: Multiplayer video games involve multiple players playing using either a single computer system or multiple computer systems connected together. While a first player of the multiplayer game is playing the multiplayer game, the first player's actions are tracked and stored. When the first player quits or stops responding before the multiplayer game has completed, the first player is replaced by a computer-simulated version of the first player that selects its actions based on probabilities calculated from the tracked actions of the first player. The multiplayer game is thus able to continue without interruption or disruption, and the first player's playstyle is preserved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventor: Shigeru Enomoto
  • Patent number: 10482722
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for administering game play include displaying an electronic reel simulation including a multiple reel array for a wagering game on a display. A user input indicates a selected play option from a plurality of play options. All play options enable all displayed positions of the multiple reel array to be considered in winning outcomes. A game outcome is determined and presented as game symbols on the display. Winning combinations of the game symbols are determined, wherein each winning combination includes three or more matching game symbols appearing in the displayed positions on each of three or more adjacent reels and at least one of the three or more matching game symbols is not used in another winning combination. A payout is determined and multiplied by a multiple correlated to the selected play option when a substitute multiplier symbol appears as one of the game symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: SG Gaming ANZ PTY LTD
    Inventors: Ross M. Gilbertson, Andrew B. Masen, Qin You
  • Patent number: 10482657
    Abstract: An information processing system includes: a camera destination calculating unit configured to calculate a position of a destination of a virtual camera in a virtual space, based on predetermined information processing; a camera moving unit configured to move the virtual camera to an avoidance position at which a shielding object is avoided, in a case where a first vector heading from a position of an object to be captured by the virtual camera to the position of the destination, intersects with the shielding object from an outside in the virtual space and a second vector heading from the position of the destination to the position of the object to be captured by the virtual camera, does not intersect with the shielding object from the outside; and an image generating unit configured to generate an image of the virtual space, based on the virtual camera moved by the camera moving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yusuke Kitazono
  • Patent number: 10471360
    Abstract: A multi-user system hosts a game session over a communication network. The game session includes a plurality of media streams that show one or more views of live game play for the game session. The multi-user system further assigns a spectator value to each media stream, updates one or more spectator values based on user inputs received during the game session, selects, for one or more time periods of the game session, one media stream to broadcast based on the spectator value assigned to the one media stream for the one or more time periods, and broadcasts the one media stream over the communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
    Inventors: Steven Trombetta, James Fairbairn
  • Patent number: 10449453
    Abstract: A virtual reality (VR) gaming platform has a head-mounted display (HMD), software executing on a processor, controlling display of a virtual environment in the HMD and providing functions for network connectivity via a digital port, a three-axis input device providing input to the processor, and dedicated control scripts executable on the processor to provide specific functions in moving an avatar and establishing camera position. The control scripts operate during game play to move the avatar from a first position to a second position in response to specific directional input from the player via the three-axis input device, the camera remains stationary while the avatar moves, and when the avatar stops moving, the camera position teleports to at or near the new avatar position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Robolox Corporation
    Inventors: Michael McHale, Claus Christopher Moberg, Kyle Emmerich
  • Patent number: 10434402
    Abstract: An input from an input device including a first input section and a second input section is received. A direction of movement of a player object is set based on the input from the first input section, and a direction relating to an action of the player object other than the movement is set based on the input from the second input section. Further, an image taken by a first virtual camera is displayed on a first display area, based on the direction of movement of the player object, and an image taken by a second virtual camera is displayed on a second display area, based on the direction relating to the action of the player object other than the movement. The first virtual camera and the second virtual camera are present in the same virtual space, and take images from different positions and/or different directions in the virtual space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeru Miyamoto