Patents by Inventor Sam Johnson

Sam Johnson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11276295
    Abstract: An activity monitor is associated with a container, such as a medication bottle, and includes one or more detectors configured to detect activity associated with the bottle, such as movement, opening and/or closing, and changes in volume and/or mass. The activity monitor may include alerting devices and be programmed with scheduling information. The activity monitor may also, or instead, be part of a system and communicate with one or more remote devices such as a user device or monitoring system, such as to receive programming information from those devices or to output activity information to those devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20220062475
    Abstract: A dome-style light is provided for vehicles or other environments and includes one or more sanitizing feature such as light elements and/or a disinfectant dispenser. The light elements may be UVC emitting lights. The disinfectant dispenser may include a container or tank of aerosol or liquid disinfectant. The light includes a control unit for controlling the lights and/or dispenser at certain times. The control unit may receive an output for one or more sensors, such as detectors, for detecting activity in the presence of the light, where the control unit may prevent the illumination of the light(s) or the dispensing of disinfectant when activity is detected. The light may be retrofit into a vehicle for use in disinfecting a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 11238702
    Abstract: Secondary gaming functionality is implemented relative to a casino gaming machine by a secondary controller which is associated with the gaming machine. In this manner, primary gaming functionality, such as primary wagering games and the award of primary awards and/or player reward points, may be implemented by the main game controller of the gaming machine. In addition, however, secondary gaming functionality may also be implemented at the gaming machine, such as secondary wagering games, secondary awards such as bonus and progressive awards and/or player reward points, via the secondary controller. The secondary controller may only implement secondary gaming functionality in response to a secondary wager placed by a player beyond a primary wager which enables the primary gaming functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Vulcan Gaming LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20210383084
    Abstract: A contactless or touchless dispenser is provided, such as for condiments or similar food service related items. The dispenser allows a user to obtain a quantity of a condiment without being required to touch the condiment dispenser. The dispenser includes a controller for controlling a dispensing mechanism, such as in response to an instruction received from a remote device, or by touchless input, such as by detecting a utensil. The controller may control the dispensing mechanism to cause the dispenser to dispense condiment for a particular period of time or to dispense a particular quantity of condiment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20210358266
    Abstract: A gaming machine has a main or master gaming controller for presenting primary games based upon wagers of primary credits associated with a primary credit balance. A secondary controller is associated with the gaming machine for presenting secondary games based upon wagers of secondary credits associated with a secondary credit balance. The secondary controller may effectuate transfers of credits between the primary and secondary credit balances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 11174021
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for powering and controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in a networked system under common control and operation and can be used for a variety of applications. Selected embodiments can operate while tethered to a portable control system. A high speed tether management system can be used to facilitate both mobile and static tethered operation. Modular components provide for both tethered and fully autonomous flight operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: FLIR DETECTION, INC.
    Inventors: Bretton E. Anderson, Felipe Bohorquez, Misha Filippov, Helen Greiner, Jason Jeffords, Sam Johnson, Kevin Michael Mcclure, Kim Salazar, Kenneth D. Sebesta, Andrew M. Shein, Perry Stoll, Chikyung Won, Alexey Zaparovanny
  • Publication number: 20210306797
    Abstract: A personal safety system is configured to receive and store information regarding a plurality of users, such as location information and health status information. The system determines compliance with social distancing guidelines, such as by comparing the locations of users to determine the distance between them. Upon receiving notice of contagion from a user, proximate users to the user may be notified. The system provide assessments, such as scores, of social distancing compliance and/or risk or exposure. A wearable device is configured to provide personal distance and inoculation indicators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Sam Johnson, Devin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20210201621
    Abstract: A secondary service provides a second, or collateral, service in connection with a client application associated with a first service. The secondary service receives user input from the client application and forwards the user input to at least one second server for the collateral service. The collateral service may be a lottery gaming system that generates or receives lottery entries as users perform certain actions. Other non-limiting examples of a collateral service that may receive user input via the secondary service include a data mining system, an advertising system and a loyalty and bonus system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 11017629
    Abstract: A gaming machine has a main or master gaming controller for presenting primary games based upon wagers of primary credits associated with a primary credit balance. A secondary controller is associated with the gaming machine for presenting secondary games based upon wagers of secondary credits associated with a secondary credit balance. The secondary controller may effectuate transfers of credits between the primary and secondary credit balances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Vulcan Gaming LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20210125458
    Abstract: Secondary gaming functionality is provided for a casino gaming machine (26) by a secondary controller (200) of the casino gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality may function to provide a multi-game experience at the gaming machine or remotely at another gaming machine or other device, e.g., a smart phone (28), tablet, personal computer (32), and the like, via the casino gaming machine. The multi-game experience may comprise one or more secondary wager-based games in addition to the one or more primary wager-based game(s) provided by the primary gaming functionality of the gaming machine. The secondary controller functionality may cause the secondary wager-based game to be presented upon a single input player to the gaming machine which also initiates the primary game, whereby primary and secondary games are initiated seamlessly to the player via a single input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20210104120
    Abstract: Secondary gaming functionality is provided for a casino gaming machine by a secondary controller of the casino gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality may function to provide a multi-game experience at the gaming machine or remotely at another gaming machine or other device, e.g., a smart phone, tablet, personal computer, and the like. The multi-game experience may comprise one or more additional instances of a wager-based video game provided by the primary gaming functionality of the gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality of the gaming machine may cause the one or more additional instances of the wager-based video game to be presented at another device either directly or indirectly via a server, such as a social media server or a server-based gaming system's server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10957162
    Abstract: A secondary service provides a second, or collateral, service in connection with a client application associated with a first service. The secondary service receives user input from the client application and forwards the user input to at least one second server for the collateral service. The collateral service may be a lottery gaming system that generates or receives lottery entries as users perform certain actions. Other non-limiting examples of a collateral service that may receive user input via the secondary service include a data mining system, an advertising system and a loyalty and bonus system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10818138
    Abstract: Secondary gaming functionality is provided for a casino gaming machine by a secondary controller of the casino gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality may function to provide a multi-game experience at the gaming machine or remotely at another gaming machine or other device, e.g., a smart phone, tablet, personal computer, and the like. The multi-game experience may comprise one or more additional instances of a wager-based video game provided by the primary gaming functionality of the gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality of the gaming machine may cause the one or more additional instances of the wager-based video game to be presented at another device either directly or indirectly via a server, such as a social media server or a server-based gaming system's server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10810839
    Abstract: Secondary gaming functionality is provided for a casino gaming machine (26) by a secondary controller (200) of the casino gaming machine. The secondary gaming functionality may function to provide a multi-game experience at the gaming machine or remotely at another gaming machine or other device, e.g., a smart phone (28), tablet, personal computer (32), and the like, via the casino gaming machine. The multi-game experience may comprise one or more secondary wager-based games in addition to the one or more primary wager-based game(s) provided by the primary gaming functionality of the gaming machine. The secondary controller functionality may cause the secondary wager-based game to be presented upon a single input player to the gaming machine which also initiates the primary game, whereby primary and secondary games are initiated seamlessly to the player via a single input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20200273316
    Abstract: An activity monitor is associated with a container, such as a medication bottle, and includes one or more detectors configured to detect activity associated with the bottle, such as movement, opening and/or closing, and changes in volume and/or mass. The activity monitor may include alerting devices and be programmed with scheduling information. The activity monitor may also, or instead, be part of a system and communicate with one or more remote devices such as a user device or monitoring system, such as to receive programming information from those devices or to output activity information to those devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2020
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20200242889
    Abstract: In a method, a mobile communication device associated with a player is paired to an electronic gaming machine. The method determines that the mobile communication device is in a vicinity of the electronic gaming machine, transmits player identification information from the mobile communication device to the server, confirms an identity of the player at the server by comparing the player identification information to stored identification information, and pairs the mobile communication device with the electronic gaming machine after confirmation of the player identity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2019
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20200234542
    Abstract: Secondary gaming functionality is implemented relative to a casino gaming machine by a secondary controller which is associated with the gaming machine. In this manner, primary gaming functionality, such as primary wagering games and the award of primary awards and/or player reward points, may be implemented by the main game controller of the gaming machine. In addition, however, secondary gaming functionality may also be implemented at the gaming machine, such as secondary wagering games, secondary awards such as bonus and progressive awards and/or player reward points, via the secondary controller. The secondary controller may only implement secondary gaming functionality in response to a secondary wager placed by a player beyond a primary wager which enables the primary gaming functionality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20200189731
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for powering and controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in a networked cellular communication system. A tether management system can be used to facilitate both mobile and static tethered operation to provide power and/or voice and data communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Samir S. Mistry, Sam Johnson, Philip N. LaFountain, Perry Stoll, Jason Jeffords, Kenneth D. Sebesta
  • Patent number: 10650660
    Abstract: An activity monitor is associated with a container, such as a medication bottle, and includes one or more detectors configured to detect activity associated with the bottle, such as movement, opening and/or closing, and changes in volume and/or mass. The activity monitor may include alerting devices and be programmed with scheduling information. The activity monitor may also, or instead, be part of a system and communicate with one or more remote devices such as a user device or monitoring system, such as to receive programming information from those devices or to output activity information to those devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10643451
    Abstract: An activity monitor which can be pre-programmed at the factory, the doctor's office or the pharmacist, or that can be programmed by the user. The activity monitor is affixed to a medicine bottle or container and activity associated with the bottle or container, such as movement, opening, volume changes, etc. are monitored in view to the schedule. If the schedule indicates that a dose of medicine should be taken at a particular time, but the monitored activity does not determine that the medicine has been taken, an alert signal will be issued to alert the user that it is time to take the medicine. In addition, if the monitored activity indicates that the medicine bottle has been opened prior to a scheduled time, then a tamper alert can be triggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson