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).

  • Publication number: 20200122830
    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 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 station. 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: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    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
  • Patent number: 10621854
    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: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10614667
    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: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10607441
    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 and the award of secondary 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: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10565853
    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, 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: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Inventors: Sam Johnson, Robert Leon
  • Publication number: 20200035062
    Abstract: Social media activities associated with an on-line social media system are linked to casino game activities and casino gaming machines. A player of a casino gaming machine may access a social media website via the casino gaming machine, such as to play a social media game at the casino gaming machine. A player may also access the social media system from a presentation computing device and, via that system, link to a casino gaming machine to play one or more casino wagering games. Social media currency and casino monetary credits may be exchanged or converted and other aspects of casino game play and social media activities may be integrated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190347903
    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: May 29, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190347901
    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: May 28, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190347897
    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 30, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10475282
    Abstract: In a gaming method and system, a player is permitted to move funds from a gaming machine at a casino, such as funds won at the gaming machine or input into the gaming machine, with a funds account which the player can utilize to fund remote or mobile gaming. When a player of a gaming machine is identified, such as by detecting or sensing the player's mobile communication device or by a player's use of a player card or the like, a gaming machine may be configured or triggered to activate one or more funds association options, such as to offer the player the opportunity to associate funds provided to the gaming machine with their account for use in remote or mobile gaming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10460158
    Abstract: In a method of generating a three dimensional representation of a human body shape from a depth image of a clothed human subject is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Frank Perbet, Minh-Tri Pham, Bjorn Stenger, Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190318607
    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: April 3, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10388105
    Abstract: Social media activities associated with an on-line social media system are linked to casino game activities and casino gaming machines. A player of a casino gaming machine may access a social media website via the casino gaming machine, such as to play a social media game at the casino gaming machine. A player may also access the social media system from a presentation computing device and, via that system, link to a casino gaming machine to play one or more casino wagering games. Social media currency and casino monetary credits may be exchanged or converted and other aspects of casino game play and social media activities may be integrated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10347086
    Abstract: A lottery-type game is enabled via two or more casino games such as keno or video poker games. If the outcome of the first game is winning, the player may be awarded first winnings. If the outcome of the second game is winning, the player may be awarded second winnings. Regardless of the outcomes of the base games, if designated indicia comprising certain indicia from the first and second games match a selected set of indicia, then the lottery-type game is winning. In the case of a keno game, the designated indicia may be certain player numbers from the keno games and in the case of a poker game, certain player-selected cards. The selected set of indicia may comprise drawn keno numbers or dealt cards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10325448
    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: November 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10319191
    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 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10311671
    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: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190156618
    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: November 21, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190073891
    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: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190073866
    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: November 4, 2018
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Inventor: Sam Johnson