In A Chance Application Patents (Class 463/16)
  • Patent number: 11450174
    Abstract: In various embodiments, the system and method disclosed herein coordinates the access to persistent data amongst a plurality of disparate entities which otherwise have no player data sharing relationship with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventor: Bryan Upton
  • Patent number: 11430298
    Abstract: A gaming machine presents a game in which an upgradeable object accrues value. The gaming machine includes a player input interface, a credit input mechanism and a game controller configured to perform operations. The game controller presents a primary game, in which a plurality of reels are simulated, spins the plurality of simulated reels each time a player makes a wager, determines, a number of scatter symbols stopped and displayed from the reels, triggers, a bonus game in which an appearance of the upgradeable game object is upgradeable and in which a credit value associated with the upgradeable game object is upgradeable, upgrades the appearance of the object, increases the credit value associated with the object, and adds the credit value associated with the object to the credit balance of the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventors: Michael Robert Cicchi, Michael Landon Stribling
  • Patent number: 11430291
    Abstract: A method of displaying player information in a casino using alternate reality includes generating a live video signal of a gaming environment using a camera on an electronic device; determining an identity of a player who is visible in the live video signal; retrieving information about the player from a database of registered players in response to the determined player identity; and displaying information about the player to a user of the electronic device so that the information appears to the user to be adjacent or on the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Michael Russ, Stefan Keilwert, Lukas Angermayer, Klaus Achmüller, Dieter Goriup, Elisabeth Kiss, Caprice Mitterhöfer, Martin Lasser, Stefan Koller, Gerhard Pichler, Julia-Ines Lerchbaumer, Petra Wagner
  • Patent number: 11410498
    Abstract: Gaming systems that determine a total award based on a play of a card game and a play of a supplemental game and then display the determined total award via an alternative gaming presentation different from the play of the card game and the play of the supplemental game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventor: Kit Seaton
  • Patent number: 11403915
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for submitting a tax submission on behalf of a player of a game. Based on the location of the gaming device, determine at least one jurisdiction that governs the player's taxable winnings. The player fill out an electronic tax form for each jurisdiction and submits an electronic authorization. Transmitting, in response to the tax liability, a tax submission to a remote device, in which the tax submission comprises at least the electronic tax form and the electronic authorization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Lee M. Amaitis, Howard W. Lutnick
  • Patent number: 11403706
    Abstract: Managing the resale of a partial interest in an online wager includes assembling an arrangement of user interface (UI) controls in a UI to an online wagering system tracking multiple online wagers, each having a separate time of purchase odds, a paid price of acquisition and a corresponding owner. The UI is presented in a display of a subscriber to the system and different contemporaneous odds are tracked for each of the wagers. A heads-up display (HUD) is then rendered as a transparent overlay over at least a portion of the UI. The HUD has two user interface controls—an activation button activating a process to transact a partial interest in a selected wager, and a meter showing a time remaining before receiving an outcome for the selected wager, and also a variance between a corresponding one of the contemporaneous odds and time of purchase odds for the selected wager.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Fast Dog, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Gross, Eduardo Burillo, Steven M. Greenberg
  • Patent number: 11398132
    Abstract: A method of AI adjusting odds based on the context of the lineup in baseball or cricket. Specific examples include a batter likely to be pitched around because of who is up next and when a reliever is approaching his third batter faced (the minimum before he can be replaced).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: AdrenalineIP
    Inventors: Casey Alexander Huke, John Cronin, Joseph W. Beyers, Michael D'Andrea
  • Patent number: 11395972
    Abstract: Provided is a system including: a user terminal that executes a game program for playing a game, that determines a parameter for executing a certain event in the game, and that executes the event on the basis of the parameter to generate a user result; a result-for-verification generation unit that generates a plurality of virtual instances for virtualizing the user terminal, that executes the game program in a headless mode in the plurality of virtual instances, that selects, from the plurality of virtual instances, a virtual instance for executing the event on the basis of the parameter received by a server, and that executes the event in the selected virtual instance on the basis of the parameter to generate a result for verification; and a cheat verification unit that compares the user result with the result for verification to determine whether or not cheating has been conducted at the user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: CYGAMES, INC.
    Inventor: Shuichi Kurabayashi
  • Patent number: 11393278
    Abstract: A display for an electronic gaming machine (EGM) may have a display including a main display portion and one or more curved display side portions. In some examples, the EGM may include a sensor system residing at least in part on the one or more curved display side portions. A control system may be configured to cause the main display portion to display one or more images corresponding to a touch, gesture or force detected by the sensor system. One or more of the curved display side portions may be used to display images corresponding to virtual control devices and/or an attract sequence for a game. In some instances, one or more of the curved display side portions may be used to display images corresponding to an attract sequence, player identification information and/or advertising while the main display portion is being used to present an instance of the wagering game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventor: Rajendrasinh B. Jadeja
  • Patent number: 11386753
    Abstract: A game controller selects and displays first symbols at display positions on a display device, and triggers play of a series of feature games when the first symbols correspond to a trigger event. During the series of feature games, the game controller selects and displays second symbols at the display positions, reveals a value for each reveal symbol in the second symbols while retaining other symbols in the second symbols, and determines a feature game outcome based on the value revealed fro each reveal symbol and other symbols in the second symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Inventor: Scott Christopher Olive
  • Patent number: 11376500
    Abstract: Personalized coaching is provided to users of an application, such as players of an electronic gaming application. Data can be obtained that demonstrates how skilled users utilize an application, such as how professional players play a game. This data can be used to train a machine learning model for the game. Gameplay data for an identified player can be obtained, and related information provided as input to the trained model. The model can infer one or more actions or strategies to be taken by the player in order to achieve a determined goal. The information can be conveyed to the player using visual, audio, or haptic guidance during gameplay, or can be provided offline, such as with video or rendered replay of the game session. The types of advice or coaching given can vary depending upon factors such as the goals, skill level, and preferences of the player, and can update over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Prakash Gurumurthy, Yan Breek, Alexey Solovey, Evgeny Tumanov
  • Patent number: 11376511
    Abstract: A gaming system, comprising a site server configured to provide game instances to local gaming devices in communication with the site server, a monitor for displaying video information related to the game instances, a central server configured to provide information about the availability of a game to players using local gaming devices in proximity of the site server, provide information about the availability of the game to one of the mobile telephones over the wide-area wireless network, receive, from the one or more mobile telephones, an indication of a selected game offered by the central server, and relay game instances between the site server and the one or more mobile telephones as the selected game is being played by players using the local gaming devices and players using the one or more mobile telephones via the wide-area wireless network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: EGAMES.COM HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventors: Chad M. Stafford, Justin Cooper, Nicholas Glassman, Steve Mayer
  • Patent number: 11380164
    Abstract: A gaming system including one or more progressive awards. Each progressive award is associated with a plurality of different progressive award reset values. Upon a progressive award triggering event occurring and the progressive award being provided to one or more players, the gaming system resets the progressive award to a randomly selected one of the plurality of different progressive award reset values associated with the provided progressive award. Thus, upon a determination to provide a progressive award to a player, that progressive award is reset to a randomly selected value which may be above the reset value historically associated with such a progressive award.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: William Keith Hughes, Timothy Kennedy, Robin S. Heenan
  • Patent number: 11380165
    Abstract: Gaming systems and methods which enable a player to skip a bonus event, such as a play of a triggered bonus game, in exchange for a placement of a sporting event wager.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventor: Kevin Laster
  • Patent number: 11367095
    Abstract: A system sends the identification of an electronic incentive award that a player may into a mobile device. The electronic incentive award may be sent in response to the player performing an action to complete an incentive objective on an electronic gaming machine (EGM). The system receives incentive progress data that corresponds to the action to complete the incentive objective. The incentive progress data indicates player progress towards completing the incentive objective. In response to the incentive progress data indicating that the player has completed the incentive objective, the system provides the electronic incentive award to the mobile device for the player to use on the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Michael Russ, Sven Aurich, Elisabeth Kiss, Julia-Ines Lerchbaumer, Gernot Hoefler, Roland Krainz
  • Patent number: 11361622
    Abstract: A system and method include a gaming device having a processor programmed to provide a game of chance to a player, an electronic storage device configured to store gameplay data for the game of chance, a user interface device configured to receive input from the player to enable the player to play the game of chance, at least one wager accepting device configured to receive a physical item representing a monetary value to increase a credit balance maintained at the gaming device, and an output device configured to deliver a physical item having a monetary value. A player comp indicator coupled to the gaming device is configured to receive data representative of gameplay information from the gaming device and provide at least one of a visual, audible, and physical notification of player comp status based on the data representative of gameplay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Gaming Arts, LLC
    Inventors: David Colvin, Eric Colvin
  • Patent number: 11361614
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine includes a display screen for displaying an electronic game, a mobile topper unit configured to be positioned in a first position and a second position, the first position being a lower position that the second position, and a controller programmed to execute the electronic game and programmed to provide instructions to change the position of the mobile topper unit between the first position and the second position based on an event of the wagering game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventors: Timothy Seckel, Joseph Kaminkow
  • Patent number: 11354981
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a gaming system is disclosed that comprises at least one display, a game controller that includes at least one processor and at least one memory device. The at least one memory device stores computer-readable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to cause a symbol array to be selected and displayed on the at least one display in a display area, the symbol array including a plurality of selected symbols from each reel of a plurality of reels at respective symbol locations of the display area. The processor also causes a character to always be displayed, and causes the character to interact with the symbol display area based on defined criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited
    Inventors: Oliver Crispino, Natalie Bryant, Philip Seifert, Nicole Hedley, Ronald Dy, Doanh Dang
  • Patent number: 11354970
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine (EGM) may include one or more movable displays. One or more movable displays may be used to present a base game when in a first configuration. In response to a trigger event, the movable display(s) may reveal a game feature presentation device, such as a stationary display or a set of mechanical reels, which was hidden when the one or more movable displays were in the first configuration. The underlying game feature presentation device may be used to present a bonus feature and/or to present a different aspect of the base game. Alternatively, the movable display(s) may be hidden (e.g., inside the EGM) when in a first configuration, during which time a fixed display portion may be presenting a base game. The movable display(s) may present a bonus feature and/or a different aspect of the base game when in the second configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventors: Eric Winston, Timothy Seckel
  • Patent number: 11344801
    Abstract: Methods for hosting and operating a service and systems are provided. One method includes executing one or more video games on one or more servers of a hosting service. The one or more video games are played or used by one or more users on one or more client devices remote to the hosting service via compressed streaming interactive video. The compressed streaming interactive video is sent to the one or more client devices where decompression of the compressed streaming interactive video is preformed to display video of each of said one or more video games and said one or more servers are configured to receive user control input to driver interactivity with said one or more video games. The method includes broadcasting the one or more video games as one or more streams of real-time compressed digital video to enable one or more viewing client devices to view play of said one or more video games over the Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: Stephen G. Perlman, Roger van der Laan
  • Patent number: 11347990
    Abstract: Systems and methods involving biometric authentication of transaction cards including aspects of exception handling, deactivation and other features are disclosed. In one embodiment, an exemplary computer-implemented method may comprise generating a first user interface having one or more interactive UI elements that enable a card owner to manage a plurality of features associated with a transaction card, and determining, if a biometric-activated control is enabled and the vendor is not excluded from the biometric-activated control, whether the transaction card is biometrically-active. Further, the interactive UI elements may include elements such as a first UI element that is configured to allow the card owner to enable a biometric-activated control of the transaction card, and/or a second UI element that is configured to allow the card owner to exclude one or more vendors from the biometric-activated control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Capital One Services, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Bailey
  • Patent number: 11348412
    Abstract: Gaming machines and games are configured with one or more wheel events or features. The wheel events or features may comprise main games or bonus games, or may comprise entertaining representations of outcomes of other games or events. The wheel events comprise the selection of one or more segments of a wheel having associated awards. Wheel events may have various entertaining configurations, such as morphing wheels, symbols that reveal awards and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventor: Ronnie W. Harris
  • Patent number: 11341810
    Abstract: Various aspects are described herein for implementing in-game advertising, in-game product placement, and in-game promotion techniques in wager-based games conducted at an electronic gaming device of a casino gaming network. These techniques provide the ability for traditional video-type wager-based gaming machines (such as those deployed at casino gaming establishments) to be quickly and easily converted to wager-based games which support in-game advertising while still satisfying the strict regulatory compliance rules and regulations governing wager-based gaming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Synergy Blue, LLC
    Inventors: Georg Washington, Joe Serra
  • Patent number: 11338189
    Abstract: A method and system for conducting multiple competitions of skill for a single performance are described herein. User generated competition groups and system generated competition groups allow users to participate in multiple competitions at once based on answering the same questions or making the same selections related to a single event. The users are informed of each competition either via email, text message or when logging into the network via a website. The users select which competition groups to join. After joining the desired groups, users then make their selections related to the event which are transmitted to the network where results are tabulated and transmitted back to the users. The results are separated based on each competition group, so that users can continually know where they stand in each separate competition. With multiple competition groups, users are able to have varying success from the same performance in multiple competitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Winview, Inc.
    Inventor: David B. Lockton
  • Patent number: 11331582
    Abstract: A system and method for facilitating implementation of events in an online game are disclosed. Award information may be received from user. The received award information may define a type of in-game award to be distributed to players of the online game. The award information may include information indicate a corresponding award handler for determine and/or distributing the instances of the award to the players. Event information may be received from user. The received event information may specify details for implementing an event in the online game. The received event information may include event award information indicating one or more instances of an award of an award type defined by the received award information. The event information may be used to automatically implement the event in the online game, and the instances of the award may be distributed to the participating players in accordance with the event award information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Kabam, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeff Howell, Benjamin Talbot, Thierry Tremblay, Dan Stovell
  • Patent number: 11335168
    Abstract: A gaming machine is described herein. The gaming machine includes a control unit programmed to initiate an instance of a primary game and spin and stop virtual reel strips to display an outcome of the primary game. The control unit detects an appearance of a winning combination of game symbols in the outcome and provides an initial award based on the winning combination, and detects an appearance of the collect symbol and a credit prize symbol in the outcome, determines an amount of credits associated with the credit prize symbol, and a bonus award including the determined amount of credits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Konami Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Suda, William Langston
  • Patent number: 11328554
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine includes a display, a digital camera device, a credit input mechanism, and a processor programmed to perform operations comprising: (i) receiving, from the digital camera device, a digital image of the player; (ii) determining an emotional state of the player by performing facial expression analysis on the digital image; (iii) determining an emotion level of the player by categorizing the emotional state of the player based on the determined emotional state, the categorizing includes a first state representing a positive emotional level and a second state representing another emotional level; (iv) determining that the emotional level is the other emotional level; and (v) automatically initiating a game session action during the game play session, the game session action is configured to cause the player to transition to the positive emotional level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventor: Gregory Paul Schwartz
  • Patent number: 11311808
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a process to predict an outcome of a competition includes receiving time-stamped position information of participant(s), the time-stamped position information captured by a telemetry tracking system during the competition. The process includes calculating while the competition is ongoing a covariate parameter for each of one or more participants at a point in time, where each respective covariate parameter is derived from the time-stamped position information of a corresponding participant at the point in time. The process includes predicting the outcome of the competition, as of the point in time, based at least in part on (i) a difference between a calculated competitor strength of the first competitor the second competitor based on historical data associated with the competitors, and (ii) the calculated first covariate parameter(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Tempus Ex Machina, Inc.
    Inventors: Erik Schwartz, Michael Naquin, Christopher Brown, Steve Xing, Pawel Czarnecki, Charles D. Ebersol
  • Patent number: 11305188
    Abstract: Methods for and operating a service and systems are provided. One method includes executing one or more video games on one or more servers of a service. The one or more video games are played or used by one or more users on one or more client devices remote to the service via compressed streaming interactive video. The compressed streaming interactive video is sent to the one or more client devices where decompression of the compressed streaming interactive video is preformed to display video of each of said one or more video games and said one or more servers are configured to receive user control input to driver interactivity with said one or more video games. The method includes broadcasting the one or more video games as one or more streams of compressed streaming interactive video to enable one or more viewing client devices to view said one or more video games over the Internet. Each of the one or more viewing client devices receives one or more of the streams of compressed streaming interactive video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: Stephen G. Perlman, Roger van der Laan
  • Patent number: 11308766
    Abstract: Gaming systems and methods for providing one or more awards in association with the accumulation of designated playing cards during a playing card accumulation sequence including a predefined quantity of plays of a card game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Bradford Brown, Anthony J. Baerlocher
  • Patent number: 11308754
    Abstract: An entertainment gaming system and method for transforming a non-random number outcome into an entertainment gaming outcome. The entertainment gaming system comprises a central server, non-random number outcome generator machine, entertainment gaming machine, and database. The central server communicatively coupled with non-random number outcome generator machine and entertainment gaming machine. The entertainment gaming system collects non-random number based outcome from real-world events and transmitting it to the central server. The central server further utilizes an algorithm to process the received non-random number outcome into an entertainment gaming outcome. Further, the present entertainment gaming system comprises a database to store the received real-world non-random number based outcome and processed entertainment gaming outcome generated from the received non-random number based outcome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Quick Custom Intelligence, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Cardno, Daniel Cardno, Ralph W Thomas, Ralph J Thomas
  • Patent number: 11302149
    Abstract: A gaming apparatus having electronic input controls therein includes: a player input panel; a video display system; and a gaming processor. The player input panel may have a first input control specific to providing a command to the gaming processor and the player input panel. The command enables a second player input control on the player input panel. This second player input control is specific to alteration of game play so that physical activity at the player panel will enter commands to the gaming controller to execute gaming play without placing any economic value at risk during a demonstration period. The gaming processor allows the demonstration period to continue for only a predetermined time limit or event occurrence that does not result in resolution of a wager.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: INTERBLOCK D.D.
    Inventors: Joze Pececnik, Mark A. Litman
  • Patent number: 11302153
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a plurality of reels associated with the game of chance. Each of the plurality of reels includes a plurality of reel positions to generate a symbol thereon. The gaming machine also includes a display including a defined plurality of positions to present a symbol thereon. The gaming machine also includes a processor programmed to generate a spin of the plurality of reels. The spin results in a play area including one or more symbols generated from each of the plurality of reels. The processor is also programmed to identify a first unfolding symbol in a first position on the play area, determine a second position on the play area adjacent to the first position, and display a second unfolding symbol in the second position on based at least in part on the determining, thereby unfolding the first unfolding symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Video Gaming Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Lyndsay Nelson, Ryan Cuddy, Zachary Schmid
  • Patent number: 11302151
    Abstract: A game apparatus includes at least one processor, and a memory that is coupled to the at least one processor and configured to store therein instructions executed by the at least one processor. In the game apparatus, based on the instructions, the at least one processor is configured to select, by lottery, at least one lottery element from among lottery elements including a specific lottery element in an event, award a player a reward when the specific lottery element is selected, and change, based on a result of the lottery in the event, a probability of selecting the specific lottery element in a next event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: KONAMI AMUSEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Norifumi Kawai, Takayuki Hosokawa
  • Patent number: 11301090
    Abstract: A touch field is created around a touchscreen display, the field is in front of a touch surface of the display and the field maps to locations on the display. An operator of a terminal during a transaction is presented with transaction interface screens that are visually rendered on the display. The operator makes interface options selections, performs screen navigation, and provides date entry field inputs by placing the operator's hand within the field without touching the touch surface of the display and making hand poses, hand movements, and/or hand gestures. The poses, movements, and/or gestures are translated into touch actions and touch inputs recognized by the transaction interface and processed as operator-provided input during the transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Zachary Taylor Lasater, Gina Torcivia Bennett, Kip Oliver Morgan, Meenakshi Sreeraman
  • Patent number: 11295579
    Abstract: A gaming system includes a network accessible sports betting server that allows players to anonymously place wagers on sporting events using an anonymous account identifier that is not associated with any personal information of the player. The player may use the anonymous account identifier to access an available monetary balance for wagering, view, filter, and place wagers on sporting events using various wagering game machines, and continue to use the account identifier to track all associated wagering transactions while a remaining balance remains or pending wagering transactions are outstanding. The gaming system enables the player to use mobile devices and casino gaming machines to interchangeably interface with the anonymous account, viewing the remaining balance, place wagers, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: SG Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter R. Anderson, Vladislav Modilevsky
  • Patent number: 11288920
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine includes a display, a digital camera device, a credit input mechanism, and a processor programmed to perform operations comprising: (i) receiving, from the digital camera device, a digital image of the player; (ii) determining an emotional state of the player by performing facial expression analysis on the digital image; (iii) determining an emotion level of the player by categorizing the emotional state of the player based on the determined emotional state, the categorizing includes a first state representing a positive emotional level and a second state representing another emotional level; (iv) determining that the emotional level is the other emotional level; and (v) automatically initiating a game session action during the game play session, the game session action is configured to cause the player to transition to the positive emotional level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
    Inventor: Gregory Paul Schwartz
  • Patent number: 11276277
    Abstract: A gaming machine comprising a plurality of grid positions, and a game controller to at least: randomly populate a plurality of grid positions with one of a plurality of grid symbols, receive one or more selections of the plurality of grid positions, resulting a plurality of unselected grid positions, reveal a plurality of unrevealed symbols at each of the plurality of grid positions selected, in response to a first grid position selected revealing the first symbol, repopulate the first grid position with one of a plurality of chance symbols including the first symbol and the second symbol, and in response to the first grid position selected revealing the second symbol, determine a first award based on the second symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies, Inc. (ATI)
    Inventor: Scott Delekta
  • Patent number: 11270552
    Abstract: A symbol frame mechanic for a gaming device is described. The symbol frame mechanic generates a random based game outcome in a first game instance that includes a special symbol and determines that the special symbol lands within a symbol window position with a preexisting symbol frame. The symbol frame mechanic generates an upgraded symbol frame at the symbol window position. The symbol frame mechanic resets a count indicative of a number of remaining spins left before the preexisting symbol frame expires to a designated number of remaining spins. The symbol frame mechanic generates a random based game outcome in a second game instance that includes a credit symbol. The symbol frame mechanic determines that the credit symbol lands within the symbol window position with the upgraded symbol frame and triggers a payout for the credit symbol that lands in the upgraded symbol frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Delekta, Allon Englman
  • Patent number: 11263863
    Abstract: A gaming machine is described herein. The gaming machine includes a game control unit programmed to display a game screen on the display unit and initiate an instance of the game. The game screen includes a grid including a plurality of cells arranged in a plurality of columns. Each column is associated with a corresponding symbol and includes a predefined number of cells. The game control unit initiates an instance of the game by populating a subset of cells within each column with a plurality of awards, randomly determining, for each corresponding column, a number of corresponding symbols to be displayed in a stack of corresponding symbols, and displaying each stack of corresponding symbols within each corresponding column. The game control unit then determines each cell of the subset of cells being displayed with a corresponding symbol and a corresponding award, and provides each corresponding award to the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Konami Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Kimberly Yost, John Pariseau
  • Patent number: 11263860
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine is provided. The electronic gaming machine includes a carousel display screen, at least one memory device, and at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory device. The at least one processor is programmed to control the carousel display screen to display a plurality of play areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technolgoies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventor: Daniel Marks
  • Patent number: 11257327
    Abstract: Electronic gaming machines and systems are disclosed that provide for a symbol-based main game that features an array of symbol positions that may, if an array growth condition is met, increase in size. Determining whether the array growth condition is met may involve determining how many array growth symbols are shown in association with a game play. A further determination may be made as to whether a feature game trigger condition is met and, if so, a feature game may be presented that utilizes the same array of symbol positions that were present in the main game when the feature game was triggered. Additional array growth may occur in the feature game if the array growth condition is met again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hanna Sanborn, Jennifer Mizzi, Jeffrey Uss, Rogelio Decasa, Jr., Nathan Warms, Zachary Smith, Erick Ching
  • Patent number: 11217066
    Abstract: A described gaming system implements an arrangement wherein, as part of a first base game instance, a gaming device is caused to include, at a first symbol position of a symbol array to be implemented by a gaming device, a first Wild symbol at a first symbol position on a reel of a plurality of reels; and, as part of a second base game instance following the first game instance, a modification of the reel of the plurality of reels is performed to move the first Wild symbol into a second symbol position different than the first symbol position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventors: Natalie Bryant, Philip Seifert, Nicole Hedley, Ronald Dy, Doanh Dang, Oliver Crispino
  • Patent number: 11213742
    Abstract: An application enabling a player to utilize a portable computing device, such as a Smartphone, to function as a game controller for a gaming machine. The user would receive and return an associating link code to initiate a communication link between the gaming machine and the portable computing device by way of tapping, manually entering the code, or scanning an image of the code. The portable computing device enables manual user input or use of motion controllers for controlling skill based games in a casino environment. The application can receive a configuration from the gaming machine to replicate or mimic the controls and the gaming images, thus enabling the player to play the game at a short distance from the machine. The gaming machine can suspend play or terminate play when the portable computing device becomes distant or disconnected from the gaming machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Inventor: Yuichiro Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 11210903
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a game controller executing instructions stored in a memory. The game controller establishes a credit balance in response to a credit input mechanism receiving a physical item with an associate credit value, and initiates play of a base game in response to a first input received via a player interface. During play of the base game, the game controller spins first reels to select and display first symbols at first display positions displayed on one or more display devices, and determine that a feature game has been won in response to a trigger condition. During play of the feature game, the game controller spins second reels to select and display a second symbols at second display positions displayed on the one or more display devices, and re-spins a subset of the second reels to select replacement symbols for at least a subset of display positions of the second display positions with non-configurable symbols while retaining configurable symbols at their respective display positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Inventor: Scott Christopher Olive
  • Patent number: 11210902
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a game controller that initiates play of a base game in response to a first input received via a player interface. The game controller spins base game virtual reels to select and display a first symbols at display positions on a display device. The game controller, in response determining that a quantity of configurable symbols in the first symbols has a predetermined relationship to a predetermined quantity, triggers display of a feature game. The game controller further sets a quantity of remaining games for the feature game to an initial quantity. For each remaining game of the feature game, the game controller spins one or more feature game virtual reels to select and display symbols for one or more of the display positions with non-configurable symbols while holding configurable symbols at their respective display positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Inventor: Scott Christopher Olive
  • Patent number: 11210900
    Abstract: A gaming machine comprises a symbol selector for selecting a plurality of symbols from a set of symbols for display during play of a base game, the set of symbols including a plurality of non-configurable symbols and a plurality of configurable symbols; a random number generator for generating random prize values; a value assigner for assigning a generated random prize value to each selected configurable symbol; and an outcome evaluator for monitoring play of the base game, wherein a feature game is triggered in response to a trigger event, the trigger event comprising a predefined number of the plurality of configurable symbols being selected by the symbol selector for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Inventor: Scott Christopher Olive
  • Patent number: 11205323
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a credit input mechanism, a credit payout mechanism, a display device, a player interface, and a game controller executing instructions stored in a memory. The game controller establishes a credit balance in response to the credit input mechanism receiving a physical item with an associated credit value and initiates play of a game in response to a first input received via the player interface. The game controller spins virtual reels to select and display a first symbols at display positions on the display device. The first symbols are selected from non-configurable symbols and configurable symbols. The game controller determines that a prize, associated with an icon that has been split into a plurality of portions, has been won if variable components of the configurable symbols in the first symbols include each portion of the plurality of portions for the icon associated with the prize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Inventor: Scott Christopher Olive
  • Patent number: 11200781
    Abstract: A “dual” gaming unit or machine is configured to implement both one or more traditional casino-style wagering games, such as games having outcomes determined primarily by chance and not skill, and one or more games which are traditionally not casino style games, such as amusement-type games or games having amusement-type game components, such as games where the outcome is determined substantially by skill. The wagering game portion of the gaming machine may award monetary awards to the player for winning wagering game outcomes, and the amusement portion of the gaming machine may be used to award promotional prizes to the player. A player rewards system may include such dual gaming units or other award dispensing mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Aries Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Ronnie W. Harris, Kent Reisdorph, Janae Hoover, Rochelle Terman
  • Patent number: 11195373
    Abstract: Various embodiments of alerts on mobile devices are described. Other embodiments are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Dean P. Alderucci, Charles Plott, Mark Miller