Patents Represented by Attorney John Edward Roethel
  • Patent number: 5615888
    Abstract: A method of playing Twenty-One using a forty-eight card deck of cards comprising the Aces through the Nines and the Jacks, Queens and Kings. The elimination of only the four ten-spot cards (or only any four cards having a numerical count of ten) makes card counting much more difficult for the professional card player. Preferably multiple decks, up to six decks, of these forty-eight card decks are used. The elimination of the four ten-spot cards tips the odds of the game toward the house. To make up for this difference and keep the game attractive to the players the method of play is modified to provide liberal game rules and bonus payouts on the player's hand. The liberal game rules include allowing players to make double down wagers at any time regardless of the number of cards held by the player, and allowing the player to take back the amount of the player's double down wager if the player's numerical hand count does not exceed twenty-one and if the player is dissatisfied with his hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Inventors: Richard Lofink, Kurt Lofink
  • Patent number: 5601488
    Abstract: The present invention involves a game of chance based on the principles of rummy. An electronic gaming machine is programmed to display an initial seven card hand to the player. The player selects which of the initial seven cards to hold and which to discard. Replacement cards are displayed for the cards which have been discarded and the combinations created by the resulting seven card hand are compared against a payout table to determine which winning payoffs, if any, are received by the player. Preferred winning combinations are seven, six, five and four card runs, four and three card groups and the combination (sets) of three or four card runs and three or four card groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Inventor: Thomas P. Kadlic
  • Patent number: 5538252
    Abstract: A Twenty-One game is modified by adding one or more Jokers to a standard deck of fifty-two playing cards. In one version, each Joker dealt as one of the first two cards is counted as a variable number so that the resulting first two cards are then valued at a numerical count of an ordinary twenty-one. In this version, any Jokers appearing after the first two cards have a numerical value of one. In a second version, if either the player or the dealer's first two cards are a Joker-Joker combination or a Joker-Ace combination, the hand automatically becomes a Blackjack. In any other first two card combinations, the Joker is a non-playable card and must be replaced with a playable card. After the player and the dealer each have two playable cards, their respective hands are then played out. If, during the play of the hands and before the player and the dealer either stand or bust, a Joker is dealt, the Joker has a numerical value of one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Inventor: John R. Green
  • Patent number: 5531441
    Abstract: An electronic video gaming machine apparatus is provided with a coin head or bill acceptor so that a player may make a wager to participate in the game. The electronic video gaming machine apparatus then displays to the player on a video screen two distinct hands at the beginning of the game. Each hand is dealt from its own separate complete deck of cards. Initially, a player achieves awards or payouts if one or more of the cards in the first hand match one or more of the cards in the second hand. Higher awards or payouts can be paid if the cards match not only by number and suit but also by position in each of the hands. These awards or payouts can either be flat amounts or all or portions of one or more progressive jackpots operated by the gaming establishment. After the matching awards or payouts are made, the player selects one of the hands to play by pressing buttons on the gaming machine and the unselected hand removed from the video screen display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Sevens Unlimited, Inc. a Nevada Corporation
    Inventors: Stanley P. Dabrowski, Mark Sincox
  • Patent number: 5531440
    Abstract: A player makes a wager to participate in the game and the player is dealt two distinct hands at the beginning of the game. Each hand is dealt from its own separate complete deck of cards. Initially, a player achieves awards or payouts if one or more of the cards in the first hand match one or more of the cards in the second hand. Higher awards or payouts can be paid if the cards match not only by number and suit but also by position in each of the hands. These awards or payouts can either be flat amounts or all or portions of one or more progressive jackpots operated by the gaming establishment. After the matching awards or payouts are made, the player selects one of the hands to play and the unselected hand is voided or removed from use. The player plays out the selected hand according to the conventional manner of play of the game. The player wins or loses based on a payout schedule applied to preselected winning hand combinations and based on the number of coins wagered by the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Sevens Unlimited, Inc.
    Inventors: Stanley P. Dabrowski, Mark Sincox
  • Patent number: 5489101
    Abstract: The object of the game is for a player to form a five card poker hand that has the highest poker hand ranking. In the house banked version, all players play against the house and not against each other. The game is played with a standard fifty-two card deck. The game consists of a dealer and from one to seven players. Each player makes a bet and a portion of each bet may be allocated to a progressive jackpot. The dealer deals five cards to each player. The dealer then deals six cards as the community cards which are arranged face down in three rows in a triangle pattern on the gaming table layout. The players may discard from none to five unwanted cards. The dealer turns up the community cards and pre-designated groups of cards from the community cards are used for each player to make a complete five card poker hand. The dealer determines the best hand each player has made according to poker hand rankings. All winning hands will be paid by the dealer according to the odds listed in the pay table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1996
    Inventor: Ernest W. Moody
  • Patent number: 5489205
    Abstract: A syringe tip is locked into a three-way dental handpiece body means of a syringe tip locking assembly that screws into a threaded receiver in the body of the handpiece. The locking assembly comprises an adaptor that has a central tapered male member that receives one end of the syringe tip, a gripping member that snaps over a raised lip on the end of the adaptor body and a locking cap that screws onto the adaptor and over the gripping member. The gripping member includes a plurality of gripping fingers that engage the syringe tip and the locking cap effects the tightening of the gripping fingers into the syringe tip. The locking assembly both applies a positive gripping action to the syringe tip and also pulls the syringe tip onto the tapered male member to securely hold the syringe tip in the adaptor during use by the dentist. The gripping member is captivated onto the raised lip of the adaptor to prevent inadvertent separation of the pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1996
    Inventors: Warren Davis, David Wasserman, Richard R. Matthews
  • Patent number: 5482289
    Abstract: A bingo card is provided having a matrix of seven columns and seven rows. Play is conducted according to the conventional manner of play of bingo, but using the seven-by-seven matrix. Because the size of the matrix has been increased, additional winning combinations are available and players can be paid for being the first player to achieve a four spot bingo, a five spot bingo, a six spot bingo, a seven spot bingo and so forth. This permits multiple winners during each round of the game of bingo and the amount of the payouts can be based on the relative difficulty of obtaining each type of winning combination. An alternative bingo card and method of play includes the designation of the sixth and seventh row and the sixth and seventh column of the seven-by-seven bingo card as distinctly demarcated sections of the bingo card, for example by using a different color or colors for these rows and columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Assignee: Gary Weingardt Trust, a Nevada Trust
    Inventor: Gary Weingardt
  • Patent number: 5476259
    Abstract: The invention provides electronic video casino games in which the players are competing against each other to win from a common pool and are not wagering against the house. The invention also provides live casino table games in which the players are competing against each other to win from a common pool and are not wagering against the house. The house retains an preestablished commission. The player cashes out his accrued credits or his accrued gaming chips for an amount determined by the value of the common pari-mutuel pool. The present invention also provides for pari-mutuel pools to be distributed to all coin columns in a predetermined manner so as to allow all participants to be able to win a predetermined mathematical proportional share of the pari-mutuel progressive jackpot payouts. The invention also provides for seeding of the pools by the gaming establishment and for funding of future pools by setting aside into future pools portions of wagers made by current players.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Gamin Weingardt Trust, a Nevada trust
    Inventor: Gary Weingardt
  • Patent number: 5462655
    Abstract: A fluid recapture system collects residual waste fluids generated during airplane washing or de-icing procedures and separates and recycles these fluids to prevent contamination of storm water drainage and sewer systems and ground water supplies. The fluid recapture system includes a containment mat, a triangular berm with a resilient foam center surrounding the containment mat, a vacuum system located on the containment mat and recycling apparatus connected to the vacuum system. The recycling apparatus includes a pump for withdrawing fluid from the containment mat through the vacuum system and into the recycling apparatus. The pump withdraws the water from the containment mat and sends it to an effluent storage tank. From the effluent storage tank, the water is cycled through a hydro cycle machine, a reverse osmosis tank and finally into a clean water storage tank. The clean water can be reused in the airplane washing procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1995
    Inventors: Michael Ladd, June E. Ladd, Larry Hinebaugh, Jack E. Hennessy, Susan C. Hennessy
  • Patent number: D360227
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Inventor: Stanley P. Dabrowski
  • Patent number: D360228
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Inventor: Stanley P. Dabrowski
  • Patent number: D363956
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Inventor: Linton Mathews
  • Patent number: D364944
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1995
    Inventor: Jerry Blaine
  • Patent number: D366067
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Inventor: Paul Mowrey
  • Patent number: D366069
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Inventor: Paul Mowrey
  • Patent number: D370031
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Inventor: Stanley P. Dabrowski
  • Patent number: D370328
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1996
    Inventors: Linton Mathews, Philip M. Stephens
  • Patent number: D374825
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Inventor: Steven M. Rowe
  • Patent number: D377310
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Inventor: Jim C. Crump, Jr.