Patents Examined by Carl V Larsen
  • Patent number: 10733849
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a display device and a game controller. The display device includes reels disposed horizontally along the display device. The reels include an initial reel, intermediary reels disposed right of the initial reel, and a last reel disposed right of the intermediary reels. Each reel presents a vertical column of symbols. The game controller spins the reels to obtain a first game outcome comprising a first array of symbols. In response to a first reel presenting a respin symbol, the game controller selects a second reel that is adjacent to the first reel based on wrap-around adjacency between the initial reel and the last reel, and respins the second reel to obtain a second game outcome comprising a second array of symbols. The game controller may also respin a horizontal row of symbols adjacent a respin symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
    Inventors: David Marsh, Karl Roelofs
  • Patent number: 10722790
    Abstract: A command server outputs information related to a screen rendering command and transmission destination information to a rendering server, in which at least some of rendering resources required when performing rendering of a screen in accordance with the information related to the rendering command are loaded, among a plurality of rendering servers associated with the command server. Then, the rendering server reads the rendering resources from the required rendering resources that are still not loaded to load them into the loading region to hold them, performs the rendering of the screen based on the information related to the rendering command, and transmits it to a target client terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsuru Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 10661171
    Abstract: A method performed at a first gaming terminal of a plurality of gaming terminals engaged in a group game, wherein the first gaming terminal corresponds to a first game player, and a second gaming terminal corresponds to a second game player: displaying a first game scene from a first viewing perspective corresponding to the first game player; displaying, concurrently with the first game scene, a game avatar corresponding to the second game player; in response to detecting a user input that is directed to the game avatar corresponding to the second game player, and in accordance with a determination that the user input meets predefined team-view criteria: retrieving a second game scene from a second viewing perspective corresponding to the second game player; and displaying the second game scene at the first gaming terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventors: Yu Chen, Yong Tang, Wei Gong, Jianmiao Weng
  • Patent number: 10646776
    Abstract: A server apparatus, method, and program are provided that are capable of causing information about the real world to be reflected in the virtual world of a game. First, a server apparatus receives a signal including at least one of location information sent from a terminal apparatus or specific point-to-point distance information calculated based on the location information. Next, the server apparatus, based on at least one of the location information or the distance information, calculates a cumulative distance between a plurality of other points through which the terminal apparatus has passed in the real world. Next, the server apparatus sets a reward to be granted to the terminal apparatus in accordance with the cumulative distance. This makes it possible, for example, to cause an online game to be closely correlated with the daily life of the user, and to arouse the interest of users in the online game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuki Morishita, Daisuke Yamamoto, Kenji Kobayashi, Koichi Nobori, Tomoyuki Morishita, Hajime Miyajima, Atsuo Kamiya, Satoru Obana
  • Patent number: 10650550
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer readable storage for identifying regions of interest on a casino gaming table. Regions of interest are locations on an image where relevant actions are typically going to occur. For example, locations of betting area region of interest and card area regions of interest are determined so that these areas can be analyzed on a video camera. The analyzed areas can then be used for things such as determining and tracking player betting amounts, determining if the game is being dealt properly (by analyzing the cards dealt to determine if the proper cards are dealt and/or the proper payouts are made).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: VISUALIMITS, LLC
    Inventors: Ryan McClellan, Brett Tinling, Robin Groenevelt
  • Patent number: 10639549
    Abstract: An information processing method, including: at a first gaming terminal that corresponds to a first game player in a game: displaying a first game scene from a first viewing perspective corresponding to the first game player; displaying, concurrently with the first game scene, a character selection area that is distinct from the first game scene, including displaying, within the character selection area, respective avatars corresponding a first subset of the plurality of game characters that are currently eligible targets of a first game operation associated with the first game player; detecting a selection input directed to at least a first avatar in the character selection area that corresponds to a first game character of the first subset of the plurality of game characters; and in response to detecting the selection input, selecting the first game character in the first game scene as a target of the first game operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Yong Tang, Jianmiao Weng, Yu Chen, Wei Gong
  • Patent number: 10632379
    Abstract: A method for performing interaction in a chessboard interface includes: detecting an operation of triggering a chessboard interface to select an interaction area; locating a square in which the operation is located; determining a first movement amount of the square, where the first movement amount is obtained by counting movement operations of a user performed on squares in the chessboard interface; and magnifying the chessboard interface according to the first movement amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Zhuo Gong
  • Patent number: 10625148
    Abstract: A game program when executed causes a computer to perform a process including storing a plurality of game areas each associated with one of a plurality of players including a subject player; receiving information concerning an own game area associated with the subject player and information concerning statuses of progress of the subject player and a plurality of other players different from the subject player through the game in the own game area; storing, in association with the own game area, the statuses of the progress of the subject player and the plurality of other players through the game in the own game area; comparing statuses of progress of the plurality of players through the game in the own game area; outputting display information for displaying a comparison result; and transmitting the display information to terminals of the plurality of players.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Higo
  • Patent number: 10617945
    Abstract: A game information system that locates and identifies content in live or prerecorded video of games or other events, and that obtains information about the located content from one or more sources. Players associated with the located and identified content may be identified, and information about the players may also be obtained. The information about the identified content and/or players may be provided to devices associated with participants for display. The information may be overlaid on the game video and/or displayed in separate windows or screens. A participant may interact with the displayed information to obtain additional information about the content and/or players. Video and/or audio analysis techniques may be used to locate the content in the video. A machine learning technique may be used to improve performance of content location and identification over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Martin George, Scott Edward Van Vliet
  • Patent number: 10614670
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a fantasy sports games or other type of gaming options. A gaming entity may establish a fund of money that is to be exposed to a gaming market in an attempt to win money from risking the fund of money. A gaming operator may use the pool or fund to create liquidity in a gaming market. Various gamers may enter into games with the gaming entity by by matching with various portions of the pool or fund.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Lee Amaitis, Jacob Loveless, Quinton Singleton, Paul Williams
  • Patent number: 10596473
    Abstract: Exemplary communication system 1 includes game devices 10, communication terminals 20, and game support server 30. Game devices 10 enable users to perform a multi-play activity. Each of communication terminals 20 runs an application associated with corresponding game device 10. Game support server 30 divides communication terminals 20 into separate communication groups in accordance with a situation of the multi-play activity performed by game devices 10 so that communication terminals 20 belonging to a same communication group can communicate with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Nakamura, Masashi Seiki, Yosuke Fujino, Miki Murakami, Hideaki Tanabe, Sho Onuma, Naoya Hirota, Kojiro Taguchi, Daisuke Tsujimura
  • Patent number: 10589180
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to providing an online shooting game by a game server communicatively connected to a player terminal. The player terminal may display a virtual online shooting game environment based on information received from the game server. Providing an online shooting game may include: selecting a basic identification range within a virtual online shooting game environment displayed on the player terminal; detecting one or more enemy characters that are within the basic identification range; determining one of the detected one or more enemy characters as an automatic tracking object; and allowing an aiming point to automatically track movement of the automatic tracking object within the basic identification range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventors: Chang Hyun Jo, Ki Hoon Lee, Jung Ho Lee, Sae Rom Kim
  • Patent number: 10576369
    Abstract: A game controller includes a housing; a top panel disposed on an opening portion of the housing and having a manipulation input surface; a position detector configured to detect a position of a manipulation input performed on the manipulation input surface; a vibrating element configured to generate a vibration in the manipulation input surface of the top panel; and a drive controlling part configured to drive the vibrating element by using a driving signal causing the vibrating element to generate a natural vibration in an ultrasound-frequency-band in the manipulation input surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Akinori Miyamoto, Yasuhiro Endo, Yuichi Kamata, Kiyoshi Taninaka
  • Patent number: 10569169
    Abstract: Data processing method and apparatus for a network system are provided. The method includes collecting, by a recording module at a socket interface of a front apparatus of the network system, data packets transmitted between the front apparatus and a server, sequentially recording the collected data packets in a binary file in chronological order, and saving the binary file; and disconnecting, by a playback module, transmission communication between the front apparatus and the server, sequentially parsing the data packets in the binary file in chronological order, and sending the data packets to an upper-layer logic processing module of the front apparatus without using the socket interface. The present disclosure can implement a demonstration (Demo) technology of a network system in a simple processing manner, thereby reducing system complexity and storage space occupied, and improving universality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Jun Li, Zhiyong Zhuo, Yiju Mou, Zhuo Gong, Liang Shang
  • Patent number: 10546451
    Abstract: A game machine includes a display device that displays a game screen in which virtual reels formed by symbols are arranged so as to correspond one-to-one to cells as symbol stop positions. And, a game machine determines the symbol to stop in each cell through drawing, and controls a movement to change the symbol and a stop of the movement for each virtual reel based on a drawing result. Furthermore, a game machine determines a number of specific symbols that stop in the cells, and controls a movement of each virtual reel, which causes the specific symbols to appear in the cells, as one virtual reel group and a stop of the movement in units of virtual reel group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Konami Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Daisuke Nakamura, Hidetomo Yamashita, Hayato Mizue, Hiromitsu Negishi
  • Patent number: 10537813
    Abstract: Provided is a social game capable of, when a new group is created, allowing such a group to progress a game smoothly. A server device that provides a game, in which a plurality of players can participate, is connected to terminal devices operated by the players via a communication line, and comprises: an information storage unit; and a control unit. The information storage unit stores information on a first group, in which the players participate, and information on a second group, in which the players are supposed to participate; the control unit receives notification on acceptance of participation in the second group from the terminal devices, and when it is determined that the number of players in the second group reaches a certain number, stores the second group as a new first group at the information storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: GREE, INC.
    Inventor: Koichi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10542102
    Abstract: A server device is provided that provides a user with a mode for assigning newer privileges. The server device includes: a communication unit for receiving, from a terminal device, position information indicating a position of the terminal device in the real world, the terminal device being held by a user, and a first application being executed in the terminal device; a memory unit for storing a plurality of items stored in correspondence with prescribed locations in the real world; and a control unit for assigning to the user a privilege usable in a second application different from the first application, on the basis of one or more items that are selected by the user from the plurality of items stored in the memory unit and that are arranged in correspondence with locations within a prescribed range from the real-world position indicated by the position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuki Morishita, Daisuke Yamamoto, Kenji Kobayashi, Koichi Nobori, Tomoyuki Morishita, Hajime Miyajima, Atsuo Kamiya, Satoru Obana
  • Patent number: 10518181
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to enabling access to a game instance through a messenger application. A client-side player component facilitates communication between a game instance on the client device and a backend server of a social networking system. The communication information can be stored in or retrieved from a social graph of the social networking system. The game instance can be initialized from a social platform of the social networking system, and the game can be played without leaving the messenger application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Vaccari, Richard Kenneth Zadorozny, Jeremy Harrison Goldberg, Peter Henry Martinazzi, Lei Guang, Li Yang, Jennifer A. Burge
  • Patent number: 10500495
    Abstract: A CPU performs a sound acquisition step of acquiring sound data for outputting sound, a movement step of moving a virtual sound source and/or a virtual microphone in a virtual space in which the virtual sound source and the virtual microphone are set, a sound modification step of generating modified sound by adding the Doppler effect virtually observed by the virtual microphone when the sound is output from the virtual sound source to the sound of the sound data by calculation using the values of the limited speeds of the virtual sound source and/or the virtual microphone, and a modified sound output step of outputting the modified sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shigetoshi Gohara
  • Patent number: 10504324
    Abstract: A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a bonus event unit based system to provide one or more awards to one or more players. Such bonus event units are accumulated by a player based on one or more events associated with the player's gaming experience. The bonus event units utilized in the gaming system are selectively redeemed by the player in exchange for one or more opportunities to win an award.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Anthony J. Baerlocher, Glen Keith Russell