Patents Examined by Dolores Collins
  • Patent number: 8888550
    Abstract: The present invention comprises an attractant and or cover scent bubble delivery device, system, and method of utilizing same wherein bubbles are generated with a desired attractant, scent and or other chemical in a timed and or desired manner remotely such that airborne bubbles may be utilized to attract desired wild life and or provide a cover scent for the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventor: James C. Conner
  • Patent number: 8888553
    Abstract: A doll head is disclosed having a magnetically adjustable facial contour, along with a method for assembling same. In one embodiment, the doll head includes a face mask support on which is mounted an elastically deformable face mask. Movable adjustment mechanisms and associated motors and power supplies for moving the adjustment mechanisms are disposed in the face mask support. Each adjustment mechanism generates an applied magnetic field. First magnets are affixed to an inner surface of the face mask, and second magnets in magnetic communication with the first magnets are slidably disposed on an exterior surface of the face mask support. The adjustment mechanisms selectively apply magnetic fields that slidably adjust position of the second magnets. As position of the second magnets slidably adjust, the first magnets move to a like extent. As the first magnets move, contour of the face mask adjusts to change expression of the doll head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventor: Matthew McMullen
  • Patent number: 8888616
    Abstract: A variably compressible device placed on the peripheral portion of a racquet frame over or through which a loop of racquet string is placed compressing and holding the device against the outside surface of the racquet frame. The device and method provides for a controlled degree of compressibility permitting selected strings to undergo greater deflection through processes of device compression and intrinsic string elongation when striking the ball compared to the behavior of an equivalent string striking the ball without the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventor: Michael S. Kitchen
  • Patent number: 8882111
    Abstract: The present invention is a prize distribution system for an amusement game that can deliver to a player a brick of tickets in bulk form, or deliver a prize that is shaped like a brick, in a reliable manner that is theft resistant and requires no human interaction to participate. The invention uses a conveyor belt and motor to extract a prize from a stacked or secured configuration, and move the prize to a bin accessible to the player. In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a second motor and door system that opens and closes access to the bin, preventing a would-be thief from reaching through the bin to the prize stack in an attempt to remove a prize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Inventor: Stephen P. Shoemaker, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8876572
    Abstract: A toy vehicle launching ramp and landing ramp is a toy vehicle track set that includes a launching ramp or track portion and a landing or receiving ramp or track portion. The toy vehicle track set also includes a booster or launcher which can propel or launch a toy vehicle onto the launching ramp, into the air, and onto the landing ramp. Further the set includes at least one elongate member with distance indicia, such that a user can measure the distance between the launcher and launching ramp, the launching ramp and receiving ramp, or some combination thereof. The toy vehicle track set enhances the play value of toy vehicle track sets by providing reliable and measurable jumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony M. Martino, Kevin Cao, David Alan Sheltman
  • Patent number: 8876620
    Abstract: An apparatus for improving a user's grip on a sports equipment handle is made of a single substantially resilient deformable planar sheet of non-slip material. The planar sheet has a narrower first end in which a finger hole is disposed, and a wider second cad. To use the apparatus, a user places the apparatus on a finger with the wider end oriented toward the finger tips. A handle is placed on the wider end, and rolled toward a user's palm, thereby securing the apparatus to the user's hand. The apparatus may be disengaged by simply relaxing the grip on the handle and allowing it to rotate out of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Inventor: Erik Ahlberg
  • Patent number: 8870623
    Abstract: A toy track set is provided. The toy track set having: a vehicle path defined by a track and a gap disposed between a first end and a second end of the track; a catapult mechanism disposed within the vehicle path adjacent the first end, the catapult mechanism comprising: a platform member and a switch operably coupled to move the platform member from the second position to the first position. A catapult member having a first arm and a second arm rotationally coupled to the track, the first arm movable between a third position and a fourth position. A release mechanism is disposed adjacent the first end, the release mechanism having a trigger operably coupled to retain the catapult member in the third position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Gustavo Ferreyra, Kurnia Alim, Alex Au, Stacy O'Connor
  • Patent number: 8870620
    Abstract: A game call having a plurality of reeds is provided for simulating the sound of a game animal. The call provides sounding board with first and second opposing faces and at least one reed associated with the first face and the second face. A user may selectively operate one or more of the reeds in order to simulate the call or sound of one or more animals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Inventor: Levi McLeod
  • Patent number: 8851478
    Abstract: One or more additional “bonus hand” cards that have no playing value are added to the deck of playing cards that is used in a video poker. When a “bonus hand” card appears in the player's initially dealt hand of cards, the player receives a second bonus hand of the initially dealt hand of cards. Alternatively, if the bonus hand card appears as one of the replacement cards during the draw step of video poker, the player is provided with another poker hand. In general, any type of triggering event is provided which awards the player another hand of video poker for no additional charge if the triggering event occurs during the player of the video poker hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ernest Moody Revocable Trust
    Inventor: Ernest W. Moody
  • Patent number: 8851479
    Abstract: The present invention provides shuffled playing cards which eliminate the need for a game host to shuffle cards before games by taking a lot of time as well as eliminate the possibility of cheating. A shuffled playing cards (1) obtained by shuffling a predetermined number of decks of playing cards (12) using a shuffling machine is packaged as an individual pack. The shuffled playing cards (1) is individually packaged and sealed with an adhesive label (13). A bar code (13a) which represents a unique shuffled card ID has been printed on the adhesive label (13). The shuffled card ID is registered in a database by being associated with information which allows identification of a shuffling machine used to shuffle the playing card set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasushi Shigeta
  • Patent number: 8851474
    Abstract: A game combines knowledge cards and exercise in rolling painted animal coconuts on a playing surface. The animal coconuts move in an unpredictable way with painted marks that identify jungle animals. A weight can be disposed inside the animal coconut to make it waddle as it rolls. A sound box can be placed inside the animal coconut so that it makes the sound of the animal that the coconut represents as it waddles down the playing surface. The playing surface can be a rug marked by a vine with starting lines for various ages, handicap, and/or skill of players. A fact or question/answer card can be read before a player can roll their animal coconut. A shag rug is used to slow down the animal coconut as it is heading to score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Inventor: Joseph Charles Shirvinski, Sr.
  • Patent number: 8844930
    Abstract: A card shuffler that moves cards one-at-a-time from the bottom of a group that may be a deck in a deck-crib, to randomly designated single-card receptacles in a receiving or dealing rack, and a method for shuffling and for dealing cards. Either the deck-crib or the receiving rack is moved by a motor to align a single-card receptacle, randomly selected from among remaining empty single-card receptacles, with an outfeed slot of the deck-crib to receive each card to be moved from the deck-crib. A space is provided in the dealing rack in one embodiment, where a dealer's hand can reach cards and remove them from the dealing rack. A controller can cause the dealing rack to move so as to allow a selected number of cards to be removed by the dealer for dealing as a player hand or a dealer hand. A card reader may be included, and positions in the receiving or dealing rack of cards identified by the card reader can be stored in memory in the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Savant Shuffler LLC
    Inventors: David E. Sampson, Steven L. Forte
  • Patent number: 8844929
    Abstract: A gaming method includes repetitive plays simulating rolls of virtual dice by a player and at least one of a bonus feature and a progressive feature. A gaming method includes scoring dice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Winsor Concepts
    Inventors: Reynolds W. Guyer, Thomas W. Guyer
  • Patent number: 8845387
    Abstract: A playset is provided herein the playset having: a structure having a first level and a second level, the second level being located above the first level; a mechanism secured to the structure for moving an object from the first level to the second level; and a collapsible third level located below the first level, the collapsible third level being configured for movement between a contracted position and an expanded position with respect to the first level, wherein a portion of the first level is configured to support the structure on an edge of an elevated surface such that collapsible third level is capable of being moved into the expanded position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles E. Grafton, Glenn Yu
  • Patent number: 8840403
    Abstract: A wearable device for simulating wounds and injuries received during a trauma event includes a raiment and vest for covering the torso of a person. The raiment has an outer surface with a color and a texture comparable to human skin. Mounted on the outer surface is at least one wound simulator formed with an orifice that is in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir. Thus, the person can selectively expel a blood-like fluid from the reservoir, and through the wound simulator orifice, to simulate a trauma event. The vest includes an artificial rib cage and prosthetic internal organs juxtaposed with at least one wound simulator to simulate internal effects of a trauma event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Inventor: Stuart C. Segall
  • Patent number: 8827271
    Abstract: An elliptical, poker table incorporating two dealer stations with each dealer station including one or more of the following: automatic card shuffler, chip rack, poker cards and drop box. In one configuration, the two dealer stations are positioned oppositely on long sides of the poker table and may be offset from one another. The poker table layout may include two chip areas at each player station to accommodate different sets of chips—one for each poker game being played simultaneously. The poker table layout may depict two distinguishable common card areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Inventor: Timothy M. Frazin
  • Patent number: 8814164
    Abstract: An apparatus for randomly arranging and dealing a plurality of playing cards includes a device for moving cards and randomly ejecting playing cards from an initial set of playing cards located in a card input unit for an initial delivery of randomly arranged playing cards to a card delivery unit. The card delivery unit includes upper powered rollers and lower powered belts for receiving and transporting the playing cards through the card delivery unit and into a card collection unit. A playing card limiter is adjustable to allow a greater number or a lesser number of cards to pass from the card delivery unit to the card collection unit. Methods of randomly arranging and dealing a plurality of playing cards may include related apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Thompson Baker, Steven J. Blad, Lynn Hessing, Phil Price, Carl W. Price
  • Patent number: 8808005
    Abstract: A self-contained medical needle decompression training apparatus is provided. In various embodiments, the system includes a hollow body having at least one sidewall, a closed end, an opposing open end and an interior chamber. The apparatus additionally includes a closure device structured and operable to mate with the open end to close the interior chamber and an orifice on the sidewall of the apparatus that is configured to snugly receive a decompression needle. The orifice may include pads or plugs of pliant material to simulate human flesh, simulated ribs on each side of the orifice, and a bladder in the chamber to simulate air pockets in a human body, such as for example a lung. The interior chamber provides a storage space for medical devices to be used in association with the training system, such as for example medical decompression syringes, needles, flesh pads and replaceable bladders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Mochtech, LLC
    Inventor: Robb Mourton
  • Patent number: 8808006
    Abstract: Disclosed is a display system that combines the advantages of a dry-erase surface with a customized, interchangeable background so that information and or fields over which dry-erase markings are made are integrated with the background display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: ID Signsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeff Ureles, Paul Dudley
  • Patent number: 8807567
    Abstract: A card game includes a deck of cards used, for example, to play craps, poker, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Howard W. Lutnick, Dean P. Alderucci, Geoffrey M. Gelman