Patents Examined by Eric M. Thomas
  • Patent number: 11417167
    Abstract: An enhanced lottery media representation object such as a ticket, for example, permits a user to access certain desirable features using a communications device. In embodiments of the present invention, an improved physical lottery ticket is provided with one or more icons, such as code elements or graphic patterns, thereupon to enable a user with a properly enabled device to detect, such as by scanning or photographing the icon, or by maintaining the icon within a field of view, one or more of the icons to reveal one or more enhanced experiences via the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: IGT Global Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: James C. Barnes
  • Patent number: 11413549
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a first client system of a first user, a first notification that a second user has performed a first in-game action in a game session of a game; displaying, at the first client system, a game window associated with the game within a message thread on a messaging application running on the first client system, the game window comprising a live gameplay of the first in-game action and one or more interactive action buttons operable to allow the first user to perform one or more in-game actions; receiving, by the first client system, an indication of the first user performing a second in-game action via the one or more interactive action buttons; and sending, by the first client system to a second client system, a second notification that the first user has performed the second in-game action in the game session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Vaccari, Pooya Karimian, Lei Guang
  • Patent number: 11413543
    Abstract: A game apparatus for selectively providing motivation to specific users to continue playing a game, which may include a log information retrieval unit that retrieves log information associated with user identification information related to a plurality of registered users, a game processing unit that starts playing a game and progresses the game based on operation information by the registered users, an index value calculation unit that calculates, for each of the registered users, an index value indicating a possibility that the registered users will not perform a predetermined action within a predetermined period based on the log information retrieved by the log information retrieval unit, and a privilege granting unit that grants a predetermined privilege providing an advantage in the game to a specific user of the plurality of registered users based on the index value calculated by the index value calculation unit for each of the registered users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Fujiwara, Gakuto Yoshii
  • Patent number: 11410260
    Abstract: An apparatus and method and computer readable storage to conduct transactions that allow users to establish positions on underlying events. The method disclosed herein can allow user to establish positions using money, credits or points, and if the position is successfully, the user can receive a payout on the position, which may include, money credits, points, or prizes. The transactions can relate to financial instruments and financial transaction and can also be used for games and gaming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel S. Gunsberg, Robert F. Levy
  • Patent number: 11403919
    Abstract: Various aspects described for implementing hybrid arcade/wager-based gaming techniques via computer networks, including one or more casino gaming networks. The hybrid arcade/wager-based game may include a non-wager based gaming portion and a wager-based gaming portion. One or more players are able to concurrently engage in continuous game play of the non-wager based gaming portion during execution of wager-based gaming events which are automatically triggered based on events which occur during play of the non-wager based gaming portion. In some embodiments, the outcomes of the wager-based gaming events are predetermined (before triggering of the wager-based game events) using a random number generator (RNG).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: AKKADIAN ENTERPRISES
    Inventors: Georg Washington, Joe Serra, Tom Stankevich, Justin MacAuley
  • Patent number: 11389732
    Abstract: Disclosed are new and innovative methods and systems for coordinating a game having a plurality of players. One of the methods comprises: enabling each of the plurality of players to create a team of champions; and creating a one or more real-time battles between a plurality of human players.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Riot Games, Inc.
    Inventor: David Abecassis
  • Patent number: 11389723
    Abstract: A method for displaying a battle interface in a terminal is provided. The method includes: displaying a battle board in a user interface (UI) of a screen; obtaining an ith location switching instruction; eliminating connected to-be-eliminated elements with a same type according to the ith location switching instruction; displaying placeholder identifiers of lattices corresponding to the eliminated elements as a first placeholder identifier; and displaying a winner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventor: Jian Luo
  • Patent number: 11389736
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client system of a first user, a request for a games tab on an application of the messaging network running on the client system; providing, to the client system in response to the request, instructions for presenting the games tab comprising an initial list of games on the application of the messaging network based on one or more criteria; receiving game data associated with one or more games interacted with by the first user; determining whether the first user has satisfied a threshold level of gaming activity for updating the games tab; and providing, to the client system in response to determining that the first user has satisfied the threshold level of gaming activity, instructions for updating the games tab to re-sort the initial list of games based on the one or more games interacted with by the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Vaccari, Pooya Karimian, Lei Guang
  • Patent number: 11369882
    Abstract: A server in conjunction with a terminal device detects a status of a non-time element differing from a time element among game elements; executes area setting processing for setting a game field to a first game area and a second game area that differs from the first game area in accordance with the detected status of the non-time element; executes, at least when the second game area has been set by the area setting processing, constraint setting processing of setting a given constraint in the game on a player character belonging to the second game area; and providing the terminal device with information for controlling a player character on which the given constraint in the game has been imposed as a player character belonging to the second game area and controlling a player character belonging to the first game area without imposing the given constraint in the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Shoji, Akio Onda
  • Patent number: 11373486
    Abstract: A gaming machine produces boosted feature areas of different sizes and/or shapes and/or locations based on chance and alerts players and bystanders of such changes when they happen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: AGS LLC
    Inventor: Paul Luke Lombardo
  • Patent number: 11358052
    Abstract: A method includes acquiring position information of a user. The method further includes receiving an input operation designating a position range that enables configuring a game parameter in map data usable in a game. The method further includes advancing a game such that, when the acquired position information is in the position range based on the game parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: COLOPL, INC.
    Inventor: Naruatsu Baba
  • Patent number: 11351462
    Abstract: An example of an information processing system displays on a display device two or more selection candidates each corresponding to a game character in a draw mode. In the draw mode, a game character corresponding to a selected selection candidate is granted to the user in exchange for decreasing a predetermined parameter. When a cumulative grant count becomes equal to or greater than a reference count, the information processing system permits execution of a designated mode. In the designated mode, a game character designated by the user is granted to the user. In the draw mode, the information processing system accepts a selection instruction until an end process is performed even after the cumulative grant count becomes equal to or greater than the reference count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shingo Matsushita
  • Patent number: 11344805
    Abstract: Information handling systems, methods, and computer-readable media enable gameplay event detection and gameplay enhancement operations. One or more in-game events may be detected by monitoring audio content, by monitoring video content, by monitoring user input, by monitoring other information, or a combination thereof. The one or more in-game events (and information related to the one or more in-game events) may be stored at a database. Information of the database may be accessed to trigger one or more gameplay enhancement operations. The one or more gameplay enhancement operations may include an automatic highlight capture operation, a dynamic screen aggregation operation, a dynamic position switch operation, a dynamic player switch operation, a gameplay enhancement operation using one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a lighting effect or a haptic feedback event), one or more other gameplay enhancement operations, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Ryan Nicholas Comer, Erik Summa, Lindsey Everett-Lawrence
  • Patent number: 11344808
    Abstract: The application describes methods and systems for dynamically generating a music clip for rendering at client devices in a multi-player gaming network. Player data and event data are acquired and classified into two or more profiles. The music clip is then generated by identifying a mood based on one of the two or more event profiles and one of the two or more player profiles and modulating one or more music elements of a segment of audio data based on the identified mood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Activision Publishing, Inc.
    Inventor: Jon Ray Estanislao
  • Patent number: 11344812
    Abstract: A method of performing operations for executing a progressive interactive augmented reality (AR) advertisement display during execution of a running application is disclosed. based on a receiving of a first trigger event from the running application, a first aspect of the progressive AR advertisement is executed within a display window while the application is executing. The first aspect includes an interactive advertisement. Based on a receiving of a second trigger event from within the first aspect of the progressive AR advertisement, a second aspect of the progressive AR advertisement is executed in the display window while the application is executing. The second aspect includes an interactive AR advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Unity Technologies SF
    Inventors: Anthony Salvatore Parisi, Katrina Rose Stagg
  • Patent number: 11338206
    Abstract: A plurality of content groups are stored in a memory, and some of the content groups are determined as selectable target groups by a selection. One content group is selected from among the selectable target groups on the basis of a user's operation, and a selection process is executed for the one content group. A content selected is given to the user, and a given status of each content is stored in the memory such that this given content is excluded. In addition, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, selectable target groups are selected again. At this time, the given status of each content in each content group is retained regardless of which content groups are set as the selectable target groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Sensui, Masaki Yasuhara
  • Patent number: 11338200
    Abstract: Methods and systems for provisioning resources for games executed by a cloud gaming system includes accessing online interactions of a plurality of users in relation to a game. The online interactions are processed to classify discussion features obtained from online social communications. A model is generated to predict game use, using the classified discussion features. The model is updated with online interactions received over time. Resources for the game are provisioned at a data center. The provisioning is done by accessing the model and identifying adjustments in the provisioning for an anticipated usage spike that is to occur by a plurality of users, based on current online interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Geoff Norton
  • Patent number: 11318372
    Abstract: A game processing device includes a scene determination portion, a sound recognition portion, a conformity determination portion, and an action controller. The scene determination portion determines whether a scene is an input scene in which sound input information can be input. The sound recognition portion, at an input scene, recognizes sound that is input as the sound input information. The conformity determination portion determines a degree of conformity between (a) the sound input information that is recognized and (b) reference information. The action controller changes an action effect according to the degree of conformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: GREE, INC.
    Inventor: Masato Nozaki
  • Patent number: 11318387
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to unlocking game content for users of an online game based on amounts of collaborative gameplay. Groups of users interacting with the online game cooperatively are identified and amounts of cooperative gameplay engaged in by the individual groups are quantified. Content in the online game is made available to the groups of users based on the quantified amounts of cooperative gameplay. In implementations, the quantification of the amount of cooperative gameplay engaged in by the groups is made independent from achievement and/or successful accomplishment of any game objective in the online game by the groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Kabam, Inc.
    Inventors: Clifford J. Harrington, Kent Wakeford
  • Patent number: 11305197
    Abstract: A system and method for drafting and managing a fantasy sports team. A method for managing a fantasy sports leagues, tournaments or contests on a plurality of remote devices having instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the devices being communicatively connected to a network, comprising pairing user-ranked lists to draft for each position independently. A system for managing a fantasy sports team, comprising a plurality of remote devices having instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the devices being communicatively connected to a database over a network, wherein the system is configured to draft players for each position from user-ranked lists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Inventor: Mitchell Frazier