Patents Examined by Jason Yen
  • Patent number: 10067557
    Abstract: Embodiments provide a system that includes a first interactive device and control logic configured to perform an operation. The operation includes receiving historical data describing historical interactions between a user and one or more interactive devices. Additionally, the operation includes configuring the first interactive device with one or more interactive events. Each interactive event includes a respective (i) stimulus event and (ii) an action to perform responsive to an occurrence of the stimulus event, and at least one of the one or more interactive events is based on the received historical data. Responsive to detecting an occurrence of a first one of the one or more stimulus events, the operation includes causing the first interactive device to perform the corresponding action. The operation also includes updating the first interactive device with a second one or more interactive events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Gabriel Schlumberger, Joseph O. Garlington, Theodore Wei-Yun Leung
  • Patent number: 10058787
    Abstract: Methods for sharing mini-games over a game cloud system include receiving a request from a first user to access a user account managed by the game cloud system. Access to the user account is provided, in response to the request. Providing access includes presenting a user interface with a plurality of mini-games available to the user account for user interaction, on a client device of the first user. The plurality of mini-games includes mini-games that have been shared and mini-games that have not been shared with other users. The method further includes detecting selection of a particular mini-game at the user interface. In response to detecting selection, an option to share the particular mini-game with other users, is provided. The option allows the first user to post the particular mini-game to a social stream of the other users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: David Perry, Warren Benedetto, Ryan Breed, Sean Allen, Victor Octav Suba Miura
  • Patent number: 10058779
    Abstract: When a first swing input is determined to have been made in a first movement start-possible state, in which a first object is allowed to start moving, and when the first object is put into the first movement start-possible state within a predetermined time period after the first swing input is determined to have been made, the first object is started to move in a virtual space based on at least the first swing input; and when a second swing input is determined to have been made in a second movement start-possible state, in which a second object is allowed to start moving, and when the second object is put into the second movement start-possible state within a predetermined time period after the second swing input is determined to have been made, the second object is started to move based on at least the second swing input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jun Ito, Shintaro Jikumaru
  • Patent number: 10055941
    Abstract: A system and method for providing a high integrity golf wagering game. The system includes a driving range with hitting bays where players hit balls at targets. Individual balls are associated with a particular player and are tracked from the tee in a hitting bay to a target. If a player hits a ball into a target, a wagering game is offered that awards prizes to a player depending on the outcome of the game. The game itself may take many different forms including a slot type game. The system and method include variants for randomization of game results or results based in whole or in part on a player's skill in hitting targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: EDGE TECHNOLOGY, LLC.
    Inventors: Robert A. Luciano, Jr., Warren R. White
  • Patent number: 10031999
    Abstract: A communication section receives a connection request from a game controller to connect the game controller with an information processing apparatus. A registered user information holding section holds biometric information of a user registered in the information processing apparatus. A biometric authentication portion compares biometric information of a user included in a taken image with biometric information held in the registered user information holding section to determine whether the imaged user is a user registered in the information processing apparatus. After the imaged user is found to be a user registered in the information processing apparatus, a login controller executes login processing of the user, or to be more specific, stores information for identifying a device included in the taken image and information for identifying the user into a login user storage portion by relating these items of information with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Keigo Tamura, Tomohiro Ogawa, Akitsugu Tsuchiya, Toshimasa Aoki
  • Patent number: 10026330
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include computerized methods and systems, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for objectively characterizing an impact of an intervention on individuals or groups. For example, a computing system may obtain, and store in a data lake, intervention data identifying interventions, and objective data characterizing an impact of these interventions on at least one individual. The computer system may also populate a queryable interface with query parameters (e.g., at least one of the interventions and at least a portion of the objective data), which may be presented to a user via a device. The computer system may obtain stored intervention and objective data consistent with a received query, which may be provided to the device for presentation to the user. The disclosed embodiments also provide a visual representation of trends in the stored data and candidate interventions the address the identified trends without user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Accenture Global Solutions Limited
    Inventor: Kelly Burford
  • Patent number: 10016680
    Abstract: In a network game, player characters manipulated by individual players of video game apparatuses belong to the same party to battle with an opponent character. When a player character making a special move is not present in the party, the display screen of each video game apparatus becomes a screen focusing on the player character of the player who uses this video game apparatus. When one of the player characters makes a special move, not only the display screen of the video game apparatus corresponding to this player, but also the display screens of the video game apparatuses corresponding to the other player characters in the party become screens focusing on the player character which makes the special move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SQUARE ENIX
    Inventors: Jin Fujisawa, Takashi Anzai
  • Patent number: 9999805
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for capturing, over the course of a sports match, gaze data for each participant on a team, identifying a team-level key performance indicator (KPI) associated with a sports domain to which the sports match corresponds, and generating KPI data corresponding to the KPI. A graph may then be constructed based at least in part on the KPI data, where each node in the graph may represent a player on the team or an object of interest, and each edge connecting adjacent nodes may be weighted to indicate a degree of interaction between the nodes connected by the edge. KPI data may be aggregated across multiple sports domain KPIs and analyzed to assess team performance characteristics during the sports match. Report data indicative of team performance for different game scenarios, and optionally including recommendations for improving team performance in such scenarios, may be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Karan Ahuja, Kuntal Dey, Seema Nagar, Roman Vaculin
  • Patent number: 10001563
    Abstract: Methods and systems for reconstructing a player's activity are provided. A method can include retrieving data related to a player, obtained during an activity, calculating estimates of features of the activity based on the data, receiving user input related to the features of the activity responsive to at least one of the estimates of features of the activity based on the data, and reconstructing at least a part of the activity based on the estimates of features of the activity based on the data and the user input. The player's activity can be a ball game, such as a game of golf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: TOURBRASSIE GMBH
    Inventors: Norbert Schauermann, Oliver Neumann, Jean Blaufuß
  • Patent number: 10002488
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to a gaming device including a memory, a processor, a display, a plurality of display areas located on the display, and a call tower including a first plate, a second plate, a third plate, and a call tower display screen, and a processor which initiates a base game via the plurality of display areas located on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: AGS LLC
    Inventors: Rachel Marie Calhoun, Ian Robert Scott, Karl Frederick Zedell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9997009
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine to play an interactive game where a players eye gaze acts as x-ray vision. A graphics processor generates an interactive game environment and defines a viewing area as its subset. A display device displays the viewing area, where a visible game component masks an invisible game component. A display controller controls rendering of the viewing area on the display device using the graphics processor. At least one data capture camera device continuously monitors player eye gaze to collect player eye gaze data. A game controller calculates a player eye gaze location relative to the viewing area, the location corresponding to the invisible game component, and triggers a control command to the display controller. In response, the display controller controls the display device in real-time to provide a graphical animation effect representative of a visual update to the visible game component to reveal the invisible game component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: IGT CANADA SOLUTIONS ULC
    Inventors: David Froy, Aaron Corey
  • Patent number: 9997010
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to a gaming device including a memory, a processor, a display, a plurality of display areas located on the display, and a plurality of external lights located at an outer area of a front surface of the electronic gaming device. The plurality of external lights forming a u-shape with a left side, a right side, and a bottom where each of the left side, the right side, and the bottom includes a first light column, a second light column, and a third light column. The gaming device including a processor that initiates a base game via the plurality of display areas located on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: AGS LLC
    Inventors: Sigmund Lee, Karl Frederick Zedell, Jr., Rachel Marie Calhoun, Ian Robert Scott
  • Patent number: 9996166
    Abstract: A method to identify positions of fingers of a hand is described. The method includes capturing images of a first hand using a plurality of cameras that are part of a wearable device. The wearable device is attached to a wrist of a second hand and the plurality of cameras of the wearable device is disposed around the wearable device. The method includes repeating capturing of additional images of the first hand, the images and the additional images captured to produce a stream of captured image data during a session of presenting the virtual environment in a head mounted display (HMD). The method includes sending the stream of captured image data to a computing device that is interfaced with the HMD. The computing device is configured to process the captured image data to identify changes in positions of the fingers of the first hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Roger Stafford, Todd Tokubo
  • Patent number: 9978211
    Abstract: An approach to facilitating event-based currency is provided. A first virtual currency usable by users of a game space to purchase in-space benefits may be managed. An event in the game space that is conducted during an event time period may be managed such that, during the event time period, an event virtual currency may be distributed to one or more of the users as a reward for certain operations and/or achievements performed in the game space during the event time period. Exchanges of in-space benefits associated with the event virtual currency may be effectuated for one or more of the users. In some implementations, the event virtual currency may not available to the users after the event time period, while the first virtual currency may be available to the users during and after the event time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Kabam, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephanie K. Schultz, Michael C. Caldarone
  • Patent number: 9975054
    Abstract: Building units include at least one microporous structure which permits the building units to connect with other building units or to another nonporous structure, such as a window or a wall in order to build a three dimensional structure. In some configurations the building units include a body, at least one surface having a nonporous structure, and at least one surface having an exposed microporous suction structure. Some embodiments also include a computing device such as a computer or television including a display device having a nonporous surface. The computing device generates a user interface to interact with the user. The user interface guides the user in constructing a three dimensional structure for the building units on a nonporous surface of the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Inventor: Melvin Schindler
  • Patent number: 9962611
    Abstract: Methods enable creation of a game slice from a game. Plurality of games is provided for presentation on a display device. Each game is identified by an image. Selection activity is detected at the image of one of the games. In response to the selection, game code of the selected game is executed to enable game play of an unlocked game. The selected game is streamed to the display device. User interaction related to the game play is received. A recording of the game play is examined to identify portions of the game for generating a game slice, which are returned in a suggested list for selection. Game slice is generated for a selected portion from the list. A recording of the game play for the game slice is associated as a primary video segment. The game slice and the primary video segment are provided for sharing over a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: David Perry, Victor Octav Suba Miura, Warren Benedetto
  • Patent number: 9965922
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for executing a computer game. One method includes an operation for setting an initial value to the jackpot of a first player. The jackpot of the first player is increased based on each bet by the first player in the computer game. Additionally, the jackpot of the first player is increased based on each bet made by friends of the first player in the computer game. The friends of the first player have a social connection with the first player, and the jackpot of the first player is independent from bets in the computer game of players that are not friends of the first player. The method further includes an operation for resetting the jackpot of the first player to the initial value when the first player or when any friend of the first player wins the jackpot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Zynga Inc.
    Inventors: John Frederic Constable, Jon-Paul Emile Dumont, Michael J. Engle, Cor Robert Despota, James Chia-Ming Liu, Michael Anthony Fox
  • Patent number: 9953486
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling access to online casino games are described herein. In one aspect, an authoritative image of a remote player is received and stored in a biometrical facial recognition database. The authoritative image can be linked with a player profile of a player tracking card holder. To play an online casino game, the remote player can provide an authentication image. The player's presence in the authentication image can be determined using a biometrical facial recognition software application. Upon successful authentication, a selection of online casino games can be displayed to the remote player. The real-time (e.g., during game play) identity of the remote player can be determined. If an authorized remote player has been replaced by an unauthorized remote player, the game play can be terminated. In another aspect, the remote player provides the authoritative image after receiving an invitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Inventor: Otho Dale Hill
  • Patent number: 9947177
    Abstract: Systems and methods for conducting a side bet in a game include receiving side bet parameters that control how the side bet is conducted. The side bet parameters may include a specified in-game event. Gameplay of the game by participants of the side bet may be monitored to determine whether the in-game event has occurred for one of the participants. If so, funds associated with the side bet may be apportioned to the winning participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Toby F. Naylor, Jerry L. Byrd, Shad G. Clingingsmith, John E. Thieltges, Tyson C. Joehler, Kyle A. Larson, Tom W. Kleckner, Steven K. Lundberg
  • Patent number: 9940600
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed that includes capturing data about motion of a sports object caused by one or more athletes manipulating the sports object, transmitting the captured data out of the sports object wirelessly in real time while the one or more athletes are still manipulating the sports object, and presenting information that incorporates the captured data about motion of the sports objects with one or more wearable devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Russel Brands, LLC
    Inventors: Kevin King, Matthew Anthony Tyson, Mark Joseph Davisson