Patents Examined by Michael Cuff
  • Patent number: 10431106
    Abstract: A performance measurement system is provided utilizing an architecture configured to efficiently merge and monitor different types of performance data. Connectors are provided to receive and translate different types of performance data from different sources. The performance data is translated into and stored in a common data model format. In some embodiments, key attributes are defined for each of the performance data sources that uniquely characterizes each relevant performance data so that is can be parsed into separate processing streams to increase system performance. The key attributes also act as cues to organize the performance data as it is being merged so that it can be accessed without requiring a specific source data linkage. Using model listeners, determinations can be quickly made regarding when performance data is changed to reduce calculations necessary to determine measure values. Some embodiments merge different types of performance data in real-time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: APTIMA, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Tolland, Zachary Zuzack
  • Patent number: 10395550
    Abstract: A portable computing device and method for transmitting Instructor Operating Station (IOS) filtered information. A portable computing device receives IOS control and monitoring data from a simulation server, displays the IOS control and monitoring data on the portable computing device, and receives a selection by a user of at least one component of the displayed IOS control and monitoring data. The selection is performed by an interaction of the user with the displayed IOS control and monitoring data. The portable computing device determines IOS filtered information related to the selected at least one component, and transmits the IOS filtered information to a destination computing device. The determination of the IOS filtered information takes into consideration destination user access rights of a destination user. The destination device may be a simulator or a portable computing device, where the destination user performs a simulation session by interacting with the simulation server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: CAE INC
    Inventor: Jean-Francois Delisle
  • Patent number: 10387973
    Abstract: Activity feeds let users know about what is happening, and stay connected, with their friends and games. Users are able to discover new and exciting stories, games and friends. The information presented for a particular user is the most relevant information for that user. Relevancy is used to determine the priority of how items/feed stories are presented for a user. Feed stories are shown for a particular user's friends. The most popular trending stories are shown to all users based on relevancy rules. Most popular trending stories are determined based on the ones that have the most comments and likes. The activity feeds relating to a particular type are able to be condensed and presented to the users. Custom actions for the particular type of condensed activity feeds are identical. Condensed activity feeds are displayed using a predefined format “condensed title.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Yong, Khoi-Nguyen Duc Do, Dustin Huy Pham, Isaias Formacio-Serna
  • Patent number: 10373423
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a gaming system and method providing a multiplayer secondary game having an outcome determined based on play of a primary game of at least one, but not all, of the secondary game players. In various embodiments, play of a primary game of a designated one of a plurality of players of a secondary game controls play of the secondary game independent of any play of any primary games of the other players of the secondary game. Put differently, play of the secondary game depends on play of the primary game of the designated player and does not depend on any play of any primary games of the other. Thus, while multiple players participate in the secondary game and may concurrently play individual primary games, play of the primary game of one, but not all, of those players controls play of the secondary game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Thomas J. Humphrey, Thomas W. Allen, II, Dylan B. Selegue, Ross D. Wenker
  • Patent number: 10357709
    Abstract: An arena includes a porous surface through which an airflow is output, thereby providing lift for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to push the UAV away from the porous surface. The airflow may also provide thrust to push the UAV in a direction that is parallel to the porous surface. The UAV may include one or more propellers that can provide lift, thrust, or both to the UAV. The airflow may be modified over a duration of time to modify lift or thrust to the UAV. The airflow may be modified based on regions of the arena to modify lift or thrust in different regions of the arena. The arena may include a scoreboard to display a score that may be modified as a result of actions undertaken by the UAV. Two or more UAVs may be used to play a game via the arena.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Dominic Saul Mallinson
  • Patent number: 10354548
    Abstract: A portable computing device and method for transmitting Instructor Operating Station (IOS) filtered information. A portable computing device receives IOS control and monitoring data from a simulation server, displays the IOS control and monitoring data on the portable computing device, and receives a selection by a user of at least one component of the displayed IOS control and monitoring data. The selection is performed by an interaction of the user with the displayed IOS control and monitoring data. The portable computing device determines IOS filtered information related to the selected at least one component, and transmits the IOS filtered information to a destination computing device. The determination of the IOS filtered information takes into consideration destination user access rights of a destination user. The destination device may be a simulator or a portable computing device, where the destination user performs a simulation session by interacting with the simulation server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: CAE INC
    Inventor: Jean-Francois Delisle
  • Patent number: 10347086
    Abstract: A lottery-type game is enabled via two or more casino games such as keno or video poker games. If the outcome of the first game is winning, the player may be awarded first winnings. If the outcome of the second game is winning, the player may be awarded second winnings. Regardless of the outcomes of the base games, if designated indicia comprising certain indicia from the first and second games match a selected set of indicia, then the lottery-type game is winning. In the case of a keno game, the designated indicia may be certain player numbers from the keno games and in the case of a poker game, certain player-selected cards. The selected set of indicia may comprise drawn keno numbers or dealt cards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 10347085
    Abstract: A tournament played over a network consisting of rounds (hands) of a poker-like game based on the action in one or more live sporting events. The number of hands played, and the timing of those hands, are the same for every player in the tournament, and are independent of the number of players in the tournament. The number of players in the tournament can be arbitrarily large or small. The prize structure can also be independent of the number of players, and announced in advance. The tournament is preferably based on a collection of closely associated betting events, like the drives in a single football game; or a collection of closely associated sporting events. The poker-like games played in each round of the tournament utilize chips where the winners of the tournament are the players with the largest chip counts at the end of the tournament.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Inventor: Burton Simon
  • Patent number: 10347084
    Abstract: A method of gaming comprising: determining which of a plurality of gaming devices, each operable for independent play of one or more games, are eligible for an additional game; initiating an additional game; and determining in response to initiation of the additional game, which eligible gaming devices will participate in the initiated additional game, the determination including a random determination in respect of at least one of the eligible gaming devices to determine whether the respective eligible gaming device will participate in the additional game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventor: Sek Joung
  • Patent number: 10336469
    Abstract: An arena includes a porous surface through which an airflow is output, thereby providing lift for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to push the UAV away from the porous surface. The airflow may also provide thrust to push the UAV in a direction that is parallel to the porous surface. The UAV may include one or more propellers that can provide lift, thrust, or both to the UAV. The airflow may be modified over a duration of time to modify lift or thrust to the UAV. The airflow may be modified based on regions of the arena to modify lift or thrust in different regions of the arena. The arena may include a scoreboard to display a score that may be modified as a result of actions undertaken by the UAV. Two or more UAVs may be used to play a game via the arena.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventor: Dominic Saul Mallinson
  • Patent number: 10315116
    Abstract: A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described herein for a Clustering Engine that determines that respective actions, performed in a first instance of a virtual environment by a first user during a first time range, correspond with a first latent state. The Clustering Engine determines that respective actions, performed in a second instance of the virtual environment by a second user during the first time range, correspond with a second latent state. The Clustering Engine triggers a first virtual environment feature based on a first latent state parameter space for the first user. The Clustering Engine triggers a second virtual environment feature based on a second latent state parameter space for the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Zynga Inc.
    Inventors: Alexandros Ntoulas, Moises Goldszmidt, Xuyang Tan, Yuanli Pei
  • Patent number: 10319184
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and article of manufacture for computing an aggregate tax liability at a gaming device comprises receiving an indication from the gaming device of a start and end of a gaming period. A plurality of games are played by a player during the gaming period. The amount of the player's winnings and losses for each game played is monitored. A total winnings and a total losses incurred by the player during the gaming period is computed, and an aggregate amount that comprises a summation of the total winning and the total losses during the gaming period is also computed. Based on the location of the gaming device, determine a jurisdiction that governs the aggregate tax liability. Compute the aggregate tax liability based on the aggregate amount and the jurisdiction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventor: Phillip L. Flaherty
  • Patent number: 10319182
    Abstract: In example embodiments, a method of mitigating the effects of fraudulent usage of game accounts is disclosed. One or more values stored in one or more fields of a row of a database table maintained by the game networking system are received. The one or more fields correspond to features of a game account that are relevant to determining whether the game account is potentially being used fraudulently. Based on a combination of the one or more values transgressing a threshold value, it is determined that the game account is potentially being used fraudulently. At least some use of the potentially fraudulent game account is automatically locked to mitigate the effect of the potentially-fraudulent use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Zynga Inc.
    Inventor: Jia Wang
  • Patent number: 10311676
    Abstract: This is disclosed an electronic method of gaming. The method comprises selecting a symbol for display at each display position of a plurality of sets of display positions (710), modifying the displayed symbols by interchanging a first set of symbols displayed at a first set of display positions with a second set of symbols displayed at a second set of display positions (740), and determining whether to make an award based on the symbols displayed at the plurality of sets of display positions as modified 750. There is also disclosed a gaming system, a game controller and a gaming machine corresponding to the electronic method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
    Inventors: Rex Carlson, Scott Monroe Stewart
  • Patent number: 10307661
    Abstract: According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a game board being arranged to accommodate at least one game piece, said game board comprising at least one NFC device and a plurality of NFC antennas which are operatively coupled to said NFC device, wherein said NFC device is arranged to activate a function of said game piece by establishing NFC with the game piece through one of said antennas. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure a corresponding method for activating at least one game piece on a game board is provided. According to a third aspect of the present disclosure there a corresponding computer program product is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Srikanth Dandamudi, Harish Dixit, Swapnil Shekhar Borgaonkar, Sreedhar Patange
  • Patent number: 10307682
    Abstract: A system of determining winners of a contest through a progressive cascade of elimination sub-contests is provided. The system comprises means for a user to select a contest from a plurality of contests, means for a user to join a contest room of a contest so as to enable the user to participate the contest and join the contest room, means for the user to vote on other contestants' submitted contestant items, means for determining winners of a contest room, and means for enabling winners to move onto a higher level of the participated contest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Inventor: Mark Tsang
  • Patent number: 10300390
    Abstract: A system and method is provided that automatically annotates gameplay based on triggering events that occur during a gameplay session. The system may automatically annotate the gameplay in real-time, such as during a gameplay session associated with an electronic-sports tournament. For example, the system may obtain and parse a game log corresponding to the gameplay session, identify triggering events based on the game log, obtain an annotation rule associated with the triggering event, generate an annotation item based on the annotation rule, and cause the annotation item to be presented in association with video of the gameplay session. An annotation item may be displayed interactively such that, when selected, causes the system to take an action. The action may include obtaining additional information relating to the selected annotation item; saving, sharing, liking/disliking or commenting on the selected annotation item; removing the selected annotation item from a display, and/or other actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: ACTIVISION PUBLISHING, INC.
    Inventor: Allen Joseph De La Cruz
  • Patent number: 10300370
    Abstract: Techniques are described herein that enable advanced gaming and virtual reality control using radar. These techniques enable small motions and displacements to be tracked, even in the millimeter or submillimeter scale, for user control actions even when those actions are optically occluded or obscured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Patrick M. Amihood, Ivan Poupyrev
  • Patent number: 10300381
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may leverage technology that identifies sensor data, automatically determines a change in an affective state of one or more individuals based at least in part on the sensor data and conducts an update to a game score based on the change in the affective state. In one example, the game score is associated with a player and the one or more individuals are individuals other than the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jennifer A. Healey, Lama Lachman, Rita H. Wouhaybi, Giuseppe Raffa
  • Patent number: 10300371
    Abstract: A system for providing a more personalized virtual environment for a user, the system including one or more sensing devices that detect one or more physical, physiological, or biological parameters of the user and transmit the same to a game console or virtual reality controller that produces the virtual environment. The game console or virtual reality controller can analyze the sensor data and adjust one or more aspects of the virtual environment as a function of the sensor data. For example, the difficulty level or scariness level of a game can be decreased if the heart rate of the user exceeds a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: MC10, Inc.
    Inventors: Roozbeh Ghaffari, Milan Raj, Bryan McGrane