Patents Examined by Nicholas Ditoro
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Patent number: 8241106Abstract: The claimed embodiments contemplate methods, systems and apparatuses directed to gaming machines that provide a common reel display for multiple players. Various combinations of reel lines, utilized to determine possible wins from symbols across multiple reels, of the reel display, may be available to the players. For example, a first player may be permitted to bet on one set of reel lines and a second player may bet on another set of reel lines. Also, for example, both players may bet on some reel lines and other reel lines may only be available to certain players. A community reel line may also be made available to both players or perhaps just one player upon satisfaction of certain conditions. The ability to have multiple players bet on a common reel display advantageously adds to the excitement and enjoyment of a gaming session.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2008Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.Inventor: Bryan Kelly
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Patent number: 8235791Abstract: The claimed embodiments contemplate methods, systems and apparatuses directed to gaming machines that provide a common reel display for multiple players. Various combinations of reel lines, utilized to determine possible wins from symbols across multiple reels, of the reel display, may be available to the players. For example, a first player may be permitted to bet on one set of reel lines and a second player may bet on another set of reel lines. Also, for example, both players may bet on some reel lines and other reel lines may only be available to certain players. A community reel line may also be made available to both players or perhaps just one player upon satisfaction of certain conditions. The ability to have multiple players bet on a common reel display advantageously adds to the excitement and enjoyment of a gaming session.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2008Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.Inventor: Bryan Kelly
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Patent number: 8235792Abstract: The claimed embodiments contemplate methods, systems and apparatuses directed to gaming machines that provide a common reel display for multiple players. Various combinations of reel lines, utilized to determine possible wins from symbols across multiple reels, of the reel display, may be available to the players. For example, a first player may be permitted to bet on one set of reel lines and a second player may bet on another set of reel lines. Also, for example, both players may bet on some reel lines and other reel lines may only be available to certain players. A community reel line may also be made available to both players or perhaps just one player upon satisfaction of certain conditions. The ability to have multiple players bet on a common reel display advantageously adds to the excitement and enjoyment of a gaming session.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2008Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.Inventor: Bryan Kelly
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Patent number: 8216845Abstract: A gaming system of the present invention comprising a plurality of gaming machines each including a controller and a control device including a processor, wherein the processor is programmed to execute the processing of (A) cumulatively counting a part of a number of betted game media as a cumulative value based on number-of-game-media information received from the gaming machine, and (B) transmitting a common-game execution signal to the gaming machine, when the cumulative value has reached a predetermined value.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2009Date of Patent: July 10, 2012Assignee: Universal Entertainment CorporationInventors: Arata Ajiro, Yoichi Kato, Kenta Sugano
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Patent number: 8210921Abstract: A gaming ticket dispensing device is provided for dispensing tickets having prize-revealing characters and a removable covering for hiding the prize-revealing characters prior to acquisition by an end user. The ticket dispensing device includes a storage mechanism for holding a plurality of gaming tickets. A revealer is provided for removing the removable covering to reveal the prize-revealing characters, and a scanner is provided for scanning the prize-revealing characters. A processor is in communication with the scanner for processing the scanned characters' information to determine a prize value associated with the characters scanned. An audio visual display displays an audio visual message relating to the prize value and a dispensing port is provided for dispensing the gaming ticket to the user.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2008Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Inventor: Craig R. Karpe
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Patent number: 8197327Abstract: Gaming machines, methods, and programs are provided for displaying gaming results through a player interaction process that provides multiple prize enhancements for a player and varies the prize enhancements during the course of play. One preferred game includes conducting multiple instances of a first game to obtain a number of first game outcomes. These first game outcomes will include a number of prize enhancer activating outcomes, which may cause a change in the game prize distribution. Each respective prize enhancer activating outcome prompts persistent display of a respective prize enhancer symbol. In some versions, one or more of the prize enhancer symbols are multiplier values. The symbols move in graphic sequence to a bonus round where they occupy spaces in a multiplier wheel, which is spun along with a prize wheel to determine a total prize.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2008Date of Patent: June 12, 2012Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Andrea R. Barton, Daniel Eulenfeld
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Patent number: 8192268Abstract: A gaming ticket dispensing device is provided for dispensing tickets having prize-revealing characters and a removable covering for hiding the prize-revealing characters prior to acquisition by an end user. The ticket dispensing device includes a storage mechanism for holding a plurality of gaming tickets. A revealer is provided for removing the removable covering to reveal the prize-revealing characters, and a scanner is provided for scanning the prize-revealing characters. A processor is in communication with the scanner for processing the scanned characters' information to determine a prize value associated with the characters scanned. An audio visual display displays an audio visual message relating to the prize value and a dispensing port is provided for dispensing the gaming ticket to the user.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2008Date of Patent: June 5, 2012Inventor: Craig Robert Karpe
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Patent number: 8177636Abstract: According to a gaming system of the present invention, the control device cumulatively counts a part of the number of game media betted in each of the gaming machines as a cumulative value. Further, when the cumulative value reaches a predetermined value, a common game is executed in the gaming machine. When the common game is executed, the control device lights the illuminants included in the coupling illuminated line provided for each of the gaming machines based on a result of the common game and pays out a predetermined number of game media to the gaming machine provided with the coupling illuminated line with all the illuminants included therein having been lighted.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2008Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Universal Entertainment CorporationInventors: Arata Ajiro, Yoichi Kato, Kenta Sugano
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Puzzle game apparatus and computer readable storage medium having puzzle game program stored thereon
Patent number: 8167714Abstract: In a solution area which has a plurality of cells arranged in a matrix thereof, a connective cell, which is obtained by interrelating a predetermined plurality of cells with one another, is displayed. Further, a normal numerical clue, which is caused to correspond to a row and a column in the matrix and represents the number of cells to be marked in the corresponding row and column, is displayed. Still further, a large numerical clue, which represents the number of cells to be marked in a contiguous form over a plurality of adjoining rows or a plurality of adjoining columns, is displayed so as to range over the plurality of rows or the plurality of columns. In accordance with an operation performed by a player, specific cells are marked, and then whether or not a set of the marked cells presents a figure which is a solution of a puzzle having been previously set.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2007Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masaki Tawara, Yuuki Sukekuni -
Patent number: 8137198Abstract: A CPU (511) of game device (50) generates bullet trajectory information when a bullet is fired at an opponent character by a player by operating a gun unit (56), and it transmits the bullet trajectory information to an echo server. The CPU (511), upon receiving the bullet trajectory information from the echo server, generates information showing a result of a determination as to whether the bullet has hit the opponent character based on the position information of a player character and the received bullet trajectory information. In a case in which a game device (50) is specified as the echo server, a game information set generated at game device (50) and a game information set received from an opponent game device are sent to opponent game devices (50) in an order in which game information sets are received.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2006Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.Inventors: Nobuhiro Onodera, Shintaro Osato, Hajime Wakuda, Shinpei Makino
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Patent number: 8137184Abstract: A gaming system of the present invention comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a control device including a processor, wherein the processor is programmed to execute processing of (A) cumulatively counting a part of a number of betted game media as a cumulative value based on number-of-game-media information received from the gaming machine, and (E) paying out a fixed number of game media to the gaming machine determined based on a extracted random number, when a number of the gaming machines joining the game is less than a specific number.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2008Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: Universal Entertainment CorporationInventors: Arata Ajiro, Yoichi Kato, Kenta Sugano
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Patent number: 8133107Abstract: Aspects of the present inventions concern methods and devices for operating a Bingo game. Such aspects include: assigning to each of a first set of real or virtual balls a number selected from a group within a predetermined numerical sequence; assigning a non-numerical designation to only a second set of real or virtual balls within the predetermined numerical sequence, wherein the second set of real or virtual balls is a subset of the first set of real or virtual balls; providing each of one or more players with at least one real or virtual player card having a randomly assigned field of spaces each space of which includes a number within the predetermined numerical sequence given for the first set of real or virtual balls, wherein there are fewer spaces than numbers in the predetermined numerical sequence.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2007Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: NP IP Holdings LLCInventors: Shaun Bailey, Weldon L. Russell