Patents Examined by Steve Rowland
  • Patent number: 10286325
    Abstract: One aspect of the disclosure relates to providing players pricing of in-game virtual items associated with their experience and their progress in the game. For example, the first player and the second player may have similar triggers, similar in-game events, and actually have different prices and currencies inside each story depending on each player's progress in the game, thus creating an individualized experience that may alter from player to player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Kabam, Inc.
    Inventor: Tim Ernst
  • Patent number: 10276062
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include a calorie optimization respiratory exchange fat macro utilization metabolic system, comprising a computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions; a processor for executing the computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions include instructions for receiving user profile data from a user, wherein the user profile data includes age, sex, height, weight, diet, fitness information; and if available, five specific metabolic data points from individual respiratory exchange testing; otherwise, calculating five specific metabolic points versus heart rate; generating an individualized metabolic profile for the user based on the five metabolic points; determining for the user an individualized target exercise heart rate zone as a percentage of maximum heart rate from the metabolic profile, and determining a nutritional guideline from the metabolic profile, measuring user compliance to facilitate machine learning pro
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Core Metabolics LLC
    Inventors: Sanford David Schulhofer, Benjamin Stone, David Dannenberg
  • Patent number: 10276059
    Abstract: A method of facilitating learning of speech sounds is disclosed. The method may include generating, using a processor, a first plurality of sound-letter cards corresponding to a first set of phonemes. Further, each sound-letter card may include a speech sound and a spelling pattern. Furthermore, the generating may be based on one or more of a first criterion and a second criterion. According to the first criterion, the spelling pattern corresponding to a speech sound of a letter may include letters corresponding to a phoneme associated with the letter followed by schwa sound. According to the second criterion, the spelling pattern may include a plurality of letters, located at an onset position, corresponding to a phoneme associated with the speech sound. The method may further include displaying, using a display device, one or more of the first plurality of sound-letter cards based on a predetermined lesson plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Inventor: Yoonsung Cho
  • Patent number: 10258276
    Abstract: Methods of coaching a user of a breathalyzer to make use of correct blowing technique when blowing into the breathalyzer are provided. Methods of setting up a breathalyzer such that it adjusts a breathalyzer's parameters to account for jurisdictional variations in blood and/or breath alcohol limits and other standards are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Now Group UK Ltd
    Inventor: Hunter David Abbott
  • Patent number: 10258890
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a fantasy sports game. In some embodiments, an expected performance value may be determined. In some embodiments, a same player may appear multiple times in a team. Various other embodiments are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: INTERACTIVE GAMES LLC
    Inventors: Lee Amaitis, Phillip Flaherty, Andrew Garrood
  • Patent number: 10252137
    Abstract: A motion analysis apparatus includes an impact analysis unit that specifies a hitting direction of an exercise appliance during impact and a speed of the exercise appliance during the impact by using an output signal from an inertial sensor, and a display unit that displays the hitting direction and the speed in a coordinate system in which a hitting target direction is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masafumi Sato, Toshihiko Kano, Kenya Kodaira, Kazuo Nomura
  • Patent number: 10249212
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for providing user attribute prompts. One wearable attribute tracking device may include one or more user attribute sensors, a speaker, and a display and perform operations including: receiving, from the user attribute sensors, user attribute data for a user wearing the wearable attribute tracking device, determining target attribute data for the user, comparing the user attribute data with the target attribute data to determine attribute differences, determining historical data for the user, determining an attribute prompt using the attribute differences and the historical data, and providing, for presentation to the user by at least one of the speaker or the display, the attribute prompt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Inventor: Vernon Douglas Hines
  • Patent number: 10242529
    Abstract: An object matching interleaved wagering electronic gaming machine is disclosed. The object matching interleaved electronic gaming machine includes a wager controller operatively connected to an application controller. The wager controller is constructed to receive a request to execute a wager, determine a plurality of results for the wager using a random number generator, and communicate the results for the wager to the application controller. The application controller is operatively connected to an interactive controller and the wager controller. The application controller is constructed to communicate a request to the wager controller to execute the wager, receive the results for the wager from the wager controller, associate the results for the wager with a plurality of graphical display objects, and generate data for the graphical display objects. The interactive controller is operatively connected to the application controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Gamblit Gaming, LLC
    Inventors: Miles Arnone, Eric Meyerhofer, Frank Cire, Caitlyn Ross
  • Patent number: 10235902
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include a calorie optimization respiratory exchange metabolic system comprising a computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions; a processor for executing the computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions include instructions for receiving user profile data of a user, wherein the user profile data includes age, height, weight, diet, and fitness information; determining five metabolic points versus heart rate; generating an individualized metabolic profile for the user based on the five metabolic points; determining for the user an individualized nutritional guideline from the metabolic profile, wherein the individualized nutritional guideline is determined by percent fat, percent protein and percent carbohydrate to optimize fat metabolism for weight loss, maintenance, and endurance exercise enhancement; and determining an individualized exercise heart rate profile as a percentage of maximum heart rate from the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: CORE METABOLICS LLC
    Inventors: Sanford David Schulhofer, Benjamin Stone
  • Patent number: 10235990
    Abstract: A determination regarding whether to intervene in a dialog to provide system-initiated assistive information involves monitoring a dialog between at least two participants and capturing data from a dialog environment containing at least one of the participants. The captured data represent the content of the dialog and physiological data for one or more participants. Assistive information relevant to the dialog and participants is identified, and the captured data are used to determine an intervention index of delivering the assistive information to one or more participants during the dialog. This intervention index is then used to determine whether or not to intervene in the dialog to deliver the assistive information to one or more participants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Helena Morgado Corelli, Rodrigo Braga Fernandes, Rodrigo Laiola Guimaraes, Rafael Sorana de Matos, Julio Nogima, Rogerio Cesar Barbosa dos Santos Silva, Thiago Luiz de Barcelos Vital
  • Patent number: 10229559
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for processing jackpot events occurring at electronic gaming devices of a casino environment. Upon a player hitting a jackpot, tax documentation can be automatically populated with the player's information, such as social security number and mailing address. The populated tax information can be electronically transmitted to recipients, such as the player. The player's information used to populate the tax documentation can be based on personally identifiable information provided by the player to obtain a stored value payment vehicle that is issued to the player and tied to a player identifier used by the casino environment for player tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Sightline Interactive LLC
    Inventors: Kirk E. Sanford, Thomas M. Sears, Omer Sattar
  • Patent number: 10226676
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a beer pong game system comprising a game table, a plurality of game cups, and at least one game ball, the game table being equipped with an RFID reader and a plurality of RFID antennas, the RFID antennas one-to-one corresponding to to-be-detected positions of the game cups; an electronic tag being affixed at a bottom of a game cup; an electronic tag being inlaid inside the game ball; the beer pong game system being characterized in comprising a make detecting unit that identifies, at predetermined to-be-detected positions of game balls, the electronic tags of the game balls by scanning corresponding RFID antennas, thereby determining a make result and prompting a first landing mode; and a cup-removal scoring unit that identifies, at to-be-detected positions of all game cups, electronic tags of the game cups by scanning all RFID antennas, thereby inferring a second landing mode and correspondingly scoring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Inventor: Ka Hing Steven Yip
  • Patent number: 10220308
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to a games controller for controlling electronic games, input device for a computer program and a trigger mechanism therefor. The trigger mechanism comprises a trigger body having a plurality of walls defining an internal chamber. The plurality of walls include a base wall and an orifice defined in the base wall. A detent is detachably mounted on the trigger body. The detent is at least partially received in the orifice and the detent is rotatable with respect to the trigger body. The detent comprises at least one abutment surface which is eccentrically arranged with respect to the rotational axis of the detent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.
    Inventors: Duncan Ironmonger, Carl S. Jeffrey
  • Patent number: 10217377
    Abstract: Mechanisms for training a human user to perform an operation and provided. The mechanisms generate a domain specific knowledge base comprising a set of entities and corresponding domain specific attributes and expand the domain specific knowledge base to include values for the domain specific attributes through an automated bootstrap learning process that performs natural language processing and analysis of natural language content using a set of pre-condition annotated action terms, thereby generating an expanded domain specific knowledge base. The mechanisms evaluate an input from another device identifying an action associated with an entity in the set of entities, based on a retrieved domain specific attribute value and the retrieved pre-condition annotation from the expanded domain specific knowledge base. The mechanisms output a notification to a user computing device indicating whether the input is correct or incorrect to thereby train a user associated with the user computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donna K. Byron, Benjamin L. Johnson, Dan G. Tecuci
  • Patent number: 10217319
    Abstract: A gaming system is configured to transfer wagering credits usable for wagering from a first cashless wagering system to a second cashless wagering system, the gaming system including a first and a second gaming machine and controller(s) configured to perform acts including depositing wagering credits associated with the first gaming machine into the first cashless wagering system, accessing, via a first system access technique, the first cashless wagering system and debiting, in a first transaction, the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark B. Gagner, Erhard W. Rathsack, Jorge L. Shimabukuro
  • Patent number: 10217324
    Abstract: A method for conducting a raffle comprising reading an item identifier from an identification tag affixed to an item at an equipment management system, prior to an event related to the item. The raffle notification data is then transmitted to users after the event has occurred. A plurality of raffle ticket purchase requests are then received from the plurality of devices and are processed. The raffle tickets are then delivered to the plurality of devices, such as in electronic form. One of the raffle tickets is then selected, and winning notification data is transmitted to the associated device. The winner can authenticate the winning item by reading the identification tag affixed to the item after the event at the equipment management system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: PROVA GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Haroon I. Alvi, Charles B. Humphreyson, Richard L. Lackey, Emmitt J. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 10201756
    Abstract: A social game capable of adding or improving unexpectedness, dramatic impact, and taste when a reward is provided to a player, and hence capable of raising the player's motivation to participate in or continue the game. A unit for storing information related to a game in which multiple players can participate stores a reward providing condition, rewards, and reward box information, and a control unit for accessing information related to the game, performing computation on the game, and displaying images of the game on terminal devices operated by players allocates at least one reward out of the rewards to the reward box, determines whether the reward providing condition is met based on match-up situations or match-up results between players and first game characters in the game, and displays, on the terminal devices, a screen for providing the reward to players based on the determination results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: GREE, Inc.
    Inventor: Naomichi Youda
  • Patent number: 10204470
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium to implement a wagering method using at least one electronic random number generator which simulates dice. The method can simulate a game of “football” which is based purely on player decisions and random outcomes of the random number generator. Different sequences of the method can be initiated based on outcomes of the random number generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Inventor: R L Chinn
  • Patent number: 10204482
    Abstract: A method, system and program product for controlling the operation and configuration of an electronic game terminal for the play of licensed electronic games. A passcode is generated for activating plays on the electronic game terminal. An operator is enabled to enter the passcode into a control component for the electronic game terminal. A maximum number of electronic games that can be played before the electronic game terminal is deactivated is set when the passcode is entered. The number of games remaining following each play of the electronic game is determined dynamically. A request is received from the operator to refill the game plays on the electronic game terminal. A new passcode is then generated wherein the new passcode can enable or disable at least one feature of the electronic game. The new passcode is provided to the operator to enter in order to enable additional plays on the electronic game terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Savvy Dog Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Michael R. Pace
  • Patent number: 10204526
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for improving a circuit training exercise routine at an exercise facility having at least two pieces of exercise equipment. The system using a smart device, and having steps including: initiating a program on the smart device upon use of a first piece of exercise equipment; displaying exercise instructions to the user on the smart device; initiating a timer on the smart device with a pre-selected amount of time in which the user must complete the exercise instructions on the first piece of equipment; recording if the user is successful in accomplishing the first set of exercise instructions; and prompting the user to move to a second piece of exercise equipment. The steps may also include displaying additional exercise instructions. The system includes monitoring the user's health functions and rewarding the user for successful accomplishment of the first and additional sets of exercise instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: PRIVATE WORKOUT, INC.
    Inventor: Patrick Kerwin