Patents Examined by Steven J. Hylinski
  • Patent number: 12285686
    Abstract: A multidimensional sports system for playing a multidimensional sports game having a physical component played by physical players manipulating a movable game object within a physical playing area, and a virtual component played by virtual game users within a virtual game space inside a virtual competitive game. The multidimensional sports system comprises an interactive game portal with a physical portal boundary and a sensor, a game host device for implementing the virtual competitive game, and a game object projector. A physical to virtual game transition occurs upon the sensor detecting the movable game object crossing the physical portal boundary, suspending the physical component and initiating the virtual component. The virtual component is played until a virtual game object crosses a virtual portal boundary, causing a virtual to physical transition suspending the virtual component and causing the game object projector to launch the movable game object onto the physical playing area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Inventor: Carrick J. Pierce
  • Patent number: 12285684
    Abstract: In a communication system including a server and a plurality of communication terminals capable of communication with the server, based on a variety of parameters indicating the status of a space formed within a game playable by the user of each communication terminal over the communication system, the server transmits advisory information, which suggests the next action for the space, to the communication terminal. The communication terminal displays a screen including the received advisory information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: GREE, INC.
    Inventor: Takayuki Sano
  • Patent number: 12280309
    Abstract: The immersive, interactive system according to the present disclosure employs interconnected hardware, firmware, software, and mixed technology comprising projection systems, smart entertainment technologies, tracking systems, sound, light, visual displays, and other physical and/or special effect displays to create an entertainment experience that brings people together to enjoy a common story, theme, music, or game. In one embodiment, the system takes the form of a magical campfire that interacts with members of the audience to present an interactive and customized visual and audio display and story. The system may connect and interact with other technological platforms and smart devices to supplement the processing and experience, and may be updated to maintain relevant and timely content, and add additional features. The system may exist in a large scale environment, such as a theatre, theme park, or museum, or may be condensed to a smaller-scale version for home use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Inventor: Denise Chapman Weston
  • Patent number: 12257509
    Abstract: A method comprising: providing a three dimensional computer generated environment for a multi-player combat video game; providing a controllable character for each player of the multi-player combat video game to control in the three dimensional computer generated environment; selecting one of a plurality of stored pieces of music, wherein each stored piece of music has pre-determined timing data representative of a time of one or more changes in at least one characteristic of the stored piece of music; providing said selected piece of music to each player of the multi-player game as the players play the multi-player combat video game; modifying one or more aspects of the multi-player combat video game in response to the one or more changes in at least one characteristic of the provided piece of music, wherein the one or more aspects of the multi-player combat video game comprises at least one of: a) a scoring system; b) one or more properties or elements of the virtual environment thereby to change an accessi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Build a Rocket Boy Games Ltd.
    Inventor: Leslie Peter Benzies
  • Patent number: 12257500
    Abstract: A computing device may determine one or more characteristics of a gaming application executing at one or more processors of the computing device. The computing device may determine a gameplay state of the gaming application executing at the one or more processors based at least in part on the one or more characteristics. The computing device may adjust, based at least in part on the state of the gaming application, a target frame rate of image data outputted by the gaming application for display at a display device. The computing device may output, based at least in part on the adjusted target frame rate, the image data for display at the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Katie Leah Roberts-Hoffman, Scott James Carbon-Ogden
  • Patent number: 12251624
    Abstract: A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, a processor that performs operations including detecting a first depression range of a button that includes an electro-mechanical sensor for detecting the first depression range, comparing the first depression range to a first actuation threshold, and asserting a first actuation state when the first depression range is at or exceeds the first actuation threshold. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: STEELSERIES ApS
    Inventor: Tino Soelberg
  • Patent number: 12254748
    Abstract: A gaming machine having three displays of (1) five mechanical reels, (2) five video reels and (3) a single multi-slice wheel. Gaming interaction between the three displays provides a base game on the mechanical reels from which (1) a first spinning-reel-type bonus game is triggered and (2) a second wheel-type bonus game is triggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventors: Eric Satterlie, Christmas Uberuaga
  • Patent number: 12220633
    Abstract: A rendering method includes: receiving a first operation instruction from a user; rendering, according to the first operation instruction, a first image of an application corresponding to the first operation instruction; predicting a second operation instruction according to the first operation instruction; rendering, according to the second operation instruction, a second image of the application corresponding to the second operation instruction; if no operation instruction is received from the terminal device user within preset duration during running of an app after the first operation instruction is received, predicting a user operation according to the received operation instruction, where the operation instruction is an instruction that is generated through triggering by the user operation and that may trigger image switching of the app; rendering an app image based on a predicted user operation; and sending a rendered app image to the terminal device user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiwen Zhang, Xiaopeng Zhou
  • Patent number: 12220629
    Abstract: An operation device includes an operation unit, a power generation element that generates power according to an operation of the operation unit, a battery that supplies power, and a communication unit that transmits an operation signal corresponding to the operation unit that has been operated. The communication unit transmits the operation signal by use of power supplied from the battery, in a case where a residual quantity of the battery is a predetermined residual quantity or larger. The communication unit transmits the operation signal by use of power generated by the power generation element, in a case where the residual quantity of the battery is smaller than the predetermined residual quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Kentarou Suzuki, Tsubasa Umeki, Tomohiro Oto, Shinpei Kameoka, Kazuteru Fukayama, Ryu Sannomiya, Yusuke Onishi
  • Patent number: 12208171
    Abstract: Electronic gaming devices and other gaming equipment include, or are retrofitted with, ultraviolet (“UV”) light sources to disinfect surfaces as well as hardware features and software features to manage UV disinfection cycles and report results of UV disinfection cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto Coppola, Rajendrasinh Jadeja, Frank Rodriguez, Nimish Purohit, Sandra Apple, Bruce Urban, Alfred Thomas, Scott Hendrickson, Stephen Shaffer, Jr., Xiaoqiang Gong, Joseph Kaminkow, Christopher Cleveland, Ariel Turgel, Daniel Harden, Akifusa Nakazawa, Benjamin Martin
  • Patent number: 12186669
    Abstract: A computer system for creating driving tournaments for users including a processor in communication with a memory device is provided. The processor may be programmed to: i) receive user data associated with a plurality of users, ii) generate, based at least in part upon the received user data, a driving profile including driving characteristics of each user, iii) match users based at least in part upon the driving profiles of the users, wherein a match occurs when driving characteristics of the driving profiles are substantially similar, iv) create a driving tournament for the matched one or more users, v) receive current vehicle telematics data and current mobile device data associated with the matched one or more users, and vi) determine, after the predetermined time period has ended, a winner of the driving tournament.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: QUANATA, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Sungjun Kim
  • Patent number: 12186905
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a slip simulation apparatus, a controlled robot, a game handle, a virtual game console, and a control system. The slip simulation apparatus includes a base; at least one motor arranged on the base; a slip simulation controller, configured to: receive slip data, and generate a rotating speed control signal used for controlling the at least one motor; and at least one synchronous wheel, at least one synchronous belt, and at least one limit apparatus associated with the motor, the synchronous wheel being sleeved on the synchronous belt and the limit apparatus, the motor being drivingly connected to the at least one synchronous wheel to drive, according to the rotating speed control signal, the at least one synchronous wheel and the at least one synchronous belt to rotate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Xiong Li, Yu Zheng, Ruoxuan Jiang, Xinyang Jiang, Zhengyou Zhang
  • Patent number: 12186672
    Abstract: Privacy of a conversation between a computer game player and an entity such as a person or virtual assistant is preserved by various techniques so that other players of the computer game who are not part of the conversation cannot apprehend the conversation. The conversation may be voice or txt but is not an online chat associated with the computer game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Osman, Olga Rudi, Mahdi Azmandian, Jorge Arroyo Palacios
  • Patent number: 12172089
    Abstract: A machine learning model is used to receive a recorded video game for presentation on a spectator computer and to derive from the video identifications of controller operations during play of the game that resulted in the recorded video game. Indications of identified controller operations may be presented with the recorded video game to assist a viewer in learning how to play the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Rathish Krishnan, Maulik Shah
  • Patent number: 12170137
    Abstract: A system configured to be coupled with a participant of an activity. The system comprises: a participant activity monitoring unit configured for monitoring a performance of the activity by the participant; an activity information module configured for storing performance information corresponding to the activity; and a participant performance correlator configured for delivering comparative performance data based on the monitored performance of the activity by the participant and the stored performance information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Fox Factory, Inc.
    Inventors: Mario Galasso, Wesley E. Allinger, David M. Haugen, Robert David Kaswen, Mark Stephen Fitzsimmons
  • Patent number: 12145062
    Abstract: This application discloses a method and apparatus for switching perspectives in a computer game, an electronic device and a computer-readable storage medium. The method includes displaying a virtual scene picture in a game from a target perspective in a client; triggering a key stage in the game and determining a key perspective corresponding to the key stage; and automatically switching the target perspective to the key perspective to display a key scene picture from the key perspective in the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Yajun Guan, Guangze Zhong
  • Patent number: 12138532
    Abstract: A head-mounted display device includes a main body and a first simulator connected to the main body. The first simulator includes multiple nozzles, multiple air channels, a first fan, and multiple regulators. The nozzles face the user's eyes. The first fan is configured to drive external air to flow to the corresponding nozzles through the air channels. The regulators are disposed between the air channels and the corresponding nozzles to independently regulate the flow rates of air jetted from the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventors: Jian-Zhi Tseng, Chang-Hsueh Liu
  • Patent number: 12134028
    Abstract: A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, a processor that performs operations including receiving an actuation profile comprising one or more actuation thresholds responsive to a detection of a triggering event during a gaming session of a video game, configuring the sensor according to the one or more actuation thresholds, receiving, from the sensor, a signal indicating a depression range of the button, comparing the depression range to the one or more actuation thresholds of the actuation profile, and generating an actuation state when the depression range exceeds an actuation threshold of the one or more actuation thresholds. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: STEELSERIES ApS
    Inventors: Tino Soelberg, Jeffrey Nicholas Mahlmeister, Thane Kurt Woidan, Thomas J. Panfil
  • Patent number: 12128296
    Abstract: A controller apparatus includes two or more balls having a size sufficient for a human to manipulate with a single foot. Three or more bearings support at least one of the balls from below and permit rotation with respect to at least two axes. One or more position encoders are disposed proximate a surface of each of the two or more balls. The encoders are configured to determine a rotational displacement of each of the two or more balls with respect to two or more axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Glenn Black, Celeste Bean, Sergey Bashkirov, Michael Taylor
  • Patent number: 12121811
    Abstract: Systems and methods directed to generating an interactive graphical marker that includes a first region with a first indicator and a second region with a second indicator, the second region being around a circumference of the first region. The systems and methods are also directed to monitoring an animation of the interactive graphical marker to detect when the first indicator and the second indicator are aligned at a predetermined angle of rotation, and in response to detecting that the first indicator and the second indicator are aligned, initiating an interactive game application on a second computing device and a third computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Yu Jiang Tham, Ava Robinson, Andrés Monroy-Hernández, Rajan Vaish