Patents Examined by Syvila Weatherford
  • Patent number: 10600287
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a gaming system and method providing a card game wherein for a plurality of plays of the game, the gaming system enables the player to save cards for a subsequent play of the card game. In one embodiment, for a first play of the card game, the gaming system enables the player to select a first quantity of cards to save for a subsequent play of the game. In this embodiment, for a second play of the card game, the gaming system enables the player to use zero, one or more of the previously saved cards for the current play of the card game. The gaming system also enables the player to select new cards from a displayed second hand of cards to add to and/or replace any previously saved cards to save for a subsequent play of the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: James A. Sipaila, Benjamin R. Holsclaw
  • Patent number: 10500502
    Abstract: An event information memory for storing event information and an event management information memory for storing event management information are provided. The event information contains an event and an event execution time defined in advance as time from start of the event to its end. The event management information contains executing event related information on an executing event and a maximal allowed time that is allowed as the maximum of a total time of a remaining time of each executing event. The executing event related information is updated in accordance with an elapse of time. A display device is caused to display an event progress status graph on a display screen of the display device on the basis of the event management information. The event progress status graph indicates a status of the remaining time of each executing event in the maximal allowed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SQUARE ENIX
    Inventor: Shingo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10504323
    Abstract: A gaming system includes a frame, a gaming machine coupled to the frame, and an interactive device extending about at least a portion of a periphery of the frame. The gaming machine includes a presentation device configured to present a message associated with an interaction of a player with the gaming system. The interactive device is configured to detect the interaction of the player with the interactive device, and present feedback to the player based on the detection of the interaction of the player with the interactive device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: VIDEO GAMING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Jennifer Pinder, William Douglas Lamb
  • Patent number: 10486066
    Abstract: A video game system includes a video server system (VSS) having a first network address. The VSS pairs a game controller having a second network address with a display system having a third network address. The VSS receives controller data packets directed to the first network address from the game controller over a first communication channel. The controller data packets include the second network address and information for updating a game state of a video game. The VSS decodes the controller data packets and directs generation of an updated game state of the video game using information within the controller data packets. The VSS generates a video stream of the video game using the updated game state. The VSS transmits the video stream to the display system at the third network address over a second communication channel. The first and second communication channels differ by at least one network segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC
    Inventors: David Perry, Rui Filipe Andrade Pereira
  • Patent number: 10478730
    Abstract: Methods for improving simulation of a sporting event by using real-world data are provided. In one aspect, a method includes receiving player positional data and ball positional data. The player positional data includes an identification of a player, orientation of the player on a field, position of the player on the field, and a time the player positional data was captured. The ball positional data includes a location of the ball on the field, and a time the ball positional data was captured. A simulated player and a simulated ball are positioned on a simulated field corresponding to the field, based on the received data. The simulation is run and accordingly modified based on user input. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Electronic Arts Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher George Burnett
  • Patent number: 10427049
    Abstract: A communication play is performed between a master machine and a slave machine. The slave machine can obtain an item according to the result of the communication play and the item is deposited to the master machine. After the communication play ends, if a cartridge is mounted to the slave machine and the master machine and the slave machine perform communication, the item that has been deposited to the master machine is delivered to the slave machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SQUARE ENIX
    Inventor: Noriyoshi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 10427054
    Abstract: A computer program for marketing fantasy sports and/or stock market teams to potential investors, where an investor in a fantasy team shares in the winnings of that team. An owner of a fantasy sports team or a fantasy stock market portfolio offers his/her team up for sale or investment. The team can be sold in its entirety, or only a partial stake in the team can be sold, at the discretion of the owner. Potential investors view teams which are up for sale or investment, research team background and performance, and if desired, make an offer to buy a share of a team. Offers to sell and buy can be handled as either fixed price transactions or as auction-style bidding. Team owners split profits with investors according to ownership percentage. Investor pools and partnerships are possible, and many other features for facilitating investment transactions are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: FANTASY INNOVATIONS, LLC
    Inventor: Jay Wolgin
  • Patent number: 10406431
    Abstract: A hand-held controller includes a controller body having a front and a back, with at least one thumb control on the front of the controller body. A back shell on the back of the controller body has left and right portions, each having top and bottom regions. A first force sensitive resistor (FSR) underlies the top region of the left portion of the back shell. A second FSR underlies the bottom region of the left portion of the back shell. A third FSR underlies the top region of the right portion of the back shell. A fourth FSR underlies the bottom region of the right portion of the back shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Valve Corporation
    Inventors: Ian Campbell, Jeffrey Bellinghausen, Scott Dalton
  • Patent number: 10398983
    Abstract: In at least one aspect, methods and corresponding systems operable to perform the methods are provided herein that allow multiple players, registered and unregistered, to play a game wherein players submit predictions for box office revenue for a plurality of films and, in certain instances, are awarded points for the proximity of the prediction to actual revenues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Costakis, Jeffrey Hartke, Tzukai Hung
  • Patent number: 10391386
    Abstract: A video game processing apparatus for controlling progress of a video game is provided. An image display device is caused to display operating section images in an operating section image display area on a display screen in an arrangement pattern corresponding to arrangement positions of respective operating sections. The operating section images are operating section images respectively corresponding to the operating sections arranged in the operational input section. Identification display allowing a player to identify the operational function associated with the corresponding operating section is made for each of the group of operating section images. When to receive an operational input in response to an operation of any of the plurality of operating sections by the player, the video game processing apparatus carries out operation correspondence processing that indicates processing to exert an operational function associated with the operating section operated by the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA SQUARE ENIX
    Inventors: Hiroshi Minagawa, Kazutoyo Maehiro
  • Patent number: 10347077
    Abstract: An electronic gaming machine constructed to receive real credits, including a real world engine configured to provide a randomly generated payout for a gambling game and a game world engine configured to manage an entertainment software engine to provide outcomes based upon a player's skillful execution of an entertainment game are provided. In operation, an amount of real world credits are wagered in the real world engine, a randomly generated payout of real world credits is determined based upon the wagered amount using the real world engine, a number of elements are added that are ascribed to a player and that are scaled according to a scaling ratio set by the game world engine relative to the payout of real world credits using the game world engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Gamblit Gaming, LLC
    Inventors: Miles Arnone, Eric Meyerhofer
  • Patent number: 10272329
    Abstract: A design for a cooperative live action virtual reality experience is described. A client makes use of a 360-degree display unit to play a 360-degree video file, a corresponding audio file, and an annotation requesting the user to make a selection that will dictate the progression of the virtual reality experience. The user input is processed in view of a script tree to determine the subsequent 360-degree video, audio, and annotation to send to the client. In some embodiments, progression of the virtual reality experience is dictated by annotation selections made by a second user or by both users who are cooperatively participating in the virtual reality experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: David Linder, Scott D. Lange, Alexander Rothera
  • Patent number: 10262496
    Abstract: A method of operating a gaming system having a random number generator, a credit meter, and a first hybrid game containing an entertainment game portion and a gambling game portion. Skill play in the entertainment game is used to provide entrance to an asynchronous hybrid game tournament. The award for the asynchronous hybrid game tournament uses contributions from the real credit wagers in the gambling game of the first hybrid game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Gamblit Gaming, LLC
    Inventors: Miles Arnone, Eric Meyerhofer
  • Patent number: 10249139
    Abstract: This invention in certain example instances relates generally to coin-operated video entertainment systems. More particularly, certain exemplary aspects of the invention provide methods and/or systems for controlling access to a portable coin-operated interactive entertainment device that may be used to play video games and access other forms of entertainment as well as providing features via such portable coin-operated interactive entertainment devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: TOUCHTUNES MUSIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dominique Dion, Kenneth J. Fedesna, Mark D. Loffredo, Edward J. Suchocki, Edward E. Pellegrini, Frank J. Pellegrini, Edward F. Hicks, Cary M. Mednick
  • Patent number: 10242241
    Abstract: A mobile communications device including a transceiver, a motion input or other optical device, and a system for supporting single or multi-player gameplay is described. A method of playing a game is provided including transmitting and receiving information between one or more devices through a mobile communications system with use of one or more tethered and/or wireless links; and playing a game on the mobile communications device. Further one or more players either creating or receiving one or more motions, thereby communicating through the device, receiving and/or transmitting some or all of the game data and may also receive/transmit one or more motion results and having the ability to send and/or receive one or more motion instructions to/from another one or more devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: OPEN INVENTION NETWORK LLC
    Inventor: Carey Leigh Lotzer
  • Patent number: 10235836
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for electronically transferring currency from a source user account to a target user account in relation to a game application. A payment service provider may receive a request to transfer an amount of currency from the source user account to the target user account to be used for the game application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventor: Lucy Ma Zhao
  • Patent number: 10235828
    Abstract: The present invention is a device embodying a reel-based game. The reel-based game includes a plurality of reels and a plurality of mini-reels. The mini-reels replace one or more of the plurality of reels or may replace one or more symbol-bearing positions of the reels. The added feature of the plurality of mini-reels enables the possible attainment of a greater number of symbol combinations and winning outcomes by replacing standard paylines associated with the reel or reel position with sets of paylines that cover all mini-reel-based outcomes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Lightning Box Games, Pty Ltd
    Inventor: David Anthony Little
  • Patent number: 10220301
    Abstract: Systems and methods for displaying dynamically changing content within scrollview class applications are described. In some example embodiments, an intermediate module fetches images from an underlying layer of a webview module, and provides the images to a scrollview module, which presents the images via a scrollable user interface on a computing device, such as a scrollable user interface within a game application presenting an online game via a user interface of a mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Zynga Inc.
    Inventors: Nishchaie Khanna, Shivkumar Ramamurthi
  • Patent number: 10220299
    Abstract: A field of play may include linearly arranged locations in which a game piece, e.g., representative of a letter, may be played, in an attempt to form words. An example field of play includes a 5×5 grid formed of squares. Each playable location in the field of play is randomly assigned a unique integer number from 1-n, where n is the total number of playable locations. Each of two or more players use identically shaped fields of play, but having different randomly assigned numbers. Players take turns placing letters in their field of play to form words and, as they do so, the same letter is automatically placed into all opponent's fields of play at the same numbered location, thereby obstructing the opponent's progress in forming his own words in his own field of play. Scoring may be based on the number and length of words formed by each player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: ThinAir Gaming LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Moag
  • Patent number: 10212986
    Abstract: A system for automatically identifying performance of workout routines is provided. The system includes a set of sensors wearable on a body of an exerciser during performance of exercises. Each sensor is configured to measure a parameter selected from motion, acceleration, position, and applied force, and to communicate parameters measured. The system also includes a device configured to receive a set of parameters measured over a period of time by the set of sensors and to access stored pattern information corresponding to a plurality of predetermined exercise activities and a plurality of predetermined workout routines to identify one or more performed exercise activities performed by the exerciser and to identify a performed workout routine performed by the exerciser during the period of time. Apparel and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: Mark G. DePietro, Stewart M. Wiener