Abstract: A player deposits money into a video poker machine to cause the machine to provide a display of a video image of a five card stud poker hand. The machine then disgorges a five card stud payout in accordance with a five card stud payout schedule. The player has an option of causing the machine to provide a video representation of an exchange any or all of the cards of the five card stud poker hand for randomly selected cards from the deck, whereby the machine provides a video image of a draw poker hand. The machine then disgorges a five card draw payout to the player in accordance with a five card draw payout schedule. The machine is then operable to provide a video display of an image of the draw poker hand augmented by two randomly selected cards. A seven card stud payout is then disgorged in accordance with a seven card stud payout schedule.

Abstract: An electronic video gaming machine for playing multiple games substantially at the same time is set forth. The gaming machine includes a plurality of game boards arranged in a stack and displayed on a touch screen. The stack includes a top end and a bottom end and each game board has a face on which a single game is displayed. A plurality of game control buttons and game control indicators are provided for operating the game and selecting game elements, such as lucky numbers, random numbers, and bingo patterns, to be applied to each game board in the stack. A number of game boards to be played in the stack is selectable by the player and a winning game board is indicated to the player such that the winning game board appears to pop-up from the stack in cash-register-like fashion such that the face of the winning game board is more visible relative to prior said game board popping up. The face of any game board is viewable by the player by touching the touch screen at a location of the game board to be viewed.

Abstract: The present Invention provides image generating technology capable of expressing a complex yet natural movement of the characters with less image data regardless of the playback speed.

Abstract: An input device for a computer game has an adjustable response characteristic so that its end-of-range positions can be configured by the player. The response characteristic can be adjusted by selecting one of several sensitivity options, or by moving the device to a position that the player wishes to be a predetermined position. If the input device is a steering wheel, then the selected sensitivity adjusts the positions of the wheel where maximum left and right turn signals are generated. Adjusting the sensitivity lets the player choose whatever positions of the input device he or she finds comfortable for a particular game. The input device can also be configured to have a dead zone at and around its neutral position.

Abstract: A multipurpose learning device having a picture book including a plurality of pages, wherein the pages turned in a top-to-bottom hinged direction instead of a side-to-side hinged direction, a memory unit having audio and video data stored therein, the memory unit being detachably connected to a touch board. A surface of the touch board is declined to a predetermined angle for enabling a user to easily position an electronic pen perpendicular to the touch board. Each sheet of the picture book includes a blank page and a picture page and picture information corresponding to a picture on one of the pages is displayed on a host device, such as a television. A user moves the electronic pen over a blank page which is positioned over the touch board, and a cursor is displayed on the host device at a position corresponding to the position of the electronic pen over the blank page and touch board.

Abstract: An instrumented sports apparatus includes a closely spaced array of discrete sensor elements coupled to a contact surface thereof for converting a contact force between the contact surface and an object into a plurality of discrete output signals. The signals are processed and information based thereon generated, which is representative of one or more parameters of interest. In an exemplary embodiment, as instrumented golf club displays information such as club head speed, club head angle, and club head elevation upon impact with a golf ball, permitting the golfer to adjust his swing on the next stroke. Since the instrumentation and display are entirely self-contained in the club, a golfer is not constrained in the use of the club and may enjoy the benefits thereof during play on a golf course.

Abstract: A CPU of a control system controls a signal processor to effect various calculations to move a player's spaceship on a projection display screen, orient the player's spaceship toward a shooting direction, move a camera position at a rear viewpoint toward the player's spaceship, and orient the shooting direction outside of the projection display screen, based on shooting game data including image data, audio data, and program data stored in recording medium. The CPU also controls an image processor to write image data and audio data into a RAM based on the calculated results from the signal processor. The image data thus written in the RAM is displayed on a television monitor and projected onto the projection display screen.

Abstract: A method of motivating players to return to a casino includes receiving a request to convert a predetermined value of casino currency to cash. Upon the receipt of the request, a premium value is calculated based at least in part on the predetermined value. Subsequently, the customer is provided an instrument having a total value equal to the predetermined value plus the premium value when the instrument is used at the casino. The instrument may comprise a check having a negotiable value equal to the predetermined value, and a second pay-line defining the total value with the premium to be provided if the check is cashed at the issuing casino.

Abstract: A video game system includes a game cartridge which is pluggably attached to a main console having a main processor, a 3D graphics generating coprocessor, expandable main memory and player controllers. A multifunctional peripheral processing subsystem external to the game microprocessor and coprocessor is described which executes commands for handling player controller input/output to thereby lessen the processing burden on the graphics processing subsystem. The player controller processing subsystem is used for both controlling player controller input/output processing and for performing game authenticating security checks continuously during game play. The peripheral interface includes a micro-processor for controlling various peripheral interface functions, a read/write random access memory, a boot ROM, a coprocessor command channel interface, a player controller channel interface, etc.

Abstract: A remote education method and apparatus via an internet which has been widely used as an information network is provided. The remote education method and apparatus via the internet has an open structure which is not influenced by particular hardware or software, such as an operating system or a web browser. A remote education provider can construct a remote education server with a low cost in a minimum amount of time. Also users can easily connect to the remote education server via the internet to receive a remote education service. The remote education server provides an educational program including individual learning progress based on a learning evaluation and a performance management function and performs a discriminative education based on the ability of each individual.

Abstract: A transformer includes a core assembly having a coil, a core with at least a portion extending through the coil, and terminals for providing electrical connection with the transformer. The core assembly is impregnated with a thermally conductive material to form a unitary core mass. An outer coating which is also highly thermally conductive encapsulates the core mass. The outer coating includes a plurality of finned or ribbed surfaces that provide an increased heat transfer area to a surrounding cooling medium such as air.

Abstract: An operating device is, while in use, connected to an image processor which generates image data of an image to be displayed on a monitor on the basis of a program. The operating device is provided with an analog joystick in addition to a plurality of switches, and outputs operation signals by which the image data can be modified according to an operation by an operator. The analog joystick includes a lever having a tip end which is protruded from a housing and inclined in an arbitrary direction including North, South, East and West. There is provided with a guide ring which includes a guide wall having an octagonal outer edge around the lever, and the guide wall guides the lever to eight corners, that is, upper, lower, left, right, rightupper, right-lower, left-upper and left-lower corners.

Abstract: A slot machine is configured to have a main game comprising a multi-reel payline mechanical reel or video reel slot arrangement with at least one payline and a secondary event game comprising a multi-reel, one or more payline mechanical slot arrangement. Whenever the player achieves a combination of symbols on the main game that awards the player with the secondary event game, the number of chances provided to the player to play the secondary event game is based on the number of paylines that the player has played on the main game or by the number of credits wagered on each payline. Alternatively, the number of spins awarded to the player on the secondary event game can be determined by the symbol combinations achieved by the player on the main game. All spins of the three reel secondary event game can be winning spins or, alternatively, the spins on the secondary event reel game can be either winning or losing spins.

Abstract: An intelligent casino chip system. At least one gaming table is provided with at least one discrete player area. Each player area has a discrete betting area. Two classes of intermingled gaming chips are accepted in a stack in the discrete betting area. The gaming chip of the first class, comprising the primary wager, has a first transponder containing at least value information. The gaming chip of the second class, comprising the secondary wager, has a second transponder containing value and class information. A transceiver system located on the gaming table within the vicinity of the betting area is used to receive value signals from the first transponder and transponder value and class signals from the second transponder. These signals are conveyed to a computer system that then determines a primary wager value of the primary wager based on the value signals from the first transponder.

Abstract: A movement measuring device determines the speed of the body's specific movement on the basis of the maximum value of the acceleration sensed by an acceleration sensing unit attached to the body, when the body has made a specific movement. For example, when the player wears the device on his arm and makes a punching motion, the punching speed is found from the maximum acceleration resulting from the punching action. Furthermore, a game device obtains data indicating the magnitude of a specific movement of the body, on the basis of the acceleration sensed by an acceleration sensing unit, and then decides the outcome of the game on the basis of the strength and weakness of the punch. This enables the user to easily play a fighting sport game involving the player's actual punching motions anywhere.

Abstract: The Fibre Channel standard was created by the American National Standard for Information Systems (ANSI) X3T11 task group to define a serial I/O channel for interconnecting a number of heterogeneous peripheral devices to computer systems as well as interconnecting the computer systems themselves through optical fiber and copper media at gigabit speeds (i.e., one billion bits per second). Multiple protocols such as SCSI (Small Computer Serial Interface), IP (Internet Protocol), HIPPI, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) among others can concurrently utilize the same media when mapped over Fibre Channel. A Fibre Channel Fabric is an entity which transmits Fibre Channel frames between connected Node Ports. The Fibre Channel fabric routes the frames based on the destination address as well as other information embedded in the Fibre Channel frame header. Node Ports are attached to the Fibre Channel Fabric through links.

Abstract: A device, system and method for a LAN is disclosed. The device includes a plurality of ports to connect to units such as host end user units. Each of the ports is connected to arbiter/aggregation device. The arbiter/aggregator device is connected to a high speed trunk for moving data packets from the various hosts to an output (the upstream or next layer switch). An input is provided connected to a high speed egress trunk. Each of the ports is connected to the high speed egress trunk via a filter for filtering data packets received via the high speed egress trunk. Packets are either allowed to pass through the filter (forwarded) or they are filtered (stopped at the filter).

Abstract: A method of grading an essay using an automated essay scoring system is provided. The method comprises the automated steps of (a) parsing the essay to produce parsed text, wherein the parsed text is a syntactic representation of the essay, (b) using the parsed text to create a vector of syntactic features derived from the essay, (c) using the parsed text to create a vector of rhetorical features derived from the essay, (d) creating a first score feature derived from the essay, (e) creating a second score feature derived from the essay, and (f) processing the vector of syntactic features, the vector of rhetorical features, the first score feature, and the second score feature to generate a score for the essay.

Abstract: Enhanced realism of a real-time simulator having multiple computer-controlled units results from making the units capable of reacting to only those other units that each of them can be aware of because of their spatial relationships to the unit. Awareness is based upon probabilities; it can persist after a relationship changes; and it can be influenced by a unit's designation of a target. Each unit selects a target based upon a score incorporating multiple aspects of its tactical situation, and can change targets when the situation changes. A unit selects a strategy in response to which of a set of tactical configurations exist between the unit and its target; the strategy can change short of completion when the configuration changes. A plan produces guidance commands from the high-level strategy. The guidance commands are converted into control settings for guiding the subject unit using a physics engine for simulating the physical dynamics of the unit.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer game that is played over a computer network and is capable of accommodating a large number of players. When the game is play on the Internet, players are able to input moves and be apprised of the state of the game using the basic input/output functions of their Web browser. Consequently, the game can be played with substantially no other game related software, plug-ins or add-ons. Another embodiment of the invention relates to the management of a game data base so as to compensate for the lack of game resources that a newer player has relative to older players that are likely to possess significantly greater game resources. Further, the virtual space of the game is highly expandable and updatable. In another embodiment of the invention a game is provided that couples game playing and advertising via a game currency that an advertiser can provide to a player and which can be used by the player in playing the game.