Patents Examined by Valencia Martin-Wallace
  • Patent number: 6629887
    Abstract: Provided is a game device using game tokens with a newly added element not found in conventional game devices. In the present token game device, the token game processing system and the video game processing system are linked. That is, the processing of the video game in the satellite unit (2) is commenced in accordance with whether or not a token hit the target (3). The processing contents of the video game are altered in accordance with the player's operation of the lever (23). Then, tokens are paid out to the player in accordance with the processing results of such video game. Therefore, the player is able to enjoy various operations, and provided is a game in which the player will not lose interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
    Inventors: Mitsuru Todaiji, Susumu Murata, Makoto Tanaka, Katsumi Kobayashi, Tetsuya Hamada, Kazuhiro Hagino, Takashi Semuna
  • Patent number: 6620043
    Abstract: The present invention provides a novel form of entertainment in which participants compete in a “tug of war” against opponents who are remotely located, stored in electronic form in memory, or are virtual opponents graphically generated in real-time by a computer. One embodiment implements “tug of war” in a manner compatible with international standards for Tug competitions. The invention consists of a rope attached to a motor to supply a counterforce to the pulling team. A tensiometer is attached to the rope to determine the force being applied to the rope by the pulling team. In one embodiment, there is a corresponding assembly being used by an opposing team and in data communication with the first assembly. The motor applies a counterforce to the rope being pulled by one team based on the force being applied by the other team to their own rope. In this manner, the system works as if the teams were each pulling on the same rope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric C. Haseltine, Kyle W. Poor, John W. Sogge
  • Patent number: 6609969
    Abstract: A device for dispensing awards includes a housing having a set of compartments, the contents of which are visible from the outside. Each compartment contains a small but valuable award, such as a diamond. The housing is part of, or connected to, a gaming machine. When a player wins a game which entitles the player to select a tangible award, the device signals this fact to the player. The player then selects a compartment by pressing a input device located on the housing. An attendant opens an external door, and inserts an electronic key into a receptacle associated with the selected compartment, and enters a required code into the key. The compartment then opens, and the player obtains the award. The device provides enhanced security, because the compartment will not open unless the player has won the required game and has pressed the input device, and the attendant has properly opened the external door and has entered the correct code with the electronic key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Sierra Design Group
    Inventors: Robert A. Luciano, Michael Souza
  • Patent number: 6607444
    Abstract: The present invention provides a server device for net games, which can sufficiently give users a sense of accomplishment as a winner and higher excitement without greatly diminishing the advantages of net games. A server system 1 designates league members from a plurality of members who register to a normal pennant using a client computer 2, sequentially creates normal leagues consisting of the designated league members, and decides the game schedule of each created normal league.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka, Inc.
    Inventors: Hidehisa Takahashi, Tatsuya Ishikawa, Kazuhiro Namba
  • Patent number: 6601874
    Abstract: A bookbinding repair kit containing instructions, diagrams and equipment to carry out repair to damaged or torn backing shoulder joints of any book, the equipment comprising a complete endpaper consisting of one evenly folded sheet of paper with a double-sided adhesive strip no less than 7 mm and no more than 10 mm in width but of a particular length, with a peel away backing paper attached to the endpaper adjacent one side of the endpaper fold, a double-sided self adhesive strip of mull cloth of a particular width and length, two thirds of each side of the mull cloth being covered with a peel away backing strip and the remaining third adhered to the adhesive side of a sconelined, one sided self-adhesive paper the same size as the endpaper, the endpaper side without the adhesive strip being glued to the plain side of the scorelined paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Inventor: Gennaro Raffaele Amitrano
  • Patent number: 6602133
    Abstract: A system and method which provides an interactive electronic puzzle game and rearranges that same puzzle after a certain amount of time has elapsed and the player has not performed a specific action required by the game. The interactive puzzle game comprises a player interface module, a player monitoring module connected to the player interface module and operable to detect actions of the player, a puzzle generation module that generates an electronic word-search puzzle, a clock module that sets a specific amount of time and a display module connected to the player interface module and operable to display the electronic puzzle to the player. If the player does not perform a specific action required by the game within an allotted amount of time, the puzzle generation module rearranges the electronic puzzle and the display module displays the rearranged electronic puzzle to the player for continued play.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Hearst Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael G Chan
  • Patent number: 6599188
    Abstract: A gambling game includes the steps of preparing a plurality of gaming cards with an indicia of identification, and a plurality of gaming symbols on a face of the card. The indicia of identification is recorded within a database of a central computer system. The gaming cards are then distributed to a plurality of remote gaming card dispensing machines networked to the central computer system. Participants can purchase for a predetermined amount of money the gaming cards from the remote gaming card dispensing machines. A first set of symbols is generated and communicated over the network to a plurality of displays. If no winner is determined subsequent symbols are generated, and communicated, until the symbols complete a match on at least one participant's gaming card. The process continues until a participant completes a match and wins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Parker Gaming
    Inventors: Bertram E. Hirsch, John Parker, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6595860
    Abstract: A portable information terminal can effectively utilize game results and is arranged to be multifunctional. When result information is transmitted from a terminal to another terminal, the destination terminal adds the transmitted result information to result information which has already been held thereby. The items of result information are sorted in the order of scores, and score data are updated. Of the updated result information, the result information having the same identification number as the identification number of the terminal is displayed on a display unit of the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsuji Yamamoto, Kenji Sawaguchi, Yuji Shinkai
  • Patent number: 6595863
    Abstract: A golf simulator has a flooring system comprising a tee area, a green area, a green-side area and a ball feed system adjacent the flooring system. From measurements taken when the ball is hit, the computer control system computes the next shot position of the ball after it is hit and the corresponding location on the flooring system. A ball feed system collects the ball into a ball feed chute and moves the ball toward a return gutter. When the ball contacts a gutter sensor, the sensor signals a gutter door to open, corresponding to a feed tube. The ball is sent down the return gutter and drops, at the position where the gutter door opened, into a feeding tube and a ball lifting mechanism positions a ball at the appropriate location on the flooring system. This process continues until a player finishes the hole. Accordingly, a player need not touch the golf ball, except when under penalty, more similar to an actual round of golf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Par Action Golf, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen B. Chamberlain, Charles W. Playforth, John C. Pfeiffer, James R. Kaiser
  • Patent number: 6595851
    Abstract: In a game system having inherent identification data assigned to each of memory card devices, novel cards can be generated by comparing the inherent identification data with a password given as an input signal. Thus, the inherent identification data can have functions other than a product identification function. Specifically, when a predetermined correlation is obtained as a result of this comparison between the inherent identification data and the password, a specific card determined by the correlation is generated as the novel card in a lottery style. The specific card can be used in a card game implemented by a game device main unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Corporation
    Inventors: Morikuni Kubo, Tsutomu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6589115
    Abstract: A gaming machine such as a slot machine is provided having a payout proportional to a wager value. The gaming machine provides a player with the ability to flexibly and automatically increase and decrease wagers, thereby allowing the player to press his bets when he feels lucky, and to decrease his bets when he feels unlucky. Different proportional payout tables are provided for different levels of wagers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Walker Digital, LLC
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch
  • Patent number: 6585596
    Abstract: A wireless control unit includes a controller having wireless transmitter circuitry for transmitting game information, and a console interface/adapter for converting one of the communication ports of the game console into a wireless receiver/transmitter. The console interface/adapter also includes an additional communication port so as to provide the user with access to the used communication port while the interface/adapter is operably disposed within the communication port of the game console.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Arista Enterprises Inc.
    Inventors: Alan E. Leifer, Richard Leifer, Chi-Fu Peng
  • Patent number: 6585586
    Abstract: A method and gaming assembly to play a variation of the game baccarat, the gaming assembly including a computer processor assembly, a display assembly and at least one user actuatable selector assembly. The computer processor assembly is structured to generate a player's hand and a banker's hand in accordance with rules of baccarat, one of those hands being designated the user's hand. Further, the computer processor assembly is structured to determine a winning hand in accordance with the rules of baccarat, designating the user as a winner if the user's hand is also the wining hand. Additionally, the computer processor assembly is structured to monitor consecutive ones of the user's hands and to indicate a bonus payout to the user in the event that consecutive ones of the user's hands have a final number count equal to a natural nine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Baccarat Plus Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Santiago Romero
  • Patent number: 6582301
    Abstract: A card dispensing shoe includes a scanner system that discerns the value and suit of each card dispensed, and includes a mechanical barrier to prevent dispensing a card contrary to card game rules. A CPU system within the show executes software pre-programmed with game rules, and controls the barrier to ensure against wrongful dispensing of a card. The card game can be video broadcast along with an image of each scanned card, and the resultant data broadcast over the internet to remotely located bettors who can place bets on the game in progress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Smart Shoes, Inc.
    Inventor: Otho Dale Hill
  • Patent number: 6582302
    Abstract: A gaming assembly to play a variation of the game baccarat, the gaming assembly including a computer processor assembly, a display assembly and at least one user actuatable selector assembly. The computer processor assembly is structured to generate a player's hand and a banker's hand in accordance with rules of baccarat, one of those hands being designated the user's hand. Further, the computer processor assembly is structured to determine a winning hand in accordance with the rules of baccarat, designating the user as a winner if the user's hand is also the winning hand. Additionally, the computer processor assembly is structured to monitor consecutive ones of the user's hands and to indicate a bonus payout to the user in the event that consecutive ones of the user's hands have a final number count equal to a natural nine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Baccarat Plus Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Santiago Romero
  • Patent number: 6582308
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing device which allows character aspects to be changed continuously. The present device is capable of displaying a cursor point and a character in standard aspect on a screen, and by transforming and displaying character aspect in accordance with parameters for defining characters, moving the cursor point in line with movement commands from peripheral devices, and continuously changing the parameters which define the character in line with the movement of the cursor point, serves continuously to transform and display character aspect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
    Inventors: Tatsuo Yamajiri, Satoshi Sakai, Manabu Kusunoki, Yukio Futatsugi, Kenichi Ikejiri
  • Patent number: 6582235
    Abstract: Display device displays a character string of lyrics and accompaniment information. Characters or unit words of the lyrics corresponding to a current performance position and a next performance position are displayed in different display styles, in accordance with progression of the performance. Pieces of the accompaniment information corresponding to the current performance position and the next performance position may be displayed in different display styles, in accordance with the progression of the performance. Thus, even when the characters or unit words of the lyrics corresponding to the current and next performance position are displayed in an overlapping condition, a user is allowed to readily distinguish between the overlapping characters or unit words.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Tom Jen Tsai, Masahiko Wakita
  • Patent number: 6579197
    Abstract: A training device includes a platform mounted on a wheel assembly. The platform has a rail for a support mechanism mounted thereon. On this support mechanism at least one training implement can be mounted and be supported therearound for use by an athlete in contacting the training device. In the platform is a control device for the wheel assembly, in order to adjust movement of the training device with respect to the type of training desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Inventor: Thomas J. Benoit
  • Patent number: 6579190
    Abstract: A ball motion measuring apparatus has a CCD camera having a multi-shutter which can open and close successively; strobes; a swinging speed measuring sensor; and a controlling/computing device connected to the CCD camera, the strobes, and the swinging speed measuring sensor. The swinging speed measuring sensor outputs a trigger signal for opening/closing the shutter to the CCD camera when the swinging speed measuring sensor detects passage of a golf club. Upon receipt of the trigger signal, the multi-shutter opens and closes successively. Synchronously with the opening/closing of the multi-shutter, the strobes emit flashlight sequentially. In this manner, a plurality of images of a golf ball driven by the golf club are photographed in a one-image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6575828
    Abstract: A device and method for playing a card game where four game cards are selected. To win, a fifth, outcome card must have either a higher or lower value than any same suited game card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Inventor: Mitchell J. NewDelman