Patents Examined by William H McCulloch, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10987597
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method are described for managing audio chat for an online video game or application. For example, a system according to one embodiment comprises: an online video game or application execution engine to execute an online video game or application in response to input from one or more users of the video game or application and to responsively generate audio and video of the video game or application; and a chat subsystem to establish audio chat sessions with the one or more users and one or more spectators to the video game or application, the chat subsystem establishing a plurality of audio chat channels including a spectator channel over which the spectators participate in audio chat and a user channel over which the users participate in audio chat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: David R. Sullivan, Robert McCool, Stephen G. Perlman
  • Patent number: 10991200
    Abstract: A method of providing a secondary skill based game to a player utilizing an electronic game machine includes providing the player with a plurality of wagering units enabling the participants to play a machine-implemented game, initiating the game whereby the player wagers during individual games, displaying indicia representing a game state to the player whereby the player may select from at least two different potentially winning actions to continue each game, determining an outcome for the machine-implemented game, and, if the number of wagering units held by the participant is greater than a predetermined number of wagering units and if the elapsed time from the initiation of the first game played by the player is less than a predetermined time interval and if the number of games played by the player is less than a predetermined maximum number of games, providing the player the a secondary skill based game prize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: BRAIN GAMES, L.C.
    Inventor: Malcolm B. Davis
  • Patent number: 10981065
    Abstract: An example of an information processing apparatus places an object in a virtual space. The information processing apparatus counts, for at least one type of the object, a placement number of the objects placed in the virtual space. The information processing apparatus presents candidates of a clear condition including a condition relating to the object, on the basis of the counted placement number, in a selectable manner for a user. The clear condition is used for determining that a game using the virtual space has been cleared. The information processing apparatus sets a candidate selected by the user, as the clear condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Oshino, Fumiya Nakano
  • Patent number: 10967281
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for improving interactions with and between computers in content generating, searching, hosting and/or providing systems supported by or configured with personal computing devices, servers and/or platforms. The systems interact to identify and retrieve data within or across platforms, which can be used to improve the quality of data used in processing interactions between or among processors in such systems. The disclosed systems and methods provide systems and methods for automatic fantasy sports data analysis, including analysis of data to equalize player attractiveness in contestant composition of a fantasy sports team.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: VERIZON MEDIA INC.
    Inventors: Michael Lazarus, Maxim Sviridenko, Justin Thaler
  • Patent number: 10960283
    Abstract: A system that wirelessly integrates actual game equipment with a computer and the internet to allow players remotely located from one another to play a competitive real or simulated game of golf. An individual player may opt to play solo or practice to improve basic golfing techniques. The system includes smart golf clubs, a golf ball receptacle, and a golf club motion sensing devices, all containing circuits, contact and or noncontact motion sensors coupled with signal processing and radio frequency transmitter circuitry to wirelessly communicate game performance information to a remote receiver-computer. The computer displays player information and visually simulates and controls a game between one or more local players or via the internet having similar equipment and remotely located from each other. Standard golf clubs may be retrofitted with the sensors and associated circuitry to convert such clubs into “smart clubs” for use with the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Inventors: Wilbert Quinc Murdock, Philip Alister Williams
  • Patent number: 10964173
    Abstract: The present invention relates to gaming machines, systems and methods of gaming. There are a number of different ways available for determining an award by current gaming machines and systems. In this embodiment, a game controller is arranged to determine an award depending on the number of columns spanned by a cluster of symbols and the number of symbol positions in the cluster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryan Paul Hawkins, Yanis Tsombanidis, Stephanie Johns, Robert Honeycutt
  • Patent number: 10953334
    Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a customized virtual character are disclosed. A system may obtain video data or other media depicting a real person, and then may provide the obtained media to one or more machine learning models configured to learn visual appearance and behavior information regarding the particular person depicted in the video or other media. The system may then generate a custom visual appearance model and a custom behavior model corresponding to the real person, which may subsequently be used to render, within a virtual environment of a video game, a virtual character that resembles the real person in appearance and in-game behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Electronic Arts Inc.
    Inventors: John Kolen, Harold Henry Chaput, Navid Aghdaie, Kazi Atif-Uz Zaman, Kenneth Alan Moss
  • Patent number: 10946283
    Abstract: A computer system and method is disclosed including a vault application to facilitate the transacting of game assets represented by tokens managed by a smart contract via a hybrid approach that permits certain transactions of game assets to be conducted using an in-game centralized database approach (which does not necessarily include a decentralized network) and other transactions to be managed on a decentralized network, via a blockchain or other distributed ledger technology (DLT) network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Big Time Studios Ltd.
    Inventors: Ariel Meilich, Thor Alexander, Hugo Arregui
  • Patent number: 10950095
    Abstract: An image capture device, which may be part of or associated with a mixed reality viewer device, may capture image data representative of an image of a live sporting event, and the live sporting event may be identified based on the image data. Player status data indicative of a player status of a player using a gaming device, such as the mixed reality viewer device, may be retrieved from a player database, and the player status of the player may be determined based on the player status data. Based on identifying the live sporting event and determining the player status, a wager associated with the live sporting event may be selected and an indication of the wager provided to a display device that is viewable by the player. In response to receiving acceptance data indicative of the player accepting the wager, the wager may be resolved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventor: Klaus Hufnagl-Abraham
  • Patent number: 10946286
    Abstract: A non-limiting example game system includes a plurality of terminal apparatuses operated by a plurality of players, and connect to a network. The computer system creates a virtual lobby that allows up to a predetermined number of players to participate therein, and sets a player who operates one of the terminal apparatuses as a player who is virtually present in the lobby in response to a request from that terminal apparatus. The game system also automatically selects one from a plurality of games including at least games requiring different numbers of participant players, according to the number of players who are present in the lobby and are not playing a game and are ready to play, and automatically selects participant players in the selected game from the players ready to play.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Hinoshita, Haruna Sugano
  • Patent number: 10933331
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and systems directed towards generating and utilizing earned gameplay resources for metagaming. The interconnected gameplay is carried out via a first party platform that tracks and integrates user gameplay information coming from a plurality of different video games. The first party platform gameplay information is used to affect the user's performance and progress within a separate game which in turn can be used to affect the progress and performance of video games associated with the first party platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
    Inventors: Warren M. Benedetto, Landon Noss
  • Patent number: 10918956
    Abstract: A system for monitoring online gaming activity. The system primarily comprises of a controller extension unit, web server, a listening device and a software application designed to provide an interface for parents or guardians to review captured audio data of in-game oral communication. The controller extension unit is designed to capture audio data and to transmit the captured audio data to the web server where it can be processed and stored. The listening device is designed to wirelessly stream in-game audio data in real-time through built-in speakers from any room in a house. The software application allows parents or guardians to belatedly review in-game audio data at their convenience. The software further includes a customizable keyword detection and notification feature to allow parents or guardians to prioritize the language that they are most concerned by and wish to discourage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Inventors: Kelli Rout, Kim Rout, Kamryn Rout
  • Patent number: 10918941
    Abstract: Systems described herein may automatically and dynamically adjust the amount and type of computing resources usable to execute, process, or perform various tasks associated with a video game. Using one or more machine learning algorithms, a prediction model can be generated that uses the historical and/or current user interaction data obtained by monitoring the users playing the video game. Based on the historical and/or current user interaction data, future user interactions likely to be performed in the future can be predicted. Using the predictions of the users' future interactions, the amount and type of computing resources maintained in the systems can be adjusted such that a proper balance between reducing the consumption of computing resources and reducing the latency experienced by the users of the video game is achieved and maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
    Inventors: John Kolen, Harold Henry Chaput, Navid Aghdaie, Kazi Atif-Uz Zaman, Kenneth Alan Moss
  • Patent number: 10918939
    Abstract: A system and method are described for managing the state of an online video game. A method includes initiating a new online video game in response to user input from a client device, the online video game being in a first state on a first server when initiated; executing the online video game on the server, thereby causing the online video game to enter a second state; pausing or terminating the online video game; determining differences between the first state and the second state and generating difference data containing the differences; transmitting the difference data over a network to a second server; and recreating the second state from the difference data and the first state in response to user input indicating that the user wishes to resume the online video game and in response to the second server being selected as the server on which to execute the video game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: Stephen G. Perlman, Roger van der Laan, Timothy Cotter, Scott Furman, Robert McCool, Ian Buckley
  • Patent number: 10912989
    Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting and preventing cheating in a location-based game are provided. In particular, a server-side statistical cheat detection algorithm can be implemented upon receiving a player request to perform a game action. A given dataset describing the respective times and locations of previous game events performed by the player can be analyzed to determine a probability that such game events represent legitimate gameplay. The determined probability can affect whether the player-requested game action is effectuated or can influence a number of points awarded for completion of the game action. An example system includes a host server and a client device in communication over a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Niantic, Inc.
    Inventors: David Kornmann, Jim Wang, Alexander Vladimirov, Edward Wu, Phillip Craig Keslin, Neal Kanodia
  • Patent number: 10916101
    Abstract: A method performed by one or more processing devices for conducting a networked contest is provided. The method describes receiving an input from a contestant, extracting a first set of variable rules based on the contestant input, authorizing the contestant for a contest, presenting a media to a consumer, wherein the media is generated by the contestant, receiving an input from the consumer, extracting a second set of variable rules based on the consumer input, responsive to the presented media, receiving a casted vote from the consumer if each of the contestant and the consumer are authorized based on the variable rules sets. A system for conducting a contest is also provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: MSM Holdings Pte.
    Inventors: Adam Wellisch, Joshua Wellisch, Dion Sullivan
  • Patent number: 10891822
    Abstract: A gaming device includes a gesture detection device that includes a gesture detector that is operable to detect a gesture of a player and a gesture interpreter that is configured to generate gesture data corresponding to the gesture, a housing that includes an interior that is defined by a plurality of opaque surfaces and a front surface that includes a portion that is a semi-transparent window that is configured to reflect, to the player, a reflected image of at least a portion of the player that is an object distance away from the semi-transparent window. The gaming device includes a display device that is arranged within the housing and that includes a display surface that faces the semi-transparent window, that is spaced apart from the semi-transparent window by about the object distance and that is configured to display a supplemental image that is visible through the semi-transparent window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Stefan Keilwert, Klaus Achmueller
  • Patent number: 10888787
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and systems directed towards identifying player engagement to generate contextual game play assistance. User gameplay information is monitored so that the user can be provided assistance within the video game where the user may have problems. User gameplay information is monitored in order to identify what type(s) of assistance could be provided to the user. The information can be based on the current level of frustration of the user with the video game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
    Inventors: Warren M. Benedetto, Landon Noss
  • Patent number: 10881907
    Abstract: A machine implemented method and system, including: transmitting one or more credentials of a user account from a user device to an exercise management system (EMS) having a processor and one or more sensors where the EMS is disposed on an exercise equipment disposed in a selected at least one fitness center and the exercise equipment is part of a selected at least one exercise plan; transmitting the one or more credentials of the user account from the EMS to a cloud server having a processor; transmitting the selected at least one exercise plan for the new user account from the cloud server to the EMS; transmitting an exercise equipment information from the EMS; forming a user exercise data by the EMS for the exercise equipment based on data received from the one or more sensors and transmitting an exercise feedback from the EMS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: SMARTWEIGHTS, INC.
    Inventor: Praveen Kashyap
  • Patent number: 10885701
    Abstract: An augmented reality (AR) application allows for the specification of various lighting conditions, or lighting states, that can be simulated for an augmented reality view of a scene. This can include, for example, specifying a time of day to cause the view to be rendered with a specific amount of sunlight, or specifying a state of various light sources that can impact the illumination of the scene. A light map and lighting state data can be determined for the scene. A change to the lighting state data can result in a filter being applied to the live view of the scene to cause the overall appearance to correspond to the target lighting state. Augmented reality content displayed with respect to the live view can be rendered to have an appearance that corresponds to the altered live view. AR content can also be used to update the appearance of shadows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Pratik Patel