Patents by Inventor Akihiko Naito

Akihiko Naito has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9928690
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award amounts, each total award amount associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: KONAMI GAMING, INC.
    Inventors: Akihiko Naito, Michael Ratner, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup, Yuji Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 9852585
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award probabilities, each total award probability associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award probability as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award probability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: KONAMI GAMING, INC.
    Inventors: Yuji Taniguchi, Michael Ratner, Akihiko Naito, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup
  • Publication number: 20170018141
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award amounts, each total award amount associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventors: Akihiko Naito, Michael Ratner, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup, Yuji Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20170018144
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award probabilities, each total award probability associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award probability as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award probability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventors: Yuji Taniguchi, Michael Ratner, Akihiko Naito, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup
  • Patent number: 9495841
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award probabilities, each total award probability associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award probability as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award probability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: KONAMI GAMING, INC.
    Inventors: Yuji Taniguchi, Michael Ratner, Akihiko Naito, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup
  • Patent number: 9495840
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award amounts, each total award amount associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: KONAMI GAMING, INC.
    Inventors: Akihiko Naito, Michael Ratner, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup, Yuji Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20150087399
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award amounts, each total award amount associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Akihiko Naito, Michael Ratner, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup, Yuji Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20150087400
    Abstract: A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award probabilities, each total award probability associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award probability as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award probability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Yuji Taniguchi, Michael Ratner, Akihiko Naito, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup
  • Publication number: 20150072769
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a gaming system and method of providing a tracked player an award based on gaming transactions and displays the award as a bonus feature game on a gaming machine using the same game themes and/or game elements displayed in the primary game or secondary game played on the machine. This grants tracked player awards without disrupting the game play experience. In particular the invention will comprise at least one gaming machine and a player tracking system containing a database in communication with the gaming machine and comprise the steps of: determining a system award based on gaming transactions; communicating the system award as a bonus feature game to a gaming machine based on the gaming transactions displaying one or more bonus feature games having game outcomes based on the system award; and displaying the bonus feature game with in-game assets stored in the gaming machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Ratner, Akihiko Naito, Edward Sepich, Thomas Soukup, Yuji Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7653290
    Abstract: An example outputting apparatus repeatedly transmits contents such as music or movies reproduced a player while attaching order information such as sector address numbers to the contents. An example recording apparatus records the contents on a recording medium such as a DVD based on the transmitted order information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Kuroda, Yoshiaki Moriyama, Takashi Hashimoto, Akihiko Naito
  • Patent number: 7313317
    Abstract: The portable image recording apparatus comprises a coding unit which codes an input sound and image data relating to an image, a parameter setting unit which variably sets a frame rate and a bit rate of coding to be executed by the coding unit according to a type of contents of the image; and a recording unit which records the coded data obtained by the coding unit into a small-sized recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Mori, Kunio Nakaoka, Hiroaki Sakai, Yoshinari Sugegaya, Akihiko Naito, Masaki Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 7298733
    Abstract: An internet communication system, which is provided with session managing servers 210 and 220. In the system, each session managing server manages wireless communication apparatuses 110 and 120 and call relay servers 310 and 320. For that reason, the processing load of each session managing server is allowed to be equalized. As a result, the operational efficiency of the system may be enhanced, and quality of services offered to the user of the system may be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: IP Talk Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sakai, Yoshinari Sugegaya, Masashi Mori, Kunio Nakaoka, Kazuyoshi Kojima, Akihiko Naito, Shun Kimura, Hiroki Morioka, Nobuhito Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 7222364
    Abstract: Encrypted music information or the like and encryption processing information itself employed for the encrypting is transmitted from a set top box (BX) to a recorder (R) via a serial bus (B) after decoded, and the music information or the like is recorded in a DVD-R (1). Upon this recording, the music information encoded by employing an asynchronous transmission region in the IEEE 1394 standard that is a standard with which the serial bus (B) conforms is transmitted at a high speed. On the other hand, encode processing information encoded by employing an isochronous transmission region in the IEEE 1394 standard is transmitted at a 1-fold speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Kuroda, Yoshiaki Moriyama, Takashi Hashimoto, Akihiko Naito
  • Patent number: 7188356
    Abstract: A program transmitting/receiving system has a center device and a terminal device connected through a communication device to the center device. The center device has a program information memory, a program information transmitter, a broadcasting device, and a request program transmitter. The terminal device has a program information receiver, a program receiver, an image information generator, a program request signal transmitter, and a request program receiver. The memory stores a program information. The program information transmitter transmits the program information to the terminal device. The broadcasting device broadcasts the program to the terminal device in accordance with a schedule, and stores the program. The request program transmitter receives a request signal of the program from the terminal device, and transmits the program corresponding to the request signal to the terminal device. Then, the program information receiver receives the program information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Miura, Mitsuru Nishitsuka, Nobuo Uee, Akihiko Naito
  • Patent number: 7082226
    Abstract: A duplicated part of identical images in an encoded image data master is judged to be selected. Image data to be reused is generated by adding a storage instruction to encoded image data of the duplicated part of the first identical image, and converting encoded image data of the duplicated part of the second identical image into a reuse instruction. In a reproduction process, decoded data in the encoded image data part including the storage instruction is stored in a vacant area and the decoded data is read at the point of the reuse instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinari Sugegaya, Kunio Nakaoka, Hiroaki Sakai, Masashi Mori, Akihiko Naito, Masaki Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 6931064
    Abstract: In the motion picture data converter, an MPEG-2 decoding unit decodes motion picture data in an MPEG-2 format into motion picture data in an non-compressed format, a motion vector extraction unit extracts motion vector information from the motion picture data being decoded in said MPEG-2 decoding unit, a motion compensation unit generates the motion vector information in the MPEG-4 format, by causing the extracted motion vector information to be reflected in the motion compensation processing for the MPEG-4 format, and executes the motion compensation processing based on the motion vector information, and an MPEG-4 encoding unit encodes motion picture data in the MPEG-4 format, using the motion compensation processed data and the motion picture data in the non-compressed format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Mori, Kunio Nakaoka, Hiroaki Sakai, Yoshinari Sugegaya, Akihiko Naito, Masaki Yamakawa
  • Publication number: 20040243712
    Abstract: An internet communication system, which is provided with session managing servers 210 and 220. In the system, each session managing server manages wireless communication apparatuses 110 and 120 and call relay servers 310 and 320. For that reason, the processing load of each session managing server is allowed to be equalized. As a result, the operational efficiency of the system may be enhanced, and quality of services offered to the user of the system may be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sakai, Yoshinari Sugegaya, Masashi Mori, Kunio Nakaoka, Kazuyoshi Kojima, Akihiko Naito, Shun Kimura, Hiroki Morioka, Nobuhito Miyauchi
  • Publication number: 20040153549
    Abstract: An internet communication system, which is provided with session managing servers 210 and 220. In the system, each session managing server manages communication adapters 110 and 120 and call relay servers 310 and 320. For that reason, the processing load of each session managing server is allowed to be equalized. As a result, the operational efficiency of the system may be enhanced, and quality of services offered to the user of the system may be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: Akihiko Naito, Nobuhito Miyauchi, Shun Kimura, Hiroki Morioka
  • Publication number: 20040131165
    Abstract: An internet telephone adapter connected to a conventional telephone has a problem of being incapable of switching over to a public line for conventional telephoning in case of internet telephoning unavailable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Inventors: Hideaki Ebisawa, Nobuhito Miyauchi, Akihiko Naito
  • Publication number: 20030072500
    Abstract: A duplicated part of identical images in an encoded image data master is judged to be selected. Image data to be reused is generated by adding a storage instruction to encoded image data of the duplicated part of the first identical image, and converting encoded image data of the duplicated part of the second identical image into a reuse instruction. In a reproduction process, decoded data in the encoded image data part including the storage instruction is stored in a vacant area and the decoded data is read at the point of the reuse instruction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Yoshinari Sugegaya, Kunio Nakaoka, Hiroaki Sakai, Masashi Mori, Akihiko Naito, Masaki Yamakawa