Patents by Inventor Christopher A. Cinco

Christopher A. Cinco 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).

  • Entertainment system for collecting user inputs by periodically interleaving game collection interrogations into series of system interrogations during interruption of system interrogations
    Patent number: 5907715
    Abstract: A hotel room entertainment system enables video games to be played in each room of a hotel without providing a video game generator in each room. The entertainment system includes at a head end system portion in which the video game audio and video signals are generated and a plurality of guest terminals. Game interrogations are provided to each guest terminal in an active game-playing mode, each game interrogation having a plurality of response positions for guest terminal responses to the interrogation. The game interrogations are interleaved with a series of system interrogations generated at the head end system, enabling the entertainment system to provide video game signals along with other entertainment and services to the guest terminals using a single distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation
    Inventors: Leon P. Stoel, David M. Bankers, Vernon E. Hills, Prentice J. Plucker, Christopher A. Cinco
  • Entertainment system and method for controlling connections between terminals and game generators and providing video game responses to game controls through a distributed system
    Patent number: 5675828
    Abstract: A hotel room entertainment system enables video games to be played in each room of a hotel without providing a video game generator in each room. The entertainment system includes at a head end system portion in which the video game audio and video signals are generated and a plurality of guest terminals. Game interrogations are provided to each guest terminal in an active game-playing mode, each game interrogation having a plurality of response positions for guest terminal responses to the interrogation. The game interrogations are interleaved with a series of system interrogations generated at the head end system, enabling the entertainment system to provide video game signals along with other entertainment and services to the guest terminals using a single distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation
    Inventors: Leon P. Stoel, David M. Bankers, Vernon E. Hills, Prentice J. Plucker, Christopher A. Cinco
  • Entertainment system for providing interactive video game responses to the game interrogations to the video game engines without being processed by the host computer
    Patent number: 5641319
    Abstract: A hotel room entertainment system enables video games to be played in each room of a hotel without providing a video game generator in each room. The entertainment system includes at a head end system portion in which the video game audio and video signals are generated and a plurality of guest terminals. Game interrogations are provided to each guest terminal in an active game-playing mode, each game interrogation having a plurality of response positions for guest terminal responses to the interrogation. The game interrogations are interleaved with a series of system interrogations generated at the head end system, enabling the entertainment system to provide video game signals along with other entertainment and services to the guest terminals using a single distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation
    Inventors: Leon P. Stoel, David M. Bankers, Vernon E. Hills, Prentice J. Plucker, Christopher A. Cinco
  • Video distribution system addressing device for identifying remote locations
    Patent number: 5455619
    Abstract: The present invention is an electronic room address tag which associates an address with a remote location in a video distribution system. The video distribution system includes a central distribution point, a plurality of remote locations having at least one video control terminal located at each remote location, and a communication link for carrying signals between the central distribution point and the video control terminals at each remote location. The electronic room address tag is connected to the communication link and located at each remote location separate from the video terminal. The address is stored in the video control terminal and is accessible from the central distribution point through the communication link for tracking guest video selection and video control terminal use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Assignee: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation
    Inventors: Steven D. Truckenmiller, Mark D. Schulz, Christopher A. Cinco, Leon P. Stoel, Vernon E. Hills