Patents by Inventor Dale Shepherd

Dale Shepherd 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).

  • Publication number: 20140087850
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices may be capable of allowing a player to purchase an instance of game play at a game system with a pre-paid ticket or with another item of value. The game system may determine a denomination of a unit of a currency and generate a session request indicative of the denomination. The game system may also determine a ticket code of a ticket and generate a session request indicative of the ticket code. A remote authorizer may provide the game system with game authorization indicative of a number of entertainment credits in response to receiving a session request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Mick Delaney, Warren White, Dale Hermansen, Travis Green, Doug Harvey, Nate Burkett, Eugene Malina, Dale Shepherd
  • Patent number: 8597107
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices may be capable of allowing a player to purchase an instance of game play at a game system with a pre-paid ticket or with another item of value. The game system may determine a denomination of a unit of a currency and generate a session request indicative of the denomination. The game system may also determine a ticket code of a ticket and generate a session request indicative of the ticket code. A remote authorizer may provide the game system with game authorization indicative of a number of entertainment credits in response to receiving a session request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Mick Delaney, Warren White, Dale Hermansen, Travis Green, Doug Harvey, Nate Burkett, Eugene Malina, Dale Shepherd
  • Patent number: 8585502
    Abstract: Various methods for coordinating a distributed game in a gaming system are disclosed herein. According to one method, a player request is received at a dedicated game manager to participate in a distributed game where the dedicated game manager is in communication with other game managers in the polymorphous network. The dedicated game manager then determines whether it is an appropriate session host to satisfy the player request. If the dedicated manager is deemed the appropriate session host for the distributed game, play of the distributed game is managed at the dedicated game manager. Otherwise, the player request is forwarded to the appropriate session host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventor: Dale Shepherd
  • Patent number: 8550918
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a gaming system for coordinating a distributed game in a gaming environment are disclosed herein. According to one embodiment, the gaming system includes a polymorphous network of game managers. In the polymorphous network, each game manager is dynamically interconnected with one or more of the other game managers, and the dynamic interconnections are based on a game manager criteria or gaming data. The gaming system also includes a plurality of groups of gaming machines where a first group of gaming machines is only in communication with a first game manager. The first game manager receives game requests from the first group of gaming machines to initiate a game. The first game manager initiates the game if a sufficient number of game requests are received by the first game manager. Alternatively, the first game manager forwards the game requests to an appropriate game manager if the first gaming machine manager receives an insufficient number of game requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventor: Dale Shepherd
  • Publication number: 20100113139
    Abstract: Various methods for coordinating a distributed game in a gaming system are disclosed herein. According to one method, a player request is received at a dedicated game manager to participate in a distributed game where the dedicated game manager is in communication with other game managers in the polymorphous network. The dedicated game manager then determines whether it is an appropriate session host to satisfy the player request. If the dedicated manager is deemed the appropriate session host for the distributed game, play of the distributed game is managed at the dedicated game manager. Otherwise, the player request is forwarded to the appropriate session host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: BALLY GAMING, INC.
    Inventor: Dale Shepherd
  • Publication number: 20100113142
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a gaming system for coordinating a distributed game in a gaming environment are disclosed herein. According to one embodiment, the gaming system includes a polymorphous network of game managers. In the polymorphous network, each game manager is dynamically interconnected with one or more of the other game managers, and the dynamic interconnections are based on a game manager criteria or gaming data. The gaming system also includes a plurality of groups of gaming machines where a first group of gaming machines is only in communication with a first game manager. The first game manager receives game requests from the first group of gaming machines to initiate a game. The first game manager initiates the game if a sufficient number of game requests are received by the first game manager. Alternatively, the first game manager forwards the game requests to an appropriate game manager if the first gaming machine manager receives an insufficient number of game requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: BALLY GAMING, INC.
    Inventor: Dale Shepherd
  • Publication number: 20090170594
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices may be capable of allowing a player to purchase an instance of game play at a game system with a pre-paid ticket or with another item of value. The game system may determine a denomination of a unit of a currency and generate a session request indicative of the denomination. The game system may also determine a ticket code of a ticket and generate a session request indicative of the ticket code. A remote authorizer may provide the game system with game authorization indicative of a number of entertainment credits in response to receiving a session request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Mick Delaney, Warren White, Dale Hermansen, Travis Green, Doug Harvey, Nate Burkett, Eugene Malina, Dale Shepherd
  • Publication number: 20070218998
    Abstract: The system allows a casino operator to manage groups of electronic gaming machines (EGMs). Managing new or existing collections (i.e., groups) of gaming devices reduces the effort required to download or configure large numbers of EGMs. For example, new software may be downloaded to groups of EGMs from a central location, and the EGMs may be configured from the central location. Accordingly, this operational efficiency reduces maintenance costs and minimizes EGM downtime due to maintenance or EGM set-up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Christopher Arbogast, Travis William Green, William Jones, Dale Shepherd, Ronald Cadima, Thomas Buckeyne, Anthony Green, Pravinkumar Patel, Robert Crowder, Joshua Larsen
  • Publication number: 20070111791
    Abstract: A system for configuring an EGM from a remote terminal thereby providing improvements in operational efficiency when configuring EGMs. For example, operational efficiencies are possible by providing direct access to configure an EGM without the technician traveling to the physical machine, which may be miles away. For local EGM's, there will be efficiencies obtained by the number of EGM's configured per hour/per technician. For extremely remote EGM's, there are additional efficiencies by the reduction of travel and lodging expenses for the technician. Additionally, remote configuration of an EGM reduces security overhead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Applicant: Bally Gaming, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Arbogast, Travis Green, William Jones, Dale Shepherd, Ronald Cadima, Thomas Buckeyne, Anthony Green, Pravinkumar Patel, Robert Crowder, Joshua Larsen
  • Publication number: 20070105628
    Abstract: The system allows a casino operator to manage groups of electronic gaming machines (EGMs). Managing new or existing collections (i.e., groups) of gaming devices reduces the effort required to download or configure large numbers of EGMs. For example, new software may be downloaded to groups of EGMs from a central location, and the EGMs may be configured from the central location. Accordingly, this operational efficiency reduces maintenance costs and minimizes EGM downtime due to maintenance or EGM set-up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Publication date: May 10, 2007
    Inventors: Christopher Arbogast, Travis Green, William Jones, Dale Shepherd, Ronald Cadima, Thomas Buckeyne, Anthony Green, Pravinkumar Patel, Robert Crowder, Joshua Larsen