Patents by Inventor Rodney L. Willyard
Rodney L. Willyard 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: 8905835Abstract: A method for conducting bingo games includes using a server to collect game play requests from a plurality of electronic player stations. The server determines if a group of the collected game play requests meets one or more predefined conditions for establishing a quorum, and if so conducts a game with the group of game play requests. Even after the game is started, the server continues to collect game play requests in preparation for conducting additional games. When enough game play requests are collected, the server starts the next game, even if previous games are still in progress.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2013Date of Patent: December 9, 2014Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton E. Lind, Brendan M. O'Connor, Gary L. Loebig, Rodney L. Willyard, Naveen Malhotra, Martin A. Keane, Joseph R. Enzminger, Jefferson C. Lind, Gordon T. Graves
-
Publication number: 20140004923Abstract: A result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in a bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game. That is, although the game results are simply bingo game results defined by predetermined patterns of matches between the various card designations and the designation set produced or called for a particular bingo-type game, the game results are displayed to the players with a graphical display including a graphic that is not merely a graphical representation or reproduction of a bingo card.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2013Publication date: January 2, 2014Applicant: Multimedia Gemes, Inc.Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Publication number: 20130316785Abstract: A method for conducting bingo games includes using a server to collect game play requests from a plurality of electronic player stations. The server determines if a group of the collected game play requests meets one or more predefined conditions for establishing a quorum, and if so conducts a game with the group of game play requests. Even after the game is started, the server continues to collect game play requests in preparation for conducting additional games. When enough game play requests are collected, the server starts the next game, even if previous games are still in progress.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2013Publication date: November 28, 2013Applicant: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton E. Lind, Brendan M. O'Connor, Gary L. Loebig, Rodney L. Willyard, Naveen Malhotra, Martin A. Keane, Joseph R. Enzminger, Jefferson C. Lind, Gordon T. Graves
-
Patent number: 8523653Abstract: A result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in a bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game. That is, although the game results are simply bingo game results defined by predetermined patterns of matches between the various card designations and the designation set produced or called for a particular bingo-type game, the game results are displayed to the players with a graphical display including a graphic that is not merely a graphical representation or reproduction of a bingo card.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2012Date of Patent: September 3, 2013Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Patent number: 8419528Abstract: A gaming system and method are disclosed that include anonymous and identified player tracking, wherein gaming data is collected over one, two, or more gaming sessions, the data is analyzed to determine whether a selected criterion or selected criteria have been met, and if so, then initiating a response, such as triggering a flag or transmitting a notification to an operator.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2010Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Joseph R. Enzminger, Nimai Malle, Clifton Lind, Brendan O'Connor, Rodney L. Willyard, Troy Jungmann, Frank Roan, Jefferson C. Lind
-
Patent number: 8262454Abstract: A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed which provide a player selectable option to manually interact by selecting game elements or initiate an automated mode whereby the gaming apparatus selects game elements in accordance with the rules of the game being played. An example disclosed embodiment includes a player being assigned a bingo card representation and a game designation set is associated with the bingo card representation, such that daubing the bingo card representation may be performed manually by the player at the player's respective player station using a suitable interface at the player station. Alternatively to manual daubing, the present invention includes automatically daubing one or more bingo card representations in response to an automatic daub input made by the player at the player station using a suitable input device.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2010Date of Patent: September 11, 2012Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Publication number: 20120190422Abstract: A result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in a bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game. That is, although the game results are simply bingo game results defined by predetermined patterns of matches between the various card designations and the designation set produced or called for a particular bingo-type game, the game results are displayed to the players with a graphical display including a graphic that is not merely a graphical representation or reproduction of a bingo card.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2012Publication date: July 26, 2012Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Patent number: 8147314Abstract: A result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in a bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game. That is, although the game results are simply bingo game results defined by predetermined patterns of matches between the various card designations and the designation set produced or called for a particular bingo-type game, the game results are displayed to the players with a graphical display including a graphic that is not merely a graphical representation or reproduction of a bingo card.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2007Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Publication number: 20100210363Abstract: A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed which provide a player selectable option to manually interact by selecting game elements or initiate an automated mode whereby the gaming apparatus selects game elements in accordance with the rules of the game being played. An example disclosed embodiment includes a player being assigned a bingo card representation and a game designation set is associated with the bingo card representation, such that daubing the bingo card representation may be performed manually by the player at the player's respective player station using a suitable interface at the player station. Alternatively to manual daubing, the present invention includes automatically daubing one or more bingo card representations in response to an automatic daub input made by the player at the player station using a suitable input device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2010Publication date: August 19, 2010Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Publication number: 20100203957Abstract: A gaming system and method are disclosed that include anonymous and identified player tracking, wherein gaming data is collected over one, two, or more gaming sessions, the data is analyzed to determine whether a selected criterion or selected criteria have been met, and if so, then initiating a response, such as triggering a flag or transmitting a notification to an operator.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2010Publication date: August 12, 2010Applicant: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Joseph R. Enzminger, Nimai Malle, Clifton Lind, Brendan O'Connor, Rodney L. Willyard, Troy Jungmann, Frank Roan, Jefferson C. Lind
-
Patent number: 7766741Abstract: Each bingo card representation matched with a game designation set in a given bingo game (a “matched bingo card representation”) represents a respective game play record providing a result in the bingo game. The result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in the bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation is correlated to one or more game results in the bingo-type game so that each game result in the bingo-type game is associated with a result representation. According to the invention, each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2002Date of Patent: August 3, 2010Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Patent number: 7708638Abstract: A method for detecting potential money-laundering activities or other illegal activities in the use of a gaming accounting system includes collecting data regarding a player's activity in a gaming system. The gaming system activity data is collected in terms of a gaming activity network, that is, a series of linked activities or events, and/or objects associated with activities or events. In response to a predefined event such as a cash out or credit redemption transaction request initiated by the player, the method includes evaluating the collected data to identify potentially illegal or prohibited activity. In the event illegal activity is indicated, the method includes taking some corrective action such as producing an operator alert to the potential illegal activity.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2004Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Joseph R. Enzminger, Nimai Malle, Clifton Lind, Brendan O'Connor, Rodney L. Willyard, Troy Jungmann, Frank Roan, Jefferson C. Lind
-
Publication number: 20080207302Abstract: Each bingo card representation matched with a game designation draw in a given bingo game (a “matched bingo card representation”) represents a respective game play record providing a result in the bingo game. The result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in the bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation is correlated to one or more game results in the bingo-type game so that each game result in the bingo-type game is associated with a result representation. Each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 30, 2007Publication date: August 28, 2008Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Patent number: 6802776Abstract: A gaming system (10) utilizes a game designation generating component (16), a gaming establishment component (11), and a set of predefined bingo card representations. Each bingo card representation is stored in electronic format as a data structure or data record defining a predefined pattern of game designations chosen from a pool of available designations. The game designation generating component (16) generates sets of game designations from a pool of available designations. The method employed in the gaming system (10) includes pre-matching the bingo card representations to a given set of game designations to produce a matched card set. This pre-matching occurs prior to the sale, distribution, or assignment of card representations to players in the game.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2001Date of Patent: October 12, 2004Assignee: Multimedia Games, Inc.Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Publication number: 20040152499Abstract: A method for conducting bingo games includes using a server (101) to collect game play requests (501) from a plurality of electronic player stations (103). The server (101, 102) determines if a group of the collected game play requests meets one or more predefined conditions for establishing a quorum (502), and if so conducts a game with the group of game play requests (506, 507). Even after the game is started, the server continues to collect game play requests in preparation for conducting additional games (506, 500). When enough game play requests are collected (503), the server starts the next game, even if previous games are still in progress (506, 507).Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2003Publication date: August 5, 2004Inventors: Clifton Lind, Brendan O'Connor, Gary Loebig, Rodney L. Willyard, Naveen Malhotra, Martin Keane, Joseph Richard Enzminger, Jefferson C. Lind
-
Publication number: 20040152508Abstract: A method for conducting bingo games includes using a server (101) to collect game play requests (501) from a plurality of electronic player stations (103). The server (101, 102) determines if a group of the collected game play requests meets one or more predefined conditions for establishing a quorum (502), and if so conducts a game with the group of game play requests (506, 507). Even after the game is started, the server continues to collect game play requests in preparation for conducting additional games (506, 500). When enough game play requests are collected (503), the server starts the next game, even if previous games are still in progress (506, 507). Each game play request is associated with a bingo card representation and each such card representation is associated with a respective pay table. Prizes or outcomes of the game are assigned for each bingo card representation according to the respective pay table with which the card representation is associated.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2003Publication date: August 5, 2004Inventors: Clifton Lind, Brendan O'Connor, Gary Loebig, Rodney L. Willyard, Naveen Malhotra, Martin Keane, Joseph Richard Enzminger, Jefferson C. Lind
-
Publication number: 20020132661Abstract: Each bingo card representation matched with a game designation set in a given bingo game (a “matched bingo card representation”) represents a respective game play record providing a result in the bingo game. The result represented by a matched bingo card representation is displayed to a player in the bingo-type game through a result representation provided at a suitable player station. Each result representation is correlated to one or more game results in the bingo-type game so that each game result in the bingo-type game is associated with a result representation. According to the invention, each result representation includes a graphical representation unrelated to the bingo-type game.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2002Publication date: September 19, 2002Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert
-
Publication number: 20020111207Abstract: A gaming system (10) utilizes a game designation generating component (16), a gaming establishment component (11), and a set of predefined bingo card representations. Each bingo card representation is stored in electronic format as a data structure or data record defining a predefined pattern of game designations chosen from a pool of available designations. The game designation generating component (16) generates sets of game designations from a pool of available designations. The method employed in the gaming system (10) includes pre-matching the bingo card representations to a given set of game designations to produce a matched card set. This pre-matching occurs prior to the sale, distribution, or assignment of card representations to players in the game.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2001Publication date: August 15, 2002Inventors: Clifton Lind, Gordon T. Graves, Gary L. Loebig, Jefferson C. Lind, Joseph R. Enzminger, Rodney L. Willyard, Robert Lannert