Patents by Inventor Stewart Thoeni

Stewart Thoeni 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: 20130072288
    Abstract: A gaming system, gaming device, and method providing advertising messages to players based on a determination of a positive winning gaming session. In one embodiment, the gaming system monitors a plurality of plays of at least one wagering game during a designated period. At the end of the designated period, the gaming system determines whether a player of the monitored plays had a positive winning gaming session. If the player had a positive winning gaming session, the gaming system provides at least one advertising message to the player.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Stewart Thoeni, Chauncey Griswold
  • Publication number: 20120322542
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for providing an adaptive gaming machine. In some implementations, a spatial coordinate of an eye area of a player in proximity to the electronic gaming machine may be determined. The spatial coordinate may define a location of the eye area in relation to the electronic gaming machine. Based on the identified eye location, a preferred viewing area of a display screen associated with the electronic gaming machine may be determined. A determination may be made as to whether a game play portion of the video data is positioned within the preferred viewing area of the display screen. When the game play portion of the video data is not positioned within the preferred viewing area of the display screen, the game play portion of the video data may be positioned within the preferred viewing area of the display screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Russell Chudd, Charles Johnson, Tai Rosander, Stewart Thoeni
  • Publication number: 20110070939
    Abstract: A gaming machine includes a reel assembly and a processor operatively coupled to the reel assembly. The reel assembly includes at least one slot reel including a reel strip having a plurality of symbols positioned thereon. At least a portion of the plurality of symbols includes a plurality of frames. The at least one slot reel is configured to rotate about an axis. The reel assembly also includes at least one light device positioned with respect to the slot reel to selectively illuminate the plurality of symbols. The processor is configured to control the light device to progressively illuminate at least a portion of the plurality of frames to facilitate an appearance of animation within the plurality of frames during rotation of said at least one slot reel about the axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2009
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Inventors: Julia Janeen Randall, Brian Keith Baker, Jean Pierre Legras, Gene Elvin Powell, Stewart Thoeni, Mark Woodard
  • Patent number: 7862422
    Abstract: A gaming device including a display device that rotates a co-acting symbol display about a horizontal and vertical axis to display at least one symbol to a player. The symbol display is movably connected to a support and includes a first symbol display and a second symbol display. The first symbol display includes a first wheel and a first reel and the second symbol display includes a second wheel and a second reel. Each of the first and second wheels and reels display a plurality of symbols to the player. A processor causes the symbol display to move to one or more different positions and in one or more different directions to display one or more symbols to a player based on game play, a game function or a game mode in a game displayed by the gaming device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: IGT
    Inventors: Michael T. Garamendi, Stewart Thoeni
  • Publication number: 20070054727
    Abstract: A gaming device including a display device that rotates a co-acting symbol display about a horizontal and vertical axis to display at least one symbol to a player. The symbol display is movably connected to a support and includes a first symbol display and a second symbol display. The first symbol display includes a first wheel and a first reel and the second symbol display includes a second wheel and a second reel. Each of the first and second wheels and reels display a plurality of symbols to the player. A processor causes the symbol display to move to one or more different positions and in one or more different directions to display one or more symbols to a player based on game play, a game function or a game mode in a game displayed by the gaming device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Publication date: March 8, 2007
    Applicant: IGT
    Inventors: Michael Garamendi, Stewart Thoeni
  • Patent number: 5969718
    Abstract: A custom segment that includes softkey prompts which are included as icons in the display. A number of keys are associated with the display. Several functions are assigned to the same key. The prompts that must be displayed for each function so that the operator or user of the device in which the display is used could easily operate the keys to obtain those functions were identified at the start of the device design effort. The prompts were assigned to the keys in a logical manner so that in each state of each operating mode of the device an easy to understand set of prompts appear on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Elsag International N.V.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Mills, Stewart Thoeni
  • Patent number: 5630921
    Abstract: An electrochemical sensor wherein an ion impermeable plug is interposed between the adjacent faces of the large plugs that are used in the salt bridge. The salt bridge also includes a solid cylindrical plug that passes through the ion impermeable plug to thereby interconnect the adjacent large plugs. The large plugs have a central bore for receiving the glass sense electrode. The impermeable plug has protrusions to provide a better seal between the impermeable plug and the glass sense electrode and the impermeable plug and the housing in which the salt bridge is inserted. In addition, the sensor may also include a rigid liner between the large plugs and the glass sense electrode to act as a barrier to prevent damage to this sense electrode during and after impregnation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: Elsag International N.V.
    Inventors: Charles J. Hess, Donald R. Spriggs, Stewart Thoeni
  • Patent number: 5346606
    Abstract: An electrochemical sensor wherein the salt bridge is a unitary plug of semipermeable material which is saturated with an electrolyte. The plug has a spiral cut from its outer surface to the central bore of the plug. The spiral has at least one complete turn and starts at or near one end of the plug and stops at or near the other end of the plug. A layer of impermeable material is deposited in the plug to thereby form an ion impermeable spiral barrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: Elsag International N.V.
    Inventors: Kurt W. Christner, Stewart Thoeni
  • Patent number: D381590
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Elsag International N.V.
    Inventors: Stewart Thoeni, Trevor Aland