U.S. Patents Awarded to Inventors in Nevada (Feb. 23)

(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Targeted News Service Targeted News Service ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Nevada.

*** IGT Assigned Patent for Class II/Class III Hybrid Gaming Machine, System and Methods ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- IGT, Reno, Nev., has been assigned a patent (8,376,843) developed by Binh Nguyen, Reno, Nev., James Stockdale, Clio, Calif., and Bryan Wolf, Reno, Nev., for "class II/Class III hybrid gaming machine, system and methods." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "The present invention provides a gaming machine that can play both Class II and Class III games. Some implementations provide a gaming machine that has certain features (e.g., a true random number generator or "RNG") enabled for Class III play and disabled for Class II play. Some aspects of the invention provide methods for determining when a Class III game is available. Other aspects of the invention allow a player to "line up" for a desired Class III game while playing another game, such as a Class II game or another Class III game, on the same gaming machine until the desired Class III game is available." The patent application was filed on Feb. 1, 2012 (13/363,519). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,843&OS=8,376,843&RS=8,376,843 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** WMS Gaming Assigned Patent for Configuring and Controlling Gaming Contests ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- WMS Gaming, Waukegan, Ill., has been assigned a patent (8,376,833) developed by Mark B. Gagner, West Chicago, Ill., Brian D. Manning, Las Vegas, and Alfred Thomas, Las Vegas, for "configuring and controlling gaming contests." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include receiving, via user input, values for variables related to a wagering game contest and detecting data for gaming activity that occurred, during a past time period. The operations can further include computing an expected value based on the values for the variables and the data for the gaming activity. The expected value represents a theoretical projected amount of money that would be accumulated via a portion of game wagers over a future time period based on the values for the variables and the data for the gaming activity that occurred during the past time period. The operations can further include funding the wagering game contest with a contest prize equivalent to the expected value, where the funding is from a source of money other than from the portion of the game wagers." The patent application was filed on Nov. 12, 2011 (13/295,058). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,833&OS=8,376,833&RS=8,376,833 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** Ernest Moody Revocable Trust Assigned Patent ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- Ernest Moody Revocable Trust, Las Vegas, has been assigned a patent (8,376,823) developed by Ernest W. Moody, Las Vegas, and Michael W. Wood, Denham Springs, La., for a "bonus round feature for communal gaming." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A plurality of players participate in a primary video poker game. Anytime a player is dealt a natural Three-of-a-Kind, the player's on screen counter will be incremented by one unit. Whenever any player achieves an on screen counter that has reached three units (meaning that player has experienced three dealt Three-of-a-Kinds), then the bonus round occurs, which is three separate stud poker hands. The player who achieved the three Three-of-a-Kinds that triggered the bonus round plays all three of the bonus round hands. Any other player who has a counter of two when the bonus round is triggered, gets two of the bonus round hands, Hand One and Hand Two. Any other player who has a counter of one when the bonus round is triggered, gets one of the bonus round hands, Hand One. Any player whose counter is still at zero does not play in that bonus round." The patent application was filed on July 6, 2010 (12/831,211). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,823&OS=8,376,823&RS=8,376,823 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** WMS Gaming Assigned Patent ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- WMS Gaming, Waukegan, Ill., has been assigned a patent (8,376,838) developed by Scott H. Schulhof, Chicago, Alfred Thomas, Las Vegas, and Matthew J. Ward, Northbrook, Ill., for a "secondary game mechanism for wagering game tables." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include detecting, via one or more sensory devices of a wagering game table, one or more game events associated with a wagering table game being played by a plurality of players on the wagering game table. The operations can also include determining that the one or more game events trigger a secondary game for the plurality of players playing the wagering table game, and presenting the secondary game on a plurality of display devices of the wagering game table. The operations can further include detecting, via one or more input devices of the wagering game table, player input associated with the secondary game, determining results associated with the secondary game based, at least in part, on the player input, and presenting the results associated with the secondary game on the plurality of display devices." The patent application was filed on July 21, 2010 (12/840,682). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,838&OS=8,376,838&RS=8,376,838 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** IGT Assigned Patent for Server Based Gaming System and Method for Providing Deferral of Bonus Events ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- IGT, Reno, Nev., has been assigned a patent (8,376,836) developed by Anthony J. Baerlocher, Reno, Nev., and Glen Keith Russell, North Las Vegas, Nev., for a "server based gaming system and method for providing deferral of bonus events." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a bonus event unit based system to provide one or more awards to one or more players. Such bonus event units are accumulated by a player based on one or more events associated with the player's gaming experience. The bonus event units utilized in the gaming system are selectively redeemed by the player in exchange for one or more opportunities to win an award." The patent application was filed on Nov. 7, 2008 (12/267,156). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,836&OS=8,376,836&RS=8,376,836 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** Bally Gaming Assigned Patent for Kiosk System and Method for a Gaming Machine ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- Bally Gaming, Las Vegas, has been assigned a patent (8,376,846) developed by Carmen DiMichele, Sparks, Nev., James W. Morrow, Sparks, Nev., and Michael M. LeStrange, Henderson, Nev., for a "kiosk system and method for a gaming machine." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "An embedded additional user interface configured as a kiosk for use in a gaming machine includes a multimedia display screen, wherein the display screen presents kiosk functionality data to a user via the display screen. A network connection connects the embedded additional user interface to a gaming network. An embedded processor employs an internal operating system and communicates with one or more kiosk data servers through the gaming network. The embedded processor reads incoming kiosk data, and maps the data to the multimedia display screen. The embedded processor further sends input kiosk data received from a user to the one or more kiosk data servers through the gaming network. In one embodiment, the gaming network connects to a wide area network for connection to the one or more kiosk data servers." The patent application was filed on April 14, 2006 (11/404,310). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,846&OS=8,376,846&RS=8,376,846 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** WMS Gaming Assigned Patent for Sharing Wagering Game Machine Resources ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- WMS Gaming, Waukegan, Ill., has been assigned a patent (8,376,835) developed by Chad A. Ryan, Henderson, Nev., and Charles R. Bleich, Cary, Ill., for "sharing wagering game machine resources." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to determine that a second resource is available to be shared in place of a first resource located in a first wagering game machine operable to receive a wager associated with a wagering game. The second resource may be located apart from the first wagering game, perhaps in a second wagering game machine, or in a wagering game server." The patent application was filed on Aug. 7, 2007 (12/375,883). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,835&OS=8,376,835&RS=8,376,835 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** IGT Assigned Patent for Gaming Machine having Secondary Display for Providing Video Content ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- IGT, Reno, Nev., has been assigned a patent (8,376,831) developed by five co-inventors for a "gaming machine having secondary display for providing video content." The co-inventors are Joseph R. Hedrick, Reno, Nev., Robert A. Luciano Jr., Reno, Nev., Jean Pierre Legras, Carson City, Nev., Chauncey W. Griswold, Reno, Nev., and Don C. Stephan, Carson City, Nev.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A gaming machine includes main and secondary displays. The secondary display is disposed apart from the primary display and is used for presenting primary, secondary, or even tertiary information. The main display is controlled electronically by a gaming machine controller, which main display presents the results of a play on the gaming machine. In the case of a slot machine, the main display may be the glass display through which the spinning reels of a game play are viewed. In a video poker gaming machine, the main display is usually a cathode ray tube ("CRT") which displays a video game image to the player and other information directly associated with the game play. The secondary display may be provided at various locations on the gaming machine such as in a top glass portion of the gaming machine or a belly glass portion of the gaming machine, which belly glass portion is located below a main display portion of the gaming machine. The secondary display itself may be a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube, a field emission display, a plasma display, a digital micromirror device (DMD), etc." The patent application was filed on June 29, 2009 (12/459,355). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,831&OS=8,376,831&RS=8,376,831 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

*** IGT Assigned Patent ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 23 -- IGT, Reno, Nev., has been assigned a patent (8,376,845) developed by Warner R. Cockerille, Sparks, Nev., and Bryan D. Wolf, Reno, Nev., for "preventing a media display from hijacking a gaming machine." The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A gaming machine includes a display device and a processor coupled to the display device. The processor is configured to monitor at least one display property of a media display on the display device, detect that the at least one display property is equal or greater than a preselected threshold, and generate an alert in response to the detection." The patent application was filed on Sept. 20, 2010 (12/885,745). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,376,845&OS=8,376,845&RS=8,376,845 Written by Neha Bharti; edited by Jaya Anand.

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