Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8157638 | Method, apparatus, and program product employing a touch screen button for presenting game feature information in a gaming machine A method includes displaying a button graphic on a touch screen video display device associated with a gaming machine. The button graphic defines a button display area on the touch screen video display device which may be touched to cause a touch screen controller a... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8157637 | Apparatus and method for mapping multiple bingo game results to a common display Apparatus and methods are described for presenting multiple bingo game results on a common display. A bingo game player may participate in a number of bingo games and obtain results for each of those games. These bingo game results are combined to amount to a cumula... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8147314 | Method, apparatus, and program product for presenting results in a bingo-type game 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-typ... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8115152 | Method of operating a photoconductor in an imaging system, and read-out circuit employing an AC-biased photoconductor A photoconductor read out circuit includes a biasing signal generator connected to apply an alternating current biasing signal to a first terminal of the photoconductor. An input capacitance connected to a second terminal of the photoconductor stores charge applied ... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8100752 | Method, apparatus, and program product for presenting gaming results through inverse symbol logic A method displays a number of symbol locations with a respective graphic symbol at each symbol location. Each symbol location may comprise an actual reel or simulated reel which is capable of displaying any one of a number of graphic symbols included in a group of p... | 01/24/2012 |
| 8092294 | Apparatus and method for facilitating game play in an electronic lottery game network At least one pool of game play records is stored at a central processing system. Each game play record includes a record index selected from a set of unique index values, each associated with a different result type. A record index associated with a particular game ... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8087990 | Method and system for conducting multiple concurrent bingo games 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 ... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8071534 | Material for facilitating thermal treatments of biological tissues and method of energy targeting leading to thermal treatment of biological tissues A method includes positioning an effective amount of a thermal target material at a treatment site of a patient. The treatment site, that is, the location of the thermal target material, comprises a location adjacent to biological tissue to be treated. The thermal t... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8043644 | Method for exposing comminuted foodstuffs to a processing fluid A method includes producing a flowing sheet of comminuted foodstuff and then exposing the flowing sheet of material to a processing fluid in at least one of the major surfaces of the sheet. The transverse dimension of the flowing sheet of material may be generally e... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8029360 | Dynamically configurable gaming system A gaming system (40) according to the present invention includes a number of gaming machines (10), each gaming machine including a single player game presentation arrangement that may be reconfigured to provide any one of a number of game presentations... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8029352 | Method, system, and program product for grouping game players by class Game play requests in a bingo gaming system are associated with different play characteristic classes and collected into different game play groups simultaneously according to play characteristic class. Once a sufficient number of game play requests are collected in... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8029349 | Networked gaming system with secondary bonus game A method includes receiving a game play input preferably in a gaming network. This game play input specifies a wager in a primary game in which a player is participating through the network, and is typically entered through a player station connected in the network.... | 10/04/2011 |
| 7985139 | Gaming machine cabinet with vertically operating doors A gaming machine includes a cabinet defining an enclosure volume with a cabinet front opening. A main door is pivotally connected at its upper end to the cabinet so as to be pivotable with respect to the cabinet between a closed position and an open position. In the... | 07/26/2011 |
| 7985130 | Method, apparatus, and program product for applying bonus designations in a bingo game Bonus designations are considered along with the regular game designations to distinguish between different pattern result levels in a bingo game. A set of one or more bonus designations is selected. Each bonus designation included in the set of bonus designations m... | 07/26/2011 |
| 7976393 | Button panel mount for a gaming machine cabinet A gaming machine cabinet has a cabinet door is pivotaliy connected thereto and movable between a closed and open positions. A cabinet door button panel includes a panel support surface opposite the door's inner side, a capture structure at a first boundary of a butt... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7976375 | Player action incentive arrangement for gaming systems A processing device measures the time it takes for a player to take some action in a game and bases the award or result in the game for the player at least in part on that measured time. A player receives a more desirable result or outcome for a particular game play... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7963828 | Method and apparatus for preparing poultry carcasses for defeathering operations A process includes contacting a feathered poultry carcass with an ammonia-based treatment material to increase the pH at the skin of the carcass and thereby effect a loosening of the feathers on the carcass. After the contact with the ammonia-based treatment materia... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7938720 | Method and apparatus for presenting bingo gaming results using multiple prize distributions A method includes operating a bingo player station in a first play mode in which the result for a respective bingo game play initiated through the bingo player station is assigned according to a first pattern list. In response to detecting a trigger event, the bingo... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7922993 | Spherical carbon nanostructure and method for producing spherical carbon nanostructures A method for producing carbon nanostructures according to the invention includes injecting acetylene gas into a reactant liquid. The injected acetylene molecules are then maintained in contact with the reactant liquid for a period of time sufficient to break the car... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7901653 | Spherical carbon nanostructure and method for producing spherical carbon nanostructures A method for producing carbon nanostructures according to the invention includes injecting acetylene gas into a reactant liquid. The injected acetylene molecules are then maintained in contact with the reactant liquid for a period of time sufficient to break the car... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7853197 | Apparatus and method for reusing satellite broadcast spectrum for terrestrially broadcast signals A satellite receiving antenna at a user location receives satellite signals at a first frequency from a satellite. The satellite signals travel along a satellite signal route encompassed within an aperture of the satellite receiving antenna. A terrestrial transmitte... | 12/14/2010 |
| 7850517 | Electronic lottery system for increasing the usage of tickets in a lottery game A lottery gaming system utilizes one or more distribution groups of game play records. The gaming system preferably distributes a distribution group of game play records to each of a number of assignment components in the gaming system. Various ones of the play reco... | 12/14/2010 |
| 7815886 | Reactant liquid system for facilitating the production of carbon nanostructures A method includes isolating carbon atoms as conditioned carbide anions below a surface of a reactant liquid. The conditioned carbide anions are then enabled to escape from the reactant liquid to a collection area where carbon nanostructures may form. A carbon struct... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7815885 | Method and apparatus for producing carbon nanostructures A method includes liberating carbon atoms from hydrocarbon molecules by reaction with or in a reactant liquid and maintaining the liberated carbon atoms in an excited state. The chemically excited liberated carbon atoms are then enabled to traverse a surface of the ... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7814846 | Method and apparatus for preparing a collection area for use in producing carbon nanostructures A method includes producing deposition conditions in a collection area above a reactant liquid containing one or more catalyst metals. The reactant liquid is maintained under conditions in which atoms of the catalyst metal may escape from the reactant liquid into th... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7806762 | Bingo prize mapping system with prize promotion A promotion index value is produced for a player in a bingo game. This promotion index value is then used in assigning a prize to the player for their participation in the bingo game. In one embodiment, a particular bingo pattern achieved in a bingo game is associat... | 10/05/2010 |
| 7794318 | User alterable prize distribution and system for identifying results in games A gaming result system is provided with program products, methods, and apparatus to implement an updatable prize result structure. The result structure having several first level result identifiers and an additional second level result. First level results are each ... | 09/14/2010 |
| 7781004 | Method and apparatus for applying carbon monoxide to suppress microbe activity in meat storage enclosures One or more meat products are positioned in a meat chilling enclosure in which cooled air is added to cool the contents of the enclosure. A water spray including a desired carbon monoxide content in solution is introduced into the meat chilling enclosure. The desire... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7766741 | Method, apparatus, and program product for presenting results in a bingo-type game 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 represe... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7764883 | Circuit structure for a transmission network node for transmitting high-bit, IP-based time division-multiplex signals, especially for a Multi-Gigabit Ethernet A circuit structure for a transmission network node for transmitting high bit-rate, IP-based time division-multiplexed signals, especially for an optical Multi-Gigabit Ethernet. The structure includes a bidirectional remote ports at two sides, each receiving and tra... | 07/27/2010 |
| 7753299 | Multi-stage, variable force apparatus and method for grinding foodstuffs An apparatus includes a drive structure on which are mounted both a first blade carrier and a second blade carrier. The first blade carrier has a first blade facing a cutting surface of a first screen portion, and is mounted on the drive structure so that the first ... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7708639 | Progressive gaming method, apparatus, and program product for lottery-type gaming systems A progressive gaming method includes producing a set of game records with each game record being associated with a result in a game. Progressive prize bearing records are included in the set of game records according to a progressive win frequency rule. Each progres... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7708638 | Method, apparatus, and program product for detecting money laundering activities in gaming systems 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 ga... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7708632 | Physical bingo card input method in a bingo gaming system A method includes issuing a physical bingo card. This physical bingo card is associated with a layout of spots or locations and bingo designations representing a bingo card or “card bingo structure.” The method also includes identifying the card bingo structure ... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7708631 | Automatic daubing apparatus and method for electronic bingo gaming systems Players participate in bingo-type games through player stations each having a suitable player interface. Once a player is assigned a bingo card representation and a game designation set is associated with the bingo card representation, daubing the bingo card represe... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7708627 | Method, apparatus, and program product for presenting gaming results through a player decision field A decision field is displayed having a number of result tokens spaced apart at different locations about the decision field, with each result token displaying a respective potential result. A decision point is also displayed within the decision field. This decision ... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7695361 | Prize assignment method and program product for bingo-type games A pattern probability (302) is determined for each of a number of target patterns (301) achievable in a bingo-type game. Each pattern probability (302) comprises a probability of achieving the respective target pattern (301) in the bingo-... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7670223 | Bingo gaming system with player selected daub modes Players participate in bingo-type games through player stations each having a suitable player interface. The player may manually select between multiple modes in which the player's bingo card representations are daubed. In one daub mode, once a player is assigned a ... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7614956 | Electronic lottery system with promotion prize distribution A method includes communicating a distribution group of lottery game play records to a data storage device accessible to an assignment component included in a lottery gaming system. This assignment component may comprise a player station in the gaming system, a cent... | 11/10/2009 |
| 7587985 | Method and apparatus for producing fine carbon particles A method includes producing an isolation atmosphere in a phase changing area above a reactant liquid and then injecting a feed material into the reactant liquid. The feed material preferably comprises a quantity of a hydrocarbon compound. The method further includes... | 09/15/2009 |
