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 |
| 8123225 | Game apparatus and method of play for manual or computer application A game apparatus for play by at least two players, having game pieces that are manually rotated in at least four slideably mounted, apertured slats, each having at least four apertures with a rotating game piece, and a base assembly for slideably mounting the slats,... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8100402 | Collectable trading card game A collectable card game of strategy and skill that includes a plurality of collectable cards, each of which preferably comprise a character-specific collectable card. Each collectable card corresponds to a character and contains character specific information regard... | 01/24/2012 |
| 7896347 | Board game A board game for between two and seven players comprising a board comprising a large outer circle disposed thereon; a center circle disposed in the large circle; fourteen stripes each extending radially from the center circle to the large outer circle, each stripe l... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7815191 | Equals: the game of strategy for the basic facts An open rectangular prism with rotating cubes on dowel rods, two 12-sided dice, and three 20-sided dice invented with an accompanying method of use to function as a game to assist students in remembering the basic math facts including addition, subtraction, multipli... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7490832 | Hardway Hardway is an invention which deals with a new way of dealing with games which involve throwing a pair of dice and moving game pieces. It is unique, because the corresponding pieces are moved based on the sum of 2 dice on a unique layout with unique rules, and also ... | 02/17/2009 |
| 7431297 | Card game device, card data reader, card game control method, recording medium, program, and card A card game apparatus includes a large-size panel display, a main control unit that controls screens on the large-size panel display, and a plurality of terminal apparatuses that are communicably connected to the main control unit. A game player purchases an integra... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7389988 | Dice board game The dice board game is played on a game board having two opposite peripheral sides defining rows of base positions. Each base position is an opponent's goal position. Each player designates the order and point value of his base positions before the start, with base ... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7390260 | Wagering game having a blind selection feature A gaming terminal for playing a wagering game includes a basic game and a bonus game. The basic game has a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes in response to a wager input by a player. The bonus game is trigger... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7371165 | Card game program and card game machine A card game program has a routine for displaying areas of a player and an opponent, each being comprised of a plurality of hexes, a routine for displaying selective disposition of card on the hex, a routine for removing for displaying remove of a card between the he... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7360766 | Method for playing casino poker game A casino game, based on the rules of poker, wherein each player is dealt five cards, with an option to utilize a sixth card to improve the five-card hand. The players pay a percentage of their ante wager, e.g., 10% or 20%, for the right to use a sixth card, and the ... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7357712 | Method and gaming device of operating a multiple round game that includes diminishing selection sets A method of controlling a gaming device is provided in which a set of a plurality of selections is displayed. The player is enabled to pick one of the selections. After one of the selections is picked by the player, an award is generated and provided from an award p... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7347422 | Game system A game system with game pieces that have combinations of capture indicia and defense indicia spaced at angular increments. ... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7334797 | Rock cycle card game A deck of specially designed cards used to teach the rock cycle though easy to play games. The deck contains cards with the titles of various rock types along with the names and pictures of specific rocks that fit into each type. The cards are color-coded to aid in ... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7325804 | Game apparatus with an encapsulated figure A game piece in the nature of a hand manipulated capsule containing a visible and recognizable figure with assigned characteristics, a game field, and a method of using the game piece in the playing of games. ... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7322577 | Board game and method to play A board game and method to play that includes a board, green numbered pieces, a card set, and a point chip set for both adults and children, wherein players make logical decisions based on the possibilities of gaining or losing points. There could be different figur... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7320640 | Game software and game machine Game software for raising interest on a card game by adding an unexpected element thereto without losing fun of thinking out a strategy. After determining an appearing face of a dice by a procedure of determining face in a turn for a player, a card attached to the d... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7316615 | Method and apparatus for monitoring casinos and gaming A system automatically monitors playing and wagering of a game, including the gaming habits of players and the performance of employees at least partially by tracking the movement of chips bearing identifiers. A chip tray reader images the contents of a chip tray, w... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7318039 | Project risk management system utilizing probability distributions When the process plan made for execution is corrected based on the process correction condition, the variation amount in each of processes based on the process correction condition is calculated as the probability distribution using the probability distribution data... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7300057 | Spin-a-play A method for playing a game comprising the steps of selecting a story having a plurality of characters using one of a plurality of spin boards. Thereafter, randomly designating the plurality of characters from the selected story to a plurality of game players using ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7296797 | Card game A method of playing a card game is disclosed. The method includes providing a game board having multiple base areas, a destination and an advancement path having a plurality of advancement spaces between the base areas and the destination. A set of the playing cards... | 11/20/2007 |
| 7290767 | Action figure game piece and method of playing action figure game An action figure game piece is disclosed. The game piece comprises a game figure character adapted for movement a distance over a surface and a mechanism for indicating the distance of movement over the surface. A method of playing an action figure game on the surfa... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7281981 | Image generation method, program, and information storage medium Triangular relation is introduced such that a vertical-attribute attack B1 (first action) is more advantageous than a horizontal-attribute attack B2 (second action); the horizontal-attribute attack B2 is more advantageous than a movement action ... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7284264 | Discovery of an advertising service in e-speak A method and system for locating resources outside a client's normal domain provides for the client to send a query to a core serving the client. The core then sends the query to remote core over a communication network. The remote core runs the query in an advertis... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7281714 | Action figure game piece and method of playing action figure game An action figure game piece is disclosed. The game piece comprises a game figure character adapted for movement a distance over a surface and a mechanism for indicating the distance of movement over the surface. A method of playing an action figure game on the surfa... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7278637 | Underwater matching game A matching game for use in a swimming pool. Game pieces are provided which have various icons and point values on their faces and which are adapted to sink to the pool bottom and rest automatically in a face-down position on the pool floor. In alternating turns, pla... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7267342 | Games and methods of playing games with collectable game components Various game embodiments and methods of playing the same comprising a plurality of game components that can be projected onto a surface. The game components can have a plurality of indicia thereon with some indicia being determinative of how a particular game compon... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7255347 | Apparatus for playing a game A game includes a board (10) having a start position (30) and at least two possible finish positions (31). A number of sequential positions (35, 36, 37, 38, 39) are located between the start position (30) and the possible finish po... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7246799 | Method of playing a poker-type wagering game with multiple betting options A method of playing a wagering card game for a number of player using standard playing cards having a standard rank and involving standard poker hand rankings comprises: each player placing at least four distinct wagering parts to participate in the game; dealing th... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7234701 | Riposte sword-fighting card game A card game designed to simulate movements and activities between two combatants. The object of the game is to force all the other players to lose their game points before the winner does. The game uses a unique set of playing cards each containing one of three poss... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7219894 | Board games with player-wearable costume components Board games may include a game board, player movers, and indicia-bearing tokens and player-wearable costume components including one or more mounting sites to which the tokens may be removably attached. Some embodiments may further include game pieces having indicia... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7219895 | Chess game playing array assembly A chess game playing array assembly including a plurality of three-dimensional playing segments is disclosed. The playing segments are disposed relative to one another to define an array of playing spaces on which a game of chess may be played. One or more of the pl... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7207563 | Process for removing element of chance from games of skill A system for determining the skill of a player eliminates the element of chance by comparing players who have the same initial position. In the case of cards, the initial position is the hand dealt to the player and in tile games, it is the initial distribution and ... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7207568 | Method of conducting a racing series A method of conducting a racing series for competitors and team owners is disclosed. The racing series has a plurality of races divided into a first and second set of races with competitors racing in both sets of races. The competitors and team owners are awarded po... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7201374 | Method and article of manufacture for collectible game A game, toy or article of manufacture includes a set of rules and at least one model. The model has multiple movable parts, where under the rules of play, the model begins in an assembled configuration. As the model loses points under the rules of play, at least som... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7188839 | Entertainment game A method of playing an entertainment game includes selecting a lead participant who is required to perform at least one qualifying action in a first level of play. The lead participant is rewarded preferably by a monetary reward upon completion of the requisite numb... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7182342 | Math board game A game for teaching arithmetic skills involves having a player spin a wheel twice, the first time determines the arithmetic operation to be performed and the first number and the second spin determines the second number. The player then moves his or her game piece a... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7165861 | Ultraviolet peg illumination One or more panels of an apparatus in one example comprise a plurality of receptacles for a plurality of pegs. One or more ultraviolet lights illuminate the plurality of pegs. ... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7163402 | Game for stimulating reading interest A game for stimulating interest in reading has a game board with coded spaces arranged in a circular path and a written story with consecutive portions. Players are given a fixed number of points and read a first portion of the story. They roll dice to determine the... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7163311 | Foodware having visual sensory stimulating or sensing means Active foodware comprises at least a plate unit that provides visual stimuli by having a power source and a visual sensory stimulating component to provide light emanating from the plate. Other devices can provide auditory and haptic stimuli. The plate unit can be a... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7159865 | Gaming apparatus A gaming apparatus including a variable display unit configured to variably display a plurality of symbols, a front side display unit located in front of the variable display unit and configured to enable viewing of the symbols displayed by the variable display unit... | 01/09/2007 |
