Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6193608 | Method for motivating players to return to a casino using premiums A method of motivating players to return to a casino includes receiving a request to convert a predetermined value of casino currency to cash. Upon the receipt of the request, a premium value is calculated based at least in part on the predetermined value... | 02/27/2001 |
| 6155923 | Videogame system and methods for enhanced processing and display of graphical character elements Videogame systems and methods are provided to enhance the capability of the videogame system controller and data storage to provide graphic character element storage and processing. A display list technology utilizes an intentionally generated, location-s... | 12/05/2000 |
| 6146270 | Auxiliary game with random prize generation An auxiliary game provides an auxiliary opportunity for players at a casino to win a prize by participating with a relatively small contribution each time they play a round in the principal casino game. To increase the element of random chance or luck in ... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6139431 | Free long distance calls on slot machines A gaming machine that provides free long distance telephone calls, or audio entertainment, as a reward for the continued playing of the gaming machine. The player may continue the free long distance phone call, or continue receiving the audio entertainmen... | 10/31/2000 |
| 6126542 | Gaming device and method offering primary and secondary games A gaming device and method for offering a primary and secondary game is set forth. The primary game may be a video poker game. When the player obtains a predetermined outcome in the primary game such as a flush, the player receives a reward and the second... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6120379 | Portable game machine and portable game machine cartridge In a portable game machine 10, formed on the upper portion of a body portion 20 is a camera portion 30. An image display device 22 is arranged on one main surpace of the body portion 20, and operating switches 23, 24, etc., are arranged on other areas. Th... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6113493 | System and method for generating and executing insurance policies for gambling losses A system and method for providing a gambling loss insurance policy automatically computes insurance premiums and processes gambling sessions covered by the gambling loss insurance policies. The players may purchase the insurance policies using various mea... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6093100 | Modified poker card/tournament game and interactive network computer system for implementing same A modified poker card game allows a player to sequentially build a card hand after each round of play. The rules of play for the card game including dealing a first pair of cards to the player. The player then selects one of the pair of cards for the card... | 07/25/2000 |
| 6048208 | Electrical service simulator An electrical service simulator includes four hinged panels that are movable between a storage position and an operational position. In the storage position the panels are arranged as a rectangle, while in the operational position the panels provide a fre... | 04/11/2000 |
| 6042478 | Hand held video game A hand-held video game system having a microprocessor controller with address and data buses for providing memory accesses during memory cycles to a plurality of cartridge slots for electrically connecting cartridges containing memory to the address and d... | 03/28/2000 |
| 6033316 | Golf course progress monitor to alleviate slow play A monitoring device, which indicates the position a golfer must be on the golf course in order to complete the course in a specified period of time. The progress monitor operates on the basis of its electronic memory being loaded with parameters governing... | 03/07/2000 |
| 6024641 | Method, apparatus and system for lottery gaming Embodiments of the instant invention are directed to a method, apparatus and system for lottery gaming, wherein a simple, objective, verifiable and reliable method of selecting the winning lottery numbers is provided. In preferred embodiments, a user acce... | 02/15/2000 |
| 6022272 | Sliding simulator and game apparatus using the same A sliding simulator includes swinging member. The swinging member is swung right and left by a player standing thereon. A swing sensor senses swing movement of the swinging member. An image generating unit generates an image in response to a signal sensed... | 02/08/2000 |
| 6022273 | Interactive doll Apparatus for a wireless computer controlled toy system is disclosed, the apparatus including a computer system operative to transmit a first transmission via a first wireless transmitter and at least one toy including a first wireless receiver, the toy r... | 02/08/2000 |
| 6019369 | Competitive game simulation machine A competitive game simulation machine includes a plurality of moving objects; a game board on which the plurality of moving objects are to be placed; and a controller for controlling motions of the moving objects on the game board. The game board includes... | 02/01/2000 |
| 6012981 | Game machine for single player In a mah jong game apparatus for a single player, a predetermined number of tiles randomly selected from a plurality of tiles are supplied to only the single player, and the player completes a hand by combining own tiles while exchanging the supplied tile... | 01/11/2000 |
| 6012987 | Recreational game Apparatus to facilitate the playing of a recreational game. The apparatus includes an electronic surveillance camera (8) and a motion sensor (20) mounted above and focused on a target area (2). The image data generated by the camera (8) and the data gener... | 01/11/2000 |
| 6012982 | Bonus award feature in linked gaming machines having a common feature controller A system of linked gaming machines is disclosed where each of the linked gaming machines is connected to a common controller. In a normal mode of play, each of the linked gaming machines operates like a conventional machine where the generation of certain... | 01/11/2000 |
| 6010404 | Method and apparatus for using a player input code to affect a gambling outcome A method and apparatus for using player input codes (e.g., numeric, biometric or physical) to affect the outcomes of electronic gambling devices, such as slot machines. The player inserts money into the slot machine and enters an input, e.g., a lucky numb... | 01/04/2000 |
| 6010405 | Videogame system for creating simulated comic book game A videogame system is provided in which the audiovisual presentation is designed to simulate the episodic nature of a comic book page. The presentation is defined by distinct panels sequentially arranged to form a page layout, the panel limits player-cont... | 01/04/2000 |
| 6007427 | Method and apparatus for playing a gambling game with athletic game features The present invention discloses casino baseball gambling games played on electronic video gaming devices including a microprocessor, computer memory chips, programming software or firmware, a video display, control input buttons, and a coin acceptor. In a... | 12/28/1999 |
| 6003867 | Reel type slot machine utilizing time-based random game result selection means A reel-type slot machine includes a microprocessor driven game control circuit for randomly selecting a game result. Three reel assemblies each include a symbol-bearing display reel driven by a stepper motor for displaying game symbols corresponding to th... | 12/21/1999 |
| 6004208 | Slot machine that can superimpose on a display screen images from different storage locations A slot machine comprising display means (110) having a display screen provided on a plane opposed to a player, display control means (401) for controlling the display means (110) so as to display a still condition and a game play condition for each displa... | 12/21/1999 |
| 6001016 | Remote gaming device A method and system for remote play of a gaming device, such as a slot machine. A player enters play preferences at a remote wagering terminal. The remote wagering terminal transmits the play preferences to a slot network server that stores the play prefe... | 12/14/1999 |
| 5992849 | Electronic puzzle game An electronic puzzle device, including: (a) an array of indicators, each of the indicators capable of alternately indicating a first state or a second state, the array having an axis, which may or may not be physically indicated, dividing the array into a... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5988638 | Reel type slot machine utilizing random number generator for selecting game result A reel-type slot machine includes a microprocessor driven game control circuit for randomly selecting a game result. Three reel assemblies each include a symbol-bearing display reel driven by a stepper motor for displaying game symbols corresponding to th... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5989121 | Game machine in capable of controlling game aspect This invention aims to provide a game machine which can offer exciting and varied game aspect. In the game machine, certain symbol combinations (group [C] and [E]) are set as a prize mode only when they occur in B.B (big bonus) game. The combinations in g... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5984794 | Sports trainer and simulator An apparatus for determining flight parameters of a ball in flight along a flight path, includes a pair of light conditioning elements on the ball, a first set of sensors having mutually orthogonal fields of view intersecting along a first plane through w... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5984780 | Image display gaming system and gaming house management system An image input section 1530 of a storage medium issuing system inputs image information and an image processing unit 420 performs image processing for the image information input through the image input section 1530. The image information processed by the... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5984788 | Interactive toy shooting game having a target with a feelable output The invention provides a toy light projector or light gun and player-worn and self-propelled toy targets which detect light emitted by a toy light gun, and a toy shooting game which includes at least one toy light gun, and at least one toy target. The gam... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5979898 | Electrical scoring dart target An electrical scoring dart target, which provides a "soccer" competition, an "American football" competition, as well as other "sport" competitions effect, is disclosed. The dart target includes a target defining a plurality of target areas. The target ar... | 11/09/1999 |
| 5976038 | Apparatus for detecting moving ball A system is provided with a directional antenna having first and second antenna patterns oriented around an antenna boresight direction. The antenna boresight is oriented in a direction corresponding to a play determinative line on a playing field. Signal... | 11/02/1999 |
| 5971851 | Method and apparatus for managing faults and exceptions An operating system having a multitude of subsystems is provided where each subsystem performs a distinct function and may register with other subsystems to receive notification (or callbacks) upon the ocurrence of certain events. Moreover, the subsystems... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5971856 | Method for backing up state of progress in television game Disclosed is a method for backing up a state of progress in a television game which has the steps of: dividing the state of progress into a common item and a separate item; and storing the common item into a common file and the separate item into a separa... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5971852 | Image processing method and apparatus An image processing method and apparatus is provided which is capable of reducing the load to be processed and displaying a more realistic picture. The image processing device includes camera control matrix processing means (121), object matrix processing... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5967896 | Method and apparatus for controlling a gaming device having a plurality of balances In accordance with the present invention, a gaming device includes a plurality of balances. The gaming device receives monetary input such as currency or a transfer from an account, and in turn increases one or more balances. The balance increased depends... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5961385 | Method for performing derivative scenario in game program Disclosed is a method for performing a derivative scenario in a game program operated on a home television game machine, has the steps of: generating the derivative scenario on the basis of a step in the game program; and performing the derivative scenari... | 10/05/1999 |
| 5954581 | Psychological game device A plurality of questions and a plurality of alternative answers to each of the questions are stored in a ROM, and outputted to a display monitor for display. A psychological game player selects and inputs one of the alternative answers to each of the ques... | 09/21/1999 |
| 5954332 | Role playing game Disclosed herein is a role playing game for 2-6 players. The game is broken down into a series of class games to decide a plurality of class winners, each of said games utilizing a different game board and game pieces. The class winners, once determined, ... | 09/21/1999 |
| 5951399 | Ergonomic hand-held electronic device with keypad input and display screen An ergonomic and weatherproof hand-held electronic device 10. The device 10 includes a housing 12 which surrounds internal electronics. An input 28 and a display screen 32 are mounted on the housing 12. The housing 12 is has a narrow width such that, when... | 09/14/1999 |
