Posts
Transmog, Upgraded: Blizzard’s Machine Learning Magic Patent
Blizzard Entertainment has filed a patent application, pending U.S. Patent Application 2025/0124631, that discusses the technology behind fitting three-dimensional digital items like armor and clothing to different character models. This feature directly…
Piecing It Together: Inside KingsIsle’s Jigsaw Game Patent
Mobile devices can be handy, but their small screens can make certain kinds of games difficult to play. Recognizing this issue, U.S. Pat. No. 10,646,773, assigned to KingsIsle Entertainment (known for Wizard101…
Dancing in the Cloud: A Patent Behind Just Dance Now
Ubisoft’s popular Just Dance franchise has evolved beyond console-bound gameplay, thanks to innovations like Just Dance Now, which lets users dance along to choreographed routines using only a smartphone and a screen.…
US Patent No. 9,076,292: Encouraging player socialization using a nemesis and avenger system
Overview: In the world of online gaming, fostering player interaction and enhancing social dynamics are crucial elements for player retention and engagement. A patent issued to Blizzard Entertainment describes systems and methods…
Corsair Receives Japanese Utility Model for “Sensing” Mouse Wheel
Corsair recently was awarded Japanese Utility Model No. 3,251,063, which describes a “sensing roller device” for a mouse that can provide a “virtual bodily sensation" (that is, it seems, tactile feedback like…
Colopl receives Japanese patent on replaying location-based events
Japanese game developer Colopl Inc. has received a Japanese patent, Japanese Pat. No. 7,671,912, directed to a “replay control means” that can “revive” an event for a specific location.
Modulate, Inc. receives patent on machine learning-based toxic speech moderation system
Modulate Inc., a company using voice technology to “proactively detect[] key behaviors” to keep communities safer and “manage risk,” has been awarded U.S. Pat. No. 11,996,117, which relates to speech moderation using…
The Magic of Patents: Wizard101 and How Patents on Game Mechanics Have Evolved – Part 3
This post is part 3 of our three-part series exploring patents on game mechanics through the lens of Wizard101. In Part 1, we looked at a patent related to pure gameplay mechanics. In…
The Magic of Patents: Wizard101 and How Patents on Game Mechanics Have Evolved – Part 2
Part 1 of our three-part series exploring patents on game mechanics through the lens of Wizard101 looked at something that feels like more of a pure gameplay patent, relating to how combat…
The Magic of Patents: Wizard101 and How Patents on Game Mechanics Have Evolved – Part 1
Video games are as much technology as they are art. And patents are how innovators protect new and useful (fun!) technology. One important area of innovation in games is new and engaging…
Respawned: Patent Arcade is back in the game!
We here at the Patent Arcade have been afk for too long. But no longer! After a two-year hiatus, we’re relaunching our blog dedicated to video game intellectual property news, insights, and…
Infernal Tech. Case Emphasizes Need for Caution When Parts of a Patent Claim Refer Back to Earlier Language
Infernal Technology, LLC v. Activision Blizzard Inc. Case No. 2021-2349 Decided: January 24, 2023 The Federal Circuit issued a decision on January 24, 2023 stating that a collection of Activision Blizzard’s video…
U.S. Patent No. 10,363,481: System for multi-user communications using discrete video game platforms
U.S. Patent No. 10,363,481: System for multi-user communications using discrete video game platforms Issued July 30, 2019, to Nintendo Co. Ltd Filed June 30, 2016 (claiming priority to August 21, 2001) Overview:…
U.S. Patent No. 10,726,611: Dynamic texture mapping using megatextures
U.S. Patent No. 10,726,611: Dynamic texture mapping using megatextures Issued July 28, 2020, to Electronic Arts Inc.Filed/Priority to August 24, 2016 Overview: U.S. Patent No. 10,726,611 (the ‘611 patent) concerns the use…
U.S. Patent No. 10,974,150: Methods and systems for improved content customization in multiplayer gaming environments
U.S. Patent No. 10,974,150: Methods and systems for improved content customization in multiplayer gaming environments Issued April 13, 2021 to Activision Publishing Inc.Filed/Priority to September 27, 2017 Overview: U.S. Patent No. 10,974,150…
U.S. Patent No. 10,913,003: Mini-games accessed through a sharing interface
U.S. Patent No. 10,913,003: Mini-games accessed through a sharing interface Issued February 9, 2021, to Sony Interactive Ent., LLCFiled: May 19, 2019 (claiming priority to March 13, 2012) Overview: U.S. Patent No.…
U.S. Patent No. 10,376,793: Videogame system and method that enables characters to earn virtual fans by completing secondary objectives
U.S. Patent No. 10,376,793: Videogame system and method that enables characters to earn virtual fans by completing secondary objectives Issued August 13, 2019, to Activision Publishing Inc. Filed: August 22, 2017 (claiming…
U.S. Patent No. 10,500,488: Method of simultaneous playing in single-player video games
U.S. Patent No. 10,500,488: Method of simultaneous playing in single-player video games Issued December 12, 2019, to Bloober Team SA Filed/Priority to March 30, 2016 Overview: U.S. Patent No. 10,500,488 (the ‘488…
U.S. Patent No. 10,977,872: Graphical Style Modification for Video Games Using Machine Learning
U.S. Patent No. 10,977,872: Graphical Style Modification for Video Games Using Machine Learning Issued April 13, 2021, to Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Filed/Priority to October 31, 2018 Overview: U.S. Patent No. 10,977,872 (the…
Palmer Luckey’s User-Killing VR Headset: Creepy, but Eligible to be Filed as a Patent Application
Famous VR developer Palmer Luckey recently developed a virtual reality headset rigged with bombs such that, if you lose the game, the headset explodes and kills the user. Per Luckey’s blog: The…