A three-dimensional puzzle has a monitoring puzzle piece and multiple monitored puzzle pieces. For puzzle pattern determination, the monitoring puzzle piece is equipped with sensors, a processor, a wireless transceiver, and optionally a gyroscope sensor. The monitored puzzle pieces are rotatably connected to each other and to the monitoring puzzle piece to form the puzzle. The sensors, together with the processor or alternatively with an external client, track the monitored puzzle piece rotating relative to the monitoring puzzle piece. The external client may provide feedback to a user of the puzzle. The system enables the competitions between the user and users of other puzzles without requiring the physical proximity of the competitors.

An apparatus, which is configured for external operation of a computer program or application installed into a computerized device, includes a reader tray and a plurality of tag modules. The reader tray, having a plurality of identification areas, includes a reader module and a communication module for communicatively connecting to the computerized device that stores and executes the computer program or application. Each of the tag modules stores one or more predetermined tag information, wherein when the tag modules are selectively placed on the identification areas, the reader module reads the tag information of the tag modules to generate an output signal in response to a location sequence of the tag modules for operating the computer program or application through the communication module.

Connector element includes an enclosure made of a generally non-magnetic material having an open face; an insulating plate with a plate aperture; a permanent magnet placed inside the enclosure, the magnet dimensions preventing egress from the enclosure through the plate aperture; a washer made of a conductive soft ferromagnetic material with a washer aperture being larger than dimensions of said permanent magnet, placed inside the enclosure. Also disclosed are transformable electronic devices, optionally including displays, toys and educational kits built using the self-actuating connector elements.

An automated playing card retrieval system is used with a physical gaming table that hosts live wager-based games. The system includes a movable receiving component that receives dealt physical playing cards and an automated card removal component that removes the cards to a discard region after the game. The movable receiving component can be a mechanized tray, can display card(s) to player(s) seated away from the table during game play, and can receive cards at a first position, move to a second position where cards are removed, and move to a third position where cards are displayed at a position elevated from and at a substantially non-parallel angle to the table surface. Additional system components can include an automated card return component that returns cards to another location for a future game, a robotic dealer, an automated card shuffler, a card shoe, and/or the table itself.

A communications pathway between a data handling system and a physical input device can be established. The system can include one or more processors, memories, and program instructions. The device can be a physical object having N faces along an axis of rotation. The N faces can include a display. A content item from an ordered dataset of content items can be presented within a field of a graphical user interface of the display. A number of discrete items in the ordered dataset of content items is M, where M is greater than N. Rotations of the object can be detected along the axis of rotation. Each rotation of one of the N faces can results in navigation through the dataset of content items. Responsive to each navigation through the dataset of items can result in a corresponding presentation of the navigated to one of the items within the field.

A map system is provided whereby a plurality of individual puzzle pieces have a first upper planar surface and a second lower planar surface and are arranged in either a first unassembled configuration or a second assembled configuration to form a complete map, whereby at least one of complementary magnet pairs, complementary electronic sensors, complementary printed indicia, or combinations thereof are positioned on said lower planar surface for assembling into the assembled configuration.

The current invention is an improvement to the random number generator described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,737. Random digits are generated by mixing ten differently colored balls in a transparent chamber. The entire surfaces of all the balls are uniformly colored and unmarked. None of the balls contains any electronic identification devices. A color sensor mounted near the settlement pocket of the mixing chamber emits data that is unique for each ball. A miniature computer and novel software correlate the data emitted for each of the ten balls with a different digit. One of the balls is randomly separated from the others and comes to rest near the color sensor without human intervention. The computer and its software record the digit that is correlated with the randomly separated ball and command a mini-projector to display the digit on the ball's surface in an upright position.

A control system to locate a motorized entity on a display having an electronic device with a display is provided. The electronic device may include a microphone and an electronic device integrated circuit with a set of entity locating software instructions with a capability to generate and display a sequence of pixels in a location pattern, and to further receive an audio output detection signal from the microphone. The entity may include a speaker and one or more sensors in communication with an entity integrated circuit including a set of entity control software instructions. The one or more sensors may be capable of detecting pixels and to send a pixel detection signal to the entity integrated circuit upon detection thereof.

A tile game system is provided that includes a plurality of two-dimensional and three-dimensional components. The two-dimensional components can include a plurality of modular tiles provided in various sizes and configurations that can be joined together to form a grid-based gameplay area. The three-dimensional components can include external boundaries for the gameplay area, internal boundaries, terrain elements such as columns and staircases, and game figures. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the external and internal boundaries can be provided with recessed sections that allow a game figure to be contained within a single grid square and prevent the grid of the gameplay area from becoming warped. According to some aspects of the present disclosure the internal and external boundaries can be illuminated and provided with removable and interchangeable light-permeable skins that allow a user to switch between various illuminated designs.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a self-capacitance device that is configured to be detectable by a known touchscreen without the need for human contact. Such a device has a device body, a capacitance structure disposed within the body, and at least three contacts disposed on one side of the body and electrically coupled to the capacitance structure. Further disclosed herein are systems having at least two such self-capacitance devices and a software application configured to recognize each of the at least two self-capacitance devices.