A gaming apparatus is disclosed comprising: a. a top that includes an axially aligned gripping member extending from the upper surface of the body of the top and dimensioned to be held between the thumb and forefinger of a player, the body terminating in a contact point that supports the spinning top, the portion of the body above the contact point in an embodiment being generally conical and having a circular cross-section that tapers outwardly at least a predetermined distance along the axis of the top; b. a planar inclined receiving surface having an upper or elevated end onto which the player releases the spinning top at the commencement of play; c. a generally horizontal scoring zone that is joined to, and is contiguous with the lower end of the inclined receiving surface, the surface of the scoring zone being provided with a plurality of spaced-apart generally circular recessed openings, the openings being of the same or of different diameters that correspond to cross-sectional diameters taken along the axis of the body of the top above the contact point; and d. a continuous enclosing frame that surrounds the inclined receiving surface and the horizontal scoring zone that is configured and dimensioned to retain the spinning top in play and prevent it from leaving the inclined surface and the scoring zone.

A gesture-recognition (GR) device is disclosed that includes a capacitive touch sensor panel and a controller. The capacitive touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of sensing pads arranged in a cylindrical pattern inside a handle of the GR device and detects a multi-factor touch assertion at a set of sensing pads of the plurality of sensing pads. The controller transmits a driving signal to each of the plurality of sensing pads for the detection of the multi-factor touch assertion, generates an assertion signal, determines a signal sequence based on the assertion signal, and converts a current inactive state of the GR device to an active state based on a validation of the determined signal sequence corresponding to the multi-factor touch assertion and an inferred user intent.

A magnetic dart game. Darts are formed with a strong magnet portion in the front instead of a metal point. The front of the darts includes an impact or an elastomeric impact stop, which absorbs the force from the dart hitting the board, facilitating the dart sticking on the board in the location where it hits. The board is also magnetic and includes a magnetic vinyl printed section that contains the game board or target, which is used to play the game. This target can be changed to play either the games provided with the product or those designed and printed by the consumer. The dart system is formed with magnetic legs which are removable and also a magnetic scorer, with a portion of the scorer that moves up and down on a paddle, thus enabling the score to be kept magnetically.

A catching game that is challenging even when played by one player. The catching game is a paddle-sized hand-held device that preferably incorporates an automatic launcher and an adjustable aperture catcher on the same hand-held device. The automatic launcher incorporates randomness into the launching mechanism, in order to increase the challenge to the player(s). The game also incorporates an electronic sensor to determine when a catch has been made.

A gaming apparatus and method are disclosed wherein a gaming surface having distinct betting locations is provided in order to assist in the play of a hybrid version of blackjack and poker games having a side bet. The gaming surface includes a main betting spot for the blackjack game and a separate raised betting platform for the side bet to keep the bets from being comingled. The side bet of the hybrid game is based on whether or not the dealer's hand is a qualifying poker hand. Multipliers and a progressive jackpot are used during the hybrid game to increase the potential winnings.

The present invention relates to a device for revealing a winner. The current embodiments are in the field of toys and games and reveal a winner in play battle or sport. Specifically the device utilizes at least one sensing mechanism for revealing a winner. More specifically a device for revealing a winner can be Balloon Toys such as Balloon Swords. It uses sensing mechanisms to determine the moment a winner has won and then triggers a mechanism in the non-winners device to destroy itself. A device for revealing a winner may include a bladder fill able with fluid, a way to hold the bladder, a mechanism to detect a win event, a mechanism to notify the loser's equipment of the win event, and a mechanism to burst the bladder of the loser's battle/sport equipment based on their loss.

A free weight training device with labyrinth-type game and method of exercise and entertainment comprises a unique dumbbell defined by a pair of weight members joined by an elongated handle. The dumbbell is configured, so a user can develop muscle groups associated with standard weight lifting. This can include exercise movements that involve articulating muscles to move the dumbbell in a repetitive exercise motion. The dumbbell has integrated therein, a labyrinth-type game operational—directly on the outer face of at least one of the weight members. The labyrinth-type game includes at least one target area and at least one corresponding game piece. The handle is gripped and the weight members are tilted about a vertical axis to urge the game piece towards the target area, directly on the outer face of the weight members. The articulation of the dumbbell in this manner develops wrist muscles, while also entertaining the user.

A gesture-recognition (GR) device made to be held or worn by a user includes an electronic processor configured by program instructions in memory to recognize a gesture. The device or a cooperating system may match a gesture identifier to an action identifier for one or more target devices in a user's environment, enabling control of the target devices by user movement of the GR device in three-dimensional space.

The present invention relates to a handheld scratching device for scratch-off tickets. The device/tool is used for scraping opaque or film coatings of the scratch-off tickets such as a lottery tickets, to reveal hidden printed material thereunder. The device includes a base that includes a keyhole and a thumb grip indentation for securely and comfortably gripping the device during scraping. The device also includes a scratching edge for scraping the opaque or film coatings easily and securely. The keyhole is used for attaching the base to a key ring, keychain or keepsake holder. The device can come in multiple shapes, colors and designs, and can have messages or quotations printed or engraved in the base. The device obviates the use of a coin or any conventional sharp object to scrape a scratch-off ticket.

A rotatable platform for facilitating the assembly of a jigsaw puzzle by multiple person includes (a) a base having an upper or top surface and a lower surface or bottom surface; (b) a bearing or other pivot is secured to the bottom surface of the base for facilitating rotation of the platform; and (c) retainer for removably retaining a box top cover or similar part of the jigsaw puzzle box which shows the scene to be re-created is mounted to the upper surface of the platform.