From: McCray, Renee
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`Sent: 3/8/2014 12:42:00 PM
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`To: TTAB EFiling
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`CC:
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`Subject: U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 85841965 - HOT POKER DICE - N/A - Request for
`Reconsideration Denied - Return to TTAB - Message 7 of 23
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`Attachment Information:
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`Count: 2
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`Files: duplicate name 38615 -1.jpg, duplicate name 38615 -2.jpg
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`http Men wikipedia orqlwikifW'MS Gaming
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`CI3fCI8f2014 t0'43'34 AM
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`WMS Gaming
`From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
`
`WMS Gaming IS a manufacturer of slot machines‘ video lottery terminais and software to help casinos manage their gaming operations. it
`also offers online and mobile games The company is based in Chicago‘ illinois WMS is a subsidiary of WMS Industries, which became a
`wholty owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation in 2013.
`WMS entered the ree|—spinning slot machine market in 1994, and in 1996. it introduced its first hit casino slot machine, Reel ‘em In, a
`"rnulti—|ine. multi—coin secondary bonus" video slot machine It followed this with a number of similar games like JeclrpotPan‘y‘ Boom and
`Filthy Rich. By 2001‘ it introduced its Monopo.ty—themed series of "participation" slots. Since then‘ WMS Gaming has continued to obtain
`licenses to manufacture gaming machines using several additional famous brands. The company continues to sell gaming machines and
`to market its participation games.
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`Contents [hide]
`1 History
`2 Products‘ technology‘ business
`3 References
`4 External tinks
`
`History [edit]
`Fu.-therinformation; WMS industries
`
`WMS Gaming is a subsidiary of WMS Industries, whose roots date back to the 1943 founding of Williams Manufacturing Company. Over
`the last decades ofthe 20th century, Williams produced popular pinball machines and video arcade games By 1996, WMS had
`transferred its video game library to its video game subsidiary, Midway Games‘ which it took public and finally spun off in the late 19995.”
`With the rapid decline of the arcade industry in the 19995, the company's pinball business became unprofitable, and WMS sold off the
`pinball line in 2000?]
`Meanwhile, in 7991, WMS created a new divrsion, Williams Gaming, to enter the gaming and state video Eottery markets. developing and
`releasing its first video lottery terminals or the Oregon market in 1992 Williams Gaming entered the ree|—spinning slot machine market in
`1994, but the company‘s video gaming roots uitimately would prove to be rts strength when, in 1995, it introduced its first hit casino slot
`machine, Ree! ‘em in, a "multi—|ine‘ mu|ti—coin secondary bonus" video slot machine. WMS followed this with a number of similar
`successful games like Jac.'(potPart‘y, Boom and Filthy Rich. During the 1999s, the gaming industry grew as additional states pennitled
`casino gambling and video lottery games and as Native American tribes built gaming casinos. The division was incorporated as WMS
`Gaming in 1999 and has since focused exclusively on the manufacture, sale, leasing. licensing and management of gaming machines mm
`tn 2001‘ a glitch was uncovered in the company's software that allowed players to earn credits on some machines without paying for
`them [5] The industry leader IGT also sued WMS for patent infringement related to its ree|—spin ning games‘ winning ajudgmenttnat
`required WMS to limit the flexibility of its line of reel—spirining games. WMS Gaming‘s new video operating platform, CPU—NXT, debuted in
`2003. It employed a faster, more open architecture that took advantage of the economies of scale enyoyed by Intel and other PC
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`03f08f20l4 'l0'43'34 AM
`http Men wikipedia orqi’wil<ifWlvtS Gaminq
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`component vendors. The slot machine platform is based on the Linux operating system, initially ran on an Intel Pentrum III processor and
`was the first to use flash memory rather than erasable programmable read only memorymlsm
`By 2001, WMS introduced its very successful Morropoty—themed series of "participation" slots, which the company licenses or leases to
`casinos, instead of selling the games to the casinos The company's siihseqiient participation games have incliidert machines based on
`we||—known entertainment—re|ated brands as Men in Black, Hotlyiivood Squares, The lmzaro’ of 02, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings and
`Ctue. Some of these games are networked within casinos and even between multiple casinos so that players have a chance to win large
`jackpots based on the number of machines in the network. These branded games proved popular with players and profitable for WM5, as
`the net licensing revenues and lease fees generated by each game have exceeded the profit margins of its games for sa|e.'B]‘9'[1”] The
`company‘s revenues grew to a high of $T83.3mi||ion in 2011, but they decreased to .'li689.7mi||ion in 2012." '1
`WMS Gaming's parent, WMS Industries, merged with Scientific Games in October 2013, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of
`Scientific Games. Scientific Games paid $1.5 billion for WMS, and WMS shareholders received $26.00 per share. At the time of the
`merger, the company‘s stock ceased trading on the New Yolk Stock Exchange “"21
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`Products, technology, business [edit]
`WMS Gaming's products have helped to move the industry trend away from generic mechanical slot machines and toward games that
`incorporate familiar intellectual properties and more creative ways to pay off. For more than a century beginning in the late 1800s,
`mechanical slot machine reels employed limited themes: card suits, horseshoes, bells and stars, varieties of fruit, black bars and the
`Liberty Be|l.[51WMS's 1996 video slot machine Ree! ‘em In, introduced mu|ti—|ine and multi-coin secondary bonus pay-outs. Later, the
`company's licensed themes, beginning with Monopoty, helped to greatly expand its sales and profits.”
`Some of WMS Gaming's product designs rettect the changing demographics of its industry. Younger players raised on video games often
`seek more challenging experiences, both physical and mental, than do women age 5:: to tit» — the traditional audience tor slot machines.
`Accordingly, some of the company's machines incorporate surround sound, flat—pane| display screens and animated, tu||—co|or images.“
`The company also manufactures the G+ series of video reel slots, the Community Gaming family of interconnected slots, as well as
`mechanical reels, poker games, and video lottery terminals."°] WMS began to offer online gaming in 2010 to persons over 18 years old in
`the UK“ and in 2011 in the US at www.jackpotparty.com.“°‘ In 2012, WMS partnered with Large Animal Games to incorporate several of
`WMS's slot machine games into a cruise ship—themed Facebook game application titled "Lucky Cruise". By playing games and enlisting
`Facebook friends‘ help, players can accumulate "lucky charms" (instead of money). The game play is similar to playing a slot machine but
`includes a "light strategy component".""'"”‘
`In 2012, after experiencing a decline in revenues from the contracting casino market, the company introduced gaming on mobile devices
`and focused its efforts on expanding its online game offerings. For casinos, it introduced My Poker video poker games '1”
`WMS Gaming technologies include:
`- Transmissive Reels gaming platform, which employs video animation that is displayed around, over and seemingly interactively with
`mechanical reels. the technology is based on the C.PU—NXl2 operating platronTi.“”‘
`0 Operating platfonns. CPU—t~IXT2 operating platfonn, which incorporates an Intel Pentium IV class processor, up to 2 gigabytes of
`random access memory, an ATI 3D graphics chipset, and a 40 gigabyte hard disk drive, is used in most of the games.” The CPU—
`NXT3 operating platfomi was introduced in 2012 for participation games and new cabinets “"1
`. cabinets; The Bluebirdz gaming cabinet, which includes a dual 22—inch wide screen, higrulefinrtron displays, Bose speakers, and an
`illuminated printer and bill acceptor, was introduced in 200835] The Blade and Gamefield xi] cabinets were introduced in 2013.“”
`Approximately 70% of WMS's revenues are derived from US. customers [9] Its corporate office and manufacturing facilities are in
`Waukegan. Illinois. It has other development, sales and field services offices across the United States and international devetopment and
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