Appeal No. 2003-1371 Page 10
Application No. 09/186,856
his pinball during a game, using the pinball to earn points, we find that the location of
the pinball during a game is his location in the game.
Furthermore, "[t]he main control program generates a display wherein that
portion of the playing field including the plunger and flippers is always displayed along
the bottom of the video display." Col. 3, ll. 38-42. The remainder of the display
constitutes "a playing window," id. at ll. 43-44, that "scrolls along the playing field so that
the ball on the playing field closest to the [plunger and flippers] is always visible." Id. at
ll. 3-5. When the pinball is so near the bottom of the playing field that "the playing
window is at its furthest position down in the playing field, e.g., adjacent the control
component portion of the playing field," id. at 49-52, we agree with the examiner's
finding that the display of the plunger and flippers is merged with the display of the
playing window. Otherwise, the two displays are split. Because the display of the
plunger and flippers and the display of the playing window is merged or split in
response to the location of the pinball, we find that Stamper merges or splits a display
in response to a player's location in an electronic game.
For its part, Curchod's "golf simulator system includes a tee area . . . split into a
first portion occupied by a first right-handed golfer. A second portion of the golf tee
area is occupied by a second, right-handed golfer who can play independently or
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