US2300737A - Card game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

' Nov. 3, 1942 i A L. WILLIS 2,300,737

CARD GAME APPARATUS Filed June- 27, 1939 Patented Nov. 3, 1942 UNHTED STATES PTENT OFFICE CARD GAME AIPPARATUS Russell Leo Willis, Steubenville, Ohio Application June 27, 1939, Serial No. 281,323

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in devices which permit a person to play solo-fashion card games which ordinarily require the presence of a plurality of players. More particularly it relates to devices of this type which are designed to simulate the play of the card game known as Contract Bridge.

One object of the invention is to provide a device which exposes the fifty-two card values in groups of four in a manner similar to that employed in the actual game of playing thirteen tricks. Another object is to provide an apparatus which can be made of materials and in forms which are artistic and ornamental. A still further object is to provide an apparatus which is easy to understand and to operate, and whichcan be made from fewer parts than are required for devices now obtainable. This simplicity of construction, by reducing the cost of manufacture, can reduce the selling price of such devices and thus make it available to those who can not afford the devices now available. A still further object is to provide an apparatus which does not have the fault common to othertypes of such devices of revealing to the user prematurely information concerning subsequent play of card-values.

I attain these objects by the mech-c-anism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of the device;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken along line A-A of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a playing-sheet used in the device; and

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken along the line B-B' of Figure l.

ISimilar numerals refer to similar part throughout the drawing.

The main structural framework of the device is a hollow circular case 20. This can be made of wood, metal, fibre-board, leather, plastic material, hardened rubber, or similar material. The case is open at its top. A circular top 22 is attached to the case by means of the hinge 2i. A latch member 23 which is attached to the case at a point opposite the hinge engages the top' 22 in such manner as to lock the top in a closed position. The shape of the case can be varied if desired.

A cap-screw 24 is seated in a recess 21 in the center of the bottom of the case 20. It passes into the interior of the case 20 by means of the circular hole 25 and its upper end is rigidly attached to a table member 28. The cap-screw 24 is free to rotate in the hole 25. Thus the table member 28 can rotate inside the case 20. The

table member 28 is preferably a thin flat circular disk which can be made of any suitable material such as wood, or metal, or plastic material. On its upper surface there is a short knob 30 which extends above the balance of its upper surface. I have shown it located at the center and as having a shape similar to an arrow head. As will be later explained this serves as a key; 'to engage with a similar shaped hole in a playing sheet which is placed on top of the table 28. The shape ofthe knob 30 may be varied but. it should preferably be non-circular. It need not necessarily be positioned at the center of the table 28, but is preferably positioned there. It serves to properly center the playing sheet on the table 28 and since it has a distinguishing shape it also serves to require the user to position the playing sheet in a particular position on the table with regard to a handle extension of the table which will be explained later..

As more clearly shown in Figure 3 the numeral 3| indicates a playing sheet member. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of such a playing sheet. These sheets are preferably made of paper and they have. a hole 32 perforated through their centres. I have shown such a hole by the numeral 32. It is shaped like an arrow-head so that it can fit over the knob 30. It will be seen that when sheet 3| is positioned on the table 28, any rotation of table 28 will cause similar rotation of sheet 3|.

The top 22 serves as a mask for the playing sheet 3|, and it also serves as a playing board for the device. The top 22 has cut through it a plurality of apertures which permit the. user to view through them certain portions of the playing sheet 3 l.

In Figure 1 I have shown the approximatercenter of the top 22 by the letter C. Considering this as the center-point of a compass-like picturization, it will be notedrthat at each of the four -quarter compass points, namely, North, 'East,

South, and West, there is located a small slot-like aperture through the top 22. These four apertures are indicated -bythe numerals 33N, 33E, 33S,

and 33W. In the using of the device they represent respectively the players North, East, South, and West as these ter-Ins are employed in the terminology common to the game of Contract Bridge.

The aperture 33N is equipped with a shutterclosure apparatus which is designed to expose or to obturate the aperture 33N. This apparatus comprises the shutter member 3l'N, which is preferably a thin sheet of metal, and a fastening member such as the rivet 38N which attaches the shutter 3'|N to the top 22. Shutter -3'|N rotates about the rivet 38N to permit of its being placed in or out of alinement with aperture 33N. Any commonly-used shutter construction can be substituted for that shown.

There are similar shutter apparati co-operating with the apertures 33E, 33S, and 33W. The shutter members are indicated by the numerals 31E, 31S, and 31W respectively. The rivet members are indicated by the numerals 38E, 38S, and 38W respectively.

Two elongated arcuate apertures, 34 and 35 respectively are cut through the top 22.

Figure 3 shows a plurality of indicia inscribed on sheet 3|.

For the most part these indicia are arranged in groups. There is one group, indicated by the numeral 39, comprising fifteen indicia which extends in an are from the point K to the point L. Another group of fifteen indicia which is indicated by the numeral 40 extends in an are from the point L to the point M. A third group of indicia indicated by the numeral 4| extends from the point M to the point R. A fourth group of fifteen indicia, indicated by the numeral 42, extends from the point R to the point K.

The group of indicia 39 represents, reading in a counterclockwise direction from the indicium 2 of hearts to the indicium 6 of clubs the progressive sequence of bids made and cardvalues played in this particular game of Contract Bridge by player 'North. In similar fashion groups 40, 4|, and 42 represent the same things respectively for players West, South and East.

In this particular hand the number of indicia in each group is fifteen. The number-may vary and will correspond to the number of separate bids made by each player plus the constant 13. Where the indicium shown is the letter P this is a symbol meaning Pass.

There is another group of indicia on theplaying sheet 3|. This group is indicated by the numeral 43 and it extends in an are from the point T to the point H. It will be noted that the card-value indicia in this group correspond to the card-value indicia which appear in group 4|. However, in group 43 these indicia are arranged according to suits whereas in group 4| the order of arrangement is according to the sequence of play of the card values. Just below each of the individual indicia in group 43 there is an enclosed blank spade'indicated by the numeral 44.

spaces.

There is another group of indicia inscribed on playing-sheet 3| which extends in an are from the point V to'the point Y. This group i indicated by the numeral 45 and it will be noted that it has the same card-value indicia as are shown in group 39. But in group 45 the card-values are arranged according to suits, whereas the order of arrangement of the indicia in group 39 is in accord with the sequence of play of the card values. Each indicium of the. group 45 has adjacent to it one of the blank check-mark spaces 46.

On sheet 3| I have also shown another set of indicia which extends in an are from the point D to the point F. This isthe group 55, and the indicia in this group are scoring numerals as will be explained later, I

As shown in Figure 4, a portion of the table 28 extends in the form of ,a handle 5| through the There are thirteen of these blank elongated aperture 36 in the side wall of the case 20.

In Figure 1, I have shown a cover-plate member 41 which rests on top of the top 22. This is preferably a flat disk which is semi-circular in shape, and whose purpose is to temporarily cover the aperture 35. It is normally held in place by means of two short pins 48, attached rigidly to the plate 4'! and which fit loosely in two pinholes drilled in the top 22. When desired the cover plate 41 can be lifted off the top 22 and laid aside.

To operate the apparatus the user raises the top 22 and places on the table 28 one of the playing sheets 3| with the indicia facing upwards. He then closes down the top 22 and fastens it in a closed position by means of the latch 23. The shutters 3'IN, 31E, 31S, and 31W have been closed. The cover plate 4! is in its normal position on top of the case. The user has moved the handle to a position at the upper end of the aperture 36.

The group of indicia 43 and the |3 spaces 44 are now visible through the aperture 34. There is also visible through aperture 34 a single indicium S. There is inscribed on the top 22 the inscription Dealer, as indicated by the numeral 21. An arrow-mark extends from this inscription to the edge of aperture 34. Another inscription reading Vulnerable indicated by numeral 49 in Figure 1 is also inscribed on the top 22. An arrow-mark extends from this inscription to the edge of the aperture 34.

There is inscribed on sheet 3| at a point now in alinement with the first of these arrow marks the indicium S indicated by the numeral 50. This is a symbol which means that for this hand the South player is the dealer. .Q

If player North East or West were the dealer, the indicium -S would be changed to the indicium N, E, or W respectively.

It will also be noted that there is inscribed on playing sheet 3| at a point which is now in alinement with the arrow which extends from the inscription Vulnerable. a single indicium which reads N. This indicates that the North and south partnership is vulnerable. This indicium N is shown in Figure 3 and is designated by the numeral '29. If the East and West partnership were vulnerable this indicium .N would be changed to read E. If neither partnership were vulnerable a blank space would appear where the N now appears.

, The user of the device studies the card-values as indicated by the group of indicia 43 and makes a mental selction of his opening bid. He checks this by opening the shutter 31S, and then in sequence opens shutters 31W, 31N and 31E. This will expose through apertures 33S, 33W, 33N, and 33E the indicia representing One heart, Pass, Two hearts, and -Two' spades respectively. These are the original bids of players South, West, North, and East respectively. He then closes the. shutters 31S, 31W, 3|N, and 31E. He again studies his own card-holdings, makes another mental bid, and checks this by again opening the shutter 31S. But before he opens shutter 31S for the second time, he has grasped in sliding the handle from one notch to the next assays? one it will have rotated the playing sheet 3| a sufiicient distance to have positioned at the apertures 33S, 33W, 33N, and 33E the next cons'ec-utive indicium of the groups which are designed to be exposed at these respective apertures, namely, the groups 39, 40, 4|, and 42 respectively. Accordingly when the user has again opened the shutter 31S he will view through aperture 338 the indicium Four of hearts, which is his second bid.

He then opens in sequence the shutters 31W, 3'|N, and 3113. At apertures 33W, 33N, and 33E he sees the indicia Pass Pass, and Pass. These represent the second bids of players West, North, and East respectively, and this also indicates that he has won the contract with hissecond bid of Four hearts. This means that -player West will makethe opening lead. I

The user of the device closes shutters 31S, 37W,

3'|N, and 31E, and again slides the handle another notch down the slot 38. He then opens shutter 37W and sees the indicium Queen of spades through aperture 33W. He then grasps the cover-plate member 47 and lifts it ofi the top 22 and lays it aside. This exposes the aperture 35. It also exposes the group of indicia 45 and the thirteen blank spaces 46 which are visible through the aperture 35, I

He makes a mental selection of a card to be played from the card-values indicated by the group of indicia 45. Then he opens shutter 3'IN and checks his selection. With a'pencil or other writing instrument he makes a check-mark in the blank space 46 immediately beneath the indicium in group 45 which corresponds with the indicium of group 39 which is now visible through the aperture 33N. In this case he makes the check-mark in the blank space 46 which is beneath the indicium 6 of spades. He then opens shutter 3lE which exposes the indicium '7 of spades. He then makes a mental selection of a card to play from the group 4| and checks this by opening shutter 318. This exposes the indicium 3 of spades, and he makes a pencil check-mark in the blank space 44 directly beneath the 3 of spades indicium in the group of indicia 43.

He then closes shutters 3TN, 31E, 31S, and 37W,

and moves the handle 5| downwardly one notch,

thus rotating the playing sheet. This makes the first of the scoring indicia in the group 55 appear at the aperture 5! which is cut through the top 22. In this case the particular indicium which appears at aperture 51 is the indiciiun 0, meaning zero. The numerals which are progressively positioned at this aperture are designed to indicate the number of tricks which have been won by the Declarer prior to the trick which is currently being played. The first trick was won by the East-and-west partnership. Therefore, in resuming the play, the user first opens shutter 37W, and then, in sequence, the shutters 31N, 31E, and 31S. He makes the proper pencil check-marks in the spaces 46 and 44. These check-marks indicate to him that these individual card-values have been played once in this game and are not to be played again.

The second trick is Won by player South, so that after he has closed the shutters and rotated the playing sheet, he proceeds as before until the thirteen tricks have been played. In each case the first shutter to be opened in the play of a new trick is the one which corresponds to the player who won the preceding trick.

When the game is completed the top 22 is nd the sheet 3| is removed from the table v h new playing sheet'having a different combinat on of card-values shown in the players hands is inserted. I do not limit myself to the particular distribution of card values shown in the one playing sheet 3| which is illustrated in Figure 3.- The sheets 3| canfbe inscribed to show any possible distributionof card values among the four-players. If desired both sides of the paper can be inscribed with different card distributions. When ag'ame'has been completed the pencil-check marks can be erased and'the' same sheet used again.=-

It will be noted that the arouate apertures 34 and 35 are'of sufficientlength so'that the indicia designed tobevisible through them remain visible-in-spi'te of thero'ta'tion of the playing sheet 3|. 'I have described only one embodiment of the invention.' Many variations of the design shown could be made and still-come within the scope of the inventi'on.- For instance, the space between the top surface of the-table 28 and the bottom surface of the top 22 might be increased so as to permit of the insertion of a plurality of playing sheets 3| at one time.- Diiferent distributions of card "holdings" and games could be inscribed on each side of the playing sheet member 3|. s t

The method of mounting the'table member 23 in the case can bevaried. Insteadof using the set-screw 24,a'construction could be used which would require a small tit on the bottom of the table 28 which would rotate-freely in the hole 25. 'Or'the table 28 could be d'etachably suspended from the top 22 by-means of a shaft imbedded in 22 which could pass through ahole in the center of table 28 and have a suitable threaded lower end so that a nut and washer could be screwed on and off of it. In this construction the lower wall of the case 20 could be dispensed with, and the side walls could be made slightly longer.

In the drawing I have shown the indicia of groups 39, 40, 4|, and 42 inscribed in arcs which are concentric and equi-distant from the center of the concentric arcs. This also applies to arcs comprising the groups 43 and 45 which are also equi-distant from the concentric point. The distance from this center point to the are 39, 44, 4| or 42 need not be the same. The distance from this center point to arc 43 can be difierent than the distance from the center point to are 45. These respective distances do not have to vary but they may vary if desired. The proper positioning of all of the indicia on the playing sheet is determined by the desire to have certain indicia register at their co-operating apertures in the playing board. Therefore they will be spaced within the areas defined by this limitation, and

the spacing between any two adjacent indicia in a group will depend on their respective distances from the common center point. angle included between imaginary radial lines which pass through adjacent indicia in any group is the same for all groups and for all indicia within a group, the distance from the common center point to the arcs may vary.

I have shown such imaginary radial lines as dotted lines in Figure 3. In each case the angle included between adjacent lines is indicated by the symbol Theta and they are all equal as shown.

The movement of the playing sheet is in a circular direction and. the important thing is that As long as the the disposition shown is such that a rotation of the sheet by any certain distance, such, for instance, as a five degree rotation, will position at the North, East, South, and West players apertures series of their respective indicia simultaneously.

It will be seen that the lay-out of the playing board very closely resembles the conditions encountered in the actual game of contract bridge. Four card values are displayed for each trick; each of these is exposed at a place on the playing board which remains constant throughout the game; the declarers and the dummys hand are the only ones visible tothe player; and there is no possibility of there being exposed prematurely any information pertinent to the play of the game. The confusing use of so-called key-numbers to indicate what card should be played is eliminated. This use of key-numbers is not encountered in the actual game and isunnecessary in this device. Its use in other devices of this type results in the user going througha series of trial-and-error operations during which there is a great likelihood of learning something prematurely about the play of cards not needed for that particular trick. This robs the game of its uncertainty and mars the enjoyment of the balance of the game, because there is little Pleasure in computing a problem when you already know the answer before-hand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a game educational apparatus, a chart having four arcuate rows of card indicia thereon corresponding respectively to four hands of a card game, each row indicating the preferred order of playing the cards of a given hand; and a relatively movable mask for said chart having window means therein to expose said indicia as said chart and said mask are rotated relatively to each other.

2. In a game educational apparatus, a chart having four arcuate rows of card indicia thereon corresponding respectively to four hands of a card game, each row indicating the preferred order of bidding and playing the cards of a given hand; and a relatively movable mask for said chart having window means therein to expose said indicia as said chart and said mask are rotated relatively to each other.

3. In a game educational apparatus, a chart having four arcuate rows of card indicia thereon corresponding respectively to four hands of a card game, each row indicating the preferred order of playing the cards of a given hand; said chart also having thereon another arcuate row of card indicia corresponding to the indicia of one of the aforementioned hands but arranged according to suits; and a relatively movable mask for said chart having window means therein to expose said indicia as said chart and said mask are rotated relatively to each other.

4. In a game educational apparatus, a chart having four arcuate rows of card indicia thereon corresponding respectively to four hands of a card game, each rowindicating the preferred order of playing the cards of a given hand; a relatively movable mask for said chart having window means therein to expose said indicia as said chart and said mask are rotated relatively to each other; and manually movable shutter means positioned on said mask for concealing said window means.

RUSSELL LEO WILLIS.

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