EP1925346B1 - Game device for a parlour game - Google Patents

Abstract

The device comprises a cylindrical or parallelepiped or cube-shaped game body having a matrix of vertical through-going shafts or holes, and a matrix of slots that extend at right-angles to the shafts. A set of bars or sliders with different holes in them are inserted into the slots to block the shafts in various arrangements and at different heights. Various differently-colored balls are provided for each respective hole.

Description

The invention relates to a game device for a parlor game, which should promote tactical skill, memory and the spatial imagination.

Such a device is of the prior art document US-A-3,709,497 known, which describes a game machine for a parlor game containing all summarized in the preamble of claim 1 technical features.

The device consists essentially of a cuboid, in particular approximately cube-shaped, a matrix of through shafts or holes and transversely extending recesses having game body (hereinafter also referred to as "cube" or "dice game"), which expediently on a matching, drawer-like Base plate can be placed, a set of differently perforated slides that can be inserted into the recesses ("slots") of the game body across the shafts, so that so that the shafts can be locked in different arrangements and at different heights, also at least two sets of differently colored, preferably designed as balls tokens and expediently a set of plugs o. Ä., With which each individual shaft can be closed at the top.

To the equipment of the game further includes a game manual, which reproduces a possible game play in the form of rules of the game in a conventional manner, but as part of the present description, only an indication of the design of the device and is intended to limit the desired scope in any way. An optional accessory is an envelope of opaque material for the dice if it is to be made of transparent material that can be used to conceal its interior except for the openings of the ducts and slots when playing "blind". It is an advantage of the device according to the invention that the rules of the game can certainly be modified by both the manufacturer and the user of the game if so desired, e.g. for didactic reasons or to specify different levels of difficulty of the game, for example for children of different ages.

The structure of the game device is apparent from the accompanying drawings. As can be seen from the example given for a possible structure FIG. 1 readily recognizes, the game body ("dice game") on a structure that allows it - especially from the manufacturer's point of view - to build it both in one piece and from correspondingly procured identical plates. Preferably, it is composed of superimposed plate-shaped elements of substantially identical structure. The main body is penetrated from top to bottom of, for example, sixteen (ie 4X4 squarely arranged), equal sized shafts, (ie preferably cylindrical holes, b1, b2, b3, etc.). But you can also play with eg 3X3, 3X4, 4X5 or 5X5 slots are produced, with which the same game principle can be realized, each resulting in different levels of difficulty or game histories. The main body is further transversely to the holes interspersed by a number of slots, (sa1 ... sa4, sb1 ... sb4 ....) of preferably rectangular cross-section, in the small, with a cross-section of the slots corresponding cross section, slats can be inserted. These slots can be alternately crossed the longitudinal and transverse rows of holes (as the FIG. 1 reproduces) or enforce in the same direction. To illustrate the game principle, only the case is discussed in which the number of holes is sixteen, with four slots on each of six levels of the game body, preferably three in each direction arranged slots in one direction and three in the transverse direction thereto.

For playing equipment also includes a set of slats, hereinafter also referred to as a slider (S1, S2, S3, etc. - see. FIG. 2 ), which can be inserted into the slots and the differently arranged holes have the diameter of the shaft holes of the cube. In a game whose game cube has 16 holes, it turns out that a total of 16 different arrangements of holes in the slides are possible, including a slider which has no holes. In order to close all slots with sliders, so almost two sets of sliders are required when each two slides have identical bore patterns. It is up to the game designer to decide whether or not to provide gate valves with all combinations of holes (ie up to 32 gate valves) or only the number of 24 gate valves that are required at least. The slides are sized so that they can be easily inserted into the slots, ie they should be slightly narrower and slightly thinner than the width or height of the slots. They should be so long that they can be fully inserted into the dice, useful with a cam or the like, which limits the insertion. The existing holes in the sliders must - when inserted - aligned with the associated slots of the cube, so that an inserted into a slot tokens (ball, see paragraph below) can fall so far, until he encounters a slider, which is not at this point pierced. The slides should have a handle, ie in the inserted state at the end still stand out a bit. The protruding end is expediently carried out as a handle and marked accordingly by appropriate design. To limit the insertion, each slide as mentioned below the handle expediently on a cam, which limits the insertion. After the complete insertion, the slider should gradually be able to be pulled out again by one hole spacing at a time. This makes it possible during the game to gradually drop all the pieces down again. It is expedient to affix markings on each slide, so that when partially pulling out the holes are aligned again with a well bore, In the FIG. 2 these marks are omitted for clarity, since their arrangement of the purpose readily indicates, namely to indicate, if after partial withdrawal of the slide from the cube at least one slide bore again just below a cube bore, ie a shaft. In a particularly comfortable embodiment of the game, the slides may also have lateral indentations, in which, for example, can engage a present in the slot of the cube ball or locking spring. The markers may be lines or dots that may be incised or painted.

Finally, at least two different colored sets of tiles are needed, which are preferably spherical and the total number of which corresponds to the number of shafts and the dimensions must be such that they can easily fall through the shafts, as well as a number of plugs, with which one each Closing the shaft and thus be able to indicate when a token (ball) has already been thrown into this shaft. Finally, each pit may only receive one ball if the game goal is to be achieved. It is understood that instead of spheres also differently shaped game pieces can be used, e.g. ellipsoidally flattened game pieces, so that, as a result, a lower box can be used when weight is to be saved, such as in a game that is suitable for use during a trip.

The aim of the game is, in short, that each party tries to send their suitably marked set of balls through the cube from top to bottom as fast as possible or quicker than the other party, with the dropping through the differently punched pushers being initially stopped the insertion of the balls have been inserted into the slots of the cube. The game instructions should provide that the insertion is done alternately by one party and the other party, and each player must try to obtain from each slider that he or an opponent has plugged, the pattern of the holes, i. Remember their location in the dice if possible. It can be played in such a way that all players can always access all available shifters alternately until they are used up, ie. or each party may receive a proportionate number of pushers, which may be random or set, presupposing that each pusher hole is duplicated. When all the sliders are inserted, each party first casts their own balls one after the other into the still available chutes. The ball can only fall down to the bottom if it hits a hole on all sliders. On the other hand, where the slider is not pierced, it blocks the shaft. Each slot is closed after inserting a ball by one of the added stopper, so it is locked for the insertion of more balls.

When all the pushers are inserted and all the balls have been inserted, the pushers are then pulled out alternately by each party by a distance corresponding to the distance between two pits ("catch"), thus dropping the piles Gradually deeper and deeper into the shafts and finally come down again out of the dice, the drawer-like bottom plate (which should have a sloping bottom) picks up the released balls and roll out, won the party, the first all their Has regained balls. Alternatively, it can also be agreed that the party has won, which has in the end brought most (own and / or foreign) balls to fall out. Another variant may consist in that the sliders may also be pushed back into the cube by one notch at a time, when a player realizes that he is thus able to disturb a fellow player in his strategy.

Pulling out or, if necessary, reinserting the pusher thus serves to provide a game advantage and to recapture one's own tokens as fast as possible or as many as possible. The required number of tiles corresponds to the number of shafts, i. sixteen, if the game cube has 16 (= 4 x 4) holes, in this case useful in two different colors. The difficulty of the game, however, increases significantly with the number of holes (e.g., 5x5), so a cube with only 16 holes is preferred.

The dice can be made in one piece if suitable tools (eg sufficiently accurate slot cutters) are available. Also for purely manufacturing reasons, it is expedient to make the dice dismantled, as exemplified in Figures 1 and 1b in that it consists of 6 identical, drilled and grooved plates ( FIG. 1a ) and a non - grooved and only drilled cover plate (plate A in FIG. 1b ) consists. The cover plate only serves to ensure that a cover is also present above the uppermost grooved plate, which forms slots together with the grooved plate. Of course, the plate stack can also be constructed so that the bottom plate has no grooves and the overlying plates are arranged with the grooves down. In the example, the game cube is constructed from a stack of six stacked, approximately square plates (B, C, D, E, F, G) and the cover plate A, each having sixteen equal holes (b1, b2, b3, etc.) have identical locations, such that the holes of each plate in the stack are aligned with the corresponding holes of the other plates and thus form a common shaft. The four grooves inserted into the upper and lower sides are slightly wider than the diameter of the holes and, as stated, together with the smooth side of the plate lying above or below, form the four slots mentioned (sa1 - sa4, sb1 - sb4. ...), each covering four of the holes. In order to achieve the described purpose of play, the plates can be stacked on each other such that the direction of the slots or slots of successive plates are alternately along and parallel to a cube side, as shown in FIG FIG. 1 readily apparent. However, there is nothing wrong with allowing a structure in which all slots are arranged parallel to each other are. If a crossed sequence of slots is to be specified, according to a special embodiment, a plate can have both on the top and on the bottom cross-arranged grooves, while the next plate has no grooves, but only holes and the thickness compensation is used. This facilitates the assembly of the game cube, but does not allow that all grooves / slots in the game body either take the same direction or are arranged crosswise. In order to prevent that the plates move against each other during use, means are conveniently provided which fix the plates against each other. The fixing can be done for example by four continuous axes in the corner of the cube, to which the individual plates can be pushed one after the other by means of corresponding (smaller) holes. Such axes are suitably embedded in the above-mentioned drawer-like bottom plate. According to a preferred alternative embodiment of the invention, however, each plate has a number of short dowel pins, which are assigned corresponding holes in the plates to be arranged above and below. By a suitable arrangement of the dowel pins or holes with each other can be achieved that the assignment of the plates can be clearly represented in the sense, for example so that when assembling the dice game the direction of the grooves automatically changes from one to the next plate. The use of dowel pins also has the advantage over continuous pins that they are less likely to bend or even break off.

From the above it follows that the holes in both the cube body and in the sliders must correspond to the diameter of the balls, so that the balls can easily, but without unnecessary play through these holes fall. The thickness of a plate element in the stack, i. the slot-to-slot distance should also be substantially equal to the diameter of the balls, i. it only needs to be slightly larger, but by no means so large that a plate bore can accommodate more than one ball. In order to prevent inadvertently throwing several balls into a bore, after which the clearance would have to be canceled, a manhole cover, e.g. be possible by means of the aforementioned plug as soon as the relevant shaft contains a ball. The drawer-like bottom plate is not essential to achieve the game objective and only serves to absorb the falling through the holes during the game balls and roll out to the side. For this purpose, the bottom of the drawer should be inclined.

The typical course of the game is designed as follows for a cube with 16 slots and 24 slots: First, each party, for example, each 1 player or 2 players, which together form a team, 8 balls, each sorted by color. Depending on the rules of the game, the punched sliders can either be accessed by either team at will, or each party will receive its own sliders, which it will then insert into any slots, alternating with the other party. It can be additionally agreed that each team only from one or two pages may be introduced. For the players it is important to remember the arrangement of the holes in the sliders and their place in the dice. When all 24 pushers have been inserted, players now alternately drop a ball into a slot and then close the occupied slot with a stopper. Each player should remember, if possible, into which shafts he has thrown his balls. However, it can be advantageous if the player also notices the shafts in which enemy bullets are located. When all the balls are in place, the second part of the game starts. For this purpose, each party alternately pulls a slide completely or partially out of the game cube, each at least one notch. You have to try to create a passage for your own ball downwards and possibly also to block the way an opponent's ball by bringing a point of the slide, where there is no opening, under the opponent's ball, assuming , one has memorized their position in the cube or can - with a transparent cube - recognize their position. The goal of the game is to get as many of your own balls out of the die and vice versa, to block the opponent's balls if possible. The winner is the party who has won back all her balls or - depending on the agreed rules - a multitude of balls of any color.

You can play the game with a transparent dice game, so that each player sees at any time, at which point the balls and the slide or their position are respectively. A considerable impediment to the course of the game, but also an increase in the stimulus, can be achieved by making the cube opaque. To allow both possibilities, it is expedient to provide for a transparent design of the dice game a shell that can be slipped over the cube and leaves only the mouths of the slots and holes open.

Claims (7)

1. A game device for a parlour game, substantially comprising a cylindrical, for example parallelepipal or approximately cube-shaped, game body which has a matrix of vertical continuous shafts or bores and also a matrix of slots transverse to the shafts, a set of bars or sliders with different holes, which can be inserted into the slots in such a way that the shafts can each be blocked in a different arrangement and at a varied height, as well as at least as many differently coloured balls such that one ball is available for each bore, characterised in that the game body is assembled from board elements which can be stacked one upon the other and all of which, except one, have grooves which form slots together with a board element situated thereabove or therebelow, and in that one board element provided as an end board only has bores.
2. A game device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the cube has sixteen bores, which together form a 4 x 4 matrix, and twenty-four slots, and in that the game is provided with sixteen balls sorted into at least two colours, as well as twenty-four sliders.
3. A game device according to Claim 2, characterised in that a set of stopper-like elements is provided, with which each individual shaft can be closed at the top.
4. A game device according to Claim 1, characterised in that a drawer-like bottom board is provided, which is to be arranged under the game body and which fits the game body.
5. A game device according to Claim 1, characterised in that at least some of the slots are arranged rotated through 90° in relation to the remainder of the slots in the slot plane, the plane of movement of the sliders.
6. A game device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the game body is made of transparent material.
7. A game device according to Claim 6, characterised in that a game body of transparent material is provided with a cover, with which the game body can be selectively covered in such a way that only the shaft openings and the openings of the slots are exposed.

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