GB2174612A - Game - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for playing a game comprises a card on which information is printed in blocks. Each block is obscured by a removable coating. The blocks are arranged in two separate groups. In one arrangement, each group represents a hand of cards and the block with its removable coating represents a card face down, the block with its removable coating removed representing the card face up. The player thus effectively turns over the card to ascertain its value by scraping off the removable coating. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Game Apparatus for playing a game is known in which certain information is printed on a card and obscured by a removable coating. The player removes the coating to reveal the printed information which may give him a score in that game. Such information is usually printed in a single block covered by a single coating, or in a single group of blocks, each block covered by its own coating.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided apparatus for playing a game comprising a card containing blocks of printed information, each block being obscured by a removable coating, the blocks being arranged on the card in two separate groups. Each group may be arranged fanwise to represent a hand of cards.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an example of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a card with all coatings intact, and Figure 2 shows a card with some coatings removed from both of two groups of blocks.

In Fig. 1, a card is printed with two groups of eight rectangles representing playing cards.

The rectangles of each group are arranged approximately along an arc of a circle, ie fanwise, to represent how a hand of playing cards would appear to a player. The cards are parallel to each other and displaced by increasing distances in the elongate direction of the rectangles relative to the adjacent rectangle, starting from the central pair.

Within each rectangle is a symbol of a playing card, representing its suit and the number (eg. 2 to 10, J, Q, K and A). The symbol is obscured by a removable coating which is a smaller rectangle and aligned with the rectangle representing the playing card, so that when the player receives the card, he sees two groups of playing cards which appear to be laid face down, the removable coating corresponding to the pattern on the reverse of the playing card. The player thus sees two groups of playing cards but does not know their values. He plays the game by removing the coating from the rectangles which he selects, which corresponds to turning over those playing cards to reveal their values. As shown in Fig. 2, the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth cards of the first row have had their coatings removed, revealing the 3,8,K and 4 of Spades.In the second row, the third, fourth, fifth and seventh cards have had their coatings removed, revealing the 7 of Clubs, Queen of Spades, Queen of Clubs and 2 of Clubs.

According to one set of rules, when the player removes the coating from any four rectangles of each row, he wins centain prizes according to the symbols revealed. If all the revealed symbols are Diamonds or if all are Clubs, he wins a first prize; if all the symbols are Hearts, he wins a second prize; if all the symbols are Spades, he wins a third prize; and if all the Court cards, (i.e. J,Q,K,A) he wins a fourth prize, these prizes being in ascending order of value. According to this set of rules, the player must only remove the coating from four rectangles of each row; if more than four coatings are removed, the card is void.

The card is first printed with the symbols of the sixteen playing cards. These symbols are then coated with a release varnish. A latex or rubber ink is then printed over the release varnish. Optionally the ink layer is overprinted to represent the back of a playing card, and this overprinting assists and camouflaging of the symbol information below. Additional information, including the rules of the game and any other promotional material is printed on the surrounding areas of the card and possibly the reverse of the card at any convenient stage in the process.

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a card on which information is printed in Blocks, each block being obscured by a removable coating, the blocks being arranged in two separate groups.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each group is arranged fanwise.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each block is rectangular and adjacent blocks have parallel sides the block of a group being displaced by increasing amounts in one direction relative to the adjacent block, starting from the centre block(s) of that group.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the blocks of one group are aligned in one direction but displaced in another, perpendicular, direction relative to the blocks of a second group.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 comprising a separate removable coating for each block, the coating being contained within the outline of the block.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein each block represents a playing card.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the removable coating is overprinted.

8. Apparatus for playing a game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Game Apparatus for playing a game is known in which certain information is printed on a card and obscured by a removable coating. The player removes the coating to reveal the printed information which may give him a score in that game. Such information is usually printed in a single block covered by a single coating, or in a single group of blocks, each block covered by its own coating. According to one aspect of this invention there is provided apparatus for playing a game comprising a card containing blocks of printed information, each block being obscured by a removable coating, the blocks being arranged on the card in two separate groups. Each group may be arranged fanwise to represent a hand of cards. Other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an example of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a card with all coatings intact, and Figure 2 shows a card with some coatings removed from both of two groups of blocks. In Fig. 1, a card is printed with two groups of eight rectangles representing playing cards. The rectangles of each group are arranged approximately along an arc of a circle, ie fanwise, to represent how a hand of playing cards would appear to a player. The cards are parallel to each other and displaced by increasing distances in the elongate direction of the rectangles relative to the adjacent rectangle, starting from the central pair. Within each rectangle is a symbol of a playing card, representing its suit and the number (eg. 2 to 10, J, Q, K and A). The symbol is obscured by a removable coating which is a smaller rectangle and aligned with the rectangle representing the playing card, so that when the player receives the card, he sees two groups of playing cards which appear to be laid face down, the removable coating corresponding to the pattern on the reverse of the playing card. The player thus sees two groups of playing cards but does not know their values. He plays the game by removing the coating from the rectangles which he selects, which corresponds to turning over those playing cards to reveal their values. As shown in Fig. 2, the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth cards of the first row have had their coatings removed, revealing the 3,8,K and 4 of Spades.In the second row, the third, fourth, fifth and seventh cards have had their coatings removed, revealing the 7 of Clubs, Queen of Spades, Queen of Clubs and 2 of Clubs. According to one set of rules, when the player removes the coating from any four rectangles of each row, he wins centain prizes according to the symbols revealed. If all the revealed symbols are Diamonds or if all are Clubs, he wins a first prize; if all the symbols are Hearts, he wins a second prize; if all the symbols are Spades, he wins a third prize; and if all the Court cards, (i.e. J,Q,K,A) he wins a fourth prize, these prizes being in ascending order of value. According to this set of rules, the player must only remove the coating from four rectangles of each row; if more than four coatings are removed, the card is void. The card is first printed with the symbols of the sixteen playing cards. These symbols are then coated with a release varnish. A latex or rubber ink is then printed over the release varnish. Optionally the ink layer is overprinted to represent the back of a playing card, and this overprinting assists and camouflaging of the symbol information below. Additional information, including the rules of the game and any other promotional material is printed on the surrounding areas of the card and possibly the reverse of the card at any convenient stage in the process. CLAIMS

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a card on which information is printed in Blocks, each block being obscured by a removable coating, the blocks being arranged in two separate groups.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each group is arranged fanwise.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each block is rectangular and adjacent blocks have parallel sides the block of a group being displaced by increasing amounts in one direction relative to the adjacent block, starting from the centre block(s) of that group.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the blocks of one group are aligned in one direction but displaced in another, perpendicular, direction relative to the blocks of a second group.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 comprising a separate removable coating for each block, the coating being contained within the outline of the block.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein each block represents a playing card.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the removable coating is overprinted.

8. Apparatus for playing a game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.