US1232133A

US1232133A - Game apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US1232133A
Application number: US12897816A
Authority: US
Inventors: Horace F W Warden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1916-11-01
Filing date: 1916-11-01
Publication date: 1917-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 1934-07-03

Description

H. F. W. WARDEN GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLE NOV. I. 1915.

1,232, 1 33.. Patented July 3, 1917.

61 tto: neg

HORACE F. W. WARDEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed November 1, 1916. Serial No. 128,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE F. W. WAR- DnN, a subject of the King of England, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to game apparatus.

One object is to provide a game apparatus characteristic of naval warfare, and embodying among other characteristics, means whereby electric shocks are given without warning to opposing players at points in the progress of the game to indicate that the vessel or battleship in play has been torpedoed or struck by a hidden mine.

Another object resides in the provision of a game apparatus embodying a game board 1n which neutral territory and land and sea are delineated and in which the sea is mined at various predetermined places unknown to the opposmg player so that an electric shock may be given to the opposing player without warning and which shock will be indicative of the sinking or destruc-- tion of his vessel or battleship.

A still further object resides in the provision of a game apparatus embodying a game board composed of sections which are delineated to indicate neutral territory, land and sea and in which various parts of the sea may be mined at places unknown to the opposing player, and in which the seas are delineated to provide for the capture of a battle or other ship and in which the player first getting all of his battleships across the waters into the home of the opposing player prevails or is declared the winner and whose points of advantage in the game are determined by the number of moves necessary for the losing player to get his remaining ships on the board into the port or home of his adversary after the late ter has successfully worked all of his player.

pieces ofi of the board.

With the above and other objects in view the present invention consists of the novel features of construction, formation, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described, claimed, and illustrated in'the accompanying'drawings, it being understood that various minor changes in the specific detalls of construction can be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, i'WllIhOTllli departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention, showing one of the hinged sections of the board elevated for secretly mining such section.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the coil connected to the bus-bar and to the hand electrodes.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of one of the hinged sections of the board.

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary view through one of the hinged sections, illustrating one of the player pieces in section disposed over one of the contact posts of the board.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the reference character 10 indicates a box of non-conducting material open at its sides and in which is confined an induction or common medical coil 11 and a battery 12 whose terminals may be connected to the coil 11 in any suitable manner. As shown, one wire 13 connects the battery 12 with a terminal 14 on the base board 15 on which the coil 11 is mounted while the opposite terminal 16 on the board 15 is connected by a wire 17 with the battery 12, there being any suitable character of switch 18 to make and break the circuit a between the battery 12 and the coil 11. The terminals 14 and 16 on the board 15 may be electrically connected to the coil 11 in the usual or any well known manner.

Electrodes

19 and 20 adapted to be held in or fastened to the left hand of each of the players have

electrical connections

21 and 22, respectively, with one of the terminals of the coil 11. The other terminals of the coil have connection with a bus-bar 23 by means of suitable electrical connections 24. This bus-bar 23 has a plurality of wires, say for instance, fifteen wires 25 and 26 leading from opposite sides thereof and each of which wires carries a spring clip 27 for a purpose presently explained.

Boards

28 and 29 of paste board, paper' box 10 and at the outer corners and projecting from the under sides thereof are suitable supporting legs 30. t

The upper side or top of the box 10 is provided with a plurality of squares 31 and the upper faces of the

boards

28 and 29 are provided with

similar squares

32 and 33, re-' spectively, and these

squares

32 and 33 of the

boards

28 and 29, respectively, are provided with apertures 34 in which are tightly fitted contact posts 35 provided with heads 36. The clips 27 of the wires 25 and 26 may be detachably and interchangeably connected to the posts 35 as will be later explained.

The upper faces of the

boards

28 and 29 are colored or otherwise made to represent islands or countries 37 surrounded by water and the metallic war-vessels or battle-ships 38 are to be moved by the hands of the players through the water between the islands or countries, each player endeavoring to move his vessels or ships from their home station, indicated at 39 and 4.0 on the

respective boards

28 and 29 to the home station of his opponent and which may be accomplished unless his ships are torpedoed by his opponent. Both

boards

28 and 29 have their upper faces pictured alike, with said pictures preferably, although not necessarily, reproduced on the under sides of the boards. Generally the seas will be shown in blue color and the lands indicated in green or brown color.

The upper face of the box 10 represents neutral territory, which is preferably of blue color, and in order to facilitate secret interchangeable connection of the wires 25 and 26 with the contact posts 35, the players sitting at opposite sides of the game apparatus may elevate the

boards

28 and 29 in front of them on their hinges as shown particularly in Fig. 1. The spring clips 27 of the wires 25 and 26 may then be quickly changed from various posts 35 to others before each game without an opponent seeing where the connections are made. No two wires should be attached to the posts of two adjacent squares. The

boards

28 and 29 are then lowered after attaching the wires in the manner stated and play may begin.

Each player now places all of his vessel or shlp pieces 38 in the semi-circle or home station 39-40 each player having a predetermined equal number of vessels or sh1ps, say for instance, twelve. A dice boX and two dice (not shown) are used by the players and each player throws the dice and moves the ships alternately. These movable pieces may be moved forward or sidewise, but not backward or diagonally and may not move at one time through more than four-squares 3l3233. The pieces are not dropped on the board but are placed firmly on the squares over the heads 36 of the contact posts 35 so that the recesses 38 in the pieces 38 may fit directly over the heads 36 of the posts 35. Suppose, for instance, a player throws the dice and is enabled to count six and three. The total is nine. The player can then. move nine separate pieces through one square, or a fewer number of pieces through a greater number of squares, providing no piece moves more than four squares and that no two pieces are placed on adjacent squares.

Contact with the enemy is not made until a central or neutral part as a rule is reached. All the preliminary moves are for the purpose of maneuvering for position.

When contact with the enemy is made attempts can be made to capture individual units of pieces. This is accomplished by one player trying to get two pieces adjacent to one of his opponents pieces, but neither player is entitled at any time to have two or more of his own pieces adjacent to each other and neither player is entitled to have two or more of his pieces adjacent a second or more enemy units. There must be two pieces to one to expect a capture. A captured piece is replaced in the home station 39 to start again. No two wires should be connected to adjacent contact sections.

Directly upon the piece passing over into the enemys half of the board, which has 5 been previously mined, attention can be directed to the switch key and the current turned on just at the moment that the piece is placed on the square so as to save current. If preferred, the switch key can be manipulated alternately by the player who is not actually in turn to play, or two keys may be provided, one for each player.

If a piece happens to be moved on to a square which has been mined, an electric shock is felt, the strength of which can be varied at will by adjusting the strength of the coil 11. Upon receiving a shockthe player must remove his piece 38.

The object is to try to get as many pieces through into the opposite home station in the quickest time. For each piece reaching home, five points are allowed. When one I player has all of his player pieces in his 0pponent must deduct two points from each play required to get his own remaining of the other half of the board. As shown,

the surface of the board may be marked out with variously shaped rocks, islands. or other lands and these are preferably arranged to provide for intense thought in the matter of tactful maneuvering of the player pieces to avoid being captured or torpedoed. The board may be of any suitable size and marked off as desired under the scope of the appended claims and any number of player pieces or contacts may be used at the will of the players.

What I claim is 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aboard having delineated thereon seas and lands with the sea areas marked oil in sections, each section having an aperture, a headed contact post fitted in each aperture, an electric operating device having electrical connection with a predetermined number of said contact posts, a hand electrode electrically connected to the operating device, and game pieces, each having a recess to fit over the heads of said contact posts.

2. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of a board having delineated thereon seas and lands with the sea areas marked oflf in sections, the board having a plurality of apertures extending through the sea area sections, a contact post fitted in each aperture, an electric operating device having connection with a predetermined number of said contact posts, a hand electrode electrically connected to the operating device, and game pieces adapted to be movedover the board and placed on said sections over the respective contact posts.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a board embody- 1ng an intermediate section and end sections hingedly connected thereto, the board having delineated thereon a neutral section and seas and lands with the sea areas and the neutral section marked oil in sections, the, hinged sections of the board having apertures formed therethrough, one Within each marked ofl section of said hinged sections, a contact post fitted in each aperture, an elec tric operating device having electrical connection with a predetermined number of said contact posts, a hand electrode electrically connected to the operating device, and game pieces adapted to be moved over the board and to rest on predetermined sections of the hinged sections over the respective contact posts.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a board having delineated thereon a neutral section and seas andlandswith the sea areas marked off in sections, the board having a plurality of apertures on opposite sides of said neutral section and leading through the board centrally of said latter marked ofi sections, a

- bus-bar, a plurality of wires leading from the bus-bar and constructed for interchangeable connection with a predetermined number of said contact posts, means for sup.- plying current to saidbus-bar, a hand electrode having operative connection with said electric current fluid supplying means, and a game piece adapted to be moved over the board and to rest on the predetermined contact posts.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a board having delineated thereon seas and lands with the sea areas marked ofi' in sections, a plurality of posts secured to the board with relation to said sea area sections, an operating device having connection with a predetermined number of said posts, a device adapted to be held by the players hand and having operative connection with said operating device, and game pieces adapted to be moved over the board and over and on said posts to effect an indication on the players hand when a game piece contacts with a post operatively connected to the operating device and to the device carried by the operators hand.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a board having delineated thereon seas and lands, an electric operating device having connection with the board at predetermined interchangeable points throughout the sea areas, a metallic device adapted to be held to the players hand and having electrical connection with said electric. operating device, and a metallic game piece representative of a battleship adapted to be moved by the players other hand over the board into and out of electric contact with said operating device connections with a view to giving an electric shock to the player when said game piece contacts with one or more of said electric connections with the board.

7. In an apparatus of the character dedelineated thereon a neutral section and seas and lands with the neutral section and the sea areas marked ofl in sections, each section of the sea areas having an aperture, a headed contact post fitted in each aperture, an electric operating device having interchangeable electrical connection with a predetermined number of said contact posts, hand electrodes electrically connected to said operating device to be held by one hand of each player, and game pieces, each having a recess to fit over the heads of said contact posts and adapted to be moved one at a time by a player over the marked ofl sections in theneutral section and the sea areas.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a board having delineated thereon a neutral section and seas and lands with the neutral section and the sea areas marked off in sections, each sectionon opposite sides ofthe neutral sectionhaving an aperture, a contact post fitted in each with a predetermined number of said contact posts, hand electrodes electrically connected to said operating device to be held by one hand of each player, and metallic game'pieces, each representative of a battleship adapted. to be moved by the players other hand over the board into and out of ture.

HORACE F. W. WARDEN.