US20090278311A1 - Sudoku board game - Google Patents
Sudoku board game Download PDFInfo
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- US20090278311A1 US20090278311A1 US12/432,282 US43228209A US2009278311A1 US 20090278311 A1 US20090278311 A1 US 20090278311A1 US 43228209 A US43228209 A US 43228209A US 2009278311 A1 US2009278311 A1 US 2009278311A1
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- sudoku
- decoder board
- board
- game
- decoder
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/04—Geographical or like games ; Educational games
- A63F3/0415—Number games
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/00697—Playing pieces
- A63F2003/00747—Playing pieces with particular shapes
- A63F2003/00794—Stereometric shapes
- A63F2003/00807—Tetrahedrons
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/04—Geographical or like games ; Educational games
- A63F3/0415—Number games
- A63F2003/0418—Number games with a grid, e.g. 'Sudoku'-type games
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/00173—Characteristics of game boards, alone or in relation to supporting structures or playing piece
- A63F3/00574—Connections between board and playing pieces
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Algebra (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mathematical Analysis (AREA)
- Pure & Applied Mathematics (AREA)
- Educational Technology (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Toys (AREA)
Abstract
A decoder board for a Sudoku game has a plurality of keys arranged to present a Sudoku game to a player.
Description
- The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/347,048 filed Dec. 31, 2008 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/050,683 filed on May 6, 2008, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
- The present disclosure relates to decoder board for a Sudoku board game.
- Sudoku is a very popular game that can be played on a sheet of paper or electronically. Sudoku games are usually arranged as single player games and frequently present the player with multiple game levels of increasing playing complexity. Also, some electronic Sudoku games are arranged to provide instant feedback if the player makes an incorrect selection in a square. However, paper and electronic Sudoku games provide the player with a very limited visual experience.
- Moreover, Sudoku games are limited in that they are used only as Sudoku games and are not combined with other game experiences.
- The decoder board disclosed herein provides various inventive aspects that enhance a player's experience in playing Sudoku games.
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FIG. 1 is a top view of a Sudoku receiver board; -
FIG. 2 illustrates a sub-grid of the board ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 Sudoku game pieces that are placed on or inserted into the Sudoku board ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a receiver board for the Sudoku game described herein; -
FIG. 5 is a side view of the receiver board ofFIG. 4 and of a decoder board that is used in combination with the receiver board ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIGS. 6 , 7, and 8 are views of the receiver board ofFIG. 1 having impact pieces placed thereon or inserted therein; -
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment of the receiver board ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a decoder board that can be used in combination with the receiver board ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an impact piece; -
FIG. 14 is a top view of the impact piece ofFIG. 13 ; -
FIG. 15 is a front view of the impact piece ofFIG. 13 ; -
FIG. 16 is a side view of the impact piece ofFIG. 13 ; -
FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the impact piece ofFIG. 13 ; -
FIG. 18 shows a detail of the impact piece ofFIG. 13 ; -
FIG. 19 illustrates one example of symbol key codes that can be used in connection with the receiver and decoder boards; -
FIG. 20 illustrates a blank decoder board that can be used with or without the decoder board; and, -
FIGS. 21 and 22 show a mask having numbered holes corresponding to the starting positions of impact pieces at the beginning of a given game; -
FIGS. 23 and 24 show an alternative decoder key and keyed hole; -
FIG. 25 shows a game piece holder; and, -
FIGS. 26 and 27 illustrate two decoder boards useful in explaining a feature of the game. - A Sudoku
game 10 includes a Sudoku playingsurface 30. The Sudoku playingsurface 30 may be divided into any number ofsquares 34. However, by way of example only, the Sudoku playingsurface 30 ofFIG. 1 is divided into 81squares 34, which is typical with a popular form of Sudoku. In this example, the Sudoku playingsurface 30 is divided into ninesub-grids 32, each having ninecontiguous squares 34 in a 3×3 formation. - A single player may play the Sudoku
game 10, or multiple players may play the Sudokugame 10. In this latter case, each player controls at least one (and up to four—depending upon the number of players in the game) of the sub-grid(s) 32 on the Sudoku playingsurface 30. On each turn, for example, a player has the right to place a Sudoku piece 36 (seeFIG. 3 ; the Sudokupiece 36, for example, may be a keyed peg) within animpact square 34 on the grid of the Sudoku playingsurface 30. For a first predetermined number of turns, such as two turns, for example, the players may only place the Sudokupieces 36 within theirown sub-grids 32. Thereafter, for example, the players may place impact pieces with anysub-grid 32. (Although only 45 pieces are shown inFIG. 3 , it will be understood that a 9×9 Sudoku game requires 81 pieces.) - The game ends when the Sudoku
game 10 has been successfully completed by filling in all of thesquares 34 of the Sudoku playingsurface 30 with the correct Sudokupieces 36. - The Sudoku
game 10 is similar to the well-known Sudoku puzzle and utilizes a similar grid layout and completion principle. In Sudoku, typically a 9×9 grid of eighty-one squares is subdivided into nine 3×3 sub-grids of nine squares each. - As discussed above, one example of the Sudoku playing
surface 30 has a 9×9 grid divided into nine 3×3sub-grids 32. Alternatively, the grid may have a number of squares other than 81, and/or each of thesub-grids 32 may be larger or smaller than 3×3. Also, although thesub-grids 32 are shown as squares, thesub-grids 32 could have other shapes such as round, oval, rectangular, triangular, or otherwise. The Sudokupieces 36 can be numbered as in Sudoku. However, the Sudokupieces 36 may instead use images, a combination of images and numbers, or any other attribute or combination of attributes to distinguish the various Sudokupieces 36. - The Sudoku
game 10 can be played at different levels. For example, the Sudokugame 10 can be played at one of the following four levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and critical or expert. These levels, for example, can correspond to varying levels of difficulty that are provided by different Sudoku puzzles. - Because the Sudoku
pieces 36 are keyed as explained below, the game can be arranged to deny insertion by a player of a Sudokupiece 36 in the wrong position in asub-grid 32. However, as discussed below, in one variation of the game, a protective device 138 (FIG. 20 ) may be provided that does not permit the Sudokupiece 36 to set all the way into a decoder board 102 (FIGS. 11 and 12 ) until theprotective device 138 is removed, at which time all of the eighty-one of the Sudokupieces 36 have been placed in the Sudoku playingsurface 30. In this variation, therefore, the player(s) is permitted to insert the Sudokupieces 36 in the wrong positions in thesub-grids 32. When theprotective device 138 is removed such as at the end of a game, any misplaced ones of the Sudokupieces 36 will not fully seat into thedecoder board 102. - As is typical of a Sudoku puzzle, the object of the Sudoku
game 10 is to make sure that each of thesub-grids 32 has all nine different Sudokupieces 36 situated in it so that none of the Sudokupieces 36 conflicts with another's Sudokupiece 36 on the same horizontal (row) or vertical (column) line or sub-grid; as noted above, this is similar to conventional Sudoku rules. - Because of the differences in difficulty of the selectable levels, not all of the
sub-grids 32 will have an equal number of the Sudokupieces 36 already in place at the start of the game; some of thesub-grids 32 will have several Sudokupieces 36 and a few may have none. In a multiplayer game, and depending on the rules, it is in the best interest of the players to cooperate with one another in the placement of their Sudokupieces 36. - As indicated herein, each of the Sudoku
pieces 36 may be individually keyed so that it can be properly received by only one of thesquares 34 of asub-grid 32. Further, several others of the Sudokupieces 36 may be keyed in the same way so that each of theother sub-grids 32 can accept one but only one of the Sudokupieces 36 having the same key. Thus, if there are nine sub-grids 32, then nine of theSudoku pieces 36 have the same key, nine others of theSudoku pieces 36 have a different key, nine of theSudoku pieces 36 have a still different key, and so on. In this manner and assuming a 9×9 grid for thesquares 34 of theSudoku playing surface 30, there are nine different keys. Thus,Sudoku pieces 36 having a particular key can be placed in each of thesquares 34 such that the key is not repeated in any of the sub-grids 32, such that no key is repeated in a nine square row, and such that no key is repeated in a nine square column. - The
Sudoku game 10 comprises includes the receiver board (or other mechanism such as a card) 100 and the decoder board (or other mechanism such as a card) 102 as shown inFIGS. 4 and 5 . In the case of a 9×9 game, thereceiver board 100 carries theSudoku playing surface 30 and has eighty-one receiver holes 104 passing therethrough, although thereceiver board 100 can have any number of holes passing therethrough. - As shown in
FIGS. 6 , 7, and 8, thereceiver board 100 hasSudoku pieces 36 inserted therein. As shown inFIGS. 13-18 , each of theSudoku pieces 36 comprises ashaft 106, anindicator top 108, and akey bottom 110. In one embodiment, each of thekey bottoms 110, which is received by a sub-grid of theSudoku playing surface 30, corresponds to a unique one of nine keys, assuming that theSudoku playing surface 30 is a 9×9 board having 81 holes. Each of these nine keys may have a unique shape, and examples of these shapes are shown bycolumn 112 ofFIG. 19 . - Alternatively, as shown in
column 112′ ofFIG. 19 , eight of these nine keys may have the same shape. For example, the shape may be rectangular with each key having a unique angle with respect to the others of the eight keys. The ninth of these nine keys has a neutral shape such as a round shape. The decoder board ofFIGS. 11 and 12 complement these keys. - The
indicator top 108 may carry a number for each of theSudoku pieces 36. These numbers are shown incolumn 114 ofFIG. 19 . The correspondence between the keys and the numbers is shown inFIG. 19 . Thus, each of these numbers corresponds uniquely to a key as shown incolumn 114 ofFIG. 19 . A corresponding number appears on theindicator top 108 of each of theSudoku pieces 36. However, indicators other that numbers could be used. - A comparison of
FIGS. 6 and 12 using the key ofFIG. 19 , it can be seen that game ofFIG. 6 matches thedecoder board 102 ofFIG. 12 . - As discussed above, each of the
key bottoms 110, which is received by a sub-grid 32 of theSudoku playing surface 30, carries a correspondingly unique one of nine keys, assuming that theSudoku playing surface 30 is a 9×9 game board having 81 holes. Thus, a sub-grid 32 receives a set of nine of theSudoku pieces 36 with each of the nineSudoku pieces 36 in the set having a different one of the key shapes such as those shown by way of example incolumn 112 ofFIG. 19 . For a 9×9Sudoku playing surface 30, this set of nineSudoku pieces 36 is repeated for each of the other eight sub-grids. According, there are nineSudoku pieces 36 having the triangle key, there are nineSudoku pieces 36 having the heart key, there are nineSudoku pieces 36 having the diamond key, etc. However, if theSudoku playing surface 30 is other than a 9×9 game board having 81 holes, then the number ofSudoku pieces 36 having the triangle key will be different, the number ofSudoku pieces 36 having the heart key will be different, the number ofSudoku pieces 36 having the diamond key will be different, etc. - According to one embodiment, the
decoder board 102 haskey holes 116 as shown inFIG. 5 that receive thekey bottoms 110 of theSudoku pieces 36. As shown inFIG. 5 , thekey holes 116 may simply be recesses or depressions in thedecoder board 102. In this case, the bottom of each of thekey hole 116 is provided with a shape corresponding to the key shape of one of the keys on thekey bottoms 110. In this manner, thedecoder board 102 ensures that each sub-grid 32 receives the nine differentunique Sudoku pieces 36 so that no, shape, number, or other value on theindicator top 108 is repeated in any sub-grid 32 just as in the game of Sudoku. Each sub-grid 32, therefore, receives a different combination of the same nineSudoku pieces 36. However, each sub-grid 32 can accommodate only one of theSudoku pieces 36 having a first of the nine key shapes, each sub-grid 32 can accommodate only one of theSudoku pieces 36 having a second of the nine key shapes, and so on for the remaining key shapes. - Shapes other than those shown in
FIG. 24 can be used for thekey bottoms 110 and for the key holes 116. Moreover, keys that rely on an attribute other than shape may be used to key theSudoku pieces 36 to thedecoder board 102. For example, as shown inFIGS. 13 , 15, 16, and 17, thekey bottoms 110 may be rectangles. In this case, and for convenience of the players as well as for keying and decoding, and as shown inFIGS. 13 , 15, and 17, theshafts 106 may be polarized such as by having a flattenedpolarizing side 122 so that theshaft 106 appears to be in the shape of a rounded D when viewed along its longitudinal axis as inFIG. 17 , and the receiver holes 104 in thereceiver board 100 may have correspondingly flattenedpolarizing edges 122 as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10 . In this case, when aSudoku piece 36 is inserted into thereceiver hole 104, the D shape of theshaft 106 must match the D shape of thereceiver hole 104. This polarization of theSudoku pieces 36 ensures that theSudoku pieces 36 have a single orientation when theSudoku pieces 36 are inserted into the receiver holes 104. - In this polarized configuration, the flattened
polarizing side 122 of aSudoku piece 36 forms an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rectangularkey bottom 110, as best shown inFIG. 22 . This angle between the flattenedsides 122 and thekey bottoms 110 is different for each of the nineSudoku pieces 36 that can be inserted into a sub-grid 32, assuming a 3×3 sub-grid. Accordingly, instead of shaping the bottom of thekey holes 116 to match thekey bottoms 110 shown inFIG. 19 , thekey holes 116 of thedecoder board 102 have different orientations such as those shown inFIGS. 11 and 12 . The correspondence between the orientation of thekey holes 116 inFIGS. 11 and 12 and the angles between the flattenedsides 122 and thekey bottoms 110 of theSudoku pieces 36 may be arranged so that noSudoku piece 36 having the same number or other indicator value is repeated in a sub-grid 32, or in a row of squares of theSudoku playing surface 30, or in a column of squares of theSudoku playing surface 30, assuming a 9×9Sudoku playing surface 30. - As shown in
FIG. 19 , each of the keys incolumn 112′ is a rectangle whose longitudinal axis varies from vertical (as viewed inFIGS. 19 and 22 ) by a corresponding number of degrees. (Vertical intersects the flattened polarizing side 122 (FIG. 17 ) at an angle of 90°. Alternatively, vertical may be an arbitrary axis through thedecoder board 102.) In other words, each of the keys incolumn 112′ is a rectangle whose longitudinal axis intersects the flattened polarizing side 122 (as viewed inFIGS. 17 and 19 ) by a corresponding number of degrees. Each rectangle is a recess into or a hole through thedecoder board 102 and corresponds to the shape of thekey bottom 110 of acorresponding piece 36. - These angles may be the same as shown in
FIG. 19 or they may be different than those shown inFIG. 19 . For example, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 1 incolumn 114 has a counterclockwise first angle of 15° from vertical, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 2 incolumn 114 has a counterclockwise second angle of 30° from vertical, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 3 incolumn 114 has a counterclockwise third angle of 45° from vertical, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 4 incolumn 114 has a counterclockwise fourth angle of 60° from vertical, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 6 incolumn 114 has a clockwise sixth angle of 15° from vertical, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 7 incolumn 114 has a clockwise seventh angle of 30° from vertical, the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 8 incolumn 114 has a clockwise eighth angle of 45° from vertical, and the key incolumn 112′ corresponding to the number 9 incolumn 114 has a clockwise ninth angle of 60° from vertical. The key incolumn 112′ corresponding to thenumber 5 incolumn 114 is a neutral key and has no angle. - These angles may have ranges. For example, the first and sixth angles may be 15° plus or minus 2° such that first and sixth angles are in the range to 13° to 17°, the second and seventh angles may be 30° plus or minus 2° such that second and seventh angles are in the range to 28° to 32°, the third and eighth angles may be 45° plus or minus 2° such that third and eighth angles are in the range to 43° to 47°, and the fourth and ninth angles may be 60° plus or minus 2° such that fourth and ninth angles are in the range to 58° to 62°. Other ranges are possible provided that a sub-grid of the
decoder board 102 contains no key having the same angle as another key in that sub-grid. - As shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12 , thekeys 116 of thedecoder board 102 have a shape and angles that match the shape and angles of thekey bottoms 110 of thepieces 36 so as to present a game, such as a Sudoku game, to the player. Thus, each sub-grid 32 of thedecoder board 102, in cooperation with the polarized shape of theshafts 106, haskeys 116 corresponding to these eight angles 1-4 and 6-9 plus a key 116 corresponding to the neutralkey bottom 5 so that two ormore pieces 36 having the same number cannot be placed in the same sub-grid. Moreover, the positions of these angles vary from sub-grid to sub-grid so that two ormore pieces 36 having the same number cannot be placed in the same row or column of the overall grid. - With these angles, each of the
decoder boards 102 offers two different Sudoku games. A first game can be played by applying thedecoder board 102 in a first orientation to thereceiver board 100. A second game can be subsequently played by withdrawing thedecoder board 102 from thereceiver board 100, flipping thedecoder board 102 over so that what was the bottom of thedecoder board 102 now becomes the top of thedecoder board 102, and by re-applying thedecoder board 102 in this second orientation to thereceiver board 100. - As an example, a
decoder board 102A is shown inFIG. 26 . Thedecoder board 102A has anedge 400 and anedge 402. When theedge 400 of thedecoder board 102A is the leading edge as thedecoder board 102A is inserted into theslots receiver board 100, and with reference toFIG. 19 and the above discussion of the angles of the keys, the solution of the game presented bydecoder board 102A ofFIG. 26 is given by the immediately following table. -
6 9 3 1 2 4 8 7 5 5 1 8 3 7 9 6 2 4 2 7 4 5 6 8 1 9 3 7 8 5 2 4 1 3 6 9 4 3 1 6 9 7 2 5 8 9 6 2 8 5 3 7 4 1 1 2 9 4 8 6 5 3 7 3 5 7 9 1 2 4 8 6 8 4 6 7 3 5 9 1 2 - As shown in
FIG. 27 , thedecoder board 102A can be flipped over as discussed above in order to present a second game to the player. In this case, theedge 402 becomes the leading edge as thedecoder board 102A is inserted into theslots receiver board 100. When theedge 402 of thedecoder board 102A is the leading edge as thedecoder board 102A is inserted into theslots receiver board 100, and again with reference toFIG. 19 and the above discussion of the angles of the keys, the solution of the game presented bydecoder board 102A ofFIG. 27 is given by the immediately following table. -
3 9 1 2 8 5 4 6 7 8 5 2 4 6 7 9 3 1 6 7 4 9 3 1 5 8 2 4 1 7 3 5 8 2 9 6 9 8 6 1 4 2 7 5 3 2 3 5 7 9 6 8 1 4 7 2 9 5 1 3 6 4 8 5 6 3 8 2 4 1 7 9 1 4 8 6 7 9 3 2 5 - It is also possible for each of the
decoder boards 102 to offer four different Sudoku games. For example, the first game can be played with thedecoder board 102 in the first orientation as described above. The second game can be played by flipping thedecoder board 102 over as described above to achieve the second orientation. A third game can be played by rotating thedecoder board 102 90° from the first orientation to a third orientation. A fourth game can be played by rotating thedecoder board 102 90° from the second orientation to a fourth orientation. The first and second games may require a first set ofpieces 36 having keyedbottoms 110 matching thekeys 116 of the decoder board in the first and second orientations, the third and fourth games may require a second set ofpieces 36 having keyedbottoms 110 matching thekeys 116 of the decoder board in the third and fourth orientations. - Shapes other than D shapes could be used for polarizing the
shaft 106. Also, shapes other than rectangles can be used for coding thekey bottoms 110. For example, thekey bottoms 110 may have D shapes that are oriented differently than the D shapes of theshaft 106 to ensure that noSudoku piece 36 having the same number or other indicator is repeated in a sub-grid 32, or in a row of theSudoku playing surface 30, or in a column of theSudoku playing surface 30. Further, thekey holes 116 need not be depressions in thedecoder board 102 and, especially in the case of the rectangularkey bottom 110 shown in FIGS. 18 and 20-22, instead may go entirely through thedecoder board 102. Thus, the end of theshaft 106 is received in thekey hole 116 or simply passes through thedecoder board 102. - Moreover, as shown above,
key bottoms 110 are in the form of male plugs and thekey holes 116 are in the form of female receptacles that receive the male plugs. Instead, thekey bottoms 110 may be formed as female receptacles and thekey holes 116 may be formed as male plugs that are received in the female receptacles of theSudoku piece 36. TheSudoku pieces 36, thereceiver board 100, and/or thedecoder board 102 can be made of metal, plastic, wood, cardboard or other materials. If metal is used for thereceiver board 100, thereceiver board 100 can be magnetized so as to lock in theSudoku pieces 36. - The
Sudoku game 10 may be lighted or reproduce audio. For example, a sub-grid 32 which has been successfully filled in withSudoku pieces 36 may be lit up. Alternatively, all sub-grids 32 in theSudoku game 10 may be initially lighted so that, as each of the sub-grid 32 is successfully filled in with theSudoku pieces 36, its light is extinguished. Audio may be provided, for example, to indicate successful or unsuccessful placement of aSudoku piece 36 in a sub-grid 32. - Also, as seen in
FIGS. 6-8 and 13-17, the indicator tops 108 are multifaceted or otherwise three dimensionally formed so that their indicator values can be viewed by players from any angle around theSudoku game 10. Accordingly, the player's experience of theSudoku game 10 and thereceiver board 100 does not need to be rotated to face a player when it is that player's turn to play. - Moreover, as seen in
FIGS. 13-18 , the indicator tops 108 of theSudoku pieces 36 may be provided with agripping element 124 to make it easier for a player to insert and/or withdraw theSudoku pieces 36 into and/or from thereceiver board 100 and thedecoder board 102. - Furthermore, as shown in
FIGS. 6 and 8 ,legs board 100. Theside legs slots slots decoder board 102 so that thedecoder board 102 is positioned below of thereceiver board 100. Theleg 130 acts as a stop to terminate insertion of thedecoder board 102 at the correct position with respect to thereceiver board 100 so that thekeyed holes 116 in thedecoder board 102 align correctly with the receiver holes 104 in thereceiver board 100. Thedecoder board 102 optionally may be provided with atab 136 to facilitate a user in sliding the decoder board into and out of theslits - Additionally, the
receiver board 100 and thedecoder board 102 can be rotated 90° with respect to one another to present the players with a new game having a different combination ofSudoku pieces 36 to properly complete a sub-grid 32. - If the
receiver board 100 and thedecoder board 102 are turned 90° with respect to one another, all of the indicators (e.g., numbers) in all sub-grids change except for one. In this manner, there can be at least two different games per one of thedecoder boards 102. Alternatively, different setup codes can be provided that would virtually make theSudoku game 10 an entirely different puzzle to play for each code. - The
decoder board 102 may be in the form of a card. Eachdecoder board 102 card accommodates one or more different arrangements of theSudoku pieces 36 so that each card presents one or more different Sudoku game to the players. As shown inFIG. 20 , one of thedecoder boards 102 can be configured as ablank card 138 so that it does not decode and so that a player can place aSudoku piece 36 at any position within the sub-grid 32. If theblank card 138 is used, then there is no feedback to the players when they place theSudoku pieces 36 in incorrect positions within a sub-grid 32. - The
blank card 138 can be used alone or in combination with thedecoder board 102. For example, theblank card 138 can be inserted in theslots decoder board 102. The game is then played with theblank card 138 shielding thedecoder board 102 from theSudoku pieces 36. In this condition, no feedback is provided to the players as to whether theSudoku pieces 36 have been applied correctly to thereceiver board 100. At the end of the game, the players can determine whether they have successfully played the Sudoku game by withdrawing theblank card 138 from theslots Sudoku pieces 36 drop fully seated into thedecoder card 102, then the players have successfully played the game. If some of theSudoku pieces 36 do not drop fully seated into thedecoder card 102, then the players have not successfully played the game. - As another alternative, inserts can be provided and can be inserted into the
key holes 116 ofFIG. 10 . In this case, it is the inserts and not the depressions that are keyed to theSudoku pieces 36. In this manner, a new Sudoku game can be presented to the players simply by rearranging the inserts within thekey holes 116 rather than changing out thewhole decoder board 102. - A
mask 140 shown inFIGS. 21 and 22 can be provided for each of thedecoder boards 102. Themask 140 is placed on top of thereceiver board 100 and contains the positions of theSudoku pieces 36 that are used to start the game. The number and placement of these starting positions determine the difficulty level of the particular Sudoku puzzle being played. The numbered holes inFIGS. 21 and 22 show one example for the holes that can be used to start a game. TheSudoku pieces 36 corresponding to these numbered holes are inserted into the numbered holes to start the game. Indicators other than numbers can be used to designate the starting holes. Themask 140 and thedecoder board 102 must correspond to one another. Instead of one mask perdecoder board 102 per difficultly level, a single mask perdecoder board 102 can be provided so as to cover all difficulty levels for thatparticular decoder board 102. - The game described herein can be provided as a travel game. In this travel game or otherwise, the
Sudoku pieces 36 may be magnetic and either or both of thereceiver board 100 and thedecoder board 102 can be metal to prevent theSudoku pieces 36 from inadvertently dislodging from thereceiver board 32. Alternatively, either or both of thereceiver board 100 and thedecoder board 102 may be magnetic and theSudoku pieces 36 can be metal again to prevent theSudoku pieces 36 from inadvertently dislodging from thereceiver board 32. - For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by this specific language, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art.
- The
Sudoku game 10 described herein can be played in conjunction with and interact with other games. - The present invention as described above is related to the game of Sudoku. However, the present invention as defined in the claims below can be applied to games other than Sudoku. Also, the game may include a plurality of decoder boards. These decoder boards may relate to different games such as different puzzles of like kind, different puzzles of different kind, different levels of difficulty of a game or games, and/or different games entirely. For example, the present invention in one aspect provides instant feedback to a player if the player applies a game piece to an incorrect hole. This aspect of the invention can be applied to any game in which a player(s) makes a choice as to a move or a solution. The advantages of this aspect include not disclosing the solution in the event of an incorrect choice or move and allowing the player making the incorrect move or choice to continue playing the game.
- Moreover, as described above, the feedback is provided when a player cannot fully insert a piece into a hole, This feedback is mechanical feedback and relies on mechanical keys. The feedback instead could be electrical relying on electrical keys.
- For example,
FIG. 23 shows the bottom of adecoder hole 200 that carries one ormore conductors 202 oriented in a particular fashion.FIG. 24 shows agame piece 204 that is insertable into thedecoder hole 200 and that has a key 206 formed by one ormore conductors 208. If thegame piece 204 is inserted into thedecoder 200 such that the pattern of the key 206 matches the pattern of the one ormore conductors 202, an electric signal is generated. However, if thegame piece 204 is inserted into thedecoder 200 such that the pattern of the key 206 does not match the pattern of the one ormore conductors 202, no electric signal is generated which provides feedback that thegame piece 204 is incorrectly placed. - Alternatively, the conducts(s) 202 and the key 206 may be arranged such that, if the
game piece 204 is inserted into thedecoder 200 such that the key 206 matches the conductor(s) 202, no electric signal is generated. However, if thegame piece 204 is inserted into thedecoder 200 such that the key 206 does not match the conductor(s) 202, an electric signal is generated which provides feedback that thegame piece 204 is incorrectly placed. -
FIG. 25 shows agame piece holder 300 that holds thegame pieces 36 for a player. For example, as shown inFIG. 25 , thegame piece holder 300 has nineholes 302 that receive and store thegame pieces 36 for a player. During the player's turn, the player removes one or more of thegame pieces 36 temporarily stored by thegame piece holder 300 and applies the game piece(s) 36 to the playingsurface 30. Theholes 302 may or may not be keyed to thegame pieces 36 as desired. - The
receiver board 100 is arranged to prevent players from directly viewing thedecoder board 102 whether a player is of sitting by or standing over the game, thus keeping the integrity and challenge of the game in tact. - While the game as a whole can be played as a solitaire Sudoku puzzle, it lends itself to being played by two or more players, and with just a slight revision of the rules a team approach to the puzzle turns the game into a social puzzle. In addition to the traditional Sudoku play, with just a change of the rules and minor adjustment (all the 5's are put in play so as to allow an even number of pegs to remain for the two players) to the starting position of the puzzle the game can then be played like a game of pool, but instead of stripes and solids pool balls you play odds and evens game pieces. In this game, the object is to correctly “sink” all of the game pieces first, taking turns one player continues until that player “misses” the shot and places an incorrect game piece (which is immediately removed from the playfield). Then the opponent continues to “shoot”, or place, game pieces until the opponent either “runs the table”, i.e. make all moves correctly on the board, or misses, in which case the first player resumes play. The first player to correctly place all of game pieces wins. Additional new games can be devised, as the game as a whole is similar in nature to that of a deck of cards in its flexibility, while the same cards are used in various card games, poker, hearts, rummy, etc. the actual cards remain the same, so true of the present game design.
- Other alternatives, such as other electrical systems, are possible.
- The present invention may be described in terms of functional block components and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may be realized by any number of hardware and/or software components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, the present invention may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, and the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, where the elements of the present invention are implemented using software programming or software elements the invention may be implemented with any programming or scripting language such as C, C++, Java, assembler, or the like, with the various algorithms being implemented with any combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines or other programming elements. Furthermore, the present invention could employ any number of conventional techniques for electronics configuration, signal processing and/or control, data processing and the like. The word mechanism is used broadly and is not limited to mechanical or physical embodiments, but can include software routines in conjunction with processors, etc.
- The particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative examples of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections may be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical”. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims (23)
1. A decoder board for a Sudoku game, the decoder board having a plurality of keys arranged to present a Sudoku game to a player, the keys being arranged on the decoder board at various angles with respect to an axis of the decoder board, the keys including one neutral key, the keys being arranged so that the decoder board in a first orientation presents a first Sudoku game to the player and so that the decoder board in a second orientation presents a second Sudoku game to the player, the first and second Sudoku games being different Sudoku games.
2. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the second orientation results from rotating the decoder board by 90° with respect to the first orientation.
3. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the keys except for the neutral key comprises a rectangle.
4. The decoder board of claim 3 wherein the neutral key comprises a circular key.
5. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the keys comprise recesses.
6. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the keys comprise holes.
7. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the keys comprise electric keys.
8. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the keys comprise mechanical keys.
9. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the angles comprises a first angle 15° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a second angle of 30° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a third angle of 45° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, and a fourth angle of 60° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis.
10. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the angles comprises a counterclockwise angle 15° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a counterclockwise angle of 30° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a counterclockwise angle of 45° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a counterclockwise angle of 60° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a clockwise angle of 15° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a clockwise angle of 30° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a clockwise angle of 45° with respect to the axis, and a clockwise angle of 60° with respect to the axis.
11. The decoder board of claim 1 wherein the keys are further arranged so that the decoder board in a third orientation presents a third Sudoku game to the player and so that the decoder board in a fourth orientation presents a fourth Sudoku game to the player, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth Sudoku games are all different.
12. The decoder board of claim 11 wherein the second orientation results from rotating the decoder board by 90° with respect to the first orientation, wherein the third orientation results from flipping the decoder board over from its first orientation, and wherein the fourth orientation results from flipping the decoder board over from its second orientation.
13. A decoder board for a Sudoku game, the decoder board having a plurality of keys arranged to present a Sudoku game to a player, the keys being arranged on the decoder board at various angles with respect to an axis of the decoder board, the keys including one neutral key, the keys being arranged so that the decoder board in a first orientation presents a first Sudoku game to the player and so that the decoder board in a second orientation presents a second Sudoku game to the player, the first and second orientations being different, the angles comprising a counterclockwise angle of 15° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a counterclockwise angle of 30° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a counterclockwise angle of 45° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a counterclockwise angle of 60° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a clockwise angle of 15° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a clockwise angle of 30° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, a clockwise angle of 45° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis, and a clockwise angle of 60° plus or minus 2° with respect to the axis.
14. The decoder board of claim 13 wherein the keys except for the neutral key comprises a rectangle.
15. The decoder board of claim 14 wherein the neutral key comprises a circular key.
16. The decoder board of claim 13 wherein the keys comprise recesses.
17. The decoder board of claim 13 wherein the keys comprise holes.
18. The decoder board of claim 13 wherein the keys comprise electric keys.
19. The decoder board of claim 13 wherein the keys comprise mechanical keys.
20. The decoder board of claim 13 wherein the second orientation results from rotating the decoder board by 90° with respect to the first orientation.
21. The decoder board of claim 19 wherein the keys are further arranged so that the decoder board in a third orientation presents a third Sudoku game to the player and so that the decoder board in a fourth orientation presents a fourth Sudoku game to the player, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth Sudoku games are all different.
22. The decoder board of claim 21 wherein the second orientation results from rotating the decoder board by 90° with respect to the first orientation, wherein the third orientation results from flipping the decoder board over from its first orientation, and wherein the fourth orientation results from flipping the decoder board over from its second orientation.
23. A decoder board for a Sudoku game, the decoder board having a plurality of keys arranged to present a Sudoku game to a player, the decoder board being arranged to present a first Sudoku game in a first orientation and a second Sudoku board in a second orientation, the first and second orientations being different.
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/432,282 US20090278311A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2009-04-29 | Sudoku board game |
CA2723711A CA2723711A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2009-05-06 | Sudoku board game |
PCT/US2009/042935 WO2009137547A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2009-05-06 | Sudoku board game |
JP2011508621A JP2011520483A (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2009-05-06 | Sudoku board game |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US5068308P | 2008-05-06 | 2008-05-06 | |
US12/347,048 US20090278310A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2008-12-31 | Sudoku board game |
US12/432,282 US20090278311A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2009-04-29 | Sudoku board game |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US12/347,048 Continuation-In-Part US20090278310A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2008-12-31 | Sudoku board game |
Publications (1)
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US20090278311A1 true US20090278311A1 (en) | 2009-11-12 |
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Family Applications (1)
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US12/432,282 Abandoned US20090278311A1 (en) | 2008-05-06 | 2009-04-29 | Sudoku board game |
Country Status (2)
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US (1) | US20090278311A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009137547A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE202011002392U1 (en) | 2011-02-04 | 2011-05-05 | Teppert, Peter | Sudoku board game |
DE202011002681U1 (en) | 2011-02-13 | 2011-05-12 | Teppert, Peter | Sudoku number puzzle |
US11857884B1 (en) * | 2023-04-20 | 2024-01-02 | Joel Anthony Fletcher | Mechanical-mathematical diagonal number board game |
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- 2009-04-29 US US12/432,282 patent/US20090278311A1/en not_active Abandoned
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DE202011002392U1 (en) | 2011-02-04 | 2011-05-05 | Teppert, Peter | Sudoku board game |
DE202011002681U1 (en) | 2011-02-13 | 2011-05-12 | Teppert, Peter | Sudoku number puzzle |
US11857884B1 (en) * | 2023-04-20 | 2024-01-02 | Joel Anthony Fletcher | Mechanical-mathematical diagonal number board game |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2009137547A1 (en) | 2009-11-12 |
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