US2193745A - Educational game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 12, N, R, STERNE 2,193,745

EDUCATIONAL GAME APPARATUS 76 y A zd- Forman .7E erlze March 12, 1940. N, R STERNE 2,193,745 y EDUCATIONAL GAE APPARATUS Filed April 21, 193.8 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EE@ EEEEE -JQ'Z/Z E 2g w Q-)E T Il, H [Q -)j gf Q mth @E N b mf @ES f J @Eg o m @EEE d g@ 1,1' @E g '3 Q0 "UEE-Q) @E mgm mg m@ 4f/l U mw 0 I mi@ V @E EQ-fp@ t@ a@ @E 2.7557 E/ql u @wwwa NaN/m17 2 7i/sine @sul f Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,193,745 EDUCATIONAL GAME APPARATUS tion of New York Application April 21, 1938, Serial No. 203,399 Y 9 Claims.

This invention is directed to a game apparatus particularly designed for the playing of bridge whist wherein a player has the option of selecting a particular card from his own hand and a particular card from the exposed dummy hand for proposed play in a particular round or trick and then determine, by instrumentalities forming part of the game, whether the card he has selected is the proper card for play in the par- 10 ticular instance and is the same card that would be played by one expertly proficient in the game.

I'he primary object of the present invention is the provision of a game apparatus in which thel player may have the option of selecting a card according to his own judgment, then determining whether that card is the proper card to be played according to expert determination, and then playing the card determined by the expert to be the proper card, with a view thereby of permitting the player to determine by study or other information Why the card selected by him to be played, When proving not to be the card determined by the expert as the proper card, is the improper play and the reason why 25 the expert selects the particular indicated card in order that the player may, through this expert aid in comparison with the original card selection oi the player without the expert aid, thus permitting the game apparatus to be pri- 30 inarily of an instructive character to aord the expert knowledge and playing of the game to be at the command of the player for comparison with his own choice of cards, with the result that the improved apparatus permits the playing of v35 the game under continued expert instruction.

The essential object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the detailed construction of game apparatus of this character, previousiy known and in use, with a view to reduc- 40 ing the cost of the game apparatus as a whole to insure its wider and more universal use and avoid structural disadvantages heretofore present in previously suggested game apparatus of this type.

45 The game apparatus is also designed for use in connection with the new ve-suit bridge game which is a recent development. This game involves the use of ve suits of thirteen cards each, four of the suits being the conventional clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades and the fth suit being marked by a cro-Wn or the representation of a crown and referred to as royals or greens, the insignia being usually colored green, In the playing of this game, the cards are presumed 55 to be dealt to the players in the usual manner,

each player receiving sixteen cards and the remaining card being exposed on the board and generally referred to as the kitty The bids are made in the usual manner except, of course, the inclusion of the new suit in which bidding may be had, each player considering the kitty as a possible card in his hand during the bidding and the successful bidder having the option of discarding a card from his hand or dummys hand to be substituted by the kitty which then i becomes a part of the hand from which the discard is Withdrawn, such discard being placed face upward on the board.

The improved game apparatus is designed with a view to playing the new game, therebeing 15 provision, Ifor exposing the necessary playing cards, sixteen in each hand, a space on the board for the exposure of the kitty and a space on the board for the exposure of the dis-- carded card from the successful bidder or his 20 partner playing as dummy. As the sheet cooperating with the cards contains the representations of the cards which are in xed relation to each other on the particular sheet, the card exposure slots of the successful bidder and his partner, usually in this gamel vapparatus the South hand as the successful bidder and the North hand as his partner or dummy, each of these hands must include the kitty and therefore must have seventeen card exposure slots and the game board must also provide a 'slot through which the kitty is continuously exposed and a further slot through which the di card from either the South or North hand, in the case referred to, may be later exposed. The sheets to be associated with the garne board of course include representa-tions of the bids, the Sixteen cards for each hand, the kitty or seventeenth card in the hand of the successful bidder and his partner, and the slides and numeral 40 indications for indicating the expert plays oi the particular hands.

'I'he invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the game apparatus, the removable indicia sheet being shown in position for use.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.-. 50

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail section on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail section on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the game apparatus 55 showing the board adapted for the playing of a newly developed bridge game.

The improved game apparatus in the particular form illustrated includes a base i formed with a depression 2 of a size to accurately receive the printed playing sheet, the base having a narrow edge margin 4 on three sides. A playing board 5 is appropriately hinged or movably connected to the base preferably through a hinge strip 6 secured to the board and to the base at the edge of the board free of the margin 4.

Indicia sheets 1, preferably of a size to iit more or less accurately in` the depression 2 of the base, are provided. These sheets are printed to indicate on two sets of opposed parallel relations, playing card indicia at 8, and inwardly of and in spaced relation with each line or playing card indicia, the sheet is printed to provide bidding indicia 9. The sheet is further printed at IS with a notation to indicate which hand of the playing card indicia 3 is the dealer and may also contain adjacent this dealer indicia a notation as to whether or not either or both sets of players are vulnerable.

In accordance with. the printed matter on the sheet, it will be understood from the description and from the illustration that the sheet is printed to present four whist hands in the playing card indicia, popularly referred to as North, South, arranged as partner hands, and East, West arranged as partner hands. The bidding indicia are printed in accordance with bids determined by the expert for the particular hand with which those bidding indicia are associated.

While the matters referred to are the essential features of the printed sheet, aside from the play indication to be later referred to, it will, of course, be appreciated that the sheet may and preferably does contain information by the expert as to comment on the bidding and as to comment on the plays selected by the expert in the manner to be later dened.

Each printed sheet is preferably printed on opposite sides with, of course, diiferent card layouts and different corresponding bidding indicia for each. card layout, and the invention contemplates the provision of any number of such sheets, each different from the others, and readily insertible in the recess below the playing board, thus giving to the user the privilege of playing an unlimited number oi'` different hands by change or reversal of the sheets to enable his construction in the playing of the game to comprehend practically any playing condition which may be met in the playing of the game.

A highly important and essential indication of the printed sheet is the means by which the user gains a knowledge of the proper card to play in successive trick sequences as such play lis determined by the expert player according to the layout of the card indicia of the respective hands which are being played. These play indicating indicia consist of distinctive characters, preferably numbers, which are individually aligned in spaced relation with each playing card indicia of each hand.

These play determining characters are indicated at Il and determine by their sequence the sequence of play of the cards indicated in the playing card indicia 8, such sequences or card playing order being, of course, that resultant from the knowledge of the expert and indicating the order in which the expert play will determine the sequence of the cards in the successive tricks.

The playing board is, of course, to be folded down over the exposed printed surface of the underlying sheet and this board is formed to enable the player to render Visible at will the playing card indicia, the play determining characters for each such indiciurn, and the bidding indicia. 'Io this end, the playing board is formed with narrow elongated slots I2 having a width andr a length to expose through each slot one particular card representation of the playing card indicia and the play determining character which determines the sequence of play of that card.

is designed not only for playing the game but for playing the game according to the expert determination of that play while at the same time leaving within the option of the player the privi.- lege of first selecting a particular play according to his own judgment and thereafter gaining a knowledge of what the expert would play in the particular instance in order either to conrm the players original judgment or to indicate the error of that judgment.

In every instance in the playing of the game, the card actually played in a particular trick is that indicated by the expert to be played and the advantage of permitting the player an option of indicating first his own judgment as to a play and then confirming or showing the error of that judgment by gaining a knowledge of what particular card the expert would have played, enables the player to study the expert indication of play as compared with his own judgment and thus improve his knowledge of the game. To this end, the apparatus is a purely educational device in the instruction of the game and while affording the player the initial exercise of his own judgment, the actual play is carried out according to the expert determination and the game thus actually played through the full thirteen tricks. In this particular the apparatus is a game apparatus for the actual playing of the game of bridge whist but with that playing determined by the expert.

The ordinary playing of the game, and in order to permit the player the option of exercising his own judgment as to play in a particular instance and thereafter confirm or show the error of that judgment by determining what the expert would have played, requires that the card indicia of thc player, who is of course the declarer, and the card indicia of his partner, who has the dummy hand, be exposed, and to permit the playing option of the player in each of such hands prior to a knowledge of what the expert would have played, it is necessary that the play indicating characters indicating the expert play must be concealed when the card playing indicia are exposed.

To secure this result, a slide shutter I 5 is provided for each slot i2. Each of these shutters is preferably though not necessarily metallic and includes a plate I6, the depending side edges of which are formed to provide guides Il which intert with and slidably embrace the side edges of the slot. The plate i8 which overlies the slot is provided with an upstanding selected a card, he moves the shutter i5 to determine whether this is the card the expert selects and if not, continues to move the shut ters until theexperts propel' selected card is determined, which is the card which is played. The game is thus played, each trick taken being indicated on the trick indicator.

In the playing characteristic, the essential ieature resides in the complete option on the part of the declarer to select the card to be played from his own and his partners hands, rst according to his own judgment as to such play with the subsequent,determination of the proper play according to the expert. Thus, the game is completely played as in ordinary bridge whist, the actual play being determined by the expert with optional selection by the player to compare with that of the expert.

An essential characteristic of the improvement is the provision of single elongated slots each exposing the indicia representing a single plaving card and the play indicating character determining the sequence of that play in the game played with the hands as printed on the sheet, together with single short shutter cooperating with the side edges oi each slot and readily maw able lengthwise the slot and serving in any one position to permit the exposure of only one of the two respective indicia, that et the card or that of the expert play indicating character.

The game board as adapted for the playing of the new game including ve suits is illustrated more particularly in Figure 5. Here the construction is substantially identical with the game board as designed for the playing of the conven tional game and comprises a playing board 25 preferably or rectangular outline and formed adjacent each edge with a series of spaced parallel uniform slots 2li of which, for reasons which will later appear, there are seventeen such slots for the player indicated as the South player, seventeen such slots for the player indicated as the North player, and sixteen such slots for each of the players indicated as East and West.

There are slots indicated at 2l controlled by slides 28 similar in all respects to the slots i3 and slides i9 of the preferred form through which the bidding as determined by the expert may be exposed. The board is further formed with slots 29 through which th-e dealing hand is indicated and the fact as to the vulnerability of either set of partners and the indicators 3B for marking the tricks taken by each side, all as in the preferred form.

The board for this type of game, however, includes a slot 3l through which is exposed the extra card of the deck referred to as the kitty This slot 3l may be arranged adjacent one of the bid indicating slots. rIhere is also provided a further slot 32 opposite, for example, the bid ding slot of the opposing hand through which the discard remains visible. rIhis discard slut is provided with a slide 33 similar to the slides or shutters l5 of the form rst described. The card slots 26 have shutters or slides 34 which, as in the preferred form, may be operated as will later appear.

It is, of course, understood that the game board described is played in conjunction with a printed sheet on which appears the hands for each play er, the kitty and the discard, and with respect to the hands, the cards of which register with the slots 25, there is arranged in alignment with the card indications a number indicated at 35i for each card, the numbers being arranged in the order in which the expert would play the cards of that hand in playing the game including the four hands marked on the sheet.

As stated, in the new game the successful bidder, which for the purpose oi illustration is practically in every instance the one playing the South hand, has the privilege of discarding a card, after becoming the declarer, from his hand or from his partners hand, known as the dummy, and substituting for the discarded card the card exposed through the slot 3l and known as the kittyf This card, known as the kitty, is exposed at all times through the slot 3l and every player is supposed to take this card vinto consideration in his bidding because ii his bidding is successful and he becomes the declarer, he has the right to substitute the kitty for one of the cards of' his hand.

Of course, in the game apparatus the hands are played from a printed sheet and as the cards are not shiftable, provision must be made for iirst assuming one of the hands as the declarer. As the declarer has the right to substitute the kitty for any selected card in his or the dummy hand, both the declarers hand and the dummy hand must always include an additional slot through which is exposed the kitty in order that this card (the kitty) will be in the proper hand, according to the expert determination, for the playing oi the game. The discard is also, following the experts selection, a card from either the declarers hand or hispartners, the dummys, hand, and as the cards are printed on the sheet from which the game is played, this discard is printed on the sheet to be displayed through'the slot 32 but until the game is ready to be played, the discard is covered by the slide 33.

The bidding of the game proceeds according to that in connection with the four-suit game previously described. The bidding by the South hand, which for illustration is the declarer, is made by the player according to his own judgment and a knowledge of the cards of his hand including that of the kitty, and following a determination of the bid according to his own judgment, the expert bid is determined by the movement of the slide 28 for the bid of the ex pert, as in the previously described game. When the final bid is reached, the declarer then determines as to the discard from his own or from his partners hand and then moves the discard slide 33 to determine the proper discard according to the expert. The game is then played according to the general rules of contract bridge, the declarer having the option of determining the cards to be played in sequence from his hand and from his partners or dummys exposed hand, and then determining by the number of the card to be played which is the proper card according to the expert.

It is, of course, to be remembered that in accordance with the game previously described, the numbers corresponding to the cards in the respective hands are in sequence and determine by that sequence the proper card to be played according to the expert. However, as the declarers hand as Well as his partners or the dummy hand are exposed, declarer has the option of selecting the proper card to be played according to his own judgment and then by moving the slide 34 corresponding to that card, determine whether his judgment accords with that of the expert and if in error, seek to nd a reason as to why his play is incorrect, because the card selected by the expert to be played is always the card presumed to be played.

Of course, in the representation of the cards, the card bearing indicia visible through the slots 2S each have the proper sequence playing numeral or other character 35, with the slides 34 cooperating with the walls of the slots 26 being of such length that either the number or card indicia but not both may be exposed. The cards of the East and West hands are selected and numbers exposed and merely for convenience the parts are arranged so that the numbers or other characters appear in sequence. These cards are played as indicated by their numerals without selection on the part of the player.

The game board is associated with a sheet on which the card indicia, numbers and other details to be visible through the slots are marked, each sheet having different card groupings on the front and back and there being, of course, any number of sheets associated with the game apparatus for the playing of various hands. As in the preferred form, the game apparatus may include a base 36 recessed to receive the printed sheet and to which the game board 25 may be hinged to permit it to be raised to replace the sheets. the apparatus though obviously the sheets may be arranged beneath the board 25 proper without the use of the base.

It is to be particularly emphasized, however, that in both forms of the ygame apparatus, the elemental purpose is one of instruction because, while the game is actually played trick by trick, the player has the option of selecting the cards to be played by him on each trick from his hand and from his partners or dummys hand according to his own judgment, and then by moving the slide corresponding to the card which he has selected. learn from the number corresponding to that card whether it is the proper card to be played according to the expert. The player willv thus be instructed as to the error of his own judgment and as to the proper play and it is preferred that the sheets bearing the card and other indicia be printed giving reasons for the playing of the particular cards in each instance to thereby utilize the game apparatus primarily as a means for instructing the player in the proper play, the reasons for these proper plays and the ultimate advantage and improvement in his playing of the game.

What is claimed to be new is:

l.. A game educational apparatus including a sheet having indicia thereon representing playing cards arranged in the form of hands, with a character adjacent and in line with. each playing card indicia to indicate the order of play of that particular card in the game, and a playing board to overlie the sheet and formed with a series of elongated slots, each of said slots being of a width and length to permit the exposure therethrough of a playing card indicium and a play indicating character peculiar to that playing card indicium, and a single shutter cooperating with the edges of the single slot and movable lengthwise the slot to expose either the playing card indicia or the play indicating character, the length of the slot relative to the length of the The board and base may form a part of` shutter being such that the shutter cannot cX- pose in any position both the playing card indicia and the play indicating character.

2. A construction as dened in claim l, wherein the shutter comprises a plate, a finger operating projection extending above the plate with the pla-te having depending side portions formed as guides to slidably embrace the longitudinal edges oi the slot with which the shutter cooperates.

3. A game educational apparatus including a sheet having indicia thereon representing playing cards in ve suits and a game board through which the indicia of equally divided hands of all cards are visible with the game board further provided with an opening through which a single card is visible to he used in playing the game.

4. A game educational apparatus including a sheet on which cards in hands of sixteen cards in live suits are marked, with. the additional marking representing the final card of a deck after the cards forming the hands are arranged, with the hands of one set of partners having included the additional card, and a board through which the cards of all hands and the additional card may be exposed.

5. An educational game apparatus including a sheet on which the cards of live suits of thirteen cards each are divided equally into hands' of sixteen cards with the final card printed in each one of two partners hands and additionally printed spaced from all hands, a board to overlie the printed sheet and formed with slots to expose the cards of all hands at will and to continuously expose the additional card.

6. An educational game apparatus including a sheet on which the cards of ve suits of thirteen cards each are divided equally into hands of sixteen cards with the nal card printed in each one of two partners hands and additionally printed spaced from all hands, a board to overlie the printed sheet and formed with slots to expose the cards of all hands at will and to continuously expose the additional card, the sheet markings for the cards or" each hand bearing characters indicating the sequence playing of the cards of that hand with a character common to each card, and a slide for each slot whereby the card indicia or the playing character may be independently but not simultaneously exposed.

7. A construction as defined in claim 5, wherein the slots for two of the hands include the play-- ing cards of that hand and the additional card and the slots of the remaining hands indicate the playing cards only.

8. A construction as deiined in claim 5, wherein the slots for the hands of the declarer and his partner are seventeen in number and the slots for the card indications of their opponents are sixteen in number.

9. A construction as dened in claim 5, wherein the sheet bearing the card indicia is formed with a card representation indicating a discard from either the hand of the declarer or his partner, the board being formed with a slot through which this discard may be visible, and means cooperating with the slot to normally conceal the discard.

NORMAN R. STERNE.

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