US2967714A

US2967714A - Game devices

Info

Publication number: US2967714A
Application number: US764904A
Authority: US
Inventors: Calabrese Rosario Joseph
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-10-02
Filing date: 1958-10-02
Publication date: 1961-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 1978-01-10

Description

1951 R. J.. CALABRESE 2,957,714

GAME DEVICES Filed Oct. 2, 195a BY v myJ

GAME DEVICES Rosario Joseph Calabrese, 1118 Warren St., New Milford, NJ.

Filed Oct. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 764,904

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-130).

The present invention relates to a game device and more particularly to a device for playing ticktacktoe or other games.

Ticktacktoe is a very popular game that is played by two persons using pencils and a blank sheet of paper. To start a game one of the players first marks lines on a portion of the paper sheet to form nine squares which constitutes the game board. Each player uses one of the characters X and O and the players alternately apply their character to one of the squares until three of the same characters occur in a straight line or all of the squares are filled without three of the same characters occurring in a line. The player who so marks three of the squares with his character in a line is the winner, but a tie game results when all of the spaces are marked without three of the same characters occurring in a line. After a game has been completed, the paper is again marked 01f to form nine more squares constituting a new game board to start another game. After a short period of time a sheet of paper will have been covered with the marked areas of different games which may be played quickly so that another sheet of paper must be used. 7

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a game device which facilitates playing ticktacktoe or other similar games and eliminates the necessity of marking a game board outline each time a game is to be played.

Another object is to provide a game device of the type indicated which is adapted to be conveniently carried in the pocket and may be played by merely turning elements having the characters marked thereon.

Another object is to provide a game device of the type indicated in which spherical playing elements project through openings in a playing surface which adapts them to be turned in any direction and frictionally holds them in any position to which they are turned.

Still another object is toprovide a game device of the type indicated which is of a simple, compact and lightweight construction, adapted for economical manufacture and reliable in operation.

These and other objects will become more apparent from the following description and drawing in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only and not a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a game device incorporating the novel features of the present invention and showing the spherical playing elements projecting through and exposing characters in circular openings in a box-like casing;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 to show the spaced relationship of the top and a separate cover plate 11 marked with 1ines..12 and 13 to form the squares 14 and having thehol'es-15,

spherical balls in the box-like casing and the three different positions to which the balls may be turned;

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the balls showing the characters applied alternately in a line around the periphery of the ball; a

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of a ball of hollow construction showing the characters etched in the surface of the ball;

Figure 5 is an extended perspective view of the parts of the game device to show how the parts are assembled to form the game device of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one corner of the game device showing the cover portion of Figure 5 attached to the upright walls of the low portion of the box-like casing by heat sealing it thereto; and

Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 and showing a modified construction in which each individual ball is seated in a spherical recess in the bottom wall of the casing and projects through a circular opening in the cover.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, the invention is shown applied to a game device for playing tick tack toe. The illustrated embodiment comprises a box-like casing 10 having a top plate 11 marked oil by spaced pairs of right

angular crossing lines

12 and 13 to provide a permanent horizontal game board divided into nine spaces or squares 14. Each square has an opening 15 located centrally thereof and in the illustrated embodiment the openings are of .circular form. The playing elements are in the form of spherical balls 16 positioned in the box-like casing 10 withone ball projecting through and exposed in each opening 15. Thus, a ball 16 is pro-. vided for each of the squares 14 between the

cross lines

12 and 13. Each ball 16 has a series of 0 characters 17, X characters 18 and blank spaces 19 arranged in spaced relation on its periphery. The balls 16 are adapted to be turned in the box-like casing 10 to selec-. tively expose either an 0 character 17, X character ls or a blank space 19 in any of the circular openings 15.

As shown in Figure 2, the spherical playing elements or balls 16 are positioned between the top plate 11 and a bottom plate 20 of the box-like casing 10 which are arranged in generally parallel relationship. Thus, a portion of each ball 16 projects through an opening 15, Preferably, the spacing between the plates 11 and 20 is such as to lightly engage the edges 21 of the opening 15 with the surface of the balls to frictionally hold them in spaced relation while permitting each one to be individually moved to its diiferent positions. The balls 16 may be of solid construction, as shown in Figure 3 or may be of a hollow spherical construction, as illustrated in Figure 4. In either case the O characters-17 and X characters 18 are arranged in spaced relation in a line around the periphery of the ball 16 to provide blank spaces 19 at opposite sides of the line. The Q characters 17 and X characters 18 may be applied to the surface of the ball 16 as by printing them thereon or attaching them thereto, as illustrated in Figure 3; or the

characters

17 and 18 may be etched in the surface.

of the ball as indicated at 22 in Figure 4. Preferably,

the balls 16 are made hollow,'as illustrated in Figure4,

of a thin plastic material with the characters etched in,

the surface.

prise the lower box-like casing part 23 having an opening formed therein. The lower box-like casing part 23 has the bottom wall 20 and a peripheral wall 24 projecting upwardly from its sides. As shown in Figure 5, the nine balls 16 are first placed in the lower box-like casing 23. The cover 11 is then lowered onto the top of the lower box-like casing 23 so that the peripheral edge 25 of the plate overlies the upper edge of the peripheral wall 24. When the cover 11 is so assembled on the lower box 23, each of the circular openings 15 overlies one of the balls 16 which projects therethrough. As stated above, the dimensions of the parts are such that the balls 16 lightly engage the peripheral edge 21 of the circular openings 15 to hold the balls spaced from each other and prevent free movement while permitting them to be turned manually in the openings. The peripheral edge 25 of the upper plate 11 is then attached to the upper edge 26 of the wall 24 of the lower part 23 in any suitable manner.

While the

parts

11 and 23 of the box-like casing may be composed of any suitable material, they are preferably made of a thermo-sealing plastic, such as polyethylene. The plastic material may be opaque or transparent so that the position the O and

X characters

17 and 18 may be observed within the box-like casing 10. The

parts

11 and 23 may be molded or stamped to the form illustrated in Figure 5. After the cover plate 11 has been applied to the lower portion 23 of the casing the overlying

peripheral edges

25 and 26 are sealed to each other bythe application of heat, as illustrated at 27 in Figure 6. When the cover plate 11 is sealed to the lower box-like casing part 10, the balls 16 are held between the spaced generally

parallel plates

11 and 12 with a portion projecting through the circular openings 15. Thus, each ball has a point contact with the bottom wall 20 and a line contact with the edge 21 of the circular opening which holds the balls in position while permitting movement therein.

A modified construction is illustrated in Figure 7 in which the bottom wall of the box-like casing 10 has a series of spherical segments 30 molded or stamped therein in alignment with the circular openings 15 in the upper cover plate 11. With this construction each ball 16 has a substantial contact with the bottom plate 24 in the spherical segment 30 to further insure alignment with its circular opening 15 and providing a bearing surface on which the ball can turn in alignment with the circular opening. A game device incorporating the present invention and several modified constructions having now been described in detail, the mode of operation of the device is now explained.

To start a game of tick tack toe, each of the nine balls 16 is turned laterally or from the left or right of the line of

characters

17 and 18, see Figure 3, to position a blank space 19 in each circular opening 15. This position of the balls 16 is illustrated in the right hand ball in Figure 2 as distinguished from the other two balls illustrated therein. The first player then turns a ball 16 which he chooses to bring the line to

characters

17 and 18 into alignment with the circular opening 15 and position his

selected character

17 or 18 into view in the opening. The other player then selects the ball which he chooses to turn to bring his character into view in the circular opening 15 of a particular square 11. The players then alternately turn selected balls 16 until one of the players has won by exposing three of his characters or until all of the spaces 14 have been exposed without three of the same characters being in line which results in a tie.

By using spherical playing elements, the game device may be made with a minimum number of parts which may be easily and quickly assembled by merely bringing the parts together and heat sealing the cover to the lower casing part. Due to the mounting of the balls 16 in the box-like casing 10, each may be easily turned by merely moving the thumb across the exposed part which causes the ball to turn. Furthermore, due to the spherical form of the playing elements 16 they may be turned in three right angular directions to easily and quickly move a desired character into position in the opening 15 which is thereafter frictionally held in its selected position.

It will now be observed that the present invention provides a game device for playing tick tack toe or a similar game which eliminates the necessity of pencils and paper. It will also be observed that the present invention provides a game device for playing tick tack toe or other game by merely turning an element having characters marked thereon to expose the particular character in an opening in the device. It will also be observed that the game device of the present invention provides a compact, lightweight construction, adapted to be conveniently carried in the pocket and one which may be economically manufactured.

While several forms of the construction have been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that further changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limitation in this respect the invention is defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. A game device comprising a plurality of spaced plates, means for supporting said plates in generally parallel relationship, at least one of said plates having a plurality of openings therein, a plurality of spherical playing elements having smooth continuous surfaces and positioned between said plates with each element projecting through one of the openings in said one plate, the open ings in said one plate being of a size relative to said spherical elements to cause the smooth continuous surface of each playing element to frictionally engage the plate at the edge of its respective opening to at all times retain the elements between said plates and in spaced relation to each other while permitting them to be turned manually in any direction in the openings, and each of said spherical elements having diiferent characters thereon arranged in a particular pattern whereby to adapt any of its different characters to be exposed in the opening through which it projects by manually turning it in any required direction in said opening.

2. A game device in accordance with claim 1 in which the characters are arranged in spaced relation in a row around the periphery of each spherical playing element to provide spaces at either side of the row whereby to expose one of the diiferent characters or a blank space in the opening in the plate when the spherical playing element is manually turned in any required direction relative to the plate.

3. A game device in accordance with claim 1 in which one of the plates is the bottom wall of a box-like casing having upright side walls, the other plate is a cover overlying and'attached to the upper edges of the side walls of the box-like casing, and the openings through which the spherical elements project are of circular form to frictionally contact the smooth continuous surface of the spherical elements in a continuous line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,087,797 Lowe Feb. 17, 1914 1,917,560 Timmons July 11, 1933 2,134,461 Fusco Oct. 25, 1938 2,391,520 Smith Dec. 25, 1945 2,444,810 Creasy July 6, 1948 2,483,878 Charest Oct. 4, 1949 2,529,713 Thurston Nov. 14, 1950 2,628,838 Smalley Feb. 17, 1953