US3176990A

US3176990A - Foot manipulable die

Info

Publication number: US3176990A
Application number: US226635A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas P Aliff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-09-27
Filing date: 1962-09-27
Publication date: 1965-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 1982-04-06

Description

April 6, 1965 T. P. ALlFF 3,176,990

FOOT MANIPULABLE DIE Filed Sept. 27, 1962 INVENTOR Thomas P. Aliff wa /y United States Patent 3,176,990 FOOT MANIPULABLE DIE Thomas P. Alifi, 1507 Beach St., Cheswick, Pa. Filed Sept. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 226,635 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-106) The present invention relates broadly to games and more particularly to a game that is played with the feet of the players.

The game is particularly useful not onl for its entertainment and recreational value but also because it helps players develop a good sense of balance as Well as skill in manipulating ones feet and in addition it can help children to develop mathematical skill in keeping score and in this sense is an educational device. The game can be played with equal facility indoors as well as out of doors.

I provide a game comprising a target sheet having a plurality of scoring areas defined thereon and a scoring marker comprising a body member having a plurality of sides at least one side of which carries an annular button element centered thereon and spaced outwardly therefrom, said annular button element being of a size that its circumference is spaced entirely inwardly from the perimeter of said one side.

Preferably, said scoring areas of the target sheet and sides of the scoring marker have numerical and/or pictorial indicia marked thereon.

Preferably, the body member is substantially cubical in shape and the annular button element carried thereon is rounded and smooth about its circumferential surface.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown a present preferred embodiment of my invention in which FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the game in position for play;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the scoring marker of my game with a players foot shown in chain line to demonstrate the manner of propelling the scoring marker; and

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the scoring marker of my game.

Referring now to the drawing and initially to FIGURE 1 I provide a target sheet upon which scoring areas 11 are marked. As illustrated, target sheet 10 is simply divided up into a plurality of squares for scoring areas and in each square is placed a numerical indicium. Preferably, as there shown, the numerical indicia vary from area to area and some areas preferably include mathematical signs as well as numbers which tell the player what to do as the occasion demands; for example, the square indicated by the reference number 12 has the numher 6 printed thereon and also has the multiplication sign x printed hereon. This indicates to the player that he is to multiply by 6. Thus, the players are encouraged to learn multiplication as well as other mathematical procedures and in this sense the game is very useful as an educational device.

It should be understood, of course, that the scoring.

areas may be defined in many forms other than the squares shown in FIGURE 1, such as, for example bulls-eye type targets or irregular or random scoring areas.

I also provide a scoring marker 15 which is best illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. Scoring marker 15, as illustrated, comprises a block member 16 which is substantially cubical in shape. One of the six faces of block member 16 (indicated at reference 18) carries on it an annular button element 17. Button element 17 is centered on face 18 and is of a size that its circumference is wholly within the perimeter of face 18, the reason for which will become clear as the play of the game is explained later in this specification.

'As illustrated in FIGURE 2, face 18 extends substantially frustoconically outwardly from block member 16 to form a seat upon which button element 17 is secured. Button element 17 is thus spaced from the main body of block member 16. There are, of course, many other satisfactory means for spacing button element 17 from block member 16 proper, but I have found the above described means to be both adequate and attractive. Preferably button element 17 is smooth and rounded off at its circumferential surface 19 thereof. I have found that a scoring marker 15 made of durable plastic material such as polyethylene is very good although any relatively light smooth and durable material, such as wood for example, is satisfactory. Preferably marker 15 also has various numerical indicia marked on its faces such as the numbers 1 through 6. The indicia for face 13, as illustrated, is more easily marked on the face of button element 17.

The game is played with the feet of the players and the play proceeds as follows:

Referring to FIGURE 1, target sheet 10 is spread out on a flat surface such as a floor and scoring marker 15 is placed directly in front of it and this is where the immediate player stands to take his turn. Scoring markor 15 is placed on its side with button element 17 facing the player. The player places his toes or the toe of his shoe 14 on the upper portion of circumferential surface 19 of button element 17 as shown in chain line in FIG- URE 2. As there illustrated, the player tilts block element 16 on one of the edges 20 thereof by lightly pressing down on circumferential surface 19 of button element 17 and thus cocks scoring marker 15. This described cocking of scoring marker 15 is facilitated by virtue of the circumference of button element 17 being wholly within the perimeter of face 18. Then by pressing down relatively hard on surface 19 with his foot, the player causes scoring marker 15 to snap or flip out from under his toe and thus be propelled onto the target sheet bouncing and turning indeterminately and finally coming to rest on one of its faces. The snapping or flipping out of scoring marker 15 is facilitated by virtue of the circumferential surface 19 of button element 17 being smooth and rounded. The player thereafter takes the appropriate numerical indicia from scoring marker 15 and likewise from the particular scoring area that scoring marker 15 principally landed in and accord ingly computes his score.

For example, if the player flips scoring marker 15 so that it lands on scoring area 12 with the face of scoring marker 15 bearing the number 3 coming up on top, then the player would take the number 3 and, as indicated by the indicia marked in scoring area 1 2, multiply it by 6 to score a total of 18 points.

The play progresses in this fashion with each player taking his turn until the agreed total for the game (such as points) has been attained by one of the players, which player is, of course, thereafter designated the winner of the game.

Preferably, target sheet 10 should be laid out in front of a wall that can be utilized as a backboard, because marker 15 can be propelled quite some distance if the player presses down on surface 19 hard enough.

Although, as above described, I prefer numerical indicia to be marked on target sheet 10 and scoring marker 15 for the aforementioned educational benefits, I have found that younger children enjoy matching pictorial indicia, such as animals, which are correspondingly marked on the scoring marker faces and in the target sheet scoring areas 7 and can be matched to score.

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly under stood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: 7

1. A foot manipulable die for use in playing games comprising (a) a cubical block member a a (b) a disc-like element carried on a face of said block member 7 (c) said disc-like element being centered on said face and spaced outwardly therefrom by an extension @f-rorn said face joined to the bottom of said element claimed in claim 1 5 indicia on its faces.

inwardly from the perimeter of said face.

2. A foot manipulable die for use in playing games as References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 60,52 6 7 wherein said die carries scoring 3/22 Gayner 273146 X 7 753,029 2/04 Astar ita 273-106 1,203,472 10/ 16 Branch.

1,320,267 10/19 Pallen. 1,387,946 8/21 Rutherford et al.

(d) said disc-like element having a flat top' surface 15 DELBERT B, LOWE, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A FOOT MANIPULATE DIE FOR USE IN PLAYING GAMES COMPRISING (A) A CUBICAL BLOCK MEMBER (B) A DISC-LIKE ELEMENT CARRIED ON A FACE OF SAID BLOCK MEMBER (C) SAID DISC-LIKE ELEMENT BEING CENTERED ON SAID FACE AND SPACED OUTWARDLY THEREFROM BY AN EXTENSION FROM SAID FACE JOINED TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID ELEMENT (D) SAID DISC-LIKE ELEMENT HAVING A FLAT TOP SURFACE AND AN AXIALLY ROUNDED PERIPHERY SPACED SLIGHTLY INWARDLY FROM THE PERIMETER OF SAID FACE.