US3727916A

US3727916A - Game device

Info

Publication number: US3727916A
Application number: US00144046A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-05-17
Filing date: 1971-05-17
Publication date: 1973-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-17

Abstract

A boxed game device capturing a number of symbol-bearing gamepieces, such as multi-numbered spheres or polyhedrons, in a grid composed of top-slotted, intersecting, cylindrical canals. All game-pieces are visible and can be moved and/or rotated by hand in the canals through the slots. Shallow concavities may be placed at the base of canal intersections to provide stabilizing positions for the game pieces.

Description

United States atent 91 Miller Apr. 17, 1973 GAME DEVICE [76] Inventor: Judith R. Miller, Box 283, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. 90274 22 Filed: May 17, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 144,046

[52] US. Cl. ..273/l53 S, 273/131 B, 273/136 F [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 9/08 [58] Field of Search ..273/130 R, 131 R, 273/136E, 136 F, 153 S, 131 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,665 3/1905 Coe ..273/l53 S UX 2,967,714 1/1961 Calabrese ..273/1 36 F X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 348,943 2/1922 Germany ..273/153 S Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle Attorney-John Holtrichter, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A boxed game device capturing a number of symbolbearing game-pieces, such as multi-numbered spheres ,or polyhedrons, in a grid composed of top-slotted, intersecting, cylindrical canals. All game-pieces are visible and can be moved and/0r rotated by hand in the canals through the slots. Shallow concavities may be placed at the base of canal intersections to provide stabilizing positions for the game pieces.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 33C I 25c PATENTEU APR 1' 7191s 37 am 37 23b 23e H zwig/ 43 4| JudiTh R. Miller,

INVENTOR.

A TORNEY.

GAME DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The background of the invention will be set forth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains generally to the field of toys and games and more particularly to a game device in which one or more persons may manipulate rotatable and movable but captured game pieces.

2. Description of the Prior Art Over the years, many game playing devices have been constructed to provide challenging entertainment for their users. Many of these devices include a number of game pieces which each bear game playing symbols on several areas thereof and which were pivotally held in separate adjacent compartments. The game pieces were either spherical, cuboid or tetrahedral, but in all cases the number of game-playing symbols capable of being carried by any one game piece was severely limited by the fact that at least one axis of rotation was not available due to the pivot axle holding it. Another disadvantage which limited their flexibility was the inability to move the pieces about the apparatus since they could not leave their compartments.

Still another type of game apparatus previously known used a game board having pockets therein in which symbol-bearing game pieces were rotatably captured. Some devices of this general type allowed the user to manipulate and view the game pieces through a hole in the top of the game board immediately above each of the game-piece carrying pockets. Others, provided a viewing opening at the top of each pocket and another hole at the bottom of the game board so that the spherical game pieces would project slightly below the bottom face of the board to allow the game pieces to roll with the movement of'the board to present different symbols at the upper surface opening. Again, the game pieces were captured in a very limited compartment and could not be moved laterally.

A still further disadvantage of the prior art game devices of the type described has been the lack ofany useful correlation between the various symbols on each game piece.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing factors and conditions characteristic of the prior art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved game device not subject to the disadvantages listed above.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game device which allows both rotational and lateral According to the present invention, the game device provided includes a grid having upper and lower broad surfaces and relatively narrow sides defining a parallelepiped. The grid includes a first and a second set of parallel hollow cylinders therein, each of the cylinders being slotted and communicating with the upper grid surface, and each of the cylinders of the first set intersecting each of the cylinders of the second set to define a fixed number ofintersections, the number of intersections being determined by the total number of cylinders. Also included in the present device is a number of symbol-bearing game pieces movably and rotatably captured in the cylinders, there being at least one game'piece less than the number of cylinder intersections.

Concave depressions may also be incorporated at each of these intersections to provide stable positions for the game pieces at these points. Also, the gameplaying symbols may take the form of a number of spaced numerals disposed uniformly about the other surface of each game-piece, the numerals on each piece being numerically related to every other numeral of the same playing piece.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appendent claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by making reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to like components in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a game device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 taken along line 2 2; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the game device of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

Referring now to the drawing, more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a generally rectangular grid 11 having an upper broad surface 13 and a lower broad surface 15. The grid is shown situated in a boxframe structure 17 with 'a base 19 and walls 21 dimensioned to just accommodate the grid 11. Although shown to be rectangular or, more precisely, square, it should be understood that the grid may take other configurations preferably with parallel opposite sides generally classified as parallelepipeds.

The grid lll may be of wood or plastic construction, for example, and includes two sets of longitudinal hollow circular cylinders 230-) and numerals 25a-f which have their

longitudinal axes

27 and 29 at a distance below the upper surface 13 somewhat less than their radius to form longitudinal open slots 31 and 33, respectively. In the embodiment shown, there are six cylinders in each set and each cylinder of each set intersects every other cylinder of the other set at intersections 35. Thus, the device of FIG. 1 has 36 such intersections 35 while there would be 49 intersections if there were seven cylinders in each set.

The cylinders in each set are parallel and in this embodiment the cylinders of the two sets intersect each other at right angles. This scheme provides a distinctive undercut pedestal configuration with pedestals 37 having cap portion 39 standing between adjacent cylinders in each set as best viewed in H0. 3. Further, so long as the caps atop the pedestals reduce the slots to less than a 180 portion of the walls of the cylinders, the cylinder walls themselves do not have to return, but may instead rise vertically from the arcs of their bases and have caps fixed in place as an alternative capturing device.

Before the grid 11 is inserted into the frame structure 17, a number of game pieces 41 are placed in the cylinders at a convenient open end. The game pieces 41 may be of any conventional shape such as, for example, spherical and have a diameter which is slightly less than that of the cylinders to allow them to be rolled therealong and to be moved from one cylinder to an intersecting one, a portion of their uppermost surface being accessible and visible to a player through the slots 31 and 33 in the upper grid surface 13. ln all cases it should be understood that there should be at least one less, and preferably fewer playing pieces 41 than there are intersections so that the pieces may be moved manually about the grid through the

cylindrical channels

23 and 25. Once the grid 11 is set into the frame 17, the open ends of the channels are closed and the playing pieces are movably captured in and thus cannot leave the grid, since the cylindrical slots are less than a 180 portion of the walls of the cylinders. Of course, the ends of these cylinders may be closed to retain the playing pieces by any other suitable means and the grid 11 need not be set into a frame of any kind, if so desired.

In order to provide a stable position at each intersection 35 whereat a playing piece will tend to remain unless intentionally moved, the grid 11 may be milled, molded or otherwise shaped to include relatively shallow concavities 43. Thus, the playing pieces 41 will tend to occupy only the positions at their intersections 35 where they are more accessible for viewing and manipulation.

It will be noted from the drawing that in this instance the playing pieces are provided with game-playing symbols 45 in the form ofa number of generally symmetrically spaced numerals for purposes of playing several challenging games with the above described device, the numerals on each playing piece 41 being numerically related. For example, a piece having the numeral 9 should also have the

numerals

27, 45, 63, and 81, etc., all of which add ultimately to a digital sum of 9. A game-piece having the numeral 4 should also have numerals which add ultimately to a digital sum of4 that is, 13 (1+3 4), 22, 31, 40, 49,58 (5+8 =13 and 1+3 4), etc.

Such games as Magic Squares, Cross Number Puzzles, Sequence Problems, and Digital Sum-up (turning up numbers at will) may be played with the game device as described herein.

In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, one playing piece has nine different numbers spaced regularly about its surface: 0, l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; while 27 other pieces are numbered at intervals of 9, e.g., l, 10, 19, 28, 37, 46, 55, 64, 73, or 4,13,22, 31, 40, 49,58, 67, 76. The playing pieces are further distinguished by a color-code as follows:

nine pieces of a given color, for example, red, numbered from 1 to 8];

nine pieces of another color, for example, black, numbered from 10 to 90;

nine pieces of still another color, for example maple, numbered 19 to 90.

Thus, Numbers l-9 appear only on red;

Numbers 10-18 appear on red and black;

Numbers 82-90 appear on black and maple; and

Numbers 91-99 appear on maple only.

The color and the exposed number indicate all other numbers on a given playing piece. The color also determines the starting and ending point in the series, and the digits in each number on a piece add ultimately to the same digit. For example, for a black playing piece with 49 exposed, 4+9 13, then 1+3 4. Upon seeing the number 49, a player will look for numbers which add digitally to 4 (Le, 4,13, 22,31, 40, 48,67, 76, 85, 84). The black series starts with 10 and ends with 90, thus excluding numbers 4 and 94. So, if the number 49 is exposed, then numbers 13, 22, 31, 40, 58, 67, 76 and 85 will be on the other positions of the surface of this piece.

It will be noted that a player has only one opportunity to use some numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 and 99) and only two opportunities to use certain other numbers, as noted previously. Thus, the game being played, whether magic squares, cross number puzzles, or sequences, is now complicated by the need to choose playing pieces carefully. v

For example, if the player used a piece bearing the number 6 to play the number 15 and later needed the number 6, he would not have this number available. Of, if he used the piece bearing both numbers 15 and 24 to play 24, he would have forfeited one chance to play 14. But, if in both instances he had played the spheres in such a way as to give himself a later option, he would have an advantage. The device is also provided with one or two wild" pieces. Thus, for low numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8), the player has an option in the wild sphere. Even so, the number 9 occurs only once in any case. Furthermore, a 29th playing piece could be added with the numbers 0, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95,96, 97, 98.

It should also be understood that if the cylinders or channels containing the playing-pieces were arranged in enough rows to accommodate magic squares of 25, 36 or 49, then a greater number of pieces would be needed and possibly more than two wild pieces.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that a unique, challenging yet easy to play game device has been described which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

lt should also be understood that the materials used in fabricating the various parts and components of the invention are not critical and any material and process for forming or shaping which are generally considered suitable for a particular function may be used. For example, the entire device or any part thereof may be of wood or any synthetic material, or even a light metal. Also, it should be understood that the playing pieces 41 may not be entirely spherical in shape but may have flattened portions or be of any other polyhedral configuration.

Accordingly, it is contended that the foregoing disclosure and drawing shall be considered only as illustrations of the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

. Game apparatus, comprising:

grid having upper and lower broad surfaces and relatively narrow sides defining a parallelpiped, said grid including a first and a second set of parallel hollow slotted cylinders therein, each of said cylinders communicating with said upper surface, and each of said cylinders of said first set intersecting each of said cylinders of said second set to define a number of intersections; and

number of symbol-bearing game pieces movably and rotatably captured in said cylinders, each game piece having a plurality of mathematically related symbols, there being at least one less game piece than the number of said intersections.

. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said symbols are numeral symbols.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a predetermined number of said game pieces have not more than nine numeral symbols spaced regularly about their surface, said numeral symbols being different from each other on the same game piece and all but one of said numeral symbols on each of said predetermined number of said game pieces adding ultimately to a digital sum equal to the value of said one of said numeral symbols.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said game pieces and said symbols carried thereby are color coded.

Claims

1. Game apparatus, comprising: a grid having upper and lower broad surfaces and relatively narrow sides defining a parallelpiped, said grid including a first and a second set of parallel hollow slotted cylinders therein, each of said cylinders communicating with said upper surface, and each of said cylinders of said first set intersecting each of said cylinders of said second set to define a number of intersections; and a number of symbol-bearing game pieces movably and rotatably captured in said cylinders, each game piece having a plurality of mathematically related symbols, there being at least one less game piece than the number of said intersections.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said symbols are numeral symbols.