US3796432A - Astrological and zodiac apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a game board for playing an educational and entertaining game of astrology and the zodiac. Plural side edges of the surface of the game board are each allocated to one of the elements: fire, air, earth, water. A circular segment formed in a center portion of the game board has plural zodiac segments formed thereon, each segment corresponding to one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Planet house segments are formed on the gameboard aligned with the zodiac segments in accordance with the astrological relation between the zodiac signs and the planet houses. A spinner is mounted with the game board for rotational movement with respect to the game board to randomly indicate different ones of said plural zodiac elements and control movement of playing pieces allocated to each player of the game.

Description

14 1 Mar. 12, 1974 1 ASTROLOGICAL AND ZODIAC APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Ronald J. Beakley, 2408 Elmen,

Houston, Tex. 77019 22] Filed: May 22,1972

[21] Appl. No.:255,347

[52] U.S. Cl. 273/134 C, 273/134 E, 273/137 R, I 273/141 R [51] Int. Cl. .1.; A63f 9/00 [58] Field of Search 273/135 R, 135 E, 134 ES, 273/134 E, 134 DB, 134 D, 134 CB, 134 C,

134 B, 134 AD, 134 A, 141 R, 137 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,614 l/l917 Dorer 273/134 E 2,976,044 3/1961 Gorpening 273/134 C 1,125,867 l/19l5 MOhr 1. 273/134 E 3,652,092 3/1972 Boyer 273/134 E FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS I 941,380 ll/1963 Great Britain 273/135 R OTHER PUBLICATIONS Playthings Volume 62, No. 3, March, 1964, p. 95.

Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Pravel, Wilson & Matthews [57] ABSTRACT The present invention provides a. game board for playing an educational and entertaining game of astrology and the zodiac. Plural side edges of the surface of the game board are each allocated to one of the elements: fire, air, earth, water. A circular segment formed in a center portion of the game board has plural zodiac segments formed thereon, each segment corresponding to one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Planet house segments are formed on the gameboard aligned with the zodiac segments in accordance with the astrological relation between the zodiac signs and the planet houses. A spinner is mounted with the game board for rotational movement with respect to the game board to randomly indicate different ones of said plural zodiac elements and control movement of playing pieces allocated to each player of the game.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures V- usual" AIR V PATENIEUMR 12 mm 33969132 SHEI 2 BF 2 ASTROLOGICAL AND ZODIAC APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for playing educational and entertaining games.

2. Description of Prior Art So far as is presently known, there is no prior art relevant to the present invention.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Briefly, the present invention provides a game board apparatus for playing an educational and entertaining game concerning astrology and the zodiac. Plural side edges of the surface of the game board are each allocated to one of the astrological elements: fire, air, earth, and water. A circular segment formed in a center portion of the game board has plural zodiac segments formed thereon, each segment corresponding to one of,

new and improved apparatus for an educational and entertaining game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an isometric view of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a disk piece used with the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view ofa sun chip piece used with the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an ESP card used with the apparatus of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a playing piece used with the apparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, the letter A designates generally the apparatus of the present invention for playing an educational and entertaining game concerning astrology and the zodiac. The game may be played to learn the signs of the zodiac and their relation to the planets, or the game may be played for amusement purposes, if desired.

The apparatus A includes a game board B (FIGS. 1 and 2).

The game board B is generally rectangular in shape and hasa plurality of side edges 10. Each of the side edges 10 is allocated to one of the four astrological elements: Fire, Air, Earth and Water. Suitable indicia 11 are formed on the side edge 10 to indicate the side edge allocated to the astrological element Earth. Suitable indicia 12 are formed on the side edge 10 to indicate that such side edge is allocated to the astrological element Fire. Similarly, suitable indicia 13 and 14 are applied to the remaining side edges 10 toindicate the astrological elements Waterand Air, respectively.

card playing spaces during play of the game,

Each player or team has an individual astrological element indicating his particular team or side. As indicated at 16, the astrological element Earth has the suit Spades from a deck of playing cards assigned thereto. Similarly, the elements Fire, Water, and Air are assigned to the suits Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts, as indicated at 17, 18, and 19 (FIG. 2)., respectively, for reasons to be more evident hereinbelow.

A circular segment 21 is formed in a center portion of the game board B. The circular portion 21 is formed between two concentric rings 22 and 23. A plurality of zodiac segments 25 are formed on the bame board B in the circular segment 21. Each of the zodiac segments 25 is allocated to one of the twelve signs of the zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capicorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

The zodiac segments 25 further bear suitable artistic representations of the zodiac signs associated therewith, as is evident from the drawings, together with a printed indication 26 of the sign, as well as the clanedar dates coming within the particular zodiac sign.

A plurality of planet house segments 28, like in number to the number of zodiac segments 25, are formed on the game board B extending outwardly from the 20- diac segments 25. The planet house segments are numbered and so designated in increasing order from one to twelve, as is evident from the drawings.

. The planet house segments 28 are aligned with the zodiac segments 25 in accordance with the astrological relation between the zodiac signs'and the 12 planet houses. The planet house segments further serve as as will be more evident hereinbelow.

Each player or team in the game is assigned orallocated an individual playing piece P (FIG. 6) for movement about the game board B during play of the game. The playing pieces P for each team may be suitably distinguished by color. For example, the playing pieces P for the four teams represented by the four astrological elements of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air are colored in accordance with such four elements: green for Earth, red for Fire, blue for Water, and white for Air. Other suitable distinguishing colors or techniques may be used, if desired. The zodiac segments 25 and planet house segments 28 may also be colored in accordance with their governing astrological element, if desired.

A spindle or shaft 30 is mounted with the game board B at the center of the inner concentric circle 22 (FIG. 2). A spinner or indicator finger 32 is mounted with the shaft 30 along a lower portion 30b thereof (FIG. 1). The spinner 32 is freely rotatably movablewith respect to the lower portion 30b of the shaft 30, and may be spun by hand to randomly indicate and point to different ones of the zodiac segments 25after stopping.

A hollow sphere or globe 34, having an opening formed therein adjacent a surface 35 is mounted at an upper end of the shaft 30. The globe 34 is used as a storage receptacle for a plurality of memory or ESP cards 38. The memory cards 38 each bear a zodiac sign, as indicated by the sign Pisces 40 (FIG. 5) and a number as indicated at 42 indicating the number of the planet house assigned to the particular zodiac sign. A printed identification of the particular zodiac sign on the memory card 38 is provided, as indicated at 44 (FIG. 5). i

The relation between the ESP or memory cards and their numbers is as follows:

CHART 1 NUMBER Each of the 12 zodiac signs has a plurality of sun chips or control chips therewith. The sun chips control the play of the game, as will be more evident hereinbelow. An example sun chip 45 is shown in the accompanying drawings. The sun chip 45 is for the zodiac sign Pisces as indicated by the zodiac sign 47 within a circle 46 thereon. A control indicator 48 is formed on the sun chip 45 to control the play of the game, as will be more evident hereinbelow. The control indicator 48 is H for House. Other control indicators are C for Celestial and U for Universal.

An indicator 49 bears the capitalized initial letter of the particular zodiac sign for the sun ship 45, in this case P for Pisces.

Each of the twelve zodiac signs preferably has three sun chips, a House sun chip, a Celestial sun chip, and a Universal sun chip.

Each of the twelve zodiac signs further has a planet disk 50. An example planet disk 50 for the zodiac sign Libra is shown in the accompanying drawings (FIG. 3).

The planet disks 50 bear suitable means 51 therewith indicating the zodiac sign and a further suitable indicator 52 to designate the particular planet associated with the zodiac sign.

A suitably descriptive symbol or designator 53 indicating the zodiac sign 51 for the planet disk 50 is also mounted thereon. As is known, the sun and the moon are regarded as planets for astrology purposes, although they are not planets. Further, as is known in astrology, each of the zodiac signs further is associated with one of the four astrological elements. The following chart sets forth the planet and astrological element associated with each of'the twelve zodiac signs:

CHART 2 ZODIAC SIGN PLANET ELEMENT Aries Mars Fire Taurus Venus Earth Gemini Mercury Air Cancer Moon Water Leo Sun Fire Virgo Mercury Earth Libra Venus Air Scorpio Mars Water Sagittarius Jupiter Fire Capricorn Saturn Earth Aquarius Uranus Air Pisces Neptune Water Additional apparatus for playing the game of the present invention includes at least one deck of playing cards and a sufficient number of game tokens, which may be poker chips for example, for play of the game.

PLAYING THE GAME In order to select the starting player or team, each player or team draws a sun chip. The player drawing the sun chip having a zodiac sign representing the highest order planet house will be the first to play. In the event that two or more players draw a sun chip for the same order planet house, the first to play will be determined in accordance with the control indicator thereon, U for Universal indicating the highest order, followed by C for Celestial, and then H for House. The game board is then turned to be aligned with the player who is first to play in accordance with the particular sun chip 45 drawn. The side edge 10 indicating the astrological element governing the zodiac sign on the sun chip 45 drawnis turned to the player who is first to play. The player having the next higher order sun chip is assigned the side edge 10 of the game board B to the left of the first player, and the remaining players are positioned at the other side edges 10 of the game board B in decreasing precedence of the sun chips 45 drawn.

The players then use the playing piece P corresponding to the astrological element indicated by the game board B to designate their player or team.

Each player then is assigned three planet disks 50. The three planet disks 50 assigned to the player are the planets and zodiac signs governed by the particular astrological element indicated at the side edge 10 of the game board B for the player. The planet disks 50 are placed according to the astrological element along the side edge 10 of the game board B in order by houses. On the Fire side edge 10 of the game board B, the planet disks Mars for Aries, the first house; Sun for Leo, the fifth House; and Jupiter for Sagittarius, the ninth house are placed from left to right along the side edge 10 of the game board B.

In a like manner, the planet disks for Venus for Taurus, the second house; Mercury for Virgo, the sixth house; and Saturn for Capricorn, the tenth house are placed along the side edge 10 of the board B for the element Earth.

Similarly, the planet disks for Mercury for Gemini, the third house; Venus for Libra, the seventh house; and Uranus for Aquarius, the eleventh house are placed from left to right along the side edge 10 of the game board B for the element Air. Also, the planet disk for Moon for Cancer, the fourth house; Mars for Scorpio, the eighth house; and Neptune for Pisces, the twelfth house are placed from left to right along the side edge 10 of the game board B allocated to the ele-- ment Water.

Each player is then given a predetermined number of playing tokens or poker chips at the beginning of the game.

The deck of playing cards is then shuffled and the cards are dealt so that each player has an equal number of cards to play. The player who is first to play then draws a sun chip 45. The symbol 47 on the playing chip 45 indicating the zodiac sign controls placement of the playing piece P of the players. The player drawing moves his playing piece P to the zodiac segment 25 designated by the sumbol 47 on the sun chip 45.

The symbol 48 on the sun chip 45 further indicates where the player drawing and the other players must place their playing tokens or poker chips.

When the indicator 48 indicates H for House, each player places a predetermined number of playing chips or tokens on each of the three zodiac segments 25 governed by the same astrological element as the zodiac sign indicated at 47 on the sun chip 45. When the letter ing the zodiac sign 47 on the sun chip 45.

When the letter U for Universal is indicated by the control indicator 48 on the sun chip 45, each player places a predetermined number of playing tokens or poker chips on both the zodiac segments and the planet disks 50 associated with the astrological element governing the zodiac sign 47 on the sun chip 45.

When the players have placed their game tokens in the proper places, the player who is first to play spins the spinner 32. The spinner 32 will then spinwith respect to the lower portion b of the shaft 30 until it stops and points to a particular zodiac segment 25. If the zodiac segment 25 so indicated corresponds to the zodiac sign indicated at 47 on the sun chip 45 drawn by the player, the player may collect chips or playing tokens.

When the control indicator 48 on the sun chip 45 drawn before spinning is H for House," the player collects player tokens or chips on the zodiac segments 25 for the three zodiac signs assigned to the astrological element governing the zodiac sign 47 indicated on the sun chip 45. When the control indicator 48 on the sun chip 45 is C for Celestial, the player collects playing tokens from the planet disk 50 assigned to the astrological element governing the zodiac sign indicated at 47 on this suri chip 45. When the control indicator 48 is U for Universal, the player collects playing tokens or chips on both the zodiac segments 25 and the planet disks 50 assigned to the astrological element governing the zodiac sign indicated at 47 on the sun chip 45.

When the spinner 32 points to a zodiac segment 25 different from the zodiac sign indicated at 47 on the sun chip 45, but governed by the same astrological element, the player who spun collects the chips or tokens on the zodiac segment 25 so indicated.

When the spinner 32 stops in a position pointing to a zodiac segment 25 other than the zodiac sign indicated at 47 on the sun chip 45 drawn, and governed by a different astrological element than the zodiac sign so indicated, no collection of tokens is permitted.

Since the planets Mars, Mercury, and Venus are duplicated, and belong or are assigned to more than one astrological element, when the control indicator 48 on t the sun chip 45 drawn indicates C for Celestial,. and

the spinner 32 stops at a zodiac sign 25 indicating collection'by the player who spun, such player may collect tokens from planet chips 50 for both zodiac signs. Should the player fail to do so, the chips remain uncollected and may be collected at a later time by another player.

After the chips have been collected, the player who spun may play the cards in the hand dealt to him. The zodiac sign 25 indicated by the spinner 32 belongs to a particular astrological element, as has been set forth hereinabove. As has also been set forth, each astrological element has a particular suit in the deck of playing cards associated therewith. The player who spun may then attempt to play cards from the suit assigned to the astrological element governing the zodiac sign indicated by the spinner 32. in order -to play, the player must begin play with either a Deuce or 2 in the suit so indicated, or an Ace in such suit. The player may play as many cards in sequence in that particular suit as he has in his hand.

When the player who spun does not have the Ace or two in the suit indicated by the spinner 32, the player opposite him at the game board B has the option to begin play if he holds either of the two leading cards. The player opposite the player who spun may then play as many cards of that suit as he has in sequence.

After.the cards are played, the: player to the left of the player who spun to begin play then draws a sun chip 45 and continues play in the manner set forth hereinabove. The placement of game tokens, spinning of the spinner 32 and collection of tokens and playing of the playing cards based on the control imposed by the sun chip 45 and the spinner 32 proceeds. Play of the playing cards proceeds sequentially in order by suits based on the cards already played. Play continues until one of the players has played all of the playing cards dealt to him at the start of the game. At this time, the playing tokens accumulated by each player during the game are counted, and the player with the highest number is the winner.

When the sun chip 45 indicates a planet which is already occupied by a previous player during play, the memory cards or ESP cards are drawn into use. The player previously occupying the planet disk 50 is blindfolded by suitable means, and the player who drew sun chip 45 indicating the same planet draws a memory card 38 from the receptacle 34 mounted with the game board B.

The blindfolded player than attempts to state the'correct zodiac sign and number, as well as the astrological element associated with such zodiac sign. If this is done, the game is associated withsuch sign. If this is done, the game is ended, and the playing tokens are then counted. If only one or two parts of the card 38 are properly named, the blindfolded player and the player drawing the card 38 divide equally the playing tokens on the Zodiac signs 25 aligned with the planet house segment 28 indicated by the indicator 42 on the card 38.

The foregoing disclosure and, description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape, and materials as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for, playing an educational and entertaining I game concerning astrology and the zodiac, comprising:

a. a game board having a surface with side edges, each of said side edges being allocated to one of the plurality of astrological elements; i

b. said game board having a circular segment formed in a center portion thereof;

c. said circular segment having plural zodiac segments formed thereon, each of said zodiac segments being allocated to one of the plurality of signs of the zodiac;

d. said game board further having a plural planet house segments formed thereon, said planet house segments extending radially outwardly from said circular segment;

c. said planet house segments being aligned with said zodiac segments in accordance with the astrological relation between the zodiac signs and the planet houses;

f. playing piece means for each player of the game;

g. spinner means for rotatably moving with respect to said game board to randomly indicate different ones of said plural zodiac segments to control play of the game;

h. means for mounting said spinner means on said game board;

i. disk piece means for each of the zodiac signs, said disk piece means indicating the relation between the zodiac signs and their respective planets;

j. sun chip means for each of the zodiac signs, each of said sun chip means having means therewith indicating one of the zodiac signs;

k. a plurality of game token means for each player of the game; and

1. said sun chip means further having means therewith for designating placement by each player of game token means or predetermined ones of said planet house segments.

2. The structure of claim 1, further including:

ESP card means for each of the zodiac signs, each of said ESP card means having means therewith on one face thereof indicating the zodiac sign, wherein the players must guess the zodiac sign.

3. The structure of claim 2, further including:

receptacle means mounted with said spinner means for receiving and storing said ESP card means. 4. The structure of claim 1, wherein a player of the 0 game is assigned one of the astrological elements and further including:

ment.

Claims (4)

1. An apparatus for playing an educational and entertaining game concerning astrology and the zodiac, comprising: a. a game board having a surface with side edges, each of said side edges being allocated to one of the plurality of astrological elements; b. said game board having a circular segment formed in a center portion thereof; c. said circular segment having plural zodiac segments formed thereon, each of said zodiac segments being allocated to one of the plurality of signs of the zodiac; d. said game board further having a plural planet house segments formed thereon, said planet house segments extending radially outwardly from said circular segment; e. said planet house segments being aligned with said zodiac segments in accordance with the astrological relation between the zodiac signs and the planet houses; f. playing piece means for each player of the game; g. spinner means for rotatably moving with respect to said game board to randomly indicate different ones of said plural zodiac segments to control play of the game; h. means for mounting said spinner means on said game board; i. disk piece means for each of the zodiac signs, said disk piece means indicating the relation between the zodiac signs and their respective planets; j. sun chip means for each of the zodiac signs, each of said sun chip means having means therewith indicating one of the zodiac signs; k. a plurality of game token means for each player of the game; and l. said sun chip means further having means therewith for designating placement by each player of game token means or predetermined ones of said planet house segments.

2. The structure of claim 1, further including: ESP card means for each of the zodiac signs, each of said ESP card means having means therewith on one face thereof indicating the zodiac sign, wherein the players must guess the zodiac sign.

3. The structure of claim 2, further including: receptacle means mounted with said spinner means for receiving and storing said ESP card means.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein a player of the game is assigned one of the astrological elements and further including: a deck of playing cards, each of the playing suits in the playing card deck being assigned to an astrological element, wherein the cards are randomly dealt to the players in order that a player assigned to such astrological element may play cards when said spinner means indicates a zodiac segment of one of the zodiac signs of his assigned astrological element.

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