US3892410A - Dice game - Google Patents

Abstract

An icosahedron die having two sets of numbers from 0-9 thereon usable in a tetrahedron arrangement of spheres. The spheres and other shakers being provided with platforms therein, the platforms having an opening with a slidable closure to permit the dice to be transferred between two chambers formed by the platform.

Description

United States Patent Hoetzel July 1, 1975 DICE GAME 2,452,730 lI/l948 Carter 273/145 c a 1 273 144 R [76] Inventor: John H. Hoetzel, 650 Americana 3095655 7/1963 erg und e! a I Ux Dr., Apt. 108, Annapolis, Md. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 21403 $05,689 5/1939 United Kingdom 273/145 United B App]. 1510.; 473,213

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 344,877, March 26, I973, abandoned.

US. Cl 273/145 C Int. Cl. A63F 9/04 Field of Search 273/145 C, 145 R, 145 A, 273/145 B, 145 D, I44 R, I44 A, 144 B,

146, l38 R, 147, 58 F, 120 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1938 Tapio 273/144 A Primary Examiner-Richard J. Apley Assistant ExaminerArnold W. Kramer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Arthur Schwartz [57] ABSTRACT An icosahedron die having two sets of numbers from 0-9 thereon usable in a tetrahedron arrangement of spheres. The spheres and other shakers being provided with platforms therein, the platforms having an opening with a slidable closure to permit the dice to be transferred between two chambers formed by the plat form.

3 Claims, 18 Drawing Figures SHEET FIG. I6

FIG. I4

DICE GAME This is a division of application Ser. No. 344,877, filed Mar. 26, 1973, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to games of dice wherein a plurality of dice are shaken or rolled in a container.

Die Structure Dice have been made in any number of configurations as evidenced by Sieve US. Pat. No. 3,208,754. This patent illustrates five different shapes of dice having from four sides to twenty sides; whereas, Cowles US. Pat. No. 1,054,341 illustrates a die having twenty six sides.

One of the objects of the instant invention is to provide a die and games associated therewith wherein the die is in the form of an icosahedron having twenty sides with two sets of numbers from 1 to 10. In the field of education and child development the numbering system he must learn to live with is one revolving around the base 10, i.e., 1-10 or -9. Virtually all commonly used mathematics is developed around this base. By having a series of dice which are numbered from zero through nine. the child can form any number, depending upon the number of dice used. For example, if three dice are used, he can develop any number from 000 to 999. In this way not only can he learn the common numbering system but he can also learn addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, as well as concepts such as less than and greater than. This has not been possible with prior art dice.

Tetrahedron Structure Another aspect of the invention is the incorporation of a twenty-sided die or a group of twenty-sided dice in containers. Therefore another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of spheres having platforms wherein the four spheres connected together can be thrown and a pair of dice with an appropriately labeled platform will appear.

While patents such as Wharton US. Pat. No. 1,030,554 and Sutherland US. Pat. No. 2,879,066 illustrate games which have numbered caps or balls on the ends and patents such as Madan US. Pat. No. 1,593,907 and Brown US. Pat. No. 2,528,029 illustrate bodies or cubes having dice therein, nothing in the prior art has provided a series of spheres connected in a tetrahedron manner having platforms and the dice therein in the manner illustarted and discussed below.

Shaker Structure Another aspect of the invention is a dice cup with upper and lower chambers having a platform therebetween which will facilitate the movement of the dice between the two containers wherein a game of chance can be played.

A common thread which runs through the variously discussed inventions is the utilization of a removable platform between a pair of chambers having twentysided dice therein, the dice having two sets of numbers from zero to ten.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an icosahedron die;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the die of FIG. 1 in a flattened state;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tetrahedron formed of four spheres having dice therein;

FIG. 4 is a section view of one of the spheres illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a platform seen in the spheres of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a modified sphere of the type used in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a section view of the sphere in FIG. 6',

FIG. 8 is a tetrahedron bolt used in joining the spheres of FIGS. 6 and 7 to form a tetrahedron of the type illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a platform used in the spheres of FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 10 is a slide closure for the platform of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an end view of the slide closure of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side view of a dice cup according to the invention;

FIG. 13 is a section view of the dice cup illustrated in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a view of the platform illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13;

FIG. 15 is a closure utilized with the platform illustrated in FIG. 14 and as seen assembled in FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation view of the closure of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of a modified shaker; and

FIG. 18 is a section view of the shaker of FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Set out below is a detailed description of the invention.

DIE SEEN IN FIGS. 1 AND 2 Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 a twenty-sided die 1 is seen having two sets of numbers from 1-10, one set 3 having circles around the respective numbers and a second set 5 having triangles therearound to distinguish the two sets. When the child throws the die one of the numbers with either a circle or a triangle therearound will appear in the uppermost position. If the child throws two dice he will have a two-digit number. If he throws three dice, he will have a three-digit number, etc.

In a game a fourth die may be provided having a multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction indication thereon. The child would first throw a first icosahed ron die, then an instruction die telling him what to do (for example, multiply); and finally throw another icosahedron die which he would then multiply times the first die.

Alternatively, he could throw three icosahedron dice, put them together in a row and come up with a threedigit number.

It will be appreciated that the process of learning mathematics could be made into a game.

Four-sphered Tetrahedron Game Illustrated in FIGS. 3-11 A series of four spheres 10 are connected together to form a tetrahedron as seen in FIG. 3. Each sphere II] has a platform 12 therein with a mathematical indication I4 in the form of a minus sign. plus sign, division sign and multiplication sign. A pair of icosahedron dice I6 are seen in each of the spheres. The platform I2 is secured to the sides of the sphere by glue or by positioning in a slot as seen at I8 in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the platforms 12 can be formed in such a way to be free-floating in the sphere. When the tetrahedron is thrown, the uppermost sphere will land in such a manner that the platform 12 (which may be appropriately weighted) will rest in a position horizontal to the ground. The platform 12 can also be formed with a lower portion shaped to conform with space 20, thus assuring that the platform will rest in the proper location.

As seen in FIG. 3 the "minus" sign has landed in the up" position. Therefore, the child will be instructed to subtract the number zero to nine on one of the dice from a number from zero to nine on the other of the dice.

An alternative modification seen in FIGS. 6-11 illus trates a sphere 22 having a stationary platform 24, the platform having slot 26 therein. Positioned in the cen ter of the slot 26 is an opening 28. The sphere 22 also has an opening in the side 30 whereby a slide closure 32 having a depending portion 34 thereon and a minus" sign 14 can be slid through the opening 30 into the slot 26 and covering the opening 28. In the bottom of the sphere 22 is a threaded opening 36. By means of slide 32, opening 28 and threaded opening 36 the child or teacher can change the instructional sign 14 and/or the dice in the sphere.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 a tetrahedron bolt 40 is seen having a four-sided central section 42 and four threaded screw members 44 thereon. The fourthreaded screw members 44 are designed to be threaded into openings 36 to connect four spheres in an easily detachable manner.

Shaker Illustrated in FIGS. [2-18 Referring now to FIG. 12 a spherical shaker is seen with a platform 52 separating the sphere into an upper chamber 54 and a lower chamber 56. At the base of the lower chamber is an opening 58 having an annular lip 60 thereon. A base cap 62 having an inwardly directed annular lip 64 is snap-fitted onto lip 60 closing the opening 58. The sphere 50 has a side opening 66 to accommodate a handle portion 68 of a slide 70. The slide 70 is positioned in a groove 72 in platform partition 52. Also located within the slide groove 72 is an opening 74. The slide closure 70 has a mathematical or other instruction sign 76 thereon. It will be appreciated that the marking 76 is not necessary and is selectively changeable.

Another modification seen in FIGS. 17 and 18 has correspondingly numbered elements but of a shape having an upper chamber 54' in a frustroconical configuration.

In a game of chance, five dice can be positioned in the upper compartment 54 and shaken, the game being to obtain as many dice with the same number thereon. Normally, five conventional dice numbered 1" to 6" are used. After the dice are shaken, those dice with the same number thereon are noted and removed to the lower chamber by sliding the closure away from opening 74 and allowing the dice to fall therethrough. The dice in the upper chamber are reshaken and any additional numbers identical to those thrown the first time are noted and the total number recorded.

An example of the above would be shaking all five dice in the upper chamber one time. It will be noted that the number 6 appears on two dice. These two dice are removed to the lower chamber through opening 74. The remaining three dice are shaken again and the number of 6s are again noted. In the example used, it may be assumed that one additional 6 appears. Therefore, this player will have three 6s to his credit.

The next person then takes his turn with all five dice in the upper chamber. It may be assumed that when he shakes the first time he will get three 5s. The three Ss are then removed to the lower chamber and the player shakes the remaining two dice. Now it may be assumed that he obtains one additional 5 on his second shake. He will therefore have four Ss, as opposed to the original players three 6s. He will therefore win the game.

An advantage of the instant device is that it permits the players to shake the dice without any influence created by their hands on the dice or on the opening of a container normally used to throw the dice onto the table.

While several embodiments of the invention has been described, it will be understood that it is capable of many further modifications and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptions of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within knowledge or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to essential features hereinbefore set forth and fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A dice agitator comprising a transparent closed hollow container having a base supporting said eontainer in an upright position; a plate-like platform parallel to said base extending between the inner side walls of said container dividing said container into an upper and lower chamber, said platform having an opening therethrough interconnecting said chambers; a recipro cal sliding closure extending through an opening in the side of said container, said closure being in sliding engagement with said platform to form a substantially planar top surface with said platform to close said platform opening when in one reciprocated position and establishing communication through said platform opening between said chambers in a second reciprocated position thereof; and a plurality of dice in said container, each being of a smaller dimension than said platform opening, whereby the dice in the upper compartment may be shaken and read with the reciprocated closure being utilized to provide the desired number of dice in said upper compartment.

2. An agitator as defined in claim 1 wherein the sliding engagement between said closure and said platform comprises a tongue and groove arrangement.

3. An agitator as defined in claim 1 including indicia on said closure.

Claims (3)

1. A dice agitator comprising a transparent closed hollow containeR having a base supporting said container in an upright position; a plate-like platform parallel to said base extending between the inner side walls of said container dividing said container into an upper and lower chamber, said platform having an opening therethrough interconnecting said chambers; a reciprocal sliding closure extending through an opening in the side of said container, said closure being in sliding engagement with said platform to form a substantially planar top surface with said platform to close said platform opening when in one reciprocated position and establishing communication through said platform opening between said chambers in a second reciprocated position thereof; and a plurality of dice in said container, each being of a smaller dimension than said platform opening, whereby the dice in the upper compartment may be shaken and read with the reciprocated closure being utilized to provide the desired number of dice in said upper compartment.

2. An agitator as defined in claim 1 wherein the sliding engagement between said closure and said platform comprises a tongue and groove arrangement.

3. An agitator as defined in claim 1 including indicia on said closure.

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