WO2003092832A1 - Board game with multi-functional pieces - Google Patents
Board game with multi-functional pieces Download PDFInfo
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- WO2003092832A1 WO2003092832A1 PCT/US2002/013071 US0213071W WO03092832A1 WO 2003092832 A1 WO2003092832 A1 WO 2003092832A1 US 0213071 W US0213071 W US 0213071W WO 03092832 A1 WO03092832 A1 WO 03092832A1
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- Prior art keywords
- tile
- game
- board
- series
- tiles
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Classifications
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/00697—Playing pieces
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
- A63F9/20—Dominoes or like games; Mah-Jongg games
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/00697—Playing pieces
- A63F2003/00747—Playing pieces with particular shapes
- A63F2003/00757—Planimetric shapes, e.g. disks
- A63F2003/00772—Rectangular
- A63F2003/00779—Square
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/00697—Playing pieces
- A63F2003/00832—Playing pieces with groups of playing pieces, each group having its own characteristic
- A63F2003/00842—The characteristic being a graphical marking
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/00697—Playing pieces
- A63F2003/00867—The playing piece having two characteristics
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/04—Geographical or like games ; Educational games
- A63F3/0415—Number games
- A63F2003/0418—Number games with a grid, e.g. 'Sudoku'-type games
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F3/00—Board games; Raffle games
- A63F3/04—Geographical or like games ; Educational games
- A63F3/0415—Number games
Definitions
- the inventors of this invention are:
- This invention is in the field of table and board games, specifically a board game both entertaining and educational. In simplified forms the present invention can be used to help young children master counting skills. The fully implemented game provides an engrossing pastime of intellectual skill.
- the general idea of this invention is to provide a unique, new board game that is both entertaining and educational.
- the preferred embodiment of the present invention described in this section is comprised of a plurality of square playing tiles initially in an opaque bag, and a square board on which the pieces are placed.
- the playing board is marked in squares, each just large enough to accommodate a tile, with at least two tiles permanently fixed in place on the board.
- Each tile is simultaneously an element in four distinct arithmetic series. Each series runs from 1 to 9, then repeats starting at 1 again.
- Each tile is marked on the front surface with four indicia denoting the four elements the piece occupies in each of the four distinct series.
- Each said indicium is given a distinct color, pattern, or shape to identify the series of which it is a member.
- a player moves by placing a tile onto the board touching a tile already on the board.
- a played piece must fit in proper sequence with one of the four series of which it is a member.
- the tile pattern is such that, if a tile is properly placed in one series, it will perforce be properly placed in the other three series. With appropriately chosen indicia, these constraints give rise to 9 distinct tile front surfaces.
- the pattern imprinted on the squares on the game board is a 6-fold magnified image of these 9 tiles, and its mirror image is imprinted on the backs of the tiles.
- the pattern or color on the back of a tile must match the pattern or color on the square on the board on which it is placed. If a player finds that none of the tiles they have can be placed on the board, they must take another tile from the bag. The first person to play all of their tiles wins; in a solitaire game, the goal is to run out placing the fewest tiles.
- 6027 It is an object of the present invention to provide a board game in which all players play concurrently, and there is no need to wait for other players to take their turn before making a play. 6028. It is further an object of the present invention that the game be constructed so that players can fairly join a game in progress, or leave a game if necessary and rejoin at a later time.
- Fig. 1 shows a playing piece, or tile.
- Fig. 2 shows how the front surface of a tile can be divided into four quadrants.
- Fig. 2A shows the front surface of a tile divided into quadrants enabling horizontal and vertical series.
- Fig. 2B shows the preferred embodiment of the front surface of a tile divided into quadrants enabling diagonal series.
- Fig. 3 shows a single horizontal series.
- Fig. 4 shows a single horizontal series and its inverse series running in the opposite direction.
- Fig. 5 shows a third, vertical series and its inverse series crossing at right angles to a single horizontal series and its inverse series.
- Fig. 6 shows an indicia scheme for the tiles divided into quadrants as in Fig. 2A.
- Fig. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the game tiles using the indicia scheme illustrated in Fig. 6.
- Fig. 8 shows a single diagonal series.
- Fig. 9 shows a single diagonal series and its inverse series running in the opposite direction.
- Fig. 10 shows a third, diagonal series and its inverse series crossing at right angles to a single diagonal series and its inverse series.
- Fig. 1 1 shows how placing a single tile determines the pattern for half the game board.
- Fig. 12 shows how the other half of the game board is determined by the placement of a second tile.
- Fig. 13 shows how if the tiles from Fig. 12 are placed in the holes in Fig. 1 1, the result is a fully determined placement of tiles on the game board.
- Fig. 14 shows a method for representing numbers on tiles with indicia like those used on playing cards.
- Fig. 15 illustrates methods using children's toys and geometric shapes as indicia for representing numbers on tiles.
- Fig. 15A illustrates these indicia for a tile with its quadrants divided as in Fig. 2A;
- Fig. 15B illustrates these indicia for a tile with its quadrants divided as in Fig. 2B.
- Fig. 16 shows a method for using a counter-clockwise spiral of squares, originating in the center of the tile, as indicia for representing numbers on tiles.
- Fig. 17 shows the preferred embodiment: a method for using a clockwise spiral of squares, originating at the outer comer of the tile, as indicia for representing numbers on tiles. 7038.
- Fig. 18 shows the minimal spanning set of nine distinct tiles needed to complete all the series and fill the game board in the preferred embodiment.
- Fig. 19 shows a simple 18 by 18 square game board without any surface markings beyond the squares where tiles are placed.
- Fig. 20 shows the game board in the preferred embodiment with its squares marked like the nine tiles of the spanning set, but 6 times larger than on the nine spanning tiles, such that each square on the resulting marked game board will accommodate one tile.
- Fig. 21 shows how the game board can be split in half to facilitate manufacturing, packaging and shipping, as well as stacking, moving, and storing the board when it is partially full of tiles.
- Fig. 22 shows the preferred embodiment of four Anchor Tiles and their placement on the board.
- Fig. 23 A shows the upper left quadrant of the fully played game board of the preferred embodiment with all tiles placed. Such a designation is merely nominal, however, since the game board has no preferred top or bottom edge or orientation.
- Fig. 23 B shows the lower left quadrant of the fully played game board of the preferred embodiment with all tiles placed.
- Fig. 23C shows the upper right quadrant of the fully played game board of the preferred embodiment with all tiles placed.
- Fig. 23D shows the lower right quadrant of the fully played game board of the preferred embodiment with all tiles placed.
- Fig. 24 shows the mirror image of the game board in the preferred embodiment. This image is imprinted on the backs of the tiles illustrated in Figs. 23A-23D.
- This invention provides a unique, new board game that is both entertaining and educational.
- the game is comprised of playing pieces in an opaque bag, and a board on which the pieces are placed.
- Each tile is simultaneously an element in four distinct arithmetic series. Each series runs from 1 to 9, then repeats starting at 1 again.
- Each tile is marked on the front surface with four indicia denoting the four elements the piece occupies in each of the four distinct series.
- Each said indicia is given a distinct color or pattern to identify the series of which it is a member.
- a player moves by placing a tile onto the board touching at least one co er or side of some tile already on the board.
- a played piece must fit in proper sequence with one of the four series of which it is a member.
- the design of the pattern is such that, if a tile is properly placed in one series, it will perforce be properly placed in the other three series. With properly chosen indicia as in the preferred embodiment, these constraints give rise to 9 distinct tiles.
- the pattern imprinted on the board is a macroscopic image of these 9 tiles, and its mirror image is imprinted on the back of the 320 tiles.
- the marking on the back of a tile must match the marking on the square on the board on which it is placed.
- the marking on the back of a tile In order to be played, the marking on the back of a tile must match the marking on the square on the board on which it is placed.
- once a tile is placed on the game board it remains in place until the end of the game, unless it should be found to have been placed out of sequence, in which case it is removed from the board; refer to the exemplary embodiment of the rules hereinafter for further details in this event. If a player finds that none of the tiles they have taken from the bag can be placed on the board, they must take another piece from the bag. The first person to play all of their tiles wins.
- Fig. 1 shows a representative playing piece 100 with front surface 101, back surface 102, and sides 103, 104, 105, and 106.
- the playing piece is a square tile.
- the tile 100 is 2 cm square and 4 mm thick.
- FIG. 2 shows two methods for dividing the front surface 101 of the tile 100 into four quadrants.
- the tile is divided into these four quadrants: 201 marked with lateral lines, 202 marked with boxes, 203 marked with vertical lines, and 204 marked with dots.
- These markings in the preferred embodiment are replaced by the colors red, yellow, green, and blue respectively, but other colorings or markings could be adopted by any skilled in the art.
- Each quadrant 201, 202, 203, and 204 is an element in each of the four distinct series of which the tile is a simultaneous member. The marking of the quadrant denotes the series of which it is a member.
- Fig. 2 shows two methods for dividing the front surface 101 of the tile 100 into four quadrants.
- the tile is divided into these four quadrants: 201 marked with lateral lines, 202 marked with boxes, 203 marked with vertical lines, and 204 marked with dots.
- These markings in the preferred embodiment are replaced by the colors red, yellow, green, and blue respectively, but other
- the series radiate horizontally and vertically in a pattern of tiles that form a cross as shown in Figs. 3-7 hereinafter.
- the tile is divided into quadrants in a different fashion.
- Each quadrant 21 1, 212, 213, and 214 is marked as in Fig. 2A with a pattern denoting the series of which that quadrant is an element.
- the series radiate diagonally from the tile as shown in Figs. 8-24 hereinafter.
- the quadrants would be separate from each other and assembled into pieces during game play.
- Fig. 4 illustrates how a second series runs in the opposite direction from the first series that was shown in Fig. 3. This second series can be thought to start on tile 401 where element "1" is imprinted on the quadrant marked by boxes. The next tile 402 in this second series is marked with element "2" in the quadrant marked with boxes. The sum of the elements modulus 9 in these opposing series is 0 on every tile.
- the modulus operator of the arithmetic expression "x modulus y" is the remainder of the number x divided by the number y.
- tile 404 illustrates how the element "9" on the quadrant marked with boxes precedes the "1" on the similarly marked quadrant on tile 401 , while element "8" marked on tile 405 precedes the "9” of the similarly marked quadrant of tile 404, further illustrating how both series extend potentially infinitely in both directions.
- Fig. 5 illustrates how a single tile is a participant in four separate series.
- the first two series are those from Fig. 4 as indicated by tile 403.
- Tile 501 is shown to participate not only in those first two series from Fig. 4, but also in two new series crossing at right angles to those first two series.
- Tile 501 has all four quadrants marked to identify the four series of which it is a member.
- the dots and boxes mark two quadrants as in Fig. 4 tile 406.
- the quadrant marked with vertical lines and the quadrant marked with lateral lines indicate membership in the two new series that extend at right angles from the first two series.
- tile 502 containing those elements necessitated by the Direction Invariant previously described.
- tile 503 below tile 501 is also as prescribed by the Direction Invariant.
- the tiles 504 and 505 are not necessarily terminal tiles; the two new series extend potentially infinitely in both directions
- Tile 601 corresponding to tile 301 but using the new indicia scheme has only one quadrant shown with the others blanked out for clarity.
- the left quadrant in tile 601 is divided into 9 triangles arranged in three columns of 5, 3, and 1 triangle each.
- the center triangle in the leftmost column of 5 triangles is marked with the dotted pattern denoting both the series, and the element number "1" of the series.
- tile 602 corresponding to tile 302 has two small triangles marked with dots, indicating that it is the second element in the series identified by the dots.
- Tile 603 corresponding to tile 303 is likewise the third tile in that series, and so on extending to the right and to the left.
- triangles to mark is one of artistic preference, and other markings are available to those skilled in the art.
- the three triangles marked in 303 are arbitrarily selected, and any set of three triangles could have been chosen instead.
- Such alternative designs hereby incorporated herewith.
- indicia are employed that are formed from multiple elements such as the small triangles in Fig. 6, the indicia would be comprised of separate components that would be assembled to form a quadrant during game play.
- FIG. 15A illustrates different methods for numbering elements of the series.
- geometric or schematic indicia such as are used in Fig. 15A would likely be employed.
- Said geometric or schematic indicia could be arranged in a pattern such as the one illustrated in Fig. 15A, namely, the 5-3-1 pattern three columns — or rows for quadrants oriented horizontally — of indicia utilized above for the small triangles within the quadrants in Fig. 6, or in any other useful pattern, and such obvious alternatives are hereby incorporated herewith.
- quadrants 1502 and 1503 the appropriate number of schematics of children's toys, arranged in the 5-3-1 pattern of Fig. 6, are used to represent the element numbers "7" and "2", respectively of tile 501.
- the schematic of the toy used identifies the series in which the quadrant is a member.
- quadrants 1501 and 1504 geometric shapes, arranged in the 5-3-1 pattern of Fig. 6, are used to represent the element numbers "5" and "4", respectively.
- the pattern within the shape, as well as the shape itself both identify the series of which the quadrant is a member.
- the present invention is immediately accessible to blind people. From these examples it can be seen that any geometric, symbolic, or illustrative shape can be used for numbering elements and identifying series, and such representations as would be employed by someone skilled in the art are hereby incorporated herewith.
- the alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 7 results from the extension of the series depicted in Fig. 5, while using the indicia scheme illustrated in Fig. 6.
- this alternative there are eighty-one tiles that can be arranged in a 9 by 9 square as illustrated in Fig. 7; a larger number of tiles could be used.
- An appropriate nominal size for these tiles is 3 cm square and 9 mm thick.
- This alternative embodiment of the present invention lends itself to a set of rules similar to the ancient prior art game of dominos.
- This alternative embodiment can be played on any smooth surface such as a tabletop or floor, so no game board is required.
- Each player chooses a tile; the player with the largest red triangle count goes first; choosing another tile breaks ties. After these tiles are returned face down and scrambled, the player going last turns a tile over to start the game.
- Each player gets twelve tiles but may see only four, the other eight tiles remaining face down. Players keep their tiles hidden from each other. Tiles not chosen by any player are called the "rainbow gathering" and also remain face down.
- a move is made by placing a tile in series, observing the Direction Invariant, next to the side of a tile already on the board, according to the pattern laid out in Fig. 7. In particular, care must be taken to prevent placing vertices of like patterned or colored quadrants next to each other in the same row or column, so that the colors alternate.
- tile front surfaces 101 must be marked as shown in Fig. 2B.
- the series for a single quadrant of the tile is shown in Fig. 8, with the other quadrants being left blank to simplify the illustration.
- the series denoted by the lateral markings is shown as starting in 801 with the element number "1" indicating it is the "first” element in its series.
- the next tile in the series 802 contains element number "2”
- 803 contains the element "3”.
- tile 804 containing element "9” follows tile 805 containing element "1" just as in tile 801.
- Fig. 9 illustrates how a second series runs in the opposite direction from the first series that was shown in Fig. 8. This second series can be thought to start on tile 901 where element "1" is imprinted on the quadrant marked by vertical lines. The next tile 902 in this second series is marked with element "2" in the quadrant marked with vertical lines. The sum of the elements modulus 9 in these opposing series is 0. This attribute — that the opposing quadrants' sum modulus 9 equals 0 — is a property of every tile in the present invention.
- Fig. 9 illustrates that both series observe the Direction Invariant described above. Additionally tile 904 illustrates how the element "9" on the quadrant marked with vertical lines precedes the "1" on the similarly marked quadrant on tile 901, while element "8” marked on tile 905 precedes the "9” of the similarly marked quadrant of tile 904, further illustrating how both series extend potentially infinitely in both directions.
- Fig. 10 illustrates how a single tile is a participant in four separate series.
- the first two series are those from Fig. 9 as indicated by tile 903.
- Tile 1001 is shown to participate not only in those first two series from Fig. 9, but also in two new series crossing at right angles to those first two series.
- Tile 1001 has all four quadrants marked to identify the four series of which it is a member.
- the vertical and lateral lines of tile 1001 mark two quadrants as in Fig. 9 tile 906.
- the quadrant marked with boxes and the quadrant marked with dots indicate membership in the two new series that extend at right angles from the first two series.
- tile 1002 containing those elements necessitated by the Direction Invariant previously described.
- tile 1003 to the lower left of tile 1001 is also as prescribed by the Direction Invariant.
- the tiles 1004 and 1005 are not necessarily terminal tiles; the two new series extend potentially infinitely in both directions.
- Fig. 1 1 The placement of a single tile on the board such as tile 1001 determines the placement of all diagonally adjacent tiles in the plane, as illustrated in the partial plane in Fig. 1 1.
- the design of requiring each tile to participate as an element in each of four series fixes the elements and positions of all the tiles that are adjacent by corners to the tile 1001, and by induction to any of the tiles shown. Theoretically this plane extends potentially infinitely in all directions, so that tile 1005 in Fig. 1 1 is not the end of the plane but is followed at each corner by a tile as prescribed by the Direction Invariant, but which tiles cannot be shown in Fig. 1 1 only due to limitations of space. 8525. Fig.
- FIG. 12 illustrates a similar partial plane that will be found to follow the same pattern of tiles as in Fig. 1 1, except that the positions of the laterally and vertically marked quadrants have been interchanged, as have the positions of the quadrants marked with boxes and the quadrants marked with dots.
- the placement of any one of the tiles in Fig. 12 determines the placement of each of the other tiles in the infinite plane.
- the tiles of Fig. 12 are placed in the spaces between the tiles in Fig. 1 1, so that the tile 1201 is placed into the space to the right of the tile 1 101, the result is the pattern of tiles shown in Fig. 13. While any of the tiles of Fig.
- Fig. 13 The pattern shown in Fig. 13 is the preferred embodiment because it yields, with some further refinements discussed hereinafter, a board design with a macroscopic "9" tile in the center, with the surrounding eight tiles each unique. Only a few other patterns of tiles yield this result, namely, the mirror images of the pattern illustrated in Fig. 13, which are alternative layouts that could equally be chosen by someone skilled in the art, which designs are hereby incorporated herewith.
- the tiles used to create the pattern in Fig. 13 have the disadvantage that digits from “1 " to "9" are used to indicate the series elements. This creates a problem in that rotating a tile about its midpoint — where the lines separating the quadrants cross — so that it rests upside down results in the numbers being upside down, and consequently less legible than those which are left right side up.
- This rotation of tiles can be avoided by doubling the number of tiles in the Minimal Spanning Set, so that each tile has an inverse tile with the patterns or colors inverted, and the numbers right side up, but this results in twice as many tiles to manufacture.
- Fig. 14 illustrates the use of indicia similar to the markings used on playing cards.
- Tile 1401 has only one quadrant shown with the others blanked out for clarity.
- the upper left quadrant in tile 1401 is divided into 9 squares, and the center square is marked with the vertical line pattern denoting the "first" element of the series.
- tile 1402 has two small squares marked with vertical lines, indicating that it is the second element in the series identified by the vertical lines.
- Tile 1403 is likewise the third tile in that series, and so on descending to the right. Furthermore in an alternative embodiment, whenever indicia are employed that are formed from multiple elements such as the small squares in Fig. 14, the indicia would be comprised of separate components that would be assembled to form a quadrant during game play.
- Fig. 15B illustrates tile 1202 using different methods for numbering elements of the series.
- quadrants 1512 and 1513 the appropriate number of schematics of children's toys, arranged in the playing card pattern of Fig. 14, are used to represent the element numbers "7" and "2", respectively of tile 1202.
- the schematic of the toy used identifies the series in which the quadrant is a member.
- quadrants 151 1 and 1514 geometric shapes, arranged in the playing card pattern illustrated in Fig. 14, are used to represent the element numbers "5" and "4", respectively. In these two quadrants the pattern within the shape, as well as the shape itself, both identify the series of which the quadrant is a member.
- Fig. 16 introduces a new method of identifying elements of a series. Only one quadrant of each tile is illustrated in Fig. 16, the other three being blanked out for clarity. In tile 1601 the quadrant is divided into nine small squares as in Fig. 14. However instead of the "playing card" representation of the numbers shows in Fig. 14, tile 1601 shows the innermost small square to be marked with vertical lines. Tile 1602 has the innermost small square and the one above it filled with vertical lines to indicate it is the second element of the series denoted by vertical lines. Tile 1603 is the third such tile, and so on descending to the right in a counterclockwise spiral. The remaining tiles in Fig.
- FIG. 16 illustrate a counterclockwise spiral of element number indicia, with the central small square being the last to be filled as shown by the transition from tile 1604 to 1605.
- the improvement of Fig. 16's spiral element indicia design over Fig. 14's playing card design is that, although the playing card design has the same appearance right side up and inverted, a 180 degree rotation, there is still a difference between right side up and looking at the design from the side, a 90 degree rotation, whereas this spiral design has indicia naturally occurring vertically and horizontally, and no advantage accrues to any player based on viewing position about the board.
- Fig. 17 illustrates the preferred embodiment for representing series element numbers. Only one quadrant of each tile is illustrated in Fig. 17, the other three being blanked out for clarity. In tile 1701 the illustrated quadrant is divided into nine small squares as in Figs. 14 and 16. Tile 1701 shows the outermost small square to be marked with vertical lines. Tile 1702 has the outermost small square and the next one clockwise — to its right — filled with vertical lines to indicate it is the second element of the series denoted by vertical lines. Tile 1703 is the third such tile, and so on descending to the right in a clockwise spiral. The remaining tiles in Fig.
- FIG. 17 illustrate a clockwise spiral of element number indicia, with the center small square being the last to be filled, as shown by the transition from tile 1704 to the tile 1705.
- the Fig. 17's element clockwise spiral indicia scheme shares all the advantages of that of Fig. 16, while being aesthetically superior because the outer comer of every quadrant is always marked, visually balancing the tile front surface.
- Fig. 17 permits tiles to be rotated with greatity 90 degrees or 180 degrees about their central axis where the lines separating the quadrants cross, which enables tiles to be reused elsewhere in the pattern by rotating them. This results in the minimum number of tile front surface designs required to construct the specified pattern of the present invention, wherein each tile participates as an element in each of four distinct series.
- Fig. 18 illustrates the nine tiles of the Minimal Spanning Set that are needed to create the preferred embodiment of the present invention, using the element indicia scheme defined in Fig. 17; being the Minimal Spanning Set means that only these nine tile designs are needed, and all of these nine tile designs are needed.
- Tile 1801 is in fact the preferred embodiment of tile 1202, which was illustrated in alternative formats in Fig. 12 and in Fig. 15B. Any mirror image of Fig. 18 would serve equally well and might be chosen by any skilled in the art, and is hereby incorporated herewith.
- the game board on which the tiles are placed can be of any shape that can accommodate the playing pieces.
- the game board is itself square, and is further subdivided into an 18 x 18 matrix of squares, each said small square of such size as to accommodate a single square playing tile 100. Given the nominal 2 cm square size of the tile 100, the game board is therefore 36 cm square.
- Fig. 19 shows a basic game board divided into said 324 squares.
- the 18 x 18 matrix of 324 squares is the preferred embodiment because as will become evident hereinafter, once the game board is fully played out and all the tiles are placed on the board, each row and each column of tiles on the game board is different from the others, but the 19 th row would be identical to the first row, and the 19 th column would be identical to the first column.
- Fig. 20 shows a further important refinement in the preferred embodiment of the game board, wherein the 9 spanning tiles illustrated in Fig. 18 are expanded in size by a factor of 6, creating an enlarged set of nine spanning tiles which can be concatenated together observing the aforesaid Direction Invariant, and superimposed and imprinted on the 324 squares of the game board that was illustrated in Fig. 19.
- the use of the indicia scheme illustrated in Fig. 18 for the surface of the game board in the preferred embodiment as shown in Fig. 20 assures that the game board has no natural top, bottom, or other intrinsic orientation, so that no advantage accrues to any player based on viewing position around the board.
- One half partially filled with tiles can be placed on top of the other half also partially filled with tiles, and the pair lifted and set aside on a shelf until play is resumed, at which time they can be rejoined. 8534. It is also possible to construct the game board shown in Fig. 20 out of nine separate pieces as shown in Fig. 18. This permits the pieces of the game board to act as tiles for a second game board that is six times larger than the first. To clarify this design, a nominal tile size of 2 cm is used, with the understanding that other sizes could easily be chosen by one skilled in the art. For example if a game board be constructed out of nine tiles as in Fig.
- any one tile in the potentially infinite plane of tiles illustrated partially in Fig. 1 1 determines the location of all of the remaining tiles that are comerwise adjacent to it and to each other.
- a single tile placed anywhere in the potentially infinite plane of tiles shown in part in Fig. 12 determines the location of all the comerwise adjacent tiles in that plane. It follows that fixing the location of two tiles in Fig. 13 will determine the pattern of all the tiles on the game board, so long as they are not both comerwise adjacent to each other nor to intervening tiles between the two of them; in other words, so long as one belongs to the set of tiles represented in Fig. 1 1, and the other to the set of tiles represented by Fig. 12.
- Anchor Tiles are permanently fixed to the game board to initiate play and to prevent players from inadvertently creating patterns which might not, perhaps, mesh properly as the game plays out.
- Anchor Tiles also assure that the pattern the tiles make when played is a microscopic image of the Minimal Spanning Set pattern imprinted on the game board and illustrated for the preferred embodiment in Fig. 20. While only two such Anchor Tiles are strictly speaking required to set the entire game board pattern, for aesthetic reasons and symmetry the preferred embodiment employs a total of four Anchor Tiles as illustrated in Fig. 22. In this discussion dimensions are nominal, being mentioned only to clarify the placement of Anchor Tiles on the board.
- Tile 2201 oriented as shown in Fig. 22, which said tile is an embodiment of tile 100, and is nominally 2 cm square, is permanently fixed to the 36 cm square game board 2200 in the 2 cm square tile position 221 1.
- 2 cm square tile 2202 oriented as shown, is permanently fixed to the 36 cm square game board 2200 in the 2 cm square tile position 2212.
- 2 cm square tile 2203 oriented as shown, is permanently fixed to the 36 cm square game board 2200 in the 2 cm square tile position 2213.
- 2 cm square tile 2204 oriented as shown, is permanently fixed to the 36 cm square game board 2200 in the 2 cm square tile position 2214.
- Anchor Tiles to the game board using a suitable adhesive, screw, or other means normally applied by one skilled in the art has the additional benefit of providing a set of edges against which playing tiles can be aligned during game play to keep the playing pieces straight on the board. It is also commonly applied art to manufacture the game board so as to provide recesses or channels for the tiles, in order to prevent the inadvertent movement of tiles if they are touched after being placed on the board, or the board is tilted while being moved and stored. This alternative embodiment is not the preferred embodiment because of its increased manufacturing costs, but it is common in the art and is hereby incorporated herewith.
- Figs. 23A-23D show the fully played game board with every tile 100 with its front surface 101 facing up, in place in proper sequence in its four series. Figs. 23A - 23D are shown in four parts only for clarity, and joined together form the fully played game board.
- Fig. 23B should be placed below Fig. 23A such that tile 231 1 is adjacent to tile 2301.
- Fig. 23C should be placed to the right of Fig. 23A such that tile 2312 is adjacent to tile 2302.
- Fig. 23D should be placed below Fig. 23C such that tile 2314 is adjacent to tile 2304, and to the right of Fig. 23B so tile 2313 is adjacent to tile 2303.
- Fig. 23A shows the Anchor Tile 2201 in its proper position
- Fig. 23B shows the Anchor Tile 2203 in its proper position
- Fig. 23C shows the Anchor Tile 2202 in its proper position
- Fig. 23D shows the Anchor Tile 2204 in its proper position.
- Figs. 23A through 23D therefore together illustrate the completed pattern of playing tiles of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which said pattern would emerge onto the game board after several games had been played to completion, with each said game after the first game using the ending position of the previous game as its starting point.
- the board game thus far described is suitable for use as an educational aid to help young children practice counting, and also as a tutorial mode of the present invention to aid those first encountering the present invention to master the proper placement of tiles into series.
- there are only 9 tiles in the Minimal Spanning Set, and 320 possible squares on the game board there are approximately 35 places for each tile on the game board. Once the placing of tiles into series has been mastered, this large number of possible places for each tile results in a game that is too easy to play. This problem is resolved by imprinting the image on the game board in Fig. 20 onto the back surface 102 of the playing tiles in Figs. 23A-23D.
- the pattern or color on the back surface 102 of the tile 100 must match the pattern or color of the square onto which it is placed on the game board in Fig. 20, in addition to its being in proper sequence in its four series according to the pattern on its front surface 101. This requirement renders finding a correct location on the game board for a tile more complex, and creates thereby a more challenging game.
- tutorial play while players are learning to play the game they simply ignore the color or pattern on the back of the tile when placing the tile on the board, focusing only on the placement of the tile in proper series.
- Fig. 24 shows the horizontally reflected mirror image of the game board illustrated in Fig. 20. There is one square in Fig. 24 for each tile in Figs. 23A - 23D.
- the process for completing construction of the game tiles is as follows. The playing tiles 100 of Figs. 23A - 23D with their front surfaces 101 facing up as shown in Figs. 23A - 23D are concatenated together as described above, and then the tiles are turned over together by rotating the entire plane of the tiles to the right 180 degrees about the axis 2350 extending vertically through the rightmost sides of Figs 23C and 23D.
- the tile 2321 receives on its back the vertical patterned square 2421
- the tile 2322 receives on its back the dot pattern of square 2422
- the tile 2323 receives on its back the boxes pattern of square 2423
- the tile 2324 receives on its back the lateral patterned square 2424.
- the pattern or color affixed to the back surface 102 of the tile 100 is also or instead imprinted on the sides of the tile 103, 104, 105, and 106, enabling the identification of the proper placement for the tile without having to turn the tile over.
- the manufacture of the tile can be simplified by imprinting the front surface 101 onto a solid plastic tile 100 made from the color or pattern of plastic which would be used to mark the back surface 102 with the color or pattern of the game board square as just described; since the color or pattern of said plastic tile is then itself the color of the back surface, the tile sides 103, 104, 105, and 106 will automatically receive the color or pattern of the back surface of the tile.
- each of the 9 unique tile front surfaces in the Minimal Spanning Set can potentially be matched with each of the four patterns or colors used to denote each of the four series, as well as with a fifth pattern or color used to denote a clear board square with no marking on it such as square 2001 shown in Fig. 20.
- This combination of nine unique tile front surfaces with five unique tile back surfaces gives rise to forty-five possible unique tiles. Table I shows the number of each of these forty-five unique tiles that are present when the tile front surfaces 101 are designed as in Fig.
- the tile front surfaces are identified in Table I in the leftmost column by indicating the number of small squares with lateral lines that appear on the tile front surfaces as depicted in Fig. 18.
- the tile backs are identified at the top of the second through sixth columns by the pattern marking the back surface of the tile. In the rightmost column the total number of each type of tile is noted. In the final row the total number of each type of tile is noted.
- Table I will assist in the rapid construction of the appropriate number of tiles in the preferred embodiment. This table also summarizes the number of the 324 game board squares each of the 45 unique tiles can occupy. For example a tile with 4 small squares marked with lateral lines on the front surface and with its back surface marked with vertical lines, can occupy any of 6 different locations on the game board of Fig. 20. Table I
- Each player blindly takes nine tiles from the bag, placing them face up and keeping the back surfaces hidden from the other players. As there are initially 320 tiles in the bag, there may be from one to thirty-five players in a game.
- All players start at the same time, and continue placing tiles on the board as described in the next rule.
- a player can join a game in progress by starting with one more than the largest number of tiles held by any other player at the time that they start.
- a tile must be placed in series, touching at least one tile already on the board. Starting in the middle of a series and touching a corner or a side are okay. (In an alternative embodiment, the requirement to touch a tile already on the board can be ignored as long as the tile is placed properly in the series that results when the gaps are eventually filled in.) The solid color on the tile back must match the color of the square where it is placed, but this requirement is suspended during tutorial play.
- the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the exemplary rules just presented meets all of the objectives desired, excepting accessibility to blind people.
- To meet this objective it is required to manufacture the board with square recesses for the tiles, so that played tiles can be touched without moving them, a practice mentioned above as well known in the prior art.
- the requirement to emboss the front surface of the tile with element indicia that indicate in which series each quadrant participates has been discussed above.
- each of the four series has a unique graphic which identifies it, said unique graphic having no intrinsic orientation as previously discussed.
- a game intended for the blind would still incorporate the pattern or color scheme used by the sighted, so that both blind and sighted players could play together.
- the back surface of the tile In addition to receiving the pattern or color on the back surface of the tile corresponding to the pattern or color of the game board square on which the tile can be placed, the back surface of the tile must be embossed with an enlarged version of the symbol or graphic used to represent the series of which the back surface of the tile is a member by pattern or color, unless it is not a member of a series, in which case it is left smooth.
- the game board squares would, in addition to being patterned or colored as in Fig. 20, would be recessed to receive the embossed figure used to represent the series and imprinted on the back surface of the tile, unless they were unmarked squares, in which case they would remain smooth.
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Abstract
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Priority Applications (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/512,027 US20050230911A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-04-30 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
CNB028288068A CN1305541C (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multifunctional pieces |
CA002482888A CA2482888A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
PCT/US2002/013071 WO2003092832A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
JP2004501010A JP2005523787A (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game mining directive from chaos |
EP02731497A EP1558348A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
AU2002303472A AU2002303472A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
HK05110011A HK1077995A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2005-11-09 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2002/013071 WO2003092832A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2003092832A1 true WO2003092832A1 (en) | 2003-11-13 |
Family
ID=29398907
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2002/013071 WO2003092832A1 (en) | 2002-05-01 | 2002-05-01 | Board game with multi-functional pieces |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1558348A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2005523787A (en) |
CN (1) | CN1305541C (en) |
AU (1) | AU2002303472A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2482888A1 (en) |
HK (1) | HK1077995A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2003092832A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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JP2014200334A (en) * | 2013-04-01 | 2014-10-27 | 株式会社バンダイ | Board game toy and piece in board game toy |
CN106178484A (en) * | 2016-08-30 | 2016-12-07 | 许佳 | A kind of combined multiple function chess |
Citations (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2571195A (en) * | 1949-07-01 | 1951-10-16 | Buck Gordon Fennien | Set of game pieces |
US3152805A (en) * | 1963-03-04 | 1964-10-13 | Laurence C Mcginn | Electrically operated matrix game |
US3547444A (en) * | 1964-08-28 | 1970-12-15 | Robert K Williams | Mathematically formulated and androgynously linked polygonal and polyhedral gamepieces |
US3608902A (en) * | 1969-12-10 | 1971-09-28 | Joseph A Weisbecker | Cube game |
US3680866A (en) * | 1970-09-28 | 1972-08-01 | Edward L Kerr | Domino-like game pieces |
US3759526A (en) * | 1971-08-30 | 1973-09-18 | C Estvan | Game pieces selectively joinable along edges thereof to form letters or numerals |
US4463952A (en) * | 1982-08-02 | 1984-08-07 | Rowbal Robert M | Color match board game |
US4568082A (en) * | 1984-11-01 | 1986-02-04 | Musolino Nick J | Board game |
US4659085A (en) * | 1985-09-27 | 1987-04-21 | Devries Joseph | Board game matching numbered sides of rectangular pieces |
US4673185A (en) * | 1985-05-28 | 1987-06-16 | Morley Harold T Jr | Hexagon tile game |
US4925194A (en) * | 1989-05-30 | 1990-05-15 | Anderson David M | Board game apparatus playing piece and method of play |
US5662325A (en) * | 1994-12-05 | 1997-09-02 | Weyand; Rudi | System for generating random outcomes using discs |
-
2002
- 2002-05-01 WO PCT/US2002/013071 patent/WO2003092832A1/en active Application Filing
- 2002-05-01 CA CA002482888A patent/CA2482888A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2002-05-01 JP JP2004501010A patent/JP2005523787A/en active Pending
- 2002-05-01 AU AU2002303472A patent/AU2002303472A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2002-05-01 CN CNB028288068A patent/CN1305541C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-05-01 EP EP02731497A patent/EP1558348A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2005
- 2005-11-09 HK HK05110011A patent/HK1077995A1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Patent Citations (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2571195A (en) * | 1949-07-01 | 1951-10-16 | Buck Gordon Fennien | Set of game pieces |
US3152805A (en) * | 1963-03-04 | 1964-10-13 | Laurence C Mcginn | Electrically operated matrix game |
US3547444A (en) * | 1964-08-28 | 1970-12-15 | Robert K Williams | Mathematically formulated and androgynously linked polygonal and polyhedral gamepieces |
US3608902A (en) * | 1969-12-10 | 1971-09-28 | Joseph A Weisbecker | Cube game |
US3680866A (en) * | 1970-09-28 | 1972-08-01 | Edward L Kerr | Domino-like game pieces |
US3759526A (en) * | 1971-08-30 | 1973-09-18 | C Estvan | Game pieces selectively joinable along edges thereof to form letters or numerals |
US4463952A (en) * | 1982-08-02 | 1984-08-07 | Rowbal Robert M | Color match board game |
US4568082A (en) * | 1984-11-01 | 1986-02-04 | Musolino Nick J | Board game |
US4673185A (en) * | 1985-05-28 | 1987-06-16 | Morley Harold T Jr | Hexagon tile game |
US4659085A (en) * | 1985-09-27 | 1987-04-21 | Devries Joseph | Board game matching numbered sides of rectangular pieces |
US4925194A (en) * | 1989-05-30 | 1990-05-15 | Anderson David M | Board game apparatus playing piece and method of play |
US5662325A (en) * | 1994-12-05 | 1997-09-02 | Weyand; Rudi | System for generating random outcomes using discs |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1558348A1 (en) | 2005-08-03 |
CN1305541C (en) | 2007-03-21 |
AU2002303472A1 (en) | 2003-11-17 |
CN1625375A (en) | 2005-06-08 |
HK1077995A1 (en) | 2006-03-03 |
CA2482888A1 (en) | 2003-11-13 |
JP2005523787A (en) | 2005-08-11 |
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