WO2009019674A2

WO2009019674A2 - Self contained board games

Info

Publication number: WO2009019674A2
Application number: PCT/IL2007/000996
Authority: WO
Inventors: Refael Sirkis
Original assignee: R. Sirkis Publishers Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-08-09
Filing date: 2007-08-09
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Also published as: WO2009019674A3

Abstract

A self-contained game apparatus comprising: a frame defining a plurality of cells for accommodating a plurality of rotating playing beads, the frame is having a top face comprising a plurality of display windows; and a plurality of rotating playing beads, each carrying a set of symbols on a circumferential surface thereof, wherein each of said playing beads is rotatably mounted within one of said plurality of cells so as allow rotating the bead around an axis of rotation to select any symbol to be displayed through a respective display window.

Description

SELF CONTAINED BOARD GAMES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to games in general and to self- contained, battery-less, mechanical game apparatuses for playing a variety of board games and puzzles, in particular.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Board games have been played in most cultures and societies throughout history by young and by old. Some board games can be played by a single player while many others are played by two or more players interacting with each other. A board game is typically played on a flat board, pre-marked by a pattern which indicates playing places, on which playing-pieces are placed, moved across, or removed from, according to the game rules. Some board games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Stack4 start with an empty board while other board games, such as Othello Checkers and Chess, have a fixed initial setting of the playing-pieces. In some games, such as Stack4 and Tic-Tac-Toe, once a playing piece is placed in a specific location on the board, it will not be moved to another location or be removed from the board until the game is over.

A common disadvantage of traditional board games is that sooner or later some playing pieces get lost, rendering the game useless. Another drawback associated with the playing pieces being separate parts is that the board must be placed on a flat and steady horizontal surface for maintaining the positions of the playing pieces and even then any unintentional movement may easily displace the pieces, interrupting the course of the game. The small playing pieces also pose a choking hazard to small children, thus special care need to be taken when small children are around which is many times the case in a typical family environment. Today practically all classic board games, and many more new ones, are available as computer games that can be played on electronic devices such as personal computers, hand-held electronic game devices and cellular phones, either locally or over the Internet. In computerized games the screen serves as the "board" while the playing pieces, represented by images, are placed and moved across the screen using the keypad and/or a pointer device. While computerized versions of board games do not suffer from the drawbacks associated with traditional board games, they do depend on electrical power and on the availability, connectivity and proper operation of the computer device. Computer games also lack the "toy-like" appearance and feeling associated with traditional games.

It is therefore the general object of the present invention to provide alternative structures and mechanisms for playing board games by providing a novel family of board games that overcome the drawbacks associated with both traditional board games and their new, computerized versions.

Accordingly, the present invention provides self-contained mechanical game apparatuses, or toys, for playing board games which neither have loose parts nor require electricity, computing power or proper display devices to be played and enjoyed. The structures and mechanisms described in this invention can be used as building blocks, to assemble toys for playing many of the standard, classical board games. The same mechanisms can also be used to assemble toys for playing new games, as well as toys that function as artistic drawing boards.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a family of new and improved mechanical toys for playing classical as well as new board games, which have no loose parts and do not depend on electrical power. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a family of self- contained toys for playing board games which include semi-automatic setup mechanisms for resetting the apparatus to the opening position of the game by a simple operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a family of self-contained toys for playing board games which allow for playing the game under unsteady conditions, such as during travel, and not necessarily on a flat horizontal surface.

Yet, it is another object of the invention to provide a family of self- contained toys for playing board games which are of a durable and reliable construction, and which are easy to manufacture and are of low cost with regard to both materials and labor, thereby making the toys economically available to the buying public.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a novel type of self contained, battery-less game apparatus for playing a variety of board games and puzzles.

The game apparatus of the invention comprises a frame defining a plurality of cells for accommodating a plurality of rotating playing beads, the frame is having a top face comprising a plurality of display windows corresponding to the plurality of cells, and a plurality of rotating playing beads, each carrying a set of symbols on a circumferential surface thereof, rotatably mounted within the plurality of cells so as to allow rotating each of the beads around an axis of rotation to select any symbol from said set of symbols to be displayed through a respective display window. The frame comprises a top frame part and a mating bottom frame part configured to form the array of cells when joined together. Preferably, at least one of the playing beads is provided with an indexing means coupling between the bead and the frame to allow manually rotating the bead in a stepwise manner and to detent the bead at any orientation when left untouched. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the indexing means comprises at least one toothed gear or a part thereof encircling at least partially the circumferential surface of the playing bead in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and at least one flexible element provided in each of said plurality of cells. The at least one flexible element is configured to engage with the at least one gear or a part thereof and to act as a spring against which the playing bead can be manually rotated by manipulating the gear. The at least one flexible element may be provided at the top part or the bottom part of the frame. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention the at least one flexible element comprises two flexible strips provided on two opposite sides of a display window or on two opposite sides of an opening provided at the bottom face of the frame. In accordance with other embodiments of the invention, the at least one flexible element comprises at least one pair of flexible arms extending inwardly from two opposite walls of the respective cell.

The game apparatus may further comprise a semi-automatic setup mechanism for facilitating resetting the plurality of playing beads to display the opening position of the game board for which the game apparatus is designed. In accordance with certain embodiment of the invention, the setup mechanism comprises a bead rotation-limiter provided with each one of the plurality of playing beads and a frame rotation limiter provided with each one of the plurality of respective cells. In according to other embodiments, the plurality of playing beads are having a nonuniform weight distribution around their respective axis of rotation so as to gravitationally bias each of the plurality of beads to display the opening display when free to rotate under gravitation and wherein the resetting mechanism comprises disengaging means to allow a player to disengage the plurality of playing beads each from the respective flexible element. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the playing beads are having an elongated body of a circular cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Yet, in accordance with other embodiments the beads the elongated body may be of a polygonal cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. In accordance with a special embodiment of the invention, the elongated body includes a slot in the circumferential surface thereof in parallel to the axis of rotation, wherein the slot is adapted to receive a band carrying said set of symbols. In accordance with another special embodiment, the set of symbols includes at least one three- dimensional element protruding from the circumferential surface of the bead.

In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the plurality of beads protrude through the plurality of display windows to be manipulated from the top surface of the apparatus. In accordance with other embodiments, the frame further comprises a bottom face provided with a plurality of openings through which said playing beads can protrude and be manipulated from the bottom face of the apparatus.

Optionally, at least one of the plurality of playing beads can be shifted from a play position in which the bead can be rotated to display any selected symbol to a locked position in which the bead cannot be rotated.

Further optionally, at least one of the plurality of cells includes a set of markers provided at the top surface thereof wherein the markers are configured to allow a player in a course of a game to mark possible moves in the cell when the player hesitates between a number of such moves.

In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the playing beads are having an elongated body of a circular cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Yet, in accordance with other embodiments the beads the elongated body may be of a polygonal cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. In accordance with a special embodiment of the invention, the elongated body includes a slot in the circumferential surface thereof in parallel to the axis of rotation, wherein the slot is adapted to receive a band carrying said set of symbols. In accordance with another special embodiment, the set of symbols includes at least one three- dimensional element protruding from the circumferential surface of the bead.

The term "board game" is used herein in its broadest meaning to refer to any game which is traditionally played by placing playing objects on, or by otherwise marking, predefined spaces on a surface, including puzzles and artistic drawing boards. The terms "game apparatus" and "toy" are interchangeably used herein to describe a physical structure intended to be used for playing games.

The term 'indexing' as is used herein in phrases such as 'indexing means', 'indexing feature', 'indexing mechanism' etc., should be interpreted according to its mechanical meaning to describe a rotary motion which is performed in discrete, detentable steps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a game apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 2a and 2b are isometric views of the top frame and the bottom frame, respectively, of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3a and 3b are an isometric view and an exploded view, respectively, of a single game unit of the game apparatus of Fig.1 ;

Fig. 4 is a plan top view of the top plate of the game unit of Figs. 3; Fig. 5 is a side view of a first embodiment of a playing bead; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Fig. 3A; Figs. 7a and 7b are two isometric views of a game unit in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention showing the playing bead in a play position and in a locked position, respectively;

Fig. 8 is an exploded isometric view of the game unit of Figs. 7;

Figs. 9a and 9b are frontal views of the game unit of Figs. 7 in a play and in a locked position respectively; Fig. 10a is a plan bottom view of the game unit of Figs. 7 in a play position;

Fig. 10b is plan top view of the game unit of Figs. 7 in a locked position;

Fig. 11 is a top view of the bottom frame part of the game unit of Figs. 7;

Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view of the game unit of Figs. 7 taken along a vertical plane passing through the gear of the playing bead;

Fig. 13a is a partial isometric view of the top frame part of the game unit of Figs. 7; Fig. 13b is an isometric view of a marker; Fig. 14a is an isometric view of an example of a 4><4 game apparatus for playing Sudoku comprising simplified versions of the game units of Figs. 7; Fig. 14b is an isometric view of an example of a 6><6 game apparatus for playing Sudoku, comprising game units of Figs. 7; Figs. 15a and 15b are isometric views of a game unit in accordance with yet a further embodiment of the invention wherein the playing bead displays a blank and a playing piece, respectively;

Fig. 15c is an exploded view of the game unit of Fig. 15a; Fig. 16 is an isometric view of the game unit of Figs. 15 in the setup position;

Fig. 17a and 17b are partial cross sectional views of the game unit of Figs. 15 showing the relation between the bottom and the middle frames in a play position and a set-up position, respectively;

Fig. 18a and 18b are two isometric views of a playing bead in accordance with the embodiment of Figs. 15 and 16;

Figs. 19a, 19b and 19c are two plan side views and a front plan view, respectively, of the playing bead of Figs. 18;

Figs. 20a and 20b are partial isometric views of the game unit of Figs. 15 showing the game unit in a play an in a setup position, respectively; Figs. 21a through 2 Id are cross sectional views of the game unit of

Figs. 15 along a vertical plane that passes through the gear of the playing bead, illustrating in a sequential manner a game unit in (a) an opening blank position; (b) a playing position; (c) start of setup; and (d) end of setup;

Figs. 22 is an isometric view of a game apparatus assembled from the game units of Figs. 15 adapted for playing the game of Othello;

Figs. 23 is an isometric view of a game apparatus assembled from the game units of Figs. 15 adapted for playing the game of Halma;

Fig. 24a and 24b are two isometric views of yet a further embodiment of a game unit of the invention in a play and a setup positions, respectively; Figs. 25a and 25b are isometric view and a side view, respectively, of a playing bead in accordance with the embodiment of

Fig. 26 is an isometric view of a game apparatus for playing checkers assembled from the game units of Figs. 24, interspaced by non-active cells.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a novel type of self-contained mechanical games for playing board games and puzzles.

The basic components and mechanisms of the invention may be easily assembled for building a variety of self-contained game apparatuses which closely resemble the regular, pre-marked surface and the plurality of playing pieces specific to the board game for which they are designed. The structures provided by the invention also allow for easily resetting each game apparatus to the initial opening position specific to the board game for which the apparatus is designed, by a simple semi-automatic operation.

Non limiting examples for board games that could be implemented by the structures and mechanisms disclosed by the invention include:

• One player's games of various sized and difficulties of Sudoku

• Simple Two players' games, such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Reversi (Othello), Halma, Connect 4, Go

• Moderate Two players' games, such as Checkers,

• Elaborate Two players' games, such as Chess

• Two players' games that require dice, such as Backgammon, Senet

• Four players' games, such as Chinese Checkers • Four players' games, that require dice, such as Parcheesi, Parchis, Ludo,

Kimble

Some of these board games have many variations and are known under different names.

In addition, the game apparatus of the invention may also be constructed as artistic drawing boards for creating a pattern or a picture in a mosaic-like manner.

A first important feature of a game apparatus of the invention is that it has no loose parts. In accordance with the invention, instead of placing and/or moving the traditional playing pieces across a board, the playing pieces are replaced by rotatable members, hereinafter referred to as "playing beads" or

"beads", which are enclosed within the frame of the board, and which can be rotated manually to display a selected symbol representing a playing piece or an empty cell. The playing pieces are easy to manipulate by a player's fingers, attractive looking and pleasant to touch, thus providing a new gaming experience. A second important feature of a game apparatus of the invention is a semi-automatic setup operation which enables a quick resetting of all the playing beads to display the opening position specific to the game for which the apparatus is designed.

A third important feature of a game apparatus of the invention is indexing means provided with each of the playing beads which allows for rotating the bead in a stepwise, or intermittent, manner and which detents the bead in any orientation when left untouched. This feature allows a player to turn the bead by his fingers to display a selected symbol in a controlled and pleasant manner. It also allows playing the game when tilted or when exposed to occasional accidental movements, such as during a car travel.

Optionally, the game apparatus may further include a means for locking certain playing beads for the duration of a specific game, thus enabling playing games, such as for example Battleships or Sudoku, which require that certain playing pieces should not be changed in the course of a game. Optionally, the game apparatus may also include means for allowing a player to mark/un-mark certain cells thus facilitating playing games that benefit from such markings.

Optionally the game apparatus may further include a self-contained chance device, to facilitate playing some board games, such as for example Backgammon and Parcheesi, which require the use of dice to determine the number of steps to be taken. Such self-contained chance device will help to preserve the self-contained, no-loose parts, characteristic of the apparatus. Various self-contained chance devices with no loose parts are known in the art. As a non-limiting example the chance device may be one or more dice enclosed within a flexible transparent container, which will cause the dice to roll when pressed. The game apparatus of the invention may also include one or more mechanical counter devices for tracking the number of playing pieces not currently on the board but still participating in the game. Such a counter device maybe in the form of abacus connected to the frame of the game, wherein beads of different color represent the playing pieces of the different players.

It will be realized that other auxiliary devices that may be required for a particular game may be incorporated into the game apparatus of the invention in a manner which will preserve its self-contained character.

Other advantages and benefits of the invention will be apparent from the description that follows.

This general concept of the invention is demonstrated in detail by the following embodiments and their implementations in the construction of game apparatuses for playing the games of Tic-Tac-Toe, Sudoku, Othello and Checkers. It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments nor to these specific games but rather that these examples are given for the sake of demonstration only and that many other games may be designed and constructed along the same lines. .

Turning now to the drawings, where like numerals refer to like parts, Fig. 1 depicts an example of a game apparatus, generally designated 100, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Game apparatus 100 comprises an encasing frame 2 divided by inner vertical walls into an array of cells 12, and a plurality of playing beads 20 rotatably mounted within the cells and partially protruding through windows 8 provided at the top surface 3 of frame 2. Playing beads 20, which replace the playing pieces in a traditional board game, are having a set of symbols imprinted or otherwise displayed on their external surface and can be rotated to display a selected symbol 25 through window 8. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the set of symbols comprises "X" and "O" for the game of Tic-Tac-Toe. The bead surface also includes a blank area to represent an empty cell. In a course of a game, the players rotate beads 20 to display their moves. It will be appreciated that the number of symbols span across the surface of a bead 20 may vary in accordance with the game for which apparatus 100 is designed. Windows 8 are dimensioned according to the number of symbols so as to substantially displaying a single symbol. Thus the greater is the number of symbols the narrower is the window and narrower the part of the bead protruding through the window.

Frame 2 comprises two plates, a top plate 4 and a bottom plate 6, shown in Figs. 2a and 2b, respectively, which are joined together, after beads

20 are placed inside, to form encasing frame 2. The two-plate design of apparatus 100 greatly simplifies the assembly of the game: elements 20 are placed onto bottom plate 6, thereafter top plate 4 is placed over elements 20 and is connected to plate 6 by using any suitable method such welding, gluing and the like. Preferably plates 4 and 6 are permanently sealed to each other.

However, in accordance with other embodiments of the invention, the two plates may be configured to snap fit into each other and optionally can be disassembled.

Apparatus 100 may be fabricated from any durable material. Preferably, components 4, 6 and 20 are fabricated from thermoplastic materials by injection molding. Non-limiting examples for suitable materials are resin blends of ABS and polycarbonate (PC/ABS), such as for example the resin blends distributed by GE Plastics under the name Cycoloy.

The game apparatus of the invention can be also regarded as comprising identical units, hereinafter referred to as "game units", wherein each game unit is having a top plate and a bottom plate which are joined to form a cell and a playing bead accommodated within the cell, and wherein the top plates of all the units are integrally connected to form top frame part 4 and the bottom plates of all units are integrally connected to form bottom frame part 6. It will be appreciated that a game apparatus of the invention may comprise any number of game units arranged in any desired configuration for different games. Typical sizes of such boards may range from the small 3 ><3 board of

Tic-Tac-Toe, through the classic 8 ^χ8 chess-board used for many games such as Chess, Checkers, Halma Othello and more, to the 119x 119 board of the far eastern Go game. However, the invention is not limited to a square array but may assume other shapes as well.

In the example shown in Fig. 1 , the apparatus comprises an array of 3 x 3 game units adapted for playing Tic-Tac-Toe. Also in accordance with this example the units are closely packed having their walls abutting each other. It will be appreciated that other configurations are possible in which the game units are spaced apart and connected to each other by flat surfaces simulating areas on the board on which playing pieces are never placed. For example, in a game apparatus specifically designed for playing checkers (draughts), it is sufficient to mount rotatable elements only in alternate "black" cells while the "white" cells may be left empty. In such a case, the top and bottom frame parts of the apparatus will include alternate flat surfaces between the alternate top and bottom frame parts of the individual active units. For simplicity sake, the following description is given for a single game unit. It will be understood that the other units are identical and that a game apparatus of the invention comprises a plurality of such units, wherein the top plates of all the units are integrally connected and wherein all the bottom plates of the units are integrally connected, as described above. Referring to Figs. 3 to 6, game unit 10 comprises a top plate 14 and a bottom plate 16 which when joined form a box-shaped housing 12, and a bead 20 partially protruding through opening 8. Top plate 14 and bottom plate 16 are integral sections of frames parts 4 and 6 of Fig. 1, respectively.

Playing bead 20 is having a cylindrical body 22 provided with a toothed gear 24 at each end and with two round shafts 26 extending from the center of the cylinder bases 21. Gears 24 have two roles, they provide the feature of indexing by interacting with the top plate 14, as will be explained in more detail below, and they allow easy turning of element 20 by the fingers of the players, even though only a small part of the element protrudes out of the frame. The external surface of body 22 bears a set of symbols 25 that can be displayed one at a time through window 8 when element 20 is turned around its axis. Typically, the set of symbols includes a blank space representing an empty cell and two or more images representing the playing pieces or the marks used in the traditional game. The set of symbols 25 may be created on surface 22 by any known method, including injection of different color plastic, engraving of the desired shapes into the molds, tampon printing and more. In accordance with the special embodiment shown here, element 20 is provided with a slot 27 into which the two ends of a strip (not shown) of printed plastic or paper can be inserted. It will be realized that such an arrangement enables mass production of blank beads where in the process of assembling various games, different strips, with a variety of background colors and displayable images can be used. The strips may carry any set of different symbols or images or a set of identical images but of different colors. The beads may also be designed for use in the construction of artistic drawing boards by dividing the displayable surface of the beads into a plurality of zones of different colors. In accordance with the embodiment shown here, the playing beads are cylindrical, having a circular cross section in the plane perpendicular to the rotational axis. It will be realized that such a configuration renders the bead universal in the sense that it is not limited to a particular number of symbols, but rather it can carry any reasonable number of symbols, providing the size of the display window is dimensioned accordingly. However, the playing beads of the invention are not limited to that shape and may assume other shaped as will be demonstrated below.

Plates 14 and 16 are having two mating semi-circular recesses, 7a and 7b respectively, at the center of their front and rear walls to form openings 7 for receiving shafts 26 when the frame parts are joined together. Openings 7 and optionally the inner surfaces of cell 12 are dimensioned to snugly fit element 20 so as to allow smooth rotation of element 20 around its longitudinal axis but to prevent undesirable horizontal or vertical shifts. Top plate 14 further includes two elongated flexible strips 19 on opposite sides of window 8 configured to interact with the teeth of gears 24 so as to allow rotating the bead in discrete steps and to detent the bead in any orientation when left untouched. Flexible strips 19, formed by cuts 19a for facilitating flexing in the vertical direction and ending with a bead-like tip (a cross-cut of which can be seen in Fig. 6) act as springs against which gears 24 can be easily and pleasantly turned by a player's finger to select a particular symbol to be displayed It also retains element 20 in any angular orientation. The exact number and shape of the teeth of gears 24 is not critical, as long as it holds element 20 in place and as long as turning the element is pleasant. Preferably, the number of teeth is at least 4 times the number of the displayable symbols.

Bead 20 further includes two rotation-limiters 28 protruding outwardly from the rims of each shaft 26, which interact with rotation-limiters 15 provided at the outermost edge of recesses 7b in bottom plate 16. Rotation limiters 28 and 15 provide in combination the feature of semi-automatic resetting of the playing pieces to show their opening positions. Continuously turning bead 20 in one direction it will finally stop, showing through the display window the first image on the bead. Continuously turning playing bead 20 in the other direction it will finally stop, showing through the display window the last image on the bead. Thus, by stroking the entire surface of the board game by his hand in one direction, a player can bring all the playing beads to their opening positions, regardless of the specific orientations of the beads when resetting starts. Optionally, an indicating arrow may be imprinted or otherwise added on the top surface of the apparatus to indicate the direction to which the beads are to be rotated for resetting. It will be realized that for games which start with an empty board, all playing beads may be made identical having the displayed images, or symbols, arranged in the same order relative to rotation-limiters 28. Optionally, the bead may carry two blank displays, each on either side of rotation-limiters 28, so that stroking the beads in either direction will "empty" the board. In other cases, where a game starts with a certain pattern of playing pieces positioned on the board, as for example in the game of Checkers, the sequence of symbols across the surface of a specific bead will vary according to the specific location of that bead in the board so that the symbol adjacent rotation-limiters 28 displays the opening position of the that specific bead.

Referring now to Figs. 7 to 13, there is shown another embodiment of a game unit of the invention, generally designated 50, according to which the rotatable element 40 can be shifted between a play position and a locked position. In the play position the element can be rotated to display any selected symbol. In the locked position the element is locked to display a preselected symbol and cannot be rotated unless shifted back to the play position. Further in accordance with this embodiment, the game unit is provided with markers which can be used in a course of a game to indicate possible moves when a player hesitates between a number of possibilities. Game unit 50 is especially suitable for, but is not limited to, assembling toys for playing puzzles such as Sudoku, where a game starts with a set of symbols distributed in some of the cells, which are not to be changed during the course of the game, and wherein each game may start with a different set. Examples of assembled game apparatuses for playing Sudoku puzzles are depicted in Figs. 14 and will be explained in more detail below. However, it will be appreciated the locking feature is not limited to Sudoku games and may be implemented in game apparatuses designed for other games as well. For example, a locking feature may be implemented in game apparatus designed for playing the game of Battleships or for many other puzzle games.

Game unit 50 comprises a housing 52 comprising a top plate 60 and a bottom plate 70, a playing bead 40 encased within housing 52, and a plurality of markers 65 pivotally mounted in top plate 60. It will be understood that plates 60 and 70 are integral sections of the top and bottom frame parts, respectively, of a game apparatus, as explained above. In accordance with the embodiment shown here, top and bottom frame parts 60 and 70 are configured with complementary protrusions and recesses, 62 and 72 respectively, for facilitating connection between the parts. After bead 40 is placed inside, plates 60 and 70 are joined together either permanently or reversibly to form a cell. Playing bead 40, substantially having the same structure as of bead 20 described above, comprises a cylindrical body 42, two gears 44, two shafts 46 and two rotation-limiters 48. The exact number and shape of the teeth of gears 44 is not critical, as long as there are enough teeth to hold the bead in each of its display alternatives and as long as turning of the bead is pleasant, and the bead is properly held in place.

Bead 40 is further provided with a slot 47 into which a band carrying a set of the desired symbols may be inserted, as described above in association with bead 20. In the embodiment shown here, the external surface of body 42 carries a set of numerals 1 to 6 (partially seen in Fig 8) plus a blank space.

Taking into consideration the small arc excluded by rotation-limiter 48, each symbol occupies about 50° of the full 360° envelope. In the process of assembling various games, different strips, with a variety of background colors and displayable images can then be used to achieve clear marking of the sub- zones on the Sudoku puzzle face, as will be described in more detailed below.

Top plate 60 includes a display window 68 through which bead 40 is seen when in the play position and through which bead 40 protrudes when it is in the locked position. Top plate 60 also includes two semi-circular recesses 61 provided on opposite vertical walls, dimensioned to receive shafts 46 of bead 40 when the bead is in the locked position.

Unlike top plate 12 of embodiment 10 above, strips 63 at the sides of window 68 are rigid. Thus, when bead 40 is pushed against window 68 the teeth of gears 44 engage with sides 63 of window 68, locking the bead in its angular position. As can be seen in Figs. 10a and 11, in accordance with this embodiment bottom plate 70 includes an opening 78 through which bead 40 protrudes in the play position and can be accessed from the bottom side of the apparatus to be rotated. Two flexible strips 79 provided on opposite sides of opening 78 of a similar structure and role as of strips 19 of embodiment 10 are configured to interact with the teeth of gears 44 so as to allow rotating bead 40 in discrete steps and to detent bead 40 in any orientation when left untouched. Flexible strips 79 act as springs against which gears 44 can be easily and pleasantly turned by a player's finger to select a particular symbol to be displayed through top window 68. Bottom plate 70 further includes two pairs of vertical flexible arms 74 extending upwardly at opposite sides of plate 70 and terminating with inwardly bent ends 74a. Arms 74 are dimensioned to embrace shafts 48 and to press it down by means of ends 74a when bead 40 in the play position.

As seen in Figs. 7 and 9, bead 40 can be shifted between a play position in which the bead protrudes through bottom window 78 of bottom plate 70, and a locked position in which the element protrudes through top window 68 of top plate 60. In the play position bead 40 is pushed down by arms 74 and is accessed from the bottom side of the unit. In this position bead 40 can be rotated against flexible strips 79 to display a selected symbol through display window 68. Shifting bead 40 into the locked position is done by pushing the bead upwardly onto top frame 60 until it "clicks" into the locked position and is no longer accessible from the bottom side. The interaction between shafts 46 and two arm-shaped springs 74 controls the transition between the play and the locked modes of the bead. In the play mode springs 74 push shafts 46 downwardly toward springs 79 of bottom frame part 70. In the locked mode springs 74 push the shafts 46 upwardly into locking strips 63 of top frame part 60.

Bottom plate 70 is further provided with rotation-limiters 75 centered between arms 74. Rotation-limiters 75 interact with rotation-limiters 48 of bead 40 to provide the feature of semi-automatic resetting of the playing beads to show their opening positions, in a similar way as described above in association with embodiment 10. Continuously turning element 40 in one direction it will finally stop, showing through the display window the first image on the bead. Continuously turning beads 40 in the opposite direction it will finally stop, showing through the display window the last image on the bead. If the first image (as determined by rotation-limiters 48) represents blank then by stroking the entire bottom surface of the board game by his hand in one direction, a player can bring all the playing beads which are in the play position to display empty cells, regardless of the specific orientations of the beads when resetting starts. Those beads that are closer to the desired position will stop first, and the others will follow. In accordance with the embodiment shown here, where playing beads 40 can be shifted between a play position and a locked position, there can be two situations in which the semi-automatic resetting is used: To start a completely new game, all the locked beads should first be released and shifted into the play position, then the semi-automatic resetting can be performed to reset all beads to display blank. To solve again the same puzzle, for example by another player, all the locked beads are left in their locked position, then the semi-automatic resetting only operates on the cells that need to be solved.

In the embodiment shown here, top plate 60 is further provided with markers 65 pivotally mounted around display window 68. Many times in a course of a game a player hesitates between a number of possible moves. In particular when solving a puzzle, a player may see more than one option to fill a particular square. For example in the process of solving difficult Sudoku puzzles there are situations in which two or more candidate solutions are possible for certain cells. The addition of markers 65 facilitates the need to remember such possibilities and to come back to them later in the course of the game. In the embodiment shown here, game unit 50 is provided with six such L-shaped markers 65, each of which corresponds to one of the six possible different symbols which can be displayed in each square of a 6*6 Sudoku puzzle, and carries that symbol on two of its faces 69a and 69b. Referring to Figs. 13, markers 65 are pivotally mounted within niches 64 of top plate 60 by means of protrusions 67 and corresponding dimples 63. Thus, each of markers 65 can be shifted between a "dormant" position, designated 65a, in which the symbol carried by the marker can be seen but the marker is not activated, and an activated, or "flagged" position in which the symbol is displayed on the top surface of the marker. Referring to Figs. 7, in Fig. 7b where playing bead 40 is in the locked position all six markers 65 are shown in the inactive position, since there is no need for any speculation or guessing. In Fig. 7a the markers for "1" and for "5" are activated to indicate that the player believes one of these two is the correct solution for this cell. It will be realized that markers 65, or a variation thereof, are not limited to the game of Sudoku but rather that such markers may be incorporated into game apparatuses designed for playing other games, such as Ludo or Backgammon, to mark and memorize certain situations during the game.

Figs. 14a and 14b depict two examples of a hand-held game apparatus for playing Sudoku constructed in accordance with the invention. It will be realized that these games are dimensioned such as to allow a player to hold the apparatus by one or both hands while comfortably accessing the bottom side of the apparatus with his fingers for manipulating the playing beads. It will also be realized that while the embodiments depicted in Figs. 14 are of planar top and bottom surfaces, other embodiments are possible in which the apparatus assumes curvature for enhancing ergonomics and/or may be provided with legs to enable playing with the apparatus on the surface of a table. Additionally, the game apparatus may be include a top and a bottom covers, to facilitate storage of sample puzzles, and to protect the inner parts of the apparatus from collecting dirt, when it is not played with.

Apparatus 200 depicted in Fig. 14a comprises an array of 4x4 units divided into in four sub-zones of 2X2 units, while apparatus 210 depicted in Fig. 14b comprises an array of 6><6 game units, divided into six sub-zones of 2X3 cells. It will be easily realized that game apparatuses of larger grids, including the most typical 9^χ9 grid, can be similarly constructed. As is well known, a Sudoku puzzle, as well as many other puzzles, starts with some of the cells already filled by symbols, hereinafter referred to as 'clues' which according to the present invention are represented by locked beads. It will be appreciated that a collection of Sudoku puzzles can be provided with the game apparatus in the form of separate or bound sheets. Alternatively a player may obtain puzzles from various other sources. The process of playing with a Sudoku game apparatus starts with clearing all the cells to blank. Then the player selects a particular puzzle and 'copies' the clues onto the game apparatus by first rotating each bead in a clue cell to display the clue, then locking the bead by pushing it toward the top frame to partially protrude through the display window. The clue beads are not to be rotated in the course of the game. The rest of the beads are those that need to be rotated by the player in order to solve the puzzle. As the game proceeds, the player decides which symbol each of the unlocked beads should display and rotates the bead accordingly. After all the cells are "solved" it is easy to check the correctness of the solution: each row, each column and each sub-zone should contain one and only one of each of the symbols. Fig. 14a depicts a simple 4*4 version of Sudoku game, designated 200, comprising sixteen unit cells 202 of a similar inner construction as of game unit 50 above but with no markers. It will be realized that for the relatively simple 4x4 Sudoku puzzles such markers are barely necessary. Game apparatus 200 is assembled as described above from a bottom frame (not shown), a top frame 204 and sixteen playing beads 206, each of which carries a set of displayable indicia comprising a blank and the digits 1 to 4. In accordance with the embodiment shown here, the apparatus is encased in an external cover frame 208 which protects inner parts. External frame 208 also includes a grid of strips 209a and 209b which divide the cells into four distinguishable sub-zones. Additionally, or alternatively, a different background color may be used for beads in each block to render the blocks clearly distinguishable.

The status of the 4X4 game depicted in Fig 14c is at the very beginning of a new game: Five locked beads, designated 206c, protrude through top surface 204, showing the numbers '1', '4', '2', '2', and '3'. These are the clues of the current game. The rest of the beads are still 'unsolved', displaying blank, except the bead in the far right corner, designated 206b, which already displays the numeral 4 as the number already selected by the player as the solution for this cell. Fig. 14b depicts a 6><6 version of a Sudoku game designated 210 constructed similarly to embodiment 200. Apparatus 210 comprises thirty six playing game units 212 of the same structure as of unit 50 of Figs. 7, including six markers 214 for each of the cells. Game apparatus 210 further includes a cover frame 216 which protects the inner parts of the game and includes a grid 218 which divides the cells into six blocks of 2><3 cells. Fig. 14b demonstrates apparatus 210 during the solving process. As can be seen there are eighteen clue beads, designated 220C, which are locked The rest of the beads are in the play position either still in the blank position, indicated as 220a, or already "solved", indicated by 220b. As can be seen the four beads in the corners are already solved. Also shown are the flagged markers of the cell designated B2. Examination this cell designated B2, it could be derived that the number '3' and '5' are the only possible solutions for this cell. These two possibilities are marked by the Markers of cell B2.

Referring now to Figs. 15 and 16, there is shown a game unit, generally designated 120, in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention. Figs. 17 to 21 illustrate various components and cross sectional views of game unit 120. Figs. 22 and 23 illustrate two embodiments of game apparatuses assembled from a plurality of game units 120.

In accordance with embodiment 120, the semi-automatic setup mechanism for resetting the playing beads into their opening positions, is based on a combination of unbalanced weight distribution around the rotational axis of the beads and a means to disengage the beads from the retaining means of the indexing function which prevents its free rotation. The uneven weight distribution around the rotational axis of each bead is arranged such as to bias the bead to display a preselected symbol corresponding to bead's location in the board. Thus, once free to rotate under gravity, all the beads settle to display their opening positions. Further in accordance with this embodiment, the main body of the playing beads is not cylindrical as in the embodiments described above but in the form of an equilateral triangular prism. Turning now to drawings 15 to 21, game unit 120 comprises a housing

125 and a rotatable playing bead 80 rotatably mounted within housing 125. In accordance with this embodiment housing 125 is assembled from three frame parts, a top frame part 130, a bottom frame part 140 and an intermediate frame part 150. It will be understood that frame parts 130, 140 and 150 are integrally formed with like parts of adjacent game units to form a top, bottom and intermediate frame parts of a game apparatus comprising of game units 120, as explained above in association with Figs. 1 to 3.

As depicted in detail in Figs. 18 and 19, in accordance with the embodiment shown here, playing bead 80 is a substantially equilateral triangular prism having three displayable faces: a flat face 81 representing a blank, and two faces 82 and 83 on each of which there is a dome 84 and 86 respectfully, of different colors, which represent the playing pieces of two players. As demonstrated in Figs. 22 and 23, such a structure closely imitates the appearance of a traditional board game. Playing bead 80 further includes a shaft 87 passing through the center of the triangular base faces 88 around which the bead is rotated and three channels 89 located opposite the center lines of the displaying faces and running in parallel to the rotation axis, between the triangular base faces 88. Channels 89 serve as the means to offset the center of gravity of the bead from the rotational axis. By inserting a cylindrical piece 90 (shown in Fig. 18a) of a sufficient weight, for example a piece of lead, into one of the three channels 89, bead 80 becomes strongly unbalanced such that releasing the bead from the Indexing mechanism to freely rotate about shafts 87 will cause the bead to turn until weight 90 is in the lowest possible position. This, in turn, causes the face opposite weight 90 to be displayed through window 138. It will be realized that in accordance with the particular configuration shown here, bead 80 lacks symmetry with respect to the rotational axis due to domes 84 and 86 such that its center of gravity is offset away from blank face 81. Thus, if domes 84 and 86 are made of sufficient weight it might be unnecessary to insert any weight 90 in those beads which are having a blank opening position. A further component of bead 80 is a 240° toothed strip 85, provided at the center of the bead encircling both domes 84 and 86. The roles of toothed strip 85 is to allow the easy turning of the bead, by the fingers of the players and to provide the feature of indexing by interacting with springs 142 located in the bottom frame part.

Top frame 130 includes a display window 138 through which a selected face of playing bead 80 is displayed. Window 138 includes two extensions 134 to allow the free passage of toothed strip 85 when bead 80 is rotated. Top frame 130 further includes two semi-circular recesses 132 which, together with complementary recesses 152 in intermediate frame part 150, form openings 128 for receiving shafts 87 of bead 80. In accordance with this embodiment, partial gear 85 of bead 80 is rotated against a pair of flexible arms 142 provided in bottom frame 140. Arms 142 which extend upwardly from opposite sides of bottom frame 140 end with a slightly inwardly bent rounded tip 143 which interact with the teeth of gear 85 to provide the indexing feature. As best seen in Figs. 20a, 21a and 21b, during a play session, one or both arms 142 act as springs against which gear 85 can be rotated and detent the bead in any angular orientation once left untouched. The interaction between arms 142 and partial gear 85 also creates a pleasant feeling in the finger of the player.

Fig. 15a and 15b illustrate unit 120 in a play position during a course of a game, showing bead 80 in blank display and a white piece display, respectively. In the play position the three frame parts of unit 120 are closely packed. In this position gear 85 of playing bead 80 engages with one or both arms 142 provided in bottom frame 150, and can be controllably rotated to display any one of its three faces. Fig. 16 illustrates game unit 120 in a setup position. In the setup position Intermediate and top frames 150 and 130 are pulled away from bottom part frame 140 to disengage playing gear 85 from arms 142. This in turn allows bead 80 to freely rotate under gravity and to eventually settle down in its opening position. In order to prevent a complete separation between frames 140 and 150 during the setup stage, plates 140 and 150 are connected to each other such as to restrict the extent to which they may be separated. As best seen in Figs. 15c and 17, intermediate frame 150 and bottom frame 140 are connected to each other by means of legs 154 and corresponding openings 146. Legs 154 and openings 146 are configured so as to allow frames 140 and 150 to be separated from each other by a small restricted distance 145 while maintaining the connection between the frames. Referring to Figs, 17, leg 154 terminates with a forked arrowhead end 155 comprising two extensions 156 which may be squeezed toward each other under sufficient force. Opening 146 comprises two parts, an upper narrower part 146a of a circular cross section which widens into lower wider part 146b of an oblong cross section. The upper round part 146a allows the arrowhead end 155 of leg 154 to pass through by squeezing extensions 156. The wider bottom part 146b allows arrowhead 155 to bounce back to the open form so that now it cannot pass back into narrow part 146a without the aid of an appropriate tool, thus restricting the relative motion of frames 140 and 150 with respect to each other. In the play position, depicted in Fig. 17a, intermediate frame 150 is in full contact with bottom frame 140 and arrowhead end 155 of leg 154 goes deeper into bottom part 146b of opening 146. In this position bead 80 engages with arms 142 and the game is operational. In the set-up position, depicted, in Fig. 17b, intermediate and top frames 150 and 130 are lifted above bottom frame 140 until the shoulders of arrowhead 155 reach the top edge of opening part 146b, at that point the distance between frames 150 and 140 cannot increase any more. If the apparatus is further lifted by its upper part, bottom frame 140 will be lifted along suspending from intermediate part 150. In this state, indexing springs 142 and gear 85 of playing bead 80 disengage and bead 80 is free to rotate under gravity. In order to expedite the setup process housing 120 may be slightly shaken to facilitate rotation of the beads. Figs. 21 depict game unit 120 accommodating a bead 80, which is biased to display blank face 81, in four different states. Bead 80 may be gravitationally biased to display face 81 either by inserting a lead piece into the channel opposite blank face 81 or inherently due to domes 84 and 86. In Fig. 21a, game unit 120 is in the play position and bead 80 displays blank face 81. In this state, partial gear 85 engages with both arms 142. Fig. 21b shows bead 80 after it was rotated to display playing piece 84. In this state partial gear 85 engages only with the left arm 142. Fig. 21c depicts unit 120 immediately after frame parts 150 and 140 are pulled away from bottom part 140 to disengage gear 85 from arm 142, and finally Fig. 21d depicts unit 120 still in the setup position after bead 80 has already turned over under gravity to display blank face 81. Now, frames 130 and 150 can be pushed down back towards frame part 140, into the play position depicted in Fig. 21a and a new game may start.

It will be appreciated that in a complete game apparatus, comprising a plurality of game units 120, it might be unnecessary to provide each of the game units with a pair of legs 154 and corresponding openings 146 and that a lesser number of legs and openings distributed appropriately in the intermediate and bottom frame of the apparatus might suffice.

When assembled, top frame 130 is placed upside-down in the assembly jig. Properly weighted playing beads 80 are placed into the cells of the top frame. Then the intermediate frame 150 is placed over the top frame and the two frames are fused together, or otherwise sealed, to hold each bead in its right place, . The last step of, the assembly is to connect frame parts 130 and 150 to frame part 140 by forcing legs 154 into openings 146.

Figs. 22 and 23 illustrate two examples of a game apparatus comprising of game units in accordance with embodiment 120, demonstrating the opening position of the game for which the apparatus is designed. Game apparatus 300 of Fig. 22 is especially designed for playing the game of Othello and accordingly the playing beads are configured so as to display an opening position in which two black playing pieces and two white playing pieces are positioned at the center of the board. In the assembly of apparatus 300, two out of the sixty four beads 80 are biased by inserting weight 90 into channel 89a opposite white dome 84 and two other beads are biased by inserting weight 90 into channel 89b opposite black dome 86. The rest of the beads are biased by inserting weight 90 into channel 89c opposite flat surface 81. Alternatively, if the inherent uneven weight distribution of bead 80, due to domes 84 and 86 is sufficient to bias playing bead 80 to the blank display orientation, it may be sufficient to add weight 90 only to the first four playing beads. By placing the loaded beads into the right locations in the 8 x 8 board, every time apparatus 300 will be lifted by its upper part and will be slightly shaken to initiate setup, all the playing beads will be reset to their opening positions as shown in Fig. 22, ready for a new game.

Apparatus 310 of Fig. 23, designed for the game of Halma, shows the opening position corresponding to the Halma game in which ten black playing pieces are located in one corner of the board and ten white playing pieces are positioned in the opposite corner. Game apparatus 310 is assembled in a similar way to the way described above in association with apparatus 300 with the required modifications, namely in this case ten playing beads are biased to display black dome 86, 10 other beads are biased to display white dome 84 and the rest of the beads are either biased to display the blank surface or are inherently biased to this display. The beads are then placed in the right locations in the 8 x 8 board.

It will be understood that the specific configuration of bead 80 shown in Figs. 15 to 23, embodiment 120 is adapted to the requirements of two-players games such as Othello, Halma, Go, Backgammon and many others, which are played by only two kinds of playing pieces. For these games each cell on the board should be able to present 3 alternatives: Blank, White or Black. Accordingly beads 80 are having a triangular cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation corresponding to three displaying faces. It will be realized, however, that the playing beads are not limited to this particular shape but rather that various beads of different polygonal cross sections may be designed along the same lines wherein the number of displaying faces correspond to the number of displayable alternatives in the game for which they are designed.

Figs. 24 depict another embodiment of a game unit, generally designated 160, of a similar resetting mechanism as of game unit 120 but in which playing bead 180 is of a pentagonal cross section, having five displaying faces 184. Similarly to embodiment 120, housing 170 of game unit 160 comprises three parts, a top plate 172, a bottom plate 174 and an intermediate plate 176. Parts 172, 174 and 176 are of a similar structure as of plates 130, 140 and 150, respectively, of embodiment 120 with the exception that in accordance with this embodiment bottom frame 174 includes two pairs of flexible arms (not shown) configured to engage with two gears 185 of playing bead 180. As in embodiment 120, top and intermediate plates 172 and 176 are joined together to form openings 175 for holding the shafts 186 of playing bead 180 while intermediate plate 176 can be slightly shifted upwardly with respect to bottom plate 174, forming a gap 176 therebetween, to disengage gears 185 from the two pairs of flexible arms built inside bottom plate 174 in order to reset playing bead 180 to its opening display.

In accordance with the embodiment shown here, playing bead 180 is specifically designed for the game of Checkers. Accordingly the five faces 184 of the bead comprise a blank face represented by a gray face, a white and black faces representing a white 'man' and a black 'man', respectively, a white 'king' (shown in Fig. 25b); and a black 'king' . Similarly to bead of embodiment 120, playing bead 180 has three channels 189 running in parallel to the rotation axis into one of them a weight 191 is inserted to determine the opening position of the bead. Channels 189 are arranged opposite the blank, white and black faces. It will be realized that since the white and the black 'kings' are not displayed in the opening position of the game of Checkers, there is no need to include channels opposite the 'king' faces.

Fig. 26 depicts a game apparatus, designated 400, for playing Checkers comprising of thirty two alternating game units 160 interspaced by thirty two empty cells covered by a flat white top surface 312. Fig. 26 depicts apparatus 400 in the opening position for a new game. During assembly of apparatus 400, twelve playing beads are biased to display a white face and are placed in the first three adjacent rows designated 304, at one side of the board, twelve other beads are biased to display a black face and are placed on the first three rows, designated 302 on the opposite side of the board, while eight beads, biased to a gray face are positioned in the two middle rows designated 306.

It will be understood that the specific examples given above are given for the sake of demonstration only and do not intend to limit the invention in any way. Rather, the detailed examples demonstrate the versatility of the present invention with respect to the different board games that may be assembled. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Thus, it will be appreciated that any feature described above in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not limited to that particular embodiment but that rather any such feature may be incorporated into other embodiments as well. For example, the locking feature or the marking feature demonstrated above in association with game unit 50 may be incorporated, with the necessary modifications, into other embodiments of game units. Similarly, any particular structure of a playing bead described above in association with particular indexing or set-up elements of the housing may be modified to be operable in a housing having different indexing or set-up elements. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all board games including such combinations, alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A self-contained game apparatus comprising: a frame defining a plurality of cells for accommodating a plurality of rotating playing beads, the frame is having a top face comprising a plurality of display windows; and a plurality of rotating playing beads, each carrying a set of symbols on a circumferential surface thereof, wherein each of said playing beads is rotatably mounted within one of said plurality of cells so as allow rotating the bead around an axis of rotation to select any symbol from said set of symbols to be displayed through one of said plurality of display windows.

2. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of playing beads is provided with an indexing means coupling between the bead and said frame to allow manually rotating the bead in a stepwise manner and to detent the bead at any orientation when left untouched.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 adapted for playing a board game, the board game is having an opening position, said opening position determines an opening display for each of said plurality of playing beads, wherein the apparatus further comprises a semi-automatic setup mechanism for facilitating resetting the plurality of playing beads to display said opening position for starting a new game.

4. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein said frame comprises a top frame part and a mating bottom frame part configured to form said array of cells when joined together.

5. The game apparatus of claim 2 wherein said indexing means comprises at least one toothed gear or a part thereof encircling at least partially the circumferential surface of the playing bead in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and at least one flexible element provided in a respective cell, said at least one flexible element is configured to engage with said at least one gear or a part thereof and to act as a spring against which said playing bead can be manually rotated by manipulating said gear.

6. The game apparatus of claim 5 wherein said plurality of beads protrude through said plurality of display windows and wherein said at least one gear or part thereof is manipulated from the top surface of the apparatus.

7. The game apparatus of claim 5 wherein the frame further comprises a bottom face provided with a plurality of openings through which said playing beads can protrude and wherein said at least one gear or a part thereof is manipulated from the bottom face of the apparatus.

8. The game apparatus of claim 5 wherein said at least one flexible element is provided at a top part of said cell.

9. The game of claim 5 wherein said at least one flexible element is provided at a bottom part of said cell.

10. The game apparatus of claim 5 wherein said at least one flexible element comprises two flexible strips provided on two opposite sides of a display window or on opposite sides of an opening provided at a bottom face of the cell.

11. The game apparatus of claims 5 wherein said at least one flexible element comprises at least one pair of flexible arms extending inwardly from two opposite walls of said cell.

12. The game apparatus of claim 3 wherein said setup mechanism comprises a bead rotation-limiter provided with each one of the plurality of playing beads and a frame rotation limiter provided with each one of the plurality of cells.

13. The game apparatus of claim 3 wherein the plurality of playing beads are having a nonuniform weight distribution around the axis of rotation so as to gravitationally bias each of said plurality of beads to display said position display when free to rotate under gravitation and wherein the setup mechanism comprises disengaging means to allow a player to disengage the plurality of playing beads from said at least one flexible element for resetting the apparatus to display said opening position.

14. The game apparatus of claim 13 wherein the beads are having a plurality of hollow openings distributed around the axis of rotation and wherein said nonuniform weight distribution is obtained by inserting a weight into one of said hollow openings.

15. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein the beads are having an elongated body of a circular cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

16. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein the beads are having an elongated body of a polygonal cross section in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

17. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein said set of symbols includes at least one three-dimensional element protruding from said circumferential surface.

18. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of playing beads is having an elongated body and wherein said elongated body comprises a slot in the circumferential surface thereof in parallel to the axis of rotation, said slot is adapted to receive a band carrying said set of symbols.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of beads can be shifted from a play position in which the bead can be rotated to display any selected symbol to a locked position in which the bead cannot be rotated.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of cells includes a set of markers provided at the top surface thereof, said markers are configured to allow a player in a course of a game to mark possible moves in said cell when the player hesitates between a number of such moves.