Patent Application
20060273513
The present invention relates to a game. More particularly, the present invention relates to a critical thinking game in which one or more players exchange game pieces on a board until a predetermined arrangement of game pieces is realized.
Games played out on boards comprising grids defining a plurality of spaces are well known. Checkers, chess, OTHELLO® and Go are well known examples. The object of the game in many such board games comprising grids of spaces is to capture an opponent's game pieces or position, or move all of one's own playing pieces to an opposing side of the board, or both.
Such board games typically require a minimum of at least two individual players, as the object of the game is to capture or outflank an opposing player's playing pieces.
The rules of such games may be difficult to initially learn and require years of playing until the game is mastered. Difficult rules can significantly decrease mass appeal of a game.
Games requiring a minimum of one player are of a growing popularity. This is especially true because of the growing popularity of portable gaming systems as well as devices, such as, for example, mobile phones and personal data assistants (PDA) on which games can be a secondary function. Often, individuals may play the games on such systems and devices to pass short periods of time, break up monotony of a job, keep one's mind fresh, and to be intellectually challenged.
Thus, what is desired is a board game that can be played at least individually, is easy to learn, can provide critical thinking challenges, while also providing entertainment.
The various exemplary embodiments of the present invention include a game board apparatus. The game board apparatus comprises a board and a set of individual game pieces. The board comprises a two or three dimensional grid of playing spaces in a fixed area. The individual game pieces of the set each comprise at least a first predetermined characteristic and a second predetermined characteristic. None of the individual game pieces comprise both an identical first predetermined characteristic and an identical second predetermined characteristic as any other of the individual game pieces of the set. The number of individual game pieces in the set is preferably equal to a number of playing spaces on the board. It is preferred that each of the individual game pieces is positioned on the board such that each of the individual game pieces singly occupies a related playing space. Individual game pieces are exchanged with other individual game pieces positioned on the board until one or more predetermined winning configurations of game piece arrangements are evident on the board.
The various exemplary embodiments further include a method of playing a game board apparatus. The game board apparatus comprises a board and a set of individual game pieces. The board comprises a two or three dimensional grid of playing spaces in a fixed area. The individual game pieces of the set each comprise at least a first predetermined characteristic and a second predetermined characteristic. None of the individual game pieces comprise both an identical first predetermined characteristic and an identical second predetermined characteristic as any other of the individual game pieces of the set. The number of individual game pieces in the set is equal to a number of playing spaces on the board. The method of playing the board game apparatus comprises positioning the individual game pieces on the board such that each of the individual game pieces singly occupies a related playing space. Then, the individual game pieces are exchanged with one another on the board until one or more predetermined winning configurations of game piece arrangements are evident on the board.
Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are described in the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
a and 2b are illustrations of exemplary embodiments of game pieces comprising the game board apparatus of the present invention.
The various exemplary embodiments of the present invention include a method and a board game apparatus and a method of playing with the board game apparatus.
The game board apparatus of the various exemplary embodiments herein includes a board on which the game is played. As shown in
In exemplary embodiments, the board 10 may comprise multiple playing levels (not shown) perpendicular to a surface plane of the grid shown in
The grid in the various exemplary embodiments comprises multiple rows 22 and multiple columns 24 comprised of the playing spaces. It is preferred that the number of columns and the number of rows are equal. In the various exemplary embodiments, there are at least four rows of playing spaces. In other exemplary embodiments, there are at least four columns of playing spaces.
Although the playing spaces in
The board of the various exemplary embodiments need not be of traditional board game composition. That is, although the board of the various exemplary embodiments herein may be of cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, cloth, or similar material, the board may be electronically generated and displayed such that the game may be played on a computing device such as, for example, a computer, a mobile phone, a personal data assistant (PDA), a gaming device, and similar. If the board is metal, the game pieces may be magnetic in order to more substantially remain positioned on the board.
In addition to the board, the game board apparatus of the various exemplary embodiments comprises a set of individual game pieces 30.
As shown in
No multiple individual game pieces of the set comprise identical first predetermined characteristic and second predetermined characteristic. As such, each game piece in the set is unique. For example, in
Although no individual game piece comprises the same first predetermined characteristic and same second predetermined characteristic as any other individual game piece, individual game pieces may have the same first predetermined characteristic or same second predetermined characteristic as other individual game pieces.
For example, in reference to
The number of individual game pieces in a set is preferably equal to the number of playing spaces. Thus, if there are a total of sixteen playing spaces comprised of four columns 24 of playing spaces and four rows 22 of playing spaces, it is preferred that there are a total of sixteen individual playing pieces.
The first predetermined characteristic 35 of the individual playing pieces may be based on color, shape, size, or one or more printed symbols.
For example, in the exemplary embodiment comprising a total of twenty-five individual game pieces for twenty-five playing spaces comprised of five columns of playing spaces and five rows of playing spaces, there should be at least five different first predetermined characteristics. That is, the number of different first predetermined characteristics is equal to the number of rows of playing spaces.
In this exemplary embodiment, five different first predetermined characteristics are needed. If the first predetermined characteristic is based on color, then five different colors are chosen as, for example, red, yellow, green, blue, and white. Of course, any other color could be chosen to replace one of these exemplary colors, as long as no two identical colors are chosen for the first predetermined characteristic.
In this example, the first predetermined characteristic could instead be based on size. In such an embodiment, the individual game pieces would different from one another in five different sizes.
Wherein the first predetermined characteristic is based on shape, five different shapes would be chosen. For example, five different shapes may be five different animal shapes such as, for example, a dog, a kangaroo, a fish, an elephant, and a giraffe. The different shapes need not be based on animals, of course, and can represent different buildings, people, geometric shapes, vehicles, and the like.
Finally, the first predetermined characteristic may be based on symbols on the individual game pieces. Such symbols may be simple such as, for example, any combination of one or more symbols, numbers or letters; or symbols or logos representing different business, literary or cartoon characters, colleges and universities, athletic teams, states, countries, and the like.
In this exemplary embodiment comprising a total of twenty-five individual game pieces for twenty-five playing spaces comprised of five columns of playing spaces and five rows of playing spaces, there should also be at least five different second predetermined characteristics. That is, the number of different second predetermined characteristics is preferably equal to the number of columns of playing spaces on the board.
The second predetermined characteristic 45 may also be based on color, size, shape, or printed symbols as set forth above. However, the second predetermined characteristic should be based on different characteristics than the first predetermined characteristic 35.
That is, if the first predetermined characteristic is based on color, for example, then the second predetermined characteristic should be based on one or more of size, shape, or printed symbols.
Since each individual playing piece has two different predetermined characteristics, no two playing pieces in a set have the same combination of first predetermined characteristic and second predetermined characteristic. For example, in
In the various exemplary embodiments, during game play, one or more players position the individual game pieces in individual playing spaces of the board into one or more predetermined winning configurations of game piece arrangements.
The one or more predetermined winning configurations of game piece arrangements may be, for example, an arrangement of individual game pieces on the board such that each individual playing space is occupied by an individual game piece, each row of playing spaces consists of individual playing pieces having different first predetermined characteristics and different second predetermined characteristics, and each column of playing spaces consists of individual playing pieces having different first predetermined characteristics and different second predetermined characteristics.
Another predetermined winning configuration of game piece arrangements may be, for example, an arrangement of individual game pieces on the board such that each individual playing space is occupied by an individual game piece, each row of playing spaces consists of individual game pieces having different first predetermined characteristics and different second predetermined characteristics, each column of playing spaces consists of individual game pieces having different first predetermined characteristics and different second predetermined characteristics, and each corner-to-corner “X” shape, or other desired shape, of playing spaces consist of individual game pieces having different first predetermined characteristics and different second predetermined characteristics.
Yet another predetermined winning configuration of game piece arrangements may be, for example, an arrangement of individual game pieces of the board such that each row of playing spaces consists of game pieces having identical first predetermined characteristics, and each column of playing spaces consists of game pieces having different second predetermined characteristics.
Another predetermined winning configuration of game piece arrangements may be, for example, an arrangement of individual game pieces of the board such that each row of playing spaces consists of game pieces having identical first predetermined characteristics, each column of playing spaces consists of game pieces having different second predetermined characteristics, and each corner-to-corner “X” shape, or other desired shape, of playing spaces consist of individual game pieces having different second predetermined characteristics.
Yet another predetermined winning configuration of game piece arrangements may be, for example, an arrangement of individual game pieces of the board such that each game piece is adjacent to or adjoining at least one other game piece having the same first predetermined characteristic, but no two or more game pieces in any row, column, or corner-to-corner “X” shape of playing spaces have the same second predetermined characteristic.
In starting to play the game of the exemplary embodiments herein, each individual game piece may be positioned randomly and singly in a playing space. In another exemplary embodiment, the individual game pieces may be positioned singly in playing spaces such that an initial pattern is formed such as, for example, positioning game pieces having identical first predetermined characteristic in the same row and positioning game pieces having identical second predetermined characteristics in the same column. See, for example,
In playing the game, the game pieces do not need to be placed on the board initially and then exchanged for one another. In different embodiments, the game pieces may be left off the board initially and then placed on the board by one or more players as desired.
In order to play the game, one or more players exchange playing spaces of individual game pieces with one another on the board until the one or more predetermined winning configurations of game piece arrangements is evident on the board.
For example,
The game play progresses in a similar fashion of exchanging individual game pieces with one another's position on the board until one or more winning combinations, examples of which are set forth above, are realized.
Although the above description describes the game with regard to arranging game pieces, a first predetermined characteristic and a second characteristic, the game also may be played wherein the same rules apply but wherein there is also a third predetermined characteristic such that the game pieces are to be arranged such that the same third predetermined characteristic is not evident in the same row or column as described above for the first predetermined characteristic and the second predetermined characteristic.
If present, the third characteristic may also be based on color, size, shape, or printed symbols as set forth above. However, the third predetermined characteristic should be based on different characteristics than the first predetermined characteristic and the second predetermined characteristic.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
