The present disclosure is directed to board games, and more particularly to board games incorporating the use of three-dimensional structural components detachably interlocked to a game board and operatively associated in a series so that each actuates another to provide a sequence of events terminating in a particular desired result.
In some embodiments, the various structural components may include a trip unit adapted to start a sequence in which each of a series of structural components are consecutively and automatically actuated in a predetermined order. In such embodiments, the trip unit may include a user-operable trigger and a random actuation mechanism so that user operation of the trigger may or may not result in actuation of the trip unit to start the sequence. In these embodiments, such a sequence may culminate in the actuation of a terminating unit.
In some embodiments, the game board may include a plurality of shaped sockets or openings, at which the various structural components may be detachably interlocked via a connector device. Such a connector device may consist essentially of a short, hollow cylinder extending vertically from a flat base, with engaging structure adapted to form a snap fit or friction fit with the game board. Thus secured, the connector device may cooperate with a base portion of a structural component to provide a detachable interlocking mechanism by which the various components may be secured to the game board in a position so as to make the entire assembly operable in a desired manner.
In some embodiments, the game board and one or more components may include movement spaces arranged to form a pathway, positioned relative to the components such that actuation of one or more of the components may disrupt or dislodge a player mover situated on a predetermined movement space. Some embodiments may further include various chips or tokens, and player movers adapted to hold or otherwise releasably retain one or more tokens. In such embodiments, the player movers may be adapted to drop or release a held token, for example, if the player mover is suddenly dislodged from a movement space.
Methods of game play suitable for use with such embodiments may involve one or more players attempting to collect and thereafter “deliver” a predetermined number or set of tokens to a destination space or to a designated structural component. Upon the occurrence of certain random and/or predetermined game events during game play, such as selecting a certain token or moving a player mover to a certain movement space or the like, a player may operate the trigger on a trip unit one or more times. If the trip unit actuates a sequence in which each of a series of structural components are consecutively and automatically actuated in a predetermined order, a penalty may be assessed if a player mover is thereby dislodged and/or if a player mover releases a token it is carrying. The penalty may be retrograde movement of the dislodged player mover to a “safe” movement space, requiring the player mover to collect an additional token, return of any “dropped” tokens to a token collection area, and so forth.
In some embodiments, a terminating unit may be configured to launch one or more delivered tokens toward a target. The goal of game play may in such embodiments may be to deliver tokens and thereafter trigger the aforementioned sequential operation of structural components to culminate in launching delivered tokens toward the target.
A game playset includes at least one movable game piece object for a player to advance during game play. It also includes a game board which has a path provided thereon across which the at least one movable game piece object advances. The game board also including a plurality of components attached to a surface of the game board, and each of the plurality of components is pivotably mounted and has a manual trigger associated therewith. So when a first of the plurality of components pivots downwardly in a falling motion, it comes into contact with a corresponding trigger associated with a second of the plurality of components, thereby causing the second of the plurality of components to pivot downwardly by falling. The plurality of components can be mounted to the game board by a connector device attached to a hole in the game board. Also, the plurality of components are in the shape of a kitchen utensil which can be anything commonly found in a kitchen, including but not limited to food items such as bread, textiles such as dish towels, or salt or pepper shakers. The path of the game board may be at least partially formed across at least one of the plurality of components, like the top surface of a loaf of bread.
Examples of construction and amusement devices consisting of a series of operatively associated structural components can be found in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,300,891 and 4,219,198. Examples of board games incorporating such devices can be found in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,692 (and the corresponding commercial game “Mouse Trap” first produced by Ideal in 1963), U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,290,605, 4,348,028, and the game “Rumble in the Jungle” produced by Tomy Corporation in 2004. Examples of games utilizing one or more mechanical devices to disrupt player movers on a pathway can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,649,021, 4,484,747 and 4,852,886. Examples of devices adapted to removably interlock with a surface can be found in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,308,647, 6,718,600, 6,923,407, and 7,082,650. Examples of board games incorporating such devices can be found in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,454,639, 3,888,488, 4,057,254, and 4,708,348. The disclosures of all of the aforementioned references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
The games of the present disclosure may be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description.
An exemplary board game apparatus 100 (or action playset) is shown in
As seen in
Also, some of the movement spaces are shown to include various distinctive indicia, which may be used during game play to indicate a game action to be taken by a player when a player mover is moved to occupy one of such movement spaces. For example, token indicia (shown as a graphic image of a plate 102) may indicate that a player may collect a token 138 from a nearby token collection area (which are shown to be graphic-images, shaped like plates 104). Such game actions may relate to the game play methods used with the game board, some of which are explained in greater detail below, and thus the various indicia on the movement spaces may vary as desired.
The movement space indicia, and other decorative and/or functional indicia of the various game components, may also relate to a theme or backstory incorporated into the game. For example, the various embodiments shown in the figures and discussed herein are based on the Disney/Pixar animated motion picture “RATATOUILLE.” In the film, a rat named Remy aspires to become a great French chef, and attempts to sneak into the kitchen of a restaurant to practice cooking. However, one of the restaurant's cooks, Chef Skinner, repeatedly chases Remy out of the kitchen. As such, various aspects of embodiments that incorporate this theme reflect elements of the film. For example, all of the structural components of the exemplary embodiments are in the form of kitchen utensils and related items, the player movers are shown to resemble the Remy rat character, the tokens visually represent various food items, and so forth. However, alternative embodiments may incorporate one or more other themes, or no theme, as desired.
Interspersed among the various structural components on the game board 110 are several token collection areas, shown to be shaped like plates 104. A set of tokens 138, 140, 142, 144, is shown to placed in each token collection area. The tokens 138 are shown as flat, two-sided discs, one side of which bears a graphic image of a food item or an image of the Chef Skinner character, and the other side bears generic and/or trade dress indicia. As such, the tokens are indistinguishable when placed with the generic side facing up. In the exemplary embodiments, each food item is color-coded, such that each of four colors is visually associated with each of four food ingredients. In
As shown in
The player movers are shown to be distinguishable by color; each player mover in
The various structural components shown mounted to the game board 110 are relatively positioned with respect to each other, and operatively associated in a series, so that each structural component automatically and sequentially actuates the next in the series so that the entire apparatus culminates in a desired result. The components may take a variety of shapes and configurations, such as those of kitchen utensils and related items, and may be adapted to be detachably interlocked with the game board.
As shown, the exemplary connector device 152 is shown to consist essentially of a short, hollow cylinder 154 extending vertically from a flat base 156, with fins 158 extending horizontally from a top end of the cylinder. There are flexible ribs 160 on the interior surface of the cylinder. The footprint of the top end 162 of the connector is smaller than the footprint of the base 156.
In use, a connector device 152 is placed through an opening in a game board that is roughly the same size and shape of the smaller footprint. For example, as shown in
An alternative snap-fit design may operate in essentially the same manner, but may be inserted through an opening in the game board 110 by pinching flexible vertical fins inward prior to insertion. The connector device 152 may then be secured to the game board 110 by the vertical fins pressing against the sides of the opening, rather than by a friction fit with the top and bottom surfaces of the game board 110.
Thus secured, a connector device 152, or more specifically the interior ribs 160 (and/or other structure) thereof, may cooperate with a base portion of a structural component to provide a detachable interlocking mechanism by which the various components 112, 116, 118, etc, may be secured to the game board 110.
The manner of securing the structural components to the game board may be done so as to ensure that the actuation of each component will succeed in triggering the automatic actuation of the next component. Optionally, some embodiments of the game may be configured to incorporate the possibility that one or more components fail to actuate in series. In some commercial embodiments of the game, the connector devices and structural components may be provided as preassembled units, or a set of instructions accompanying the game may provide user instructions for assembling the apparatus.
In the pictured embodiments, the various structural components collectively form an apparatus that operates in a predetermined sequence, with each structural component configured, both in position and in function, to actuate the next in the series.
More specifically, the first structural component of the series which collectively form the actuable apparatus, which may be thought of as a trip unit, includes a user-operable trigger and a random actuation mechanism so that user operation of the trigger may or may not result in actuation of the trip unit to start the sequence. The final structural component analogously may be thought of as a terminating unit.
As such, each structural component includes at least one actuable mechanism, which may take any suitable form, and an actuating device or trigger that actuates the at least one actuable mechanism of the component. For example, the trip unit is shown as a large cleaver-type knife 112, oriented vertically so that it appears to be balanced on its handle 173. As seen in greater detail in
Positioned adjacent to the trip unit is a structural component shaped to resemble a loaf of bread 114. As mentioned above, a portion of the pathway 115 traverses this component, and
Near the loaf of bread 114 is a structural component in the form of a salt shaker 113. In
Located across a section of pathway from the salt shaker component 113, and best viewed in
A curved ramp operatively connects the spatula component 116 with a structural component in the form of a strainer 118. A ball bearing 181 released down the ramp will engage and circle the hemispherical interior surface of the strainer until exiting an opening located in the bottom.
As seen in
The pathway of movement spaces is shown to follow the periphery of the stack of dishes 129, and the knives are positioned to extend into the space above the pathway, such that a player mover positioned on one of the movement spaces adjacent the stack of dishes may be moved or dislodged by the spinning knives 128 when this structural component is actuated.
Another length of shaped ramp operatively connects the stack of dishes to a structural component in the form of a leaning stack of cups 120. The ramp 185 is shown to terminate in a small collection area that includes a trigger 182 that actuates the stack of cups component 120, such as when a ball bearing rolls down the ramp into the collection area and strikes the trigger. When actuated, the stack of cups 120 appears to fall pivoting downwardly in the direction that the stack is shown to lean.
A terminating unit is shown in
Thus described, the sequential actuation of the series of structural components of the exemplary embodiment may be triggered by actuation of the trip unit and may culminate in launching one or more tokens into the cooking pot 124.
This sequence is visually depicted in
In
In
In
In
In
In
In
In
The foregoing paragraphs describe the actuation of the apparatus of the exemplary embodiment, but variations in the aforementioned game components and concepts are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, some embodiments may include a plurality of independently actuable apparatus, each consisting of several operatively associated structural components. The actuable apparatus in some embodiments may be configured to be actuable by user as well as automatically actuable, and so forth.
An exemplary, non-limiting method of game play utilizing the components and concepts discussed above is outlined in the paragraphs below. Games may be played by two or more players, each of which controls a player mover and attempts to deliver two tokens from various token collection areas to the spoon portion of the terminating unit.
Prior to game play, the various structural components are constructed and/or detachably secured to the game board as detailed above, and are each set to be actuated. Each player chooses a player mover, and the tokens are distributed among the token collection areas. According to an exemplary set of rules for game play, five tokens are distributed face-down to each of four token collection areas, so that each token collection area includes one of each color of token, and a token with Chef Skinner indicia.
After a player is selected to take the first turn, a movement device is used to indicate the number of spaces the player may move his or her player mover, beginning at the movement space marked “START.” For example, the aforementioned exemplary set of rules may call for the use of a die to indicate the number of spaces to move.
As a player mover traverses the pathway, if it is placed on a movement space bearing token indicia, the player controlling the player mover may attempt to collect a token by turning over a selected token in the closest token collection area. The set of rules may provide that a token may be collected in this manner only if the color of the selected token matches that of the player mover. The rules may also provide that a player is given two attempts to collect a token every time the player's player mover lands on a token space. The rules may also provide that if the Chef Skinner token is selected, the trigger on the trip unit is pressed a predetermined number of times, potentially actuating the apparatus.
If a token is successfully collected, a player mounts the token to his or her player mover and continues to move the player mover toward the terminating unit, while attempting to avoid the player mover “dropping” the token or being knocked over due to actuation of the apparatus.
If the apparatus is actuated, such as via the trigger and the random actuation mechanism or via the override button, the rules may provide that any player mover that is dislodged is assessed a penalty, such as retrograde movement of the mover backward on the pathway to a designated space. The rules may also provide that the apparatus is re-set after having been actuated.
Players generally continue in this manner, attempting to deliver token individually to the terminating unit. The rules may provide that a player may not unload a token into the spoon portion of the terminating unit, or leave the short pathway loop near the terminating unit, until the player mover is moved to a space bearing certain indicia, such as the spoon indicia visible on some of the movement spaces of
The rules may provide that the first player to successfully collect and deliver two tokens in this manner is the winner.
Several aspects of the exemplary methods of game play may be modified from that disclosed above, and these methods and/or modifications may be reflected in a set of rules to accompany the game. An exemplary set of rules, for example which may accompany a commercial embodiment similar to those described above, is reproduced below. The exemplary set of rules incorporates a lexicon that reflects the aforementioned theme of the “RATATOUILLE” animated film, and thus may be different from, but not inconsistent with, the concepts and components described above.
Remy's Kitchen Quake Game
Product description
2-4 players
Ages 5+
It's a race, a dangerous race across a disaster ridden counter top . . . where you are Remy! Be the first player to add 2 ingredients to the soup and win the game. But it's not that easy, Chef Skinner is on the prowl and he will set off a chain of disasters before he let's Remy cook in his kitchen.
Contents:
1 Board
4 Remy movers
20 Playing tokens (16—ingredient tokens/4 Chef Skinner tokens)
1 Die
Various props/mechanisms (butcher knife, bread, salt shaker, fork, spatula, strainer, 3 ramps, plates w/rotating knives, tea cups, spoon launcher w/dish towel, soup pot.)
Object: Be the first player to add two ingredients of your color into the soup.
There are 16 ingredient tokens in total, 4 of each type of ingredient including onions, broccoli, carrots, and chicken. Each type of ingredient has a colored background. Broccolis have yellow background, onions have red backgrounds, chickens have blue backgrounds, and carrots have green backgrounds. The colored backgrounds correspond to the color of each player's mover. Each player may collect only 1 type of ingredient. (The blue player will only be collecting chicken, the yellow player only broccoli)
You may only collect 1 ingredient at a time. Players may not collect a 2nd ingredient until their first is successfully added to the soup!
Set Up:
Find the 4 plates illustrated on the game board. These plates represent the ingredient “pick-up” areas. Before play begins all 20 tokens must be distributed to the 4 “pick-up” areas. There will be 5 tokens on each plate when you are done. (4 ingredient tokens and 1 Chef Skinner token) Distribute the ingredients evenly to each “pick-up” area by placing one of each ingredient type face down on each plate. Then place 1 Skinner token face down on each plate. Make sure to mix them up so you don't know what's what.
After set-up each plate should have 1 broccoli, 1 chicken, 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 Skinner.
Place all the movers on the start space which is located inside the launching loop.
First player to yell out their favorite food goes first.
Let's Play:
Roll the die and move around the board to the 4 “Pick-Up” areas. When you land at a pick-up space, those with plate icons, turn over a token of your choice. You do not need an exact roll to land on a pick up space.
1. Bread spaces and surrounding path.
2. Salt Shaker
3. Swinging Spatula
4. Rotating Knives—knock you over
5. Water Stream spaces—dangerous rolling ball!
6. Dish Towel spaces
7. Falling Cups
Chef Skinner Spaces.
Chef Skinner spaces work the same as the Skinner tokens. Each Skinner space shows a numerical value. When a Skinner space is landed on, press the butcher knife button as many times as shown on the space. Resolve the action accordingly.
As with the “pick-up” spaces, a player does not need an exact roll to land on a Skinner space. They may choose to end their movement short in hopes of affecting their opponents.
The Launching Loop
Inside the launching loop, and only in the launching loop, can players unload their ingredient into the spoon and launch it into the soup.
A player must launch their ingredient into the soup before he/she can leave the launching loop. Players must roll the die and move around the loop until they land on a Spoon Space.
Landing on a Spoon Space
When a player lands on a spoon space by exact count, they may then take the token from Remy's hands and place it into the spoon launcher. Once their ingredient is loaded onto the spoon that player may set off the chain reaction by pressing the override button on the butcher knife!
Player's may leave the launching loop to pick up their second and final token once their ingredient is in the soup
Winning the Game:
Win the game by being the first player to add two ingredients to the soup.
Optionally, as mentioned above, the configuration of the game components may be modified to achieve a desired effect, in conjunction with the game rules. The apparatus and/or rules of the game may thus provide game play with a desired degree of complexity or difficulty, for example to adapt the game to players of a predetermined age range, and/or to adjust the relative degrees to which chance and strategy determine the winner of the game.
The exemplary embodiments and methods illustrated and disclosed herein are believed to encompass multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each has been disclosed in an exemplary form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations of the concepts and components are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Similarly, where any description recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such description should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Inventions embodied in various combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through presentation of claims in a related application. Such claims are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/846,008 filed on Sep. 19, 2006 entitled “BOARD GAMES WITH SEQUENTIALLY ACTUABLE COMPONENTS”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
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