Patent Grant
7484732
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for playing a game and displaying said game. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for playing a game that requires the player to assemble a set of cards to form an image, wherein said cards may optionally be assembled atop an apparatus that aids proper positioning and assembly of said cards, as well as display of the assembled cards.
Many systems and methods have been created to provide people with entertainment via puzzles and games that involve puzzles. Many such systems and methods involve reassembly of segments of an image to recreate an overall image. In its most simplistic form, some such systems and methods include reassembling square segments atop a support surface to create an image. One such system includes a support surface upon which the desired image (i.e., the image that is created when the puzzle is complete) is imprinted or otherwise placed to help the assembler properly piece together the puzzle. In some such systems, cards containing rectangular segments of the image are arranged on the support surface in rows and columns until the image depicted on the support surface is recreated. Alternatively, the cards may be arranged atop a surface other than the support surface. In this scenario, use of the support surface may be omitted or such surface may serve only as a memory aid. Additionally, the cards incorporated in such games may include a picture of the intended image on the back of the card to allow cards related to different puzzles to be distinguished from one another.
Similar games incorporating a support surface exist in which the cards may be affixed or held in place by the support surface. In some such games, the cards may be secured to the support surface by inserting them into slots included within the support surface. Some such games are assembled by first inserting the appropriate cards into the respective slots in the top row of each column. Thereafter, cards are inserted into the respective slots of the lower rows of each column such that they overlap the previously inserted cards. The resulting overall image is created from the visible portions of the inserted cards (i.e., the portions of the cards that are not overlapped by adjacent cards).
Some existing games require players to disassemble one or more puzzles. One such game includes an assembled puzzle image hidden behind an assembled concealing puzzle, wherein the concealing puzzle includes smaller puzzle pieces than the hidden puzzle. In one form, the hidden puzzle image is concealed by a puzzle that contains its own distinct image. In this game, the players take turns removing randomly selected pieces of the concealing puzzle to reveal portions of the concealed puzzle image. When one of the game players correctly guesses the concealed puzzle image, the game is ended and this player is deemed the winner. In more complex versions of such games, the winner must correctly answer a question contained in the concealed puzzle image in addition to identifying the puzzle image.
Another similar game that requires players to disassemble one or more concealing puzzles includes a specific method for removing the pieces of such a puzzle. In one such game, the pieces of the concealing puzzle are square or rectangular, opaque pieces that lie atop a transparent window that protects the surface of the concealed image. Additionally, each piece of the concealing puzzle is color-coded, wherein each color corresponds to a category of questions. To play this game, players take turns choosing pieces of the concealing puzzle. After a player selects a piece, the respective player is asked a question that corresponds to the question category associated with the color of the selected puzzle piece. If the player correctly answers the question, the puzzle piece is removed, revealing a portion of the concealed image. Each player continues to take a turn until one of the players correctly identifies the concealed image, thereby winning the game. In some such games, each piece of the concealing puzzle is assigned a monetary value based on its color to allow the players to earn points as the game progresses.
Apparatus and methods for assembling or reassembling one or more coherent images from a plurality of segments of the coherent image, wherein said segments are reproduced on parts, pieces, blocks, cards, or the like, are provided in one aspect of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, a set of cards such as, but not limited to, a traditional deck of cards, is provided such that the face of each card includes a portion of a single coherent image. When a player arranges each of the cards of the set in the correct overlapping order with the correct orientation, the images on the visible portions of the card faces mesh together to form one or more larger coherent images. Optionally, such cards may be fixed in an immovable position to allow the resulting image to be displayed.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the topmost card (i.e., the card that lies on top of all other cards when the final coherent image has been achieved) contributes the entire face of the topmost card to the resulting coherent image, whereas all other cards (e.g., the base card and intermediate cards) contribute only a portion of the face of the respective card to the final resulting image. That is, the portions of the base and intermediate cards that are not visible in the resulting coherent image are obscured by the overlapping edges of adjacent cards. In this embodiment of the present invention, all cards except the topmost card include only a small and unique portion of the final complete image. Consequently, the topmost card is unique in that it contributes its entire face to the resulting image making its contribution to such image much greater than the intermediate and base cards. Starting assembly of the cards with the base card and completing such assembly with the topmost card provides the player with the greatest sense of accomplishment upon completion of the assembly since the topmost card includes the most significant portion of the resulting image.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the face of each card includes a unique portion of the resulting single coherent image. That is, no two cards of the set of cards include exactly the same image. In such embodiments of the present invention, the method of assembling or reassembling the resulting coherent image that is provided by the present invention requires simply starting with the base card (i.e., the card that lies beneath all other cards when the final coherent image has been achieved) and matching each adjacent card on a one-by-one basis until all intermediate and topmost cards have been assembled, thereby achieving the final resulting image.
Although no two cards include identical images in the aforementioned embodiment of the present invention, alternate, more complex embodiments of the present invention are envisioned in which the images located on the faces of each card, or portions thereof, are wholly or partially duplicated to make it more or less difficult for the player to match adjacent, overlapping cards. In other words, in these embodiments, there may exist more than one card that appears to match another card, and the player will have to match several other subsequent cards before learning that the originally selected card was incorrect. Such embodiments are intended to increase the enjoyment for more experienced players of the present invention. In either of the aforementioned embodiments, the cards are matched solely by side-by-side matching of randomly selected cards until the correct card is discovered (i.e., the visual information on the card aligns in the correct relative format to the visual information included on the previous card with no overlapping or omission of the visual image).
In one optional aspect of the present invention, the portions of the card faces that are obscured by the overlapping edges of adjacent cards when the card assembly is complete are imprinted or otherwise marked with information or images either related or unrelated to the resulting coherent image. In one such embodiment, the obscured portions of the card faces include complete or partial segments of the final resulting image that are intended to increase or decrease the complexity of matching adjacent, overlapping cards. For example, the portion of the card faces that are visible in the resulting image may be extended to form a complete image that encompasses the entire face of the card. In such an embodiment, all intermediate and base cards are similar to the topmost card in that the entire face of the card includes an image, however, the images vary, at least slightly, from card to card.
Since the image on each card is created from the visible segment of the image when all cards are assembled, the images on adjacent cards may overlap. This overlap provides clues that a player may use when performing side-by-side matching of the cards since the more similar images are located closer to each other in the final arrangement. Additionally, the level of difficulty of assembling the final coherent image may be increased or decreased by adjusting the quantity of duplicated information on adjacent cards. However, many embodiments of the present invention do not require any evaluation of the card faces other than the side-by-side comparison discussed herein. In such embodiments, comparison of the quantity of duplicated information on adjacent cards serves as an aide to assembling the final coherent image, but is not a requirement thereof.
In embodiments of the present invention that include full images on the faces of each card in the deck, any of the cards may be chosen to be the base card. In such embodiments, each time a different base card is selected, a different rotation of the coherent image results. This rotation causes the topmost card to change, which in turn may greatly change the appearance of the final coherent image, thereby allowing a player to replay the game many times without boredom since a different result is achieved each time. Each time a different base card is selected, a different topmost card results.
Alternative embodiments of the present invention are envisioned in which the obscured portion of the card faces include other information not related to the final resulting image. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, fifty-four cards are included in the set and the obscured portion of each of the cards, with the exception of the topmost card, includes information related to a respective card of a standard deck. In other words, the totality of the cards includes two jokers as well as the four standard suits in a typical deck of cards (i.e., diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs), wherein each of the latter includes the thirteen standard values (i.e., ace, two through ten, jack, queen, and king). Since the topmost card does not have an obscured area, such card typically serves as one of the two jokers. In this embodiment of the present invention, the utility and enjoyment of the present invention is increased by allowing the set of cards to be assembled as a single coherent image or disassembled for use as a standard deck of cards. In some embodiments, such cards may be shuffled, dealt, and played in a conventional fashion according to the rules of either existing games (e.g., poker, solitaire, spades, hearts, rummy, etc.) or yet to be invented card games. Also, in such embodiments, the values on the obscured portion of each card may be used to score a game having assembly or reassembly of the single coherent image as its goal.
Rather than including the numbers, suits, jokers, etc. that occur in a standard deck of playing cards, other card designs may be employed within the obscured portions of the card faces. For example, such obscured portions may be designed to resemble cards used to play traditional games such as Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Rook®, Flinch®, UNO®, memory, and the like. Or, such obscured areas may include questions, multiplication tables, or other similar information to allow the cards to be alternatively used as educational flash cards. In yet another embodiment, the obscured areas of each card may include the letters of the alphabet, numbers, or other information having a sequential order. In such an embodiment, arranging the cards in the respective sequential order allows the player to easily assemble a single coherent image. Such embodiments decrease the level of complexity associated with the present invention to allow it to be played by individuals such as young children or those having poor eyesight. Alternatively, the obscured portions of the card faces may be left blank.
Furthermore, the back of each card (i.e., the side of the card located opposite the face of the card) may also include visual or other information. For example, the back of each card may include the graphics of a respective one of a standard deck of cards or a special deck of cards (e.g., Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Rook®, Flinch®, UNO®, etc.). Alternatively, the backs of each card could contain a portion of a second single coherent image to allow one set of cards to be assembled to create either of two, distinct coherent images. In yet another embodiment, the card backs may include information that is either related to or unrelated to the final resulting image and is included to increase the enjoyment, educational value, or utility of the card game (e.g., such information may create flash cards that allow children to study various subjects). And in still another embodiment, each card may include sub-sections of four distinct coherent images, essentially creating four distinct games as described herein, which greatly increases the amusement value of a single set of cards.
In addition to the various segment embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for playing such a game is also provided. In many embodiments, one or more of a variety of plates or stands are incorporated to aid the player in arranging the cards in the proper orientation during the reassembly process. Such plates and stands may include mechanisms for locking the image segments (e.g., cards) in an immovable position upon finalization of the assembly or reassembly. Locking the segments in such a position allows the resulting image to be more easily stored, transported, and displayed.
Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the card game includes, inter alia, a base, shaft, knob, stop, plate, and post for removably attaching the segments at a single anchor point on each segment. In this embodiment, the anchor point for each segment is an aperture in the segment that is passed over a post that protrudes from the plate. After all segments are passed over and properly positioned with respect to the post, a stop and knob combination may be further passed over the post and threaded thereto to hold the segments in an immovable position. In some such embodiments, the apertures are identically located in the lower left corner of each segment allowing the segment to be arranged radially about the post possibly resulting in a circular coherent image.
The plate or stand may additionally include recesses that provide further support or orientation of the segments. These recesses allow an edge of the respective segment to be positioned along an interior wall of the recess to minimize the possibility that the segment moves from the desired position. Some embodiments of the present invention envision a dedicated recess for each segment, while other embodiments envision a recess for only a portion of the segments. Similarly, the stop may include one or more recesses that act in a similar manner. However, such stop recesses primarily provide support for the faces of the cards, whereas the plate or stand recesses primarily provide support for the backs of the cards.
Multiple anchor points are provided in some embodiments of the present invention. Some such anchor points include arms that extend from the plate or stand around a corner or edge of one or more segments, allowing the corners or edges of such segments to be inserted into recesses contained within the arms. In these embodiments, the stop discussed above may not be required as the secondary, tertiary, etc. anchor points help to render the segments immovable. However, stops may be included in any embodiment of the present invention regardless of the quantity of included anchor points.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the perimeter of the plate or stand is larger than the perimeter of the resulting coherent image. In these embodiments, recesses of sufficient size to fit the entire segment may be provided. Consequently, all edges of one or more segments may be supported by the single plate or stand. While the embodiments of the present invention described herein discuss one or two anchor points, other embodiments envision anchoring of one or more segments via three or more points.
One or more signaling devices are incorporated in some embodiments of the present invention such that during the assembling or reassembling of the resulting coherent image, a player receives a signal whenever one or more of the segments have been placed in the incorrect position or orientation. This signal may occur automatically or may be activated by the player via a button or other similar trigger. The signal may be virtually any signal such as a steady light, a flashing light, a single sound, a continuous sound, a repeating sound, a vibration of a portion of the game, or the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Alternatively, occurrence of such a signal may indicate a variation in play of the card game according to a set of predefined game rules. Or, occurrence of such a signal may indicate a change in turn from a first player to a second player, or may indicate the end of the game. For example, upon a change in turn, the new player may undertake assembly of the final coherent image. Or, occurrence of such a signal may indicate a change in point value or role for one or more game segments. Many roles may be attributed to the occurrence of such a signal without departing from the scope of the present invention.
A method for assembling the resulting coherent image among any number of players with respect to a signaling device is also provided by the present invention. First, each player consecutively selects a card and places it in a selected position atop a single segment holder such as a plate or a stand. In this embodiment, the signaling device may be activated automatically whenever a card is placed in the correct position. If the card has been correctly placed, the player who placed the card scores a point, and play passes to the next player. However, if the card placement is incorrect, a point is not awarded, or may be deducted for the erring player. In this manner, points are tallied to determine a winner. In one such embodiment of the present invention, each card includes a distinct, hidden magnetic imprint in the corner of the card. Also, each card recess includes an embedded magnetic sensor capable of reading the magnetic imprint of a card inserted within the respective recess to determine whether the inserted card is the correct card. However, other embodiments of sensing cards may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Incorporation of a signaling device within the card game is likely to increase the amusement value of the present invention for individuals who have impaired sight. Additionally, inclusion of a signaling device may allow more difficult games to be created by making it more feasible to design games having far more complicated and indecipherable images, such as abstract images. For example, more challenging images may be introduced having segments that very closely resemble other segments since the signaling feature will ultimately determine the accuracy of the placement of each card.
Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification.
A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to the embodiments set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiments are exemplary of systems for carrying out the present invention, both the organization and method of operation of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.
As required, a detailed illustrative embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein. However, techniques, systems and operating structures in accordance with the present invention may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and modes, some of which may be quite different from those in the disclosed embodiment. Consequently, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative, yet in that regard, they are deemed to afford the best embodiment for purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein, which define the scope of the present invention. The following presents a detailed description of one embodiment (as well as some alternative embodiments) of the present invention.
Referring first to
Embodiments of the present invention are envisioned having quantities of cards other than fifty-four without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, card game 100 may be designed with fewer cards to allow topmost, intermediate, and base cards, 102, 104, and 106, respectively, to be used to play games typically requiring a lesser quantity of cards such as Old Maid, Crazy Eights, or the like, whenever such cards are not attached to, or are not being arranged for attachment to, plate 202. Alternatively, topmost card 102, intermediate cards 104, and base card 106 may be designed with greater than fifty-four cards to allow such cards to be used to play games typically requiring a large quantity of cards such as Rook®, Flinch®, UNO®, memory, or the like, whenever such cards are not attached to, or are not being arranged for attachment to, plate 202.
In lieu of using topmost, intermediate, and base cards, 102, 104, and 106, respectively, to play card games whenever such cards are not attached to, or are not being arranged for attachment to, plate 202, such cards may be used for other purposes. For example, each card may be an educational flash card including questions and corresponding answers.
In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in
Turning next to
Alternatively, when shaft 112 is removed from shaft aperture 204, an assembled card game 100 may be suspended from a wall or other vertical surface by inserting the head of a nail, screw, or other similar fastener mounted to a wall into support aperture 206 such that the downwardly facing surface of plate 202 located directly above support aperture 206 rests atop the fastener, thereby suspending the assembled card game 100 on the vertical surface. In some embodiments of the present invention such as the embodiment depicted in
Referring now to
To assemble such an image, first, an aperture such as card aperture 502 (
Each intermediate card plate recess 316 is progressively more shallow than base card plate recess 310 such that they form a series of steps beginning at lip 318 of base card plate recess 310 and ending at plate wall 314, thereby ascending in a clockwise direction about post 302. In some embodiments, the depth of each intermediate card plate recess 316 located to the clockwise direction of a previous intermediate or base card plate recess 316 or 310, respectively, is less than the previous plate recess and the difference between the depths of each intermediate card plate recess 316 versus the depth of the previous intermediate card plate recess 316 is an equivalent value. Similar to base card plate recess 310, each intermediate card plate recess 316 forms a lip (i.e., a straight edge that radiates from the approximate center of plate 202 to the perimeter of plate 202) upon which the respective intermediate card 104 rests such that it is maintained at the proper angle with respect to post 302. Maintaining the base and intermediate cards 106 and 104, respectively, at the proper angles with respect to post 302 increases the likelihood that the totality of the faces of such cards will create the desired single coherent image after all cards have been placed in the proper position.
However, virtually any variation of recesses and/or supports may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, embodiments are envisioned in which all or some of the base, intermediate, and top cards do not have a corresponding recess. In some such embodiments, supports may not be provided for such cards or a non-recess support (e.g., a stop) may be substituted.
After placement of base card 106 in base card plate recess 310, an aperture of an intermediate card 104 is passed over post 302 until the respective intermediate card 104 is positioned within the intermediate card plate recess 316 that is adjacent to and to the clockwise direction of base card plate recess 310 such that the bottom edge of intermediate card 104 rests upon the lip of the respective intermediate card plate recess 316. This method continues until all available intermediate card plate recesses 316 are filled in a clockwise manner with the proper intermediate card 104. When the last intermediate card plate recess 316 is filled, the remaining intermediate cards 104 are passed over the post 302 in the correct order and are thereafter supported by a device such as stop 108. Correctly selecting the proper intermediate card 104 to fill each intermediate card plate recess 316 creates the puzzle aspect of the present invention since the final coherent image will not be achieved unless each of the topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102, 104, and 106, respectively, is in the proper position.
After all intermediate card plate recesses 316 have been filled, the card apertures of the remaining intermediate cards 104 are passed over post 302 one by one until all such cards are arranged in a circular fashion with respect to post 302. Thereafter, the card aperture in topmost card 102 is passed over post 302 and positioned such that the totality of the faces of all such cards displays a single coherent image.
After topmost, intermediate, and base cards, 102,104, and 106, respectively, have been properly stacked and positioned to create a single coherent image, they may be secured to plate 202 via knob 110, stop 108, and post 302. Stop 108 includes stop aperture 308 and one or more stop lips 312. Stop aperture 308 allows stop 108 to be removably attached to plate 202 by passing stop aperture 308 over post 302. For example, after the card apertures of all topmost, intermediate, and base cards, 102, 104, and 106, respectively, have been passed over post 302 and such cards have been properly positioned to create a single coherent image, stop aperture 308 of stop 108 is passed over post 302 and positioned such that one or more of stop lips 312 supports side edges of intermediate and topmost cards 104 and 102, respectively. Such stop lips 312 have the identical function of the lips of base and intermediate plate recesses 310 and 316, respectively. Similar to the aforementioned recesses, stop lips 312 may be stepped and may radiate to equally spaced points around the perimeter of stop 108. Additionally, the spacing and quantity of stop lips 312 may be designed such that the totality of the faces of topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102, 104, and 106, respectively, may be arranged to form a single coherent image such as image 400 (
Finally, after stop 108 has been properly positioned, knob 110 may be threaded onto post 302 until knob 110 firmly affixes topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102, 104, and 106, respectively, to plate 202 such that the image created by the totality of the faces of such cards is preserved as a single, stationary coherent image. In one embodiment of the present invention, knob 110 includes a threaded aperture that is the female counterpart to a threaded post 302, which protrudes from plate 202. After passing stop 108 over post 302, knob 110 may be threaded to post 302 such that stop 108 and topmost, intermediate, and base cards, 102, 104, and 106, respectively, are secured to plate 202. When knob 110 is fully tightened, stop 108 is flush with knob 110 and topmost and intermediate cards 102 and 104, respectively, rendering topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102, 104, and 106, respectively, immovable. Plate 202 may then be hung on a vertical surface as discussed above with respect to
In some embodiments of the present invention, one or more of stop 108 and knob 110 may be manufactured from a rigid transparent material that securely affixes topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102, 104, and 106, respectively, to plate 202 while minimizing any blockage of the single coherent image produced by card game 100. Or, alternatively, stop 108 or knob 110 may be manufactured from a slightly resilient material that acts to more securely anchor topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102, 104, and 106, respectively, in their proper position. Or, plate 202 may be manufactured from a slightly resilient material to allow the tightened stop and knob to more tightly secure topmost, intermediate, and base cards 102,104, and 106, respectively.
The quantity of intermediate card plate recesses included in a plate may vary with the quantity of cards included with a specific card game. For example, a plate may include a quantity of base and intermediate card plate recesses that allows each intermediate and base card to be supported by a dedicated intermediate or base plate recess. In addition, a topmost card plate recess may be provided to hold and position topmost card. Alternatively, one or more of topmost and intermediate cards may be solely or additionally supported by stop lips. Or, in yet another embodiment, base or intermediate plate recesses, respectively, may be configured to support the base card or more than one intermediate card, respectively. Any combination of configurations for supporting topmost, intermediate, and base cards may be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Furthermore, although
Referring next to
The faces of each of topmost, intermediate, and base cards 402, 404a-404c, and 406, respectively, may include a varying amount of visual information. For example, such faces may be fully-figured or partially-figured as illustrated in
Each of the cards depicted in
Referring now to
Turning next to
In contrast to the fully-figured card faces depicted in
Alternatively, information related to a special deck of cards may be included to the right and below dashed lines 504a-504d. Specifically, these hidden areas may include letters, numbers, or images that allow for the playing of other card games that are either already in existence, or are yet to be invented. For example,
Similarly, intermediate card 404c of
Although,
Referring now to both
Furthermore, as discussed in greater detail below with respect to
Turning next to
The ability to change the orientation of the resulting single coherent image is best accommodated using a deck of cards comprised completely of fully-figured topmost, intermediate, and base cards 702, 704, and 706, respectively. Use of such cards allows a quantity of rotated resulting images equal to the quantity of cards contained in the specific deck of cards (i.e., any one of the cards may be selected as base card 706 allowing any one of the cards to become topmost card 702). For example, the change in the base card from base card 406 as depicted in
Depicted in
In order to accommodate all of the possible degrees and directions of rotation that may be required for a final assembled coherent image in an embodiment of the present invention wherein any card may be selected at random to be base card 706, an alternate embodiment of plate 202, plate 1302 (
Turning now to
To accommodate cards having such varied shapes, some embodiments of the present invention include cards having one or more standardized edges 908. For example, the embodiment depicted in
Furthermore, as depicted in
Referring next to
Turning next to
After cap 1114 is removed, topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1104, 1106, and 1108, respectively, may be slid into stand 1102 such that the upper portion of the face of such cards abuts the inwardly facing upper slit wall 1128 of upper slit 1110 and the lower portion of the face of such cards abuts the inwardly facing lower slit wall 1120 of lower slit 1112. Furthermore, lower slit wall 1120 optionally includes recesses 1129 having integral recess lips 1122, which impede the leftward longitudinal motion of cards inserted therein. However, any card may be advanced beyond any recess lip 1122 toward left wall 1124 by applying pressure to the face of the card in the direction of inner wall 1126. Preferably, inner wall 1126 is manufactured from a resilient material such as rubber or synthetic foam that allows motion of a card toward inner wall 1126 when pressure is exerted on the card's face, however, other materials may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. Use of such a material allows inner wall 1126 to remain in an uncompressed state when no pressure is exerted on a card, thereby causing the face of each card to abut lower and upper slit walls 1120 and 1128, respectively. Such material also allows inner wall 1126 to contract when pressure is applied to the card, thereby allowing the card to clear recess lip 1122 such that the card may be slid longitudinally toward left wall 1124. In some embodiments of the present invention, upper slit wall 1128 also includes recesses and recess lips similar to recesses 1129 and recess lips 1122. After insertion of all cards in the deck of cards in the aforementioned manner, stand 1102 supports and secures topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1104,1106, and 1108, respectively, in a manner suitable to the aesthetic display of the coherent image in an upright position.
Turning next to
Referring next to
In some embodiments of the present invention, the elliptical, oval, or ovate shape of stand 1131 facilitates an intense angling of slits 1138, which helps increase the pressure exerted by each card on the adjacent leftward card. However, such shape is not a required aspect of the present invention. Also, alternate methods of securing cards within plates, stands, or the like whether such configurations are linear, circular, or otherwise, and whether such configurations includes compressive stress, friction, resilient card materials, anchoring methods, or the like may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention.
As discussed above with respect to alternate embodiments, intermediate and base cards 1106 and 1108, respectively, as well as intermediate and base cards 1134 and 1136, respectively, may be fully-figured or partially-figured, wherein the latter embodiment may include information that is not a subsection of the resulting image in the hidden areas. Similarly, such cards may include standardized left edges such as left edges 1144 to accommodate a systematic side-by-side comparison of all cards, thereby allowing a player of the card game to properly arrange such cards to achieve a single coherent image. Furthermore, stands 1102 and 1131 may be modified as necessary to accommodate display on a vertical or horizontal surface.
Referring next to
After all intended cards have been inserted in the corresponding extension recesses 1210 of plate extension 1208, the topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1202, 1204, and 1206, respectively, are further anchored to plate 1302 (
Turning next to
Alternatively, when shaft 1212 is removed from shaft aperture 1304, card game 1200 may be suspended from a wall or other vertical surface by inserting the head of a nail, screw, or other similar fastener mounted to a wall into support aperture 1306 such that the downwardly facing surface of plate 1302 located directly above support aperture 1306 rests atop the fastener, thereby suspending card game 1200 on the vertical surface. In some embodiments of the present invention such as the embodiment depicted in
Turning next to
First, each of topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1402, 1404, and 1406, respectively, are anchored to stand 1408 by inserting the upper right corner of such cards into a corresponding recess 1410 of stand 1408. An enlarged view of the nesting of several intermediate cards 1404 in recesses 1410 is illustrated in
After all topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1402, 1404, and 1406, respectively, have been inserted in the corresponding recesses 1410 of stand 1408, topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1402, 1404, and 1406, respectively, are then anchored to stand 1408 via a mechanism such as knob 1412, or a knob and stop combination, as discussed in greater detail above with respect to
Referring now to
Referring next to
In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in
Although inclusion of adaptor 1608 is not required, it is preferred when installing the cards in a horizontal orientation to ensure that all cards have the necessary support. To illustrate this point, when assembling the cards in a vertical orientation, a player typically places a single aperture base card such as base card 1406 (
Turning now to
Turning now to
Card 1802a is a partially-figured card having two apertures 1804a and 1804b in diagonally opposed corners of card 1802a. A deck including a plurality of cards such as cards 1802a may be assembled in a vertical orientation using either of apertures 1804a and 1804b as an anchor point. However, use of apertures 1804a as anchoring points will result in the assembly of an image comprised of upper segments 1806, whereas use of apertures 1804b as anchoring points will result in the assembly of an image comprised of lower segments 1808. Consequently, assembly of a deck of cards such as cards 1802a in a vertical orientation may be performed to create either of two resulting coherent images. In addition, if the back of each card 1802a is also partially-configured (e.g., similar to the face of card 1802a), assembly of the backs of a deck of cards such as cards 1802a in a horizontal orientation using either apertures 1804a or 1804b as anchoring points may be performed to create either of two additional distinct resulting coherent images. In this manner, a single deck of cards such as cards 1802a may be assembled to create any one of four independent coherent images. Additionally, the hidden central sections of the faces and backs of each card 1802a may include information that is not a part of any resulting coherent image to enhance the utility of the card game as discussed above. For example, this area of each of the cards may depict one of the faces of a card in a standard deck of playing cards to allow cards 1802a to be used as such when they are not assembled.
Furthermore, card 1802a may optionally include codes, markings, or the like, such as color codes 1810 and 1812 to aid in assembly of the final coherent image. For example, as depicted in
Although card 1802a is depicted as partially-figured, such an aperture configuration may also be incorporated in a card having a fully-figured face and a partially-figured back, or a partially-figured face and a fully-figured back. When using a fully-figured card set, a quantity of different rotated versions of the resulting coherent image can be assembled that is equal to the quantity of cards in the deck,-since any fully-figured card may be selected as the base card as discussed above.
Card 1802b is a fully-figured card including two apertures 1804c and 1804d in both corners of a first end of card 1802b. If both the face and the back of cards 1802b are similarly configured, a deck of cards 1802b may be assembled to create a quantity of rotated coherent images equal to two times the quantity of cards 1802b in the deck. That is, each of the cards 1802b may be selected as the base card resulting in a quantity of coherent images equal to the quantity of cards as discussed above. As discussed above with respect to card 1802a, any combination of partially-figured and fully-figured card sides may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In embodiments of the present invention such as that depicted in
Although
To assemble card game 1900, first primary card game 1902 is assembled atop primary plate 1912 in the same manner described above with respect to
After attachment of secondary plate 1914 to primary plate 1912, all secondary topmost, intermediate, and base cards 1906, 1908, and 1910, respectively, may be assembled atop secondary plate 1914 in the same manner described above with respect to
Although, secondary plate 1914 is depicted as a half circle with four straight edges completing the non-circular half of secondary plate 1914, virtually any shape may be incorporated for primary plate 1912 and secondary plate 1914 without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, either or both of primary plate 1912 and secondary plate 1914 could be shaped as a full circle, a semicircle, a polygon, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The stacking of two or more plates, wherein each plate contains a distinct array of cards in its assembled state, provides numerous advantages to the card game of the present invention. First, the addition of second, third, fourth, etc. sets of cards increases the complexity of the card game. The increase in the quantity of cards requires a player of the card game to potentially test and evaluate many additional cards before finding the next piece of the puzzle. Second, the increased complexity of the card game may add to increased enjoyment during assembly of the card game. Third, the added complexity of the resulting arrays of cards may provide enhanced visual satisfaction.
For example, in the embodiment of the present invention depicted in
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more embodiments, which embodiments have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention, such embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting or represent an exhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention. The scope of the invention, therefore, shall be defined solely by the following claims. Further, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and the principles of the invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060279043 A1 | Dec 2006 | US |
