1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game with interconnected tiles.
2. Prior Art
There have been marketed many different types of games that require cooperation with individual pieces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,380 discloses a map puzzle with interconnecting pieces of identical shape, providing for the interlocking of image segments that, when the puzzle is completed, constitutes an entire image.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,313, discloses a jigsaw puzzle educational play device with cube-like elements that have convex spheroidal lugs. The lugs provide interconnection to adjacent or stacking elements with corresponding concave spheroidal depressions. The players attempt to construct specific images to achieve a game goal, but at the same time create secondary images that affect their opponent's efforts. This patent describes use of a game board and cites a game play wherein multiple face images are entered into each game play move. There is no reference or disclosure of letter or word construction, nor is there disclosure of any game play that would allow a player to select which side of a two-faced tile they may want to utilize. Furthermore, there is no reference or disclosure of any kind of stacking play that might increase scoring in a game activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,410 discloses a game with a plurality of tiles bearing a letter on one side and features so that a tile is connected to one specific side of a preceding tile. The patent describes a word game, wherein players alternately expose and try to use one tile at a time, to form words from already-exposed and used game tiles. There is no disclosure of stacking, or interconnecting in any manner other than side by side connection. Additionally, there is no disclosure of two sided indicia that would allow a player to utilize either side of a tile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,597 issued to Rudell, one of the applicants for the present application, discloses a game embodied by a product called UPWORDS and marketed, under license from Rudell, by Hasbro Games. The UPWORDS game includes a game board that is molded with aligned rows of raised bosses upon which players can place game tiles that have corresponding recesses on their underside. The tiles also are molded to provide the identical stacking of additional game tiles atop one another. The players receive additional points depending upon the height of a tile stack. The UPWORD game requires a game board to assure the correct alignment of tiles one beside the other, and the tiles utilized in the game are one-sided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,615 discloses hexagonal game cubes with interlocking protrusions and indentions to allow for three dimensional constructions. The '615 patent discloses a strategy game wherein a color assembly is required of a player utilizing three of his colored pieces. There is no reference or disclosure of word game play, and the design of the pieces is such that multiple sides of a hexagonal cube will affect building game strategy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,501 discloses a letter tile with a zig-zag edge that will align with a similarly shaped letter tile. There is no disclosure of tile stacking, or a design to accommodate such stacking. The '501 patent does not disclose a particular game play.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,105 discloses a game with cubic or spherical game elements. The game elements require the employment of specific interconnecting elements (from cylinders to hook and loop material, such as the Velcro brand) in order to provide attachment of one game element to another. The game elements must have at least one connector hole for the interconnecting elements to attach. Game elements are not disclosed as being able to directly attach one to another. Words are to be formed along orthogonal axes. The '105 patent cites the game Scrabble as its target for improvement, and as such never provides for scoring relative to stacking of tiles, nor is there any reference or disclosure of different letters on the same game piece. To the contrary, the patent discloses game pieces with the same letter on each visible face.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,154 describes a magnetic display format for a sign forming kit. The kit allows a user to link together varying width letter segments, each with a corresponding tab and indentation on only one side. There are no game rules, no stacking of letters and no utilization of both sides of a letter segment disclosed in the '154 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,943 discloses a three dimensional word game utilizing six-faced cubes with the same letter on multiple faces. The cubes have connecting elements so that blocks can be securely attached one to another. The blocks can be attached in a self-supporting manner if there exists first-employed blocks attached to a base plate. In order to assure such required secure interconnection of cube to cube, the patent suggests threads that can literally screw one cube onto the next, or onto the required base plate.
U.S. Pat. No. D263,483 illustrates a six sided game piece with corresponding tabs and recesses, and a certain raised element on one side of the game piece. It is notable that corresponding detents are NOT present on the underside of the game pieces. There is therefore no inference or visual suggestion of any vertical stackability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,746 discloses a jigsaw puzzle tile with symmetrical protuberances and indentations, to apparently increase the difficulty of assembly solution. With such an approach a user would need to rely heavily upon the graphic representation of the images, and not rely upon one puzzle piece fitting into an adjacent piece as confirmation of correct assembly.
There was marketed a game referred to as Bananagrams. Bananagrams is a game utilizing lettered tiles each with a numbered point value. The game makes no reference or physical provision for, nor does it cite any play rule regarding, connectability of tiles one to the next, even though it is required for opponents to align tiles closely side by side to form words and get scores. The product and the tile design neither suggest nor physically allow for a second side display.
A game set that includes a plurality of tiles. Each tile has at least one indicia and at least one attachment feature that allows the tiles to be attached to each other in a three-dimensional manner.
Disclosed is a game set that includes a plurality of tiles. Each tile has at least one indicia and at least one attachment feature that allows the tiles to be attached to each other in a three-dimensional manner. The tiles can be attached to create at least one visual image. For example, the indicia may be letters and the tiles can be attached in either horizontal or vertical directions to create words. A player may be provided a score that corresponds to the number of tiles attached by that player, or tiles might have predetermined scores dependent upon the difficulty or frequency of use of a letter or image appearing on that tile. The attachment of tiles allows the three-dimensional game to be played without a game board, if so desired, both increasing the portability of the game (since no gameboard must be transported) and also providing for cost-efficient marketing of the game (since a costly gameboard is eliminated). Another advantage of being able to play the game without a gameboard is that certain rules variations could provide players with the freedom to extend the gaming area beyond any predetermined boundaries, as a gameboard would necessarily do. Additionally, the interconnected tiles can be rotated about a surface so that the tiles face a player during their turn in the game.
Referring to the drawings by reference numbers,
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A player can use the letter on either side of a particular tile. For example, if the word “AFTER” was constructed (in row g. of
The game play may include certain stacking rules, such as limiting the number of stacked tiles to 5 high, or requiring that the tabs of stacked tiles be aligned. For example, stacked tiles must all have tabs along the same two sides and grooves along the same two sides.
Each player takes turns attaching tiles to create new words. A player may draw from a pile of tiles to replace the tiles that were used. A score can be provided to a player after each turn. The score for vertically stacked tiles can be different than horizontally coupled tiles. For example, two points may be provided for each horizontally attached tile in a word. One point may be provided for each tile within a vertical stack. For example, if a player has four tiles beneath a tile, that player receives five points for that letter. A player that cannot form a word may pass to the next player. The game continues until a player has run out of tiles or none of the players can form a new word. The player with the highest score wins the game. A player is deducted points for each tile that they did not play.
The tiles 12 may be segmented into different colors. For example, a first player may have a first group of tiles that has red letters, a second player may have a second group of tiles that has blue letters, etc. The different colored letters allows for easier identification for purposes of scoring words. Scoring could be reserved for the conclusion of a game, at which time a player might only receive a score for a stack of letters that have the player's unique color tile at the top of the stack. Alternatively, players could receive scoring for words where their particular color tile was dominant on the top letter stacks of that word.
Tiles 12 of the game could be molded, or labeled, in different colors, so that different players each had their own specific colored tiles. Game play could dictate certain scoring or strategy rules whereby a player might not be able to stack their own colored tile atop another of their own colored tiles, or players could receive score dependent upon which players' color tiles are present at the end of a game session.
Providing tiles that can be attached and disconnected creates a game that does not require a game board. This significantly reduces the packaging requirements for distributing and carrying a commercial embodiment of the game. It is to be understood that the term indicia refers to any graphical image on a face of a tile, including the letters, number and other features shown in the drawings and discussed above.
This application claims priority to Application No. 61/111,618, filed on Nov. 5, 2008.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61111618 | Nov 2008 | US |