Method and Apparatus for Playing a Game

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING”

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to playing a game. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods of playing a game upon a grid.

(2) Description of Related Art

Board games of various types have been played for centuries. Chess in its earliest form was developed in Persia in the 6^thcentury and evolved to the modern form in the 1800s. It is played on an 8×8 playing grid with six different pieces, each having their own rules regarding how they can be moved about the playing board. In chess, there is a single predefined starting layout for all 32 pieces.

Additional games including Chinese checkers, Go, Othello, Backgammon, and cribbage are further examples of games played utilizing a playing grid and marker or objects which are moved about on the playing grid and sometimes removed from the playing grid.

Another general class of games is referred to as “falling-block” games. These games typically consist of a two-dimensional playing grid and a single type of object on the playing grid—a falling block or object. The falling blocks have a few different shapes, often composed of multiple smaller blocks. The falling blocks are introduced one at a time onto the top row of the playing grid. Then, after a determined period of time, the falling blocks will automatically move one row further down in the playing grid. The user has the option of moving the block in one of two ways. The first way is to turn the falling block about a central axis of the falling block. The second way is to move the falling block left or right on the playing grid. Typically the player is free to move the falling block in either of the two ways, as many times as deemed necessary before the falling block can no longer fall because it has reached the bottom of the playing grid or it is blocked by an already existing block which is on the playing grid. Such a block is referred to as having landed. Typically the purpose of the game is to arrange the blocks such that a row of the playing grid is completely filled after which all of the blocks or a portion of a block which is in the row, disappears from the playing grid and all of the blocks that were above that row move down to occupy the now empty row.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention differs from the games of the prior art by having two types of objects which have defined movement properties which are significantly different from the movement properties of objects of the prior art. The first type is a Vertically-movable object or VMO and is similar to a falling block only in the sense that it will move down the Playing Grid. However, the VMO cannot rotate in any manner and cannot move left or right on the Playing Grid. The second type of object is the Horizontally-movable object or HMO which can be moved or rotated as a group within a single row or optionally moved as a group in more than one row. Further details of this rotation are discussed below. As used herein, the terms object(s) and marker(s) are used interchangeably and are to be considered synonymous.

The games of the present invention are based upon the movement of these two different types of objects based upon their defined movement properties as disclosed herein. These objects may be initially positioned on a Playing Grid according to the Initial Placement Rules. Following the initial placement of the objects, the objects can then be repositioned on the Playing Grid. The HMOs can be moved left and right according to their defined movement properties and the VMOs can be moved down the Playing Grid according to their defined movement properties. The defined movement properties of both the HMOs and the VMOs may be limited by various Playing Rules which results in any number of games based upon the new non-obvious movement properties of the HMOs and VMOs.

As used herein, the area of the Playing Grid where new objects are typically placed on the Playing Grid is referred to as the top of the Playing Grid. The direction in which the objects move is referred to as down or downward and the row that is on the opposite end of the Playing Grid from the top is referred to as the bottom or bottom of the Playing Grid. The Playing Rules for a particular game might provide for new objects to be introduced onto the Playing Grid somewhere other than the top row. However, whichever direction the objects move is considered to be towards the bottom of the Playing Grid and opposite the bottom of the Playing Grid is considered to be the top of the Playing Grid.

The Playing Rules provide ways for the player to accumulate points, as well as other conditions under which the game is terminated. The purpose of which is for the player to accumulate as many points as possible before a termination condition arises.

The game is played by placing the objects on a Playing Grid which is typically formed from an array of squares or rectangles but could be formed from other geometric shapes. The Playing Grid is usually two or three dimensions, though playing grids having dimensions of 4 or more are within the scope of the invention. On a two-dimensional Playing Grid, the dimensions must be at least two rows high and at least two columns wide. For a three-dimensional Playing Grid, there must be at least two levels along the vertical axis, which is the axis along which the VMOs move. One of the other non-vertical dimensions must be at least two cells wide and the second non-vertical dimension can be one or more cells wide. For higher dimension playing grids, the size of the Playing Grid has the same limitations as for the three-dimensional Playing Grid, except the size of the fourth and higher dimensions must be at least one cell wide.

One or more objects are initially placed on the Playing Grid according to the Initial Placement Rules. Once the objects are placed, the player then begins to move the objects according to a set of Playing Rules. The Playing Rules are a sequence of mandatory and/or optional movements of the objects, which can include elements of chance such as the use of dice and/or other random number generating means. During the course of following these rules the player may accumulate points by positioning the objects in defined patterns. The player continues through the sequence of Playing Rules until all the rules have been followed or a termination condition occurs. Exemplary termination conditions are discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

A better understanding of the present invention will be realized from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a graphical representation of an exemplary two-dimensional 4×8 Playing Grid;

FIG. 2 shows the Playing Grid of FIG. 1 showing the random placement of an exemplary number of Vertically-movable and Horizontally-movable objects;

FIG. 2B depicts the definition of “adjacent” in relation to a cell;

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C show the rotation of objects in a row that is filled with Horizontally-movable objects;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show the right rotation of objects in a row that is partially filled only with Horizontally-movable objects;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a right rotation of Horizontally-movable objects in a row that contains both Horizontally-movable objects and Vertically-movable objects;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a left rotation of Horizontally-movable objects in a row that contains both Horizontally-movable objects and Vertically-movable objects;

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a right rotation of Horizontally-movable objects in a row with 2 Horizontally-movable objects and one Vertically-movable object;

FIG. 8 shows a row with two Horizontally-movable objects and one Vertically-movable object which can't be rotated;

FIG. 9 shows a row with two Horizontally-movable objects and two Vertically-movable objects which can't be rotated;

FIG. 10A shows two Horizontally-movable objects that are connected;

FIG. 10B shows two pairs of Horizontally-movable objects that are connected;

FIG. 10C shows three Horizontally-movable objects that are connected and two Vertically-movable objects that are connected;

FIG. 10D shows 4 Horizontally-movable objects connected to each other and one Horizontally-movable object which is not connected;

FIG. 10E shows an object that could be connected but which isn't;

FIG. 11A shows two Horizontally-movable objects which are connected and one non-connected Vertically-movable object;

FIG. 11B shows the object positions when object 2 in the FIG. 11A configuration is moved one cell to the right;

FIG. 11C shows the object positions when object 2 in the FIG. 11A configuration is moved one cell to the left;

FIG. 12A shows a starting configuration with two Horizontally-movable objects which are connected to each other and one non-connected Horizontally-movable object and one non-connected Vertically-movable object;

FIG. 12B shows the object positions when object 2 in the FIG. 12A configuration is moved one cell to the left;

FIG. 13A shows a starting configuration with one Vertically-movable object and one generic object which are not connected;

FIG. 13B shows the object positions when Vertically-movable object 1 in FIG. 13A is moved down one row;

FIG. 13C shows a starting configuration with two Vertically-movable objects 1 and 3 which are not connected and one generic object 2;

FIG. 13D shows the object positions when object 3 in FIG. 13C is moved down one row;

FIG. 14A shows a starting position of two Vertically-movable objects which are connected;

FIG. 14B shows the positions of objects of FIG. 14A when the connected Vertically-movable objects 1&2 are moved down one row;

FIG. 14C shows a starting position with 3 Vertically-movable objects connected to each other and one horizontally-movable object;

FIG. 14D shows the position of the objects of starting position FIG. 14C after the 3 connected Vertically-movable objects are moved down one row;

FIG. 15A shows one level of a 3×3×3 playing grid;

FIG. 15B shows the level of FIG. 15A after each row has rotated one cell to the right; and

FIG. 15C shows the level of FIG. 15A after each row has rotated one cell front to back.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The rules and general embodiments of the invention will be described with a physical playing board and physical markers representing the various objects. However, it should be understood that the game can be implemented in a variety of ways including physical playing boards and physical markers, depiction as graphic images or graphic representations on a computer monitor, laptop monitor, tablet computer, television, iPad, smart phone of any variety, and any and all present and future devices capable of visually depicting or representing the playing grid and the objects. In addition, the games of the invention can be implemented on various game consoles and hand-held devices including but not limited to Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Sony PSP, Sony PSP Go, Sony PS Vita, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, and Nintendo 3DS.

Further, when implemented on an electronic computing device, the processing necessary to implement the game rules of the invention can be handled by a variety of computing capable devices including but not limited to desktop computers, laptop computers, internet servers, PDAs, smart phones, and tablet computers.

In addition, the games can be implemented on remote servers of any variety and the visual depiction of the game transmitted over any type of computer network, wired or wireless, and presented on a local computer screen by various internet browser software applications and/or custom software.

1. Playing Grid

The game is played by first placing one or more objects onto the Playing Grid and then moving and/or repositioning the objects according to an ordered sequence of Playing Rules. The Playing Grid is typically a two-dimensional arrangement of cells somewhat like a chess board with or without multi-colored cells. An exemplary 4×8 Playing Grid is shown in FIG. 1. The Playing Grid is considered to be made up of columns and rows, with columns running vertically on the page and rows running horizontally along the page. Movement of an object from a cell higher up on the grid to a cell lower on the grid would be referred to as a downward motion or moving down. Movement from a cell lower on the grid to a cell higher on the grid would be referred to as an upward motion or moving up. There are four arrows labeled U (up), D (down), L (left) and R (right) showing the primary directions in FIG. 1.

The Playing Grid can take on various forms. For example, it can be an actual physical game board, similar to a chess board, or wrapped around the outside of a cylindrical tube. It can also be represented by markings or sockets on the periphery of a stack of rotating plates. When the game is implemented on a computer, the Playing Grid can be mapped onto the contours of just about any surface and represented in a visual fashion on a computer display or by an image from a video projector.

2. Two Classes of Objects

The invention calls for two types of objects. The two types are Vertically-mobile objects and Horizontally-mobile objects. These objects are placed within the cells of the Playing Grid with no more than one object per cell. One or more objects are initially placed onto an empty Playing Grid at the start of the game. Placement of the initial objects follows the Initial Placement Rules, an exemplary version of which is described below.

a. Horizontally-movable objects (HMOs) and their defined movement properties

These objects can only be moved as a group within a single row. The relative placement of the Horizontally-movable objects within a row must be maintained as the HMOs are moved left or right within a single row. If an HMO is located in the very right-hand cell, and the row is then rotated right, then the very right-hand HMO moves to the very left-hand cell in that same row. All of the other HMOs in that same row move one cell to the right. An example of such a rotation is shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C. For purposes of reference, many of the cells in the figures are labeled numerically, but such numeric labeling is not normally a feature of the invention. Certain rotations of HMOs within a row can be blocked, details of which will be discussed below.

The ability to rotate HMOs, which are in effect landed objects, is very different from all other falling-block games in which landed objects cannot move.

Any object, such as another VMO, an HMO, or some other optional object type, which blocks the movement of another object is referred to as a stationary or blocking object.

For the purpose of explaining rotation, one row from a larger four column Playing Grid is shown in FIG. 3. The Playing Grid has a single row that has four columns and has four HMOs placed on all of the cells of the row with the four cells numerically labeled 1-4 from left to right. The position of the HMOs after a first rotation to the right is shown in FIG. 3B. HMO 4 is now positioned in the very left-hand cell of the row and HMOs 1-3 have all moved one cell to the right. In order to facilitate the explanation herein, the objects in the cells are often shown as being numbered. This not a typical feature of the objects, though certain Playing Rules might utilize numbered objects.

The position of the HMOs after a second rotation to the right is shown in FIG. 3C. HMO 3 is now positioned in the very left-hand cell of the row and HMOs 4, 1, and 2 have all moved one cell to the right.

In this example, rotation to the left is allowed and the shift in the HMOs to the left, though not shown, would be analogous to the shift to the right as just described.

Another example of a rotation of HMOs within a row is shown in FIG. 4. The starting position is shown in FIG. 4A. In this example, there are two HMOs in the row along with two empty cells. The two HMOs are separated by one empty cell.

The position of the HMOs after the first rotation to the right is shown in FIG. 4B. Each HMO has moved to the right by one cell. HMO 2 is now located on the right end of the row.

The position of the HMOs after the second rotation to the right is shown in FIG. 4C. HMO 2 has now moved from the right end of the row to the left end of the row and HMO 1 has moved one more cell to the right.

In this example, rotation to the left is allowed and the shift in the HMOs to the left, though not shown, would be analogous to the shift to the right as just described.

In certain embodiments, particularly on computer implemented versions, the rotation as described above can occur partially, so that the cells in the row being rotated slide past the cells in the rows above and/or below, rather than jumping instantly from one grid cell location to another. The Playing Rules can address what happens if there is a timed downward movement of VMOs while a row is in the partially rotated state.

It should be noted that the term “rotation” as defined herein is different from what that word would generally be understood to mean. It is also different from how that term would likely be used in regards to describing the movement of objects in some prior art falling block games. As used herein, rotation does not include axial rotation, also referred to herein as “turning”, of a connected group about an axis or central point of the connected group.

Blocking

The presence of a VMO in the same row with one or more HMOs prevents some or all rotations of the HMOs in that row. Note that only the HMOs will rotate and that the VMOs will not move as part of a rotation.

An example of rotation in a row with mixed HMOs and VMOs is shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5A shows a starting position of HMO 1 and VMO 2. After a rotation to the right, HMO 1 shifted to the right one cell and VMO 2 did not move. Another rotation to the right from the position shown in FIG. 5B is not possible because VMO 2 is blocking the movement of HMO 1 to the cell to its right, the one occupied by VMO 2.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a rotation that has the same starting position as FIG. 5. After the rotation of the row to the left, HMO 1 is now positioned on the very right hand cell of the row and VMO 2 did not move (FIG. 6B). Another rotation to the left is not possible because VMO 2 blocks HMO 1 from moving one more cell to the left, which is the cell occupied by VMO 2.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show another example of a rotation in a row with mixed HMOs and a VMO. FIG. 7A shows the starting positions of HMO 1, HMO 2 and VMO 3. FIG. 7B shows the positions after one rotation to the right. VMO 3 doesn't move and HMO 1 and HMO 2 each shifted one cell to the right. Note that another rotation to the right is blocked by VMO 3 which doesn't move. Likewise a rotation to the left from the starting position in FIG. 7A is not possible, because HMO 1 would need to move to the same cell that is occupied by VMO 3 which doesn't move.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the how the rotation rules work. In this example, there are two HMOs and one VMO arranged as shown in FIG. 8. In this example, VMO 3 blocks both left and right rotation. HMO 1 is blocked from making a left rotation by VMO 3 and HMO 2 is blocked from making a right rotation by VMO 3.

FIG. 9 is yet another example that demonstrates the rotation rules. In this example there are two HMOs and two VMOs in alternating locations in the row. With this arrangement of objects, neither left rotation nor right rotation is possible. In fact any row that is completely filled and has at least one VMO in the row is blocked from a right or left rotation. To clarify, a row of all VMOs technically is not blocked from rotation, because VMOs don't rotate.

c. Connections

An optional feature of the games that can be developed under the rules of the present invention is the property of Connection. Each of the two types of objects can be connected to objects of the same type. That is VMOs can be connected only to other VMOs. And HMOs can only be connected to other HMOs.

In order for any pair of like objects to be connected to each other, they must be adjacent to each other. As used herein, that means that they are directly next to each other either horizontally or vertically. With reference to FIG. 2B, cell 5 is adjacent to cells 2, 4, 6, and 8. And cell 5 is not adjacent to cells 1, 3, 7 and 9. An object can be connected to any combination of all like-objects that are positioned in cells that are adjacent to it.

Objects that meet the above criteria can be connected to each other by the player during compliance with the Playing Rules. In addition, the Playing Rules may require that certain objects be connected. A connection between two objects can be broken if one of the two connected objects is removed from the Playing Grid as a consequence of the player following the Playing Rules. Likewise, the Playing Rules may provide for the player to optionally remove the connection between two objects without the removal of either of the two objects.

A sample Playing Grid is shown in FIG. 10A with HMOs 1 and 2 shown as connected. For the purposes of this application, connected objects are shown surrounded by a heavy black border.

More than one pair of objects can be connected as shown in FIG. 10B which shows HMOs 1 and 2 connected and HMOs 3 and 4 connected.

More than two cells can be connected. HMOs 1, 2 and 3 are shown connected in FIG. 10C. In addition, FIG. 10C shows VMOs 4 and 5 connected. Thus any number of HMOs may be connected to each other and any number of VMOs may be connected to each other. As discussed above, this can only occur between like-objects which are adjacent to each other.

FIG. 10D shows 4 HMOs that are connected with 3 of the HMOs positioned in one column (HMOs 1, 2 and 3) and two of the HMOs positioned in the same row (HMOs 1 and 4). Each object in this connection of objects is adjacent to at least one other object. In this case HMO 3 is adjacent to HMO 2. HMO 2 is adjacent to HMO 3 and HMO 1. HMO 1 is adjacent to HMO 2 and HMO 4. HMO 4 is adjacent to HMO 1. HMO 5 cannot be connected to the other connected HMOs because it is not adjacent to any of the other HMOs.

Just because an object is positioned so that it might be connected, doesn't require that it be connected. As shown in FIG. 10E, HMO 6 is adjacent to HMO 3 and therefore could be connected and made part of the 1-4 connection group, but it doesn't have to be. A connection between two like objects may be required by the Playing Rules or may be optional under the Playing Rules.

d. Effect of Being Connected.

HMOs

When a first and second HMO, that are located in different rows, are connected, the effect is that the rotation of the row containing the first HMO forces the same rotation in the row that contains the second HMO.

An example of such a situation is shown in FIGS. 11A, B and C. FIG. A shows an initial configuration with HMO 1 and 2 being connected. VMO 3 is shown in the top row of the initial configuration.

FIG. 11B shows the location of the objects after the lower row is rotated one cell to the right. Because of the connection between HMOs 1 and 2, the HMOs in the top row also rotate one cell to the right. However there cannot be another rotation to the right of either the upper row or the lower row because HMO 1 is blocked by VMO 3.

In a similar manner, starting with the configuration of FIG. 11A, the rows can be rotated one cell to the left which would result in the configuration shown in FIG. 11C. In a like manner, with the configuration shown in FIG. 11C, neither row can undergo another left rotation because HMO 1 is blocked by VMO 3.

Another example of rotation of rows having connected objects is shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. FIG. 12A is the starting configuration. After one left rotation, the objects are now in the configuration shown in FIG. 12B. Note that HMO 4 moves one cell to the left, even though it is not connected to any other HMO. A second left rotation is not possible because VMO 3 blocks the rotation of the upper row. Because the two rows are connected, the blocking of the upper row also prohibits the rotation of the lower row.

Note also that a right rotation from the initial configuration of FIG. 12A is not possible, because VMO 3 blocks the right shift of HMO 4 and connected HMOs 1 and 2.

e. Vertically-movable objects (VMOs) and their defined movement properties.

VMOs can only be moved one cell at a time in the downwards direction as long as the cell immediately below it is not occupied by another object. VMOs can't move off of the bottom of the grid. If a VMO reaches the very bottom row of a Playing Grid, then it cannot be moved and must remain on that cell for the remainder of the game.

An example of the downward movement of VMOs is shown in FIGS. 13A-13D. A starting configuration as shown in FIG. 13A allows VMO 1 to move down one cell which results in the configuration shown in FIG. 13B. VMO 1 cannot move down another cell because it is blocked by Object 2. Note that it makes no difference what type Object 2 is, it blocks any further downward or falling movement of VMO 1. That is why Object 2 is shown without any shading. If the Playing rules permit, Object 2 may be moved out of the way first, which would then allow VMO 1 to move downward again. If Object 2 is an HMO it might be rotated out of the way. If Object 2 were a VMO, it could be moved down one cell first, if the Playing Rules permit, which would then allow VMO 1 to move downward again.

Another starting configuration is shown in FIG. 13C. VMO 1 cannot be moved downward but VMO 3 can be moved downward because the grid cell just below VMO 3 is empty. Movement of VMO 3 downward would result in the configuration shown in FIG. 13D.

VMOs may be connected to each other and this has an impact on the ability of the connected VMOs to move downward. An example starting configuration is shown in FIG. 14A. VMOs 1 and 2 are connected as indicated by the heavy black border around the cells occupied by VMOs 1 and 2. The two VMOs, if moved, must be moved together simultaneously and a downward movement of one grid cell would result in the configuration shown in FIG. 14B.

Another starting configuration is shown in FIG. 14C. VMOs 1, 2 and 3 are connected. The three VMOs can be moved downward together as a unit. The three VMOs can move because the cells directly below VMOs 2 and 3 are empty. Such a movement would result in the configuration shown in FIG. 14D. Another downward movement of VMOs 1, 2, and 3 is not possible because HMO 4 now blocks the downward movement of VMO 3. The blockage of any cell in a connected group will block the movement of the whole connected group.

However, as discussed above, HMO 4 could be rotated out of the way if such rotation was consistent with the Playing Rules. If HMO 4 were rotated one grid cell to the right, then the connection of VMOs 1, 2, and 3 could move downward again one grid cell.

3. Additional Properties of VMOs and HMOs

Each of the two types of objects, VMOs and HMOs, must have the specific base properties described herein. However, there may be subtypes of each class wherein each subtype would have different additional properties in addition to the base properties. For example, there may be one subtype of VMO that moves two rows down each time a VMO can move downward, whereas the standard VMO only moves down one row.

Another example might be point value differences. If the Playing Rules provide that points are earned by completely filling up a row with HMOs, then a subtype of HMO might be defined which would double the point value of filling a row, if one of those subtype HMOs was in the row.

There are many ways to visually indicate different object subtypes that are well known in the art. Typically the object subtypes can be indicated by differences in color, shape, size, textual labeling and/or animation of the icon representing the subtype.

The essential feature of the invention is a method of playing a game in which there are at least two classes of objects which may be moved or must be moved under the rules of the game.

The VMOs can only be moved according to the Playing Rules and with no horizontal left or right movement being allowed or initiated by the player. This is completely different from other falling-block games which allow both turning the falling blocks on an axis and left and right movement on the playing grid.

The only movement of VMOs that can be initiated by the player is to force the VMOs to immediately drop to the lowest position in the Playing Grid that they can take. That is, all the way to the lowest row of the Playing Grid or until further movement to the next lower row is blocked by an object immediately in the row below. This forced dropping of the VMOs can be prohibited by the Playing Rules of a particular game.

The second class of objects are the HMOs which can be rotated as a group within a single row. HMOs by definition, can be rotated right or left, but may be limited to rotation in only one direction by the Playing Rules. HMOs can also be rotated when connected in multiple rows, if allowed according to the Playing Rules, as described herein.

As long as a board game or a method of playing a game comprises steps which include VMOs and HMOs as described herein, the board game or method would fall within the scope of the invention. Initial Placement Rules are not required. However, Initial Placement Rules may be included and may consist of any variation desired. Various embodiments of the invention may include other classes of objects. The Playing Rules can provide for all other variations in the game including limiting and/or restricting the defined movement properties of the VMOs and the HMOs. Variations that can be provided by the Playing Rules could include, but would not be limited to, variations in scoring and the distance the VMOs may move downward during each turn of play or each predetermined time period.

4. Type of Games

The two main types of games that are embodied by this invention include, but are not limited to step-wise games and dynamic games.

Step-Wise Games: In step-wise games, play occurs in finite steps defined by the Playing Rules. Each player takes a turn, proceeds through the Playing Rules in which some objects may be required to be moved and some objects may optionally be moved at the choice of the player. Once the player has finished all of the Playing Rules, the turn is over.

In a single-player version, the same player then starts another turn and follows the Playing Rules until the turn is over or the game terminates. The object is to earn the best possible score before a termination condition occurs, as defined in the Playing Rules, during the turn taken by the player.

In a multi-player version, each player takes a turn in sequential order until the game terminates according to the Playing Rules. Each player attempts to accumulate points and create obstacles for the other player. Nothing takes place on the Playing Grid until another player takes a turn. No new objects are introduced onto the Playing Grid and no objects move or are removed until a player initiates the next turn. The object in this type of game is for each player to accumulate more points than the other players before a termination condition occurs.

Dynamic Games: In contrast, is the dynamic game. These games are almost always played on computerized devices of some sort. In these types of games there are defined intervals between events that take place on the playing grid. Typically such an event would be the downward motion of VMOs. At some specific time interval (for example—every five seconds) the VMOs are moved downward according to the Playing Rules. Such movement is controlled by the computer software and the display of the Playing Grid is updated to show the movement. In between the automatic movements of the VMOs, the player has the option to make whatever other object movements are permitted by the Playing Rules in order to maximize his score. Such other options might be additional movements of VMOs and/or rotation of rows containing HMOs. The dynamic games can be single-player games, in which a single player accumulates a best possible score before a termination condition occurs. These types of games can be pseudo-multi user in that play can alternate back and forth between two or more players, but each player reaches the end of the Playing Rules before play passes to the next player who starts a new round of play.

Multiplayer Games: Multiplayer games, both step-wise and dynamic, can occur with the various players located on different computers and/or in different physical locations. These multiplayer games can be designed to allow various players to compete or work together as teams, accumulate virtual currency, and earn enhanced features and other game advantages, potentially in the context of a large, encompassing game or system. For example, these enhanced features could be incorporated into a large multiplayer online game that includes a sub-game based on the invention, as an occasional diversion, with the opportunity of gaining virtual currency, virtual health, or some other advantage within the larger game by performing well in the sub-game.

5. Overview of One Embodiment of a Game Utilizing VMOs, HMOs and Connections

This is just one of a number of games that can be implemented using VMOs, HMOs and the property of Connections. The game will start with an empty playing grid. The player then follows a set of Initial Placement Rules which control how objects are placed upon the empty playing grid at the start of the game. Because there is an element of chance in the Initial Placement Rules, each starting configuration of objects could be different.

One Embodiment of Initial Playing Rules.

To set up the board, steps 1-8 below are followed.

1. Roll one die. The number shown on the die is the total number of HMOs that will be placed in the bottom row. If the number on the die is larger than the number of columns in the playing grid, then that roll is ignored.

2. Roll the die again. The number on the die gives the column in the bottom row in which one of the HMOs should be placed. If that grid square is already occupied, roll again, until the die specifies a column in the bottom row that has an empty grid cell. An HMO is then placed in the column number shown on the die of the row in question. Repeat Step 2 until all of the HMOs that are to be placed, as determined by the die roll in Step 1, have been placed.

3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 above for the second row from the bottom.

Then for each HMO object that has been placed in the second row from the bottom:

4. Check if there is an HMO in the grid square directly below the HMO in the second row from the bottom.

5. If so, roll a die. If the die shows a 1, the HMO becomes attached to the HMO below it.

6. If the die shows a number other than 1, then no connection is made.

After the initial placement of objects according to the Initial Placement Rules, the player begins actual play by following a sequence of Playing Rules, an example of which is shown below.

One Embodiment of Playing Rules.

1. Move every VMO down one square, starting from the lowest VMO and going from left to right. Downward movement of VMOs follows the rules for VMO movement as discussed above. If any VMO cannot move down, due to an object in its way, or it is located in the bottom row, then the VMO converts into an HMO. If that newly converted HMO completes the row that it's in, perform step 1a. Otherwise, perform step 1b. (The term “completing the row” means that the row is now filled completely with HMOs.)

a. All of the HMOs in the completed row are removed and the player receives ten points to add to her score. Any connection between the removed HMOs and any adjacent objects are deleted. For each deleted connection, add one point to your score. Once all of the objects from that row have been removed, move all HMOs above the emptied row down one grid square (unless blocked).

b. If there is an HMO in the grid square below the newly converted HMO then roll a die. If the die roll is a 1, the HMO becomes connected to the HMO below it.

2. New VMOs are now placed into the top row according to the procedures in this step 2. To do this, a die is rolled. If the die shows a 1 or a 2, nothing is done. If the die shows a 3 or a 4, one VMO will be added to the top row. If the die shows a 5 or a 6, two VMOs will be added to the top row.

If the top row has at least one grid cell that does not contain a VMO, then for each VMO that is to be placed, the player rolls a die until the die indicates a column of one of the grid cells in the top row that does not contain a VMO. If the indicated grid cell is empty, then the VMO is placed in that grid cell. However, if the indicated grid cell is occupied by an HMO, then the game is over immediately (one possible termination condition).

3. The player may choose to rotate any one row that contains at least one HMO to the left or to the right, or the player may choose to take no action. If the player chooses to rotate a row left or right, then the player rolls both dice. The player may only rotate one row by the number of grid squares shown on either of the two dice.

- a. When rotating a row, move the objects in the row either left or right by the appropriate number of grid squares as shown on the chosen die. All rotations must be made in accordance with rotation rules discussed above.
- b. The row must be rotated the number of Playing Grid cells as shown on the chosen die or until the point where the rotation is blocked according to the rotation rules discussed above. Thus a row may be rotated by fewer than the number of grid squares that were indicated by the chosen die.
  
  4. If a single-player game is being conducted then that player repeats the above Playing Rules 1-3 until a predetermined maximum number of points is reached or a termination condition is met. If two or more persons are playing, then the next player follows the Playing Rules 1-4. Each player makes one pass through the Playing Rules, passing play onto each of the other players in turn. Each player goes through one pass of the Playing Rules and earns points only during that player's turn. Play ends when one player meets a maximum predetermined number of points or a termination condition occurs.

Play continues until the termination condition occurs and the object of the game is for the player to accumulate as many points as possible.

Any number of games can be constructed utilizing VMOs, HMOs and optionally Connections and their properties regarding rotation and downward movement. Initial Placement Rules and Playing Rules can take on any number of permutations as long as they are not in conflict with the rules regarding VMOs, HMOs and Connections as described above. There can be any number of variations of object configurations which result in points for players, removal of objects from the playing grid and insertion of objects in the Playing Grid.

Though the embodiment of the invention discussed above is based upon play on a two-dimensional Playing Grid, the game could be played utilizing a three-dimensional the Playing Grid. All aspects of the VMOs, HMOs and optionally Connections would be the same with some additional options available because of the third dimension.

6. Rotation of HMOs in a Three-Dimensional Playing Grid

A starting configuration for one level of a Playing Grid that is a 3×3×3 cube is shown in FIG. 15A. For this example, all numbered Playing Grid cells are occupied by HMOs. Rotation to the right of all of the rows in this level of the cube is shown in FIG. 15B. Rotation can also occur from front to back as shown in FIG. 15C. Because these figures represent one level in a cube the directions that are left to right on the page would also represent left to right in the cube. Up and down on the page would represent front to back on the cube. Up and down on the cube would be levels (not shown) above and below the one level shown in FIG. 15.

Playing Rules would dictate which if any rank or file (row or column) can be rotated, and how many Playing Grid cells the objects would rotate through.

The constraints for rotation within a single level of a cube or between levels would be analogous to those for the 2-dimensional grid as discussed above. Blockage could occur if a VMO is in the way. An HMO that would move out of the cube would come back on the opposite side on the same level (as demonstrated in FIGS. 15B and 15C).

7. Examples.

The following are various game designs which utilize the essential VMO and HMO objects which are constrained to the movements and rotations as described herein. It is within the scope of the invention that any particular game may include, in addition to VMOs and HMOs, other additional types of objects as long as the essential elements of the VMOs and HMOs as described herein are included and unchanged.

A. Dropping-Block Video Game/Mobile Game

play happens on an invisible grid

objects are represented as tiles

rows having one or more HMOs in the row can be rotated via mouse/touch

VMOs appear at the top of the screen and fall towards the bottom by moving downwards one row at a time in timed intervals.

VMOs become HMOs when they reach the bottom row or they are blocked by an HMO or other stationary object directly below them.

When a row becomes completely filled with HMOs, all of the HMOs in the row disappear and points are accumulated according to the Playing Rules. Stationary objects in all rows above, that are not blocked, move down one row

An attempt to introduce a new VMO onto the Playing Grid in a cell that is already occupied, results in the game being terminated.

B. Social Platform Game

played on a social networking website

play happens on a field of grass

VMOs and HMOs are represented as cows and hay bales respectively

randomly-placed cows march from the north end of the field to the south end over the course of a day

rows of hay bales can be rotated by the player, in the east or west direction

one rotation is allowed per hour

extra rotations can be purchased using in-game currency

in-game currency can be purchased with real-world currency

if a cow bumps into a hay bale, that hay bale disappears

hay bales can be purchased with in-game currency

every hay bale produces profit within the game every hour, as in-game currency

in-game currency can be used to buy gift items for friends that may or may not be playing the game yet

cows can be taken off of the field by spending in-game currency

C. Marching Fuzzies Video Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above), but instead of tiles, the objects that occupy the cells of the Playing Grid are cute animated rabbits which represent HMOs and VMOs.

the rabbits hop from square to square when rows are rotated, and when ‘dropping’ rabbits (VMOs) move to lower rows they are shown falling and then catching themselves on the lower row. The VMO rabbits will be shown facing downward and the HMO rabbits would be facing left or right. Any other easily recognized graphical difference can be used to distinguish the HMO rabbits from the VMO rabbits.

The Playing Rules for this game provide that the VMO rabbits can randomly be placed in the middle of the Playing Grid. When placed in the middle of the field they are shown in an animated fashion as burrowing up from underground at a specific Playing Grid location other than the top row.

D. Gem Slide Video Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above), but the tiles are replaced with sparkling gems.

rubies fall twice as fast as other gems; if the player touches/clicks the ruby before it lands, the ruby disappears and a large bonus is rewarded.

E. Valet-Halla Social Platform Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above), but the tiles are represented as cars in a valet parking lot;

in addition to cars, buses occasionally appear, which take up more than one grid square (bus is composed of connected objects—either all HMOs or all VMOs.);

when a row is cleared that involves half a bus, the entire bus disappears; and

selected friends are notified about high scores on the social platform

F. Marble Tower Physical/Board

tower is made of plastic or some other hard material, comes with many uniformly-sized marbles, in two colors, one for HMOs and one for VMOs;

tower is cylindrical, has 12 levels, and each level has 6 uniformly-spaced marble slots around the side of the tower;

tower is on a lazy-susan, so it can be viewed from all sides without moving around the tower;

each level of the tower rests on the level below it, and can rotate independently;

rules from “One embodiment of Initial Playing Rules” section are used to play the game, with the exception of any mention of connections;

instead of playing on a flat grid, the Playing Grid is mapped to the outside of the tower;

for rows that only contain HMOs, row rotation is made easy, by simply turning a specific level of the tower;

connections are not used by this game;

G. Balloon Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above) except that the tiles are replaced with individual balloons, and the “down” direction goes up toward the top of the screen;

VMO balloons appear at the bottom of the screen, and move or ‘fall’ up towards the top of the screen;

stationary balloons accumulate at the top of the screen. If they accumulate to the point that they occupy the bottom of the screen and prevent a new balloon from entering the grid from the bottom, the game is over.

H. Arcade Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above) but in an arcade cabinet and intended for use in an arcade;

player has a number of input choices: touch screen, rollers on the side of the screen, or joystick (to select row) and roller;

rollers are like a trackball, but only allow motion along a single axis (in this case, left-to-right);

I. Motion Controlled Console Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above), but uses motion controllers, currently popular with home video game consoles. Such motion controllers include the Kinect, PlayStation Move, and Wiimotes;

player controls play by using the motion controller to indicate a left or right swipe across the Playing Grid;

alternatively players can use traditional controllers which utilize joy sticks and/or various directional and activation buttons to play the game. For example, the player can select a row using up or down buttons and then rotate the selected row by using left or right buttons.

J. 3D Dropping-Block Game

same rules as the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above), except that the grid is visible, the grid is 6×6×18, and objects are represented as wireframe cubes. The Playing Grid can be imagined to be 18 levels of 2D grids which are 6×6 cells in size.

X and Y represent the two horizontal axes for any level, and Z represents the vertical axis; “down” refers to movement from the top level to the bottom level.

One or more rows and one or more columns in each level can be rotated in the X and/or Y directions as described for FIGS. 15A-C. Variations of the Playing Rules may allow for rotation in only the X, only the Y or both X and Y in the same turn.

in addition, any level can be turned 90 degrees at a time, around an axis that is 1) in the center of the plane and 2) pointing in the Z direction. All of the objects in Playing Grids in a level that is turned stay in the same position relative to all of the other objects in that level.

a plane that is being turned is considered fully occupied while it is turning (objects moving vertically cannot enter the plane while it is turning). Empty planes cannot be turned. Planes that are connected turn together, the same way that connected rows rotate together.

K. 3D Tube Block Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (see paragraph A above), except that the grid is mapped to the inside of a 3-dimensional tube;

the camera is looking into the ‘bottom’ of the tube (the end that is mapped to the bottom of the grid), straight through and out the other end of the tube;

row rotations are now very intuitive, since the left and right edges of the grid are touching;

falling objects appear to be coming from the far end of the tube, in the distance, and ‘fall’ towards an outer edge of the screen, getting larger as they approach the camera.

L. Color Matching Video Game/Mobile Game

just like the Dropping-Block game (See paragraph A above), but completing a row doesn't do anything. Instead, when a VMO lands, if any of the landed objects are now a part of a group of three or more adjacent objects of the same color, the entire group of same-color adjacent objects disappears and points are awarded. In addition, any objects above the adjacent group objects that disappeared instantly fall as far as they can. A group of adjacent objects can span any number of rows or columns as long as each object is adjacent to at least one other object in the group and all the objects are the same color.

M. Sideways Falling Block Video Game/Mobile Game

just like the Dropping-block game (See paragraph A above) except that the playing grid is rotated 90 degrees, clockwise or counterclockwise. This way rows rotate up and down on the playing screen, and objects “fall” either left or right, towards the appropriate side of the screen that represents the “bottom” of the sideways playing grid.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the foregoing description as well as the examples are intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention. Other aspects, advantages and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

Method and Apparatus for Playing a Game

Information

Publication Number

Date Filed

Date Published

Inventors

CPC

US Classifications

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims