Patent Application
20100096806
The present invention relates to a game assembly, and more particularly to a board game that involves abstract strategy pattern building for competition between two or more players.
For centuries board games have been an extremely popular form of entertainment for people of all ages. These types of games have been designed both for a single player and for competition between two or more players. Many games, such as Yahtzee™, mainly involve chance. Many games, such as backgammon, involve a combination of chance and skill, and many games, such as chess, mainly involve skill.
The present invention relates to games of skill that involve a competition between two or more players to build a desired pattern on the game board while preventing the other players from building the desired pattern. Popular games of this genre include Pente, gomoku, renju, and Milton Bradley's™ Score Four™.
Since 1974, the genre of pattern building games has included the very popular game of Connect Four™, a game also published by Milton Bradley™. A much older version of Connect Four™ is known as “The Captain's Mistress”.
Connect Four™ is a two player game in which the players take turns dropping alternating colored discs into a seven column, six row vertically suspended matrix. The object of the game is to connect four singly-colored discs in a row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, before one's opponent can do likewise. Connect Four™ was created for players age seven and older and has an expected playing time of ten minutes. However, Connect Four™ is limited because only two players can play, because the suspended matrix only allows a player to insert the colored discs into a single plane, and because only one type of disc is used. Consequently, the difficulty and the enjoyment of the game are limited.
An abstract strategy pattern building game having a vertically suspended matrix that allows game pieces to be dropped into multiple planes, that uses varying types of game pieces, and that allows for more than two players is unknown in the prior art. Accordingly, it would be desirable to create a game that presents a variation in the aforementioned variables because the difficulty and the level of enjoyment of such a game would increase. The invention discussed in connection with the described embodiment addresses these and other deficiencies of the prior art.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be explained in or apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment considered together with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art of abstract strategy pattern building games by expanding the limitations of a number of factors that are characteristic of that prior art. Particularly, the number of players that can play the game together is increased; the number of the dimensions in which patterns can be built is increased; the number of types of games pieces used is increased; consequently, the difficulty and the level of enjoyment of the prior art is increased.
While the prior art presents abstract strategy pattern building games for between two and four players and for pattern building in multiple dimensions, the prior art has not done so by presenting a game board assembly with a number of different types of game pieces that allow the players to simultaneously build patterns in more than one dimension.
A described embodiment of the invention provides a game board assembly as a vertically suspended matrix having multiple planes in which to build patterns by inserting game pieces (playing markers) into one or more of a number of planes. The described embodiment provides two types of game pieces, one for inserting the game piece into a single plane and one for inserting a game piece into multiple planes.
More particularly, the abstract strategy pattern building board game comprises a first wall having a multiplicity of first apertures and a second wall having a multiplicity of second apertures juxtaposed relative to said first wall. There is a multiplicity of first channels disposed along said first wall for receiving playing markers and a multiplicity of second channels disposed along said second wall for receiving playing markers. A plurality of dividers intermediate said first wall and said second wall define said multiplicity of first channels and said multiplicity of second channels. Said plurality of dividers are disposed to form a multiplicity of gaps defined by spaces between said multiplicity of first channels and said multiplicity of second channels.
The described embodiment further has two sets of playing markers. One set is such that a playing marker slides into either a first channel or a second channel. The second set is such that a playing marker simultaneously slides into a first channel, a second channel, and the gap between the first channel and the second channel. For each type of playing marker, there is a plurality of sets distinguishable by color. By sliding the playing markers into the channels, the players build patterns inside the vertically suspended matrix.
The described embodiment also has a first bracket and a second bracket slideably mounted to the top and the bottom of the vertically suspended matrix that are used to open and close the described channels. Thus, the brackets are used to allow the playing markers to slide into and out of the matrix and to hold the markers inside the matrix during game play and storage.
Lastly, the described embodiment has a foldable stand to support the matrix in an upright position. When the stand is unfolded it forms a compartment for catching the sets of playing markers. The stand then refolds to facilitate storage.
The invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the claims. The invention itself, as well as the preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, is best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring again to
In a preferred embodiment the matrix is vertically suspended to facilitate receiving the playing markers 34, 36 and transparent to facilitate viewing the markers; however the matrix may be provided as opaque for example with enlarged apertures 12, 16.
Referring again to
Referring once again to
The remainder of this description details an example of the game play of the preferred embodiment. The example described is for two to four players ages six and older.
The object of the game is to take turns dropping the playing markers into the vertically suspended matrix to create a line of four identically colored playing markers in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in a single plane, or across both planes. The object of the game can also be accomplished by weaving four identically colored playing markers between two sides of the matrix. If two of the same color first playing markers are in the same position but in different planes, this only counts as one of the four required in a row.
The contents include the vertically suspended matrix and four groups of playing markers, each group having a unique color. Each group of playing markers includes sixteen first playing markers 34 and two second playing markers 36.
The game apparatus initially appears as shown in
The youngest player goes first and play passes to the left. On each turn, a player must drop either a first playing marker 34 or a second playing marker 36 into the matrix. A first playing marker 34 can be dropped into either a first channel 26a-g or a second channel 28a-g. A second playing marker 36 can only be dropped simultaneously into a first channel 26a-g, a second channel 28a-g, and the gap between the two channels. When a player uses a second playing marker 36, that player may leave empty matrix spaces below that playing marker. Play continues until one player wins by creating a line of four identically colored playing markers in a row either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. This may also be accomplished by weaving between two sides of the matrix.
To start another game, one must clear the matrix by moving the second bracket 40 to the open position, allowing the playing markers to fall into the compartment 24. Then, a player must move the second bracket 40 back to the closed position, divide the playing markers between the players and start the game again.
When finished playing, one can prepare the game for storing or transporting by placing the playing markers into the matrix with the second bracket 40 in the closed position, moving the first bracket 18 to the closed position and moving the foldable stand 20 to the folded position.
It should be appreciated that a wide range of changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment as described herein. It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting. While there has been illustrated and described a particular embodiment of the apparatus, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover those changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present apparatus.
