US2368896A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1945. A STEWART 2,368,896

GAME APPARATUS Filed March 20 1943 F/al- FIG. 2 F76. 3

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zo-cz INVENTOR BY 6502a: A. STEWART ewwlr A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE aromas GAME APPARATUS George A. Stewart, Bloomfield, N. 1. Application March so, 1943, Serial No. 419,841 2 Claims. (01. 273-130) The present invention relates to a game adapted to be played by two or more persons, and more particularly to a game of the type comprising a game-board, or the like, and a plurality of play ingpieces An object of the presentinvention is to provide a game which affords amusement to the players. I

The playing areas I I may have applied thereto, in a suitable manner, a different symbol, nu-

meral, name, legend, or the like, or, may be identifled by a different color. I

In the illustrative embodiment, the four play ing areas I I are arranged on the game-board to Another object is to provide a novel game which requires skill and ingenuity.

Another object is to provide. a game having simple rules which are easily mastered by adults and by children as well. V

Another object is to provide a game which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object consists in the combination 1 and arrangement of elements comprising thev game, whereby the foregoing objects are accomplished.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying.

drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a'plan view of a game-board, illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a pair of playing pieces used in connection with the game-board, the pieces being shown face up.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a playing piece shown face down.

Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views,

illustrating various situations which may occur in the course of playing the game.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly Figure 1 thereof, there is shown a gameboard It provided with a plurality of playing areas ll, four being shown for example, although it will be understood that two, three, five, or more areas could be provided. The areas ll, preferably, are rectangular in shape and are each subdivided into spaces I2 arranged in horizontal and vertical rows. For example, as shown, the areas ll may be subdivided into a suitable number of square spaces l2 defined by marked vertical and horizontal lines. Sixteen of such square spaces are shown by wayofillustration. I

, the area to which they belong. Each group of a and "X, other distinguishable marksor indicia provide a space at the center of the board for a. circular area I4 divided into sectors l5, each of which faces one of the areas II. The sectors It may be provided with the symbol, name, legend or colorcorresponding to that of the area II which they face. The circular area It and the sectors 15 provide means for keeping score dur- 5 ing the play of the game as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, there are shown suitable playing pieces such as circular discs 20, or the like. For each playing area having sixteen spaces, a group of sixteen pieces are pro vided, and each group is provided with a symbol, name, legend or color corresponding to that of sixteen pieces may comprise sub-groups of eight pieces, each having an 0 on its face and eight pieces, each having an fX on its face. sired, instead of providing the discs withf'O" may be provided thereon.

In Figure 3, a disc 20 is shown,- face down. The reverse sides, that is the sides opposite the faces, of all the discs preferably arealike, except for their group identification means, so that one is unable to distinguish between- O- and X" discs while they are face down.

The discs 20 are of a size which enables them to be readily placed in the square spaces H of the playing areas, as about to bedescribed,

In playing the game, each player isalloted a playing area II which is placed in front of him so that the pay-off sector l5 of his playingarea faces him. Each player receives a group of sixteen discs having the symbol, ,n'ame. legend, or

color corresponding to. that of his playing area. The groups of discs are placed in front of the players, or to the side of their play ng areas, face down, and are shuliled or mixed so that the players do not know which discs are marked X and which are marked f0."

Any suitable method of determining which player plays first maybe utilized. 'Play then commences.

The object of the game is to form continuousing either the mark X or the mark "0" thereon, I

in the playing area of an opponent, for example as shown in Figure 4; or to form such lines of four discs, as shown in Figure 5; or to form squares of four discs, as shown in Figure 6; or to form combinations comprising squares of four discs and lines of three discs, as shown in Figure '7. In forming the lines or squares, any number of opponents may combine, or gang-up" on the remaining opponent or opponents, but the player completing a line of three or four similarly marked discs or squares of such discs receives credit therefor and is given a number of points as will be described in connection with the scoring of points.

The first player picks up, at random, a disc from his group and inspects the face of it to see whether it is marked X or 0. He then places the disc, face up, in any space I! of any of the playing areas II, but preferably in a space l2 of the playing areas II of his opponents for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter. The second, third and fourth players proceed likewise in clockwise rotation by placing a disc in any desired space I2 of any desired playing area.

After the completion of the first round of play, that is after each player has played once it again is the first players turn to play. He again picks up a disc at random, inspects it, and places it in a space l2 of one of the playing areas ll. However, at this point of the gam he may have the opportunity of completing a scoring combination in an opponent's playing area. The second, third and fourth players, play again in turn and play continues in this manner until each player has placed all his discs in a space I! of the playing area ll, unless the game may be terminated sooner because no further scoring possibilities exist.

' Each player also has the privilege of placing a disc in a space l2 of his playing area II to prevent being scored upon by the other players. example, if his opponents have a line of two discs marked 0 in his playing area, and he draws a disc marked X," he may place his disc in the line to prevent a line of three discs marked 0 from being formed. Similarly, the player may If, as shown in Figure 5, the disc a is the last to be placed on the playing area, three lines of four discs and a square of four discs (at the lower left hand corner of the playing area) would be completed. The player is awarded fifteen points for the three lines of four discs and an additional three points for the square of four discs, making a total of eighteen points.

For

A player completing a square of nine discs, as

shown in Figure 7, is awarded points for a combination of scoring plays. For example, if the center disc 20b is the last to be placed on the playing area, four lines of three discs and four squares of four discs (contained in the square of of four discs are completed, totalling six points.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that any number of scoring combinations may be simultaneously completed. For example, one or more lines of three discs, one or more lines of four discs, and one or more squares of four discs may be completed by the playof a single disc. Thus, the players must be on the alert to get the largest scoring award by the play of a single disc or to prevent the largest score possible by playing a single disc, defensively,

The scoring or awarding of points may be effected in any suitable manner, for example, on a score pad or the like, but preferably where the game-board illustrated herein is utilized, the player scoring is awarded his points by having the player scored upon place in the scoring players pay-off sector, a number of playing chips or tokens commensurate to the number of points scored. The winner of a game is the player who has the most points after the points scored against him have been deducted.

In a modified form of the game, the gameboard Ill may be dispensed with and in its place any suitable number of detached cards having a playing area II and spaces l2 may be provided.

For example, such cards are represented by the playing areas illustrated in Figures 4 to '7. The advantage of using these detached cards is that any given number of persons from two to the number of cards provided can play the game. The players can place their cards conveniently in front of them. Should less persons play the game than the number of cards provided, the cards not in use are not displayed and hence will not confuse the players.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides a new, interesting and amusing game, which has simple rules and provides action on nearly every play. The game, due to its simplicity, can be played by children as well as by adults. The many variations and combinations of scoring opportunity add to the interest and enjoyment of the game, enabling persons to amuse themselves for hours at a time. The parts of the game are rugged in construction and can readily withstand any abuse to which they may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form,

7 construction and arrangement of the parts herein,

. in any limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. A game of the class described comprising, in combination, a plurality of differently identified, substantially rectangular playing areas each subdivided into a group of substantially identical game piece receiving spaces and with the spaces of each area arranged in at least four horizontal rows and an equal number of vertical rows in squarewise relation; and a plurality of groups of game pieces, each group being differently identified with respect to each other and solely with one of said playing areas, the number of groups corresponding to the number of said playing areas and the number of pieces in each groupcorresponding to the number of spaces in one of said playing areas, half of said pieces of each group all being provided with the same mark on one side thereof and the other half of said pieces of each group all being provided on one side with the same mark but difierent than said first mark, said pieces, when positioned with said marks thereon facing downwardly, being indistinguishable insofar as said marks are concerned but being distinguishable as to group identification, whereby 10 any aligned and adjacent spaces of said areas are adapted to coact with said game pieces of any group having the same mark thereon to establish a. game value.

2. A game of the class described comprising, in 15 combination, four diflferently identified, substantially rectangular playing areas each subdivided into a group of identical game piece receiving spaces and with the spaces in each area arranged in four horizontal rows and four vertical rows; and four groups of sixteen game pieces in the form of discs, each group being difierently identified with respect to each other and solely with one of said playing areas, eight of said pieces in each group having an X on one side thereof and eight of said pieces in each group having an O on one side thereof, the other side of said pieces of each of said groups being identical except for group identification. s

GEORGE A. STEWART.

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