US3843133A

US3843133A - Game apparatus for playing and recording successive plays in a game

Info

Publication number: US3843133A
Application number: US00394219A
Authority: US
Inventors: P Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-09-04
Filing date: 1973-09-04
Publication date: 1974-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-22
Also published as: JPS5145249B2; JPS50155335A

Abstract

This is a game apparatus for playing and recording successive plays in a game such as chess, checkers or like games. The squares or playing areas have vertical openings therethrough which receive the shanks of playing pieces. The pieces have identifying head portions larger than the openings in the gameboard, and a cover is slidable over the board and over the heads of the playing pieces. Identifying and recording indicia are provided on the bottom of the board and the bottom of the playing pieces. The bottom indicia of the playing pieces, when held in position by the cover, are in the same plane with the recording indicia on the bottom of the game-board whereby the board and pieces recording indicia may be pressed on an ink pad, and then pressed on a recording sheet, preferably a standard size postcard to record the position of the playing pieces on the board, which may then be mailed to a correspondent elsewhere for playing a game by correspondence. Inasmuch as the entire board and the positions of all the pieces are recorded or rubber stamped on a post card or other recording sheet, there is no language barrier between the players, and the game may be played by mail irrespective of the fact that neither player may be conversant with the language or even the alphabet of the other; each player need only be capable of addressing the post cards to the other, or each player preaddresses a supply of post cards to himself and mails them to the other. Thus, a player knowing only English may play with a player knowing only Japanese, or Chinese or Russian. In addition, a kit is provided for receiving and storing the game-board and the playing pieces, and has an ink pad for inking the board and pieces, a cover with storage space for post cards or other record sheets and rack compartments on each side of the ink pad and board storing compartment for storing the playing pieces that have been removed from the game-board.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Brown Oct. 22, 1974 GAME APPARATUS FOR PLAYING AND RECORDING SUCCESSIVE PLAYS IN A GAME Inventor: Paul Douglas Brown, 1011 NE. 141st, North Miami, Fla. 33161 Filed: Sept. 4, 1973 Appl. N0.: 394,219

US. Cl. 273/136 R, 273/137 R Int. Cl. A63f 3/02 Field of Search 273/136 765,850 3/1934 France 273/136 E Primary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe Attorney, Agent, or FirmGustave Miller [57] ABSTRACT This is a game apparatus for playing and recording successive plays in a game such as chess, checkers or like games. The squares or playing areas have vertical openings therethrough which receive the shanks of playing pieces. The pieces have identifying head portions larger than the openings in the game-board, and a cover is slidable over the board and over the heads of the playing pieces. Identifying and recording indicia are provided on the bottom of the board and the bottom of the playing pieces. The bottom indicia of the playing pieces, when held in position by the cover, are in the same plane with the recording indicia on the bottom of the game-board whereby the board and pieces recording indicia may be pressed on an ink pad, and then pressed on a recording sheet, preferably a standard size postcard to record the position of the playing pieces on the. board, which may then be mailed to a correspondent elsewhere for playing a game by correspondence.

himself and mails them to the other. Thus, a player knowing only English may play with a player knowing only Japanese, or Chinese or Russian.

In addition, a kit is provided for receiving and storing the game-board and the playing pieces, and has an ink pad for inking the board and pieces, a cover with storage space for post cards or other record sheets'and rack compartments on each side of the ink pad and board storing compartment for storing the playing. pieces that have been removed from the game-board.

13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GAME APPARATUS FOR PLAYING AND RECORDING SUCCESSIVE PLAYS IN A GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a playing and recording apparatus for games, particularly for recording successive moves of the game pieces in games such as chess, checkers or other games having definitely movable pieces, by use of the playing pieces during actual play. Chess, for instance, is an international game, often played by correspondence between players in different countries, using certain codes utilizing alphabet and number indicia, indicating the moves. With this invention, no codes are needed, no understanding of any common code or even of any alphabet or number system, and each player makes his move, then records a graphic illustration of the game board showing the actual move, preferably on a standard post card when the apparatus is made of appropriate size, or, if larger, on any recording sheet of paper, and mails the graphic record to the correspondent player, who then makes his move on a similar game apparatus and mails it to the first correspondent, both keeping-up the game until it is finished. Any language barrier between the players is thus eliminated. No speciallydesigned record sheet. is

necessary; any piece of paper or post card is enough,

for the game board and game pieces act as a rubber stamp to completely and graphically illustrate each move without any possibility of misunderstanding b the other player.

OBJECTS OF THIS INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a game appieces that can be readily identified and used in combination with the game-board both for playing and for printing the complete game-board and the positions of all pieces remaining on the game-board at each move on any type of recording sheet, such as a standard post card or any sheet of paper. A further object of this invention is to provide a chess or checker game apparatus that may be used both for playing the game and as a rubber stamp for graphically illustrating each move on any sheet of recording material between moves, with the recorded plays providing a complete record of the entire game.

Still a further object of this invention is toprovide a rubber stamp game apparatus that is particularly useful in playing the game by correspondence with another player located anywhere else, overcoming any lan- V guage barrier, completely eliminating the need for any knowledge of any codification system or even of understanding the alphabet or number system of a foreign language to show each move in the game.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus for playing chess, checkers, etc. and for readily graphically illustrating each move, as on any convenient sheet of paper, or, when made in appropriate size, on a standard post card which may be mailed to the correspondent playerin playing the game by correspondence with a player located in China. Japan. india or anywhere in the world without the need ot any codification system whatsoever to make the game I A further object of this invention is to provide a kit including an ink pad, a game-board and set of pieces which is automatically set up as a rubber stamp for use in graphically illustrating each move after it is made, and wherein the kit is also provided with racks for holding the pieces removed from the game-board in the course of play, and even provides means for storing recording sheets such as paper or standard post cards.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus particularly useful-in playing the game of chess internationally by correspondence with a player wherein each player may haveno knowledge of the writtenlanguage of the other player.

A further object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus kit which may be poeket size for use by a player anywhere, both in playing the game and in studying the game and readily graphically recording the game by merely rubber stamping or printing the result of each move, illustrating the entire board and the posi tion of each game piece thereon Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus kit wherein each playing area or square of the game-board has an opening therethrough and has playing areas or game-board squares identifying, and recording contact indicia on the bottom thereof,

and each piece has a shank portion fitting through the openings, with identifying and recording contact indicia on the bottom end of the shank, as well as an identi fying head portion larger than the shank and limiting the movement of the shank down through the board opening just enough to place its contact indicia in thesame plane with the contact indicia of the game-board, in combination with a readily removable game-board cover that, when in position, will hold the inserted pieces in the game-board with their contact indicia inover the latter patent in that this invention is capable of printing and graphically illustrating individual moves on any sheet of paper and does not use a preprinted record sheet. In appropriate size, it may be stampedon a standard post card for use in playing the game by correspondence as well as for keeping graphicrecord on any sheet of paper of each move for later study, or for keeping records of plays in tournament games.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a.

oard using definitely movable game pieces, which may be made for chess, checkers, Parcheesi, Chinese checkers or any other such type of game.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game kit particularly useful to a reporter in recording each and every move in a chess, checker or other gameboard and definitely movable game piece type of tournament.

Baler DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES With the above and other related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire game apparatus kit of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing both the head portion and the indicia recording portion of one playing piece of one player.

FIG. 3 is a similar view of a similar playing piece of the other player.

FIG. 4 is a perspective top view, on a larger scale, of the game-board, some game pieces, and the cover for holding the pieces in the board in indicia inking and recording position.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective bottom view of the game-board showing the bottom recording indicia thereof.

FIG. 6 is a section on line 66 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION There is shown at 10 the game kit of this invention. It particularly is usefulin small size, as a pocket gameboard, as well as a playing board, and in addition useful for correspondence playing with another player located anywhere in the world, as well as a reporting and recording kit for graphically recording and reporting games in tournament play. The kit 10 consists ofa casing or chest 12 provided with .a cover l4 suitably hinged thereto at 16. Inside the cover, there is provided an inside cover 18 for retaining recording sheets 20 therein. In appropriate size, the recording sheets may be standard size post cards suitable for mailing. The chest or casing 12 is divided by two partitions 22 into three compartments, the middle compartment 24 providing an ink pad compartment having an ink pad 26 may be square, as shown, or circular, oval or otherwise, as desired. At the bottom of the board 28 there is provided contact means providing playing areas identifying and recording

indicia

46 and 48, which, when pressed on the ink pad 26, will pick up stamping ink, and when then pressed on a recording sheet 20, will graphically illustrate the top surface of the game-board 28 and the position of the pieces 30 therein.

Each game piece 30 is provided with a shank portion 50 and an identifying head portion 52. The shank portion 50 is complementary in size and shape to the playing area vertical opening 44 and is provided at its bottom end with contact means providing identifying and recording

indicia

54 or 56 correspondto the

indicia

58 or 60 on its head portion 52. In the illustrated pieces. the identifying indicia represent chessmen Black Castle and White Castle, and the other fifteen pieces-of each set will represent other conventional chessmen.

Because of the fact that the bottom of the board will generally have some ink thereon, it is desirable to leave the game-board in the ink pad compartment 24 at all times except when pressing it on a recording sheet or post card to show the move that has been made. To facilitate the removable of the transparent cover 32 while in the ink pad compartment 24, a hinged front wall 62 is provided, hinged low enough to permit the cover 32 to slide thereover and high enough to keep the gameboard 28 in the compartment 24 for moving the game pieces as desired. Then the cover 32- is slid back into position holding the pieces 30 in place, whereupon the cover 32 and game-board 28 are pressed down to ink the

bottom indicia

46 and 48 of the board and the

bottoms

54 and 56 of all game pieces 30 therein. Then, the

Inasmuch as the last or sixteenth chessman piece need never be removed from the board, end compartment storage racks 66 may be provided with only fifv teen openings 68 to receive removed game pieces 30 at the bottom thereof. It also serves for storing the game-board 28 with its inserted game pieces30 and game piece retaining transparent cover 32 slidably held thereon by cooperation of the gameboard side slots or tracks 34 and the inturned toes 36 of the cover legs 38.

Chinese checkers areillustrative of other game-board games that may be made up according to this invention. Any game with definitely movable gamepieces may be made up and played according to this invention.

Each playing area or

square

40 and 42 is provided with a vertical opening 44 therethro u gh, which opening therein, as when the game is chess. With other games, using more than sixteen pieces, the racks 66 will have an appropriate number, of openings 68, the pieces 30 being held in place in the rack openings 68 by the inside cover. In this case, eighteen openings are shown.

female snap fasteners 72 on the front of the chest- 12 and 74 on depending fingers 76 on the outside of ledge are provided for retaining the cover 14in closed position with the assembled game-board and pieces therein.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION The kit chest 12 is preferably of a size to contain standard size post cards 20 inside the cover 18 of chest cover 14, and the board is of a-size to graphically print the entire board and assembled pieces 30 on a postcard 20, and thus is of a size that may be readily carried in ones pocket or handbag. Y

The kit may be used for playing with correspondents elsewhere. in such case, each player correspondent will have and use a completekit such in this invention. Each may have a number of post cards preaddressed to the other player. Then, each plays in turn, sliding off the cover 32 so he can move his piece, then presses the game board 28 and pieces 30 into the ink pad, then lifts the assembly out and stamps the post card and mails it, and possibly stamps another sheet of paper or page of a notebook to keep a record of his own play. The recipient of the card sets up his pieces to correspond to the card, records it, then makes his play and records it on a card to mail back to the first player, and this goes on until the game is completed. It is immaterial whether either player can understand-the language of theother, or even the alphabet or number system of the other; there is no language barrier when playing the game by mail with the kit 10 of this invention.

This kit 10 may also be used in reporting tournament games. In such case, the reporter setsup his board 28 and pieces 30, the same as the tournament players, and records each successive play on any suitable sheet of paper and thus has a graphic illustration of each and I every play of the tournament game. Being small In addition to eliminating the need for a code system in playing by mail, it eliminates the mental effort of converting the move into the code, and then reconverting the code into the move, all-with the attendant possibility of error.

ABSTRACT OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts, and for purposes of explication, marshalled below are the numbered parts of the improved Game Apparatus for Playing and Recording Successive Plays in a Game.

10 game kit of this invention 12 chest or casing 14 cover 16 hinges 18 inside .cover 20 post cards or recording sheets 22 compartment partitions 24 middle ink pad compartment also providing storage for assembled game-board 26 ink pad 28 game-board 30 game pieces 32 transparent retaining cover 34 board side tracks 36 inturned toes oflegs 38 38 cover legs 40. board black squares 42 white squares 44 playing area vertical opening 46 black square contact recording indicia at the bottom of board 28 a I 48 white square recording indicia 50 shank portion of a game piece 52

head portion

54 and 56 identifying recording indicia on the bottom 1 of the

shanks

58 and 60 identifying display on head portions 62 hinged front wall 64 upstanding finger to hold wall 62 in closed position 66 game piece racks and floors in'end compartments Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A game apparatus for playing and recording successive plays in a game comprising, in combination:

a. a game-board (28) having playing areas (40 & 42)

marked thereon,

b. said game-board including contact means (46 & I

48) providing game-board playing areas identifying and recording indicia located on the bottom thereof,

c. a vertical opening (44) located in each playing areafor receiving a playing piece (30),-

d. playing pieces (30) each having an identifying head portion (52) disposed above the game-board and reduced shank means (50) to extend down through one of said vertical openings (44), each said vertical opening having a diameter smaller than said identifying head portion (52),

e. said shank means (50) including a contact means (54 &'56) providing identifyingand recording cia located on thebottom thereof,

f. cover means (32) removably mounted (34, 36) on said board (28) to hold said playing pieces (30) in their lowermost position with their recording indicia (54, 56) and said game-board recording indicia (46, 48) in the same plane permitting said gameboard recording indicia and said pieces recording indicia (54, 56) to simultaneously engage with an ink pad means (26) or a recording sheet (20).

2. The game apparatus of claim 1, 'said game-board recording indicia (46 & 48) being of a size to record on a standard post card (20).

, 3. The game apparatus of claim 1, each playing area being in the form of a square (42, 44) of'a chess board 4. The game apparatus ofclaim 1, comprising a slot (34) on each of two opposite sides of said game-board (28) and said game-board cover (32) having depending legs (38) and inturned toes (3 6) slidably engaging in said two slots (34) to hold said cover (32) over said game piece head portions (52), said legs (38) and toes (36) being of a height to hold said cover just over said game piece head portions (52) of game pieces (30) inserted through said openings (44) to maintain said game pieces recording indicia (54, 56); in the same plane with said game-board'recordingindicia (46,48).

indiing kit 10, said kit comprising an ink pad (26) compartment (24) for receiving or storing said game-board (28) therein, and game piece (30) storing compartment means (66, 68) therein.

7. The game apparatus of claim 6, said game piece storing compartment means having rack floor means (66) provided with openings (68) therethrough of a size to receive said game piece shanks (50) therethrough with said head portions (52) resting on said floor means (66).

8. The game apparatus of claim 7, and a cover (14) closeable on said kit (10), said cover (14) having recording sheet storing means (18) therewith.

9. The game apparatus ofclaim 8, and standard post cards (20) storing said cover (14), said game-board recording indicia (46, 48) being of a size to record on a standard post card. 7

10. The game apparatus of claim 6, said ink pad com- 8 partment (24) having side walls (22) stopping at said game piece storing compartment floor means (66), permitting said covered game-board (28) to be readily manually grasped. 7

11. The game apparatus of claim 10, said ink pad compartment (24) having a hinged front wall (62) permitting said cover means (32) to be removed from said game-board (28) for providing access to the game pieces (30) in said board (28) while in said ink pad storing compartment (24).

12. The game apparatus of claim 11, means (64) on said hinged front wall (62) cooperating with said hinged cover (14) for holding said hinged frontwall (62) in kit (10) closing position while said' kit cover (14) is down in covering position, and means (72, 74, 76) for releasably retaining said kit cover in closed position.

13. The game apparatus of claim 12, and an inside cover (18) on said cover, said inside cover (18) providing a recording sheet storing means and also providing means retaining said pieces (30) in said rack floor openings (68).

Claims

1. A game apparatus for playing and recording successive plays in a game comprising, in combination: a. a game-board (28) having playing areas (40 & 42) marked thereon, b. said game-board including contact means (46 & 48) providing game-board playing areas identifying and recording indicia located on the bottom thereof, c. a vertical opening (44) located in each playing area for receiving a playing piece (30), d. playing pieces (30) each having an identifying head portion (52) disposed above the game-board and reduced shank means (50) to extend down through one of said vertical openings (44), each said vertical opening having a diameter smaller than said identifying head portion (52), e. said shank means (50) including a contact means (54 & 56) providing idEntifying and recording indicia located on the bottom thereof, f. cover means (32) removably mounted (34, 36) on said board (28) to hold said playing pieces (30) in their lowermost position with their recording indicia (54, 56) and said gameboard recording indicia (46, 48) in the same plane permitting said game-board recording indicia and said pieces recording indicia (54, 56) to simultaneously engage with an ink pad means (26) or a recording sheet (20).

2. The game apparatus of claim 1, said game-board recording indicia (46 & 48) being of a size to record on a standard post card (20).

3. The game apparatus of claim 1, each playing area being in the form of a square (42, 44) of a chess board (28).

4. The game apparatus of claim 1, comprising a slot (34) on each of two opposite sides of said game-board (28) and said game-board cover (32) having depending legs (38) and inturned toes (36) slidably engaging in said two slots (34) to hold said cover (32) over said game piece head portions (52), said legs (38) and toes (36) being of a height to hold said cover just over said game piece head portions (52) of game pieces (30) inserted through said openings (44) to maintain said game pieces recording indicia (54, 56) in the same plane with said game-board recording indicia (46, 48).

5. The game apparatus of claim 4, said cover (34) being of transparent material permitting said game piece identifying heads (52) and said game-board squares (46 & 48) to be visible therethrough.

6. The game apparatus of claim 1, including a carrying kit 10, said kit comprising an ink pad (26) compartment (24) for receiving or storing said game-board (28) therein, and game piece (30) storing compartment means (66, 68) therein.

8. The game apparatus of claim 7, and a cover (14) closeable on said kit (10), said cover (14) having recording sheet (20) storing means (18) therewith.

9. The game apparatus of claim 8, and standard post cards (20) storing said cover (14), said game-board recording indicia (46, 48) being of a size to record on a standard post card.

10. The game apparatus of claim 6, said ink pad compartment (24) having side walls (22) stopping at said game piece storing compartment floor means (66), permitting said covered game-board (28) to be readily manually grasped.

12. The game apparatus of claim 11, means (64) on said hinged front wall (62) cooperating with said hinged cover (14) for holding said hinged front wall (62) in kit (10) closing position while said kit cover (14) is down in covering position, and means (72, 74, 76) for releasably retaining said kit cover in closed position.