US3767199A

US3767199A - Game apparatus comprising superposable play selecting cards

Info

Publication number: US3767199A
Application number: US00002817A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Board
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-01-14
Filing date: 1970-01-14
Publication date: 1973-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 1990-10-23

Abstract

Offensive and defensive game cards of regular polygon configuration are superimposed to reveal play-determining symbols through apertures in one of the superimposed cards. A deck of apertured cards may be employed in the game, with each card having a uniquely located group of apertures to permit the selection of corresponding indicia from sets of indicia provided upon cards of another deck. Alternatively, a single apertured card, superimposable with indicia-bearing cards, may be provided with a single aperture at each of a plurality of separate regions of the apertured card, or with a group of apertures at each such region, the apertures or groups of apertures being uniquely located to permit the display of corresponding indicia from the indicia-bearing cards. Superposition of offensive and defensive cards with different relative orientations provides a multiplicity of play-determining results.

Description

United States Patent 1 Board Oct. 23, 1973 GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING SUPERPOSABLE PLAY SELECTING CARDS Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Shapiro Attorney-Shapiro and Shapiro [57] ABSTRACT superimposed cards. A deck of apertured cards may be employed in the game, with each card having a uniquely located group of apertures to permit the selection of corresponding indicia from sets of indicia provided upon cards of another deck. Alternatively, a single apertured card, superimposable with indiciabearing cards, may be provided with a single aperture at each of a plurality of separate regions of the apertured card, or with a group of apertures at each such region, the apertures or groups of apertures being uniquely located to permit the display of corresponding indicia from the indicia-bearing cards. Superposition of offensive and defensive cards with different relative orientations provides a multiplicity of playdetermining results.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures [76] lnventor: Richard G. Board, 3000 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.

[22] Filed: Jan. 14, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 2,817

[52] US. Cl. 273/93 C, 273/94 R, 273/134 CB, 273/134 CF, 273/1'52.31 [51] Int. Cl. A631 9/00, A63f 1/02 [58] Field of Search 273/93, 94, 134, 273/152.1, 152.31, 138

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,492,000 1/1970 Board 273/94 X 3,399,893 911968 Payne, Jr. 273/94 R 2,060,973 11/1936 Brown, Jr. et al. 273/152.1 3,545,758 12/1970 Payne, Jr. 273/94 R 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 HPBIWP 20-- SCREEN PAfiS I I I6 I, END W SWEEP FIG. 1

m 23 33 M 8 I2 ll n 35 5 m l2 .L o 13 w 01 L o 5 1- R; m l o i I- 9 11 b l- H no 8 U z- ,5 p. 0| 9 '1 2 U 4 o b 2 3 52 o 6 2 r 2 4 13 117 3 1; 05; 4 1 9 r 5O 01 O 8 M o 02 3 o, F2 I I 92 1 11w ENTOR RICHARD G. BOARD m Ska 0270 and Ska aim ATTORN EYS Pateh'ted 06. 23, 1913 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 36 CURVE 26 )I FASTBALL HITAWAY mans FIG. 4 1 NV ENTOR RICHARD G. BOARD m 5/20 270 and Ska 0170 ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 23, 1973 3,767,199

4 Sheets-Sheet I3 VENTOR RICHARD 6. BOARD BY Ska aim and Shapiro ATTORNEYS 1 GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING SUPERPOSABLE PLAY SELECTING CARDS REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATION This application discloses modifications of and improvements upon the apparatus disclosed in Ser. No. 643,160, filed June2, 1967 and since matured into US. Pat. No. 3,492,000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to game apparatus and more particularly to games employing offensive and defensive cards for determining play results, and preferably for dictating the movement of playing pieces upon a game board.

In gameapparatus it has heretofore been proposed to employ two decks of cards for determining movement of pieces upon a game board in accordance with the cooperation of a selected card from each deck. For example, in US. Pat. No. 2,060,973 to Brown, Jr., et al., issued Nov. 17, 1936 for Game Apparatus, a football game is described in which the cards of one deck are offensive cards provided with indicia thereon and the cards of the other deck are defensive cards, each having a characteristically located aperture. One player selects a card corresponding to a chosen offensive play; the other player selects a card corresponding to a chosen defensive play; and the cards are then superimposed. A play-determining indicium appears in the aperture of the selected defensive card, and the playing pieces are moved accordingly on the game board. With this arrangement the choice is limited to card selection. The element of chance is introduced into the play results only because neither player knows for certain which card the other player will present. Once the selection of cards is made, the play results are uniquely determined.

In an actual game of football, and in most other games, the mere choice of a stratagem by one player and a stratagem by another player does not produce a unique play result. Other factors enter into the result. Usually, for given stratagems selected by each player a plurality of play results are possible. Thus, if a realistic simulation and an interesting game are to be provided, mere choice of cards is not sufficient.

The aforesaid copending application discloses improved game apparatus in which a plurality of play results are possible after selection of a card from each of two decks and in which the ultimate play determination is dependent upon the relative orientation of the cards presented for super-position. The cards of one deck bear sets of indicia corresponding to the cards of the other deck, the indicia being statistically weighted to produce a set of possible'play results which realistically simulates the possible play results in an actual game. The number of sets of indicia on each indicia-bearing card of one deck corresponds to the number of apertured cards of the other deck, and the number of indicia in each set corresponds to the number of edges of the cards. Also set forth in the copending application is the concept of an apertured card having a plurality of uniquely located apertures and an indicia-bearing card having a set of indicia for each such aperture, the number of indicia in each set corresponding to the number of edges of the cards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a game apparatus employing cards broadly of the type set forth in the copending application and is more particularly concerned with the use of apertured cards having a plurality of uniquely located apertures or a plurality of uniquely located groups of apertures.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide game apparatus representing modification of and- /or simplification of the game apparatus set forth in the aforesaid copending application, so that a single aperture-bearing card may constitute a deck of cards, so that additional variations of play results are provided, as by the provision of performance-related results, and- /or so that card games are provided in which one player may select a set of apertures and another player may select a particular aperture from the set, with the play results depending upon the relative orientation of superimposed apertured and indicia-bearing cards.

Briefly stated, the present invention employs apertured cards with a plurality of uniquely located individual apertures or a plurality of uniquely located groups of apertures. Each aperture is capable of exposing an indicium from a set of indicia on any one of a plurality of indicia-bearing cards, the indicium exposed depending upon relative orientation of the superimposed cards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an apertured card superimposed upon an indicia-bearing card in a football game according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of another indicia-bearing card employed in the game;

FIG. 3 is a perpsective view illustrating an apertured card superimposed upon an indicia-bearing card in a baseball game according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an additional indicia-bearing card employed in the baseball game;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views of other apertured cards employed in the baseball game; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views of modified apertured cards superimposed with modified indicia! bearing cards employed in a baseball game according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As set forth in the aforesaid copending application, the cards of the present invention are preferably employed in conjunction with a game board (not here shown) which may take the form of a miniature football field or a miniature baseball field, for example, depending upon the type of game to be simulated. Suitable playing pieces, such as a football for use on the football field and base runners for use on the baseball field, may be provided.

In accordance with the invention regular polygonal cards are employed. The term regular polygonal" is intended to connote cards having edges which define regular polygons. The cards are preferably square. As in the game apparatus of the copending application, two decks" of cards are employed, but in the apparatus of the present invention the cards of one deck may be merged so that a single planar member serves as a deck or assemblage of cards. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the single planar member constitutes a deck or assemblage of four cards, there being apertures associated with the four delineated quadrants of the planar member 10 designated by corresponding legends draw play short pass screen pass end sweep. Although each quadrant may have only a single aperture which is uniquely located on the card, in the form shown each quadrant has a uniquely located group of apertures, 12, 14, 16 and 18. While the planar member 10 will be referred to hereinafter as a card, it will be understood in view of the foregoing that it actually constitutes the merging of four cards.

It will be noted in FIG. 1 that card 10 is superimposed upon an underlying indicia-bearing card 20. Card 10 permits the selection of any one of four offensive plays in a football game, while card 20 permits the selection ofa particular defensive formation. When

cards

10 and 20 are superimposed as shown in FIG. 1 with a partiuclar relative orientation, certain indicia will be exposed through the apertures. If card 10 were turned 90 and again superimposed with card 20, different indicia would be exposed. This would also be true if card 10 were turned 180 or 270 and superimposed with card 20. Thus each aperture of card 10 has a corresponding set of indicia displayed on card 20, any one of which may be exposed depending upon the relative orientation of the cards. The opposite side of card 10 may be divided into quadrants designating four additional offensive plays, so that the single planar member 10 may constitute eight offensive cards, it being important, of course, that the groups of apertures be located uniquely so as to expose different indicia of an underlying indicia-bearing card when the offensive card 10 is turned over.

FIG. 2 illustrates another indicia-bearing card 22, with a legend designating a different defensive formation. Each indicia-bearing card may, on its opposite side, be provided with further indicia and a further legend designating another defensive formation. A plurality of such defensive -formation cards constitutes the defensive deck.

The cards of the offensive and defensive decks are preferably identical in size and shape. The positions of the indicia of one deck are correlated with the locations of corresponding apertures of the other deck, and each indicium is associated with an edge of its card. Thus, four possible play-determining indicia or symbols may be exposed in any aperture, depending upon the four possible relative orientations of each apertured card and an underlying indicia-bearing card, without turning either card over. It is preferred that the individual indicia be orientated so that each will appear upright when the legends of the apertured card are upright.

From the foregoing it is apparent that different playdetermining results are obtained when one player secretly selects a particular aperture or group of apertures (as by placing his thumb on a card quadrant), another player secretly selects an indicia-bearing card, and the apertured card is then superimposed upon the indicia-bearing card with secretly selected relative orientation. The provision of a group of apertures for each quadrant of the aperture-bearing card 10 permits performance-related results, the performance factor being introduced by dictating which aperture of a group is to be employed for given play conditions, the apertures being differentiated, for example, by indicia such as the differently colored rings 22 surrounding the apertures, as shown in FIG. 1. When square cards are employed and it is desired to permit turning over the apertured card for additional stratagems, as set forth above, it should be noted that the unique location of the apertures, to permit exposing of different indicia when the apertured card is turned over, requires that the apertures be located offset from the diagonals of the apertured card.

The cards of both decks represent or are related to game activities which may be carried out on the game board. Each of the defensive cards has a certain value or weight relative to each of the offensive cards, in accordance with the particular game, so that generally the play results designated by the indicia will be more favorable or less favorable to one or the other of the players depending upon which two cards are superimposed. Moreover, the indicia of the defensive cards are statistically weighted, so that for any set of indicia the four possible play results will simulate, as closely as possible, those results which might occur in an actual game, a football game for example, if a particular defensive stratagem were pitted against a particular offensive stratagem. Thus, certain defenses will be more effective against certain offenses, and the range of gains or losses for each situation will reflect actual play experience. It will be understood, of course, that the apertured cards may represent defensive formations and the indicia-bearing cards may represent offensive plays, rather than the reverse.

FIG. 3 illustrates the superposition of cards employed in a baseball game. The apertured card 24 has a legend designating a particular pitch (SLIDER") to be thrown and is one of a deck of such cards, other members of which are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Each apertured card has a uniquely located group of

apertures

26, 28, and 30, each aperture being designated by a legend representing the type of pitch expected or hitting tactic adopted by a batter. As shown in FIG. 3, when the pitchers card 24 is superimposed upon a batters card 32, an indicium will appear in each of the apertures. Different indicia will appear for each of the four possible relative orientations of the superimposed cards. Moreover, in the same manner described with respect to the football game above, the indicia-bearing cards and the apertured cards may, if desired, be turned over to provide further variations. An additional indicia-bearing card is illustrated in FIG. 4. In general there will be an indicia-bearing card for each of the batters in the offensive lineup. Each such card will bear a legend designating the position in the lineup or the caliber of the corresponding batter. Each edge of the batter cards has associated therewith a legend designating a particular type of pitch expected or batting tactic to be adopted. In addition, it is preferred that the edges of each batters card be provided with different colored markers 34 corresponding to colored markers, such as rings 36, associated with the apertures of the aperturedpitchers cards. The apertured cards may be provided with notches 36' at the edges thereof to expose the colored markers 34 of the indicia-bearing cards upon superposition.

In the playing of a game of baseball in accordance with the invention the player representing the pitcher will secretly select a card (and hence a set of apertures) designating the type of pitch to be thrown. The batter will be predetermined by a preselected lineup, and thus the batters card will be predetermined. However, the player representing the batter will secretly select a particular pitch expected or a particular batting tactic to be adopted. This will be designated by that players placing his thumb upon one of the colored markers 34 on the batters card. The previously hidden selections will then be revealed when the batters card is presented with a chosen orientation for superposition with the pitcher's card, also having a chosen orientation. The player representing the batter will then remove his thumb, revealing the selected colored marker, which v will thus designate a particular aperture of the pitchers card to be consulted for the play results. Again, the play results will be statistically weighted so that the nature of the results will be influenced by the caliber of the batter and by whether the batter was able to anticipate the type of pitch to be thrown or to adoptthe proper hitting tactic.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 7, the deck of pitchers cards is constituted by a single planar member 38 divided into quadrants and provided with a uniquely located set of apertures in each quadrant, a legend in each quadrant designating the type of pitch. Thus, the single planar member 38 may serve as four cards, the card selected by the corresponding player being designated by the players placing his thumb upon the chosen quadrant when the card is presented for superposition. Differentpitchers (having different capabilities) may be represented by

different pitching cards

38 and 40 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, at least some of the groups of apertures being differently located (and differently designated by performance legends) so as to expose different indicia of the indicia-bearing cards. Thus it will be noted by comparing FIGS. 7 and 8 that the fast ball and curve aperture groups are differently located, the outside and slider aperture groups being located identically. By properly positioning the indicia of the indicia-bearing

cards

42 and 44, it is possible to permit the exposing of different indicia for the fast ball and curve selections whencards 38 and 40 are individually superimposed with a particular indicia-bearing card and with the same orientation. The indicia exposed by the outside and slider" apertures of card 38 will be the same for card 40, since the performance rating of the two pitchers is the same for these pitches.

The apparatus of the invention, although quite simple, has been found to be unusually effective in providing a game in which opposing players may make a selection not only of two opposing stratagems from multiplicities of stratagems, but also a further selection (by virtue of the relative orientation of the cards presented) which may be completely arbitrary, so as merely to introduce the element of chance, or which may be strategic, as when the card orientation represents a further or refined stratagem, such as lateral movement of the ball for example. It has previously been suggested, as in U.S. Pat. No. 1,527,059, granted Feb. 17, 19 25 to Morgan et al., to provide a game of chance in which a single apertured cover card is superimposed upon a series of back cards, each having apertures and indicia which register in different combinations so as to display different indicia through the apertures of the cover card depending upon the relative orientation of the cards. Such apparatus is merely a variation of a such prior apparatus, the game apparatus of the present invention permits the application of genuine strategy in the attainment of realistic play results. Each player has a wide choice of stratagems as well as the opportunity to vary the results of two opposing stratagems, by card orientation. Although the relative orientation of the superimposed cards is dependent upon chance, psychological factors also play a role. Moreover, where the edges of the cards have strategic meaning, strategy also plays a role in the choice of orientation.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made without de parting from the principles and spirit of the invention.

The invention claimed is: v

1. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, first and second assemblages of similar square card means for association with opposing players, respectively, the card means of each assemblage having represented thereon different stratagems, respectively, which may be employed by the associated player against the other, each of the card means of the first assemblage having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the card means of the second assemblage, respectively, each set having four indicia corresponding to the different edges, respectively, of the card means the card means of the second assemblage comprising at least one square planar member having a plurality of uniquely located apertures correlated with the locations of the indicia of corresponding sets so that the apertures are alignable with individual indicia of the corresponding sets depending upon the seplayer may choose a stratagem from the plurality of stratagems of the associated assemblage of card means and the play results depend upon the choice of stratagem by each player and the choice of said orientation.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said second assemblage comprises a plurality of such planar members, each of which is superimposable with the card means of the first assemblage and has a uniquely located group of apertures.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the card means of said second assemblage have uniquely located groups of apertures alignable with corresponding sets of indicia of the card means of said first assemblage.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the apertures of each group of apertures are differentiated from each other by associated legends or markers.

5. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, a pair of similar regular polygonal cards for association with opposing players, respectively, one card having a group of uniquely located apertures, and the other card having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the apertures, respectively, each set having indicia associated with corresponding edges of the cards whereby different indicia of the set are alignable with the corresponding aperture when the apertured card is superimposed congruently upon the indicia-bearing card with different selected orientations, said apertures having associated therewith identifying indicia representing play stratagems, identical indicia being provided upon the indicia-bearing card to permit the designation of one of said stratagems by the player associated with said indicia-bearing card.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, there being an assemblage of said indicia-bearing cards for one of said players having different sets of indicia and an assemblage of said apertured cards for the other of said players, each group of apertures being uniquely located so as to be alignable with corresponding sets of indicia on each of said indicia-bearing cards.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6, there being a plurality of different assemblages of said apertured cards, each of which may be superimposed with said indicia-bearing cards.

8. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, first and second assemblages of similar square card means for association with opposing players, respectively, the card means of each assemblage having represented thereon different stratagems, respectively, which may be employed by the associated player against the other, each of the card means of the first assemblage having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the card means of the second assemblage, respectively, each set having four indicia corresponding to the different edges, respectively, of the card means, the second assemblage having a plurality of uniquely located apertures correlated with the locations of the indicia of corresponding sets so that the apertures are alignable with individual indicia of the corresponding sets depending upon the selected orientation of the card means of the second assemblage relative to any one of said indicia-bearing card means upon congruent superposition therewith, and so that the indicia of different sets are alignable with said apertures depending upon which side of the card means of said second assemblage is juxtaposed with an indicia-bearing card means.

9. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, first and second assemblages of similar regular polygonal card means for association with opposing players, respectively, the card means of each assemblage having represented thereon different stratagems, respectively, which may be employed by the associated player against the other, each of the card means of the first assemblage having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the card means of the second assemblage, respectively, each set having a plurality of indicia corresponding to different edges, respectively, of the card means, the card means of the second assemblage comprising at least one regular polygonal planar member having a plurality of uniquely located apertures correlated with the locations of the indicia of corresponding sets so that the apertures are alignable with individual indicia of the corresponding sets depending upon the selected orientation of the apertured planar member relative to any one of said indicia-bearing card means upon congruent superposition therewith, whereby each player may choose a stratagem from the plurality of stratagems of the associated assemblage of card means and the play results depend upon the choice of stratagem by each player and the choice of said orientation, said indicia-bearing card means having indicia thereon identical to indicia associated with corresponding apertures of said apertured card means for designating such apertures.

10. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, first and second assemblages of similar regular polygonal card means for association with opposing players, respectively, the card means of each assemblage having represented thereon different stratagems, respectively, which may be employed by the associated player against the other, each of the card means of the first assemblage having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the card means of the second assemblage, respectively, each set having a plurality of indicia corresponding to different edges, respectively, of the card means, the card means of the second assemblage comprising at least one regular polygonal planar member having a plurality of uniquely located groups of apertures alignable with corresponding sets of indicia of the card means of the first assemblage so that the apertures are alignable with individual indicia of the corresponding sets depending upon the selected orientation of the apertured planar member relative to any one of said indicia-bearing card means upon congruent superposition therewith, whereby each player may choose a stratagem from the plurality of stratagems of the associated assemblage of card means and the play results depend upon the choice of stratagem by each player and the choice of said orientation, the apertures of each group of apertures, being differentiated from each other by associated indicia designating play stratagems, the indicia-bearing card means having displayed thereon indicia identical to the indicia associated with said apertures.

Claims

1. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, first and second assemblages of similar square card means for association with opposing players, respectively, the card means of each assemblage having represented thereon different stratagems, respectiVely, which may be employed by the associated player against the other, each of the card means of the first assemblage having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the card means of the second assemblage, respectively, each set having four indicia corresponding to the different edges, respectively, of the card means, the card means of the second assemblage comprising at least one square planar member having a plurality of uniquely located apertures correlated with the locations of the indicia of corresponding sets so that the apertures are alignable with individual indicia of the corresponding sets depending upon the selected orientation of the apertured planar member relative to any one of said indiciabearing card means upon congruent superposition therewith, whereby each player may choose a stratagem from the plurality of stratagems of the associated assemblage of card means and the play results depend upon the choice of stratagem by each player and the choice of said orientation.

10. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, first and second assemblages of similar regular polygonal card means for association with opposing players, respectively, the card means of each assemblage having represented thereon different stratagems, respectively, which may be employed by the associated player against the other, each of the card means of the first assemblage having a plurality of sets of play-determining indicia thereon corresponding to the card means of the second assemblage, respectively, each set having a plurality of indicia corresponding to different edges, respectively, of the card means, the card means of the second assemblage comprising at least one regular polygonal planar member having a plurality of uniquely located groups of apertures alignable with corresponding sets of indicia of the card means of the first assemblage so that the apertures are alignable with individual indicia of the corresponding sets depending upon the selected orientation of the apertured planar member relative to any one of said indicia-bearing card means upon congruent superposition therewith, whereby each player may choose a stratagem from the plurality of stratagems of the associated assemblage of card means and the play results depend upon the choice of stratagem by each player and the choice of said orientation, the apertures of each group of apertures being differentiated from each other by associated indicia designating play stratagems, the indicia-bearing card means having displayed thereon indicia identical to the indicia associated with said apertures.