U.S. patent application number 10/177234 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-25 for playing cards, a deck comprised thereof, and a method for playing cards that employs such deck.
Invention is credited to Frieman, Shlomo Ruvane.
Application Number | 20030234493 10/177234 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29734331 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030234493 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Frieman, Shlomo Ruvane |
December 25, 2003 |
Playing cards, a deck comprised thereof, and a method for playing
cards that employs such deck
Abstract
A playing card that is suitable for use in a deck of playing
cards to teach young children (i.e., ages 3 to 6 years) an alphabet
or other basic skill has a playing face and a rear face where (a)
the playing face bears an (1) indicia, (2) a first smaller version
of the same indicia in the upper left hand corner, and (3) a second
smaller version of the same indicia in the upper right hand corner,
and where all versions of the indicia on the playing face are in an
upright position and the upper left and upper right hand corners of
the playing face are at the top of the playing card; and (b) the
rear face bears a design that indicates the top of the playing
card. Preferably, the playing face is devoid of any other graphics
other than the indicia. A deck comprises one or more sets of the
forgoing playing card can be used to play concentration, rummy,
war, old maid, go fish, and many other card games.
Inventors: |
Frieman, Shlomo Ruvane; (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Shlomo R. Frieman
139 South Mansfield Avenue
Los Angeles
CA
90036
US
|
Family ID: |
29734331 |
Appl. No.: |
10/177234 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/293 ;
273/296 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2001/0466 20130101;
A63F 1/02 20130101; A63F 2001/0491 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/293 ;
273/296 |
International
Class: |
A63F 001/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A playing card suitable for use in a deck of playing cards, the
playing card having a playing face and a rear face where: (a) the
playing face bears an indicia, a first smaller version of the same
indicia in the upper left hand corner, a second smaller version of
the same indicia in the upper right hand corner, a third smaller
version of the same indicia in the lower left hand corner and a
fourth smaller version of the same indicia in the lower right hand
corner, the upper left and upper right hand corners of the playing
face being at the top of the playing card; (b) all versions of the
indicia on the playing face are in an upright position; (c) the
playing face of the playing card is substantially devoid of any
other graphics; (d) the rear face bears a design that indicates the
top of the playing card; and (e) the playing card is about 3.5
inches (8.89 cm) .+-.1 inch (2.54 cm) high by about 2.5 inches
(6.95 cm) .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm) wide.
2. The playing card of claim 1 where the indicia are selected from
the group consisting a single letter of an alphabet, a single
character of a language, a single geometric shape, and a single
color.
3. The playing card of claim 1 where the indicia are selected from
the group consisting a single letter of an alphabet and a single
character of a language.
4. The playing card of claim 1 where the playing face of the
playing card is devoid of any other graphics.
5. The playing card of claim 1 where the playing card is about 3.5
inches (8.89 cm) .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm) high by about 2.5 inches
(6.95 cm) .+-.0.25 inch (0.635 cm) wide.
6. The playing card of claim 1 where the playing card is about 3.5
inches (8.89 cm) high by about 2.5 inches (6.95 cm) wide.
7. A playing card suitable for use in a deck of playing cards, the
playing card having a playing face and a rear face where: (a) the
playing face bears an indicia, a first smaller version of the same
indicia in the upper left hand corner, a second smaller version of
the same indicia in the upper right hand corner, the upper left and
upper right hand corners of the playing face being at the top of
the playing card; (b) all versions of the indicia on the playing
face are in an upright position; (c) the playing face of the
playing card is substantially devoid of any other graphics; (d) the
rear face bears a design that indicates the top of the playing
card; and (e) the playing card is about 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) .+-.1
inch (2.54 cm) high by about 2.5 inches (6.95 cm) .+-.0.5 inch
(1.27 cm) wide.
8. The playing card of claim 7 where the indicia are selected from
the group consisting a single letter of an alphabet, a single
character of a language, a single geometric shape, and a single
color.
9. The playing card of claim 7 where the indicia are selected from
the group consisting a single letter of an alphabet and a single
character of a language.
10. The playing card of claim 7 where the playing face of the
playing card is devoid of any other graphics.
11. The playing card of claim 7 where the playing card is about 3.5
inches (8.89 cm) .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm) high by about 2.5 inches
(6.95 cm) .+-.0.25 inch (0.635 cm) wide.
12. The playing card of claim 7 where the playing card is about 3.5
inches (8.89 cm) high by about 2.5 inches (6.95 cm) wide.
13. A deck of playing cards comprising at least one set of the
playing cards where (a) each set comprises at least n playing
cards; (b) each of the n playing cards of each set has a playing
face and a rear face; (c) each playing face of the n playing cards
of each set bears a different indicia selected from the group
consisting a single letter of an alphabet comprising n letters and
a single character of a language comprising at least n characters,
a first smaller version of the same indicia in the upper left hand
corner, and a second smaller version of the same indicia in the
upper right hand corner, the upper left and upper right hand
corners of the playing face of each playing card being at the top
of the playing card; (d) all versions of the indicia on the playing
face of each of the n playing cards are in an upright position; (e)
the rear face of each of the n playing cards bears a design that
indicates the top of each of the n playing cards; and (f) each of
the n playing card is about 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) .+-.1 inch (2.54
cm) high by about 2.5 inches (6.95 cm) .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm)
wide.
14. The deck of claim 13 comprising at least two sets of playing
cards, where n is 26 and each playing face of the 26 playing cards
of each set bears a different single letter of the English
alphabet, the first smaller version of the same single letter of
the English alphabet is in the upper left hand corner, and the
second smaller version of the same single letter of the English
alphabet is in the upper right hand corner.
15. The deck of claim 14 where the playing face of each of the 26
playing cards is substantially devoid of any other graphics.
16. The deck of claim 14 where the playing face of each of the 26
playing cards is devoid of any other graphics.
17. The deck of claim 13 where n is 26, each playing face of the 26
playing cards of each set bears a different single letter of the
English alphabet, the first smaller version of the same single
letter of the English alphabet is in the upper left hand corner,
and the second smaller version of the same single letter of the
English alphabet is in the upper right hand corner, and each
playing face of the 26 playing cards further bears a third smaller
version of the same single letter of the English alphabet in the
lower left hand corner, and a fourth smaller version of the same
single letter of the English alphabet in the lower right hand
corner.
18. The deck of claim 17 where the playing face of each of the 26
playing cards is substantially devoid of any other graphics.
19. The deck of claim 17 where the playing face of each of the 26
playing cards is devoid of any other graphics.
20. The deck of claim 13 where each of the n playing cards is about
3.5 inches (8.89 cm) .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm) high by about 2.5
inches (6.95 cm) .+-.0.25 inch (0.635 cm) wide.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to playing cards for use in card games
intended for young children (about three to six years old) that
combine education and amusement into a wonderful learning
experience.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] A comprehensive description of the prior art is set forth in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,432 which is incorporated herein in its
entirety by reference.
[0003] While many attempts have been made to design a deck of
playing cards that is both educational and entertaining for young
children (about 3 to about 6 years old) who are first learning
basic skills such as the alphabet, these prior designs fail to
solve some significant problems. First, many playing cards designed
for use by young children have a single letter depicted (1) in the
body of the playing face of the card, (2) in an upright position in
the upper left hand corner of the playing face of the card, and (3)
in an inverted position in the lower right hand corner of the
playing face of the card. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,276,940 and 5,417,432. The reason for diagonal positioning the
letter upright in the upper left hand corner of the playing face
and inverted in the lower right hand corner is to compensate for
the fact that, when the cards are dealt or taken from the deck with
the cards' playing face down, the players do not know which way the
playing face is oriented.
[0004] However, there are downsides to having the single letter
depicted in an upright position in the upper left hand corner of
the playing face of the card and diagonally across the playing face
in an inverted position in the lower right hand corner of the
playing face of the card. For example, the inverted representation
of the letter can be confusing to young children who are just
beginning to learn the alphabet because the children do not know
that the letter is inverted and, therefore, may believe it to be
the correct or another correct orientation of the letter.
[0005] In addition, many cards intended for young children first
learning the alphabet have a cute picture, a word, and/or other
indicia on the playing face of the card that can potentially
distract young children's attention from and, therefore, decrease
their ability to concentrate on and learn the letter represented on
the playing face of the card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, there is a need for a deck of playing cards for
use by young children (about 3 to 6 years old) in learning such
basic skills as the alphabet which (1) does not confuse young
children with respect to the correct orientation of the letter
being displayed on the playing face of the card, and (2) which does
not distract their attention from and, thereby, decrease their
ability to learn the letter or other matter depicted on the playing
face of the card.
[0007] The present invention solves the need set forth in the
preceding paragraph by providing a playing card suitable for use in
a deck of playing cards where the playing card has a playing face
and a rear face and the playing face bears (a) a single letter or
character of an alphabet or language, (b) a first smaller version
of the same letter or character in the upper left hand corner, and
(c) a second smaller version of the same letter or character in the
upper right hand corner. An important requirement of the present
invention is that all versions of the single letter or character
depicted on the playing face of the card must always be shown in
the upright position. This requirement removes any confusion young
children may have in determining the correct orientation of the
single letter or character shown on the playing face of the
card.
[0008] In order to avoid needless distraction to young children,
and thereby help them to concentrate on and learn the single letter
or character shown on the playing face of the card, a preferred
embodiment of the present invention further requires that the
playing face be devoid of any other indicia other than (a) the
single letter or character shown in the body of the playing face,
(b) the first smaller version of the same single letter or
character shown in the upper left hand corner of the playing face,
and (c) the second smaller version of the same single letter or
character shown in the upper right hand corner of the playing
face.
[0009] To overcome the problem of young children not knowing the
upright orientation of the playing card when the playing cards are
being dealt or taken playing face down from the deck, the present
invention also requires that the rear face of the card bear a
design that indicates the top of the playing card. This requirement
enables young children to know which way the card should be placed
in their hands before they actually see the playing face of the
card.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] An exemplary playing card of the present invention is shown
in the drawings where:
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts the playing face of an exemplary playing card
within the scope of the present invention; and
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts the corresponding rear face of the exemplary
playing card within the scope of the present invention.
[0013] It should be noted that the same numbers in the two figures
represent the same element of the playing card of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] With respect to FIG. 1, a playing card 10 within the scope
of the present invention has a single letter 12 on the playing face
14 of the card 10. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the letter is B.
The present invention also requires that a first smaller version
12a of the single letter 12 be in the upright position in the upper
left hand corner 16 of the playing face 14 and that a second
smaller version 12b of the single letter 12 be in the upright
position in the upper right hand corner 18 of the playing face 14.
Optionally, as shown in FIG. 1, third and/or forth smaller versions
(12c and 12d, respectively) of the single letter 12 or other
indicia shown on the playing face 14 of the card 10 can be present
in the upright position in the lower left and/or lower right hand
corners (30 and 32, respectively) of the playing face 14 of the
card 10.
[0015] As noted above, an important requirement of the present
invention is that all versions of the single letter 12 of the
alphabet depicted on the playing face 14 of the card 10 must always
be in the upright position. This requirement removes any confusion
young children (i.e., children between the ages of about 3 to about
6 years old) may have in determining the correct orientation of the
single letter 12 shown on the playing face 14 of the card 10.
[0016] To avoid needless distraction to young children, and thereby
help them to concentrate on and learn the single letter shown on
the playing face 14 of the card 10, in a preferred embodiment of
the present invention the playing face 14 is required to be devoid
of any other indicia other than (a) the single letter of the
alphabet 12 shown in the body of the playing face 14, (b) the first
smaller version 12a of the same single letter 12 of the alphabet
shown in the upper left hand corner 16 of the playing face 14, (c)
the second smaller version 12b of the same single letter 12 of the
alphabet shown in the upper right hand corner 18 of the playing
face 14, (d) the third smaller version 12c of the same single
letter 12 of the alphabet shown in the lower left hand corner 30 of
the playing face 14, (e) the fourth smaller version 12d of the same
single letter 12 of the alphabet shown in the lower right hand
corner 32 of the playing face 14. More preferably, the playing face
is devoid of any other indicia other than (a) the single letter of
the alphabet 12 shown in the body of the playing face 14, (b) the
first smaller version 12a of the same single letter 12 of the
alphabet shown in the upper left hand corner 16 of the playing face
14, and (c) the second smaller version 12b of the same single
letter 12 of the alphabet shown in the upper right hand corner 18
of the playing face 14.
[0017] To inform young children of the upright orientation of the
playing face 14 of the card 10 when the playing card 10 is being
dealt or taken playing face 10 down from the deck, the present
invention also requires, as shown in FIG. 2, that the rear face 22
of the card 10 bear a design 24 that indicates the top 20 of the
playing card 10. This requirement enables young children to know
which way the card 10 should be placed in their hands to orient the
playing face 14 of the card 10 in the upright position prior to the
children seeing the playing face 14 of the card 10.
[0018] The playing card 10 is preferably the size of a standard
poker card (i.e., about 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) high by about 2.5
inches (6.95 cm) wide), but cards varying by about .+-.1 inch (2.54
cm) in height and about .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm) in width, and
generally by not more than about .+-.0.5 inch (1.27 cm) in height
and not more than about .+-.0.25 inch (0.635 cm) in width, can also
be used.
[0019] The deck can comprise one, two, three, and generally no more
than four sets of playing cards 10. For example, the deck that is
intended for use by English speaking children playing card games
can comprise four sets of cards where (1) each set comprises 26
playing cards 10, (2) each playing card 10 of the first set depicts
a different single letter of the English alphabet as a printed
capital letter, (3) each playing card 10 of the second set depicts
a different single letter of the English alphabet as a printed
lower case letter, (4) each playing card 10 of the third set
depicts a different single letter of the English alphabet in upper
case script, and (5) each playing card 10 of the fourth set depicts
a different single letter of the English alphabet in lower case
script. Alternatively, a deck can comprise two sets of cards where,
for example, each playing card 10 of both sets depicts a different
single letter of the English alphabet as a printed capital letter.
Optionally, the deck could also comprise one or more Joker cards
and one or more instructional and/or informational cards.
[0020] Decks comprising one or more sets of the playing card 10 can
be manufactured by techniques well know to those skilled in the art
and can be used to play numerous well know card games such as
concentration, go fish, old maid, war, and rummy. For example,
alphabet concentration can be played with 1 to 4 players. To
illustrate, for English speaking children, the deck employed in
alphabet concentration comprises at least two sets of playing cards
10 where each set comprises 26 playing cards 10 and each playing
card 10 of each set displays a different single letter 12 of the
English alphabet. A grid is constructed by placing six or more
pairs of playing cards 10 playing face 14 down, where each pair of
playing cards 10 displays the same letter 12. The more advanced the
children are in learning the alphabet, the bigger the grid can be.
Typical grid sizes are (1) three columns by two rows comprising
three pairs of playing cards 10, (2) four columns by three rows
comprising six pairs of playing cards 10, (3) four columns by four
rows comprising eight pairs of playing cards 10, (4) five columns
by four rows comprising ten pairs of playing cards 10, and (5) six
columns by four rows comprising twelve pairs of playing cards 10.
The children (and any adults playing with them) rotate turns in a
clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The player whose turn it
is turns over two of the cards 10 and says the name of each letter
12 displayed. (If a child does not recognize any letter 12, tell
him the name of the letter 12.) If both cards 10 show the same
letter 12, the player removes the pair of playing cards 10 from the
grid and goes again. When the player turns over two playing cards
10 whose letters 12 do not match that player returns the two
unmatched cards 10 to their playing face 14 down position in the
grid and the turn advances to the next player. The game continues
until the players have collected all pairs of playing cards 10 from
the grid and the player with the most number of playing cards 10
wins. Accordingly, alphabet concentration is a very entertaining
and assists young children in reviewing (or even learning) the
letters 12 of the alphabet as well in sharpening their ability to
concentrate.
[0021] Alphabet war is another example of a card game that can be
played with the playing cards 10 of the present invention. In
alphabet war, the deck employed comprises at least two sets of
playing cards 10 where, for English speaking players, each set
comprises 26 playing cards 10 and each playing card 10 of each set
displays a different single letter 12 of the English alphabet. The
entire deck is dealt evenly to generally 2 to 4 players. Each
player keeps their playing cards 10 playing face 14 down, places
the top playing card 10 on a playing surface with the playing face
14 up, and states the name of the letter 12 displayed on his
playing card 10. The player whose playing card 10 displays the
letter 12 furthermost into the alphabet wins that round and takes
all the cards 10 played in that round. (For example, a "B" beats an
"A" and a "P beats an "H".) War is declared when two or more
players put down playing cards 10 that display the same letter 12
and such letter 12 is higher than any other letter 12 displayed on
all the other playing faces 14 of the playing cards played in that
round. When war is declared, (a) the other players are out of that
round and (b) each of the two or more players who put down the
playing cards 10 that displayed the same letter 12 now place an
additional three cards 10 playing face 14 down in a row and end
their row by placing a fourth playing card 10 playing face 14 up.
The player who ended her row with the letter 12 furthermost in the
alphabet wins that round and takes all the cards 10 played in that
round. However, if two or more players again put down playing cards
10 that again meet the requirements for declaring war, war is again
declared and played. Alphabet war can continue until the players
have played each of the cards 10 initially dealt to them (in which
case the player with the most cards 10 wins) or can continue until
one player has accumulated all the cards 10 in the deck. Hence,
alphabet war is a fun and also assists young children in reviewing
(or even learning) the letters 12 of the alphabet and helps them to
learn the order that the letters 12 appear in alphabet.
[0022] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set
forth above in detail, some modifications can be made to the
preferred version without departing from the spirit of the present
invention. For example, in addition to a deck comprising one or
more sets of playing cards 10 where each playing card 10 of each
set bears a different, single English letter 12 per playing card
10, each playing card 10 of each set can comprise a different
single letter 12 or character of virtually any alphabet or language
(e.g., Spanish, French, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean, etc.). Furthermore, instead of letters 12 or characters of
an alphabet or a language, the deck can be comprised of a plurality
of playing cards 10 where each playing card 10 depicts a different
geometrical shape or a different color. Accordingly, the foregoing
alternative embodiments are included within the scope of the
present invention.
* * * * *