U.S. patent application number 11/231173 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-19 for fishing game.
Invention is credited to Charles L. Vance.
Application Number | 20060012121 11/231173 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46322700 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060012121 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vance; Charles L. |
January 19, 2006 |
Fishing game
Abstract
The game is a fishing tournament board game that is played in
two parts, each part having seperate paths where players move game
pieces along according to the roll of dice. The first path is a
series of spaces leading through a tackle shop where players
compete for lures. The second path is a series of fish forming a
line leading around a body of water where players compete for fish.
The game has cards that players use to enter the tackle shop,
spaces with depictions of lures, cards that represent lures, cards
indicating lures needed to catch fish, areas where lures are lost
and a score pad. The game can be played with two to four players,
ages eight years to adult.
Inventors: |
Vance; Charles L.; (The
Colony, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Hammerle finley Law Firm
Suite 300
1660 S. Stemmons Frwy.
Lewisville
TX
75067
US
|
Family ID: |
46322700 |
Appl. No.: |
11/231173 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10764078 |
Jan 26, 2004 |
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11231173 |
Sep 20, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
273/242 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 3/00145 20130101;
A63F 2003/00018 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/242 |
International
Class: |
A63F 3/02 20060101
A63F003/02 |
Claims
1. A fishing tournament board game consisting of: a game board with
a depiction of a body of water with a surrounding shoreline; a
marina depicted on the body of water; a tackle shop depicted on the
marina; two separate paths representing two parts of the game.
2. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 1, whereas
one path has a series of spaces that forms a path beginning from a
space identified as a parking area, leading into and through the
tackle shop and ending at the parking area.
3. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 2, whereas
each space in the tackle shop has one lure depicted thereon, with
the lure on each space being discernable from the lures on the
other spaces.
4. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 1, whereas
one path is a series of fish forming a path beginning at a space
identified as a boat ramp, leading around the body of water in
various directions and ending at a boat ramp.
5. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 4, whereas
all fish in the path of fish are of one specie, which are depicted
on the game board with the weight of each specific fish.
6. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 4, whereas
several depictions of `Marina Entry` areas are included in the path
of fish.
7. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 4, whereas
several depictions of `Bad Cast-Lose Lure` areas are included in
the path of fish.
8. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 3, includes
a deck of cards defined as `Lure` cards, with each `Lure` card
having a depiction of one specific lure corresponding to one
specific lure depicted in the tackle shop, sufficient in number to
have at least one `Lure` card for each specific lure depicted in
the tackle shop.
9. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 3, includes
a deck of cards defined as `Fish` cards, with each `Fish` card
having a depiction of one specific lure corresponding to one
specific lure depicted in the tackle shop, sufficient in number to
have at least one `Fish` card for each specific lure depicted in
the tackle shop.
10. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 1,
includes a deck of cards defined as `Free Pass-Tackle Shop` cards,
sufficient in number to have one `Free Pass-Tackle Shop` card for
each player.
11. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 1, the
method of playing the game in two parts and whereas the first part
of the game must be completed before the second part of the game
can begin.
12. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 2, whereas
the first part of the game is the path of spaces beginning at the
parking space leading into and through the tackle shop and ending
at the parking space.
13. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 12,
whereas players compete for lures in the first part of the game,
with players receiving a `Lure` card corresponding to the one
specific lure depicted on each space their respective game piece
lands on in the tackle shop.
14. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 4, whereas
the second part of the game is the path of fish.
15. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 14,
whereas players compete in catching fish in the second part of the
game, whereas when a player's respective game piece lands on a
fish, that fish has `hit` that player's line, if that player wants
to catch that fish a `Fish` card is drawn, if that player has the
one specific `Lure` card corresponding to the one specific lure
depicted on the `Fish` card drawn, then that player catches that
fish, the weight of the fish is recorded and the fish is left in
the water for others to try to catch, and player retains the `Lure`
card used to catch that fish; whereas if players do not want to
catch any fish their respective game piece lands on, a `Fish` card
is not drawn and play proceeds to the next player.
16. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 6, the
method of playing the game when a player's respective game piece
lands on any `Marina Entry` area in the path of fish, that player
may use the `Free Pass-Tackle Shop` card to enter the tackle shop
to try to collect more lures; whereas the `Free Pass-Tackle Shop`
card can be used only one time, and then only when a player's
respective game piece lands on a `Marina Entry` area in the second
part of the game.
17. The fishing tournament board game according to claim 7, the
method of playing the game when a player's respective game pieces
lands on any `Bad Cast-Lose Lure` area in the path of fish, that
player loses one `Lure` card of his/her choice and it is returned
to the tackle shop.
18. The method of determining moves when playing the game, whereas
players, in turn roll a pair of dice, then move their respective
game piece along the game board corresponding to the number rolled
on only one die.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to board games, and more particularly
to a novel two part fishing game where players compete for lures in
the first part of the game and then use these lures to compete in
catching fish in the second part of the game, with each game being
a fishing tournament with a creel limit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is common practice to utilize dice, cards and tokens in
board games. Prior art in fishing games uses boards from
approximately 18 to 19 inches square and folds in the middle to
allow for convenient packaging. Tokens are moved along a path of
spaces or along a grid printed on the game board. Some games have
event cards that gives directions to players, such as add weight,
subtract weight, lose a turn, etc. Fish are caught in various
methods in different games, some utilize lures and in other games
fish are caught by a player merely landing on certain spaces.
[0003] The following described games all have some similarities to
each other, as well as some significant differences in each. They
all take considerable time to play, and some games have so many
game parts and pieces they are cumbersome to play. There is a void
in the market place for fast paced fishing board games. The game of
the present invention fills that void. The game of the present
invention is fast paced, yet fun and competitive.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,578 (Jones) defines a multi-part fishing
game in which three separate individual games are played to
complete a tournament. There is a grid of squares on the lake area
that players move game pieces across. Tokens representing fish and
their weight are placed upon the grid. Lures are not used in this
game, fish are caught when players game pieces lands on a square
that has a fish token on it. Players retain the fish token when a
fish is caught. The fish in this game are all of one specie. Moves
are determined by the casting of at least one die.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,848 (Keener) defines a multi-specie
fishing game. This game has a series of squares that form a
continuous path around the game board. Printed on the spaces are
areas where players receive bait cards and bite cards, others areas
are where players lose rod and reels. Also, a bait and tackle shop
with a boat dock is depicted in this same path. There is not a boat
ramp in this game. Various species if fish are depicted on the bite
cards, along with a variety of lures printed on the same cards
needed to catch fish. The weight of the fish are determined by a
roll of dice. When a fish is caught it's weight is written on the
bite card and it is retained by the player. Players move game
pieces along the continuous path according to the roll of a die.
There is a square where the game starts from, but no area defined
as to where the game ends. The game pieces includes play money,
fishing licenses, rod and reels, bait cards, bite cards and
directional cards, such as lose a turn, subtract x amount of weight
from stringer, etc., as well as a bait and tackle operator and a
game warden. The game is played for a pre-determined amount of
time, set before the start of each game.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,576 B1 (Pontacoloni) also defines a
multi-specie fishing game. The game has a grid of spaces
representing different depths of water. The fish are depicted on
tiles that are placed on selected spaces in the grid. Lures are
also used in this game. When a player catches a fish the tile is
retained by the player, which represents the fish caught. The game
has a considerable number parts and pieces.
[0007] The basic idea of the game of the present invention was to
invent a fishing game that is based on actual single day fishing
tournaments that can be played fast, and yet be fun and
competitive. The game of the present invention does accomplish
this. Whereas other fishing games are competitive, they take a
considerable amount of time to play, and with all the variables in
some of them, even cumbersome. The game of the present invention is
competitive, easy to play, yet fun for children and adults alike.
It is easy to learn, fun and fast paced to fit today's fast paced
lifestyles. The game is designed to be played with as few pieces as
necessary in order to keep it simple and fast, yet keeping it
competitive. And with today's interest in ecology, it is also
ecologically friendly, where players do not take possession of the
fish when caught. When a fish is caught it's weight is recorded and
the fish is left in the water. This game teaches specie of fish
recognition, types of lures designed for a particular specie of
fish, decision making, planning, strategy, math, memory enhancement
sportmanship and camaraderie. The game plays extremely fast for
board games, with each game taking from approximately twenty
minutes to play with two players and approximately thirty five to
forty five minutes to play with three to four players. The game is
designed to be played by ages from eight years old to adult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention is a fishing tournament board game that is
played in two parts, with both parts having separate paths that
players move game pieces along. Each game has a fixed creel limit
in the total number of fish that can be caught by each player. The
first part of the game has a series of spaces that forms a
continuous path leading from a parking area into and through a
tackle shop and back to the parking area. The spaces in the tackle
shop has depictions of lures, with each space having a lure
discernable from all others. The second part of the game has a
series of one specie of fish of various weights that forms a path
leading from a boat ramp in various directions and back to the boat
ramp. The fish are depicted on the game board with the weight of
each specific fish. There are defined areas in the path of fish
where lures are lost due to bad casts and defined areas where
players may enter the tackle shop a second time under certain
conditions. Players compete for lures in the first part of the
game, then use the lures to compete in catching fish in the second
part of the game. When fish are caught their weight is recorded on
a `Weigh-In Ticket`, and the fish is left in the water for others
to catch. The game has a sportmanship rule, where only one player
can be on a fish at a time. The game has `Lure` cards that
represent lures, `Fish` cards that players draw indicating which
lure is needed to catch fish and cards identified as `Free
Pass-Tackle Shop` cards. Moves are determined by rolling two dice,
then using the number on only one die to determine the number of
moves to make with the game pieces. The goal in the first part of
the game is to collect the most lures, and therefore increasing the
chances of catching fish in the second part of the game. The second
part of the game has two goals, the first goal is to catch the most
weight of fish within a set creel limit and therefore being the
tournament winner in the game, the second goal is to catch the
single largest fish and therefore being the big fish winner in the
game.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 shows the game board;
[0010] FIG. 2a-2q shows the front and back of the `Lure` cards;
[0011] FIG. 3a-3q shows the front and back of the `Fish` cards;
[0012] FIG. Shows the `Free Pass-Tackle Shop` card;
[0013] FIG. 5 shows a pair of dice;
[0014] FIG. 6 shows the `Weigh-In Ticket` used for keeping score;
and
[0015] FIG. 7 shows one of the game pieces used in the game.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Place the game board 10 on a flat surface. Shuffle the
`Fish` cards 3a-3q, place them on the designated areas in the
Tackle Shop 12. Sort the `Lure` cards 2a-2q in the same order as
the lures on the lure spaces 13 in the Tackle Shop 12, place them
on the designated area in the Tackle Shop 12. To determine the
order of play, players roll the dice 31, with the player rolling
the highest combined number on both dice playing first, in both
parts of the game, and so on with the player rolling the lowest
combined number playing last. Players select their game piece 34
and `Free Pass-Tackle Shop` card 30 according to the order of play.
The player that rolled the highest combined number on the dice 31
is also the Tournament Official. The Tournament Official keeps
order during the game, assures all rules are followed, deals the
`Lure` cards 2a-2q and keeps the official score on the `Weigh-In
Ticket` 35. During play, in both parts of the game, players in turn
roll the dice 31, then moves their respective game piece 34
corresponding to the number rolled on only one die 32 or 33, with
the player that rolled the dice choosing which number to use. The
first part of the game starts at the Parking Area 11. Players, in
turn rolls the dice 31, then moves their respective game piece 34
from the Parking Area 11 following along the spaces leading into
and through the Tackle Shop 12 one round, then returns to the
Parking area 11, where play ends for the first part of the game. As
each player's respective game piece 34 lands on the lure spaces 13
in the Tackle Shop 12 they will receive a `Lure` card 2a-2q that
corresponds to the lure depicted for each space landed on. All
players must complete one turn in the Tackle Shop 12 before the
second part of the game can start.
[0017] The second part of the game starts at the Boat Ramp 14.
Players move their respective game pieces 34 in a forward direction
only along the path of fish 15. Play ends for each player after
they complete one time round the game board 10 on the path of fish
15 and return to the Boat Ramp 14. When players respective game
pieces 34 lands on a fish in the path of fish 15, that fish has
`hit` that player's line. If that player wants to catch that fish,
a `Fish` card 3a-3q is drawn from the top of the `Fish` card deck,
indicating which one specific lure is needed to catch that fish. If
that player has the `Lure` card 2a-2q corresponding to the lure
indicated on that `Fish` card 3a-3q, that fish is caught and it's
weight is recorded on the `Weigh-In Ticket` 35 and the fish is left
in the water for others to catch. The `Fish` card 3a-3q is placed
on the bottom of the `Fish` card deck and the player retains the
`Lure` card 2a-2q. If that player does not have the `Lure` card
2a-2q that corresponds to the lure indicated on that `Fish` card
3a-3q, that fish is not caught, the `Fish` card 3a-3q is placed on
the bottom of the `Fish` card deck and play then proceeds to the
next player. If a fish is not wanted when any player's respective
game piece 34 lands on a fish, no `Fish` card 3a-3q is drawn, and
play proceeds to the next player. When a player's respective game
piece 34 lands on `Bad Cast-Lose Lure` area 16 in the path of fish
15, that player selects one `Lure` card 2a-2q from among his/hers
and gives it to the Tournament Official, who will then return it to
the Tackle Shop 12 where players can compete for it again.
[0018] When a player's respective game piece 34 lands on any
`Marina Entry` area 17 in the path of fish 15, that player can
elect to use his/her `Free Pass-Tackle Shop` card 30 to enter the
Tackle Shop 12 from that `Marina Entry` area 17 and try for more
lures along the path of lure spaces 13. The `Free Pass-Tackle Shop`
card 30 can only be used once, it must be given to the Tournament
Official before entering the Tackle Shop 12. Play stops for all
other players until the player that is using the `Free Pass-Tackle
Shop` card 30 completes one round in the Tackle Shop 12, entering
and exiting from the same `Marina Entry` area 17, and returns to
the original line of fish 15 where the Tackle Shop 12 was entered
from. The Sportmanship Rule applies only in the second part of the
game, where the rule is only one player's respective game piece 34
can be on a fish at a time. When a player rolls the dice 31 and the
number on either die 32 or 33 would put that player's game piece 34
on a fish that another player's game piece 34 is already on, that
number cannot be used and the player must use the number on the
other die. If the numbers rolled on either dice 32 or 33 would put
that player's game piece 34 where other player's game pieces 34 are
already on both fish, neither number can be used and that player
cannot move, and play then proceeds to the next player. The game
ends after all players have completed one round along the path of
fish 15 and returned to the Boat Ramp 14. The Tournament Official
will record the order of finish, tally the weight of fish caught by
each player and determine which player caught the single largest
fish. The player that caught the most weight of fish within the
creel limit is announced as the Tournament Winner, the player that
caught the single largest fish is announced as the Big Fish Winner.
In case of a tie in the most weight of fish caught within the creel
limit, the player that tied and returned to the Boat Ramp 14 first
is announced as the Tournament Winner. In case of a tie in the
single largest fish caught, all players that tied are announced as
co-winners of the Big Fish category.
* * * * *