U.S. patent application number 14/902453 was filed with the patent office on 2016-07-14 for set of parts that can be secured.
The applicant listed for this patent is Michel Tortel. Invention is credited to Michel Tortel.
Application Number | 20160199726 14/902453 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49274709 |
Filed Date | 2016-07-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160199726 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tortel; Michel |
July 14, 2016 |
SET OF PARTS THAT CAN BE SECURED
Abstract
The invention relates to a set of pieces 10, 20 comprising a
first series of pieces and a second series of pieces, the pieces of
the two series presenting bodies that are analogous but that differ
in their colors. Fastener means 11 are fitted to the bodies of each
piece in the first series, connection means 21 are fitted to the
bodies of each piece of the second series, the connection means
being distinct from the fastener means, the fastener means and the
connection means co-operating to assemble together the pieces on
which they appear. The set is remarkable in that the pieces of the
first series do not have connection means and the pieces of the
second series do not have fastener means.
Inventors: |
Tortel; Michel;
(Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume, FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tortel; Michel |
Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume |
|
FR |
|
|
Family ID: |
49274709 |
Appl. No.: |
14/902453 |
Filed: |
July 1, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
July 1, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR2014/000156 |
371 Date: |
December 31, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/239 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2003/00725
20130101; A63F 3/02 20130101; A63F 2003/00835 20130101; A63F
2003/00738 20130101; A63F 2003/00804 20130101; A63F 2003/00829
20130101; A63F 2003/00716 20130101; A63F 2003/00876 20130101; A63F
3/00697 20130101; A63F 2003/00839 20130101; A63F 2003/00873
20130101; A63F 3/00694 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63F 3/00 20060101
A63F003/00; A63F 3/02 20060101 A63F003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 3, 2013 |
FR |
1301572 |
Claims
1. A set of pieces (10, 20, 40, 50) comprising a first series of
pieces and a second series of pieces, the pieces of the two series
presenting bodies that are analogous but that differ in their
colors, fastener means (11, 41) being fitted to the bodies of each
piece in the first series, connection means (21, 51) being fitted
to the bodies of each piece in the second series, said connection
means being distinct from said fastener means, said fastener means
and said connection means co-operating to assemble together the
pieces on which they appear, the set being characterized in that
the pieces of the first series do not have connection means and the
pieces of the second series do not have fastener means.
2. A set of pieces according to claim 1, characterized in that said
fastener means (11, 41) are arranged at the tops (12, 42) of the
pieces of said first series (10, 40).
3. A set of pieces according to characterized in that said
connection means (21, 51) are arranged at the tops (22, 52) of the
pieces of said second series (20, 50).
4. A set of pieces according to claim 1, characterized in that said
fastener means (11) comprise a magnet with its north pole appearing
at the top face and in that said connection means (21) comprise a
magnet with its south pole appearing at its top face.
5. A set of pieces according to any one of claim 1, characterized
in that said fastener means (41) and said connection means (51) are
mechanical members.
6. A set of pieces according to claim 5, characterized in that said
fastener means comprise a cylindrical peg (41) and said connection
means comprise a socket (51) matching the peg.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a set of pieces suitable
for being assembled together.
[0002] The field of the invention is that of board games comprising
a board on which pieces are moved.
[0003] In some such games, it may be necessary to stack one piece
on another, This applies for example in the game of checkers when
one of the players moves a man onto the last row of squares in
front of the player, The piece then becomes a king, i.e. two men
are stacked one on the other.
[0004] This also applies in a new game that likewise comprises a
board that can be thought of as a checkerboard or a chessboard.
That game thus has a set of pieces that are arranged in two series.
The two series of pieces are analogous butt they are of colors that
are distinct so that they can be distinguished, as in checkers or
chess. Generally, one series of pieces is white and the other is
black. One series of pieces is for one player and the other series
is for that player's opponent.
[0005] The way in which the various pieces are moved is not
described in detail because it is of little importance for
understanding the invention. The invention is equally applicable
regardless of the rules for making moves.
[0006] The game is thus played by two players. An object of the
game is to take all of the opponent's pieces or to have pieces of
one's own color in a dominant position on the board. According to a
particular feature of the game, a player may use one of his or her
own pieces, e.g. a white piece, to attack a piece belonging to the
opponent, which is black in this example. The player can then stack
the two pieces one on the other head-to-head, such that the
player's own piece is on top of the opponent's piece. This produces
a stack where the black piece is underneath the white piece.
[0007] The problem with that stack is that it is relatively
unstable, particularly when the pieces are not cylindrical. By way
of example, consideration may be given to pieces that are
approximately frustoconical in shape, each having a base that is of
area that is significantly greater than its top.
[0008] By way of example, document U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,188 is
known, which teaches a magnetic game board. The pieces in its two
series are identical. Those pieces are cylindrical magnets and they
are indistinguishable other than by their colors.
[0009] Because those pieces are solid magnets, they are totally
symmetrical and they cannot be given an original shape presenting
an irregular outline. Shaping such pieces out of magnets would be
prohibitively expensive.
[0010] Also known as Documents U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,143 and U.S.
Pat. No. 4,101,131. Both of those documents provide a set of pieces
comprising a first series of pieces and a second series of pieces,
the pieces in the two series present bodies that are analogous but
that differ in color. Furthermore, fastener means and connection
means are fitted to the body of each piece in the two series, and
those two means co-operate in order to assemble together the pieces
on which they appear. In these documents, the object is to stack a
plurality of pieces that are indistinguishable except in color.
[0011] If it is assumed that only two pieces are to be secured to
each other, then the above-described arrangement is redundant since
only one of those means is used on one of the pieces and only the
complementary means is used on the other piece.
[0012] An object of the present invention is thus to stabilize the
head-to-head assembly of two pieces of different colors, more
particularly when the pieces are not cylindrical, and to do so by
minimizing the means needed for assembling them together.
[0013] According to the invention, a set of pieces comprises a
first series of pieces and a second series of pieces, the pieces of
the two series presenting bodies that are analogous but that differ
in their colors, fastener means being fitted to the bodies of each
piece in the first series, connection means being fitted to the
bodies of each piece of the second series, the connection means
being distinct from the fastener means, the fastener means and the
connection means co-operating to assemble together the pieces on
which they appear; this set is remarkable in that the pieces of the
first series do not have connection means and the pieces of the
second series do not have fastener means.
[0014] Two pieces, one piece of the first series and one piece of
the second series, can thus be assembled together in simple manner,
with this making use of only one means on each of the two
pieces.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the fastener means are arranged
at the tops of the pieces of the first series.
[0016] By analogy, the connection means are arranged at the tops of
the pieces of the second series.
[0017] Advantageously, the fastener means comprise a magnet with
its north pole appearing at the top face and the connection means
comprise a magnet with its south pole appearing at its top
face.
[0018] Alternatively, the fastener means and the connection means
are mechanical members.
[0019] By way of example, the fastener means comprise a cylindrical
peg and the connection means comprise a socket matching the
peg.
[0020] The present invention appears in greater detail below in the
context of the following description of embodiments given by way of
illustration and with reference to the accompanying figures, in
which:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic section of a piece of the first
series in a first embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic section of a piece of the second
series in the first embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic section of a stack of the two
pieces shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic section of a piece of the first
series in a second embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic section of a piece of the second
series in the second embodiment; and
[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic section of a stack of the two
pieces shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0027] Identical elements present in more than one of the figures
are given the same references in each of them.
[0028] With reference to FIG. 1, in a first embodiment, a piece 10
of the first series, e.g. of white color, has a body in the form of
a truncated cone with its base being larger than its top. It thus
appears in section as an isosceles trapezoid with its large base at
the bottom and with its top being the small base.
[0029] The body has a magnet 11 as fastener means, which magnet is
thus fitted horizontally to its top, being set back a little from
the top face 12 of the piece. The magnet is arranged in such a
manner that its north pole faces the top face 12.
[0030] By way of example, this piece may be made by over molding a
plastics material onto the magnet.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 2, in this first embodiment, a piece
20 of the second series, e.g. of black color, is analogous to the
piece 10 described with reference to FIG. 1. In other words, its
body has the same shape and it differs therefrom by its color.
[0032] The body has a magnet 12 as connection means, which magnet
is thus fitted horizontally to its top, being set back a little
from the top face 22 of the piece. The magnet is arranged in such a
manner that its south pole faces the top face 22. As a result, the
connection means are distinct from the fastener means since the two
magnets 11 and 12 are arranged opposite ways round.
[0033] With reference to FIG. 3, the two above-described pieces 10
and 20 are stacked head-to-head, i.e. their tops 12 and 22 are
juxtaposed so that the two magnets 11 and 21 are close to each
ocher. The piece 10 of the first series is shown underneath in its
normal position while the piece 20 of the second series is placed
upside-down on the preceding piece. Thus, the two pieces 10 and 20
are temporarily assembled together.
[0034] This conformation is given purely by way of indication and
the invention naturally applies regardless of the way in which the
two pieces 10 and 20 of different colors are assembled together. By
way of example, it is possible to envisage placing the magnet 21 of
the piece 20 of the second series level with its base rather than
at its top. Under such circumstances, the stack is no longer
head-to-head, and the two pieces 10 and 20 retain their original
positions, the base of the piece 20 of the second series coming
into contact with the top of the piece 10 of the first series.
[0035] It should also be observed that the invention makes it
possible to assemble pieces of different shapes. The important
point is that each of the pieces presents a zone for assembly
purposes. These zones must present surfaces that are plane so that
they can come into contact. The magnets are then arranged in these
zones.
[0036] With reference to FIG. 4, in a second embodiment, a piece 40
of the first series, e.g. of white color, has the same general
shape as the corresponding piece 10 in the first embodiment. It
still presents a body of frustoconical shape with its base greater
than its top. Nevertheless, the fastener means are different.
[0037] In this example, the body of the first piece 40 is fitted
with a peg 41 that projects from its top 42. This peg 41 acting as
fastener means is in the shape of a vertical solid cylinder.
[0038] With reference to FIG. 5, in this second embodiment, a piece
50 of the second series, e.g. of black color, is analogous to the
piece 40 described with reference to FIG. 4.
[0039] A socket 51 is arranged in the top 52 of the second piece
50. This socket 51 acts as connection means and is likewise in the
form of a vertical cylinder, but this cylinder is hollow. The
section of this cylinder is substantially identical to, or very
slightly greater than the section of the peg 41.
[0040] Once more, the connection means are distinct from the
fastener means.
[0041] With reference to FIG. 6, the two above-described pieces 40
and 50 are stacked head-to-head, i.e. their tops are juxtaposed.
The peg 41 is received in the socket 51. The clearance between
these two elements is such that a small amount of force is needed
to assemble them together. Thus, when taking hold of one of the two
pieces, the other piece remains secured thereto.
[0042] The resulting assembly is such that the piece 40 of the
first series is underneath in its normal position, while the piece
50 of the second series is upside-down on the preceding piece. The
two pieces 40 and 50 are thus temporarily assembled together.
[0043] The second embodiment described above is a simple example of
mechanical assembly in which the assembly members are mechanical
members, namely the peg 41 and the socket 51.
[0044] The invention applies regardless of the type of coupling
between the two pieces in question. The person skilled in the art
has numerous techniques available for achieving such coupling and
there is therefore no need to describe them all.
[0045] The embodiments of the invention described above have been
selected because of their concrete nature. Nevertheless, it is not
possible to list exhaustively all embodiments covered by the
invention. In particular, any means described may be replaced by
equivalent means without going beyond the ambit of the present
invention.
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