U.S. patent number 3,905,603 [Application Number 05/473,214] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-16 for dice game.
Invention is credited to John H. Hoetzel.
United States Patent |
3,905,603 |
Hoetzel |
September 16, 1975 |
Dice game
Abstract
A game includes four substantially identical, symmetrical
spheres, each sphere being divided by a platform and having at
least one movable element in the form of a die therein. The
containers are connected together in the form of a tetrahedron
whereby when the containers are thrown, one sphere appears upright
and three form a base, the movable element being visible in the top
sphere. The dice have indicia thereon, as do the platforms, and at
least a portion of each platform is removable through an opening in
the side of its container.
Inventors: |
Hoetzel; John H. (Annapolis,
MD) |
Family
ID: |
26994143 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/473,214 |
Filed: |
May 24, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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344877 |
Mar 26, 1973 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
273/145C;
273/146; 52/DIG.10 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F
9/04 (20130101); Y10S 52/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63F
9/04 (20060101); A63F 009/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/145C,145R,145A,145B,145D,144R,144A,144B,146,138R,147,58F,12R
;46/26 ;35/18A |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Oechsle; Anton O.
Assistant Examiner: Kramer; Arnold W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Schwartz; Arthur
Parent Case Text
This is a division, of application Ser. No. 344,877, filed Mar. 26,
1973, and now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A game comprising:
a. four substantially identical, symmetrical geometric
containers,
b. each of said containers being divided into inner and outer
portions by a platform extending across their inner walls,
c. at least one movable element in each of said containers,
d. said containers being connected together and arranged in the
form of a tetrahedron wherein any combination of three of said
containers always have a portion thereof lying in a common plane,
and a fourth of said containers is upright with its respective
platform being substantially parallel to said plane,
e. said containers each having at least the outer portion thereof
essentially transparent whereby when said containers are thrown or
dropped, said fourth container appears upright and at least one
movable element is visible in said fourth container as it rests on
said container platform.
2. A game as defined in claim 1 wherein said containers are
spheres.
3. A game as defined in claim 1 including indicia on said
platform.
4. A game as defined in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of each
of said platforms is removable through an opening in the side of
its respective container.
5. A game as defined in claim 1 wherein said containers are
separably connected by means of a member having threaded portions
thereon adapted to mate with threaded portions on said
containers.
6. A game as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one movable
element is a die with indicia thereon.
Description
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to games of dice wherein a plurality of dice
are shaken or rolled in a container.
Die Structure
Dice have been made in any number of configurations as evidenced by
Sieve U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,754. This patent illustrates five
different shapes of dice having from four sides to 20 sides;
whereas, Cowles U.S. Pat. No. 1,054,341 illustrates a die having 26
sides.
One of the objects of the instant invention is to provide a die and
games associated therewith wherein the die is in the form of an
icosahedron having twenty sides with two sets of numbers from 1 to
10. In the field of education and child development the numbering
system he must learn to live with is one revolving around the base
10, i.e., 1-10 or 0-9. Virtually all commonly used mathematics is
developed around this base. By having a series of dice which are
numbered from zero through nine, the child can form any number,
depending upon the number of dice used. For example, if three dice
are used, he can develop any number from 000 to 999. In this way
not only can he learn the common numbering system but he can also
learn addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, as well as
concepts such as "less than" and "greater than." This has not been
possible with prior art dice.
Tetrahedron Structure
Another aspect of the invention is the incorporation of a 20-sided
die or a group of 20-sided dice in containers. Therefore another
object of the invention is to provide a plurality of spheres having
platforms wherein the four spheres connected together can be thrown
and a pair of dice with an appropriately labeled platform will
appear.
While U.S. patents such as Wharton 1,030,554 and Sutherland
2,879,066 illustrate games which have numbered caps or balls on the
ends and U.S. patents such as Madan 1,593,907 and Brown 2,528,029
illustrate bodies or cubes having dice therein, nothing in the
prior art has provided a series of spheres connected in a
tetrahedron manner having platforms and dice therein in the manner
illustrated and discussed below.
Shaker Structure
Another aspect of the invention is a dice cup with upper and lower
chambers having a platform therebetween which will facilitate the
movement of the dice between the two containers wherein a game of
chance can be played.
A common thread which runs through the variously discussed
inventions is the utilization of a removable platform between a
pair of chambers having 20-sided dice therein, the dice having two
sets of numbers from zero to ten.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken
in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an icosahedron die;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of the die of FIG. 1 in a flattened
state;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tetrahedron formed of four
spheres having dice therein;
FIG. 4 is a section view of one of the spheres illustrated in FIG.
3;
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a platform seen in the spheres of
FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a modified sphere of the type
used in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a section view of the sphere in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a tetrahedron bolt used in joining the spheres of FIGS. 6
and 7 to form a tetrahedron of the type illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 9 is a platform used in the spheres of FIGS. 6 and 7;
FIG. 10 is a slide closure for the platform of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is an end view of the slide closure of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a side view of a dice cup according to the
invention;
FIG. 13 is a section view of the dice cup illustrated in FIG.
12;
FIG. 14 is a view of the platform illustrated in FIGS. 12 and
13;
FIG. 15 is a closure utilized with the platform illustrated in FIG.
14 and as seen assembled in FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a side elevation view of the closure of FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of a modified shaker; and
FIG. 18 is a section view of the shaker of FIG. 17.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Set out below is a detailed description of the invention.
Die Seen in FIGS. 1 and 2
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 a 20-sided die 1 is seen having two sets
of numbers from 1-10, one set 3 having circles around the
respective numbers and a second set 5 having triangles therearound
to distinguish the two sets. When the child throws the die one of
the numbers with either a circle or a triangle therearound will
appear in the uppermost position. If the child throws two dice he
will have a two-digit number. If he throws three dice, he will have
a three-digit number, etc.
In a game a fourth die may be provided having a multiplication,
division, addition, or subtraction indication thereon. The child
would first throw a first icosahedron die, then an instruction die
telling him what to do (for example, multiply); and finally throw
another icosahedron die which he would then multiply times the
first die.
Alternatively, he could throw three icosahedron dice, put them
together in a row and come up with a three-digit number.
It will be appreciated that the process of learning mathematics
could be made into a game.
Four-sphered Tetrahedron Game Illustrated in FIGS. 3-11
A series of four spheres 10 are connected together to form a
tetrahedron as seen in FIG. 3. Each sphere 10 has a platform 12
therein with a mathematical indication 14 in the form of a minus
sign, plus sign, division sign and multiplication sign. A pair of
icosahedron dice 16 are seen in each of the spheres. The platform
12 is secured to the sides of the sphere by glue or by positioning
in a slot as seen at 18 in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the platforms 12
can be formed in such a way as to be free-floating in the sphere.
When the tetrahedron is thrown, the uppermost sphere will land in
such a manner that the platform 12 (which may be appropriately
weighted) will rest in a position horizontal to the ground. The
platform 12 can also be formed with a lower portion shaped to
conform with space 20, thus assuring that the platform will rest in
the proper location.
As seen in FIG. 3 the "minus" sign has landed in the "up" position.
Therefore, the child will be instructed to subtract the number zero
to nine on one of the dice from a number from zero to nine on the
other of the dice.
An alternative modification seen in FIGS. 6-11 illustrates a sphere
22 having a stationary platform 24, the platform having slot 26
therein. Positioned in the center of the slot 26 is an opening 28.
The sphere 22 also has an opening in the side 30 whereby a slide
closure 32 having a depending portion 34 thereon and a "minus" sign
14 can be slid through the opening 30 into the slot 26 and covering
the opening 28. In the bottom of the sphere 22 is a threaded
opening 36. By means of slide 32, opening 28 and threaded opening
36 the child or teacher can change the instructional sign 14 and/or
the dice in the sphere.
As illustrated in FIG. 8 a tetrahedron bolt 40 is seen having a
four-sided central section 42 and four threaded screw members 44
thereon. The four-threaded screw members 44 are designed to be
threaded into openings 36 to connect four spheres in an easily
detachable manner.
Shaker Illustrated in FIGS. 12-18
Referring now to FIG. 12 a spherical shaker 50 is seen with a
platform 52 separating the sphere into an upper chamber 54 and a
lower chamber 56. At the base of the lower chamber is an opening 58
having an annular lip 60 thereon. A base cap 62 having an inwardly
directed annular lip 64 is snap-fitted onto lip 60 closing the
opening 58. The sphere 50 has a side opening 66 to accommodate a
handle portion 68 of a slide 70. The slide 70 is positioned in a
groove 72 in platform partition 52. Also located within the slide
groove 72 is an opening 74. The slide closure 70 has a mathematical
or other instruction sign 76 thereon. It will be appreciated that
the marking 76 is not necessary and is selectively changeable.
Another modification seen in FIGS. 17 and 18 has correspondingly
numbered elements but of a shape having an upper chamber 54' in a
frustroconical configuration.
In a game of chance, five dice can be positioned in the upper
compartment 54 and shaken, the game being to obtain as many dice
with the same number thereon. Normally, five conventional dice
numbered "1" to "6" are used. After the dice are shaken, those dice
with the same number thereon are noted and removed to the lower
chamber by sliding the closure 70 away from opening 74 and allowing
the dice to fall therethrough. The dice in the upper chamber are
reshaken and any additional numbers identical to those thrown the
first time are noted and the total number recorded.
An example of the above would be shaking all five dice in the upper
chamber one time. It will be noted that the number "6" appears on
two dice. These two dice are removed to the lower chamber through
opening 74. The remaining three dice are shaken again and the
number of 6's are again noted. In the example used, it may be
assumed that one additional "6" appears. Therefore, this player
will have three "6's" to his credit.
The next person then takes his turn with all five dice in the upper
chamber. It may be assumed that when he shakes the first time he
will get three 5's. The three 5's are then removed to the lower
chamber and the player shakes the remaining two dice. Now it may be
assumed that he obtains one additional 5 on his second shake. He
will therefore have four 5's, as opposed to the original player's
three 6's. He will therefore win the game.
An advantage of the instant device is that it permits the players
to shake the dice without any influence created by their hands on
the dice or on the opening of a container normally used to throw
the dice onto the table.
While several embodiments of the invention has been described, it
will be understood that it is capable of many further modifications
and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or
adaptions of the invention following in general, the principles of
the invention and including such departures from the present
disclosure as come within knowledge or customary practice in the
art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to
essential features hereinbefore set forth and fall within the scope
of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.
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