U.S. patent number 3,923,306 [Application Number 05/516,086] was granted by the patent office on 1975-12-02 for educational game playing device.
Invention is credited to Gerardo R. A. Cahn-Hidalgo, Emilio Castanon-Pasquel, Jorge Del Rio Roldan.
United States Patent |
3,923,306 |
Cahn-Hidalgo , et
al. |
December 2, 1975 |
Educational game playing device
Abstract
A game playing device which is readily adaptable to a variety of
purposes, such as, for example, textile design planning, battle
games, board games such as chess, checkers, Chinese checkers, Go,
and the like, wherein the player matches his wits against data
cards which contain selective information depending upon the game
which is being played. The game playing device contains a game
board which, in the case of chess, would have 64 positions, a light
source associated with each of the game positions, and data cards
which contain information punched thereon and which, when fed into
the game playing device, cause the light source to be illuminated
beneath the game board to indicate the various moves to be
contemplated by the player.
Inventors: |
Cahn-Hidalgo; Gerardo R. A.
(Bethesda, MD), Castanon-Pasquel; Emilio (Rockville, MD),
Roldan; Jorge Del Rio (Lima, PE) |
Family
ID: |
24054078 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/516,086 |
Filed: |
October 18, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/237;
434/128 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B
19/22 (20130101); A63F 3/00643 (20130101); A63F
3/04 (20130101); A63F 3/00075 (20130101); A63F
3/022 (20130101); A63F 3/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G09B
19/22 (20060101); A63F 3/02 (20060101); G09B
19/00 (20060101); A63F 3/04 (20060101); A63F
3/00 (20060101); A63F 003/02 (); G09B 001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/131,136 ;35/8 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lowe; Delbert B.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Stewart and Kolasch, Ltd.
Claims
We claim:
1. A game playing device comprising a housing having a top game
playing surface, said game playing surface defining a plurality of
game positions, an illuminating element disposed below each of said
game positions, connector plate means disposed in said housing, a
plurality of sensing means disposed above said connector plate
means, means for progressively introducing a sheet containing
punched information bit locations into said housing between said
connector plate means and said plurality of sensing means, each of
said sensing means being adapted to contact said connector plate
means through said bit locations, and electrical circuit means
providing electrical connection between said connector plate means
and said illuminating means, so that when the sensing means contact
said connector plate means through the bit locations in the
information sheet one or more illuminating elements is
actuated.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the connector plate means extends
across the housing substantially perpendicular to the path of the
information sheet and provides a common electrical contact for all
of the sensing means and a spring means is associated with said
connector plate means for insuring contact between said connector
plate means and the sensing means.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the number of sensing means
corresponds to the number of illuminating elements.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the information sheets are
provided with engaging slots and the advancing means is adapted to
engage said slots for conveying said information sheet.
5. The device of claim 4, wherein the advancing means comprises
gear-type elements and gear-type wheels mounted on a common axle,
push rods which are adapted to engage the gear-type wheels and
control buttons which extend from the top surface of the housing
and are attached to said push rods, whereby the pushing of said
control buttons actuates the push rods which engage the gear-type
wheels which in turn causes the gear-type elements to move the
information sheet by engagement with the slots disposed
therein.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the push rods are spring loaded
so that they return to their original position after the control
buttons attached thereto are released.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein a microswitch is provided in the
electrical circuit and positioned in close association with the
control buttons so that when the control buttons for advancing or
reversing the information sheet are depressed, closing of the
electrical circuit and illumination of the appropriate areas as
dictated by the contact between the connector plate means and the
sensing means are achieved.
8. The device of claim 4, wherein the engaging slots are laterally
disposed on both sides of the information sheet.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein the information sheet is a data
card or a data tape.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein the information sheet is a data
card containing at least twelve sets of columns with sixty-four
bits of information produced in each column.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein the top surface is translucent
and lattice means are provided for separating the illuminating
elements from each other.
12. The device of claim 11, wherein the illuminating means is a
calcium cyanide crystal or a light bulb.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Many games have been developed wherein special boards are utilized
in connection with the placing and moving of pieces or pawns for a
particular purpose, such as, for example, in the case of the game
of chess. Some of the games are particularly difficult to learn and
require special solutions to problems which entail difficult
learning methods. The present available learning methods are
frequently slow and tedious and, thus, are quite tiring to the
average person who therefore frequently abandons his pursuit of the
game. Furthermore, many of the existing learning methods are very
expensive, thereby seriously limiting their marketability to the
general public.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
game playing device which possesses the flexibility to make it
adaptable to a variety of different types of games.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
game playing machine which has associated therewith an inexpensive
and easy-to-learn teaching system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a game
playing device which enables a player to strategically select his
particular moves or position and compare said moves with the
optimum possible moves which should have been made. The operator or
player by comparing his particular decision or move with the
optimum solution can thereby learn the game much more readily.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a game
playing device which enables the player to repeat games such as
checkers, chess, Go, Chinese checkers, Muhle, and the like which
have been preplayed or predetermined; to repeat positions, to
develop strategies in famous battles and to enable the player or
operator to perform and learn textile design planning.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a
game playing device which is economical to manufacture, and
possesses a good, sturdy, aesthetic appearance.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present
invention will become apparent from the detailed description given
hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed
description and specific examples, while indicating preferred
embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration
only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and
scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the
detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying
drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are
not limitative of the present invention and wherein,
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the game playing device of the
present invention, wherein various portions of the device are
separated from each other for clarity;
FIG. 2 is an end view of the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the lighting system for the board
utilized in the device of the present invention;
FIG. 3B is an enlarged plan view of a portion of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the data card which contains the plurality
of bits of information which is used to tell the operator or player
the optimum moves which should be made;
FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show the driving or advancing mechanism for
conveying the data card through the game playing device;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electrical sensing system
utilized to transmit the bits of information on the data card to
the playing surface of the device;
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the electric system utilized in the
device of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view in composite form of one embodiment of
the game playing device of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, wherein identical reference numerals
are used throughout various views to indicate identical elements,
the game playing device of the present invention, according to FIG.
1, comprises a top assembly 1 which contains a translucent plate 2
on which a design can be printed which, in this particular
illustration, is a combination of sixty-four light and dark squares
3 and 4, which can be used for playing checkers or chess. A middle
section 5 is disposed underneath and attached to the top plate 2
and contains illuminating cells 6, each of said cells being
separated from each other in accordance with the requirements,
design and purpose of the game. FIG. 1 shows 64 individually
lighted squares, that is, 32 light squares 3 and 32 dark squares 4
which are closed on their lower sides by a plate 7. The lower
portion of the device 8 contains the data card entrance slot 9, the
data card exit 10, the advancement mechanism (see FIGS. 5A, 5B and
5C) and the electrical sensing system shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Space
is also provided in the lower section of the device to house the
elements of the power supply including the batteries and the like.
FIG. 1 also shows the control buttons 11 and 12 for providing the
forward and backward motion of the data card, respectively. When
operating these control buttons, the electrical circuit is actuated
and the advancing mechanism is placed into operation. FIG. 2 merely
shows FIG. 1 from an end view and in a more compact state.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the various illuminating cells 6, each
containing an electrical lead 13. An illuminating cell 6 is
disposed beneath each one of the squares printed on the top plate
2, each one of said cells being separated from the surrounding
cells by walls provided by the lattice structure 5. Each
illuminating cell is connected on one side directly to the power
supply and on the other side to a sensing finger 16 (see FIG. 6).
The illuminating element 6, which can be, for example, a light
bulb, a calcium cyanide crystal, or the like, receives electrical
current from a power supply source as shown in FIG. 7 by the
closing of the circuit which causes the electrical current to pass
from the connector plate 15, through the holes in the data cards to
the sensing fingers 16 and, in turn, through the electrical leads
13 to the appropriate illuminating cells 6.
The data card shown in FIG. 4 is a standard card approximately 9
inches long by 31/4 inches wide. The card is provided with a number
of spaces 17 for punching holes for storing specific information.
In this particular illustration, the card is adapted for a board
containing sixty-four squares, and accordingly, the card is
provided with two columns with thirty-two bits of information for
each position of the readout mechanism. The data card 20 is also
provided with a number of evenly spaced-apart slots 18 and 19
disposed on opposite sides of said card, said slots being adapted
to engage with the advancing mechanism of the game playing device.
In place of data cards, tapes, which can be merely considered as a
continuous card, can also be used in the same manner as the data
cards to register the programs for the positions and movements of
the various pieces utilized in the particular game being played.
The operator or the player himself can prepare his own cards by
punching appropriate places on the cards or can purchase prepunched
cards from the manufacturer. Each card is adapted to contain a
minimum of 1,960 bits of information.
The data card 20 preferentially contains 12 or more sets of columns
with 64 bits of information provided in each column. The data card
is inserted in the slot 9 of the device, is guided through two
rails 21 provided with lips 22 (see FIG. 6) and is advanced by the
mechanism shown in FIG. 5. The data card passes beneath the sensing
fingers 16 and the connector 15 and emerges through the slot
10.
The advancing mechanism of FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C comprises gear-type
drive wheels 23 which are mounted on an axis 24 which is moved by
the action of a push rod 25 on the ratchet wheels 26, also attached
to the axis 24. The ratchet wheels 26 are activated by depressing
either one of the control buttons 11 and 12, depending upon whether
forward or reverse movement of the data card is desired. Since the
action of the control buttons 11 and 12 is spring loaded, said
buttons will always return to their original resting position when
they are released. When one of the control buttons 11 or 12 is
actuated, this action in turn actuates a microswitch 27 and an
activating rod 25. When the microswitch contact point 27a is
engaged, the electrical system is activated. The activating rod 25
simultaneously engages the appropriate ratchet wheel for either
advancing or reversing the data card as discussed above. The
information from the data card is read by the sensing fingers 16 as
shown in FIG. 6 and is relayed to the illuminating cells 6 through
the electrical circuit illustrated in FIG. 7.
Data card or tape reading means are provided as illustrated in FIG.
6 by the sensing fingers 16 which are held together by an armature
28. The sensing fingers are made of a spring-type material which
provides the necessary spring action to press them against the card
20 which passes beneath said sensing fingers and the top of the
connector plate 15. The data card or tape is conveyed on the top of
the holding plate 29 and is guided by the two rails 21 which are
provided with guiding lips 22. Each sensing finger 16 is connected
directly by its individual connecting cable 30 in FIG. 6, indicated
as cable 13 in FIGS. 3A and 3B, to its corresponding luminescent
cell 6. One sensing finger corresponds to each one of the
illuminating elements. The contact plate 15 is mounted on a spring
31 so that said plate is constantly being pushed against the
opposing action of the sensing fingers 16. This provides good
contact between the sensing fingers and the contact plate. The
advancing mechanism illustrated in FIG. 5 causes the data card to
move one position, either in the forward or backward direction,
from one set of information bits to another set of information bits
by the manipulation of the control buttons 11 and 12.
FIG. 7 illustrates that the power supply can be provided by live
voltage used in combination with a step-down transformer 32 or
batteries 33. The selection of the source of the power supply is
made by switch 34. Switch 27 is the on-off switch which opens and
closes the circuit. One side of the transformer output and the
negative polarity of the batteries are connected directly to one
side of the illuminating cells through the connecting cable 30.
Each one of the sensing fingers 16 is connected in the circuit as
illustrated in FIG. 6 and establishes contact with the contact
plate 15 through openings punched in the data card and no
insulation is provided by the introduction of the card or tape into
the device. The sensing system or card reading system illustrated
in FIG. 6 is designed to simultaneously read from two or more
adjoining columns at each readout. It can read as many bits of
information as necessary and in the case of the game of Go, for
example, this will be up to 328 bits of information, but of course,
the amount may vary largly depending upon the game or application
for which the board is designed. As stated above, the sensing
fingers establish electrical contact with the connector plate 15
through the punched-out holes in the tape or card, thus closing the
circuit. The appropriate luminescent elements are then illuminated
indicating the positions where the game pieces are to be moved.
The normal method of operation of the device of the present
invention is as follows: The data card 20 is prepunched with
certain holes 17 being punched-out. The game playing machine or
device is connected to the power supply, that is, either to
batteries 33 or to the line transformer 32 through the use of the
selection switch 34. The device is then turned-on by means of the
switch 27. When the optional transformer is used, the selection
switch 34 must be turned to "line," which automatically disconnects
the batteries 33. The data card 20 is inserted into slot 9 and
pushed manually until its first slots 18 and 19 engage with the
drive wheels 23 of the advancing mechanism. With the first move of
the control button 11, the card or tape is placed beneath the
sensing fingers 16 and thus is ready for the first readout. The
control button or lever 11 is connected through the connecting rod
25 to the ratchet system 26 and the drive or star wheels 23.
Alternatively, a triangular plate could be used instead of the
ratchet and wheel system described above. The drive wheels 23
engage in the slots 18 and 19 of the data card or tape for moving
said card or tape either in the forward or backward direction as
desired. The drive mechanism described above advances the card or
tape which is guided by rails 21 beneath the sensing fingers 16 and
between said sensing fingers and the plate 15. Each successive
position of the data card is obtained by one full movement of the
control button or lever 11 or 12.
If the game playing device of the present invention is applied to
chess, the player places 32 game pieces in their starting assembly
on the translucent upper plate 2. The player then makes his first
decision as to where the first piece is to be moved. To compare
this decision against a master game imprinted on the data card or
tape, the player actuates the control lever or button which moves
the data card one position, and at the same time closes the
electric circuit and lights the appropriate specific cells 6
beneath the translucent board 2. The actuation of the control
button or lever 11 or 12 triggers the readout of the card or tape.
The sensing fingers 16 establish contact through the holes in the
card or tape with the contact plate 15 and current flows, as the
circuit is closed, lighting the cells 6. The light will be
noticeable through the top plate 2, indicating to the player which
pieces should be moved to what position. The player can thereafter
correct and/or adjust his previous movement in accordance with the
instructions received from the data card. Thus, the player can
compare his strategy with the strategy of the masters as recorded
on the data card, or any other previously prepared plan of action
which is registered on the data card or tape. After making his
initial move, the player then can decide a possible move for his
opponent and then can press the control button to determine whether
or not the correct move was made. The player will then again take
his own position and reply to the move previously made by the
opponent. Thus, the third pressing of the control button will
indicate the second movement of the player. The releasing of the
control button will return it to its resting position which also
cuts-off the flow of current by the action of the switch 27 and
prepares the advancing mechanism for its next forward move. Either
button 11 or 12 can be used for moving the data card in either the
forward or reverse direction, the only important factor being that
said buttons provide opposite functions. The advancing mechanism is
actuated by the button 11 or 12 through the connecting rod 25 on
the ratchet 26 which in turn moves the axis 24 and drives the
wheels 23 which engage in the holes 18 and 19 at the sides of the
data card or tape 20. At any time when releasing the control button
11 or 12, the card or tape can be pulled out backward or forward
through slots 9 or 10 and adjusted to any position as desired. When
pressing the control button 11, for example, the light circuit will
be closed through switch 27. It will remain closed as long as the
button is depressed and will be cut-off when the button is
released. As a variation in this procedure, a timer can be
interposed in the circuit, thereby delaying the power cut-off by a
predetermined time. A firmer pressure on the button will engage the
advancing mechanism and push the card or tape to its next readout
position. By continuously actuating the button the player can
complete a set of positions for a game or a teaching sequence. It
is readily apparent that the present invention can be applied to
many different types of games by merely changing the translucent
plate and the number of sensing elements.
The game playing device of the present invention differs
substantially from the prior art devices, such as, for example, the
chess machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,463 to Worden et al.
Although this patent is concerned with a similar type of device
wherein information is communicated to players by means of a data
card, the present invention differs in operation from the U.S.
patent both functionally and applicably. First of all, the device
of the patent indicates with one lighting and movement of the data
card, the present position of the piece to be moved and with a
second lighting and movement of the data card, the position to
which said piece is to be moved. In other words, two card
indications and two movements of the advance button are required to
indicate one chess movement. This is to be compared with the device
of the present invention which will be limited, for comparison
reasons, to the game of chess wherein with only one pressing of the
advance and light button, a light indication is made on the board
showing what piece is to be moved and to what position it is to be
moved, thereby giving both the present and next future positions,
simultaneously. The device of the Worden et al patent does not
contain the electrical circuitry which would permit this type of
indication. Furthermore, utilizing the device of the present
invention, the squares of the board can be selectively lighted one
by one or simultaneously, as many as desired, such as, for example,
two for a common move in chess, three for "En Passant," four for
castling, up to nine for check-mate and sixty-four in case of
"Pat," "undecided" and end of game. In this connection, it should
be noted that the Worden et al patent requires auxiliary lights as
an independent and necessary indicator group to show the progress
of the game. As a practical matter, the Worden et al patent can
only be directed to the game of chess whereas the device of the
present invention, because of its simplified construction can be
easily adapted to many games by making a couple of minor
modifications. For example, the game Go, requiring 324 squares
instead of 64 squares, can be readily adapted to the device of the
present invention.
A further distinction between the present invention and the chess
machine of the Worden et al patent is in the manner in which the
data card is fed into the device. As noted in the Worden et al
patent, the data card reader 25 is disposed on the top and adjacent
one end of the housing whereas the data card of the present
invention is actually inserted into the housing. Also, the
advancing mechanism utilized in the Worden et al. patent does not
register each position clearly and, thus, each sequential movement
must be adjusted visually using the visual hairline 41. Then, after
the card has been advanced one position through said visual
adjustment, a button or switch must then be pressed to actuate the
lighting system. In contradistinction thereto, according to the
device of the present invention, when the button 11 or 12 is
pushed, not only is the data card automatically moved one position,
without any visual check being required, but also, the depression
of said button automatically lights the appropriate positions on
the board.
As noted in column 3, lines 29-36, of the Worden et al. patent,
their data card, which is adapted to contain 960 bits of
information per card is divided into ten working areas, thereby
providing an indication for only ten moves or positions on the
board per card. The reason for this is that the electrical contacts
require a large amount of space. In the device of the present
invention, the data card provides for over 30 indications or moves
due to a much more simplified indicator system as shown in FIG. 6.
Thus, in the case of chess, in most normal games, only one data
card would be necessary to complete a game. Also, in using the game
playing device of the present invention, embossed cards can be used
in place of perforated cards.
The Worden et al device is also designed for 110 volt A.C.
operation with a transformer and a rectifier, plus electronic
circuits and protective devices to avoid electrical interferences.
As noted in column 4, lines 5-8, undesirable current flow can occur
and, accordingly, to avoid such a problem and to protect the
circuit, a number of diodes must be utilized. In spite of this
precaution, when the contacts are closed in the extreme portions of
the circuit, said contacts close several circuits rather than
lighting the squares individually. The game playing device of the
present invention, in comparison with the Worden et al patent, is
designed for a very low voltage, that is, a battery providing 1.6
to 6 volts, and also low amperage. Thus, the device of the present
invention has eliminated all electronic devices and costly
materials leaving merely a versatile game playing device which can
be operated by simple mechanism manipulations and simple electrical
elements.
In reading the Worden et al patent, it will be noted that it is
primarily directed to the use of photoelectric cells in
transferring the information from the data card to the chess board.
Thus, 22 photoelectric cells 53 are positioned beneath the 22
information bits in the data card and twenty-two lights 55 are
positioned above the twenty-two information bits in the data card
at each readout. If the card has been punched in one of its bits,
light will shine through the bit to energize the photoelectric cell
therebeneath which, in turn, makes the appropriate indication on
the chess board. The use of a photoelectric system of the Worden et
al. patent is conceptually different from the system utilized in
the game playing device of the present invention as best shown in
FIG. 6 wherein the information punched into a data card is conveyed
to the chess board by sensing means 16 which merely complete an
electrical circuit in those areas of the data card which have been
punched out. The Worden et al. patent also shows in FIG. 5 that its
photoelectric system can be replaced by mechanical switches. As
noted in FIG. 6, 22 terminals 115 are positioned over twenty-two
information bits on the card and 22 spring loaded contact pins 117
are positioned below the 22 information bits. When any of the bits
are punched out, pin 117 makes contact with the terminal 115 to
energize a particular light. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, 22 spring
contacts 119 could be positioned at one side of the data card and
the switches could be closed upon the spring contact pin extending
through a punched hole in the card and engaging a terminal 121. It
is believed that the present application represents a significant
patentable improvement over the Worden et al patent and any other
known devices known to be presently available in the prior art.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the
same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be
regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention,
and all such modifications are intended to be included within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *