Board game and method of playing

Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor – Piece moves over board having pattern

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C273S259000, C273S277000, C273S430000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06530571

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to board games, and more particularly, to a board game that realistically portrays and imitates typical player movements and situations that might occur during actual play of such game or activity, for both the education and entertainment of those playing the game.
2. Preliminary Discussion
Despite the increased popularity of electronic video and computer games, board games, which have been played for thousands of years in all parts of the world, remain a popular form of competitive amusement for both children and adults. Today's board games may be classified into several broad categories. Games such as chess and checkers are of a type that generally divide the game board into a series of squares, and game pieces are moved from square to square as dictated by the rules of the game without necessarily having to follow a particular pathway or route. There are also a wide variety of “pathway-type” board games wherein the game pieces are moved sequentially along a standardized play path, usually consisting of a sequence of blocks or spaces having at least a beginning space and an ending space, as in monopoly. Finally, there are board games which attempt to simulate or mimic a particular sport or activity such as baseball and football. Countless variations and combinations of such types of board games are known in the prior art, many of which employ some form of chance-determining means, such as one or more die, a spinner having numerals thereon, or “chance” cards, for determining the movement of the game pieces.
In addition to amusing and entertaining the players, many board games also employ some type of teaching device, sequence, or materials in an attempt to add an educational aspect or means for increasing the knowledge or skill of the players concerning a particular subject or subjects to the game. Most of such games consist of familiar, expected and/or obvious structural configurations.
While previous games have fulfilled their respective, particular objectives and requirements, no known board game has effectively and realistically imitated the movement of players and strategy of play of a particular sport or activity while also incorporating an effective educational aspect designed to educate the participants about the rules, terminology, game situations, strategies, and history of the sport or activity being imitated in the same manner as the applicant's invention.
3. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,596 issued to C. W. Wright discloses a baseball board game in the likeness of a baseball field, wherein a revolving disc containing characters representing events in a baseball game is situated under the game board. Only certain characters are visible at any one time through small holes or apertures in the game board, and players move the game pieces by following the instructions of the visible characters after the disc is spun and comes to rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,319 issued to R. S. Henderson discloses a combination educational and simulated baseball game having a game board in the likeness of a baseball field, a series of cards containing statistics of player batting tendencies, and a pair of dice. The tendency cards are conformed to the tendencies of professional players, thereby allowing players to learn baseball strategy. Such cards do not, however, provide a means for actively testing or questioning participants concerning the rules, terminology, game situations, strategies, or history of baseball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,897 issued to D. S. York discloses a plurality of cards containing lists of words, with such cards being divided into decks based on the perceived difficulty in spelling of such words. The cards can be incorporated into a game of chance by requiring a player to spell a word correctly before completing a move in the game, thereby converting the game into a game of both skill and chance. The subject matter of the York cards, however, has no relation to the game actually being played, and in playing the York game only one card may be drawn or used by a player per turn or move.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,939 issued to H. M. Thron discloses a game designed to teach the “sport ” hunting and hunting safety. The game utilizes several game pieces as well as two sets of cards, entitled Equipment Cards, which depict types of hunting equipment, and Situation Cards, which provide the result of a simulated shot at a target prey. Such cards are not used in the same manner as the inventor's cards, and Thron is a pathway-type board game rather than a game that imitates typical movements of the participants during real play of the sport or activity being simulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,823 issued to T. A. McBride discloses a board game designed to teach subjects such as religion. Each block in the pathway of the McBride game corresponds to a particular subject matter, which subject matter in turn corresponds to a particular set or deck of cards. When a player lands on a particular block, he or she is asked a question from the corresponding deck. Only one question may be asked per turn, however, and players cannot choose the type or difficulty of the question asked as in the inventor's game.
U.S. Pat. 4,378,941 issued to P. A. Derby discloses a board game designed to teach players to recognize particular species of birds and their habitats. The game is played by moving the game pieces along a pathway situated on the perimeter of the board, with each block representing a particular bird habitat. A player who lands on a habitat by chance must match the birds to such habitat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,780 issued to S. E. Begley et al. discloses a basketball trivia game consisting primarily of a game board and cards containing a series of trivia questions arranged in order of increasing difficulty. The questions of Begley et al. are asked within the framework of a game situation simulating a real life game. However, the Begley et al. game board does not simulate a basketball court, and the difficulty of the question asked is determined by the chance means rather than at the option of the player as in the inventor's game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,653 issued to G. Murphy et al. discloses a board game having a simulation of a basketball court on its face, with the court divided into zones at varying distances from the basket. Murphy et al. discloses two modes of play wherein a player must answer questions about basketball teams and players. If a question is answered correctly, either points are awarded or the player is allowed to roll the dice again. Unlike the inventor's game, however, the difficulty of the question to be asked is determined by chance, and there is no provision or option to answer an additional “challenge” question during the same players move.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,147 issued to D. N. S. Smith discloses a board game having different categories of question cards relating to the rules and techniques of tennis. The Smith game does not, however, have a provision for asking additional “challenge” type questions, which it is believed are used in a unique manner by the inventor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,204 issued to A. G. Meyer, III discloses another baseball-type board game in which baseball trading cards are used as playing pieces. The fielding team selects pitcher cards, which indicate balls, strikes, or hits, until cards indicating a combination of 4 balls, 3 strikes, or a hit are drawn. When a hit card is drawn, the batter then draws an action card, which indicates the type of hit. The Meyer III game lacks the educational or teaching aspect the inventor's game wherein questions concerning the rules, terminology, strategy, situations and history are asked with each turn at bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,848 issued to D. N. Keener discloses a board game simulating environmental and sportsmanship issues that might be encountered while participating in a fishing tournament. The game board consists of an illustration of a body of water with pathway-type blocks spaced along t

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