Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor – Piece moves over board having pattern
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-05
2002-09-10
Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Board games, pieces, or boards therefor
Piece moves over board having pattern
C273S288000, C273S291000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06446969
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to board games, more particularly, to a checkerboard style board game having reversible pieces and a peripheral “sacrifice” zone.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Board games are old, many being derived from the familiar “checkerboard” arrangement of alternating light and dark squares within columns and rows. Many such games feature checker-like or chess-like moves involving side-to-side (hereinafter “vertical cal,” having reference to the top and bottom of the drawing), forward and backward (hereinafter after “horizontal”), and diagonal moves, and variations thereof Such games often are directed rected toward the capture of a single piece out of the opponent's set.
Prior developments in this field may be generally illustrated by reference to the following information disclosure statement:
Pat. No.
Patentee
Issue Date
4,052,069
S. Sandhu
Oct. 4, 1977
Des. 393,286
S. Hasegawa
Apr. 7, 1998
2,585,268
P. Olsen
Feb. 12, 1952
3,897,953
J. Hoynanian
Aug. 5, 1975
5,791,650
S. Pardee
Aug. 11, 1998
2,614,842
J. Rice
Oct. 21, 1952
3,759,523
A. Randolph
Sep. 18, 1973
4,805,915
S. Lamle
Feb. 21, 1989
U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,069 teaches a variation on chess where there is a capture row that holds pieces that can be released when a player's piece reaches the other side of the board.
U.S. Pat. Nos. D-393,286, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,897,953 and 2,585,268 teach chess or chess-like boards 5 with extra or modified outside border squares.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,650 teaches a checkerboard type game with bi-colored pieces that switch sides upon capture and with specialized capture localities.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,842 teaches a checkerboard with a border zone into which a player can move (see column 3, lines 60-68).
The rest of the patents are representative of what was found in the art.
Some find play stifling when a player is confined to a set of pieces that is fixed in number and in type of piece—wherein one's count of pieces can only go down. Furthermore, the customary use of a checkerboard pattern is often felt to limit the possibility of play, particularly for pieces adjacent to the perimeter of the board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the disadvantages inherent in the known art, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to teach a new and improved board game apparatus which has all of the important advantages of the prior art and few, if any, of the disadvantages to a player.
The novel game board of the present invention has a central playing field, called the territories, surrounded by a peripheral or perimeter playing field, called the sacrifice zone. The board comprises 90 “squares” arranged in ten columns and nine rows. The squares form an ordered array of cells or positions for playing pieces, through which rectangular array vertical, horizontal and diagonal moves are possible. The thirty-four perimeter squares comprise a sacrifice zone that is one square wide, namely, the first and last columns and the top and bottom rows. The remaining fifty-six inner squares comprise the territories. The squares of the territories field preferably are of a first set of alternating light and dark colors, with the sacrifice zone comprising squares of a second set of visually different alternating light and dark colors. However, other equivalent methods of distinguishing adjacent squares and of distinguishing the two fields may be selected. For example, distinctive cell indicia may be used at the cell locations instead of colored squares. Also, the playing cells may be formed into shapes other than squares that are functionally equivalent thereto.
Two sets of fourteen playing pieces of three types are assigned to the two players; each type of piece being allowed moves and captures according to individual rules. Special rules apply to pieces entering and occupying the sacrifice zone squares. The pieces bear markings, colors, shapes or like indicia which distinguish the three types. Each piece is reversible—that is, one side of the piece bears on its top (first or primary) face or side indicia of the first player's set and on the obverse (second or secondary) face or side indicia of the second player's set. Upon capture, an opponent's piece is physically reversed. The obverse verse side is turned up, which causes the display of the primary indicia of the capturing player, and the piece is returned to the square upon which it rested before being captured.
Features and Advantages
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved board game apparatus that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
A further object or feature of the present invention is a new and improved board game apparatus that is of a durable and reliable construction.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel board game apparatus wherein an increased ease of setup and play is permitted relative to the art.
Another object or feature is a new and improved board game apparatus that is attractive in appearance and suitable for mass production.
Accordingly, a feature of this invention is a board game apparatus, including: a playing board; said playing board forming a territories playing field of fifty-six squares formed into a grid of rows and columns; said playing board forming a sacrifice zone playing field of thirty-four squares forming a perimeter that is one square wide that surrounds said territories playing field; a plurality of playing pieces divisible into a first and a second set of equal number; said first and second sets each comprising one emperor piece, six ambassador pieces, and seven governor pieces; said emperor pieces each having two emperor sides, one emperor side bearing distinguishing emperor's first-set indicia and the other emperor side bearing distinguishing emperor's second-set indicia; said ambassador pieces each having two ambassador sides, one ambassador side bearing distinguishing ambassador's first-set indicia and the other ambassador side bearing distinguishing ambassador's second-set indicia; and said governor pieces each having two governor sides, one governor side bearing distinguishing governor's first-set indicia and the other governor side bearing distinguishing governor's second-set indicia, wherein said playing pieces may be arranged into said first set having fourteen playing pieces and said second set having fourteen pieces by turning one of said emperor pieces emperor's first-set indicia side up and by turning the other one of said emperor pieces emperor's second-set indicia side up, by turning six of said ambassador pieces ambassador's first-set indicia side up and by turning the other six of said ambassador pieces ambassador's second-set indicia side up, and by turning seven of said governor pieces governor's first-set indicia side up and by turning the other seven of said governor pieces governor's second-set indicia side up.
A further feature is a game board wherein said territories playing field comprises squares of alternating first light and first dark colors, and said sacrifice zone playing field comprises squares of alternating second light and second dark colors.
A further feature is such an apparatus wherein said emperor's first-set indicia comprises a solid white circle inside a black ring that is inside a white ring and said emperior's second-set indicia comprises a solid black circle inside a white ring that is inside a black ring, said ambassador's first-set indicia comprises a solid black circle inside a white ring and said ambassador's second-set indicia comprises a solid white circle inside a black ring, and said governor's first-set indicia comprises a solid white circle and said governor's second-set indicia comprises a solid black circle.
Yet another feature is a game wherein said emperor pieces a
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