Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2001-01-09
Chapman, Jeanette (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Board games, pieces, or boards therefor
C273S293000, CD21S491000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170823
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to board games and more particularly to a “Catena” board game in which players connect three or more card pieces in a straight line horizontally, vertically or diagonally to score points.
2. The Prior Art
At the present time there are a large variety of games involving numbered cards or blocks. For example, one type of game using numbered blocks is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 550,584 to Bristow wherein forty blocks are arranged in four suits of ten blocks each, each suit bearing numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0, with “1” being low and “0” being high. The game is played by laying down three or more blocks of either the same number, for example “666,” or consecutive numbers of the same color, for example, “1234.”
In Otuzbiryan U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,682, a card game uses a conventional deck of cards with the numbered cards 2-6 removed and one joker added as a wild card. Each card has an assigned value which is scored only when combined with other cards of the same suit (as in a flush) or with other cards of the same kind (as in three jacks). The object of the game is for each player to select three or four cards dealt in a turn in order to come up with the highest point value for the turn.
The Seelbrede et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,987 shows a board game using cards and pegs. The game board is square, with each of the four sides of the board having a different color corresponding to a game player. Each card bears a letter of the alphabet and a color corresponding to a game player, four sets of twenty-six such letter cards of each color being used in the game. The game is played by placing pegs (of the color assigned to the particular player) into peg holes in the board corresponding to the color on a card drawn from the card deck. When a player fills the last available hole in any one of the four color areas of the board, he or she is permitted to use the cards he or she has drawn to spell words and to obtain points for the words spelled.
The Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 1,519,422 shows a football-type of board game using the face value of playing cards to determine how far the “football” moves on each play.
Other patents of general interest are Samuel Des. 57,994 and Field Des. 138,177 which show designs for playing cards, depicting a 4×13 grid with the suits arranged in columns and the cards in each suit arranged in rows.
Although at the present time there are a large variety of games involving numbered cards or blocks, there is still a need for a board game which is easy to learn and simple to play and which may be contained in a compact case which also serves as the playing board.
OBJECTIVES AND FEATURES OF THE INVENTION
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a board game involving the use of a
56
square board, at least
56
card pieces, and a particular scoring system.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a game in which the pieces may be formed of an inexpensive material, such as foam board, and yet will remain durable through use.
It is a further feature of the present invention to provide such a game which uses pieces corresponding to the cards in a standard playing card deck.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a game which uses a playing board that may be formed on the interior or exterior surface of a carrying case housing the game materials.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a game in which the object of the game is to form or extend a “Catena” by connecting three or more card pieces in a straight line horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a game which may be made in reduced “travel size” so that the game may be easily played in cars, trains and airplanes.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a game which may be played with at least two and as many as eight players.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a board game having at least fifty-six pieces, a game board, and a plurality of racks for holding at least five of the pieces for each game player. The game pieces have indicia representing the fifty-two cards in a standard playing card deck and at least four wild cards arranged in the standard playing card suits, at least one wild card for each suit. The game board has a flat playing surface of rectangular dimension arranged in four columns, one column for each card suit and each column having fourteen squares for placement of the pieces.
The game is played by having each player, in clockwise rotation, place at least one piece in an open board square having the same suit as the suit on the piece being placed. The player may place as many as five pieces in the open board squares to form either three or four of a kind or three or more of a run in a straight line horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
In another embodiment, it is a feature that the board game includes a case for holding the pieces and the racks, with the case, when opened, forming the game board along its top and bottom surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a board game and a method of playing the game among two or more players. The game board has four columns representing each of the four standard playing card suits: spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts. Each column has fourteen squares. At least fifty-six card pieces are provided, one card piece for each card in a standard 52-card deck plus at least four wild card pieces, at least one for each suit. The card pieces are placed in. the column on the board corresponding to the suit of the card piece, but may be played in any of the fourteen squares in that column not already occupied by another card piece. For each turn, a player places one card piece on the board or more than one if the player can form a connection of three or four of a kind or three or more in a run in any direction (vertical, horizontal or diagonal), provided the card piece suit matches the suit column. Points are awarded based on an assigned point value: 20 points for an ace (or one point when placed before a two), 10 points for picture cards, no points for wild cards, and face value for the rest of the cards. A plurality of racks is also provided for holding the card pieces, one rack for each game player, each rack adapted to hold at least five pieces.
Additional details of the invention are contained in the following detailed description and the attached drawings in which preferred embodiments are illustrated by way of example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and features of the present invention become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawing is designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:
FIG. 1
is a front elevation view of the board incorporated in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2
shows representative game pieces suitably designed for play with the board of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of a case in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the case being shown in the opened position.
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of the case of
FIG. 3
shown in the closed position, with the case partially broken away to show the wells provided in the interior surfaces of the case.
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of a rack holding a plurality of the game pieces of FIG.
2
.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 57994 (1921-05-01), Samuel
patent: D. 138177 (1944-07-01), Field
patent: D. 256481 (1980-08-01), Zemby
patent: 550584 (1895-12-01), Bristow
patent: 1519422 (1924-12-01), Taylor
patent: 2082983 (1937-06-01), Shaffer
patent: 2766987 (1956-10-01), Seelbrede et al.
patent: 3618952 (1971-11-01), Tallarida
pa
Chapman Jeanette
Collard & Roe P.C.
Collins Dolores R.
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