Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-10
2001-04-10
Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Board games, pieces, or boards therefor
C273S258000, C273S244000, C273S287000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213466
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to racing games and, more particularly, to head-to-head competitions in which direct confrontations between racers determine, by a combination of skill and chance, the winner of each competition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Racing games, in which participants line up at a starting area or line, advance generally in one direction along the same course or identical courses on a game board, and compete to be the first to cross over a finish area or line, have long been popular, competitive, board game activities for people of all ages, especially children. Obstacles along the course are provided to enhance game interest.
The most popular racing game typically includes cars. Examples of board games involving cars include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,620,192, 3,656,757, 3,940,140, 4,534,566, 4,563,011 and 5,259,623.
Yet, experience has shown that racing car games do not realistically simulate the experience of a real car race in which crashes or confrontations occur between cars. There are board games like checkers or chess in which direct confrontations between opposing game pieces occur by one piece jumping over, or occupying the same place as, another piece. There are even board games such as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,929,337 and 4,470,602 in which dice oppose one another. However, in none of these games involving opposing game pieces, is the racing experience simulated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a racing game, especially involving cars, which recreates the excitement of a real racing event.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to realistically simulate a race wherein crashes occur between cars to determine the outcome of the race.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel car racing game in which the players can use toy vehicles from independent toy car collections as the game pieces.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a car racing game with crash-action events that dictate the progress of play.
FEATURES OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, one feature, briefly stated, resides in a crash-action racing game that includes a plurality of first movable playing pieces, or racers, especially wheeled vehicles, for a first player; a plurality of second movable playing pieces, or racers, especially wheeled vehicles, for a second player; and a game board on which the racers are movable.
The game board has a pair of opposite end regions spaced apart along a longitudinal axis, a pair of opposite side regions spaced apart along a transverse axis that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a plurality of racing lanes. Each lane extends along the longitudinal axis between the end regions. The lanes are arranged in mutual parallelism along the transverse axis between the side regions. Each lane has a first starting playing position adjacent a first of the end regions, for accommodating a respective first racer upon beginning game play. Each lane also has a second starting playing position adjacent a second of the end regions, for accommodating a respective second racer upon beginning game play. Each lane further has a plurality of track playing positions between the first and second starting positions, for accommodating the first and second racers during game play.
During game play by the first player, each of the first racers is movable along the game board from the first starting playing position along the track positions to the second of the end regions. During game play by the second player, each of the second racers is movable along the game board from the second starting playing position along the track positions to the first of the end regions.
During the above-described movements of the first and second racers, a series of collision events is likely to occur. In the preferred embodiment, each collision event occurs when one of the racers of one of the players is moved to one of the playing positions that lies in the same lane as, and is immediately adjacent to, another of the playing positions that is already occupied by one of the racers of the other of the players.
The game includes collision instruction means for instructing one of the players, preferably the one who has moved one of his racers and thus caused the collision event, to obey a game instruction. The game instruction dictates the course of the game. The player who enters one of the end regions first is awarded points, and the player who amasses the most points is declared the winner.
In the preferred embodiment of the game, the racers, as previously mentioned, are wheeled vehicles, such as cars, each having a vehicle body and four wheels for rollingly engaging the board. To prevent the vehicles from inadvertently rolling out of their respective playing positions during game play, detention means are provided for detaining the wheeled vehicles in their respective playing positions. The detention means preferably comprises a raised grid elevated above a playing surface of the board. The grid includes a plurality of speed bump ridges intersecting with a plurality of lane divider ridges. The speed bump ridges extend in mutual parallelism across all the lanes along the transverse direction. The lane divider ridges extend in mutual parallelism along the lanes along the longitudinal direction. The speed bump ridges and the lane divider ridges bound a plurality of the playing positions for confining the wheeled vehicles. Each ridge has an outer curved surface over which the wheels of the wheeled vehicles roll.
Alternatively, the detention means includes a plurality of shallow depressions, each depression being located at a respective playing position. Each depression is situated below the playing surface for receiving at least one of the wheels of the wheeled vehicle therein to confine the latter.
The game board, in its preferred embodiment, constitutes each end region as a generally planar, finish area which extends along the transverse axis between the side regions across the lanes. Each finish area is bounded by a finish line. A raised finish ridge extends along the finish line.
One of the side regions of the game board constitutes a generally planar, pit stop area for accommodating wheeled vehicles remotely from the lanes. A raised pit stop ridge borders the pitstop area. Another of the side regions includes winner circle areas for accommodating wheeled vehicles after they have rolled onto the end regions. The winner circle areas constitute first, second and third place zones for accommodating the wheeled vehicles that have rolled first, second and third, respectively, in order onto the end regions. A raised circular ridge borders each winner circle area.
The collision instruction means preferably includes a stack of selectable cards bearing the game instructions, for selection and compliance by one of the players, preferably the one who caused the collision event. The game board has a raised stack ridge that borders a stack area for holding the stack of cards before their selection, and a raised discard ridge that borders a discard area for holding cards of the stack after their selection.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1294256 (1919-02-01), George
patent: 1421570 (1922-07-01), Rod
patent: 2620192 (1952-12-01), Housley
patent: 3414264 (1968-12-01), Schriber
patent: 3656757 (1972-04-01), Carroll
patent: 3765679 (1973-10-01), O'Connell
patent: 3863927 (1975-02-01), Moritz
patent: 3929337 (1975-12-01), Hayes
patent: 3940140 (1976-02-01), Meyer e
Kirschstein, at al
Layno Benjamin H.
Mendiratta V K
LandOfFree
Crash-action, vehicle racing game and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Crash-action, vehicle racing game and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Crash-action, vehicle racing game and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2502569