Amusement devices: games – Card or tile games – cards or tiles therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-17
2002-09-24
Harrison, Jessica (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Card or tile games, cards or tiles therefor
Reexamination Certificate
active
06454265
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of amusement games played using cards or other similar elements according to a set of pre-established game rules. More specifically, the invention relates to a game in which multiple players engage in play generally involving taking turns, wherein each turn may include taking actions associated with cards in their hands, drawing cards from a deck, discarding cards, and exchanging cards with other players, with the objective being accumulating points or tokens representative of points, according to pre-established rules of the game. The game offers flexibility and ease of adaptation since its structure of play accommodates use of game pieces and other game elements that can be by customized and tailored to suit consumer interests.
2. Background of the Related Art
Drawing games
Various types of card games are well-known and popular wherein players are dealt hands comprising generally a plurality of cards which either afford their holders advantages, or saddle them with disadvantages, relative to accomplishing the goals of the game. One example is the game known as “Old Maid”. In that game (and variations thereon) the object of the game is to arrive at the end of the game without holding a card designated the “old maid.” In at least one variation of that game, all of the cards in a deck are distributed (dealt) to the players so that each player has a “hand” of cards. Then, the players in turn exchange cards with one another by “drawing” from each others' hands. Depending on which cards are acquired a player may be required (or allowed) to “discard” certain cards or combinations of cards (for instance, pairs) with the result that the number of cards in his or her hand will be depleted. Ultimately, players will “go out” as all of their cards are discarded in pairs or drawn by other players. Suspense in the game of “Old Maid” results from the players not knowing when or if they may draw the “old maid” card from an opponent.
Another example of a card game in which players exchange cards with one another is the game known as “Go Fish”. In that game (or at least one variation thereon), players are dealt hands comprising a predetermined number of cards (for instance, seven). A turn of play comprises a player asking an opponent whether he or she is holding a certain kind of card in his or her hand. The asking player does so in hopes of collecting matching cards and generating, for instance, pairs or four of a kind which the asking player then discards (or otherwise sets aside). In that game, if one player requests a type of card the opponent does not have, the opponent responds by directing the requesting player to “go fish” whereupon the requesting player draws a card from a deck or pile of cards. In this way, drawing from the deck or pile of cards affords the requester a second chance to collect the requested card. The game ends when one or more players “go out” by discarding all of their cards. Winners are determined, for example, according to which player goes out first, or alternatively, according to who had discarded or set aside the most pairs or groups of four-of-a-kind at the time when a player goes out.
Each of the games just described share a similarity in the sequence of play in that the exchange of cards between players occurs early in the course of a turn of play and, at least potentially, as a predicate to other events taking place during a turn of play. In this way, subsequent activity during that specific turn of play may either aggravate or alleviate the consequences of the exchange of cards for a given player. In “Old Maid”, following the transfer of a card from one player to another, the recipient player may have an option to discard a newly generated pair, for example, and enhance that player's competitive standing by bringing that player closer to “going out”. In “Go Fish”, if a card is transferred following a request, the recipient player likewise is benefited by potentially having generated a pair or four-of-a-kind which the player may then discard prior to the close of his or her turn. According to at least one customary method of play, that player is allowed to take another free turn.
Not present in either of the two games described, or apparent in the prior art, generally, is a feature whereby players are required to exchange cards at the close of their turn without any option thereafter during that turn to change the composition of their hand. As described more in detail below, this feature has the potential for building suspense for the players in a way that is not described in the prior art.
Thematic considerations in games
The card games just described, as well as other amusements, can be adapted to various themes to enhance their marketability. Producers of games and toys often tailor their products to take advantage of current commercial trends and contemporary consumer interests or fads. For example, often, in association with the release of a new motion picture, toy manufacturers sell merchandise bearing features taken directly from the motion picture. Accordingly, toys ranging from action figures and dolls to games and youth literature are frequently marketed so as to take advantage of trends in popular culture. Likewise, toys, games and books have been manufactured and sold which reflect less transient elements of culture. Characters and themes from classic books and nursery rhymes, for example, appear and reappear in the play things enjoyed by each new generation. Producers of toys and games stand to benefit by designing into their products a certain degree of flexibility accommodating adaptation to themes of cultural interest. Individuals, as well, enjoy and appreciate opportunities to exercise flexibility and adaptation in their endeavors. Crafts, for example, offer one avenue for expressing personal creativity, and they may be adapted to the personal interests of those who enjoy them.
Although adaptability and flexibility are qualities appreciated by consumers of certain goods, those features are by no means apparent across the gamut of products sold by the toy and game industry. Many prior art card games lack a significant degree of flexibility either for game manufacturers to customize games according to themes, or to empower players, themselves, to fashion game pieces and equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a game that can be played using cards (or other similar elements as explained in detail below). According to the game, multiple players engage in play generally involving steps comprising: 1)individual players, in turn, taking actions based on directions associated with the cards held in their hands at the beginning of their turn, and then 2) transferring cards by drawing cards from other players' hands. The actions taken by a player executing his or her turn may have favorable or unfavorable consequences to that player's and others' competitive interests in the game.
Turns continue through the progression of the game until its conclusion with players taking turns according to a rotational sequence. For purposes of this disclosure, including the claims; “rotational sequence” refers to a sequence of play in which players engage in turns serially until each has had a turn, whereupon the first to play then takes another turn, and play progresses in the new round according to the order established in the earlier round.
Suspense and diversion in the game derive, in part, from those favorable or unfavorable consequences, as well as from the “drawing” step occurring at the end of a player's turn. Because of this unique feature, players may lose desirable cards or acquire undesirable ones without possibility for immediate recourse to either capitalize on or minimize the effect of those consequences:
The invention, generally, including the embodiments disclosed herein, is flexible and adaptable to various themes. For example, various of the elements of the game may be associated for purposes
Elliott Bridget L.
Elliott Kathryn L.
Elliott Megan L.
Elliott Russell D.
Harrison Jessica
Rada, II Alex F. R. P.
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