Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor – Piece moves over board having pattern
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-12-18
Chapman, Jeanette (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Board games, pieces, or boards therefor
Piece moves over board having pattern
C273S236000, C273S247000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06331005
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a tennis game. The game teaches the strategic play of the game of tennis. The game introduces the players to the concepts of probability and statistics and provides an opportunity for visual learning. Tennis is basically a game of geometry and the principles disclosed herein will teach the players about probability, chance and statistics as well as math. Specifically, the disclosure will enable an understanding of the x, y Cartesian coordinate system along with statistics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention was conceived as a way of relating the Cartesian coordinate system to a person by visualizing the Cartesian coordinate system in relationship to a tennis court. Essentially the Cartesian coordinate system has four quadrants. The first quadrant is that portion of the coordinate system where values of x and y are both positive. The second quadrant of the Cartesian coordinate system is that area where the values x are negative and the values of y are positive. The third quadrant of the Cartesian coordinate system is where the values of x are negative and the values of y are negative and the fourth quadrant of the Cartesian coordinate system are where the values of x are positive and y is negative.
Probability is introduced into the instant invention by way of a number generator. Preferably the number generator is a pair of dice. Alternately the number generator may be a simple spinning wheel with numbers on it and the spinner or pointer will determine the number that is used. Obviously, the spinning wheel has no bias as the dice do. This will further help individuals understand the difference in probabilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,861 to Nemeth discloses an electronic tennis game which includes a microcomputer system which and when actuated by switches accepts inputs from those switches and processes those inputs according to a simulated tennis game to provide outputs in the form of the illuminated rectangular grids on the game board to indicate respective player and ball positions and to update the scoring displays. The '861 patent permits the players to select the longitudinal and latitudinal positions of the ball by means of a grid system labeled 1-16 across the top or x axis and 1-35 along the y axis. The selection of the positions in connection with the '861 patent are determined by a keyboard 60 as indicated in FIG.
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U.S. Pat. 3,949,992 to Battis discloses a tennis simulating table game which includes player-representing tokens that have different playing strengths and weaknesses designated on them. Transparencies overlie certain board sections and dice are used to develop numbers and there is a chart giving ranges of numbers that represent failure or success of the players in making the shots. The receiving player returns the ball in certain sections near him, fails if it is in other sections, and rolls the dice if it falls in still other sections. A player's chance of return depends on the dice values he rolls as related to the strength or weakness shown in his token. The '992 patent uses a combination of probability and a series of cards which indicate whether or not a shot is good or not good according to the player's rating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of tactical tennis is the same as regular tennis. Each player attempts to place the ball over the net and within the boundary lines so that the ball cannot be returned by the opponent. The server starts at the baseline in the advantage or deuce court. The receiver may stand anywhere, however, if the server is able to pass the returner on the serve, the serve is considered an ace.
The server rolls the dice and may move (not diagonally) one space per number based on the sum of the dice. The returner rolls the dice and moves to the ball and returns it, making one move per number based on the sum of the dice. The players take turns rolling the dice and moving until one person is not able to move the ball enough times to get it over the net. Scoring proceeds according to standard tennis rules.
A roll of five on the serve is a let serve. A player may move the ball and himself/herself during a turn. For example if a player rolls a seven, they may move the ball five spaces and they may move himself/herself two spaces (not diagonally).
The game is based upon simple plane geometry, and can be graphed in the x-y plane. In fact, the idea for the game developed from studying basic algebra. The rules of the game may be expanded to require the player to state the coordinates of the shot or graph the line and determine the slope of each shot. Coordinates can be plugged into a graphing calculator by each player. The players need not really know or understand the nature of tennis. An understanding of tennis is helpful but not necessary to play the game. This game tests the actual tactical abilities of a player where success is determined by placing the ball out of the other player's reach based upon an understanding of the tennis court. This is why the game is called tactical tennis.
The apparatus for playing the tennis game comprises a pair of dice with each die being in the shape of a cube and having indicia thereon representing numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Therefore the possibilities of the additive sum of the numerals is in the range of 2-12. The apparatus also includes a game board having indicia thereon. The indicia on the game board represents a tennis court and coordinates with respect to the tennis court. These coordinates are commonly known as Cartesian coordinates. The coordinates lie along the x and y axes. The X—X axis is known as the axis of abscissas and the Y—Y axis is known as the axis of ordinates. The apparatus for playing the game further includes a first playing piece for movement by a first player, a second playing piece for movement by a second player, and a third playing piece representing the tennis ball.
A process for teaching the game of tennis is also disclosed which employs a game board having indicia thereon, said indicia representing a tennis court including advantage courts, deuce courts, back courts, fore courts, a net, sidelines, baselines, axes of ordinates, and axes of abscissas, a pair of dice with each die having indicia thereon representing numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, a first playing piece for marking the position of a first player, a second playing piece for marking the position of a second player, and a third playing piece for marking the position of the tennis ball. The game includes the steps of each player rolling the dice to see which player goes first as far as service is concerned. The person that rolls the dice and has the highest number serves first. The object of the tennis game is to score at least two more points than the opponent. Scoring in tennis 0 or love, 15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage, game.
Each player picks a position on the game board from which serves and defenses are made, respectively. The player serving rolls the dice to obtain a sum of the dice. If the sum of the dice is sufficiently large to serve the piece representing the tennis ball from the position of the first player to a position beyond the net and/or into and through the deuce court of the second player, the serve is good. If the server serves past the returner, it is considered an ace and a point is scored for the server. If the sum of the dice is not sufficiently large to serve the piece or ball beyond the net and/or into and through the appropriate deuce court of the second player, then the first player must roll the dice again to obtain a new sum of the dice. The serving player must serve the third piece (or ball) according to the axes of ordinates or abscissas on the tennis court. As simply put, this means the tennis ball may not move diagonally from coordinate to coordinate but must instead move in a straight line fashion on or parallel to the x and/or y axes.
If neither of the rolls of the server are sufficiently large to advance the piece representing the ball beyond the net and/or into and through the deuce court
Chapman Jeanette
Collins Dolores R.
Woodling Krost & Rust
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