Board Game with Levitating Magnetic Game Pieces in a Race

Abstract

The game consists of a planar game board (10), a series of vertically extended pegs (18) along a track, and magnetic game pieces (20) that freely slide down pegs (18). Each player selects a plurality of game pieces (20) of one color to differentiate from other players' game pieces (20). The object of the game is to be the first player to move all of his game pieces (20) from start (14) to finish (16). Players, in turn, roll dice, a chance device, and move game pieces (20) as indicated. Players' magnetic game pieces (20) interact in exciting and unexpected ways. A game piece (20) landing on a peg (18) above another game piece (20) will either attract and capture, or repel and levitate, depending on their relative magnetic orientations, another element of chance. When a game piece lands on particular pegs (18) or tiles (12), the player draws a random card, another element of chance, which directs surprise moves such as forward, backward or flipping.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] See Application Data Sheet (ADS).STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

[0003] Not applicable.REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC AND INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE OF THE MATERIAL ON THE COMPACT DISC

[0004] Not applicable.STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

[0005] Reserved for a later date, if necessary.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONListing of the Prior Art

[0006] The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:TABLEPat. No.Issue DatePatentee4,328,970A1982 May 11Manno3,556,526A1971 Jan. 19Currie3,680,865A1972 Aug. 1DavisClassificationA63F3 / 00694 Magnetic board gamesA63F2003 / 00022 Games played along a linear path

[0009] A63F2003 / 00738 Magnetic

[0010] A63F2003 / 00719 Connectible or stackable playing pieces with connections among the playing pieces.Nonpatent Related Prior ArtMagnetic Match Rings, Popular Playthings Co.

[0012] Magnetic Ring Board Game, Vatos Toy Co.BACKGROUND

[0013] Most existing board games with magnetic game pieces lack a plurality of elements of chance, a race along a track, from start to finish, and the excitement of levitation and interplay among players' magnetic game pieces. Many board games with magnetic game pieces don't take advantage of the fun and excitement of levitation. Some magnetic board games are designed to be educational for children from 3 to 6 years of age, and are not a game that would interest older children and adults. This board game bears little familiarity with any other board game.

[0014] In one referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,970A, each player has a base, a vertical peg and magnetic discs. The object of the game is for one player to win all of the opponents' discs. Each player selects a color of one peg and multiple magnetic discs. A player drops a disc down the peg of the player to her left. That peg has one magnet at the base. If the dropped disc is repelled, that player takes back the disc. If both discs snap together, both discs belong to the player who dropped it. He proceeds to the next player to the left. One element of chance is a spinner device and the other is that it is unknown whether a player's disc will be attracted or repelled when dropped upon another player's peg. There is no race from start to finish. There are only two elements of chance. Repelled discs don't stay and levitate. There can't be multiple levitating discs on a peg.

[0015] One of the referenced games, U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,526A, is a three-dimensional game apparatus including a game board. The object of play is to effect token occupancy of three playing positions in a planar or interplanar line. Magnetic tokens provide for three-dimensional alignment of player tokens in three planes. An element of chance is eliminated because the faces of ring magnets are marked to indicate their magnetic field. There is only one element of chance. The game is static. There is no race to the finish. It is overly complicated and unexciting.

[0016] Another referenced game, U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,865, is played on a game board having alternate paths of movement. The object of the game is for one player to capture and control all of the other players' magnetic game pieces. Dice are rolled and there is magnetic repulsion and capture. An element of chance is eliminated because game pieces have visual identification to indicate magnet orientation. The fun and excitement of levitation or suspension of a game piece, or multiple game pieces, above other game pieces, as a result of magnetic repulsion, is eliminated, because there are no pegs. There is no race from start to finish. The game misses out on the most delightful and entertaining elements which are levitating game pieces and a race from start to finish.

[0017] In another referenced game that is apparently nonpatent, “Magnetic Match Rings”, the player selects one of 40 cards, each with an illustration of a pattern of multi-colored, ring magnets, stacked on a peg. The player simply tries to stack multi-colored ring magnets on the player's peg to try to match the stack illustrated on the card. There is no track with a race to the finish. There is no element of chance. There is no horizontal movement. There is only one player and no competition. The game is not for adults but is for boys and girls, age 3 and up.

[0018] Another referenced game that is apparently nonpatent, “Magnetic Ring Board Game”, is very similar to the Magnetic Match Rings game above, except four children can compete in this game. Each child is given an illustration of a pattern of multi-colored, ring magnets, stacked on a peg. Children compete to see who can be the first to duplicate the pattern with their own multi-colored, ring magnets, on their own pegs. There is no track or a race to finish. There is no horizontal movement. There is no interaction of a players' ring magnets with other players' ring magnets. It is not dynamic. The game is not for adults. It is an educational STEM science toy for boys and girls, age 4 to 6, for play and color recognition.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The game of skill and chance, for children and adults, is comprised primarily of a game board, on the planar surface of which is a plurality of contiguous tiles or segments, forming a track, with a peg in each tile. There is a plurality of magnetic game pieces, each with a center hole. Each peg receives magnetic game pieces that slide freely down the pegs. Each player selects a set of a plurality of one color of magnetic game pieces to permit differentiation of players' game pieces from each other.

[0020] The object of the game is to be the first player to move all of his magnetic game pieces along the track, tile to tile, and peg to peg, from start to finish.

[0021] Each player, in turn, rolls dice, one of three elements of chance, indicating the number of tiles the magnetic game piece is to be moved. If a game piece lands on a peg with another game piece already occupying that peg, the relative magnetic polarities of the two game pieces are unknown in advance, which is a second element of chance. The top game piece will float or levitate above the lower game piece if they are of the same polarity. The top game piece will attract and magnetically capture the lower game piece when the two game pieces have opposing magnetic fields. All captive game pieces belonging to the player with the top, captor game piece count when crossing the finish. Captive game pieces that do not belong to the player with the top captor game piece do not count when crossing the finish.

[0022] When a player's magnetic game piece lands on any one of certain marked tiles or pegs, he or she is directed to draw a card from a stack of randomly, shuffled cards, a third element of chance. Cards direct players to make one of a plurality of possible moves that the player must make, including moving forward or backward a number of tiles, or flipping his game piece. If the game piece to be flipped is the captor of another player's magnetic game piece, they flip together which causes the captor to become the captive and the captive to become the captor.

[0023] In addition to multiple elements of chance, there is more excitement and interplay among players' magnetic game pieces based on skill and strategy.

[0024] The invention has many advantages over prior art. Magnetic game pieces are moved horizontally along the track, as well as vertically, in three dimensions, down pegs. Magnetic game pieces in most other games move either vertically or horizontally, but are rarely moved three-dimensionally. Magnetic game pieces can levitate. Magnetic game pieces can capture a single magnetic game piece or multiple game pieces. These and other features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description when taken into consideration with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Other objectives of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the invention has been shown and described. The manner in which these objectives and other desirable characteristics can be obtained is explained in the following description and attached figures in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the game showing a game board with a limited number of tiles, pegs, and game pieces in a variety of positions out of a plethora of possible positions, and a short track, in accordance with one embodiment. The limited number of tiles, pegs, and game pieces and a short track make the drawing and game more readily understood.

[0027] In the figures, the following components of the preferred embodiment are shown in connection with the corresponding reference numeral identified below:

[0028] 10 game board base

[0029] 12 tile

[0030] 14 start tile

[0031] 16 finish tile

[0032] 18 peg

[0033] 20 magnetic game piece

[0034] 22 levitating magnetic game piece

[0035] 24 captor magnetic game piece

[0036] 26 captive magnetic game piece.

[0037] It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by those reasonably skilled in the relevant arts. Also, figures are not necessarily made to scale but are representative.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The board game of skill and chance involves players, each player moving his or her plurality of magnetic game pieces 20 along a track to compete to be the first player to move all of his magnetic game pieces 20 from start 14 to finish 16. The track is composed of a series of contiguous tiles 12, with a vertical peg 18 in the center of each tile 12. There is a hole in the center of each magnetic game piece 20 enabling it to freely slide down a peg 18. Each player selects a plurality of magnetic game pieces 20 of one color to differentiate her magnetic game pieces 20 from other players' magnetic game pieces 20.

[0039] During the players' magnetic game pieces' 20 movements along the track, there is a plethora of new dimensions of unexpected and exciting interplay among the players' magnetic game pieces 20, from beginning to end, from start 14 to finish 16.

[0040] Each player, in turn, rolls the dice, one of three elements of chance in the game, indicating the number of tiles that player's magnetic game piece 20 is to be moved. If a player lands on a peg 18 already occupied by another magnetic game piece 20, the relative polarities of the magnetic game pieces are unknown, in advance, a second element of chance. If the polarities of the two magnetic game pieces 20 are the same, the top magnetic game piece 20 will become a levitating magnetic game piece 22, suspended in tile above the lower magnetic game piece 20. If the two magnetic game pieces 20 have opposing polarities, they will attract and the top magnetic game piece 20 will become a captor magnetic game piece 24, capturing the lower one. The drawing shows multiple possible, potential combinations, orientations and relationships among magnetic game pieces 20, which may stack on a peg 18 or pegs 18.

[0041] One embodiment of the game is illustrated in the perspective view. The game has a thin base 10 of uniform cross-section, consisting of a piece of material, thick enough to allow for a plurality of holes of a limited depth into which a plurality of pegs 18 are inserted. In one embodiment, the base 10 is solid PVC, Polyvinyl chloride. In other embodiments, the base 10 may be made of any of a plurality of materials including, but not limited to wood, metal, acrylic, plastic, cardboard or any other material appropriate to the intended use. In this embodiment, the track is square, but can be rectangular, round, serpentine, or of any shape or design.

[0042] When a player's magnetic game piece 20 lands on a designated tile, he or she is directed to draw a card from a stack of randomly, shuffled cards, a third element of chance. Cards direct players to make one of a plurality of possible moves that player must make, including but not limited to, moving forward or backward a number of tiles 12, or back to start 14. Some cards direct the player to flip his game piece 20, changing the orientation of its magnetic fields. When two or more opposing players' magnetic game pieces 20 are attached and the top, captor game piece 24 is directed to flip, then both magnetic game pieces flip together, the bottom, captive game piece 26, becomes the top, captor game piece 24 and the bottom, captive game piece 26 becomes the captor game piece 24.

[0043] All captive magnetic game pieces 26 belonging to the player with the top captor magnetic game piece 24 count when reaching the finish 16. Captive game pieces 26 not belonging to the player with the top, captor game piece 24 do not count when reaching the finish 16. In addition to multiple elements of chance, there is more excitement based on skill and strategy. Before a player rolls the dice, that player must determine and indicate with a marker which one of his game pieces 20 he or she will move in that turn. A player may decide it is to his advantage not to move his or her captor game piece 24 that has captured, or is in-control above one or more of another player's or players' game pieces 20, in order to prevent them from moving toward the finish tile 16. Before introducing a magnetic game piece 20 into play, a player may strategize which orientation of polarities of that magnetic game piece 20 may be better.

[0044] Before play begins, players may agree to change the rules in a variety of ways to shorten or increase the duration of play. Using one die will increase the duration. Using two dice will speed up the game. Using more game pieces per player will increase game time while using fewer game pieces per player will shorten the game time. Also, before play begins, players will roll dice to see who goes first and who has first choice of game piece 20 colors. The second roll and second choice of color goes to the person to his left.

[0045] In this embodiment, the game board base 10 has a plurality of contiguous tiles 12 forming a track from start 14 to finish 16. This embodiment has a limited number of tiles 12 to better explain the game. The game may have a plurality of many more tiles 12 than shown in the perspective view. In other embodiments, there are only pegs 18.

[0046] A peg 18 is inserted in the center of each tile 12. In this embodiment, pegs 18 are made of solid PVC plastic. In other embodiments, the pegs 18 are made of any of a variety of materials, including but not limited to wood, or any non-ferrous material, or clear acrylic plastic which enhances the appearance of levitating magnetic game pieces 22. Pegs 18 may also be white in color or of any color. Some pegs 18 that indicate a card must be drawn, may be of a different color or be marked in a way that distinguishes them from the other pegs 18. Players may agree where to insert the different colored pegs 18 before the game begins

[0047] Cards, dice and marker are conventional and therefore are not shown in the perspective of FIG. 1.

[0048] The invention has many advantages over prior art. Magnetic game pieces 20 are moved horizontally along a track, as well as vertically, in three dimensions, down pegs 18. Game pieces 20 in most other games move either vertically or horizontally, but rarely three-dimensionally. Players' magnetic game pieces 20 interact and interplay with other players' magnetic game pieces 20 and with their own magnetic game pieces 20 in a plurality of ways. One player's magnetic game piece 20 may levitate above other players' magnetic game pieces 20. A magnetic game piece 20 may capture or be captured by other magnetic game pieces 20. One player's magnetic game piece 20 that is at the top of a stack of players' magnetic game pieces 20 will be in control of the other game pieces 20, preventing them from moving.

[0049] Although the method and apparatus is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead might be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claimed invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments.

[0050] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open-ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like, the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof, the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,”“one or more,” or the like, and adjectives such as “conventional,”“traditional,”“normal,”“standard,”“known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that might be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

[0051] The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,”“at least,”“but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases might be absent. The use of the term “assembly” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether game control logic or other components, might be combined in a single package or separately maintained and might further be distributed across multiple locations.

[0052] Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives might be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

[0053] All original claims submitted with this specification are incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Claims

1. A method of playing a board game, the method comprising:providing a game board (10) with a planar surface;providing a racetrack on the game board (10), the race track comprising at least fourteen tiles (12) positioned side-by-side and edge-to-edge on the game board (10) and over the planar surface in order from a first tile to at least a fourteen tile, said race track including a designated starting tile (14) as the first tile and a designated finishing tile (16) as the fourteenth tile;providing a vertically extending peg (18) on each tile (12, 14, 16) of the race track, each peg (18) positioned in the center of the associated title (12, 14, 16);rolling a three on at least one dice and placing a peg (18) through a magnetic game piece (20) and setting the magnetic game piece on the third tile;drawing a card and, under the direction of the card, moving the game piece (20) along the race track to the finishing tile (16) and passing the peg (18) associated with the finishing tile (16) through the magnetic game piece (20) such that magnetic properties of the magnetic game piece (20) cause the game piece (20) to float via repulsion over a second magnetic game piece (20) that had the peg (18) on the finishing tile passed therethrough.

2. A method of playing a board game, the method comprising:providing a game board with a planar surface;providing a racetrack on the game board, the race track comprising a plurality of contiguous tiles including a designated starting tile and a designated finishing tile;providing a plurality of vertically extending pegs, each peg positioned in the center of one of the plurality of contiguous tiles along the race track;providing at least two sets of magnetic game pieces, each set having a distinct color, wherein each magnetic game piece comprises:a disk-shaped body with a top surface and a bottom surface,a center hole configured to slide down the vertically extending pegs, and magnetic properties such that the top surface and bottom surface have opposite magnetic polarities;providing at least one pair of dice;providing a stack of instruction cards;assigning each player a set of magnetic game pieces;determining a play order among players;each player, in turn:selecting one of their magnetic game pieces to move;rolling the dice to determine a number of tiles to move;moving the selected piece along the race track according to the dice roll;if landing on an occupied peg, allowing magnetic interaction between pieces;if landing on a designated tile, drawing a card and following its instructions;continuing play until one player moves all their pieces to the finishing tile or until all players' pieces reach the finishing tile, at which point the player with the most pieces on the finishing tile wins.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the magnetic properties of each magnetic game piece are not visually indicated, adding an element of chance to magnetic interactions.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of strategically choosing the orientation of a magnetic game piece's polarity before introducing it into play.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein when a player's magnetic game piece lands on a designated tile, the player draws an instruction card and follows its directions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein magnetic interaction between magnetic game pieces includes attraction resulting in capture of one piece by another.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein magnetic interaction between magnetic game pieces includes repulsion resulting in levitation of one piece above another.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of a player designating which magnetic game piece will be moved before rolling the dice.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein captured pieces belonging to the player with the top piece count when reaching the finishing tile.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein captured pieces not belonging to the player with the top piece do not count when reaching the finishing tile.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of flipping a magnetic game piece when instructed by a drawn card, potentially changing the magnetic interaction with other pieces.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the number of magnetic game pieces per player is adjustable to modify the duration of gameplay.

13. A method of playing a magnetic board game, the method comprising:providing a game board with a planar surface;forming on the planar surface a racetrack of contiguous tiles defined by vertically extending pegs, the race track being bounded by a designated starting tile and a designated finishing tile;providing at least two sets of magnetic game pieces, each set distinguished by color and each magnetic game piece having (i) a center hole sized to slide freely down any of the pegs and (ii) two opposite-polarity surfaces;providing at least one pair of dice and a stack of instruction cards;assigning a first of the sets to a first player and a second of the sets to a second player;alternately, for each player's turn:selecting one magnetic game piece of that player's set for movement;rolling the dice to generate a movement value;moving the selected magnetic game piece from a current peg to another peg along the race track toward the finishing tile in accordance with the movement value;when the moved magnetic game piece lands on a peg already occupied by at least one other magnetic game piece, allowing magnetic interaction between the moved magnetic game piece and the at least one other magnetic game piece such that:(a) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically attaches to another of that player's magnetic game pieces, whereby the attached pieces move together in later turns,(b) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically attaches to an opponent's magnetic game piece whereby the attached pieces move together in later turns,(c) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically repels another of that player's magnetic game pieces, whereby the repelled pieces move separately in later turns, or(d) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically repels an opponent's magnetic game piece, whereby the repelled pieces move separately in later turns;when the moved magnetic game piece lands on a tile designated for card play, drawing an instruction card from the stack and performing the action specified on the drawn card; andcontinuing the alternating turns until one of the players moves all of that player's magnetic game pieces from the starting tile to the finishing tile.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, upon drawing an instruction card that directs flipping of attached magnetic game pieces so as to reverse, when present, a captor-captive relationship between the attached magnetic game pieces.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, when a magnetic game piece that is magnetically attached to an opponent's magnetic game piece lands on a tile that requires drawing an instruction card, both of the attached magnetic game pieces are subject to the instructions on the card.

16. A method of playing a board game, the method comprising:providing a game board having a plurality of contiguous tiles arranged to form a track from a start position to a finish position, each tile having a peg;providing at least two sets of magnetic game pieces, each set having a distinct color and each magnetic game piece being configured to slide over a peg;prior to the start of play, selecting at least one set of designated tiles according to color, wherein landing upon a designated tile requires the active player to draw a card from a shuffled stack of cards;on a player's turn, selecting one of the player's magnetic game pieces to move and rolling dice to determine movement along the tiles;drawing and following a card instruction when a game piece lands on a designated tile, the instruction including at least one of: moving forward, moving backward, returning to the start, or flipping the orientation of the magnetic game piece such that its magnetic polarity reverses;wherein magnetic interaction between game pieces on the same peg includes attraction resulting in capture such that one game piece becomes a captor positioned above a captive game piece, and wherein flipping the captor causes cooperative flipping of attached game pieces; anddetermining winners by counting each player's magnetic game pieces that are not captive of other player's game pieces, that reach the finish position.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the designated tiles comprise tiles of a particular color, and the players collectively agree prior to the start of play which color tiles require card draws during the game.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one card instruction directs a player not only to flip the orientation of a magnetic game piece, but also to select whether the game piece is introduced into play with its polarity oriented in a first orientation or a second orientation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein before rolling dice on a player's turn, the player is required to indicate with a marker which one of their magnetic game pieces is intended to be moved during that turn.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a player may strategically decline to move a selected captor game piece in order to prevent one or more captive game pieces or one or more controlled game pieces beneath it from advancing toward the finish position.

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