Game pieces

Abstract

Game pieces that are disc-shaped with two different colors on each side, or hexagonal pieces with three faces painted in one color and the remaining three in another, were difficult for people with limited dexterity to handle. This invention was made in view of this situation and aims to provide game pieces that are easy to pick up even with the fingertips of one hand and whose colors can be reversed very easily in a short amount of time. [Solution] The height of the piece is 0.8 to 2.5 times its width, and two colors (role colors) representing different functions or roles of the piece are applied to the two faces, one facing the player and the other facing the opponent. The length of the role-colored faces in the height direction is 75% or more of the total height of the piece, and the length in the width direction is 75% or more of the total width of the piece. The role-colored faces are symmetrical with respect to a virtual plane A, which is a vertical plane perpendicular to the front-to-back direction z that connects the player and the opponent. The parts that are not role-colored are a different color from the two role colors.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a board game piece for playing board games that use two-colored pieces, such as Othello (registered trademark), Reversi, Gomoku, Go, and Checkers.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Piece games such as Othello games, Reversi games, and Checkers games are widely known. Such piece games use disc-shaped game pieces whose two surfaces are colored in two different colors, or disc-shaped game pieces made in two different colors. For example, in a Reversi game, the game is played under rules such that an opponent's piece sandwiched between one's own pieces can be flipped to become one's own piece, and the player who ends up with the larger number of their own pieces is the winner. However, these disc-shaped pieces are often difficult for people with physical impairments who have limited dexterity in their hands to place and flip.

[0003] To address this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a piece that is a regular hexahedron painted in two colors, making it easy to pick up by hand. However, since three faces of the regular hexahedron are painted in one color and the remaining three faces are painted in the other color, when actually placing the piece on the board, it will be difficult to distinguish one's own pieces from the opponent's pieces if the piece is not placed with consideration given to the color-coded orientation of the regular hexahedron. For example, even if one's own pieces and the opponent's pieces are distinguished by the color of the top surface, if the color of the side surfaces or the color of the surface facing the opponent is different from the color of the top surface, it is difficult to instantly distinguish one's own pieces from the opponent's pieces.

[0004] Furthermore, when one's own piece and the opponent's piece are adjacent to each other in the direction from oneself toward the opponent (the front-back z-direction), the color of the top surface and the color of the vertical surface facing oneself are continuous, which also makes it difficult to distinguish between one's own piece and the opponent's piece. In addition, when pieces are arranged adjacent to each other, the situation where other placed pieces are touched and moved when picking up a piece with a finger occurs more frequently. In addition, when reversing the colors of the pieces, even able-bodied individuals would need to look at the pieces and think while doing so using only the fingertips of one hand, which presented a problem as it wasn't something that could be done in an instant. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Registered Utility Model Publication No. 3058185 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Game pieces that are disc-shaped with different colors on each side, or pieces that are hexagonal with three faces painted in one color and the remaining three faces in another, were difficult for people with limited dexterity to handle. This invention was made in view of the current situation, and aims to provide game pieces that are easy to pick up even with the fingertips of one hand that are not fully functional, and whose colors can be reversed very easily in a short amount of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The game pieces of the present invention, when placed on a horizontal board, with the side facing you as the front and the side facing the opponent as the back, The pieces are three-dimensional, with a height of 0.8 to 2.5 times their width when viewed from the front. Each of the two faces, one facing the player and the other facing the opponent, is painted with two different colors (Role Color 2) that represent the function or role of the piece. The faces painted with Role Color 2 (Role Color Faces 2-4) have a maximum length in the height direction (y) that is 75% or more of the piece's total height, and a maximum length in the left-right direction (x) that is 75% or more of the piece's total width. Furthermore, the colored faces 2-4 are symmetrical with respect to a virtual face A, which is a vertical plane perpendicular to the front-to-back direction z that connects our side and the opponent's side. The other parts that do not have a designated color 2 are a different color from the two aforementioned colors 2.

[0008] Furthermore, the colored surface 2-4 can be either a flat or curved surface, but as shown in Figure 7, the angle formed by the edge portion of the colored surface 2-4 (colored surface end 2-5) and the virtual surface A (colored surface end angle v) is within 0° to 45°. If the aspect ratio of a piece's length to width (front-to-back direction z and left-to-right direction y) is 1:1, it is easy to flip the piece over. However, if the ratio is in the range of 1:0.8 to 1.2, there is no significant problem in handling the piece or understanding the overall flow of the game. The reason the height of the pieces is set to 0.8 to 2.5 relative to their width is that if they are too low, they become difficult to pick up, and if they are too high, it becomes difficult to see the pieces that are lined up at the back. The reason why the special color 2 is placed so that its maximum length in the height direction y is 75% or more of the piece's total height, and its maximum length in the left-right direction x is 75% or more of the piece's total width, is that if the special color side 2-4 is not large enough, it will blend in with the other colors and become difficult to stand out.

[0009] In addition to combinations of clearly distinguishable colors such as white and black, red and white, and yellow and green, the second role color may also be a combination of colors from a warm color group and a cool color group, or a combination of colors from a dark color group and a light color group. Furthermore, it is preferable that the sides other than those with the designated color 2 are colored with a color clearly different from these two designated colors 2. Furthermore, the area of ​​the top surface 1-1 of each piece is less than one-third of the area of ​​the bottom surface 1-2. This is to prevent situations where pieces other than the second color occupy a large area, making it difficult to instantly determine the color of the second color. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The pieces of this invention are easy to pick up even with the fingertips of one hand, and the color 2 of the hand can be reversed very easily in a short amount of time. Furthermore, for example, if the two color combinations are white and black, and as shown in Figure 2, our color combination 2 is white (viewed from the direction F1, where we face the board), then from the opponent's perspective (where the opponent faces the board, F2), the color combination 2-4 opposite our color combination 2-2 will be black, and the opponent will recognize their own pieces as white and ours as black. Therefore, if both players decide that their pieces are white, there is no need to decide the color of their pieces at the beginning of the game.

[0011] Furthermore, by setting the end angle v of the role color surface to be within 45°, even when the opposing player tilts their body slightly to look at the placed game piece, the role color surface 2-4 on our side cannot be seen. If the end angle v of the role color surface is 45° or more, when the opponent tilts their body slightly to look at the placed game piece, our role color surface 2-4 will come into their view, which may make it difficult to instantly grasp the color of the game piece in the middle of the game.

[0012] Furthermore, by setting the top surface 1-1 of the game piece to be 1 / 3 or less of the bottom surface 1-2 of the game piece, the player's own role color 2 becomes clearer. If the color area of the top surface 1-1 of the game piece is large, even though it is a different color from the role color 2, it will be difficult to instantly grasp the arrangement of the game pieces. In addition, since the top surface 1-1 of the game piece is set to 1 / 3 or less of the bottom surface 1-2 of the game piece, the upper part of the game piece is thinner in the front-rear direction z, making it easier to pinch with the fingertips and facilitating the operation of the game piece. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] [Figure 1] A perspective view of two game pieces facing our side and facing the opponent side according to Embodiment 1. (a) is a game piece with the role color A 2-1 surface facing us. (b) is a game piece with the role color B 2-2 surface facing us. [Figure 2] A perspective view in the middle of a game using the game pieces of Embodiment 1. (a) is the board surface viewed from our side. (b) is the board surface when the same arrangement of game pieces is viewed from the opponent's side. [Figure 3] A perspective view of two game pieces facing our side and facing the opponent side according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4] A perspective view of two game pieces facing our side and facing the opponent side according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 5] A perspective view of two game pieces facing our side and facing the opponent side according to Embodiment 4. [Figure 6] A perspective view of two game pieces facing our side and facing the opponent side according to Embodiment 5. [Figure 7] A diagram showing the bending degree of the role color surface 2-4 of Embodiment 5. (a) is a plan view. (b) is a side view. [Figure 8] A perspective view of two game pieces facing our side and facing the opponent side according to Embodiment 6. [Figure 9]In Example 7, the one provided with a hole 4. (a) is a perspective view of a piece in Example 5 with a hole 4 formed therein. (b) is a perspective view of a piece in Example 1 with a hole 4 formed therein. (c) is a cross-sectional view of the piece shown in (b) taken along the arrow J-J. [Figure 10] Perspective views of the piece facing the player side and the piece facing the opponent side in Example 8. (a) is the one with a mark drawn thereon. (b) is the one with characters drawn thereon. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It is assumed that the piece is placed on the game board 3 in parallel with the left-right direction x, with the role color A 2-1 surface on the player side and the role color B 2-2 surface on the opponent side. [Examples]

[0015] In Example 1, in Figure 1, the piece bottom surface 1-2 is circular, and the height is 1.2 times the diameter of the circle. The role color A 2-1 surface and the role color B 2-2 surface of the piece are respectively on the player side and the opponent side, and have a shape as if hollowed out by a negative curved surface indicated by an auxiliary line c for explaining the shape of the role color surface 2-4, leaving part of the piece top surface 1-1, the piece bottom surface 1-2, and the piece side surface 1-3. The piece upper portion 1-5 is thinned in the front-rear direction x and formed to be rounded. As a result, the role color A 2-1 surface and the role color B 2-2 surface appear substantially elliptical to the player. In addition, the piece top surface 1-1 is rounded and continues smoothly without a boundary with the piece side surface 1-3.

[0016] The virtual plane A in Figure 1(a) is a vertical plane that passes through the center of the piece 1 and is parallel to the left-right direction x, and the piece 1 is symmetrical with respect to the virtual plane A. However, the role color A 2-1 assigned to the player side and the role color B 2-2 assigned to the opponent side are different. Figure 1(b) is a view of the piece 1 in Figure 1(a) seen from the opposite side, with the role color B 2-2 visible. [Examples]

[0017] In Example 2, in Figure 3, the area of the piece top surface 1-1 is about 1 / 3 of that of the piece bottom surface 1-2. Both the "Role Color A2-1" and "Role Color B2-2" surfaces are flat, inclined surfaces. Piece sides 1-3 are formed only on the left and right sides of the piece. [Examples]

[0018] Figure 4 shows Example 3, where the top surface 1-1 of the piece has an area of ​​approximately 1 / 4 that of the bottom surface 1-2. Both the face of the colored tiles A2-1 and the face of the colored tiles B2-2 are perpendicular planes. In addition to the top surface 1-1 and the sides 1-3 of the piece, the top surface 1-4 of the base of the piece is also colored with color H2-3. [Examples]

[0019] Figure 5 shows Example 4, where the top surface 1-1 of the piece is small, and both the colored surface A 2-1 and the colored surface B 2-2 are flat vertical surfaces, forming both sides of a thin plate. The bottom surface 1-2 of the piece is circular, and the sides 1-3 and the top surface 1-4 of the piece stand are colored with color H2-3. [Examples]

[0020] Figure 6 shows Example 5, with auxiliary lines c drawn to make it clear that the face of color A2-1 or face of color B2-2 is a curved surface. The height of the piece is approximately 1.2 times the diameter of the base 1-2 of the piece. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of the edge angle v of the curved surface of the colored surface 2 shown in Example 5. [Examples]

[0021] Figure 8 shows Example 6, where the base surface 1-2 of the piece is circular, and therefore the face surfaces of the color A 2-1 and the color B 2-2 located above it are concave surfaces. An auxiliary line c is drawn to make the concave surface clearer. When the top parts 1-5 of the piece become rounded, it will have the same shape as the piece in Example 1. [Examples]

[0022] Figure 9 shows Example 7, in which a hole 4 is made to prevent choking if the piece 1 is accidentally swallowed. Preferably, one of the openings for the hole is on the bottom surface 1-2 of the piece, and the other is on the top surface 1-1 or the colored surface 2-4 (colored surface A2-1 or colored surface B2-2 or both), or on both the top surface 1-1 and the colored surface. (c) is a cross-sectional view of the piece BB of the embodiment 1 shown in (b), with openings for hole 4 on the piece bottom surface 1-2, the color A 2-1 surface, and the color B 2-2 surface. [Examples]

[0023] Figure 10 shows Example 8, where (a) shows piece 1 with marks drawn on the colored sides 2-4. As a result, while a chess game requires 16 white and 16 black pieces, totaling 32 pieces, in this example only requires 32 pieces 1, regardless of whether they are white or black. (b) also shows piece 1, which has characters written on the colored sides 2-4. This makes it usable as a shogi piece as well. When promoted, this can be done by placing a cap or flag on the piece. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0024] 1 piece 1-1 Piece top side 1-2 Piece bottom 1-3 Side view of the piece 1-4 Top surface of the piece stand 1-5 Top of the piece 2 colors 2-1 Role Color I 2-2 Role Color Ro 2-3 Colors 2-4 Role Color Side 2-5 Edge of role surface 3 Game boards 3-1 Marks to indicate the orientation of the game board 4 holes A Virtual Surface z Anteroposterior direction x left / right direction y: Height direction F1 The direction I am facing the board F2 The direction the opponent is facing on the board. c Auxiliary line v Role end corner B Indicates the direction in which to cut the piece.

Claims

[Claim 1] These are three-dimensional game pieces, The height of the pieces is 0.8 to 2.5 times their width, and each of the two sides facing you and your opponent has two colors (role colors) that represent the function or role of the piece. The side with the designated color has a maximum length in the height direction y that is 75% or more of the total height of the piece, and a maximum length in the left-right direction x that is 75% or more of the total width of the piece. The surface to which the assigned color is applied is symmetrical with respect to a virtual plane A, which is a vertical plane perpendicular to the front-to-back direction z connecting our side and the opponent's side. The game pieces have parts that are not assigned a specific color, and these parts are a different color from the two aforementioned colored pieces.

Images