A game utilizing magnetic forces

Abstract

The present invention is a game that relies on the interactions of magnetic fields to test the skills of a player or players, and more specifically a game device which relies upon the characteristic of magnets in which like poles between two magnets form a mutual field of repulsion whereas opposing poles of the same magnets form a field of attraction.

Description

A Game Utilizing Magnetic ForcesCross-Reference to Prior Applications

[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. patent application 63 / 542,620 filed 05 OCT 2023, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to games and apparati which are used as a medium for competitive amusement in the field of board and table games.Background of the Invention

[0003] There are a wide variety of board games and electronic interactive games commercially available. Some of these games require large or fixed systems, such as computer games that connect to television displays. Other games, such as most board games, are more mobile. Some games are designed just to provide a source of entertainment, whereas others are designed to provide valuable learning opportunities, such as role playing, reading, memory stimulation, tactile coordination, and the like. Whatever the format of the game, most games provide the opportunity to interact with other game participants and to have fun. Thus, there is always a demand for more exciting and entertaining games, and particularly for games that challenge the skills of the participants.Summary of the Present Invention

[0004] The present invention is a game that relies on the interactions between magnets and their associated magnetic fields to test the skills of a player or players, and more specifically a game device which relies upon the characteristic of a magnetic field whereby magnetic poles attract or repel previously played magnets thereby altering the physical location of magnets in play.Brief Description of the Figures

[0005] FIG. 1 is a top view of the cord and magnets of the present invention;

[0006] FIG. 2 is a top view of the present invention showing the cord and a representative set of magnets from FIG. 1 in position during the course of play;

[0007] FIG. 3 shows the cord of the present invention in a plurality of example configurations for game play;

[0008] FIGs. 4A - 4E are views of the playing space during play of the game, wherein FIG. 4A shows the designation of the playing space with the cord creating a periphery, FIG. 4B shows placement of first magnet, FIG. 4C shows placement of a second magnet, FIG. 4D shows magnet positions after six magnets have been played, and FIG. 4E shows the formation of a magnet cluster;

[0009] FIG. 5 is an image showing the shape of a representative magnet of the present invention;

[0010] FIG. 6 is a top view of the present invention showing the cords and representative placement of magnets in position during the course of play for combined game set play; and,

[0011] FIG. 7 an image showing the face views of the six representative magnets for combined game set play.Detailed Description of the Present Development

[0012] The following description is intended to provide the reader with a better understanding of the invention. The description is not intended to be limiting with respect to any element not otherwise limited within the claims.

[0013] The present development is a game that relies on the interactions of magnetic fields to test the skills of a player or players, and more specifically a game device which relies upon the characteristics of a magnetic field whereby magnets of like or opposite poles form a mutual field of repulsion or attraction, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the magnet game 10 of the present invention comprises a cord 20 and a plurality of magnets 30. Optionally, a bag or pouch (not shown) may be included to transport and store the cord 20 and magnets 30. Optionally, indicia, such as a game name or game instructions, may be printed on the pouch.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the cord 20 is used to create a periphery 22 that defines a playing space 24. Examples of some possible layouts are shown in FIG. 3. The game is played by strategicallyplacing the magnets 30 within the playing space 24. The objective of the game is for a player to strategically place all of the player's magnets 30 within the playing space 24 without causing magnets 30 already placed within the playing space 24 to be attracted to each other and to cluster.

[0015] More specifically, a standard mode game is played by laying the cord 20 in any shape on a smooth or lightly textured, and relatively flat surface, as shown in FIG. 4A. The magnets 30 are divided among the total number of players such that each player receives the same number of magnets. For example, if there are twelve magnets provided for play and there are two players, each player would receive six magnets. One of the players is designated as a first player. As shown in FIG. 4B, the first player sets one of his or her magnets 30 at any location within the playing space 24. As shown in FIG. 4C, a second player then sets one of his or her magnets 30 at any location within the playing space 24, separate from the first magnet played. As long as the magnets 30 remain separated within the playing space 24 as shown in FIG. 4D, play continues, with each consecutive player placing magnets 30 within the playing space 24. If the magnets 30 are attracted to each other and create a cluster or "Kluster" 32, as shown in FIG. 4E, the player who created the Kluster 32 must remove all the joined magnets 30 from the playing space 24 and that player keeps the magnets 30 that formed the Kluster 32. The game continues until one player successfully places all of his or her magnets 30 within the playing space 24 without creating the Kluster 32.

[0016] On his or her turn, a player may use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange magnets 30 already in the playing space 24, or may use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange the cord 20 thereby changing the playing space periphery 22, or may choose to rearrange the cord 20 manually thereby changing the playing space periphery 22, or a combination thereof. If any magnets 30 form the Kluster 32 in the playing space during a player's turn, whether the Kluster 32 is formed with the magnet being played or by magnets that are being rearranged or by moving the cord 20, either intentionally or accidentally, the player who caused the Kluster 32 must collect the clustered magnets 30. If any magnets 30 are caused to move out of the playing space 24 as the player attempts to rearrange the already-played magnets or the playing space periphery, theplayer who caused the magnet or magnets to leave the playing space must collect those magnets. During play, players may not touch any magnets 30 that have already been played in the playing space 24. In a variation of play, players may be required to only use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange already played magnets or the cord 20, and players may not touch the cord 20 or any magnets 30 that have already been played in the playing space 24. The game ends when one player successfully places all of his or her magnets 30 within the playing space 24.

[0017] In a first alternative embodiment to the game play, players may play in "expert mode". The expert mode game is similar to the standard mode game, except if, after placing a magnet, a player has more magnets in hand than the next player, the player with more magnets can choose to, but is not obligated to, play again and place another magnet. The player may place several magnets consecutively as long as the player has more magnets than any of the other players. If the magnets 30 are attracted to each other and create a Kluster 32, the player who created the Kluster 32 must remove all the joined magnets 30 from the playing space 24 and that player keeps the magnets 30 that formed the Kluster 32. The game continues until one player successfully places all of his or her magnets 30 within the playing space 24 without creating a Kluster 32. As with the standard mode game, on his or her turn, a player may use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange magnets 30 already in the playing space 24, and / or to rearrange the cord 20 thereby changing the playing space periphery 22, or the player may manually rearrange the cord 20, or some combination thereof, but if the player causes the Kluster 32 to form or causes magnets to leave the playing space, the player must collect the affected magnets 30. During play, players may not touch any magnets 30 that have already been played in the playing space 24. In a variation of play, players may be required to only use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange already played magnets or the cord 20, and players may not touch the cord 20 or any magnets 30 that have already been played in the playing space 24.

[0018] In a second alternative embodiment to the game play, a player may play a "solo game".The game is played by laying the cord 20 in any shape on a smooth or lightly textured, and relativelyflat surface. The solo player sets one of his or her magnets 30 at any location within the playing space 24, and then continues placing magnets in the playing space 24. The objective is to place as many magnets as possible within the playing space 24 without creating a Kluster 32. For a total victory, the solo player must place all the magnets in the playing space 24 without creating a Kluster 32. If the magnets 30 are attracted to each other and create a Kluster 32, the player has failed to meet the objective. A solo player may define a completed game as achieving a complete victory or by having a predetermined number of failures.

[0019] The game cord 20 comprises any flexible material that can be used to define the periphery 22. Exemplary materials are twine, manila rope, cotton rope, polypropylene rope, nylon rope, polyester rope, polyethylene rope, Kevlar rope, cotton thread, silk thread, nylon thread, hemp thread, or a combination thereof, and may be formed as a twisted rope, solid braid, hollow braid, double braid, diamond braid, or a combination thereof. However, any flexible material that can be formed into a shape to create a periphery that defines a playing space may be used.

[0020] The cord 20 must be long enough to create a playing space 24 that will allow for each player to place at least one magnet 30 within the playing space 24 without causing a Kluster to form. The cord 20 may be a closed loop, that is, there is no open end; or the cord 20 may be a rope with a first end and a second end wherein the first end and second end are used to form a closed loop, such as by tying the ends together or by using a slip knot or by using a cord lock, as is known in the art. In a first embodiment, the cord is a closed loop long enough to create a periphery of at least 85 cm. In a second embodiment, the cord is a rope with a first end and a second end, wherein the ends of the rope are secured by a cord lock and wherein the cord lock position can be adjusted to vary the measurement of the periphery.

[0021] The magnets 30 may have a variety of shapes, such as disk shape, star shape, heart shape, etc. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the magnets 30 have a prolate spheroid shape. Optionally, all the magnets 30 may have essentially the same shape and similar dimensions. For example, in one embodiment, each magnet 30 has a length (L) of about 2.5" and a maximum diameter(d) of about 0.75". In a second embodiment, all the magnets 30 have essentially the same shape but have different lengths and / or different maximum diameters, i.e. different dimensions.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 6, the game of the present invention can be played by combining two or more cords 120 and a plurality of magnets 40. The magnets 40 may be the prolate spheroid shaped magnets 30 described supra and as shown in FIG. 5, or the magnets 40 may be classic shaped magnets 36 and have a variety of sizes and shapes, such as circular (7f), oval (7b), diamond-shaped (7d), rectangular (7e), irregular (7a and 7c), as shown in FIG. 7. Optionally, the magnets 40 may be polished and may have rounded edges.

[0023] For a combination mode game, a first cord 120a is arranged in any shape on a smooth or lightly textured, and relatively flat surface. A second cord 120b is then arranged on the surface so as to overlap a segment of the first cord 120a, as shown in FIG. 6. If additional cords are used, each subsequently added cord must overlap a segment of an already placed cord. The magnets 40 are divided among the total number of players such that each player receives the same number of magnets. It is recommended, but not required, that all players receive the same number of prolate spheroid shaped magnets 30 and that all players receive the same number of classic shaped magnets 36. Extra classic shaped magnets are set aside and not used in the game play. Extra prolate spheroid shaped magnets are placed within the playing space. Each extra prolate spheroid shaped magnet is placed closest to the center of one of the placed cords so that each cord has at most one placed prolate spheroid shaped magnet. The magnets must be placed such that the magnets are not touching or forming clusters before the first player's turn. The playing space 124 is defined as any area located within the boundary of at least one cord.

[0024] One of the players is designated as a first player. The first player sets one of his or her magnets 40 at any location within the playing space 124. A second player then sets one of his or her magnets 40 at any location within the playing space 124, separate from the first magnet played. As long as the magnets 40 remain separated within the playing space 124, play continues, with each consecutive player placing magnets 40 within the playing space 124. If the magnets 40 are attractedto each other and create a cluster 132, the player who created the cluster 132 must remove all the joined magnets 40 from the playing space 124 and that player keeps the magnets 40 that formed the cluster 132. The game continues until one player successfully places all of his or her magnets 40 within the playing space 124. On his or her turn, a player may use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange magnets 40 already in the playing space 124, or may use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange any cord 120 without separating the rearranged cord from the other cords, or may rearrange any cord 120 manually, or a combination thereof. If any magnets 40 form the cluster 132 in the playing space during a player's turn, whether the cluster 132 is formed with the magnet being played or by magnets that are being rearranged or by moving the cord 120 manually, either intentionally or accidentally, the player who caused the cluster 132 must collect the clustered magnets 40. If any magnets 40 are caused to move out of the playing space 124 as the player attempts to rearrange the already-played magnets or the playing space periphery, the player who caused the magnet or magnets to leave the playing space must collect those magnets. If a player causes any cord 120 to become separated from the other cords, before the player ends his or her turn the player must move the separated cord back to a position wherein it overlaps with at least one other cord. During play, players may not touch any magnets 30 that have already been played in the playing space 124. In a variation of play, players may be required to only use the inherent forces of the magnet being played to rearrange already played magnets or the cord 120, and players may not touch the cords 120 or any magnets 40 that have already been played in the playing space 124. The game ends when one player successfully places all of his or her magnets 40 within the playing space 124.

[0025] Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the cord 20 may be lengthened to provide a larger playing space 24 or the cord 20 may be shortened to create a small playing space 24. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

[0026] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains. The terms "a", "an", and "the" refer to "one or more" when used in the subject specification, including the claims.

[0027] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of components, measurements, and otherwise used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about". Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the instant specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter. As used herein, the term "about", when referring to a value or to measurement can encompass variations of, in some embodiments ± 20%, in some embodiments ± 10%, in some embodiments ± 5%, in some embodiments ± 1%, in some embodiments ± 0.5%, and in some embodiments to ± 0.1%, from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate in the disclosed application.

[0028] It is understood that, in light of a reading of the foregoing description, one with ordinary skill in the art may make alterations and / or modifications to the present invention, and specifically to the embodiments shown and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:Claim 1. A method of playing a game utilizing magnetic forces comprising the steps:(a) assembling a plurality of players, wherein the players are designated by ordinal numbers starting with a first player and a second player until all players are numbered;(b) obtaining a flexible cord, wherein the cord is a closed loop;(c) obtaining a plurality of magnets, wherein each magnet has a prolate spheroid shape;(d) laying the cord in any shape on a flat smooth or lightly textured surface such that the cord defines a perimeter and the area within the perimeter of the cord creates a playing space;(e) distributing the magnets among the total number of players such that each player receives the same number of magnets;(f) having the first player set one of his or her magnets at any location within the playing space and designating the placed magnet as a played magnet;(g) having each player in sequential order then play one of his or her magnets by using the inherent repulsion forces of the magnet being played to move played magnets already in the playing space, wherein at least one player uses the inherent repulsion forces of the magnet being played to move played magnets already in the playing space so as to rearrange the cord and change the shape of the playing space or manually moves the cord to change the shape of the playing space, and then setting the player's magnet at any location within the rearranged playing space and separate from the played magnets without the player directly touching any played magnets;(h) having the players in sequential order continue to place magnets within the playing space until one or more magnets that are within the playing space are attracted to the magnet being played and form a cluster;(i) having the player who created the cluster remove all the joined magnets from the playing space and having that player keep the magnets that formed the cluster;(j) continuing game play until one player successfully places all of his or her magnets within the playing space without creating the cluster.Claim 2. The method of Claim 1 wherein the cord comprises twine, manila rope, cotton rope, polypropylene rope, nylon rope, polyester rope, polyethylene rope, Kevlar rope, cotton thread, silk thread, nylon thread, hemp thread, or a combination thereof.Claim 3. The method of Claim 1 wherein the cord is a rope with a first end and a second end wherein the first end and second end are used to form the closed loop.Claim 4. The method of Claim 1 wherein the prolate spheroid magnets have essentially equal dimensions.Claim 5. A game utilizing magnetic forces consisting of a cord and a plurality of magnets, wherein each magnet has a prolate spheroid shape.Claim 6. The game of Claim 5 wherein the cord comprises twine, manila rope, cotton rope, polypropylene rope, nylon rope, polyester rope, polyethylene rope, Kevlar rope, cotton thread, silk thread, nylon thread, hemp thread, twisted rope, solid braid, hollow braid, double braid, diamond braid, or a combination thereof.Claim 7. The game of Claim 5 wherein the cord is a closed loop and wherein the cord is used to create a playing space having a periphery.Claim 8. The game of Claim 7 wherein the prolate spheroid magnets have essentially equal dimensions.

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