Board Game Tile Retention via Mechanical Interlocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing board games face challenges in retaining playing pieces on the game board without increasing production costs, as current solutions either disrupt gameplay or require complex and costly manufacturing processes, and existing methods often result in pieces becoming misaligned or difficult to read due to gaps between tiles.
Innovation Solution
A game board with protrusions and corresponding recesses on the tiles, allowing for secure engagement without the need for additional complex manufacturing, enabling tiles to remain aligned and easily removable, while maintaining aesthetic continuity and allowing for board folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If magnetic layers or magnetic pieces are introduced to retain playing pieces on the board, then the playing pieces are securely retained and prevented from shifting, but the manufacturing cost and production complexity greatly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces magnetic fields with mechanical interlocking features. The board includes recesses at grid intersections, and playing pieces include protrusions that engage with these recesses. This mechanical engagement system achieves secure retention without requiring magnetic materials or layers, thereby maintaining low manufacturing costs while preventing piece shifting during gameplay.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate mechanical features (recesses in the board and protrusions on pieces) that act as mediators between the board and playing pieces. These intermediaries provide the retention function without requiring direct magnetic attraction, allowing standard cardboard or plastic materials to be used instead of expensive magnetic materials.
2Reliability
If a raised plastic grid is formed on the board surface to clip playing pieces, then pieces are kept in position, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the retention function from a complex raised plastic grid structure and implements it through simple recesses formed directly in the board surface at grid intersections. These recesses are integrated into the board's basic structure rather than requiring separate plastic grid components, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the retention features directly into the board structure by forming recesses at the grid intersections during board manufacturing. This integration eliminates the need for separate plastic grid components or additional assembly steps, combining the positioning and retention functions into a single manufacturing process.
3Manufacturing precision
If holes are placed throughout the playing surface with pegs on pieces to align them, then alignment is achieved, but the graphics become interrupted and harder to read
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing retention recesses only at the grid intersections where pieces are positioned, rather than holes throughout the entire playing surface. This localized approach provides alignment functionality at critical points while leaving the majority of the board surface intact for clear graphics and uninterrupted visual information.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating holes through the board surface (which would interrupt graphics), the patent inverts the approach by creating recesses that are integrated into the board's surface structure. The recesses are formed as depressions rather than through-holes, allowing graphics to remain continuous while still providing mechanical engagement points for piece alignment.
4Reliability
If a plastic grid is adhered to the board surface to retain pieces, then pieces are secured in position, but the board cannot be folded into two
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the retention recesses directly into the board's structural layers during manufacturing, making them an integral part of the board rather than a separate adhered component. This integration ensures that the retention features move with the board when folded, maintaining piece security while enabling the board to be folded into two for travel or storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic retention system where the recesses are formed in flexible layers that can accommodate board folding. The mechanical engagement between recesses and piece protrusions remains effective whether the board is flat or folded, allowing the system to adapt to different board configurations without losing retention functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Tiles (7) having significant depth are placed on a gameboard (1) having projections (2) on its upper surface. The protrusions (2) engage recesses (8) formed on the corners of the tiles (7) in order to locate the tiles (7) in position on the game board (1). The recesses (8) may extend for only part of the depth of the tiles (7) so that they are not visible from the top of the tiles (7), thereby affording visual continuity between the (tiles 7). The protrusions (2) may engage the recesses (8) as a friction fit, to hold the tiles (7) firmly in place. Alternatively, they may engage the recesses (8) as a loose fit, thereby to afford location of the tiles (7) while allowing their easy removal from the game board (1).