US2577961A - Game board and chance means for simulated racing - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 11, 1951 F. R. GRAVES 2,577,961

GAME BOARD AND CHANCE MEANS FOR SIMULATED RACING Filed July 31, 1948 2 SI-IEETS--SHEET l dOHS HIVdBU SUIVdHU EN TOR. FRANK R. GRAVES Dec. 11, 1951 GRAVES 2,577,961

GAME BOARD AND CHANCE MEANS FOR SIMULATED RACING INVENTOR.

FRAN/(RGRAVES Patented Dec. 11, 1951 UNHTED STATES EPATENT OFFICE GAME BOARD AND CHANCE MEANS FOR SIMULATED RACING The present invention relates to a game and more particularly to a game played by the use of a board, movable pieces, and some means for determining the extent of movement of the Ditti s of the respective players on each play.

In conventional games of this character, only one player moves at a time; and usually the extent of movement on the board of the pieces of the different players is determined in successive plays of the game.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a. game of the character referred to which will be more interesting to the players, create more excitement and be faster in play than conventional games of this kind.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game of the general character mentioned in which all of the players will move on each play of the game.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a game board laid out according to one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of a spinner type indicator such as may be used in playing my improved game;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show cards which may be used with the game board for determining the moves of the game in lieu of the spinner type indicator; and

Fig. 6 is a view showing in perspective two pieces or markers that may be employed in play.- ing the game.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference, it denotes the game board. This has a rectangular trackway l2 on it which is made up or" rectangular blocks or spaces of four different colors arranged in rotation around the trackway. The diiierently colored blocks or spaces are denoted l3, l4, l5 and [6, respectively. They are here indicated as being, respectively, brown, green, red and white, but obviously any suitable selection of colors may be employed.

The trackway is shown laid out for an automobile race game; and on various blocks there are legends such as Repairs Crack-up, etc. and should a player move on to any such block a penalty may be inflicted against him according to the rules of the game. I

The game may be played with a spinner type indicator, such as shown in Fig. 2. This indicator comprises a disc '20 and arevoluble pointer 21 which is mounted concentric of the disc. The disc is divided into eight segments 22. Each segment is made up of four arcuate blocks 23, 2.4, .25 and 26 which are, respectively, of difierent colors. The colors correspond to those used on the trackway of the game board. The arcuate blocks are concentric of the disc; and the colors of these blocks are arranged in the same order in all the. segments. As illustrated, the innermost blocks 23 are brown; the next 24 are white; the next 25 are red; and the outermost 26 are green.

The game may be played by as many as eight players simultaneously. They may play individually or as partners. To keep track of the progress of play numbered markers are provided. These may be discs, such as shown at 3,0 in Fig, 6, or they may for an automobile race game be in the form of miniature automobiles, or for an aeroplane race game be in the form of miniature aeroplanes, etc. There are eight markers provided, numbered 1 to 8 inclusive, Only two of the markers are shown in Fig. 6.

The arcuate blocks 23, 24, 25 and 26 of disc 2% are numbered with numbers corresponding to the numbers of the markers. Preferably each arcuate block has two numerals on it; and each segment 22 contains all of the numbers 1 to 8 so that when the pointer 21 registers with a segment, it registers with numbers corresponding to the numbers of all the markers 30. The numbers are arranged in different order and in dif fe t combinations o the d ff ent egment Z2.-

To p ay t e me h player first s l cts ne f t e n mb d k s 3i); an all he ma ers are placed in the block 28 (Fig. 1) of the trackway which denotes both the start and the finish of the game. Then one of the players spins the pointer 2|. Each player notes the color, on which his number appears within the segment 22. of disc 20, at which the pointer stops; and he moves his marker to the block on the traclrwa-y l2 whose color corresponds to the color indicated by the pointer. Thus i the pointer stops where shown in Fig. 2, players Nos. 6 and 7 would move their markers to the green block M of the track,- way nearest the starting block 28.; players Nos. 5 and 8 would move their markers to the red block l5 nearest the starting block; players Nos. 2 a would move thei mark rs t the t white block l6; and players Nos. 1 and 3 would move their markers to the first "brown block 13 of the trackway.

n her play r t n spins he Poin er ZLah the players again advance their markers as fill l" mined by the pointer when it stops. If a player lands on a block marked Repairs he may be required to move back to the nearest spaced-esignated Repair shop, with a loss of play on the next spin; and if a player lands on a block marked Crack-up he may be required to abandon the race, that is, to drop out of the game; or the penalties may take other forms. For an automobile race game, ordinarily the players will be required to encircle the track a plurality of times before the game is completed. The player first to cross the finish line after having completed the required number of turns around the track is the winner. If more than one player crosses the finish line on a spin, then the one who has progressed the farthest beyond that line may be designated the winnenor an additional spin may be made.

Instead of using a spinner to determine the moves, a deck of cards may be employed for this purpose. These cards will be like those shown in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive. Each card 35 has two sets of four colored blocks 36, 31, 38 and 39 on it. The

colors of the blocks in each set correspond to the colors of the blocks of the trackway of the game board. Thus blocks 36 may be brown, blocks 31 white, blocks 38 red, andblocks 39 green. The blocks bear numerals corresponding to the numbers of the markers used in the game and preferably each block has two numerals on it. Each set of blocks on each card contains the numerals 1 to 8 and the numerals have the same arrangement on the two sets of blocks of a card. The two sets of blocks are provided on each card simply for convenience so that the cards can readily be read by all players when they are laid face up on the playing table.

All of the cards have their colored blocks or spaces 36, 31, 38 and 39 in the same order but the different cards 35 of the pack have the numerals 1 to 8 arranged on them in different order and in difierent combinations. A pack'may consist of twenty-eight or more cards.

To play the game with cards, the different players select their markers. Then'one of the players shuiiles the cards and places them in a pile face down on the game table. One player then draws the top card oif the pack and lays it face up on the table. Each player notes the colored space on the card in which the number of his marker appears and advances his marker accordingly from the starting point on the game board to the first block on the track which is of the same color. The players then alternate in taking cards oil the top of the pack until the game is completed. The same rules may be used as when the spinner is employed.

With either the spinner or the cards it will be seen that all players move simultaneously on a spin of the pointer or a turn of a card. This makes the play of the race more interesting, more exciting and faster. Obviously, the invention is not restricted to a game simulating an automobile race. Various other races may be simulated also. Thus, the type of trackway shown in Fig. i might be used for a horse-race game with suitable legends such as Spi1l," etc. substituted for Repairs, etc., to indicate points where penalties are applied. The game otherwise could be played as described, the markers representing horses instead of automobiles. In a horse-race game, however, usually the play will be only once around the track.

The same game board can, if desired, be provided with legends suitable for playing different racing games. Thus, the legends suitable for both horse-races and automobile races may be marked on the same trackway and the trackway used at will to play either a horse-race or an automobile race game. The invention is not restricted, however, to use with a game board having a rectangular type trackway such as shown in Fig. l. The trackway may be of any desired form. For instance, for an aeroplane race game it might be more or less straight representing a cross-country flight, and detours may be provided from the straight track to represent "Weather fronts" or other hazards and provide penalties similar to those inflicted in the game shown.

In all cases, regardless of the type of game, the same basic principle will be employed of all players moving simultaneously, each player moving on the game board in accordance with the color shown on the indicating means for the number of that player.

In general it may be said, then, that while the invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments thereof it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the invention, following the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of successively differently colored spaces arranged in rotation and forming a course of travel for a plurality of playing pieces, of a chance device for determining the movement of said pieces, said chance device comprising a disc and a pointer rotatably mounted on the disc, said disc being divided into a plurality of segments and each segment being divided into a plurality of arcuate blocks which are concentric with the axis of the pointer and which are differently colored corresponding to the colors of the spaces of the trackway, the number of said blocks in each segment equalling the number of different colors employed on the spaces of said trackway, and each of said blocks having different indicia thereon to designate different playing pieces.

2. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of successively differently colored spaces arranged in rotation and forming a course 01' travel for a plurality of playing pieces, of a chance device for determining the movement of said pieces, said chance device comprising a pack oi. cards, each of which has a plurality of blocks thereon corresponding in number to the number of different colors of the spaces on the trackway, said blocks being differently colored to correspond to the colors of the spaces of the trackway, each of said blocks having indicia thereon to designate different playing pieces, the different indicia being arranged difierently on the diflferent blocks or the different cards.

3. In a game, the combination with a game board having an endless trackway thereon comprising a plurality of successively diiferently colored spaces arranged in rotation around the trackway and forming a course of travel for a plurality of differently numbered playing pieces, of a chance device for determining the movement of said pieces, said chance device comprising a plurality of similar parts, each of which has a plurality of blocks equal in number to the number of colors employed on the spaces of the trackway, said blocks being differently colored to correspond to the colors of the spaces of the trackway and different blocks being difierently numbered to correspond to the numbers of the pieces, the ferent parts all having the same number of colored blocks similarly arranged but the order of numbering of the blocks being difierent on different parts.

4. A game comprising a board having a track way thereon comprising a plurality of successively differently colored spaces arranged in rotation, movable pieces adapted to be moved over said trackway, and a chance device for controlling the movement of the pieces, said pieces being diiierently numbered, and said chance device comprising a plurality of parts, each part being provided with a number of blocks of different colors corresponding in number and color to the diiferent colors of the traclrway, said blocks being arranged in the same order of colors on all the parts of the chance device, and like-colored blocks of the different parts being differently numbered with numbers corresponding to the numbers of the different pieces.

5. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of spaces that have successively different indicia and forming a course of travel for a plurality of different playing pieces, the different in dicia being repeated a plurality of times on the spaces around the trackway, of a chance device for controlling the movement of the pieces, said. chance device comprising a plurality of parts, each of said parts having a plurality of spaces equal in number to the number of the different indicia employed on the spaces of the trackway, the spaces of the chance device bearing, respectively, indicia corresponding to the indicia of the spaces of the trackway, like spaces of diiierent parts of the chance device having, respectively, also difierent indicia designating the difierent playing pieces, and each part of the chance device bearing on the total of its spaces all of the indicia designating the difierent playing pieces.

6. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of spaces that have successively different indicia and forming a course of travel for a plurality of different playing pieces, the different indicia being repeated a plurality of times around the trackway, of a chance device for controlling the movement of the pieces, said chance device comprising a disc and a pointer rotatably mounted thereon, said disc having a plurality of different segments and each segment having a plurality of difierent blocks concentric to the axis of said pointer, the number of blocks in each segment equalling the number of different indicia employed on the trackway, the different blocks of each segment bearing indicia corresponding to the different indicia of the trackway and also separate diiferent indicia designating the different playing pieces, one set of such indicia, at least, being arranged differently on the different segments, and each segment bearing on the total of its blocks all of the two separate sets of indicia.

7. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of spaces that have successively difierent indicia and forming a course of travel for a plurality of difierent playing pieces, of a chance device for controlling the movement of the pieces. said chance device comprising a pack of cards, each of which has a plurality of different spaces equal in number to the number of different indicia employed on the spaces of said trackway, the different spaces of each card bearing different indicia corresponding to the different indicia of the trackway and also different indicia designating the different playing pieces, said two sets of indicia being arranged differently on different cards of the pack.

3. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of successively differently colored spaces arranged in rotation and forming a course of travel for a plurality of playing pieces, of a chance device for determining the movement of said pieces, said chance device comprising a disc and a pointer rotatably mounted on the disc, said disc being divided into a plurality of segments and each segment being divided into a plurality of arcuate blocks which are concentric with theaxis of said pointer and which are equal in number to the number of diiferent colors employed on the spaces of said trackway and which are differently colored corresponding to the colors of the spaces of the trackway, and which are disposed, respectively, at different radial distances from the axis of the pointer, each of said blocks having diiferent indicia thereon to designate different playing pieces, the colors of the blocks being arranged in the same order on all of the segments but likecolored blocks of difierent segments bearing different indicia.

9. In a game, the combination with a game board having a trackway thereon comprising a plurality of successively differently colored spaces that are arranged in rotation, and a plurality of playing pieces movable over said trackway and having, respectively, different indicia, of a chance device comprising a pack of cards, each of which has a plurality of spaces thereon, corresponding in number to the number of colors on the trackway and colored, respectively, to correspond to the colors of the spaces of the trackway, each space of each card also bearing different indicia corresponding, respectively, to the different playing pieces, the colored spaces being arranged in the same order on all the cards but the difierent indicia being arranged difierently on the different spaces of the difierent cards.

FRANK R. GRAVES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 718,917 Coxe Jan. 20, 1903 724,244 Bawden Mar. 31, 1903 813,306 Kinman Feb. 20, 1906 1,161,770 Hatfield Nov. 23, 1915 1,414,788 Parsons May 2, 1922 1,445,891 Johnson Feb. 20, 1923 1,447,335 Balcom Mar. 6, 1923 1,523,242 Bain Jan. 13, 1925 1,544,591 Murray July 7, 1925 1,570,475 Geraci Jan. 19, 1926 1,797,742 Ward Mar. 24, 1931

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