| Die-rolling device and game -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Die-rolling device and gameUSPTO Application #: 20060033274Title: Die-rolling device and game Abstract: A method of playing a game. A face of a die may be selected, and a marker may be moved to a position on a game board according to the face selected. A request for a player response may be selected from a set of text-based requests, and an interval associated with the player response may be timed. (end of abstract) Agent: Kolisch Hartwell, P.C. - Portland, OR, US Inventors: Glen Nakamoto, Jeannie Burns Hardie USPTO Applicaton #: 20060033274 - Class: 273243000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Board Games, Pieces, Or Boards Therefor, Piece Moves Over Board Having Pattern, Chance Device Controls Amount Or Direction Of Movement Of Piece The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060033274. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO PRIORITY APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/877,430 filed on Jun. 25, 2004. [0002] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/877,430, in turn, is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/139,148 filed on May 2, 2002, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,416 on Jun. 29, 2004, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/288,625 filed on May 3, 2001. [0003] Each of the above-identified patent applications and the issued patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0004] The invention relates to games for amusement. BACKGROUND [0005] Many board games rely on random selection of outputs to direct a player's actions. For example, movement of a player's marker on a game board may be dictated by a card drawn from a stack of cards, an output selected by spinning a needle or a wheel, or an output obtained by rolling a die or dice, among others. Of the many possible methods for selecting a random output, rolling a die or dice may be most widely used for game. play because this method offers advantages over other methods. Specifically, die rolling requires no previous preparation, unlike a stack of cards that is shuffled, is mechanically simple, and provides a series of random outputs that are independent of each other. [0006] Die rolling may suffer from some disadvantages. Typically, one or more dies are thrown or dropped from a player's hand or a container in a generally uncontrolled fashion. As a result, an errant die may collide with, and disrupt, features of a game, such as the position of player markers. Alternatively, or in addition, the errant die may travel away from the game site, requiring retrieval. [0007] Some of the disadvantages of die rolling have been overcome by constraining die movement within an enclosure, to produce a die-rolling device. Examples of such devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,119,621; 3,168,315; 4,049,277; 4,148,488; 4,632,397; 4,643,693; 5,022,654; and 5,445,375, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. [0008] A commercial embodiment of U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,315 is Mattel's MAGIC 8-BALL.RTM. toy in which rolling a die selects an output from a set of opposite responses. The original MAGIC 8 BALL.RTM. toy is a flat-bottomed, plastic replica of a pool or billiard "8-ball" that includes a viewing window to an interior, dye-filled fluid chamber. Within the chamber is a floating polyhedron with a distinct response on each triangular face of the polyhedron. The selected face of the die represents responses that are generally affirmative, negative, or ambiguous, with the suggestion to ask the MAGIC 8 BALL.RTM. toy again. Inverting the toy to allow the viewing window to face upward causes one of the faces of the floating polyhedron to contact the window and become visible, thus selecting the associated response on that side for viewing and reading. [0009] In addition to die rolling, games may employ a time interval to limit or regulate a player's action. Thus, games may include a timer to measure the time interval. Disclosures of various timers used in games are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,304,650; 3,724,847; 4,890,838; and 5,607,160, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. [0010] The advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description. SUMMARY [0011] The present teachings provide a method of playing a game. A face of a die may be selected, and a marker may be moved to a position on a game board according to the face selected. A request for a player response may be selected from a set of text-based requests, and an interval associated with the player response may be timed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective environmental view of an embodiment of a game that includes a die-rolling device. [0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the die-rolling device of FIG. 1. [0014] FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the die-rolling device of FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the die-rolling device of FIG. 1. [0016] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a die-rolling mechanism housed in the die-rolling device of FIG. 1. [0017] FIG. 6 is a combined view of three different faces of a die used in the die-rolling mechanism of FIG. 5. [0018] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of selected portions of a timing mechanism used in the die-rolling device of FIG. 1, viewed generally along line 7-7 of FIG. 4, during activation of the timing mechanism. [0019] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the timing mechanism of FIG. 7 during timing of a time interval. Continue reading... Full patent description for Die-rolling device and game Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Die-rolling device and game patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Die-rolling device and game or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Cubic assembly puzzle and support structure Next Patent Application: Miniature board game Industry Class: Amusement devices: games ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Die-rolling device and game patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 2.16656 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Novartis , Pfizer , Philips , Polaroid , Procter & Gamble , |
||
