Patent US3617063A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3617063A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for playing a solar system exploration game
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1970-05-25
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Granted: 1971-11-02
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Expires: 1990-05-25
Abstract
Abstract A space exploration game apparatus comprising a board having rotatably mounted at its center an object representing the sun. Surrounding said object are a series of circles concentric therewith, the annular bands between said circles being divided into segments by lines radiating from the center of the board. Between said circles are slots in which are movable objects representing planets which orbit the sun. The sun and planet representing objects are moved by a gear system comprising a drive shaft having an operating knob. The apparatus further comprises game pieces, dice, cards and play money.
Inventors
- 👤 Glenn L Dyer
- 👤 Rosemary M Dyer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 21:03
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F3/00; A63F3/00003; A63F3/00088; A63F3/00091; A63F3/00006; A63F9/00; A63F9/06; A63F9/08; A63F9/0803; A63F9/0819; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
Game apparatus comprising: a game board having a surface with a series of spaced concentric circles thereon, the annular bands between said circles being divided into segments by lines radiating from the center of said game board, predetermined ones of said circles representing individual orbits of the solar system planets; an object projecting above said surface representing the sun and being rotatably mounted at the center of said concentric circles; a plurality of objects projecting above said surface representing the planets of the solar system, said planet representing objects being mounted for orbital movement about the sun representing object along said orbit representing circles; and moving mechanism mounted to said game board and coupled to said sun- and planet-representing objects, said moving mechanism being selectively operable to cause rotation of the sun-representing object and orbital motion of the planet-representing objects.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
140 words
Game apparatus comprising: a game board having a surface with a series of spaced concentric circles thereon, the annular bands between said circles being divided into segments by lines radiating from the center of said game board, predetermined ones of said circles representing individual orbits of the solar system planets; an object projecting above said surface representing the sun and being rotatably mounted at the center of said concentric circles; a plurality of objects projecting above said surface representing the planets of the solar system, said planet representing objects being mounted for orbital movement about the sun representing object along said orbit representing circles; and moving mechanism mounted to said game board and coupled to said sun- and planet-representing objects, said moving mechanism being selectively operable to cause rotation of the sun-representing object and orbital motion of the planet-representing objects.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
76 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 1, said moving mechanism comprising: a plurality of concentric annular channels beneath the surface of said game board, one of said channels being beneath each orbit-representing circle; A like plurality of toothed rings, one residing in each of said channels and being rotatably movable therein; said game board surface having a slot therethrough for each orbit-representing circle, each planet-representing object being mounted to its respective toothed ring for movement therewith.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
136 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 2 wherein: said moving mechanism further comprises a clock mechanism including a rotatable shaft having a plurality of gears thereon, one gear for each planet-representing object and one for the sun-representing object, said shaft extending from adjacent the center of said game board beneath the surface thereof radially outward to one edge of said game board, each of said channels having a slot in the bottom wall thereof, said planet-representing object gears extending through said slots to engage the teeth of said rings, another gear being attached to said sun-representing object beneath the surface of said game board and adapted to engage the innermost gear on said shaft, whereby upon rotation of said shaft, the sun-representing object rotates and the planet-representing objects move in their orbits about the sun-representing object.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein said clock mechanism further includes: a wheel secured to said shaft adjacent the outer end thereof, said wheel being readily accessible to be incrementally rotated to cause incremental rotation of said shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 1 and further comprising a plurality of dice having numerical indications on their faces, at least one die being capable of indicating only the figures 1, 2 and 3 and at least one die being capable of indicating only the FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 5 wherein said plurality of dice comprises two dice of different colors indicating the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and two dice of the same different colors indicating the FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 5 and further comprising: a plurality of game pieces adapted to be individually, manually moved across said game board by the game players; a plurality of ''''planet visit'''' cards, one for each of said planets; a plurality of ''''planet sample'''' cards for each of said planets; and a supply of game currency.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
80 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 7 and further comprising a plurality of chance cards having instructions printed thereon affecting the playing of the game; and wherein a randomly spaced number of said segments on said game board surface are marked to indicate that they are chance segments, whereby whenever a game piece lands upon one of said chance segments the player using that game piece is entitled to receive a chance card and must obey the instructions printed thereon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 8 and further comprising a card box from which said ''''planet visit'''' cards and ''''planet sample'''' cards are easily dispensed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
74 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 1 and further comprising: a plurality of game pieces adapted to be individually, manually moved across said game board by the game players; and wherein said surface of said game board is covered with a metal coating; said planet-representing objects are made of metal; and said game pieces have a magnetic base; whereby said game pieces are positively attracted to said game board surface and said planet-representing objects.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said sun-representing object is provided with a relatively small mark at one point on its surface spaced from its axis of rotation, said mark being adapted to rotate with said sun-representing object and indicate the player whose turn it is.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The game apparatus recited in claim 1 and further comprising an object projecting above said surface representing the Moon, said Moon-representing object being secured in a fixed relationship with the Earth-representing object and oRbiting therewith.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-11-01 | 1975-05-03 | 1975-11-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-11-01 | 1979-05-03 | 1979-11-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-11-01 | 1983-05-03 | 1983-11-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |