US3680867A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flip over game
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-04-22
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Granted: 1972-08-01
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Expires: 1990-04-22
Abstract
Abstract A container has pairs of cells, filled with flat plates bearing indicia and provided with windows to expose the indicia. Each pair of cells is constructed so that rotating the container 180* causes a plate to cross from one cell of a pair to the other. The indicia on the series of plates in each pair of cells are thus displayed in sequence. Adjacent pairs of cells contain differing numbers of plates to provide extremely large numbers of combinations for game playing, the number being so large as to be essentially random within any limited number of turns of the device about its horizontal axis.
Inventors
- 👤 Roger W Zimmerman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 03:34
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F1/00; A63F1/06; A63F1/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
231 words
A game-playing device comprising container means divided into a plurality of pairs of cells inseparably connected to be invertable only as a unit, horizontal divider means having sides and ends, said divider means separating each cell of a pair from the other cell of said pair, passage means connecting each cell of a said pair with the other cell of said pair at each side of said horizontal divider, a series of carrier means in each said pair of cells, said carrier means filling said pair of cells substantially completely with the exception of space for one additional carrier means and being adapted to pass through said passage means upon inversion of said container means, each said carrier means bearing indicia adapted to form sets of indica for playing a game, and means for viewing the indicia on said carriers in sets, said container being adapted for inversion to cause a carrier means to pass through a said passage means and change the displayed indicia, said carrier means being arranged within each said cell to display indicia of said sets pseudorandomly within each said cell and relative to at least one other pair of cells, the number of carrier means within each pair of cells in a given container means being different from the number of carrier means in said at least one other pair of cells in said container means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
231 words
A game-playing device comprising container means divided into a plurality of pairs of cells inseparably connected to be invertable only as a unit, horizontal divider means having sides and ends, said divider means separating each cell of a pair from the other cell of said pair, passage means connecting each cell of a said pair with the other cell of said pair at each side of said horizontal divider, a series of carrier means in each said pair of cells, said carrier means filling said pair of cells substantially completely with the exception of space for one additional carrier means and being adapted to pass through said passage means upon inversion of said container means, each said carrier means bearing indicia adapted to form sets of indica for playing a game, and means for viewing the indicia on said carriers in sets, said container being adapted for inversion to cause a carrier means to pass through a said passage means and change the displayed indicia, said carrier means being arranged within each said cell to display indicia of said sets pseudorandomly within each said cell and relative to at least one other pair of cells, the number of carrier means within each pair of cells in a given container means being different from the number of carrier means in said at least one other pair of cells in said container means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The device of claim 1 in which said carrier means comprise rectangular plastic plates having opposed flat faces and a letter of the alphabet on each of said faces of each said plate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 1 in which said carrier means comprise cards having indicia on each side of said card.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
126 words
The device of claim 1 in which there are at least three pairs of cells and in which the width of the horizontal divider means in each pair of cells is different from the width of the horizontal divider means in each other pair of cells, the horizontal divider means in each pair of cells being centered between parallel faces of the container to leave a space comprising said passage means at each side of said divider means, the width of the passage means being different in each pair of cells, said carrier means in eAch pair of cells having a thickness slightly less than the width of said passage means in that pair of cells for easy passage therethrough upon inversion of the container means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
156 words
A game-playing device comprising a plurality of sets of indicia carrier means, each said set comprising a different number of carrier means, and inseparable invertable container means for said carrier means provided with at least one display means for each said set adapted to display a single indicium on a said carrier, said container means being constructed to cause each carrier in each said set to shift position sequentially in said set upon invertable manipulation of said container, whereby to sequentially display the indicia of said sets in a very large array of sub-sets, said carrier means being arranged within each of said sets to display indicia of said sets pseudo-randomly within each said set and relative to at least one other of said sets, the number of carrier means within each sets in said container means being different from the number of carrier means in said at least one other set in said container means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
156 words
A game-playing device comprising a plurality of sets of indicia carrier means, each said set comprising a different number of carrier means, and inseparable invertable container means for said carrier means provided with at least one display means for each said set adapted to display a single indicium on a said carrier, said container means being constructed to cause each carrier in each said set to shift position sequentially in said set upon invertable manipulation of said container, whereby to sequentially display the indicia of said sets in a very large array of sub-sets, said carrier means being arranged within each of said sets to display indicia of said sets pseudo-randomly within each said set and relative to at least one other of said sets, the number of carrier means within each sets in said container means being different from the number of carrier means in said at least one other set in said container means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
78 words
The device of claim 5 in which said container means includes a pair of cells for each said set of carrier means, said pairs of cells being interconnected for movement of a said carrier means from one cell of a pair to the other cell of a pair upon inversion of the container means, and in which each cell has a plurality of display means and each carrier bears separate indicia oriented for display by each display means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
228 words
A game-playing device comprising a single rectangular container having a pair of narrow end faces, a pair of narrow top and bottom faces, and a pair of broad side faces, a plurality of parallel partitions extending between said top and bottom faces and extending from one side face to the other to divide said container into spearate volumes, divider means spaced equally from said top and bottom faces and parallel thereto, and adapted to divide each said volume into a pair of cells, said divider means being spaced from said side faces to form passage means between each pair of cells along said side faces, flat carrier means stacked parallel to said side faces in each cell, the number of carrier means in each pair of cells being one less than the number required to fill said pair of cells, said carrier means in any one pair of cells being of one thickness, at least one said pair of cells being provided with carrier means of a different thickness, said carrier means being provided with indicia, said indicia comprising members of a set of indicia and said carrier means being arranged pseudo-randomly with respect to said carried indicia within each cell and relative to at least one other pair of cells, said container having openings constructed to display the indicia on a said carrier means adjacent said opening.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
228 words
A game-playing device comprising a single rectangular container having a pair of narrow end faces, a pair of narrow top and bottom faces, and a pair of broad side faces, a plurality of parallel partitions extending between said top and bottom faces and extending from one side face to the other to divide said container into spearate volumes, divider means spaced equally from said top and bottom faces and parallel thereto, and adapted to divide each said volume into a pair of cells, said divider means being spaced from said side faces to form passage means between each pair of cells along said side faces, flat carrier means stacked parallel to said side faces in each cell, the number of carrier means in each pair of cells being one less than the number required to fill said pair of cells, said carrier means in any one pair of cells being of one thickness, at least one said pair of cells being provided with carrier means of a different thickness, said carrier means being provided with indicia, said indicia comprising members of a set of indicia and said carrier means being arranged pseudo-randomly with respect to said carried indicia within each cell and relative to at least one other pair of cells, said container having openings constructed to display the indicia on a said carrier means adjacent said opening.
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) | 1975-08-01 | 1976-01-31 | 1976-08-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-01 | 1980-01-31 | 1980-08-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-01 | 1984-01-31 | 1984-08-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |