Board game apparatus

Claim 2

Game apparatus comprising: a playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions; a group of playing pieces, wherein each piece is a symmetrical member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions and while disposed in either of two visually indistinguishable orientations; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, conductors and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to said member and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions in a particular orientation only of said two orientations; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when a plurality of said pieces are placed on said board in said particular orientation and in registration with predetermined combinations of said positions.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said connecting means attached to said member comprises conductive material interconnecting particular points on the surface of the member and formed to register with portions of said electrodes.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said source of electrical energy comprises a coil of insulated wire and a permanent magnet moveably attached to a resilient body in the vicinity of said coil, whereby an electrical voltage is generated when said magnet is manually displaced and said indicator is thereby energized.

Claim 5

Game apparatus comprising: a playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions; a group of playing pieces provided in two sets, wherein each of said pieces has thereon an indicium effective to identify the same as being a part of one or the other of said sets, wherein said pieces in each of said sets are provided in pairs, each piece of each pair being a member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions and while disposed in a particular orientation, the members of said pair being so formed and constructed as to be visually indistinguishable while disposed in said orientation; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, connectors and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to a particular member only of each of said pairs and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions in said particular orientation; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when a plurality of said pieces, each being said particular member of one of said pairs, are placed on said board in said particular orientation and in registration with predetermined combinations of said positions.

Claim 6

Game apparatus comprising: a playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions; a group of playing pieces provided in two sets, wherein each of said pieces has thereon an indicium effective to identify the same as being a part of one or the other of said sets, wherein said pieces in each of said sets are provided in pairs, each piece of each pair being a member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions and while disposed in a particular orientation, the members of said pair being so formed and constructed as to be visually indistinguishable while disposed in said orientation; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, connectors and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to a particular member only of each of said pairs and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions in said particular orientation; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when a plurality of said pieces, each being said particular member of one of said pairs, are placed on said board in said particular orientation and in registration with predetermined combinations of said positions.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said connecting means attached to said particular member comprises conductive material interconnecting particular points on the surface of the member and formed to register with portions of said electrodes.

Claim 8

Game apparatus comprising: a horizontal playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of horizontally separated electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions in a substantially planar horizontal array; a group of playing pieces wherein each piece is a relatively thick member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions and while supported thereon by a horizontally extending lower surface of the member; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, conductors, and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to said member and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said horizontally separated electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when several of said pieces are placed on said board in registration with several of said positions; wherein said board comprises a thin laminated assembly of two horizontally extending conductive layers separated by insulating material, wherein the overlying conductive layer of said assembly and said insulating material have matching holes therein, and wherein said holes are so located in said conductive layer and in said insulating material as to provide said horizontally separated elEctrodes in said substantially planar array.

Claim 9

Game apparatus comprising: a horizontal playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of horizontally separated electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions in a substantially planar horizontal array; a group of playing pieces wherein each piece is a relatively thick member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions and while supported thereon by a horizontally extending lower surface of the member; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, conductors, and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to said member and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said horizontally separated electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when several of said pieces are placed on said board in registration with several of said positions; wherein said board comprises a thin laminated assembly of two horizontally extending conductive layers separated by insulating material, wherein the overlying conductive layer of said assembly and said insulating material have matching holes therein, and wherein said holes are so located in said conductive layer and in said insulating material as to provide said horizontally separated elEctrodes in said substantially planar array.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said connecting means comprises conductive material interconnecting particular points on the lower surface of the member which are horizontally separated and positioned to register with said electrodes.

Claim 11

Game apparatus comprising: a playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions; a group of playing pieces wherein each piece is a member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, conductors and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to said member and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions and is pushed toward said board; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when a plurality of said pieces are placed on said board in registration with predetermined combinations of said positions, wherein resilient material is attached to said board at said positions and is so formed and positioned as to prevent said connecting means from producing said pattern of connections except when said member is pushed toward said board.

Claim 12

Game apparatus comprising: a playing board displaying a matrix of playing positions; a configuration of electrodes attached to said board and repeated at said positions; a group of playing pieces wherein each piece is a member formed to stand with stability upon said board while registering with one of said positions; an incomplete electrical circuit comprising a source of electrical energy, conductors and an electrical indicator attached to said board, said circuit being connected to said electrodes; manually operable circuit completing means which is effective to complete said circuit and which comprises connecting means attached to said member and effective to produce a particular pattern of connections between said electrodes when the member is placed in registration with one of said positions and is pushed toward said board; said circuit being so connected as to actuate said indicator when completed and so connected as to be completed by said circuit completing means in response to the production of said pattern of connections at one of said positions when a plurality of said pieces are placed on said board in registration with predetermined combinations of said positions, wherein resilient material is attached to said board at said positions and is so formed and positioned as to prevent said connecting means from producing said pattern of connections except when said member is pushed toward said board.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said connecting means attached to said member comprises conductive material interconnecting particular points on the surface of the member and formed to register with portions of said electrodes.

Claim 14

A group of playing pieces wherein each piece is a symmetrical member formed to stand with stability upon a surface during play while disposed in either of two visually indistinguishable orientations, said member being so constructed that energy can be applied thereto in either of said orientations; and an indicating means on said member positioned and formed to be concealed when the member is in either orientation, said indicating means being of such nature and so constructed as to react in two perceptibly different ways with said energy when applied to the member while disposed in different ones of said orientations, whereby said means produces two perceptibly different indications.

Claim 15

A group of playing pieces wherein each piece is a symmetrical member formed to stand with stability upon a surface during play while disposed in either of two visually indistinguishable orientations, said member being so constructed that energy can be applied thereto in either of said orientations; and an indicating means on said member positioned and formed to be concealed when the member is in either orientation, said indicating means being of such nature and so constructed as to react in two perceptibly different ways with said energy when applied to the member while disposed in different ones of said orientations, whereby said means produces two perceptibly different indications.

Claim 16

The group of playing pieces of claim 10 wherein said indicating means comprises two visually indistinguishable opposite faces of said member which are exposed when the piece is in said orientations and to which mechanical energy can be applied, said faces being so constructed and so joined to said member as to deflect in perceptibly different ways upon the application of said mechanical energy thereto.

Claim 17

A group of playing pieces provided in pairs, each piece of each pair being a member formed to stand with stability upon a surface while disposed in a particular orientation, the members of said pair being so formed and constructed as to be visually indistinguishable while disposed in said orientation and so constructed that mechanical energy can be applied thereto in said orientation; and indicating means attached to a particular member of each of said pairs as part thereof and so constructed as to enable the member to react in a particular distinctively perceptible manner with said mechanical energy when applied thereto while the member is in said orientation; the other member of each of said pairs being so constructed as not to react in said particular manner with energy applied thereto while said other member is in said orientation, whereby said members produce perceptibly diffeRent indications upon the application of said energy thereto.

Claim 18

A group of playing pieces provided in pairs, each piece of each pair being a member formed to stand with stability upon a surface while disposed in a particular orientation, the members of said pair being so formed and constructed as to be visually indistinguishable while disposed in said orientation and so constructed that mechanical energy can be applied thereto in said orientation; and indicating means attached to a particular member of each of said pairs as part thereof and so constructed as to enable the member to react in a particular distinctively perceptible manner with said mechanical energy when applied thereto while the member is in said orientation; the other member of each of said pairs being so constructed as not to react in said particular manner with energy applied thereto while said other member is in said orientation, whereby said members produce perceptibly diffeRent indications upon the application of said energy thereto.

Claim 19

The group of playing pieces of claim 12 wherein said indicating means is so constructed as to respond to the application of said energy by the production of a distinctive sound.

Claim 20

The group of playing pieces of claim 12 wherein said indicating means is so constructed as to respond to the application of said energy by the production of a visually perceptible deflection of a surface of said particular member.

Claim 21

A group of playing pieces, provided in two sets, wherein each piece is a member formed with two opposite faces; a first indicating means on one of said faces so constructed, formed and positioned as to be concealed when said face is concealed; a second and different indicating means on said member, said second indicating means being so constructed, formed and positioned as to be revealed when either of said faces is revealed; wherein said first indicating means is so constructed as to produce two different indications respectively on different ones of said pieces in each of said sets; wherein said second indicating means is formed to produce four different indications respectively on four different ones of said pieces in each of said sets; and wherein said pieces are of sufficient number in each of said sets to provide a choice of one of said two indications to be associated with each of said four indications.

Claim 22

A group of playing pieces, provided in two sets, wherein each piece is a member formed with two opposite faces; a first indicating means on one of said faces so constructed, formed and positioned as to be concealed when said face is concealed; a second and different indicating means on said member, said second indicating means being so constructed, formed and positioned as to be revealed when either of said faces is revealed; wherein said first indicating means is so constructed as to produce two different indications respectively on different ones of said pieces in each of said sets; wherein said second indicating means is formed to produce four different indications respectively on four different ones of said pieces in each of said sets; and wherein said pieces are of sufficient number in each of said sets to provide a choice of one of said two indications to be associated with each of said four indications.