Oil field board game apparatus

Claim 1

In an oil field game, a substantially square, hollow playing board having top and bottom panels and side rails, and having internal partitions whereby the interior of the board is divided into individual compartments including four substantially square corner compartments and four elongated compartments extending between the corner compartments along the sides of the board, each of the elongated compartments containing numerous movable blocks, comparatively small relative to the size of the board and having a height approaching the corresponding dimension thereof, loosely and slidably disposed therein, the top panel having markings thereon whereby it is divided into areas corresponding substantially to the compartments, including corner areas corresponding to the corner compartments and elongated areas coinciding with the elongated compartments, the portions of the top panel comprising the elongated areas having numerous small holes therein, and one or more playing pieces representing drilling rigs each having a depending pin for selective engagement with one or another of the small holes, in the manner of probes, to determine the location of producing wells and dry holes, depending on whether the pin strikes one of the movable blocks, the elongated compartments and the corresponding surface areas of the board being spaced inwardly from the corresponding side edges thereof, and the board having four other compartments, and corresponding surface areas, which are comparatively narrow relative to their lengths and comprise marginal portions of the board, immediately adjacent its side edges, portions of the top panel comprising the elongated area and the adjacent marginal area along each side of the board having markings thereon whereby they are subdivided into smaller spaces or sections, and one or more playing pieces for designating the owneRship of individual sections, each having a depending pin for selective engagement with holes therefor in portions of the top panel corresponding to the respective sections.