SPATIAL LOGIC GAME

Abstract

A game for a plurality of players is disclosed herein. The game may include a plurality of pieces for each player. The game may also include a polyhedron having a plurality of faces, wherein each face has a plurality of spaces for holding pieces. The game may further include a random number generator for indicating the number of spaces to move at least one of the pieces at each player's turn.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to copending application Ser. No. 61/707,048, filed Sep. 28, 2012, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a spatial logic game, and more specifically to a spatial logic game played on a three dimensional polyhedron.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are many games, puzzles and toys that require spatial-temporal reasoning. Aspects of these include visual, mental and actual manipulation of shapes/objects that have at least rudimentary realistic spatial relations.

The most well-known example is the Rubik's Cube which is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Ernö Rubik. In a classic Rubik's Cube, each of the six faces is covered by nine stickers, each of one of six solid colours. A pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be returned to consisting of one colour.

Checkers is a two-player game, where one player is assigned white checkers and the other red. Each player has 12 checkers to start the game. The object of the game is to capture the other player's checkers or make them impossible to move. The game is started on a checker board consisting of 64 squares in an 8×8 grid. The red player moves first. Then each player takes a single turn. A move consists of placing one checker on a different square.

3D Checkers is a game that requires players to play across four checker boards, stacked one on top of another. 3D Checkers relies on all the official rules for Checkers. This includes the rule that a player must capture, when able to do so, rather than make a non-capturing move. The player(s) that have no pieces or cannot move loses. The only change to the game of Checkers is the fact that there are three more boards added.

Backgammon is a board game for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. With each roll of the dice, players must choose from numerous options for moving their checkers and anticipate possible counter-moves by the opponent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A game for a plurality of players is disclosed herein. Embodiments of the game may include a plurality of pieces for each player. Embodiments of the game may also include a polyhedron having a plurality of faces, wherein each face has a plurality of spaces for holding pieces. Embodiments of the game may further include a random number generator for indicating the number of spaces to move at least one of the pieces at each player's turn.

Embodiments of the game may further include the feature wherein the spaces include a plurality of colors.

Embodiments of the game may further include the feature wherein the spaces includes attachment devices for holding the pieces thereon. In these embodiments, the attachment devices may include any suitable means for attaching the pieces, including among others magnets, hook and fabric, male and female interlocking mechanisms

Alternatively, pieces of the aforementioned embodiments may be replaced with any other suitable indicia, e.g., lights or other markings.

Embodiments of the game may further include a means for allowing the polyhedron to rotate, including, for example, a lazy susan onto which the polyhedron detachably mounts.

Embodiments of the game may further include a method of playing a game, wherein the game includes a playing polyhedron having multiple sides, wherein each side has positions for playing pieces allocated to a plurality of players and a random number generator for designating, in turn, the number of moves made by a player's pieces. The method may include the steps of:

• • 1. starting in an initial position where the polyhedron sits upon one face and each one of each of the player's pieces sit upon a different side face;
  • 2. moving the playing pieces toward an identified area on the top face in accordance with the number of moves designated by the random number generator;
  • 3. repositioning the polyhedron upon another face when a player's piece reaches the identified area; and
  • 4. removing all of the playing pieces on the another face when the polyhedron is repositioned thereon, toward the ultimate goal of removing all of the opponent's pieces after subsequent repositionings.

The method may also include the feature wherein the identified area is identified with a single playing piece.

The method may also include the feature wherein the single playing piece is identified as a king piece.

The method may also include the feature wherein each player has four playing pieces and each of the pieces of each player is in an initial predetermined starting position on each of the remaining facing sides.

The method may also include the feature wherein each side of the structure has identified positions for the playing pieces.

The method may also include the feature wherein the identified positions include attachment devices.

The method may also include the feature wherein the attachment devices are selected from the group comprising magnets, mating elements, and hook and fabric elements.

The method may also include the feature wherein the players move their pieces toward the king in any horizontal or vertical direction, including onto a different face of the structure.

Embodiments of the game may further include a random number generator, a plurality of pieces for each player of the game, and a playing polyhedron having multiple sides, each of the sides having a plurality of positions designated for the pieces. The method may include:

• • 1. positioning each of the pieces of each player in an initial predetermined starting position;
  • 2. each player moving his pieces, in turn, the number of moves allocated by the random number generator toward a predetermined location which allows the player to reposition the polyhedron so that it rests upon another side;
  • 3. removing the pieces from the another side; and
  • 4. repeating steps b and c until all of the opponents pieces have been removed from the polyhedron.

The method may further include the feature wherein the predetermined location is identified by a king piece.

The method may further include the feature wherein each player initially has four playing pieces in a starting position of one piece on each facing side, the king upon the top side, and allowed movement includes moving in any horizontal or vertical direction, including onto a different face of the polyhedron.

The method may further include the feature wherein each of the faces of the polyhedron have identified positions for the playing pieces and the king.

The method may further include the feature wherein the identified positions include attachment devices.

Additional objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, the foregoing description of the invention describing certain embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiment will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the six sides of the cube (polyhedron) structure used in the game.

FIG. 2 shows all the game pieces.

FIG. 3 shows tray and lazy susan used to hold the cube structure.

FIG. 4 shows the game piece placement and movement on the cube structure.

FIG. 5 shows the placement of coloured game pieces on the 4 sides.

FIG. 6 shows the placement of an alternative cube structure having holes in the sides for placement of the playing pieces, wherein the cube structure is placed upon a lazy susan.

FIG. 7 shows the cube structure of FIG. 6, disassembled so that it may lie flat for storage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As seen in FIG. 1, there is a main polyhedron structure, which in the preferred embodiment is made up of six faces (100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105). The polyhedron can be constructed in any type of material. Each face is divided into, for example, 36 spaces. The spaces are preferably square and the number of spaces on each face is preferably the same, but it is possible to have different shaped spaces and/or a different number of spaces on each face.

FIG. 2 shows the various game pieces involved in playing the game. There is a six-sided dice 200, which has the numbers 1, 2 and 3 (repeated) on the sides. Any other techniques of generating a random number between 1 and 3 could be used, for example picking a card or using an electronic random number generator. There are 16 playing pieces 201 having four different colors, for example Red (R), Yellow (Y), Green (G), Blue (B). However, any colors can be used. The pieces are constructed in such a way to temporarily adhere to any sides of the polyhedron. For example, if the polyhedron is made of metal, then the bottom of the pieces can be magnetic. If the polyhedron has a Velcro™ type cover, then the pieces can have the matching Velcro at the bottom. Any type of material or mechanism known in the art can be used as long as the piece adheres temporarily to the sides of the polyhedron.

The pieces need to be easily grabbed so they can be moved from square to square. Piece 201 is a possible profile for these pieces, but any shape of pieces can be used. Different shapes of pieces could also be used possibly instead of different colors. There is optionally a “King” piece 202 which can also be of a different shape and color and may not have the same adherence as the other pieces.

FIG. 3 shows a tray 300 in which the polyhedron 106 optionally sits with a Lazy Susan 301 that attaches to it. Any mechanism that allows to turn the polyhedron easily can be used as an optional add-on.

FIG. 4 shows the game at startup, where the polyhedron 106 is sitting in the tray 300 which can rotate in both directions because of the lazy susan 301. All the playing pieces (201, 202, 203, 204) are arranged as follows:

• • 1. If a king piece 202 is used, it is placed on the top in the middle of the top face 100.
  • 2. On each of the other 4 faces that are showing (101, 103, 104, 105) the colored pieces are placed according to the following rules:
  • 3. Each colour has one piece on each side faces (101, 103, 104, 105). These can be marked on the board for easy setup as shown in FIG. 4. The starting location of each piece is set as to give equal chances to all players.
  • 4. On the first face (101), place the red (R) piece in the top left corner, one space in from the top and side.
  • 5. On the same face (101), place the yellow (Y) piece three spaces to the right of the red (R) piece 201.
  • 6. On the same face (101), place the green (G) piece three spaces below the yellow (Y) piece.
  • 7. On the same face (101), place the blue (B) piece three spaces to the left of the green (G) piece.
  • 8. This needs to be done for each of the remaining faces (103, 104, 105), but the colors are rotated one spot clockwise for each face.

FIG. 5 shows the placement for each side (101, 103, 104, 105) of the polyhedron 106.

FIG. 6 shows the placement of an alternative cube structure having holes in the sides for placement of the playing pieces. The holes may mate with corresponding pins on the playing pieces. Further shown in FIG. 6 is the cube structure placed upon a lazy susan so that the players may easily rotate the cube structure to plan their playing strategy.

FIG. 7 shows the cube structure of FIG. 6 disassembled so that it may lie flat for storage. In this way, the polyhedron of the game may not necessarily be supplied for the game as a solid structure. Rather, it may be supplied as a flat piece that can be reshaped to form the polyhedron of the game for playing and folded flat for storage.

Any starting locations that provide fair chances to each player can also be used.

The game pieces are allowed to move left, right, up and down by up to 3 spaces, depending on the roll of the dice 200. The piece is allowed to go over the line segment between its current space and another adjacent space.

One embodiment of the game is for four players, each choosing a color or shape, and the object of the game is to remove all the other player's pieces first, and have at least one our piece left on the board. On a larger size or differently shaped polyhedron, additional players can be added using additional colors or shapes.

The game is played as follows:

• • 1. The first player (which can be determined by many different means, including highest roll of the die 200, subsequent players following in a clockwise order), rolls the die 200, which determines how many spaces to move. The piece can be moved according to any allowed movements, for example the piece 201 can be moved over the line segments of a face or over the edges of the polyhedron in any horizontal or vertical direction, including onto a different face of the polyhedron 106. No diagonal moves are allowed.
  • 2. The move may be split between multiple pieces of the same player but the total number of moves must equal the number rolled on the die or dice.
  • 3. Each player takes a turn to make their move(s).
  • 4. If a piece lands on any of the four spaces 405 surrounding the King 202, then the polyhedron 106 must be flipped. If no king is used then specific spaces on each sides can be marked to identify when the polyhedron must be flipped. To flip the polyhedron 106, pick it up out of the tray 300, choose a side (101, 103, 104, 105) to put on the bottom, remove all the pieces from that side and place at the bottom of the tray 300 or on a surface if no tray is used.
  • 5. The king 202, if used, then gets replaced to its initial position on top.
  • 6. Each player can flip the polyhedron only once per turn. The flip must be done at the end of the turn after all the moves on the die have been used up.

The game may be modified to use any type of polyhedron instead of the cube shown in the preferred embodiment (for example an octahedron with 32 triangles as spaces on each side for 6 players). The random numbers generated by the die or dice, the cards, or the electronic device can set be within any range of numbers.

Further, both platonic three-dimensional shapes and irregular polyhedrons may be used as the polyhedron disclosed herein. Such forms may or may not have opposing faces or top faces. In such cases, the object of the game is still the same; that is, moving the playing pieces toward an identified goal for allowing the polyhedron to be repositioned upon a different face and removing the playing pieces from that different face.

Although the particular embodiments shown and described above will prove to be useful in many applications in the rotational arts to which the present invention pertains, further modifications of the present invention will occur to persons skilled in the art. All such modifications are deemed to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A game for a plurality of players, wherein each player has a plurality of pieces, comprising:

a) a polyhedron having a plurality of faces, wherein each face has a plurality of spaces for holding pieces; and

b) a random number generator for indicating the number of spaces to move at least one of the pieces at each player's turn.

2. The game of claim 1, wherein the spaces include a plurality of colors.

3. The game of claim 1, wherein the spaces includes attachment devices for holding the pieces thereon.

4. The game of claim 3, wherein the attachment devices include magnets.

5. The game of claim 3, wherein the attachment devices include hook and fabric.

6. The game of claim 3, wherein the attachment devices include a male and female interlocking mechanism.

7. The game of claim 3, wherein the game further comprises a lazy susan onto which the polyhedron detachably mounts.

8. A method of playing a game,

wherein the game comprises: a) a playing polyhedron having multiple sides, wherein each side has positions for playing pieces allocated to a plurality of players; and b) a random number generator for designating, in turn, the number of moves made by a player's pieces,

the method comprising the steps of: a) starting in an initial position where the polyhedron sits upon one face and each one of each of the player's pieces sit upon a different side face; b) moving the playing pieces toward an identified area on the top face in accordance with the number of moves designated by the random number generator; c) repositioning the polyhedron upon another face when a player's piece reaches the identified area; and d) removing all of the playing pieces on the another face when the polyhedron is repositioned thereon, toward the ultimate goal of removing all of the opponent's pieces after subsequent repositionings.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified area is identified with a single playing piece.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the single playing piece is identified as a king piece.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each player has four playing pieces and each of the pieces of each player is in an initial predetermined starting position on each of the remaining facing sides.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each side of the structure has identified positions for the playing pieces.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identified positions include attachment devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the attachment devices are selected from the group comprising magnets, mating elements, and hook and fabric elements.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the players move their pieces toward the king in any horizontal or vertical direction, including onto a different face of the structure.

16. A method of playing a game, wherein the game has a random number generator, a plurality of pieces for each player of the game, and a playing polyhedron having multiple sides, each of the sides having a plurality of positions designated for the pieces, the method comprising:

a) positioning each of the pieces of each player in an initial predetermined starting position;

b) each player moving his pieces, in turn, the number of moves allocated by the random number generator toward a predetermined location which allows the player to reposition the polyhedron so that it rests upon another side;

c) removing the pieces from the another side; and

d) repeating steps b and c until all of the opponents pieces have been removed from the polyhedron.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined location is identified by a king piece.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each player initially has four playing pieces in a starting position of one piece on each facing side, the king upon the top side, and allowed movement includes moving in any horizontal or vertical direction, including onto a different face of the polyhedron.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein each of the faces of the polyhedron have identified positions for the playing pieces and the king.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identified positions include attachment devices.