APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STACKING GAME
A stacking or stackable unit or apparatus is disclosed along with an associated method for use of the unit(s) as, for example, a game and/or toy that includes two or more vertical stacked units. Each unit may include a top or upper surface, a sidewall extending from the upper surface, and a bottom or base. The upper surface may also be angled relative to the base and may be designed so that the upper surface of one unit may be mated/interconnected to the base of another unit.
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/940,216 filed on Feb. 14, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONA stacking or stackable unit or apparatus is disclosed along with an associated method for use of the unit(s) as, for example, a game and/or toy that includes two or more vertically stacked units. Each unit may have an upper surface that may be angled relative to the unit's base or bottom such that the stacking of units results in an increasingly unstable tower of units. The units may also be stacked and used as a toy or plaything.
REFERENCE TO RELATED ARTA host of stacking games and playthings are known in the art. Among the most popular is JENGA®, a game in which players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of 54 blocks. Each block removed is then balanced on top of the tower, creating a progressively taller but less stable structure. The game ends when the tower falls over.
A stacking game disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,606 involved a game playing method and game piece stack formations using a plurality of elongated blocks having angled ends. As best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, players may set up the game such that the stack or tower of blocks is tilted or otherwise angularly offset with respect to the floor.
Another block stacking game was disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,729. FIG. 1 of that patent, for example, showed a prior art stacking game featuring blocks with a parallelogram shaped cross-section.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA stacking or stackable unit or apparatus is disclosed along with an associated method for use of the unit(s) as, for example, a game and/or toy that includes two or more vertically stacked units. Each unit may include an angled top or upper surface, a sidewall, and a bottom or base. The units may also be designed so that the upper surface of one unit may be mated/interconnected to the base of another unit (rather than simply resting face-to-face on the lower unit).
Game play and/or use of the units by two or more users/players may involve the building of a stack or tower of units. More specifically, each player in turn may first select a unit having an upper surface with a particular angle. Then, after selecting the unit, the player places that unit on the tower with the upper surface at an orientation the player thinks is likely to increase the instability of the tower but not result in the tower falling over. A goal of game play thus being to increase the instability of the tower—to make things more difficult on the next player—without being the player who causes the tower to fall over. Game play may end when the placement of a unit results in the tower becoming unstable and falling over.
The units may also be used as a toy or plaything. For example, as shown the units may include a mold article (e.g., doll faces, heads, arms, etc.) such that a user (e.g., a child) may use the tower of stacked units as a toy or plaything.
Reference will be made herein to drawings in which like reference number refer to like parts throughout, and wherein:
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Having thus described my invention various other embodiments will become apparent to those of skill in the art that do not depart from the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of stacking units, each unit including an upper surface, a base, and a sidewall extending from the upper surface to the base, the upper surface and base including one of a male or female interface whereby one stacking unit may be mated with another stacking unit to form a tower of units, each upper surface being angled with respect to the base, and at least one stacking unit of the plurality of units having an upper surface set a different angle than another stacking unit of the plurality of units.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of each unit is set at an angle between 1 and 25 degrees.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stacking units comprises a tower of at least three stacking units positioned one on top of the other.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a terminal unit.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the terminal unit comprises a doll head.
6. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a foundation member.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sidewall of each unit is cylindrical.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the height of the sidewall of each unit is in a range between 0.5 and 5 cm.
9. An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of stacking units, each unit including an upper surface, a base, and a sidewall extending from the upper surface to the base, the upper surface and base including one of a male or female interface whereby one stacking unit may be mated with another stacking unit to form a tower of units, each upper surface and base being angled with respect to a horizontal plane extending through the unit, and at least one stacking unit of the plurality of units having an upper surface set at a different angle than another stacking unit of the plurality of units.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the upper surface and base of each unit is set at an angle between 1 and 25 degrees.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of stacking units comprises a tower of at least three stacking units positioned one on top of the other.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a terminal unit.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a foundation member.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sidewall of each unit is cylindrical.
15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angled upper surface and the angled base face different directions.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one accessory item mounted to at least one unit.
17. A method comprising:
- providing a plurality of stacking units, each unit including an upper surface, a base, and a sidewall extending from the upper surface to the base, the upper surface and base including one of a male or female interface, each upper surface being angled with respect to the base, and at least one stacking unit of the plurality of units having an upper surface set a different angle than another stacking unit of the plurality of units;
- placing stacking units one on top of the other to form a tower of increasing instability;
- placing a final stacking unit on the tower resulting in the tower failing over.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a foundation member on to which the stacking units are placed one on top of the other to form the tower.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the upper surface of each unit is set at an angle between 1 and 25 degrees.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the height of the sidewall of each unit is in a range between 0.5 and 5 cm.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 17, 2014
Publication Date: Aug 20, 2015
Applicant: Hedeen International, LLC (Sturgeon Bay, WI)
Inventors: CLEMENS V. HEDEEN, JR. (Sturgeon Bay, WI), Kay Lee Hedeen (Sturgeon Bay, WI), Michael T. Keyser (Sturgeon Bay, WI)
Application Number: 14/216,131