Grooved game board for spherical play pieces

<td> Nov. 7, 1950</td><td> R. H. SEAMAN 2,528,792</td>

GROOVED GAME BOARD FOR SPHERICAL PLAY PIECES

Filed April 29, 1947

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Patented Nov. 7, 1950

2,528,792

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,528,792

GROOVED GAME BOARD FOR SPHERICAL

PLAY PIECES

Ralph H. Seaman, Auburndale, Mass.

Application April 29,1947, Serial No. 744,568

Claims.

This invention relates to a game.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel, interesting and fascinating game comprising a game board and a plurality of opposing game pieces adapted to be pushed, step by step, over a playing surface formed in the surface of the board towards goals at opposed sides of the field of play.

The surface of the board is formed to provide intersecting channels related in size to that of the game pieces movable therethrough whereby to enable adjacent pieces to be pushed along together in an aligned row, or, to permit parallelly arranged rows of pieces to pass each other during the play of the game.

With this object in view, and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the game embodying a game board and playing pieces traversable over the board as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a game embodying the present invention; Fig.

is a side elevation of the game board; and Fig.

is a detail view upon a larger scale illustrating the relative proportions of the game board and the game pieces in accordance with the present invention.

In general, the present invention relates to a game comprising a game board of novel construction provided with equally spaced intersecting longitudinal and transverse channels forming raised portions between the channels, and a plurality of game pieces preferably spherical in shape, adapted to be moved along said channels and to be supported in sockets formed by the raised portions at said intersections. In accordance with the present invention the equally spaced intersecting channels and the game pieces are so proportioned relative to each other as to permit adjacent aligned pieces in one channel to be pushed along together from one intersection to another by peripheral engagement of adjacent pieces and, also to permit one piece to pass another piece lodged in an adjacent socket or intersection without interference when pushed in a direction at right angles to said other piece.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents a game board, preferably rectangular in shape, and which is provided with a plurality of equally spaced intersecting longitudinal and transverse channels 12, 14 respectively, forming equally spaced rectangular raised portions or squares 16 between the channels. The game pieces 18 may (Cl.

.³⁵ .40 .45

273—131) and preferably will be spherical in shape and adapted to be manually moved along the channels and to come to rest at said intersections in sockets formed by the adjacent squares 16, the corners of the squares at the intersections forming four point bearings for the spherical game pieces or balls (8.

In practice, the upper edges of the squares 16 may be rounded or beveled, as indicated at 20, forming a track to facilitate movement of the balls along the channels, and, the depth of the channels may be such as to maintain the balls in an elevated position so that they do not touch the bottom of the channels.

The game board 10 is further provided with goals 22, 24 respectively at two opposite sides Of the board preferably defined by breaks or openings in a line 26 drawn in the outermost channels and designating the outer marginal edges of the playing field.

In accordance with the present invention the playing pieces or balls i8 may and preferably will be of equal size and of a diameter slightly less than the distance from center to center of the intersections, or, center to center of adjacent parallel channels so that in play adjacent aligned balls in the same channel may be pushed along together from one intersection or socket to another by peripheral engagement of adjacent balls, or, one or more balls in one channel may pass by one or more balls disposed in an adjacent parallel channel. As an example of the proportions desired to be maintained, the distance from center to center of the intersections or from center to center of adjacent parallel channels may be about one inch, and the diameter of the balls about thirty-one thirty-seconds of an inch so that there will be a space of one thirty-second of an inch clearance between balls in adjacent sockets to permit the movement described. In the above example, the width of the channel may be about three-eighths of an inch, making the squares 16 about five-eighths of an inch square, and, the depth of the channels may be about one-quarter of an inch.

Although the number of sockets or intersections in a game board may be varied, and the number of playing pieces may likewise be varied, the illustrated game is designed to be played by two persons, the game board having eighty-one sockets and each player having eleven playing pieces of the same color, the color of one set of playing pieces differing from that of his opponent. As herein shown, the playing pieces 18c on the lefthand side of the field of play in

2,528,792

Fig. 1 are conventionally indicated as being yellow, and those designated 18b on the righthand side are indicated as being red. A central playing piece, numbered 18c, which is to be pushed through a goal in order to score may be of a different color, herein indicated as green, and in the play of the game is initially placed in the central socket of the board, as illustrated.

In playing the game, each player initially arranges his playing pieces on his own side of the playing field in two rows of five in each row extending diagonally from the center to the corners of the board, each piece being supported in a socket and forming in effect a V-formation. One piece of each player is placed directly in front of his own goal. As above stated, the object of the game is to push the central piece or green ball 18c through the opponent’s goal and each player takes a turn in making three moves, a movement from one socket or intersection being counted as one move. The three moves may be made either by moving one piece through three intersections; one piece through two intersections and another through one; or he may move three different pieces from one intersection to another.

During the play of the game, a player may push. (but not pull) his opponent’s playing pieces provided that he has aligned in any row in which the push is to be directed a greater number of playing pieces than his opponent. For example, if there are three red pieces aligned in a row with two yellow pieces, then the red player may push the.two red pieces through three spaces or intersections corresponding to his three moves, or he may push them one or two spaces as he elects utilizing the remainder of his three moves with other playing pieces. If there are none of the opponent’s playing pieces in the row in which a player elects to move, then he may move through one, two or three moves as the situation dictates. In moving the playing pieces either toward his opponent’s, or laterally thereof, a player may eventually push one or more of the opponent’s playing pieces from the playing field, and in doing that he thereby eliminates from further play those of the opponent’s playing pieces which have been thus moved from the field. In this way it is possible to reduce the number of the remaining available playing pieces which the opponent may use in opposing the player’s movement of the playing or green ball 18c so that eventually : a player may succeed in pushing the green ball through the opponent’s goal and thus win the game.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention a player may move the particular one of his playing pieces which is immediately adjacent the green ball 18c in any direction either longitudinally or transversely corresponding either to a push or a pull, and in addition may carry the green ball alongside the playing piece being moved.

Neither side has any pulling power over the . other, that is, two red pieces aligned with a yellow piece cannot be moved to pull it along but must be moved in a direction to push the yellow piece. Pieces in alignment in adjacent intersections may .move as one when desired. The player may move all in front of him when he has the preponderance of numbers and consequently the power to move. The entire line would then move one, two or three intersections. Lines may be formed either longitudinally or transversely as long as the pieces are disposed in ad4 jacent intersections. The balance of power may be altered in one line by pushing an opponent’s piece out and leaving the player’s own piece in the line. It takes two pieces to push one piece out of line. One playing piece may not push or be pushed by one piece of his opponent, as each piece is of equal strength.

The central or green piece must not be moved to the outer marginal edges of the board, defined by the line 26, except when passing through the goal posts. Any red or yellow piece pushed off the board is eliminated from further play. The team scoring the first goal wins the game. It neither side is able to score, the game ends in a draw.

The present game board and game pieces may be used to play various games based on the movement of the playing pieces through the channels formed in the playing board, and the play of the game above described comprises merely the preferred form of game utilizing the game board and playing pieces to provide a novel, fascinating and interesting game, and one requiring substantial skill.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.