US3458216A - Game board - Google Patents

Description

July 29, 1969 A. I... HARRISON 3,458,216

GAME BOARD Filed March 16. 1967 mmvroa AL 86/?7' L. HARRISON I3 BY United States Patent 3,458,216 GAME BOARD Albert L. Harrison, 164 Maple Shade Ave., Trenton, NJ. 08690 Filed Mar. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 623,622 Int. Cl. B42f l/00, 3/00, /00

U.S. Cl. 281-45 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention The prior art is aware of game boards of various sizes, and configurations, which are utilized in the playing of games which require the movement of a game piece or a plurality of pieces across the surface of the board. Generally, a major portion of the game boards are of the foldable type wherein the manufacturers of the board provide a hinged or a plurality of hinged portions therein for obvious economical reasons relating to the packaging, the storing and the shipping of the boards. These foldable boards have presented problems in that the hinge portions thereof generally provide a line of weakness which will weaken and tear, after a period of continual use. Much thought and attempts have been channeled into the fabrication of game boards with improved hinges which will be economical, simple and durable.

These boards generally are provided with reinforcement in the area of the joint, for example, in boards made from cardboard, backing tape is provided in the hinge area to prevent the breaking of the fibers while in panel type boards, hinges of tape, fabric or other pliable material, as well as metal hinges, are utilized to connect the panels. It is apparent, then, that the foldable game boards of the prior art require an additional amount of workmanship in their manufacture. This adds to the overall gofit of the board without appreciably adding to its dura- Summary of the invention The present invention concerns itself with overcoming the aforementioned defects by providing a game board which is made from a thermoplastic. In making the game board of the present invention, a layer of polypropylene is cast into a mold of the desired configuration having a continual projection at the location at which the connecting hinge or joint is desired, whereby a grooved portion will be formed in the board to provide a bending line whereat the board may be folded after the setting of the plastic. It is obvious, therefore, that a game board is provided which is simple to fabricate, economical, durable, and capable of being mass-produced and which overcomes all the objections of the prior art.

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the game board showing the same in an opened and extended position;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the game board showing the same in a folded position;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the hinge area of the board showing the manner in which the same is folded; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of one of the dividers utilized in the sectionalization of the board.

3,458,216 Patented July 29, 1969 Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now to the details of the drawing and the present invention, FIGURE 1 shows a game board designated generally at 10. In the preferred embodiment, the game board is one to be used for holding cards, such as those used in bingo, and is comprised of two sections 11 and 12 interconnected by hinge 13 formed integrally with each of the sections. Each of the sections 11 and 12 is defined by flat, planar surfaces having openings 15 disposed centrally along the free ends thereof. These openings provide means for carrying the game board when the same is in the folded position depicted in FIGURE 2. Additionally, each of the panels has grooves formed therein for receiving strips which serve to define segmented areas over a substantial area of the board, as will be explained hereinafter.

In segmenting the board, a longitudinal groove 16 is formed medially of the board, with a plurality of transverse grooves 17 intersecting the groove 16 to form equally divided areas 18, 19 and 20. The area 19 is formed from portions of panels 11 and 12, whereas the sections 18 and 20 are completely positioned on their respective panels. The grooves can be formed in the board during the making of the board or can be milled therein as a later process step.

The strips or barriers, designated at 21 are T-shaped in cross-section, as shown in FIGURE 4, with the supporting leg 22 inserted into the grooves, While the transverse leg extends over and into each of the adjacent segmented areas.

As is seen in FIGURE 2, when the game board is folded, the transverse legs 23 of the dividing strips on one panel engage the transverse legs 23 of the dividing strips on the other panel to form a compact package for carrying and storing the same.

The board of the present invention is preferably made of polypropylene which has a highly crystalline structure, giving the hinge a high tensile strength. While other thermoplastic material may be used for molding the board, polypropylene has been found to be the most durable material, in that the hinge formed therefrom can withstand continued flexing without breakage.

As was mentioned hereinabove, the mold is provided with continual projections in the area in which hinge connections are desired to provide that the thickness of the polypropylene is less than the remaining portion of the board in order to permit the board to be flexed along the bend line to the dotted line position 24 illustrated in FIGURE 3. The mold is also provided with circular projections in order to form the aligned openings 15.

In molding the game board, the liquid polypropylene is directed across that portion of the mold wherein the bending line is to be formed. In doing this, the crystalline structure of the plastic is such that the crystals will be aligned in a direction of the highest stress. This board, when completed, will safely endure more than 1,000,000 bending actions without failure.

After the plastic has set, the board is removed from the mold and is folded about the hinge line 13 to the compact position illustrated in FIGURE 2. When the board is to be used, it is opened to the position illustrated in FIGURE 1, and the bingo cards are then slid into the compartments 18, 19 and 20 and are retained therein by the legs 23 of the divider strips. The vertical legs 22 of the strips serve to limit the inward movement of the cards and permit the same to be axially aligned in longitudinal rows with respect to the board which relationship facilitates the reading of the bingo cards.

What is claimed is:

1. A game board holder for bingo cards and the like comprised of at least two substantially identical panels,

3 means connecting said panels to one another along one edge thereof respectively and having a thickness less than that of said panels whereby one panel can be superimposed over the other upon flexing of said means, said panels and connecting means being cast in a one-step operation from plastic material having the characteristic that the connecting means forms a flexible hinge by repeated flexing along said edges, each of said panels being segmented by grooves, one of which extends centrally thereof substantially normal to said connecting means and substantially the length of each panel, and two of which extend substantially transversely to said one grove with one of said transverse grooves being twice the distance from said connecting means as the other transverse groove, T-shaped divider strips for each of said grooves having the vertical leg thereof positioned in said grooves with the cross legs thereof disposed above the panels serving to maintain the cards thereon and openings formed in each of the panel ends remote from the connecting 20 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bunker et al.

McCollom.

Hurley 124 Bornhoft 4064 Taylor 28144 Stinson.

Vogel.

Sendor 281-29 Nicholson 28129 X Schilling.

FOREIGN PATENTS JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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