WO2004035156A1 - Novel table game - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel table game which can be used for learning a foreign language. The inventive game is characterised in that it consists of a board comprising two stacked parallel sheets. A set of circular tokens, which are made from metal or which comprise a metal core, are inserted between the aforementioned sheets (by means of side slots) and are moved using an external magnetic piece. According to the invention, the winner is the person who collects a pre-fixed number of tokens, said tokens containing different types of information (name, colour, size and number). Once a token has been extracted via a slot, said token can only be collected if the player provides a correct answer according to a level of difficulty selected at the beginning of the game. In addition to the board and the tokens, the game also comprises thematic boxes, an illustrated thematic dictionary (optional) and an instruction booklet as well as, for each player, an external magnetic piece, a strip for supporting and inserting the tokens and, for players over 7, a ball-point pen and a book.

Description

 NEW TABLE GAME

DESCRIPTION

The object of the present invention is a new educational board game, intended for children between five and eleven years, who will help to know, in a playful way, the basic vocabulary used in the first levels of learning a foreign language. The new board game is characterized by using the following components:

l.TABLERO WITH SIDE SLOTS.- The board will preferably be square and it will be formed by two opaque and superimposed sheets of plastic material of the same size (33 cm on each side). The thickness of the lower sheet may be double that of the upper sheet, this being 1.5 mm. Both sheets will be joined by a perimeter band that will keep them evenly separated about 6 mm. In the upper part of this band, grooves of 55 by 4 mm will be made. (Fig. 2), to introduce -and take out- magnetically attractable cards. These slots allow the entry, but not the exit of chips, unless they are magnetically drawn and directed by a pawn with magnetic base that the player will slide on the surface of the board. The position of the slots, preferably in the center or in the corners of the sides, will be indicated in the upper sheet (outputs 1, 2, 3 and 4), where circles will also appear with the three possible sizes of the cards (fig. one). At the end of the game, the board will be inverted to eject the remaining chips through the slots, but - optionally - the board may have a larger slot (6 by 55 mm.) To facilitate ejection. In this case, the board surface will indicate its position (fig.l).

The container board magnetically attractable chips with slots in the upper part of the band has the following advantages: 1. It allows to take full advantage of the playing surface.

2.E1 dragging a tile is not hindered by any other within the board. 3. Hide the chips completely under a surface without holes.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) 4. It has great capacity to hold chips, since the use of slots requires a greater distance between the parallel sheets. 5. Prevents unwanted output of chips. 6. Allows the controlled passage of chips dragged and directed by an external magnetic pawn.

Other boards with grooves. - It is possible to make the manufacturing cheaper using boards whose lateral grooves occupy the whole height of the band. In this case, the sheets would approach only 4 mm. allowing to use less powerful magnets. You can also extend the lower sheet in the area of the grooves so that it serves as a basis to introduce the chips, replacing the strips.

To facilitate the entry of chips, other boards may have upper or lower folding or sliding sheets (Figures 7 and 8). In these cases, the band will keep its lower flange under the grooves.

2. THEMATIC FILES.- They will be formed by two circular sheets, preferably of plastic material and 1.2 mm. of coarse with an internal central recess of

2 cm in diameter, which allows -to be glued together or heat-sealed- to house a circular steel sheet of 2 cm. of diameter and 1.2 mm. thick. The result is a solid piece, magnetically attractable and with its two faces free to receive the necessary information.

These discs will have three sizes with these diameters: 4.5 cm. the largest, 4 cm. the medium and 3.5 cm. the smallest, always with 2.4 mm. thick.

The lower face of each sheet (Fig. 4) will have a figure printed or engraved whose color will rarely match the natural one (green dog, blue cow), so that in each group / theme of tiles there will be figures of all the basic colors .

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) On a background color identifying the theme to which the cards belong (in the previous case, the red background could identify the animals) will be drawn - in addition to the figure - a white circle of 8 mm. in diameter with an inscribed number (fig.4). The upper face (Fig. 5) will be divided into four equal parts, corresponding to the size, color, number and name of the figure shown on the lower face. These features will be written next to the edge of each quarter in a foreign language with blue capital letters (next to a circle that includes a blue pencil). In the central part of each room will appear written, with lowercase red letters, the approximate pronunciation in the mother tongue of the inscription of the edge (a red mouth drawn in the center of the card thus indicates it).

If the foreign language has rules to decide the order in which the four sections (size, color, number and name) are related to each other, the quadrant that is last said will be left blank and, following the colors of the traffic light , the quadrants that are said in first, second and third place, respectively, will be colored red, yellow and green.

This upper part, which is hidden by the base of the pawn when extracting the card, contains the information that the player must know to get the piece.

Each theme will be selected from six to ten figures that will normally be repeated in three sizes and will vary in number or color until they reach eighteen (basic level) or thirty pieces (advanced level) with which, preferably, the game.

3.PEON-EXTERNAL MAGNET.- It will preferably be a cylinder of 4 cm. of height in whose base -5,5 cm. of diameter to hide the information of the cards - a powerful 2 cm circular magnet will be inserted, centered. diameter. To try to get the chips, the player will slide his pawn in a straight line across the surface of the board from a point

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) anyone until his own departure. Once extracted, it will show (drawing and number) resting on the board the other base of the cylinder (Fig. 6).

4. REBOUND.- To place the chips obtained, each player will have a 15 cm strip. long and 5 cm wide, with a 5 mm flange. of height - which will not affect one of its major sides- (Fig. 9). Your base will reach the height of the board slots to make it easier for each player to enter the chips at the start of the game.

5. ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET.- You will have the necessary instructions to overcome each level of difficulty. Several examples will be given as role models. The brochure will necessarily change depending on the language, since the use of each language has its own rules.

6. LIBRETA AND BOLÍGRAFO.- Those over seven years of age who choose level six of difficulty, in addition to giving the required oral information, must write it without errors.

7. THEME BLOCKS.- The cards will be grouped by themes and will be collected in boxes with a distinctive color, which will also be used as a common fund to the figures of the same theme. The boxes - 5.5 cm. by 9 cm. of surface and 5,5 cm. height - will be provided with a sliding top cover.

The subjects to which we refer are those that are studied in the first levels of learning a language, such as: numbers, colors, domestic and wild animals, the house, the street, the school, transport, nature, family, the furniture ... and there will be about fifteen per game to avoid confusion in the background colors that identify the figures.

8. ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY (OPTIONAL) .- In it will appear the themes that are included in the game, along with the drawings printed on the cards. Each drawing will take two

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) inscriptions: in blue capital letters his name in a foreign language and in red lowercase his figurative pronunciation in his mother tongue. This dictionary is optional because the cards already include this information.

GAME RULES

1. Up to four children can participate simultaneously (five with pentagonal board).

2. At the start of each game the first player will be chosen by lot (the turn will follow on the right) which will occupy the exit 1, will decide the theme, the level of difficulty and the number of chips that the winner will need.

3. The players will place the chips on the strips with the written part facing upwards and insert them on the board by their corresponding slots.

4. Each player will track with his pawn the surface of the board, in a straight line from the point he prefers to his particular exit. If he extracts a piece, he will show it, and must respond correctly - according to the level of difficulty chosen - to keep it. Otherwise, the successive partners on your right may have that option, because the card belongs to who gives the information correctly.

5. When a player captures a piece and another / s is not / n according to the answer, will give / n to know its correction in turn. If the correction is correct, the record and turn will be for the person who corrects, but if it is wrong, the objector will lose a turn. The card will belong to the person who captures it if no one objects or if all the necessary characteristics are not met. The correct answer will be discovered at the end of all corrections by going around the chip, which until then will remain attached to the magnetic base of the pawn. If necessary, the brochure will also be consulted. 6. The winner will be the first to get the number of chips set at the start of the game.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) DD7CULTURE LEVELS

The illustrated booklet will give examples to overcome them. ' Only by saying the name of the captured figure - figurative pronunciation in the mother tongue - will you get level 1. If you say the element with your size - in English: big, medium, small - in the necessary order, you will reach level 2 To master level 3 the figure will be told with its color, and to achieve level 4, it will be necessary to say each name with its size and color in perfect order. For level 5 you must know the size, color, number and name of the figure in its correct order. These five levels are oral skills (red letters with pronunciation on the cards) but there will also be a level 6 for writing, optional and reserved for children over 7 years. In level 6, in addition to saying the corresponding names, they will have to be written without error (blue capital letters) in the notebooks. The written part will also have five levels:

6 A. Say and write the name of the drawing. 6 B. Say and write the name of the drawing and its size.

6 C. Say and write the name of the drawing and its color. 6 D. Say and write the name of the drawing with its size and color. 6 E. Say and write the name of the drawing with its size, color and number. Any error in the pronunciation, writing or order, will cause the rebound and the possibility that it is the partner of the right who gets the piece.

The materials, shapes and dimensions of the present invention may vary provided that the essentials of the foregoing are not altered, changed or modified.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

Claims

1. New board game characterized by incorporating a square or pentagonal board (fig. 1) made up of two opaque sheets of plastic material of the same size. The sheets are joined by a perimeter band that keeps them fixed and uniformly about 6 mm apart. Between the two, a series of magnetically attractive tokens are inserted through grooves in the band. These slots are made in the upper part of the band (fig. 2) (preferably in the center or in the corners) and allow the entry but not the exit of the tiles, unless they are magnetically dragged and directed by a pawn -magnet that the player slides on the playing surface. To facilitate the exit of the chips that are left over at the end of the game, one of the slots (fig. 3) may be larger (6 mm by 5.5 cm.). 2. New board game, characterized by. use of a board with grooves in the upper part of the band, according to the first claim, but whose upper foil can be whip (fig. 7) or slide (fig. 8) totally or partially to insert the chips. All grooves in these boards will be the same size. 3. New board game with groove board that occupies the entire height of the band, located either in the center or in the corners of each side. They allow the board to be built with the closest sheets (only 4 mm.) And the pawns would not need special magnets. 4. New board game according to the previous claim, with a board whose bottom sheet is extended in the area of the grooves to facilitate the insertion of the tiles. The surface of the extension will be enough to house the largest chips. 5. New board game, according to previous claims, characterized by incorporating circular plastic chips whose core will be a circular, internal and centered metallic sheet that makes them magnetically attractive. The internal arrangement of the metal foil also gives the chip greater strength. SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) 6. New board game, according to previous claims, characterized in that the cards are grouped by themes. Each theme has an identifying color that appears as the exterior background of the drawings. 7. New board game, according to previous claims, characterized by having cards of three standard sizes to reproduce the selected drawings (and information) of each topic at three different sizes. 8. New board game, according to previous claims, characterized in that the drawings are colored in a single, flat and arbitrary color, which normally will not coincide with their natural color. In each theme there will be cards with figures of all the basic colors. 9. New board game, according to previous claims, characterized in that the bottom face of each tile bears, on the identifying background of the subject to which it belongs, a drawing and a number inscribed in a white circle (fig.4). 10. New board game, according to previous claims, with thematic cards whose upper face is divided into four equal parts, corresponding to the size, color, number and name of the drawing, which will be written in a foreign language on the outside of the card ( preferably with blue capital letters), next to a circle that includes a writing symbol. In the interior part, the figurative pronunciation in the mother tongue of what is written next to the edge of the card is represented, for this, small red letters will preferably be used surrounding a mouth of the same color that occupies the center of the card and symbolizes the spoken form. Each quadrant contains the spoken and written form of the part it represents (fig. 5). In each quadrant, a dashed circular line may partially separate the written form from the spoken one. 11. New board game with chips according to previous claims in which the four quarters of the upper face use the colors of the traffic light to indicate (if necessary) the order preferred by the foreign language when these parts are related to each other. SUBSTITUTE SHEET RULE 26 yes. For this, the quadrant that is used last is left white and those that are used in first, second and third place are colored red, yellow and green, respectively. This completes the top face of the tiles. 12. New board game according to previous claims, characterized in that the tiles that it uses have a lower face (drawing) that must be shown to all the players (this is the "question"). In contrast, the top (written) face contains information (or "answer") that should be hidden and only known when all participants have attempted to provide a solution. Logically, this is achieved by introducing all the tiles on the board with the written side facing up. The upper face is known at the time taking off the pawn token. 13. New board game characterized by preferably using as a pawn a cylinder whose base has, centered, a magnet with the necessary magnetism to attract the tiles inside the board. This cylinder hides the information on the top face of the card (base about 5.5 cm in diameter) while allowing the bottom face (drawing) to be shown by inverting its position (fig. 6). 14. New board game, according to previous claims, characterized by using strips whose base is at the level of the grooves to facilitate the introduction of chips on the board. The strips will also serve later for the player to place the chips he gets. SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)