GB2029242A - Ball puzzle game - Google Patents

Abstract

A ball 19 is held captive within a structure 10 comprised of individual compartments 11 stacked one upon another and each having a central partition 12 containing apertures 13 at least one of which allows the ball to pass through. The game is played by players having alternate moves in opposite directions each striving to transfer the playing piece (19) to his allotted end. A sand timer having a smaller aperture 18, which may be adjustable, indicates the period of a player's turn. The timing means could be an object falling through a fluid or clockwork or electronic means. Rotation of parts of the device may be necessary to allow passage of the ball. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A device for playing a game The present invention relates to a device for playing a game which involves the use of a playing piece retained within a series of compartments, the object of the game being to transfer the playing piece from a start compartment to a finish compartment via apertures provided in partitions separating adjacent compartments.

Various games devices are known which include one or more playing pieces, such as ball bearings or marbles, contained within a housing at least part of which is transparent and containing a number of obstacles which may, for example, be in the form of a maze through which a player must conduct the playing piece, from a start to a finish position. These games have generally been intended for use by one person and generally take the form of a game of patience and test the manual dexterity of the player.

It is the aim of the present invention to provide a game of the above general type which combines elements of luck, skill and patience and additionally introduces a competitive aspect.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for playing a game comprising, means defining a series of compartments, adjacent compartments being separated by partitioning means each having one or more openings or apertures, and at least one playing piece contained within said series of compartments, wherein the opening or aperture or at least one of said openings or apertures of each partitioning means is so dimensioned as to permit passage of said playing piece therethrough to enable said playing piece to be transferred from one compartment to an adjacent compartment.

Preferably, the device takes the form of a cylindrical housing formed by a plurality of substantially identical cylindrical sections stacked one upon another and closed at both ends by means of end plates. The partitioning means may take the form of flat circular discs forming a central transverse web for each of the cylindrical sections with said openings or apertures provided therein, so that the parti tioning means of adjacent sections and adjacent wall portions of adjacent sections, when stacked, define a compartment.Alternatively, said partitioning means may be provided by a plurality of radial spokes which extend inwardly from the walls of said cylindrical sections, said spokes being substantially uniformly distributed, with the spaces between the spokes forming said openings or apertures at least one of which is so dimensioned to permit passage of a playing piece therethrough. The stack is preferably secured as a single unit by means of a central rod or tubular connecting member extending between the end portions and firmly connected thereto.Each of the cylindrical sections is preferably rotatably mounted on said connecting rod or tube, in the case where a tube is provided, this may be partially filled with a granular material such as sand, and the tube divided into two halves by suitable means containing a small aperture through which the granular material may pass at a predetermined rate, so that the passage of all of the material through the aperture from one half of the cylinder to the other constitutes a timing means.

Whilst the device is preferably of a cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section, it may be of any other suitable form if desired, such as, for example, square, triangular, or polygonal, and furthermore, the individual sections need not be identical and could, if desired, be so formed as to provide a serpentine arrangement, but preferably, the arrangement is symmetrical. Various different types of timing means could be utilized, such as, for example, an object falling through a viscous fluid, and such timing means can be mounted externally of the playing area of the device, for example, incorporated in a handle or the like connected to the two end portions of the stack.Also, the partitioning means may take the form of a lattice-like structure having a contoured surface and apertures of various sizes, or alternatively, the apertures in the partitioning means could be surrounded by a collar to make it more difficult for a playerto getthe playing piece into the aperture, or studs or pegs may be provided on the partitioning means to prevent the playing piece passing through an adjacent partition unless the adjacent sections are rotated slightly.

The present invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device for playing a game according to the present invention: Fig. 2 is an end view in the direction of arrow A; Fig. 3 is an end view in the direction of arrow B; Fig. 4 is a section on the line C-C of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section on the line D-D of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 shows an alternative form of partitioning means between compartments using radial spokes; Figs. 7 and 8 show a modification of the partitioning means incorporating spikes to restrictthe movement of a playing piece; Fig. 9 shows the manner in which spikes or pegs can prevent a playing piece passing through an aperture in an adjacent partitioning means;; Fig. 10 illustrates the manner in which cut-out portions can be provided in each section of the stack forming the apparatus to reduce the quantity of material used in the production of the apparatus; Fig. 11 is a side view of the section shown in Fig.

10; Fig. 12 is a section on the line X-X of Fig. 10; Fig. 13 shows how pegs and/or spikes can be arranged in relation to the apertures or openings on a partitioning means; and Figs. 14to 17 illustrate a possible construction of the timing means and means by which the playing time can be varied.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a device for playing a game in the form of a cylindrical stack 10 comprised of a plurality of cylindrical sections 11 mounted one upon the other, each of said cylindrical sections 11 having a centrally located partition 12 each having a plurality of apertures 13. The stack 10 is closed at both ends by portions 14 and 15, between which a hollow cylindrical tube 16, which passes through a central aperture in each of the discs 12, extends.

The central cylindrical tube 16 is divided into two equal halves by means of a separating member 17 in the form of two dished portions having a common circular base with an aperture 18 therein, and the tube 16 is partially filled with a granular material such as sand, so that when the device is in use the sand will fall through the central aperture under gravity at a rate controlled by the size of the aperture 18, to provide suitable timing means for a player's "turn".

The device includes a ball or marble 19 which is captive within the device when assembled and the apertures in each of the partitions 12 are dimensioned such that only selected ones of these are sufficiently large for the marble 19 to pass through.

The various cylindrical sections 11 are preferably rotatably mounted on the tubular member 16, so that the various sections 11 can be rotated independently of one another so as to avoid the possibility of a particular sequence of apertures in a series of partitions being memorised, the various sections 11 being spun at random after each turn or a predetermined numberofturns. Each of the end members 14 and 15 have a coloured portion, the two ends being differently coloured, and corresponding coloured bands are provided on the cylindrical tube 16 to identify a start point for a particular player.

For a game to be played, the marble or ball bear ing 19 is brought to the compartment containing the coloured band allocated to the player who is to start and the sand is transferred to the same side of the central separating member 17. To start his turn, the player then inverts the device, at which point the sand within the tube immediately begins to fall into the other half of the tube via the aperture 18. The player then seeks to transfer the bail 19 from compartment to compartment down the stack from the starting point by a process of trial and error trying to discoverthe appropriately sized aperture 13 in each partition 12, seeking to transfer the ball through as many compartments as possible before the sand, and therefore his time, runs out.As soon as this happens the player then gives the device to his opponent who then inverts the apparatus and seeks to transfer the ball 19, again down the stack, but now in an opposite direction, towards his own colour. It is evident that each player will not, on average, transferthe ball 19 through the same numberofcom- partments on each turn, so that after several alternate turns, one or other of the players will be able to transferthe ball into the end compartmentcorres- ponding to his colour and therefore win the game.

In order to provide a game of sufficient interest, the number of compartments provided must be suf ficientto prevent the game being won in less than two or three moves per player, and, by experiment, it has been found that the average move is through four compartments for a move lasting 30 seconds, so that a total of, for example, ten compartments are preferably provided between a given start compartment and the finish compartment. In this respect, it has also been found preferable to locate the start points forthe various colours in a compartment which is two compartments away from the central compartment and on the side furthest from the corresponding coloured end. Whilst this arrangement has been found to be preferable, any other suitable arrangement may of course be utilised according to individual requirements.

In an alternative form of the game, one device may be provided for each player so that the two players can then start simultaneousiy, the winner being the first to transfer the ball bearing or marble from one end of the device to the other, the other features of the device remaining unchanged. Further, rather than providing the timing means within the structure of the device, this could alternatively be provided on a handle provided for holding the device, which handle could be connected between the two end portions, but externally of the stack of compartments, in which case the central cylindrical tube 16 could be replaced by a simple connecting rod. Other types of simple timing mechanisms could also be utilised, such as a simple mechanical clockwork mechanism or even an electronic timing device.

The device is preferably made from transparent plastics material with each of the cylindrical portions 11 being identical and therefore being readily manufactured by injection moulding processes. The manner of assembly would also be simple, i.e. by locating the cylindrical tube 16 in one end portion and then locating a stack of cylindrical members 11 on said tube 16, filling the tube 16 with an appropriate amount of granular material, inserting a ball into one of the compartments and then fixing an end panel to the top of the stack to form a closed structure.Whilst the material of the structure is preferably a transparent plastics material, a perforated lattice or cage-like structure of an opaque material could alternatively be utilised, the only requirement being that the player or players should be able to easily see the position of the ball within the structure and the location of the various apertures between compartments.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 13, various alternative constructions forthe cylindrical portions 11 areindi- cated. In Fig. 6, instead of a flat annular partition 12, a plurality of radial spokes 20 are provided which extend centrally inwardly from the cylindrical walls of each of the sections 11' so as to define a central, substantially circular, aperture by means of which each of the sections 11' can be located over a central cylindrical tube, such as tube 16 of Fig. 1. The spokes 20 are substantially uniformly distributed around the internal circumference of the cylindrical sections 11' and between adjacent spokes 20, small spokes 21 are provided. Each of the small spokes 21,together with its immediately adjacent spokes 20, defines an aperture 22 of which at least one is dimensioned so as to allow a playing piece, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6, to pass therethrough. As can be seen, the combination of spokes 20 and 21 provide a simi lar partitioning means to the flat partition 12 having apertures 13 of Fig. 6.

With regard to Figs. 7 and 8, a similar arrangement to that shown in Fig. 6 is provided, however, in this case, small studs, spikes of similar projections 23 are provided on each of the spokes 20. These projections 23 provide obstructions to the movement of the play ing piece during a game, in that when a player is trying the playing piece in different apertures 22 to find the correct aperture he has to avoid the projections 23. As shown in Fig. 9, projections 23' are shown which are of a sufficient size to prevent the passage of a playing piece through an aperture in an adjacent partition, if a projection 23' is positioned immediately below the aperture, so that a player would have to ensure that the aperture through which the playing piece is to pass is cleared of obstructions by such a projection 23'.

In Figs. 10,11 and 12, a construction of a cylindrical section 11" is shown wherein the partition 12' has cutout portions and the cylindrical walls of the section 11" also has cutout portions in order to minimise the amount of materials required for production of each of the sections and also to reduce the weight of the structure. In Fig. 13 an arrangement is shown wherein a cylindrical section of the type shown in Figs. 10 to 12 is additionally provided with a plurality of pegs or projections 23" to restrict the movement of the playing piece and/or to obstruct the passage of a playing piece through an aperture in an adjacent partition, and additionally is provided with pegs or projections 24 positioned behind each of the apertures 13', which projections 24 further restrict the movement of the playing piece.

In Figs. 14 to 17, an example of a possible construction of an adjustable timing means is illustrated, which comprises a cylindrical tube consisting of two parts 16' and 16" connected together by means of a frusto-conical, resilient, snap connection, as shown more clearly in Figs. 15a and 15The snap connection comprises a frusto-conical connection member 30 provided on one part 16' of the timing means which is locatable in a frusto-conical recess 31 provided in the other part 16" of the timing means. A central passage 32 is provided extending through the connection region, a portion 33 being provided in the part 16", and a portion 34 of the passage 32 being provided in the part 16'. The two portions 33 and 34 are substantially in alignment with one another, however, they are arranged relative to one another so that there is one particular position, which may be indicated by arrows as shown in Fig. 16a, wherein the two portions 33 and 34 are directly in alignment so as to provide the maximum aperture as shown in Fig. 16b, but by rotating one of the portions 16' with respect to the other portion 16", as indicated by the displacement of the arrows in Fig. 17a, the two portions 33 and 34 of the passage 32 may be brought slightly out of alignment so as to provide for adjustment of the period of the timing means, if required.

Claims (13)

1. A device for playing a game comprising, means defining a series of compartments, adjacent compartments being separated by partitioning means each having one or more openings or apertures, and at least one playing piece contained within said series of compartments, wherein the opening or aperture or at least one of said openings or apertures of each partitioning means is dimensioned so as to permit passage of said playing piece therethrough to enable said playing piece to be transferred from one compartment to an adjacent compartment.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means defining a series of compartments comprises a plurality of substantially identical sections stacked one upon another so as to form a housing, each of said sections having a partitioning means having one or more openings or apertures.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said sections is substantially cylindrical so that said stack forms a substantially cylindrical housing, said cylindrical housing being closed at both ends.

4. A device as claimed in claims 2 or 3, wherein said partitioning means is provided as a flat transverse web extending centrally of each of said sections of said stack and is provided with said one or more openings or apertures.

5. A device as claimed in claims 2 or 3, wherein said partitioning means is formed by a plurality of radial spokes which extend inwardly from the walls of said sections of said stack, said spokes being substantially uniformly distributed with the spaces between the spokes forming said openings or apertures at least one of which is so dimensioned as to permit passage of said playing piece therethrough.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a plurality of obstacles in the form of studs, spikes, projections or pegs are provided on said partition means in order to obstruct the movement of the playing piece.

7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said means defining a series of compartments is constructed of a substantially transparent material to enable players to observe the movement of a playing piece from compartmentto compartment.

8. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein said means defining a series of compartments is constructed of an opaque or translucent material provided as an open mesh structure to enable a playerto observe the movement of a playing piece between compartments.

9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein timing means are provided.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said timing means comprises a transparent tubular member separated into two separate compartments by means of a central portion or member having a flow passage therethrough, said flow passage being dimensioned so as to allow said flowable material to be transferred from one compartmenttothe other compartment in a predetermined time.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said flowable material is a granular material.

12. A device as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein the dimensions of the flow passage are adjustable to enable said predetermined time to be adjusted.

13. A device for playing a game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.