Sudoku game device

• US 20070087842A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Prescope Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Prescope Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ting, Pen-Li, Chen, Hsiang-Jui, Huang, Mu-Hsiang
• Application Number:
  US11/320,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20070087842A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/0418 with a grid, e.g. 'Sudoku'-type games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0421 Electric word or number games

Abstract

The present invention provides a Sudoku game device, including: a housing; a display device disposed in but protruding from the housing and capable of displaying at least a seven-segment number; at least an input key disposed in but protruding from the housing, wherein users can input, select, or operate with the input key; a printed circuit board disposed in the housing to accommodate the devices described below; a controller disposed on the printed circuit board and coupled with the input key to receive input instructions from the input key to execute self-created puzzles or other operations; and a driving device disposed on the printed circuit board and coupled with the controller to receive control instructions from the controller to drive the display device to display the number.

Claims

1. A Sudoku game device, comprising:

a housing to accommodate the device described below;

a display device disposed in but protruding from the housing and capable of displaying at least a seven-segment number;

at least an input key disposed in but protruding from the housing, wherein users can input, select, or operate with the input key;

a printed circuit board disposed in the housing to accommodate the devices described below;

a controller disposed on the printed circuit board and coupled with the input key to receive input instructions from the input key to execute self-created puzzles or other operations; and

a driving device disposed on the printed circuit board and coupled with the controller to receive control instructions from the controller to drive the display device to display the number.

2. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, wherein seven segments of the number are a, b, c, d, e, f, and g, respectively and the definitions of the segments a, b, c, d, e, f, and g are identical to those of a common seven-segment display device.

3. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one mark concealed in the seven segments of the number and the mark is unique.

4. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 3, wherein the mark can be Arabic numbers 1 to 9, character, or symbol.

5. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 3, wherein the mark is an Arabic number 1 in the “

a”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 4 in the “

b”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 8 in the “

c”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 9 in the “

d”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 6 in the “

e”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 2 in the “

f”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 5 in the “

g”

segment;

the mark is an Arabic number 3 in the space encircled by the “

a”

, “

b”

, “

f”

, and “

g”

segments; and

the mark is an Arabic number 7 in the space encircled by the “

c”

, “

d”

, “

e”

, and “

g”

segments.

6. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, wherein there is a further underline or a dot under the number.

7. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display device.

8. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, wherein the display device can further display characters or symbols, such as game level, alarm, clock, tone, or timer.

9. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, further comprising an audio output device disposed on the printed circuit board and coupled with the controller to receive control instructions from the controller to output audio signals.

10. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 6, wherein the input key comprises at least:

a power button, an audio output button, a start button, a set button, a help and clear button, a button to increase number during setting, a button to decrease number during setting, a button to move the cursor left, a button to move the cursor right, and a button to change mode and pause.

11. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 10, wherein the input key 22 further comprises numbers 1˜

9, +, −

, ×

, ÷

, M, C, AC, =, MR, and MC.

12. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 10, wherein the function of the button to change mode and pause includes the following steps:

pressing the button once will show the clock mode, pressing it twice will show the alarm mode, pressing it three times will show the game mode, pressing it four times will return to the clock mode, and pressing the button will temporarily stop the game if the button start/ solve is being pressed in the game mode.

13. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 10, wherein the function of creating puzzles is by operating the button to move the cursor left/the button to move the cursor right or operating the set button to enter the mode of setting puzzles to create puzzles.

14. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 13, wherein the function of creating puzzles is that when the game level displays 9, users can create their puzzles by operating the button to move the cursor left/the button to move the cursor right, or users can operate the set button to enter the mode of setting puzzles, in which the display device will display SE-P and the entire 3×

3 block of the display device will display the underline for users to create their own puzzles.

15. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 11, wherein the controller is capable of executing the function of a calculator, and when the controller is executing the function of a calculator, the number or the dots of the display device display the numbers being input and calculation results, and when the controller is not executing the function of a calculator, the number or the underline will be displayed in the display device.

16. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, further comprising an extension slot coupled with the controller and protruding from the housing for users to insert various memory cards, in which various puzzles can be saved.

17. The Sudoku game device as defined in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an upper house and a lower housing.