Shape Changing Playing Pieces

• US 20080224395A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kurt, Ralph, Decre, Michel Marcel Jose, Den Toonder, Jacob Marinus Jan, Wilderbeek, Johannes Theodorus Adriaan
• Application Number:
  US12/091,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20080224395A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/148R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00678 with circuits closed by mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00826 Changeable playing pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00697 Playing pieces

Abstract

A playing piece (10, 20) for use in a board game, and comprising at least one shapeable segment (11, 21), an input (12) and shaping means (13). An input signal from an outside control unit (17) is received at the input (12), the input signal representing a particular shape and/or size of the playing piece (10, 20). The shaping means (13) couples the input (12) to the shapeable segment (11, 21) to deform the shapeable segment (11, 21) in dependence of the input signal, for obtaining the particular shape and/or size of the playing piece (10, 20).

Claims

1. A playing piece (10, 20) for use in a board game, and comprising:

an input (12) for receiving an input signal from an outside control unit (17), the input signal representing a particular shape and/or size of the playing piece (10, 20), and

at least one shapeable segment (11, 21),

shaping means (13) for coupling the input (12) to the at least one shapeable segment (11, 21) to deform the shapeable segment (11, 21) in dependence of the input signal for obtaining the particular shape and/or size of the playing piece (10, 20).

2. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an output (14) for sending playing piece information to the outside control unit (17), the playing piece information comprising at least one out of the group:

identification for indicating the playing piece (10, 20), location for indicating a position of the playing piece (10, 20) and, sensor output for indicating information sensed by the playing piece (10, 20).

3. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shaping means (13) is constructed for sequentially transforming neighboring groups (141-144) of shapeable segments (11, 21) of the playing piece (10, 20) for moving the playing piece (10, 20).

4. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shapeable segment (21) comprises a skeleton of nodes (32) and edges (31), each node (32) joining at least two edges (31), at least part of the edges (31) being a controlled actuator edge (40), and wherein the shaping means (13) is constructed for adjusting a length of the controllable actuator edge (40).

9. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shapeable segment (11) comprises at least one channel (110), walls of at least part of the channel (110) comprising a pair of electrodes (113, 114), the shaping means (13) comprising a voltage source for applying a voltage difference between the electrodes (113, 114) of at least one pair of electrodes (113, 114) for contraction or stretching of the corresponding channel (110).

10. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the walls comprise elastic material for recovering the corresponding channel (110) to its original shape after removal of the applied voltage difference.

11. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the walls comprise electrically isolating material for preventing electrical contact between the electrodes of the at least one pair.

12. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the walls comprise a polymer layer.

13. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 9, wherein a cross section of at least one channel of the plurality of channels is hexagonal.

14. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the shapeable segment (11) comprises a plurality of the channels (10), walls of each channel (110) of the plurality of channels (110) comprising a corresponding pair of electrodes (113, 114) and wherein the shaping means (13) is constructed for applying the voltage difference between the electrodes (113, 114) of each pair of electrodes (113, 114) independently.

5. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a stretchable material for covering the outer faces of the skeleton.

7. A playing piece (10, 91) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the skeleton encloses a cavity (92).

6. A playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stretchable material is attached to the nodes (32) only.

8. A playing piece (10, 91) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cavity (92) comprises the shaping means (13).

15. A system for playing board games, comprising

at least one playing piece (10, 20) as claimed in 1,

a game board (16) for supporting the at least one playing piece (10, 20),

the outside control unit (17) for sending the input signal to the input (12) of the at least one playing piece (10, 20).

16. A system for playing board games as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the playing piece (10, 20) comprises an output (14) for sending playing piece information to the outside control unit (17), the playing piece information comprising at least one out of the group identification for indicating the playing piece, location for indicating a position of the playing piece (10, 20) and, sensor output for indicating information sensed by the playing piece (10, 20), and

the outside control unit (17) is arranged for receiving the playing piece information and for providing the input signal based on the playing piece information.