Apparatus and method for a scavenger hunt game using a set of interchangeable indicia tiles held in a bingo-style game board

• US 20080252012A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Katherine Kay Nabity, Susan Lynne Montz
• Original Assignee: Katherine Kay Nabity, Susan Lynne Montz
• Inventors: Montz, Susan Lynne, Nabity, Katherine Kay
• Application Number:
  US11/787,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20080252012A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0643 erasable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2011/0004 Bags
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2011/0067 Score or tally sheets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/481 for picking up or for gripping from a cavity, e.g. a recess next to a storing space
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00145 Board games concerning treasure-hunting, fishing, hunting capturing fishing games A63F9/305
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00574 Connections between board and playing pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/02 Chess; Similar board games

Abstract

Apparatus and method for a scavenger hunt game whose list of items to be found is composed of interchangeable indicia tiles held in a bingo-style game board frame. The game apparatus comprises a storage bag, a game board frame and removable tiles. Each tile has a unique indicia on one face and a non-unique mark on the reverse.

Players agree on a limited geographic area for play and tiles with indicia relevant to the area are placed in the bag. Tiles are drawn and placed on the boards, forming unique, highly variable patterns of indicia. Each time a player finds an item which the other players agrees matches one of the indicia on his board, that tile is turned over to indicate its change of status. A winner is declared when all of the tiles turned over on a board form a specified arrangement.

Claims

1. a game apparatus comprising

a. a game board frame designed to hold indicia tiles in a plurality of rows and columns

b. a plurality of indicia tiles sufficient, at a minimum, to fill the plurality of rows and columns in the game board frame of claim 1a

c. a multi-use bag for randomly drawing tiles of claim 1b during setup, for storage of excess tiles of claim 1b during play, and for storage of the game board frame of claim 1a and the plurality of tiles of claim 1b when not in use

d. a writing instrument suitable for making temporary tally marks on the surface of the game board frame of claim 1a

2. the game board frame of claim 1a which includes a raised edge to hold the tiles of claim 1b in place during play without requiring the use adhesives, magnets or other fasteners

3. the game board frame of claim 1a and the tiles of claim 1b which are removably attached together during play using adhesives, magnets, hook and loop, or other fasteners

4. the game board frame of claim 1a which includes an integral tally area for recording the score in multi-round play, which area also serves as a finger space to allow easy removal of tiles

5. the game board frame of claim 1a which includes an attached free space tile

6. the tiles of claim 1b that serve as both indicia and status markers during play by means of each having a unique indicia on one face and a common, non-unique marking on the reverse

7. a method of playing a game by a plurality of players comprising the steps of:

a. the players agree on a limited geographic area for play and a winning pattern to be formed on the game board of claim 1a

b. tiles of claim 1b with indicia appropriate to the agreed on geographic area are placed in the bag of claim 1c

c. each player randomly draws tiles of claim 1b and placing the drawn tiles in that player'"'"'s game board frame of claim 1a until the plurality of rows and column on the game board are filled

d. each player searches for items matching the indicia on his game board of claim 1

e. when players agree that a “

match”

has been found, the tile of claim 1b with the corresponding indicia is turned over so that its non-unique face is up

f. a winner is declared when one player turns over all of the tiles on his board which form the agreed winning arrangement.

8. the method of play of claim 6 in which a single player competes against a timer or plays alone for amusement

9. the method of play of claim 6 in which a plurality of players compete as a plurality of teams

10. a method of making an inexpensive version of the game apparatus of claim 1 suitable for use at a Renaissance Faire