METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR EDUCATING

• US 20100003649A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Todd B. Ferguson
• Original Assignee: Professor Brainstorm, LLC
• Inventors: Goodman, Richard, Ferguson, Todd B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,221,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/167
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/0441 with a written message or sentence, e.g. chance or instruction cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/04 Geographical or like games ; Educational games educational appliances in general G09B

Abstract

A method of educating includes providing a collectible trading card game with a plurality of trading cards. Each card may contain educational information including a consonant, vowel, number or mathematical operator and the cards are used to form a properly spelled word or to form a mathematically correct equation. In some forms, the method includes providing a game with a playing field and a set of game components with game component types having a predetermined power for affecting play of the game by affecting a power, effect, or value of the game component. The level of skill necessary to play the game may be varied by selectively implementing or disregarding the predetermined power of the game components. An educational game includes first and second game components with different expressions, powers, point values, and identifiers for distinguishing game components and facilitating game play.

Claims

1. A method of educating an individual comprising:

providing a trading card game having a plurality of trading cards with each card containing educational information thereon; and

awarding the individual points, currency or victories based on how the trading cards are played.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the educational information on each card comprises at least one of a consonant, vowel, number or mathematical operator and awarding the individual points, currency or victories comprises awarding the individual points, currency or victories for using at least one card to form a properly spelled word or to form a mathematically correct equation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises providing character information on each card and awarding the individual points, currency or victories based at least in part on the character information of each card played by the individual.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises providing indicia for grouping the cards into a plurality of different categories.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicia comprise themes relating to earth, wind, water, or fire and grouping the cards into different categories comprises grouping the cards into one or more of the earth, wind, water or fire themes.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicia for grouping the cards comprises a color scheme that may be used to break the cards up into different sets and the method further comprises associating the color scheme with a specific type of card.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the color scheme used comprises a first color and a second color and associating the color scheme with a specific type of card comprises associating the first color with consonant cards and the second color with vowel cards so that the color scheme may be used to break the cards up into sets of consonants and vowels.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the color scheme used comprises a first color and a second color and associating the color scheme with a specific type of card comprises associating the first color with number cards and the second color with mathematical operator cards so that the color scheme may be used to break the cards up into sets of numbers and mathematical operators.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein associating the first color with number cards includes number cards having a number from 2 through 9 and associating the second color with mathematical operator cards includes associating the second color with number cards 0 and 1 as well as mathematical operators.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicia for grouping the cards comprises a border and the method further comprises grouping the cards into a deck of cards based on each of the cards having a common border.

11. The method of claim 4, where the indicia for grouping the cards comprises a plurality of borders and the method further comprises grouping the cards into a plurality of decks with each deck of cards having a common border.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a game playing field having a first row for placing cards that are being played by the individual, a second row for placing cards of a first type that have yet to be played by the individual, and a third row for placing cards of a second type that have yet to be played by the individual.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first type of cards placed on the second row are one of consonant cards or vowel cards and the second type of cards placed on the third row are the other of the consonant cards or vowel cards, and the method further comprises dealing the first type of cards onto the second row and the second type of cards onto the third row and placing the cards that are being played by the individual onto the first row.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first type of cards placed on the second row are one of number cards or mathematical operator cards and the second type of cards placed on the third row are the other of the number cards or mathematical operator cards, and the method further comprises dealing the first type of cards onto the second row and the second type of cards onto the third row and placing the cards that are being played by the individual onto the first row.

15. The methods of claims 13 or 14 further comprising dealing additional cards to the individual that are to be held by the individual and not placed on the second or third row of the game base.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the game playing field includes designated spots for the first and second types of cards that are not placed on the second and third rows and the method further comprises dealing a portion of the first and second types of cards onto the second and third rows, respectively, and placing any remaining first type of cards on the designated spot for the first type of cards and any remaining second type of cards on the designated spot for the second type of cards.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the second row of the game board is color coded to match a first color on the first type of cards and the third row of the game board is color coded to match a second color on the second type of cards.

18. A method of facilitating learning using an educational game, comprising:

providing a user with a game having a playing field and a set of game components, wherein the set of game components comprises a first game component type having a first expression portion and second game component type having a second expression portion, wherein the first and second game component types have a predetermined power for affecting play of the game by affecting a power, effect, or value of a game component;

adjusting the level of skill necessary to play the game by selectively implementing or disregarding the predetermined power of the of the first and second game components; and

instructing the user to combine the first and second game components to form an expression from at least the first and second expression portions.

19. An educational game, comprising:

a first game component having either a first letter or a first number;

a first point value and a first type indicator which indicates the first game component type;

a second game component having either a second letter, a second number, or a mathematical operator;

a second point value and a second type indicator which indicates the second game component type, wherein the second game component type is different than the first;

a playing field having first, second, and third game component fields, wherein the first game component field has a predetermined area for a game component of a first game component type, the second game component field has a predetermined area for a game component of a second game component type, and the third game component field has an area for game components of either the first or second game component type, wherein the first letter or first number of the first game component and the second letter, second number, or mathematical operator of the second game component are combinable to form an expression having a point value based on at least the first and second point values.

20. The educational game of claim 19, wherein the first game component type is a consonant and the second game component type includes a vowel, such that a word may be formed by a user in the third game component field using first and second game components.

21. The educational game of claim 19, wherein the first game component type is a number, and the second game component type is a number or an operator, such that a mathematical expression may be formed by a user in the third game component field using first and second game components.

22. The educational game of claim 19, wherein the first or second game components include an effect, wherein the effect may affect the efficacy or point value of other game components.

23. A method of playing an educational game, comprising:

providing a plurality of game components with first and second game component types each having a predetermined point value, wherein a first game component type is one of a letter and a number and the second game component type is at least one of a letter, a number, and a mathematical operator, wherein at least one of the first and second game components includes an effect which augments the efficacy or value of at least one game component;

selecting at least one first game component and at least one second game component;

placing at least the first and second game components in a playing field; and

forming an expression with the first and second game components.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising initiating an effect on at least one of the game components by placing at least the first and second game components in a playing field and augmenting the efficacy or point value of the at least one game component.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising creating a set of first and second game components from a predetermined number of the first and second game components;

selecting first and second game components from the set to form an expression in the playing field.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the set is comprised of two separate fields including a first field for containing a predetermined number of first game components and a second field for containing a predetermined number of second game components.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the predetermined number of first game components is five and the predetermined number of second game components is three.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising a third field for containing a predetermined number of second game components for use in forming expressions or initiating effects on the at least one game component;

and

selecting the at least one second game component; and

placing the at least one second game component in the third field.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the first game component type is a consonant, the second game component type is a vowel, and forming an expression with the first and second game components includes forming a word.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the first game component type is a number, and the second game component type is a number or an operator, and forming an expression with the first and second game components includes forming a mathematical expression.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising providing a one of an equality symbol, a greater than symbol, and a lesser than symbol;

and

Forming a mathematical expression by selecting one of the equality, greater than, or lesser than symbols in combination with the first and second game components, wherein at least one of the second game components is an operator.

32. An educational game, comprising:

a first game component having a first symbol designating a first expression portion for the first game component;

a first power field indicating the power or effect of the first game component over the first game component or other game components;

a first point value;

a first game component type identifier to distinguish the type of game component between the first game component and a second game component having a different type than the first game component;

a second game component having a symbol designating a second expression portion for the second game component, a second power field indicating the power or effect of the second game component over the second game component or other game components;

a second point value;

a second game component type identifier to distinguish the type of game component between the first game component and the second game component having a different type than the first game component;

wherein the first and second game components may be combined during game play to form an expression comprised of the first and second symbols, the expression having a point value based upon the sum of the first and second point values.

33. The educational game of claim 32, wherein the first and second expression portions are letters, and the expression is a word.

34. The educational game of claim 32, wherein the first and second expression portions are one of a number and an operator, and the expression is a mathematical equation or inequality.

35. The educational game of claim 33, wherein the first expression portion is a consonant, and the second expression portion is a vowel.

36. The educational game of claim 34, wherein the first expression portion is a number and the second expression portion is a number or an operator.

37. The educational game of claim 36, wherein the first expression portion comprises one of a number between 2 and 9, inclusive, and the second expression portion comprises one of the numbers 0 and 1 or a mathematical operator.

38. The educational game of claim 32, further comprising a playing field having separate first and second portions for holding the first and second game components prior to being played to form the expression.

39. The educational game of claim 33, wherein the first portion holds five first game components and the second portion holds three second game components, and the playing field further comprises an expression field for containing the first and second game components selected by a user to form the expression.