Educational board game

• US 5,244,391 A
• Filed: 05/05/1992
• Issued: 09/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John E. Bryant
• Original Assignee: John E. Bryant
• Inventors: Bryant, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERICHETTI, CINDY
• Application Number:
  US07/880,154
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 434/128, 434/129, 273/243, 273/248
• US Class Current: 434/129
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00018 played along an endless track
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00738 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2011/0018 integrated in the game board
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00006 Board games played along a linear track, e.g. game of goose, snakes and ladders, along an endless track A63F3/00028 - A63F3/00157, A63F3/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00697 Playing pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0478 concerning life sciences, e.g. biology, ecology, nutrition, health, medicine, psychology
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/18 Question-and-answer games

Abstract

An educational board game relating to the subject of illegal chemical substances (e.g. narcotics or "drugs") comprising a game board, player tokens, question cards and fact cards. The board includes a track or path of spaces along which the tokens are moved in response to manipulation of a chance means. The fact cards or the question cards are read aloud to all players depending upon which spaces on the track the individual tokens land on. The object of the game is to gain knowledge about the dangers of illegal drug use as the individual player tokens progress along the track.

Claims

1. An educational board game for teaching the harmful effects of chemical substance abuse to a plurality of players, comprising:

a game board, said game board having a path designated thereon, said path comprising a series of spaces associated with FACT statements and QUESTIONS, respectively, said FACT statement spaces and said QUESTIONS spaces being disposed in alternating sequence in said path,

a first series of cards containing indicia associated with said FACT statements,

a second series of cad containing indicia associated with said QUESTIONS,

a series of player tokens adapted for movement on said game board, and

chance means operable by each of said players in turn to determine movement of said tokens on said board, whereby a player reads the indicia on a selected one of said FACT cards or on a selected one of said QUESTION cards when said chance means indicates movement of said player'"'"'s token to a corresponding space on said board path,

wherein said board contains first and second spaces for defining locations for said first and said second series of cards, respectively,

wherein said indicia on said FACT cards comprises factual statements regarding chemical substance abuse, and wherein said indicia on said QUESTION cards comprises questions about chemical substance abuse, and

wherein said chance means comprises a circle on said board, an indicator rotatable about the central axis of said circle, and segments dividing said circle, at least one of said segments being associated with said first series of cards, and at least another of said segments being associated with said second series of cards.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said detachable affixing means comprises a plate on said game board, a series of receptacles provided in said plate corresponding to a different one of said questions on said QUESTION cards, respectively, first magnetic means disposed in each of said receptacles and wherein each of said game pieces includes second magnetic means respectively adapted to be attracted to said first magnetic means.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said first magnetic means comprises a magnetized disc adapted to be seated in one of said receptacles, said disc having a pair of opposed faces, one of said faces bearing indicia associated with a question on one of said QUESTION cards, the other of said opposed sides bearing indicia indicating a question has been correctly answered, whereby said one face on said magnetized disc faces upwardly from said plate and engages said first magnet means in one position of said disc in said receptacle, and said other face faces upwardly from said plate in another position of said disc in said receptacle.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said plate is in the shape of a human arm and the number of said receptacles in said series of receptacles equals the number of QUESTION cards on said second space on said board.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the number of spaces in said path on said board associated with said QUESTIONS is equal to the number of QUESTION cards on said second space on said board.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the spaces in said path on said board associated with said FACT statements alternate with said spaces in said path on said board associated with said QUESTIONS.

2. An educational board game for teaching the harmful effects of chemical substance abuse to a plurality of players, comprising:

a game board, said game board having a path designated thereon, said path comprising a series of spaces associated with FACT statements and QUESTIONS, respectively,

a first series of cards containing indicia associated with said FACT statements,

a second series of cad containing indicia associated with said QUESTIONS,

a series of player tokens adapted for movement on said game board, and

chance means operable by each of said players in turn to determine movement of said tokens on said board, whereby a player reads the indicia on a selected one of said FACT cards or on a selected one of said QUESTION cards when said chance means indicates movement of said player'"'"'s token to a corresponding space on said board path,

wherein said indicia on said FACT cards comprises factual statements regarding chemical substance abuse, and wherein said indicia on said QUESTION cards comprises questions about chemical substance abuse, said educational board game further comprising means for indicating when a question on a selected one of said QUESTION cards has been answered correctly by one of said players, said indicating means comprising a series of game pieces simulating hypodermic syringes, said indicating means including means for detachably affixing each of said game pieces to said game board, whereby at least one of said game pieces is detachably removed from said game board in response to a question on a corresponding QUESTION card being correctly answered.

8. The method of teaching a group of individuals the hazards of chemical substance abuse comprising the steps of:

providing a game board having a path thereon, said path having individual spaces associated with FACT statements and QUESTIONS regarding chemical substance abuse,

providing a series of player tokens for each player in said group respectively,

providing chance means manipulatable for indicating the space on said path each player is to move his/her token,

providing first and second series of cards containing said FACT statements and said QUESTIONS, respectively,

having each player manipulate said chance means, in turn, to indicate a space on said board path to which said player moves his/her token,

having each player, in turn, read to the other players a card corresponding to the space on said board path to which that player'"'"'s token has been moved, and having each player, in turn, attempt to answer the question posed by a QUESTION card should said manipulation of said chance means indicate movement of that player'"'"'s token to a space on said board associated with a QUESTION.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

providing manipulatable means on said board for indicating that an answer has correctly been given to said posed question on said QUESTION card, and

having said player manipulate said means for indicating in response to that player giving said correct answer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said indicating means comprises a series of game pieces detachably affixed to said game board in a predetermined location, said game pieces simulating hypodermic syringes, and said method step of manipulating said indicating means comprises the steps of:

i) detachably removing one of said simulated hypodermic syringes from said predetermined location on said board, and

ii) placing said removed simulated hypodermic syringe on a tray displaced from said game board, and

iii) changing the nature of the location from which said simulated hypodermic syringe had been detachably removed to indicate a correct answer had been given to the question corresponding to said location.