Electronic matching and position game

• US 5,855,513 A
• Filed: 08/26/1996
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tiger Electronics, Ltd. (Hasbro Inc.)
• Inventors: Lam, Clive
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/701,524
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/14, 463/10, 463/30, 463/31, 463/16, 463/36, 463/35, 273/237, 273/238, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/273, 273/271, 273/260
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00646 with illumination of playing field or playing piece
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/247 audible, e.g. using a loudspeaker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00094 Ticktacktoe
• 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

Abstract

A game has a housing with a plurality of spaces defined on the exterior of the housing. Each of the spaces has a space input device and space indicator associated with the space, and each space indicator has an off-state and an on-state. Inside of the housing is a controller which communicates with each of the space input devices and space indicators and also with a select input device. The controller is responsive to activation of the select input device followed by activation of a predetermined one of the space input devices for causing the space indicator corresponding to the space selected by the activated space input device to go to the on-state.

Claims

1. An electronic game comprising:

a housing having an exterior

a plurality of spaces on said exterior of said housing;

a space indicator corresponding to each of said spaces, each of said space indicators having an off-state and an on-state;

a space input device corresponding to each of said spaces for selecting the corresponding space;

a select input device; and

an electronic controller disposed within said housing and operatively coupled with said space input devices, said space indicators and said select input device;

wherein said controller is responsive to activation of said select input device followed by activation of a predetermined one of said space input devices by causing the space indicator corresponding to said predetermined space input device to go to the on-state;

wherein said controller includes an audio signal generator for producing predetermined audio signals, wherein said controller is responsive to operation of said select input device for activating said audio signal generator to produce a first audio signal and is responsive to activation of each space input device for causing said audio signal generator to produce a space audio signal unique to each space, at least one of said space audio signals corresponding to said first audio signal, and wherein said controller includes shuffling means for reassigning said space audio signals among said space input devices.

2. A game according to claim 1 and further comprising a speaker mounted to said housing and operatively coupled with said audio signal generator and responsive to said audio signals for producing sounds.

3. A game according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of spaces are arrayed in a rectangular grid on the exterior of said housing.

4. A game according to claim 3 wherein said rectangular grid comprises sixteen spaces arranged in four rows and four columns.

5. A game according to claim 1 wherein each of said space input devices comprises a button disposed substantially within the space corresponding to said space inpit device.

6. A game according to claim 5 wherein each of said space indicators comprises illumination means located for illuminating the button disposed within the space corresponding to said space indicator.

7. A game according to claim 5 and further comprising a swithch corresponding to each of said buttons, and in electronic communication with said electronic controller.

8. A method for playing a game using a select input device and a plurality of spaces, said method comprising the steps of:

a) assigning a distinct human perceptible indication selected from among a predetermined plurality of human perceptible indications to each of said plurality of spaces;

b) assigning one of said plurality of predetermined human perceptible indications assigned to said spaces to said select input device;

c) choosing one of said spaces and displaying a space indicator corresponding to said space in response to choosing said space if said human perceptible indication assigned to said space corresponds to said human perceptible indication assigned to said select input device;

d) assigning a new human perceptible indication selected from among said plurality of human perceptible indications assigned to said spaces to said select input device;

e) repeating steps c) and d) until said space indicators are displayed in a predetermined pattern.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein said at least one of said human perceptible indications is auditory.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein said space indicator includes an illuminable lamp.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein said predetermined pattern includes a plurality of linearly arranged displayed space indicators within a rectangular grid of space indicators.