Game for testing acuity of the senses

• US 5,918,882 A
• Filed: 02/19/1998
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nhan D. Truong
• Original Assignee: Nhan D. Truong
• Inventors: Truong, Nhan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoll, William E.
• Application Number:
  US09/026,215
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 273/242, 273/243, 273/248, 273/249, 273/292, 273/429, 273/430, 273/431, 273/432
• US Class Current: 273/249
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/186 Guessing games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/02 having an effect on the human senses
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0478 concerning life sciences, e.g. biology, ecology, nutrition, health, medicine, psychology

Abstract

A game for testing the senses comprising a game board having a start area, a finish area, and a playing area positioned between the start and finish. The playing area is divided into a plurality of sequential spaces. Indicia are provided on some of the spaces for providing instructions relating to selection of questions and for manuevering game piece icons through the playing area. Six sets of questions for testing the acuity of the senses are provided. One set of questions is provided for each of the six senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and extrasensory perception. Each of the questions has a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of the question. A random generator is provided for randomly selecting one of the questions on a turn-by-turn basis to thereby utilize the questions to play the game. The random generator for random selection is preferably weighted such that the random generator is most likely to select a question for touch, less likely to select a question for sight than for taste, hearing, or smell, and least likely to select a question for extrasensory perception.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a game utilizing the senses, said apparatus comprising:

a means for testing acuity of the senses including a set of questions corresponding to each of three or more selected senses, said selected senses selected from the group consisting of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and extrasensory perception, each of said questions in each of said sets designed to test a player'"'"'s sensory acuity for that particular sense, and

a means for randomly selecting one of said questions on a turn-by-turn basis to thereby utilize said questions to play said game.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said questions has a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a game board, said game board having a start area, a finish area, and a playing area positioned between said start and said finish, said playing area divided into a plurality of sequential spaces, and two or more icons, said icons sized to fit in said spaces.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising indicia on some of said spaces, said indicia providing instructions relating to selection of questions and movement of said icons through said playing area.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for randomly selecting a question is weighted such that of said three or more selected senses, said means is most likely to select a question for touch, less likely to select a question for sight than for taste, hearing, or smell, and least likely to select a question for extrasensory perception.

6. An apparatus for a game utilizing the senses, said apparatus comprising:

a game board, said game board having a start area, a finish area, and a playing area positioned between said start and said finish, said playing area divided into a plurality of sequential spaces;

two or more icons, said icons sized to fit substantially in said spaces;

a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of sight,

a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of hearing,

a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of taste,

a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of smell,

a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of touch,

each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question, and

a means for randomly selecting one of said questions on a turn-by-turn basis to thereby utilize said questions to play said game by maneuvering said icons through said playing area in accordance with said point values.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said means for random selection is weighted such that said means is most likely to select a question for touch and less likely to select a question for sight than for taste, hearing, or smell.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of extrasensory perception.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means for random selection is weighted such that said means is most likely to select a question for touch and less likely to select a question for sight than for taste, hearing, or smell, and least likely to select a question for extrasensory perception.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising indicia on some of said spaces, said indicia providing instructions relating to selection of questions and for maneuvering said icons through said playing area.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising indicia on some of said spaces, said indicia providing instructions relating to selection of questions and for maneuvering said icons through said playing area.

12. A method of playing a game using the senses, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a means for testing acuity of the senses including a set of questions corresponding to each of three or more selected senses, said selected senses selected from the group consisting of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and extrasensory perception, each of said questions within each of said sets designed to test a player'"'"'s sensory acuity for that particular sense;

(b) taking a turn, wherein said step of taking a turn comprises randomly selecting one of said questions and having a player attempt to answer said selected question; and

(c) repeating said step of taking a turn until a winner of said game is determined.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of said questions has a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of tallying points for each player for each of said questions correctly answered by that player, said points being accumulated in accordance with said point values.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising

providing a game board, said game board having a start area, a finish area, and a playing area positioned between said start and said finish, said playing area divided into a plurality of sequential spaces,

providing two or more icons, said icons sized to fit in said spaces, and

said step of taking a turn further comprising, upon a player correctly answering one of said questions, moving said player'"'"'s icon a sequential number of spaces on said playing area corresponding to the point value of said correctly answered question.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing indicia on some of said spaces, said indicia providing instructions relating to selection of questions and for movement of said icons through said playing area, and said step of taking a turn further comprising the step of, upon moving said icon to a new space, complying with said instructions on said indicia, if any, in said new space prior to repeating said step of taking a turn.

17. A method of playing a game using the senses, to be played by two or more players, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a game board, said game board having a start area, a finish area, and a playing area positioned between said start and said finish, said playing area divided into a sequence of spaces;

(b) providing two or more icons, said icons sized to fit in said spaces;

(c) providing a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of sight, each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question,

(d) providing a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of hearing, each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question,

(e) providing a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of taste, each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question,

(f) providing a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of smell, each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question,

(g) providing a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of touch, each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question,

(h) providing a means for randomly selecting one of said sets of questions,

(i) assigning one of said icons to each of said players,

(j) placing said assigned icons in said start area,

(k) assigning a sequence of play to said players,

(l) having said players take turns in said assigned sequence of play to thereby maneuver each player'"'"'s assigned icon through said playing area, each of said turns comprising,

(i) operating said means to thereby randomly select one of said sets of questions;

(ii) selecting a question from said selected set of questions;

(iii) attempting to answer said selected question; and

(iv) if said question was answered correctly, moving said player'"'"'s icon a sequential number of spaces on said playing area corresponding to said point value of said question, and then repeating said step of taking a turn, or

(v) if said question was answered incorrectly, ending that player'"'"'s turn, whereupon the next player in said sequence of play takes one of said turns; and

(m) repeating said sequence of taking a turn until one of the players wins said game by maneuvering said winning player'"'"'s assigned icon to said finish before any other player.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said means for random selection is weighted such that said means is most likely to select touch and less likely to select sight than taste, hearing, or smell.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing indicia on some of said spaces, said indicia providing instructions relating to selection of questions and for movement of said icons through said playing area, and said step of taking a turn further comprising the step of, upon moving said icon to a new space, complying with said instructions on said indicia, if any, in said new space prior to repeating said step of taking a turn.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of providing a means for timing a turn, and timing each of said turns.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing a set of questions testing a player'"'"'s sense of extrasensory perception, each of said questions having a point value corresponding to the level of difficulty of said question.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said means for random selection is weighted such that said means is most likely to select touch, less likely to select sight than taste, hearing, or smell, and least likely to select extrasensory perception.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing indicia on some of said spaces, said indicia providing instructions relating to selection of questions and for movement of said icons through said playing area, and said step of taking a turn further comprising the step of, upon moving said icon to a new space, complying with said instructions on said indicia, if any, in said new space prior to repeating said step of taking a turn.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of providing a means for timing a turn, and timing each of said turns.