Stacking block game

• US 6,702,291 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pokonobe Associates
• Original Assignee: Pokonobe Associates
• Inventors: Eveloff, Paul, Grebler, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Collins, Dolores R.
• Application Number:
  US10/189,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20030006554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 273/292, 273/293, 273/450, 273/449, 273/241, 273/296
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/027 with classical playing card symbols
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0073 Games for obtaining a particular arrangement of playing pieces in a plane or space A63F9/08 takes precedence; ticktacktoe A63F3/00094; three-dimensional chess-like games A63F3/00214

Abstract

A stacking block game kit includes a set of game cards, a number of stackable game pieces, and a set of rules for discarding the game cards and for manipulating the game pieces. Each game card has a card point value and depicts a card indicia thereon. The game pieces are stackable in layers having a fixed maximum number of the game pieces. Game piece indicia are applied to the game pieces, with a portion of the game piece indicia being associated with the card indicia. The method of playing the stacking block game involves distributing game cards from the stacking block game kit into card hands amongst players of the game, and constructing a structure from the stackable game pieces. Game cards are then discarded from the card hands in accordance with the set of rules and an associated one of the game pieces, with the discarding step being repeated amongst the players until a predetermined terminating step is obtained. Once the terminated step is reached, an aggregate point value is determined for each player at least from the card point values of the game cards remaining in the player'"'"'s card hand.

Claims

1. A stacking block kit, comprising

a set of game cards each having a card point value and depicting a card indicia thereon;

a plurality of game pieces stackable in layers comprising a fixed maximum number of said game pieces, each said game piece having a length and a width, said width being a portion of said length, said portion being a reciprocal of said maximum number, and game piece indicia applied to the game piece, a portion of the game piece indicia being associated with the card indicia; and

a set of rules for discarding the game cards and for manipulating the game pieces.

2. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the game pieces comprise elongate bricks having a parallelepiped shape, and the rules mandate that the bricks comprising one of the layers be substantially perpendicular to the bricks comprising an adjacent one of the layers.

3. The kit according to claim 2, wherein each said game piece include a pair of opposite ends and a plurality of faces extending between the opposite ends, and the game piece indicia are disposed on the ends and the faces.

4. The kit according to claim 3, wherein the game card indicia and the game piece indicia comprise a playing card suit and a playing card rank.

12. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the set of rules require a distribution of the game cards into card hands amongst players of the game, and a construction of a structure comprising layers of the stacking blocks, the rules further require that subsequent to said construction the players in turn (1) select one of the stacking blocks for removal from the structure, and (2) discard from one of the card hands the game card associated with the selected stacking block.

13. The kit according to claim 12, wherein the stacking block indicia of the selected stacking block matches the card indicia of the associated game card, the selected stacking block being located in the structure below an uppermost one of the layers, and the discarding step comprises the steps of removing the selected stacking block from the structure, returning the removed stacking block to the uppermost layer of the structure, and removing the matching game card from the one card hand.

14. The kit according to claim 13, wherein the block removing step comprises one of the players removing the selected stacking block from the structure, and the card removing step comprises another one of the players discarding from its card hand the matching game card.

15. The kit according to claim 12, wherein the stacking block indicia of the selected stacking block matches the card indicia of the associated game card, the selected stacking block cannot be removed without collapsing the structure, and the discarding step comprises removing the matching game card from the card hand of one of the players upon a turn of the one player.

16. The kit according to claim 15, wherein the unremovable stacking block is located in a central position within one of the layers, the one layer including only the unremovable stacking block.

17. The kit according to claim 12, wherein the selected stacking block cannot be removed without collapsing the structure, the unremovable stacking block being located in an end position within one of the layers, and the discarding step comprises discarding the game card associated with the unremovable stacking block upon removal from the structure of a specialty one of the stacking blocks.

5. A method of playing a slacking block game comprising the steps of:

distributing game cards into card hands amongst players of the game, each said game card having a card point value and depicting a card indicia thereon, and constructing a structure comprising layers of stackable game pieces, a portion of the game pieces including game piece indicia associated with the card indicia;

discarding one of the game cards in accordance with a set of rules and an associated one of the game pieces;

repeating the discarding step amongst the players until a predetermined terminating step is obtained; and

for each said player determining an aggregate point value at least from the card point values of the game cards remaining in the associated card hand.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the game piece indicia of the associated one game piece matches the card indicia of the one game card, the associated one game piece being located in the structure below an uppermost one of the layers, and the set of rules comprises the steps of removing the located game piece from the structure, returning the removed game piece to the uppermost layer of the structure, and discarding the matching game card from the card hand of one of the players.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the removing step comprises one of the players removing the located game piece from the structure, and the discarding step comprises one of the players discarding the matching game card, the removing one player being different from the discarding one player.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined terminating step comprises a collapse of the structure, and the point value determining step comprises adding a penalty value to the aggregate point value of the removing one player for collapsing the structure.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the stacking block indicia of the associated one stacking block matches the card indicia of the one game card, the associated one stacking block being located in the structure below an uppermost one of the layers, and the associated one stacking block cannot be removed without collapsing the structure, and the set of rules comprises discarding the matching game card from the card hand of one of the players upon a turn of the one player.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the unremovable game piece is located in a central position within one of the layers, the one layer including only the movable game piece.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the associated one game piece cannot be removed without collapsing the structure, the unremovable game piece being located in an and position within one of the layers, and the set of rules comprises discarding the game card associated with the unremovable game piece upon removal from the stricture of a specialty one of the game pieces.