Abstract:
My child educational board game, “Word Battle”, requires players to approach word learning, sequencing, and construction from a naval/military strategist point of view in that instead of targeting objectives in a mere hit-or-miss situation, where the goal in and of itself is to reach and eliminate occupied coordinates, he/she must locate and actually identify the quality of opponents&#39; pieces (these being letters) before the other competitors capture or eliminate out of play all his/her own word patterns.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    (1) Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention involves a game of skill and requires a demonstration of vocabulary knowledge, logical reasoning and sequencing abilities—all of which are enhanced during play of this invention. More specifically, the present invention concerns, but is not restricted to, the area of child educational development. Further, it is at once adaptable to any of the related Indo-European languages, and can be further adapted to the Asian languages. 
         [0003]    The key element of this invention comprises a closable-type box apparatus where grid regions are imprinted on the top box lid, and being connected to a bottom container of the same dimensions, opens to a ninety-degree angle wherein two more grids of the same height, length, and number of units are revealed as being imprinted on the interior surface of the top lid and the interior surface of the bottom portion of the apparatus. 
         [0004]    The apparatus/invention operates as a concealing mechanism for words formed by opposing players in competition. Each player, or team of players, uses the bottom game grid to create words inside the apparatus via magnetized lettered tile pieces which are affixed onto individual spaces of the bottom interior grid. The upper grid on the inside of each apparatus is used to chart and track the progression of a player&#39;s attempts to locate and identify his/her opponent&#39;s words. In essence, the interior upper grid, inside the apparatus, represents the opponent&#39;s game region—the focus of attack. In a competition involving more than two players or teams, the hit or miss attempts against one&#39;s own region are identified on his/her own outer grid; he/she places the magnetized letters and other identifying game pieces onto the outer top grid as letters and their composite words are identified and eliminated out of competition. Obviously, the outer lid grids are visible to all opponents and therefore maintain the orderliness of who has eliminated what during play. Thus, this allows multiple players or teams to visually asses the game status of fellow competitors and judge future attempts to capture others&#39; letters. 
         [0005]    The game, as defined by the invented apparatus, while retaining aspects of similar commercial products, is characterized by its emphasis on elimination of pre-arranged words and configurations thereabouts. This enhances the game&#39;s ability to achieve and maintain involvement in several ways: (1) through requiring strategic placement of letters onto grid coordinates in ways which will prevent or delay opponents discovering such; (2) enabling players opportunities, by means of arbitrary and calculated guesses in various play options, to determine the precise locations and identities of opponents&#39; letters before participants capture his/her own placed word grouping patterns, or in the case of more than two players or teams, being the last player or team with letters remaining on his/her or their bottom interior game grid—that region which is the focus of attack for the other opponent(s). 
         [0006]    It is the element of attempting elimination of opponent&#39;s “fleet” of words which lends the game to aspects of simulated warfare. The game can therefore be categorized in a salvo classification. 
         [0007]    (2) Description of Related Art 
         [0008]    Games where participants strategically place valued pieces in coordinate grids and attempt to locate and attack one another&#39;s pieces within a defined area for the purpose of elimination or capture are already known from the state of the art where military or naval style products, whose objective is targeting of opponent&#39;s units in salvo, exist. Further, there are various word forming-type games where objectives vary, but whose underlying theme is creating, strategizing toward, solving for and discovering words and their component letters. However, said games are individualized in scope and no protection exists regarding the injection of letters, instead of military or naval units, into a grid coordinate system so as to represent a “fleet” of words for elimination. In fact, military/naval style games of the prior art, while developing skills important for tracking dispersal of attacks over a coordinate system, engage players on mere hit-or-miss cues, limiting assessments to success : failure ratios between opponent&#39;s progress against one another&#39;s targets. Word games of the prior art engage players to develop spelling abilities for accurate vocabulary usage, as well as to figure out how words are encoded into language, their meanings, and differences in relation to one another for the ultimate objective of communication. 
         [0009]    These two key features: (1) initiating, tracking, and assessing the success or failure in targeting unknown pre-positioned objectives within a military/naval style grid coordinate-type system, and (2) creating and solving for words in a puzzle-type environment, can be taken innovative steps further by substituting words and their respective letters for military/naval units into the typical coordinate grid system of a sectioned, visually hidden region. The result is an expanding of the identifiable qualities of each occupied coordinate so that, once a unit is determined to be occupied, arbitrary guesses leading to more calculated judgments can be taken, thus bringing a mere salvo objective to one where vocabulary can increase the necessity for logic and sequencing skills. 
         [0010]    Typically, where games require a level of skill from players, it must be arranged in a way that provides adequate challenge to players/teams. Even though the game board is uniform throughout, the region itself changes as players agree from competition to competition on labels for rank (row) and file (column) to map the coordinate region. These labels can be letters, numbers, colors, objects, or such. This therefore keeps the apparatus&#39; themselves changing and new, to an extent. 
         [0011]    But over time, even this dynamic can become familiar, to the point of simplicity since the rules governing the word attack apply uniformly throughout the game board playing field. What adds complexity is the level of knowledge players bring to the game. In theory, the level of difficulty would only be limited by the degree of scholarship; college graduates with complex word knowledge could increase the level of challenge. Since the rules remain somewhat straight forward, the game can be as easy or as difficult depending on the sophistication of the players, whose talents ultimately govern the complexity of the competition itself. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a game of skill which avoids the aforementioned problems of the prior art games—these being the general separation between salvo and word discovery, into a single game which allows increasing difficulty through player intellectual sophistication as well as in a change of grid identification and language-type. 
         [0013]    The object of the present invention is further to provide a closable-type game board box which opens to ninety degree angle from its bottom interior, and when paired with or brought together with other apparatuses, may enable two or more players to arrange words on their bottom interior grids, with each letter occupying individual coordinates, and, through initially arbitrary but increasingly strategic and calculating guesses, to be the first to capture all of the opponent&#39;s letters, or in the case of having three or more players, to be the last remaining contestant with un-captured letters on his or her game grid. 
         [0014]    The advantages of the game which are the object of the present invention are the following:
       The child&#39;s critical thinking skills are developed by requiring him/her to predict the correct sequence of various words on an opponent&#39;s grid and successfully targeting the individual coordinates in the opponent&#39;s region so as to determine the exact identities of concealed letters;   spelling and vocabulary skills are strengthened as these knowledge tools better enable player&#39;s odds of winning;   correct spelling acquisition is challenged and fostered as players critically predict what the correct letters on associated coordinates are given the apparent sequence of letters which will emerge during the course play;   skills of strategy and attack are developed by determining what words and intersections of words pre-positioned in player&#39;s grid will yield the longest duration of competition while providing enough opportunity for him or her to capture all the letters of all the words in the opponent&#39;s grid;   logic and sequencing skills are enhanced through critically realizing what words are in fact on the opponent&#39;s grid given the patterns which emerge as letters are captured within the grid.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    The present invention is further described hereinafter with reference to the parts, their assembly and relationships, shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  represents the magnetized lettered chips; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  represents the magnetized black, red, and question mark chips; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  represents the various top row (rank) identifying coordinate magnetized labels which are to be affixed just above the game grids, as shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  represents the various side column (file) identifying coordinate magnetized labels which are to be affixed just to the left or right sides of the game grids, as shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  represents the front view of the closable-type game grid board Box; 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is the back view of the closable-type game grid box; 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  demonstrates the opening and closing of the game grid box apparatus; 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  demonstrates affixing of rank and file coordinate labels to the closable-type game grid box apparatus; 
           [0029]      FIG. 9  demonstrates the placement of a magnetized lettered chip onto the bottom interior game grid of player&#39;s region; 
           [0030]      FIG. 10  represents Player A&#39;s arrangement of words onto his/her region; 
           [0031]      FIG. 11  represents player B&#39;s placement of words onto his/her region; 
           [0032]      FIG. 11   a  represents the actual positioning of closable-type game grid boxes for play; 
           [0033]      FIG. 12  represents positioning of Player A (right game box) and Player B (left game box)used to illustrate competition in this application; 
           [0034]      FIG. 13  through  FIG. 18  demonstrate a series of moves between Players A (left grid) and Player B (right grid); 
           [0035]      FIG. 19  shows Player A pre-positioning of letters/words onto grid for play among three opponents; 
           [0036]      FIG. 20  shows Player B pre-positioning of letters/words onto grid for play among three opponents; 
           [0037]      FIG. 21  shows Player C pre-positioning of letters/words onto grid for play among three opponents; 
           [0038]      FIG. 22  shows the three players pre-positioning of letters/words before game start, with Player A in foreground, Player B to the upper left of Player A, and Player C to the upper right of Player A; 
           [0039]      FIG. 23  shows Players A, B and C with game grid apparatuses re-angled away from one another as would be the case in live competition; 
           [0040]      FIG. 24  through  FIG. 32  demonstrate a typical round of play, with player&#39;s turn switching from Player A to Player B on  FIG. 29  so that Player B is in foreground, and Player C is to the upper left, and Player A is to the upper right. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0041]    As can be seen from the above figures, the game comprises a box-type apparatus ( FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 6 ) which opens to a ninety degree angle. There are two grids located on the inside of the apparatus ( FIG. 5 ). These are intended to be visible only to an individual participant during competition. There is an outer grid located on the upright lid of the game grid box ( FIG. 6 ), which is utilized in competition of 3 or more opponents. 
         [0042]    The upper grid ( FIG. 5(   e )), whose height measures a varying size of approximately between 0.1 and 40 inches ( FIG. 5(   e )) and whose length measures a varying size of approximately between 0.1 and 40 inches ( FIG. 5(   f )), is the region of coordinates which a particular participant uses to target opponent&#39;s letters for either capture or elimination, depending on number of players in competition. 
         [0043]    The lower grid, whose measures of height and length are the same as those for the upper grid, is the region of coordinates onto which a particular participant places his or her own word patterns, thus becoming the object of capture or elimination by his or her opponent(s). The outer grid, located on the upright lid ( FIG. 6 ), is of equal height and length to the two inner grids. All grids on the game apparatus have an equal number of coordinate units. 
         [0044]    The individual coordinates of each grid region are square in shape, of equal measure on each side. The sides of each coordinate, length and height, vary in size of approximately between 0.1 and 40 inches ( FIGS. 5(   g ) and ( d ) and  FIGS. 6(   a ) and ( e )). The chip pieces ( FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2)  measure the same dimensions as the individual coordinates on each grid region, with the obvious exception that the width of the chips vary in size of between approximately 0.01 an 5 inches ( FIG. 1(   c ) and  FIG. 2(   c )). 
         [0045]    The grids are square in shape and can vary in the exact number of columns and rows or total number of units per region. For this application, the rank of each grid is numbered in eight square units ( FIG. 5(   f ) and  FIG. 6(   g )) and the file is numbered in seven units ( FIG. 5(   e ) and  FIG. 6(   f )). 
         [0046]    The dimensions of the box itself vary in measure of between approximately 0.1 and 40inches in height ( FIGS. 5(   b ) and ( c ) and  FIG. 6(   d )) and of between approximately 0.1 and 40 inches in length ( FIG. 5(   a ) and  FIG. 6(   b )). Additionally, the total width of the box-type game apparatus when closed is between approximately 0.1 and 40 inches, with the base measuring between approximately 0.01 and 40 inches ( FIG. 6(   c )) and the width of the lid, which is upright in a ninety degree angle during competition, measuring between approximately 0.01 and 40 inches ( FIG. 6(   h )). 
         [0047]    So as to properly identify the rank and file coordinates, magnetized labels can be affixed above and to the sides of all actual grids. The length of the rank labels vary in measure of between approximately 0.1 and 40 inches ( FIG. 3(   a )), and 0.1 to 40 inches in height ( FIG. 3(   b )). The height of the file labels vary in measure of between approximately 0.1 and 40 inches ( FIG. 4(   b )), and the length of the file labels measures between approximately 0.1 and 40 inches ( FIG. 4(   a )). 
         [0048]      FIG. 7  demonstrates opening and closing of the game apparatus, into which the game pieces may be stored 
         [0049]    Each player must use the same rank and file labels for each grid during competition. It is permissible, however, to mix and match identifiers on the grids. Numbers and letters can be used for the rank coordinates, while colors or objects may represent file coordinates, and vice versa. For this application, objects labels are used in the illustration of game play for the top row (rank) and colors for the side columns (file) ( FIG. 8 ) 
         [0050]    Player A ( FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 ) assembles his/her words, letter by letter for each coordinate, on the bottom interior grid of his/her game apparatus. Player B does the same in final preparation for play ( FIG. 11 ). 
         [0051]      FIG. 11   a  shows how a two player competition would most likely position the game apparatus&#39; for live play. For the purposes of this application, the closable-type game grid boxes will be angled side by side stating with  FIG. 12 . 
         [0052]    Player A goes first. In this example, Player A, who is to the left of Player B ( FIG. 12 ) places a magnetized question mark chip onto the desired upper interior coordinate, which represents the targeted region of the opponent. In this case, Player A selects player B&#39;s Brown House coordinate ( FIG. 13 ). The player announces this chosen coordinate to the opponent. As there is no letter on the Brown House coordinate, Player A replaces the question mark chip with a red chip ( FIG. 14 ), indicating there was nothing on that coordinate. 
         [0053]    It is now Player B&#39;s turn. 
         [0054]    Player B places a question mark chip onto the Red Tree coordinate of his or her upper interior game grid ( FIG. 15 ), as this respectively represents the opponent&#39;s targeted region. 
         [0055]    Upon this selection, Player A concurs that there is in fact a letter on Red Tree. Player B now has a choice of two moves: (1) take a direct aim at a single letter in the alphabet by choosing and calling out a letter and hoping that letter is in fact the correct letter in the opponent&#39;s grid coordinate, or (2) select a range within the alphabet to narrow the search for the letter. If a range is selected, it must contain the letter on that coordinate in order to proceed to capture in that turn. The player would then choose another range within the first, or call a letter outright, hoping he/she is correct. 
         [0056]    Player B chooses to randomly call a letter, selecting “M” as the choice. This is incorrect. Player B makes a written notation of this. The question mark chip, however, remains on Red Tree coordinate as he/she can come back to it in the next turn to pursue further, or elect to go onto another coordinate, if that is so desired. 
         [0057]    It is now Player A&#39;s turn. 
         [0058]    Player A places a question mark chip on Red Pencil ( FIG. 16 ), announcing his/her selection of that target. There is, of course, no letter occupying that space. Consequently, the question mark chip with a red chip on the targeted Red Pencil coordinate ( FIG. 17 ). 
         [0059]    It is now Player B&#39;s turn. 
         [0060]    Player B now has two opportunities: (1) select a new coordinate, or (2) elect to continue in pursuing the Red Tree coordinate whereupon he/she can either select a range within the alphabet to narrow the search, or arbitrarily target another individual letter. Player B decides to select a range this time. 
         [0061]    Player B calls the range of “B” through “F”. This is correct as the opponent&#39;s letter on the Red Tree coordinate falls within that range. Player B makes a written notation, and can either continue to narrow the range by selecting new upper and lower limits within the range just chosen or call a single letter within the “B” through “F” range in hopes of capturing that piece. Player B in fact calls as his/her target the letter “C”. This is correct and Player A removes the “C” from his/her interior bottom grid and gives it to player B, who then attaches it to the Red Tree coordinate in place of the question mark chip on his/her upper interior grid ( FIG. 18 ). 
         [0062]    Player A may replace the “C” chip with a black colored one on his/her bottom grid to signify its loss, but this is optional. 
         [0063]    And so the game continues until one of the opponents captures all of the other competitor&#39;s letters, at which time that player with letters remaining on his/her grid wins. 
         [0064]    Where the competition involves three or more players, the same rules apply regarding only two opponents, but with some variation in play. For our illustration, player A is shown in  FIG. 19 , Player B in  FIG. 20 , and player C in  FIG. 21 .  FIG. 22  demonstrates player A in the lower center, with Player B in the upper left and Player C in the upper right.  FIG. 23  demonstrates the apparatus&#39; re-angled as would be the case in near-actual play. 
         [0065]    In a case where an opponent, say player A ( FIG. 19 ), places a question mark chip onto a coordinate, such as Green Book ( FIG. 24 ), and both or all opponents have letters on that coordinate (as shown in  FIG. 20  regarding player B and in  FIG. 21  regarding player C), then Player A has the choice of selecting whichever opponent to pursue. At this point, Player B and Player C must place question mark chips on the Green Book coordinates of their exterior grids ( FIG. 24a ), the ones located on the lids which, when in upright position, face the other opponents. If one or none of the players had letters on that coordinate, then said opponents would place red chips on the exterior grid coordinates chosen in that player&#39;s turn. 
         [0066]    In this instance, Player A targets player B (located in upper left of  FIGS. 22 through 28 ). Unbeknownst to the players, both players B and C have the same letter on the Green Book coordinate. All that is known at this point in the competition is that Players B and C have letters occupying that coordinate. 
         [0067]    Player A has a choice. Following selection of Player B, he/she can either choose a range and continue narrowing that range, so long as each attempt contains the opponent&#39;s letter, or simply call out a letter. If Player A chooses an incorrect range or letter, he/she can pick up where he/she left off, depending on whether or not other players have already elected to pick up where that player left off and succeeded in capturing that lettered piece first. 
         [0068]    Player A selects the range “k” through “v” The player is successful in continuing to narrow the range until the letter “T” is correctly hit. 
         [0069]    Because both opponents have occupied their Green Book coordinates with the letter “T”, once the hit on player B is correctly made, all other players must relinquish their “T” chips. In this case, Players B and C remove the “T” chips from their interior bottom grids and stick them onto their outer grids of the same coordinate ( FIG. 25 ). 
         [0070]    Player A places a black chip onto the Green Book coordinate of his/her upper interior grid. Players B and C have the choice of placing black chips in place of the “T” chips on their lower interior grids, but this is optional for players. 
         [0071]    Player A continues in his/her turn. Player A now places a question mark chip onto the Red House coordinate of his/her interior upper grid and announces this selection to the other players ( FIG. 26 ). Since both players B and C have letters on this coordinate, they place question marked chips on the same coordinates of their outer grids ( FIG. 27 ). 
         [0072]    Player A elects to pursue Player B. 
         [0073]    Player A continues to select either ranges to narrow the letter hit, then calls a letter outright. Player A successfully calls Player B&#39;s “D” chip on the Red House coordinate ( FIG. 28 ). Player A now targets Player C. 
         [0074]    Player A is unsuccessful in selecting the correct range or letter therein for Player C&#39;s coordinate. 
         [0075]    It is now Player B&#39;s turn. 
         [0076]    Player B, who is now in the lower center foreground of  FIG. 29  with Player C to the upper left and Player A now to the upper right, takes advantage of this opportunity to pursue Player C&#39;s Red House coordinate by placing a question mark chip onto that coordinate of his/her interior upper grid( FIG. 29 ). 
         [0077]    Ultimately, either through selection of ranges and narrowing down to the correct letter, or by simply calling out the letter, Player B is successful in eliminating that opponent&#39;s letter off his/her grid. The “?” of Player C&#39;s external grid is now replaced with that player&#39;s “P” chip and player B places a black chip on the Red House coordinate( FIG. 30 ). It is optional for Player C to place a black chip onto his/her lower internal grid. 
         [0078]    Player B continues in completion. 
         [0079]    Player B places a question mark chip onto the Brown Book space ( FIG. 31 ). This coordinate is not occupied by any letter in either player C&#39;s or Player A&#39;s game grid. Therefore, red chips are placed on both Player C&#39;s and Player A&#39;s outer grids, and on Player B&#39;s upper, interior grid ( FIG. 32 ), but not on Player B&#39;s outer grid as it was his/her turn, and he/she in fact has a letter “C” on that coordinate, yielding a future, potential success for either player to eliminate Player B&#39;s “C” chip on that coordinate once it has been determined by the other player(s) that in fact Player B has a letter on that coordinate.