Scratch and smell puzzle

A game or puzzle for pre-school children which exploits both the olfactory and visual senses. The game is formed by a playing board having printed thereon at distinct positions pictures of different odoriferous objects such as fruits having characteristic smells. Superimposed on each pictured object is an identifier constituted by a major circle and a minor circle concentric therewith, the circles being radially divided into colored segments. Each identifier has a distinctive color pattern that differs from every other identifier. The periphery of the minor circle is scored to define a punchout disc, the surface of which is coated with a myriad of minute, rupturable capsules containing an odor-producing substance whose smell is the characteristic odor of the related object. The discs are removed from the playing board to create sockets therein, each of which is surrounded by a major circle ring whose color pattern matches that of the removed disc. The group of discs serve as the play elements of the game, the player being required to select a play element and to scratch and smell its surface. He then places the element in the ring socket of the pictured object which he believes gives off the same odor. The correctness of his choice is confirmed if there is a match between the color pattern of the element and that of the socket ring.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to a pre-school teaching device or game 
which exploits both the olfactory and visual senses, and more particularly 
to a device provided with a playing board on which is pictured a variety 
of objects having characteristic odors, each pictured object having a 
socket therein adapted to receive a smell-producing element and to 
visually indicate whether or not the element inserted therein gives off an 
odor which is that normally exuded by the related object. 
Smell is that special sense which enables an individual to perceive and 
distinguish the odors of various substances or objects. The organ of smell 
is made up of olfactory cells situated in the mucous membrane of the upper 
portion of the nasal cavity. The hair-like free ends of the cells are 
stimulated by odors and scents entering the nasal cavity, the nerve fibers 
of the cells sending impulses through the nervous system to the brain 
where the odor or scent is registered. 
The sense of smell in modern man has been dulled by various factors such as 
excessive smoking and drinking; but pre-school children remain highly 
responsive to odors. Taste is often confused with smell and in many 
instances substances supposedly tasted are without taste and are really 
smelled. This may account for the sharp reaction of children to unpleasant 
medicines which adults find less disagreeable. Yet the olfactory 
sensitivity of pre-school children, which is far greater than that 
possessed by most adults, is rarely exploited in educational or play 
activity. 
In dealing with pre-school or primary school children there is no clear 
line of demarcation between play and teaching activity, for teaching is 
best carried out in a play or game mode. For example, in teaching a child 
the relationship between objects and words, one can create a game in which 
the child is asked to match word-bearing cards with pictures of objects. 
Thus in the game disclosed in the patent to Aberge et al., U.S. Pat. No. 
3,172,214, the word "milk" is associated with a picture of a milk bottle, 
and the word "frog" with a picture of this animal. 
The concept of matching underlies many of the teaching devices and games 
designed for pre-school children. Thus the patent to Levin, U.S. Pat. Nos. 
3,349,503, matches up objects and colors. Albee, 2,659,163, matches up 
geometric shapes with colors; while White, 3,715,816, matches up animals 
with their natural food. The patent to Ladd et al., 3,570,139, discloses a 
book made up of sheets having coatings thereon which when scratched give 
off particular odors. In Ladd, after a coating is scratched and smelled, 
the player places a picture of a selected object such as peppermint candy 
against the scratched coating which the player believes gives off the odor 
of the object. 
But lacking in the prior art is a game, puzzle or educational device in 
which odor, color and geometric form are coordinated in a selective 
matching procedure having a high degree of play and educational value. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing, the main object of this invention is to provide a 
children's game or puzzle which exploits both the olfactory and visual 
senses and which has a high order of play and educational value, the 
puzzle aspects of the game serving to sustain the interest of the player. 
More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a game in 
which the game board has printed thereon pictures of various objects 
having characteristic odors, such as prepared foods, the board being 
associated with a group of play elements which when scratched exude 
distinct odors which correspond to the respective characteristic odors of 
the pictured objects, the player being required to match the selected play 
element with the appropriate object in a manner whereby a match is 
visually indicated if a correct choice is made. 
Also an object of the invention is to provide a game of the above type 
which may be manufactured at low cost. 
Briefly stated, in a game in accordance with the invention, a playing board 
has printed thereon at distinct positions pictures of different 
odoriferous objects, such as fruits having characteristic smells. 
Superimposed on each pictured object is an identifier constituted by a 
major circle and a minor circle concentric therewith, the circles being 
radially divided into colored segments. Each identifier has a distinctive 
color pattern that differs from every other identifier. 
The periphery of the minor circle is scored to define a punch-out disc, the 
surface of which is coated with a myriad of minute, rupturable capsules 
containing an odor-producing substance whose smell is the characteristic 
odor of the related object. The discs are removed from the playing board 
to create sockets therein, each of which is surrounded by a major circle 
ring whose color pattern matches that of the removed disc. 
The group of discs serves as the play elements of the game, the player 
being required to select a play element and to scratch and smell is 
surface. He then places the element in the socket of the pictured object 
which he believes gives off the same odor. The correctness of his choice 
is confirmed if there is a match between the color pattern of the element 
and that of the socket ring.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a playing board which may be 
fabricated of a panel 10 of good grade cardboard having laminated thereto 
a face sheet 11 of glossy printable paper. Printed on face sheet 11 at 
distinct positions thereon are pictures of odoriferous objects each having 
a characteristic smell or fragrance. In the example illustrated, these 
objects are fruits, such as a cluster of bananas 12, a pineapple 13, a 
pear 14, a lemon 15 and a bunch of grapes 16. In practice, the pictured 
objects may be any set of objects having characteristic odors or scents, 
such as different varieties of flowers, cooked foods of animals. 
Superimposed over each object is a printed identifier I.sub.12, I.sub.13, 
I.sub.14, etc. Each identifier, such as identifier I.sub.12, is 
constituted by a major circle and a minor circle concentric therewith. The 
circles are divided by radial lines into five 65 degree segments, each 
printed in a different color, the color sequence being different in each 
identifier. Thus in identifier I.sub.12, the color sequence in the 
clockwise direction is blue (B), orange (O), yellow (Y), green (G), and 
red (R), whereas identifier I.sub.13, it is Y, O, G, B and R, and in 
identifier I.sub.14 it is Y, B, O, G and R. 
With five different colors in the sequence, a large number of permutations 
are possible, so that a great many objects may be pictured and identified 
by a distinctive color pattern, the pattern in each identifier being at 
variance with every other identifier. 
As best seen in FIG. 3, the periphery of the minor circle is deeply scored 
to define a disc 17 which may be readily punched out of the board to 
define a play element. When the play elements of all identifiers are 
removed from the board as shown in FIG. 2, this leaves at each identifier 
station a hole or socket surrounded by a segmented ring 18. The color 
sequence of the ring segments corresponds to that on the related disc 17. 
Hence each disc 17 will register in terms of its color pattern with only 
one of the socket rings 18 and no other. 
The surface of disc 17 is coated with a myriad of minute, rupturable 
capsules filled with an odor-producing substance whose scent corresponds 
to or stimulates the odor of the related pictured object. Thus disc 17 in 
banana identifier I.sub.12 has a coating which, when the capsules are 
ruptured by scratching, will exude a banana-like odor. Coatings of this 
type in a broad spectrum of odors which simulate virtually every known 
natural odor or scent are available commercially from such manufacturers 
as the 3M Corporation. These coatings or layers can be applied by printing 
techniques to the board. Because of the high density of the microscopic 
capsules in the coating, it may be scratched over and over again and still 
continue to give off the desired odor with each scratching. The game, 
therefore, has an almost idefinite life. 
In playing the game, the player selects any one of the discs, such as disc 
17 in FIG. 4, and scratches and smells its surface. From the smell the 
player reaches a conclusion as to which pictured object is responsible for 
this odor. Thus if the player receives a smell which he believes to be 
that of a pineapple, he places the disc into socket ring 18 of the 
pineapple identified I.sub.13, as shown in FIG. 5. If, in fact, the disc 
gives off a pineapple odor, then the color pattern on the disc will match 
the color pattern of the socket ring 18 in which it is inserted; but 
otherwise it will not, thereby indicating to the player whether he has 
made a correct choice. In placing the disc in the ring socket, the player 
only lines up one color segment on the disc with the same color on the 
segmented ring; and if there is a match, all other colors will be in 
registration. 
Thus FIG. 6 illustrates a mismatch of disc 17 with a socket ring 18. To 
complete the game, all discs must be properly inserted in their related 
socket rings. The game may be made competitive by distributing the discs 
between two players and then keeping score to see which player makes the 
greatest number of correct choices. 
Color patterns are not the only means by which the existence of a match or 
mismatch may be determined. Thus instead of applying distinctive color 
patterns to the discs and socket rings, the discs and rings may be 
provided with complementary notches or coded expedients which visually 
indicate a match when the notches or cards on the rings and disc are in 
registration. Thus the playing elements may be in the form of plugs having 
pins in a predetermined combination which go into holes in a socket only 
if the socket pin holes are in registration with the plug pins. 
While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of a 
scratch and smell puzzle in accordance with the invention, it will be 
appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein 
without, however, departing from the essential spirit thereof. Thus the 
playing board itself may be in the form of a jig-saw puzzle made up of 
separate contoured pieces which must be properly intercoupled to create 
the board. As a consequence, the game becomes a double puzzle, the player 
having to first assemble the jig-saw pieces to create a board, on which he 
then proceeds to play as a smell and match puzzle. 
Also the invention is not limited to playing elements which require 
scratching to produce an odor, for it includes any treated surface which 
exudes a smell simulating the characteristic odor of the object to which 
it is related.