Character revealing game, method of making, and method of playing

A character revealing game having a ternary game piece, a plurality of character revealing elements and a character decoding device. A surface area of the ternary game piece is divided into sub-areas, and pictoral characters are arranged on the sub-areas in groups such that all characters arranged in a given group share a common indicium which is different from indicia of pictoral characters of any of the other groups. Each character revealing element has an indicium identical to a indicium of pictoral characters of exactly one group arranged on the ternary game piece. The arrangement of particular pictoral characters in particular groups on the ternary game piece takes advantage of particular characteristics of a distinct ternary number representation assigned to each pictoral character so that a first player may ascertain a pictoral character secretly selected by a second player merely by knowing all indicia with which the secretly selected pictoral character appears on the ternary game piece. The first player successively arranges the character revealing elements having indicia identical to those in which the secretly selected pictoral character appears on the ternary game piece in an additive manner such that a total physical length of the character revealing elements is formed, and ascertains the secretly selected pictoral character which corresponds to this total physical length via the character decoding device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to games in the fields of education and 
entertainment, and in particular to a character revealing game based on 
the ternary (base 3) number system. 
More specifically, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is 
directed to a two-person character revealing game wherein characters are 
arranged on a main game piece in accordance with characteristics of the 
ternary number system such that one player can ascertain a particular 
character secretly selected by the other player simply by knowing the 
color or colors in which the secretly selected character appears on the 
main game piece. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Many character revealing game devices have been developed wherein one 
player will secretly select a character from a set of characters and 
another player ascertains the selected character in accordance with 
certain information acquired via inquiry permissible under the rules of 
the game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,457 to Lon-Jeng discloses such a learning 
device for children wherein a particular character is secretly selected by 
a teacher from a series of cards on which a plurality of characters are 
printed. Upon learning via inquiry on which particular cards the selected 
character appears, a student places masks over a main card on which all 
characters from each of the cards are printed. After appropriate placement 
of masks corresponding to each card upon which the selected character 
appears, only the selected character will be displayed on the main card, 
all other characters on the main card will have been covered by the masks. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,456 to Vann likewise discloses a mathematical game 
apparatus wherein a secretly selected number is revealed by the strategic 
placement of masks over numbered cards to obscure certain numbers and 
reveal others. Appropriate masking in accordance with certain information 
will reveal only the selected number. Such game devices, however, do not 
permit a student to visually observe any mathematical operations and thus 
are lacking in didactic value. Furthermore, these game devices require 
several number or character cards and a corresponding number of masks, and 
are thus cumbersome to own and difficult to learn to play. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,812,123 (House), 2,514,633 (Glaze), 2,899,757 (Webb), and 
3,204,343 (Pollock) disclose visual arithmetic teaching devices wherein 
physical elements of differing lengths corresponding to magnitudes of 
particular numbers are stacked or otherwise aligned in an end-to-end 
manner so that the total height or length of the stacked or aligned 
elements, which represents the arithmetic sum of numbers having magnitudes 
corresponding to the lengths of each of the individual physical elements, 
will reach a level along a calibrated measuring scale indicating the 
correct sum. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,872,610 (Dumovich), 4,633,070 (Merkh), and 3,332,156 
(Reeves) disclose mathematical teaching devices wherein numbers 
represented in one base number system are converted to corresponding 
numbers in another base number system. Such visual arithmetic teaching 
devices and numerical base conversion devices, while valuable as didactic 
aids, would not greatly appeal to young children since they are not in any 
way recreational in nature. 
A game device which is both didactic and recreational in nature is 
therefore desirable. Such a game will greatly appeal to children due to 
its recreational nature, and children will benefit through visualizing 
basic arithmetic operations and through mentally engaging in the process 
of character recognition while playing the game. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a character revealing 
game that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art. 
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a two-person character 
revealing game comprising a ternary game piece having a surface area on 
which distinct pictoral characters are arranged in groups such that all of 
said distinct pictoral characters within a given group share a common 
indicium; 
a plurality of character revealing elements, each one of said plurality of 
character revealing elements having a distinct physical length and an 
indicium corresponding to an indicium of exactly one of said groups of 
distinct pictoral characters arranged on said ternary game piece; and 
a character decoding device having means for permitting arrangement of at 
least one of said plurality of character revealing elements in an additive 
manner such that a total physical length of said at least one of said 
plurality of character revealing elements is formed, and decoding means 
for ascertaining one of said distinct pictoral characters corresponding to 
said total physical length of said at least one of said plurality of 
character revealing elements. 
In operation of the game, a first player reveals any character on the 
ternary game piece secretly selected by a second player after ascertaining 
from the second player all indicia with which the secretly selected 
character appears on the ternary game piece. Upon ascertaining this 
information, the first player arranges the character revealing elements 
having corresponding indicia in an end-to-end additive manner. The total 
length of these aligned character revealing elements is then decoded by 
the character decoding device to reveal the character secretly selected by 
the second player. 
The character revealing game of the present invention is thus recreational 
and didactic in nature. The excitement and intrigue of "guessing" a 
secretly selected character will draw the attention and appeal of 
children, and they will beneficially learn by mentally engaging in 
character recognition and by visualizing basic addition through the 
alignment of differing length character revealing elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate 
identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a 
perspective illustration of a cube 1 constructed of, for example, impact 
resistant plastic, which serves as the ternary game piece in the preferred 
embodiment. Each of the cube's six faces 3 is preferably divided into nine 
equal sub-areas 5 on which pictoral characters are printed in accordance 
with the techniques which will now be described. 
The assignment of particular pictoral characters to particular sub-areas 5 
is based on characteristics of the ternary (base 3) number system. The 
ternary number system consists of three digits (0, 1, 2), and 
representation of a given number is very similar to that in the familiar 
decimal system if base 3 replaces base 10. For example, (221).sub.3 
=2.times.3.sup.2 +2.times.3.sup.1 +1.times.3.sup.0 =(25).sub.10. For a 
three-digit number represented in the ternary number system, the rightmost 
digit is said to be in the first ternary digit place, the middle digit is 
said to be in the second ternary digit place, and the leftmost digit is 
said to be in the third ternary digit place. 
Any pictoral characters may be printed on the sub-areas 5 of the ternary 
game piece 1. The following description uses letters of the alphabet 
merely for illustrative purposes. 
FIG. 2 shows a data table listing all 26 letters of the alphabet in column 
6 along with numbers represented in both the decimal (column 8) and 
ternary (column 10) number systems assigned to each letter. Each of 
columns 12, 14, 16, 19, 20, and 22 indicates nine letters which appear on 
a distinct side 3 of the ternary game piece 1 in the color listed at the 
top of the column. The assignments of specific letters to specific color 
groups will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 3A-3F. 
FIGS. 3A-3F show six groupings of nine numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) represented both in the decimal and ternary number systems, and 
the corresponding letters of the alphabet to which they have been 
assigned. The grouping of FIG. 3A is derived from column 22 of FIG. 2, the 
grouping of FIG. 3B is derived from column 20 of FIG. 2, the grouping of 
FIG. 3C is derived from column 19 of FIG. 2, the grouping of FIG. 3D is 
derived from column 16 of FIG. 2, the grouping of FIG. 3E is derived from 
column 14 of FIG. 2, and the grouping of FIG. 3F is derived from column 12 
of FIG. 2. These six groupings are based on the presence of a common 
ternary digit (0, 1, 2) in a common ternary digit place among each of the 
9 listed numbers in each grouping. This will be further explained below 
with respect to each specific grouping. 
The grouping of FIG. 3A consists of all numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) whose ternary representation contains the ternary digit "1" in 
the first ternary digit place (rightmost digit). The letters of the 
alphabet assigned to these listed decimal numbers (Column 22 of FIG. 2) 
are printed in yellow, for example, on the nine sub-areas 5 of a first 
face of the ternary game piece 1. A "1" in the first ternary digit place 
is equal to 1.times.3.sup.0 =1, and thus a yellow character revealing 
element 34 has one unit length. 
The grouping of FIG. 3B consists of all numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) whose ternary representation contains the ternary digit "2" in 
the first ternary digit place. The letters of the alphabet corresponding 
to these listed decimal numbers (column 20 of FIG. 2) are printed in blue, 
for example, on the nine sub-areas 5 of a second face of the ternary game 
piece 1. A "2" in the first ternary digit place is equal to 
2.times.3.sup.0 =2, and thus a blue character revealing element 32 has two 
unit lengths, or is twice as long as a yellow character revealing element 
34. 
The grouping of FIG. 3C consists of all numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) whose ternary representation contains the ternary digit "1" in 
the second ternary digit place (middle digit). The letters of the alphabet 
corresponding to these listed decimal numbers (column 19 of FIG. 2) are 
printed in orange, for example, on the nine sub-areas 5 of a third face of 
the ternary game piece. A "1" in the second ternary digit place is equal 
to 1.times.3.sup.1 =3, and thus an orange character revealing element 30 
has three unit lengths, or is three times as long as a yellow character 
revealing element 34. 
The grouping of FIG. 3D consists of all numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) whose ternary representation contains the ternary digit "2" in 
the second ternary digit place. The letters of the alphabet corresponding 
to these listed decimal numbers (column 16 of FIG. 2) are printed in 
green, for example, on the nine sub-areas 5 of a fourth face of the 
ternary game piece 1. A "2" in the second ternary digit place is equal to 
2.times.3.sup.1 =6, and thus a green character revealing element 28 has 
six unit lengths, or is six times as long as a yellow character revealing 
element 34. 
The grouping of FIG. 3E consists of all numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) whose ternary representation contains the ternary digit "1" in 
the third ternary digit place (leftmost digit). The letters of the 
alphabet corresponding to these listed decimal numbers (column 14 of FIG. 
2) are printed in purple, for example, on the nine sub-areas 5 of a fifth 
face of the ternary game piece 1. A "1" in the third ternary digit place 
is equal to 1.times.3.sup.2 =9, and thus a purple character revealing 
element 26 has nine unit lengths, or is nine times as long as a yellow 
character revealing element 34. 
The grouping of FIG. 3F consists of all numbers in the range of 1-26 
(decimal) whose ternary representation contains the ternary digit "2" in 
the third ternary digit place. The letters of the alphabet corresponding 
to these listed decimal numbers (column 12 of FIG. 2) are printed in red, 
for example, on the nine sub-areas 5 of a sixth face of the ternary game 
piece 1. A "2" in the third ternary digit place is equal to 
2.times.3.sup.2 =18, and thus a red character revealing element 24 has 18 
unit lengths, or is 18 times as long as a yellow character revealing 
element 34. FIG. 5 illustrates the color and physical length 
interrelationship between character revealing elements 24-34. Note that 
the colors employed in the above description are not limiting, as any 
colors or other indicia may be employed without departing from the scope 
of the invention. 
FIG. 4 illustrates a character decoding device in accordance with a 
preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred 
embodiment, the character decoding device comprises a hollow cylinder 13 
made of a transparent material attached at one end to a base 11. The 
transparent material of which the hollow cylinder 13 is comprised is 
preferably plastic, however any equivalent transparent material may be 
utilized for this purpose. Base 11 is also preferably constructed of 
plastic or wood, yet all equivalent materials for supporting hollow 
cylinder 13 are within the scope of the invention. Decoding means 9 is 
represented as a character measuring scale printed on the hollow cylinder 
13. The size of opening 7 of the cylinder 13 is determined so as to permit 
the placement of character revealing elements 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 
of FIG. 5 therethrough when sliding the character revealing elements into 
the cylinder 13. 
FIG. 5 illustrates the above-mentioned character revealing elements 24, 26, 
28, 30, 32, and 34 which in the preferred embodiment are represented by 
colored cylindrical elements. The cylindrical elements 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 
and 34 are preferably comprised of wood or plastic, and may be solid or 
hollow. The use of materials other than those listed as preferable does 
not depart from the scope of the invention. Note the color and physical 
length interrelationship between the character revealing elements derived 
with regard to FIGS. 3A-3F. 
With regard to the above-mentioned character decoding device and character 
revealing elements, it is to be understood that the listed materials and 
structures are merely illustrative in nature. The character decoding 
device of the present invention is in no way limited to the structure 
described above and shown in FIG. 4. Materials other than plastic and wood 
may be used in constructing the hollow cylinder 13 and the base 11, and 
element 13 need not be cylindrical in shape. The character decoding device 
of the present invention may comprise instead, for example, a pictoral 
character measuring scale printed along any flat surface against which the 
character revealing elements are aligned. Likewise, the character 
revealing elements of the present invention are in no way limited to the 
colored cylindrical elements shown in FIG. 5. The character revealing 
elements need not be cylindrical in shape, nor are wood and plastic the 
only materials with which they may be constructed in accordance with the 
present invention. Furthermore, color has been chosen as the indicium of 
the preferred embodiments, however any distinctive markings or symbols may 
be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
With the arrangement of pictoral characters on the sub-areas 5 of the 
ternary game piece 1 and the corresponding lengths of the colored 
character revealing elements 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 having been 
explained, operation of the present character revealing game will now be 
described. The two players will be denoted as "player 1" and "player 2" 
for purposes of the following description. 
Player 1 will show the ternary game piece 1 to player 2 and ask player 2 to 
secretly select a letter of the alphabet. After selecting a letter, player 
2 is then asked to reveal to player 1 all colors in which the secretly 
selected letter appears on the ternary game piece 1. With this 
information, player 1 successively slides the character revealing elements 
24, 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 of the corresponding colors into the open end 7 
of the cylinder 13 shown in FIG. 4. The resulting height of the stacked 
character revealing elements within the cylinder 13 indicates a selected 
letter read off from the character measuring scale 9 arranged on the side 
of the cylinder 13. The letter of the character measuring scale 9 marked 
on the cylinder 13 at the top level of the stacked character revealing 
elements will be the letter secretly selected by player 2. 
Returning to FIG. 2, a table listing all 26 letters of the alphabet along 
with assigned numbers in both decimal and ternary representations is 
shown. The six rightmost columns (12, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22) indicate the 
color or colors in which each letter is printed on the ternary game piece, 
as determined by the groupings of FIGS. 3A-3F. This table allows one to 
visualize how the stacking of character revealing elements of appropriate 
colors will yield a reading of the secretly selected letter. For any given 
letter, locate the letter in the leftmost column 6 of the table of FIG. 2 
and read horizontally across that row to the six rightmost columns (12, 
14, 16, 19, 20, 22). All colors indicated for a particular letter (i.e., 
any particular row) correspond to the individual colored character 
revealing elements that must be stacked (i.e., added) within the cylinder 
13 to reveal the letter in question. Thus, for example, the letter "M" 
appears in purple, orange, and yellow on the ternary game piece 1, and the 
successive placement of the purple 26, orange 30, and yellow 34 character 
revealing elements into the open end 7 of the cylinder 13 will yield a 
total stacked character revealing element length reaching the letter "M" 
on the character measuring scale 9. Thus, mere knowledge of only the 
colors in which a secretly selected letter appears on the ternary game 
piece 1 is sufficient to enable player 1 to ascertain the secretly 
selected letter. 
The invention has been described with respect to letters of the alphabet, 
of which there exist 26 distinct pictoral characters, however any set of 
39 or fewer distinct pictoral characters may be employed without departing 
from the spirit and scope of the invention. Likewise, a cube need not be 
used as the ternary game piece and cylindrical elements of the disclosed 
colors need not be utilized as the character revealing elements. Such 
representations have been introduced merely for illustrative purposes, and 
it is fully within the scope of this invention to employ equivalent means. 
Obviously, numerous additional modifications and variations of the present 
invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to 
be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention 
may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.