Electronic maze game

This invention provides an electronic maze game apparatus. The basic invention comprises a display board, optical discrete display elements (such as LCDs or LEDs) forming a grid on the display board, and electronic control for the selective display of the optical display elements so that a maze pattern is displayed and made visible on the display board. The maze pattern may be solved by the user directing a position marker through the maze, through control panel inputs. Information defining a multiplicity of maze patterns may be stored in a memory, and any of these patterns may be displayed, as directed by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The solution of maze or labyrinth problems has been an intellectually 
stimulating recreational pastime for centuries. 
This invention provides a new game device with a display board on which an 
electronically produced maze pattern may be displayed. Any of a plurality 
of memory stored maze patterns may alternatively be displayed. 
The availability for display and solution of a plurality of maze patterns, 
some of which may be more challenging to solve than others, is an 
advantage of the invention. 
The fact that embodiments of the invention can be made which are easily 
portable, is another advantage of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 shows a basic embodiment of the invention. Here the peripheral part 
of a display board 1 can be seen. The display board may be made using any 
of a variety of materials. A maze pattern 2 is displayed and made visible 
on said display board 1 by electronic means selectively displaying optical 
display elements forming a grid on said display board 1. The optical 
display elements may, for example, be liquid crystal display (LCD) 
elements or light-emitting diode (LED) elements. The electronic means may 
include a memory which stores information defining the maze pattern, and 
means for translating this information into the actual display of the maze 
pattern. A variety of particular hardware and software means could be used 
in the said electronic means, within the scope of the invention. While it 
is obvious that a variety of alternative maze patterns could be displayed, 
within the scope of the invention, the particular maze pattern illustrated 
here is that of a garden maze of the British mathematician W. W. Rouse 
Ball, as cited in The 2nd Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles 
& Diversions, by Martin Gardner, published by Simon and Schuster, New 
York, 1961. For this particular maze the starting point is at the location 
designated 3 and the goal is at the location designated 4. Again, 
alternative mazes of different sizes and complexity are clearly possible. 
The physical size of the entire electronic maze game invention can also be 
varied to a considerable extent, within the scope of the invention. A 
transparent cover element, on which lines may be marked and erased, may be 
installed over the grid of optical display elements. The user can then 
attempt to solve the maze by drawing paths on this transparent cover 
element. 
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention with some additional features. 
Here a memory module 5 is provided which is physically detachable from the 
body of the electronic maze game invention. Note here that any memory in 
the invention may be a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory 
(RAM), or some other type of memory. Any memory in this invention may also 
store information defining more than one maze pattern. 
The embodiment of FIG. 2 is also provided with a control panel 6, which 
provides a means for user interface with the invention. The control panel 
may be fitted with one or more buttons, touch sensors, knobs, dials, slide 
controls, and/or joysticks. Preferably a keyboard will be provided on the 
control panel, with buttons or touch sensors. The control panel may be 
used by the user to select a given maze pattern for display. Another 
possible use of the control panel involves commanding the display of a 
position marker 7. In this embodiment additional optical display elements 
are provided in the interstitial blocks of the grid, and the position 
marker 7 is produced by the display of one of these additional optical 
display elements. Now the user may press up/down/left/right "move" buttons 
which will cause the position marker to effectively move up, down, left, 
or right, by causing the appropriate adjacent additional optical display 
element to be displayed in place of the additional optical display element 
formerly associated with the position marker. Electronic means for 
forbidding movement of the position marker across boundaries of the 
displayed maze pattern can be provided. Therefore in this embodiment the 
user can attempt to solve the maze by pressing the "move" buttons in some 
appropriate time sequence (or by operating a joystick or other control 
means) so as to cause the position marker to move through the maze, 
hopefully from the starting point to the goal. An alternative "move" 
command may move the position marker, but cause the additional optical 
display element corresponding to the former position of the position 
marker to continue to be displayed. In this way a space sequence or 
visible path of additional optical display elements can be built through 
the maze. Optionally, when the position marker is made to retrace its 
path, the retraced portion display may be "erased". Several other 
variations and alternative games may also be implemented using the device 
invented here. 
The embodiment of FIG. 2 is finally also provided with a digital display 8. 
This display may display the identifying alphanumeric code of the maze 
pattern currently displayed; or the number of steps taken or the time 
elapsed from the start to the finish of the maze solution. 
One more interesting possible variant of the invention incorporates means 
for producing a time varying maze pattern display. The maze pattern may be 
varied in a predetermined manner governed by some algorithm, or in some 
random manner. In this way an additional element of excitement and 
difficulty can be added to the solution of the maze. 
FIG. 3 shows a variety of grids formed by optical display elements, which 
grids may be used in alternative embodiments of the invention. Several 
different grids may also be superposed in a single embodiment of the 
invention. All the optical display elements are visible here to more 
clearly illustrate the grid patterns- note that only selected optical 
display elements will be visible in any given maze pattern display. Note 
that optical display elements with width to length ratios larger than 
those shown here may be used in the invention. FIG. 3a shows a rectangular 
grid. FIG. 3b shows a square grid. FIG. 3c shows a triangular grid. FIG. 
3d shows a hexagonal grid. In each of these four illustrations, one of the 
optical display elements is designated 9, and one of the interstitial 
blocks of the grid is designated 10. Numbering is not applied to all of 
the optical display elements nor to all of the interstitial blocks of the 
grids, to keep the illustrations from getting too cluttered. Note that any 
two-dimensional space filling regular polygonal grid pattern may be used 
in the invention. A variety of other grids may also be used in the 
invention. 
The power supply for the invention will preferably be an electric power 
supply. One or more batteries or househiold AC power may be used. If one 
or more batteries are used, means for battery recharging may also be 
provided. 
While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in 
detail above, it is to be understood that further modifications and 
variations can be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the 
appended claims.