Abstract:
The present inventions is a vocabulary building word game that converts common phrases, names, titles, or words into complex and generally not commonly known words. By use of definitional clues, the player or players attempt to determine the meaning of the common phrase, name, title or word. A player&#39;s skill is indicated by the number of clues needed to solve the puzzle. While playing the game, the player(s) are building their vocabularies while having fun.

Description:
[0001]    This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 091590,390, filing date Jun. 9, 2000.  
     
    
     
         [0002]    Inventor: Robert Levin  
                                                     References Cited:                                    U.S. Pat. No.                       3,678,602    7/25/72   Alam    35/273           3,117,178    1/14/64   Wiebe   273/130           4,607,848    8/26/86   Maguire   273/269           1,146,808    7/20/15   Miller           1,538,156    5/19/25   Beatty           5,479,506   12/26/95   Rehm   380/273           Foreign Patents           1,159,120    7/23/69   British   G069                      
 
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention is a word game that utilizes definitional clues to decipher a common phase, name, ting, or title in such a way as to provide educational as well as recreational benefits. The game can be tailored to the educational level of the player. It can also be adapted to a variety of playing methods including a game in print media form such as in a newspaper or puzzle book, as a board game, as an Internet game, or as a computer game.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    SESQUIP™ (from sesquipedalian . . . given to the use of complex words) is a game that can be played by one or more players. The player(s) are presented with a common title, name, thing, or phrase such as “All Dogs Go To Heaven” using words that may not be common to the player (e.g., Curs are supernally fated in every case). The player can then attempt to guess the common phrase, name, thing or title. If the player cannot guess the answer, the player is presented with a number of clues, each of which provides the definition of one or more of the unknown words. After each clue, the player is again allowed an attempt to guess the correct phrase, name, thing or title. After all clues have been used, the entire phrase, name, thing or title has been revealed. A scoring scheme can be used to track the progress of each of the player(s).  
           [0005]    Examples of vocabulary building games are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,602. Games using clues are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,117,789 and 4,607,848. Games that require the player to determine the meaning of foreign phrases are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,146,808 and British Patent 1,159,120. Other games require the matching of cards where a word its synonym are on different cards or use morphemes or cyphertext (U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,538,156; 3,678,602; and 5,479,506). None of these games disclose the method of developing a vocabulary building game as presented here, that is the use of a sesquipedalian using common titles, names, things, or phrases as its root Similarly the present invention&#39;s use of clues for assisting the player in determining the meaning of the sesquipedalian is also unique in this context. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a view of the SESQUIP™ game in an embodiment suitable for print, computer, or internet play including three phrases, names, titles or things to determine along with a series of clues for assistance in determining the answer. FIG. 2 shows the game in an embodiment suitable for board game play including a notional playing board, multiple types of cards containing different types of sesquipedalian, markers, and a die for movement. FIG. 3 shows the details of the cards containing the sesquipedalian, the clues, the answer and the scoring indicia on the two sides of the cards. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]    The object of the game of the present invention is to guess the meaning of a common title, name, thing, or phrase from the sesquipedalian (word or string of not commonly known complex words) presented. If it can not be determined directly from the sesquipedalian, one or more of the clues can be used to help in determining its meaning.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 shows one possible layout for the game. It includes the game&#39;s title  1 , a section of instructions  3  including a scoring system  4 , and a series of games (sesquipedalian)  5 ,  9 , &amp;  13 . Also described is the category of the sesquipedalian  6 ,  10 , &amp;  14 . With each game is a series of clues  7 ,  11 , &amp;  15  which can be used to assist the player in deciphering the sesquipedalian. It also contains an area that contains the answer  23  and an area that can be used to keep score  17  which includes a difficulty level  19  and an area for your score  21 .  
         [0009]    To begin play, a player studies the sesquipedalian in light of the category, and provides a guess at its meaning. If the player is successful, he or she receives the fill number of points for that game along with a bonus  4  for not needing to use any of the clues and records his or her score in the space provided  21 . If the player is unable to determine the correct answer, he or she can use a clue  7 ,  11 , or  15  to aid the player in determining the sesquipedalian. Each clue provides a definition of one of the unknown words in the sesquipedalian. After studying the clue, the player then again attempts to guess the sesquipedalian&#39;s meaning. If he is successful, the player does not receive the bonus points  4  associated with using the clue and his or her score is recorded in the scoring area  21 . Play continues until the sesquipedalian is correctly determined or the player has used all the clues and is stumped and the appropriate score is recorded.  
         [0010]    If more than one player is participating, players can play independently and compare scores or they can play against each other. If they choose to play against each other play proceeds to the next player who repeats the steps described above. Play continues until all players have had a turn. Then play returns to the initial player. The relative scores can be used to determine a winner. The game is over when a predetermined score level has been reached or a predetermined number of games have been completed. Player(s) can also check their scores against a predetermined expert score  19  and use that as an indication of his or her skill level.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIGS. 2 and 3 shows an embodiment of the game that would be suitable for board game play. FIG. 2 includes a notional playing board ( 31 ) with spaces making a continuous loop indicating the sesquipedalian topic to be attempted ( 33 ). Also indicated in FIG. 2 are multiple types of cards ( 35 ) each of which would correspond to a different sesquipedalian topic type and contains all the information needed to play the game. The use of a die or dice ( 37 ) could control movement around the board. The use of markers ( 39 ) is used for indicating where on a board a particular player is at any time.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 shows the details of the cards containing the information needed to play the game. On the front face ( 41 ) of the card would be an indication of the topic type ( 49 ) in this example a movie title but it could also be a phrase, word, quote, etc . . . The front face of the card ass includes a brief description of the object of the game ( 45 ) and a definition of what a sesquipedalian is ( 43 ). The back face of the card provides the clues ( 53 ) to help the player solve the sesquipedalian, the number of points earned based on the clues used ( 55 ) and the answer ( 57 ).  
         [0013]    The players take turns moving around the playing board ( 31 ) using the die or dice ( 37 ) and mark his position with his predetermined marker ( 39 ). When they fall on a topic space ( 33 ), they draw a card ( 35 ) that is appropriate for the topic indicated. The player then tries to solve the sesquipedalian ( 47 ) shown on the front face of the card ( 41 ). If the player needs help, then another player provides a clue ( 53 ) from the back face of the card ( 51 ). The player&#39;s turn is over when either the clues are exhausted without a successful answer ( 57 ) or the correct answer ( 57 ) is provided by the player, The player&#39;s score is recorded based on the number of clues used ( 55 ). Play then moves to the next player and the process is repeated. The game is over when a player reaches a predetermined score.  
         [0014]    The novelty of the present invention is the use of a sesquipedalian as the means for developing games at various educational levels using common titles, names, things, or phrases. A further novelty of the present invention is in its use of clues for presenting the player with help in determining the sesquipedalian.  
         [0015]    The present invention has been described in detail above by way of a specific example and in a specific embodiment for purposes of illustration only. The invention is not intended to be limited by this description