Abstract:
A dance card game to be played by one or more players comprising a deck of dance cards arranged in plurality of characters, each character illustrating a dance move, each said character of each card having plurality of “identifiers” and each character of each card having one or more of its identifiers in common with one or more other dance card, said dance cards arranged in several suits. The game comprises of each player picking several cards from the deck of dance cards and combining those cards to make a dance routine in a specified time limit.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a dance card game capable of being played by plurality of players. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Card games provide entertainment, are exciting, and can be challenging. They can maintain the attention of players for hours at a time, and provide an opportunity for people to get together to have fun. Various well-known card games exist today. However, there is always a need for a new card game to complement or replace the existing games. 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to a dance card game, and more particularly, to a card game in which the players have to dance according to certain moves shown on the card game. While the prior art achieve their objectives, they do not disclose any of the elements of the present invention, and do not provide a dance card game. The prior art discloses various forms of card games. However, none discloses any game similar to the game disclosed here. There is significant room for success in different genres of card games, despite the vast success enjoyed by prior art card games. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a card game for dancing, herein referred to as Davatar. This dance card game can be played by one or more players. The present card game comprises of a deck of cards, which in its preferred embodiment comprises of 52 cards, divided into 4 suits with 13 different characters. Each card shows a particular dance pose. There are also 4 wild cards, totaling 56 cards. The four characters constitute the four suits in the deck. Each play will received certain number of cards, for example 4 cards, memorize the dance moves shown in the selected cards, and duplicate the move all in a specified time limit. The difficulty level of the game can be changed by receiving more number of cards per dance and having shorter time to memorize and perform the dance. Shorter time to perform the dance with the specified moves requires a faster dance move. 
         [0005]    In another embodiment of the same invention using the dance cards, two players exchange cards to form matched cards and they duplicate a new dance with the new set of cards. 
         [0006]    One object of the present invention is to provide a deck of cards that illustrate various dance moves. 
         [0007]    Another object of the present invention is to create a dance routine by combining multiple dance cards. The game allows players to put together unique dance routines. 
         [0008]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a movement-inspired interactive card game. 
         [0009]    Yet another object of the present invention is to make the game challenging by allowing the cards to be exchanged between players to create different routines (as each card has a single unique dance move). 
         [0010]    Another object of the present invention is to help players to memorize dance moves and be able to duplicate them quickly. 
         [0011]    Another object of present invention is to provide a set of cards that a variety of dance card games can be played with the same deck of cards. 
         [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to promote physical fitness using dance moves. 
         [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to put the fun back into fitness. 
         [0014]    Another object of the present invention is to engage players using uniquely animated characters with the ability to perform dance moves. 
         [0015]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible dance routine, that can be made easy or difficult according to the abilities of the player. By changing the number of cards which dictate the number of moves, the difficulty of the dance routine can be adjusted. The more the number of cards the more difficult the dance routine. Four cards make it easy and fun to learn and dance. 
         [0016]    These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, therein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    In the figures, which illustrate, by way of example only, embodiments of the present invention, 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates the first suit, the shoe, comprising of 13 characters each illustrating a dance pose and each having plurality of identifiers including color and style of their hair, shirt, pants, skirt, and hat. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates the second suit, the glove, comprising of 13 characters each illustrating a dance pose and each having plurality of identifiers including color and style of their hair, shirt, pants, skirt, and hat. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates the third suit, the bottle, comprising of 13 characters each illustrating a dance pose and each having plurality of identifiers including color and style of their hair, shirt, pants, skirt, and hat. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  illustrates the fourth suit, the hat, comprising of 13 characters each illustrating a dance pose and each having plurality of identifiers including color and style of their hair, shirt, pants, skirt, and hat. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates a wild card. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  illustrates the back face of a card. 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  illustrates an example of a game with 4 cards selected by a player; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  illustrates two different combinations of a dance move, A and B, put together by a player having four cards; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  illustrates an example of four cards selected by two players A and B; 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  illustrates the sequence of dance moves with a beat of music as performed by two players A and B; 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  illustrates a game played with two players having five cards to begin with; 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  illustrates a pair of matched cards obtained from player A with cards in 
           [0030]      FIG. 11 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  illustrates the cards left with player A and B after the first matched pair are put on the floor; 
           [0032]      FIG. 14  illustrates a set of matched cards combining player A and player B cards; 
           [0033]      FIG. 15  illustrates a set of un-matched cards combining player A and player B cards; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 16  illustrates a set of cards randomly chosen by player A from player B cards and inversely, by player B chosen from player A cards. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    The present invention is a movement-inspired interactive card game, referred to as Davatar, which is Japanese for ‘karaoke for dance’. This card game comprises of multiplicity of characters. In one embodiment of the present invention, 13 urban-inspired cartoon characters are used. 13 characters are selected to resemble common playing card that have 1-10 numeral cards plus jack, queen and king, totaling, 13 cards in a suit. Each character is uniquely animated in a different dance pose. The cards are categorized in 4 suits, similar to standard playing cards. Any character can be used for the suits. In the present invention, the four suits comprise of shoe, glove, hat, and bottle. Therefore, every deck in one embodiment of the present card game comes with 52 dance cards (13×4). There are also 4 wild cards that can be used instead of any dance pose.  FIG. 1  illustrates the first suit, the shoe, with 13 different characters.  FIG. 2  illustrates the second suit, the glove,  FIG. 3  illustrates the third suit, the bottle; and  FIG. 4  illustrates the fourth suit, the hat. Each suit has the same 13 different characters, but they each have a different dance pose. Each character on each card has several identifiers. For instance, in the present embodiment, where the characters are persons, the identifiers are the color and style of their hair, clothing, and accessories, such as gloves and hats and jewelry. Any character can be used for the dance poses and any identifier can be defined on each card. All dance poses are different from each other, but certain identifiers can be in common. For instance, a pair of cards is defined as two cards having the same character and a common color of their shirts. One wild card being illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The back of all cards look the same, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0036]    For ease of reference, the dance card in the present embodiment are referred to as Davatars. Also, the 13 characters in the card game are given names so that they can be identified by players. Although, any name can be assigned to any of the characters, in order to have a universal game, the following names are assigned: Kuan-Yin (pronounced as “guan in”, in Chinese meaning the Deity of Mercy),  1 ,  14 ; Austin,  2 ,  15 ; Nikki,  3 ,  16 ; Mr. G,  4 ,  17 ; X,  5 ,  18 ; Madaeve,  6 ,  19 ; D.P.,  7 ,  20 ; Stais,  8 ,  21 ; Stence,  9 ,  22 ; homIE,  10 ,  23 ; Candi-Mae,  11 ,  24 ; Lynia;  12 ,  25 ; and Alpha,  13 ,  26 . The numbers are referencing to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0037]    The general concept of the game is that each player has to duplicate the dance pose shown on a card and to combine all dance poses shown on several cards to produce a continuous dance movement. Essentially, the cards dictate the specific movements required and the player combines the movements to form a continuous dance routine. Each player has to create his/her own dance by using the cards to string together unique dance routines and then trade cards to make new moves. There are several games that can be played with the present dance card. 
         [0038]    One Player Dance Game—“Flash-n-Dance” 
         [0039]    The following steps describe the method of playing the dance card game by a single player. 
         [0040]    Step 1. Player A picks up multiplicity of cards, for example, 4 cards. Each card has one dance move as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0041]    Step 2. Player A has a limited time, for example, 30 seconds to 1 minute, to learn, practice and memorize all four dance moves. 
         [0042]    Step 3. Player A has to combine all four dance card moves with his/her own dance movement to create a dance routine. It is preferred to have a music accompanying the dance movement.  FIG. 8  illustrates two different routines, A and B, created with the same four cards. 
         [0043]    The object of the game is to produce an original dance movement within a limited time and using the movements provided by the dance cards. As Player A becomes better, he/she can increase the number of cards the player picks up and memorizes within the 30 seconds to 1 minute. For example, Player A picks up 5 cards and still has to memorize them within 30 seconds to 1 minute. 
         [0044]    To increase the difficulty of the game, Player A can also add a time cap to the music they play when performing their dance routine. For example, using music that is one minute in length, Player A must perform a routine using their four Davatar cards combined with their own creative movement. 
         [0045]    Two Players Dance Game 
         [0046]    There should be some music to listen to while playing this game. The music should be upbeat and easy to clap to, with even spacing between each beat. Each player should practice clapping on the heavy beats (usually the drum or baseline) to begin as this is needed for the game to continue. 
         [0047]    Step 1. Player A and B pick up several cards each, for example four (4) cards each. Each card has one (1) dance move on it.  FIG. 9  illustrates examples of four cards selected by each player, A and B. 
         [0048]    Step 2. Player A and B both have 30 seconds to 1 minute to learn, practice and memorize all four dance moves on their own cards. Both Player A and Player B will do this step at the same time. 
         [0049]    Step 3. Once 30 seconds—1 minute is over, all cards must be turned over, face down. The Davatar logo will be all you see. 
         [0050]    Step 4. As soon as the cards are face down, both Players A and B must begin to dance while the music is playing. When any player stops dancing (other than when they are performing their dance card move) then they are disqualified from the game. 
         [0051]    Step 5. Right before the dance cards are turned face up. Player A and B have 10 seconds to lay the cards out in front of their feet, side-by-side on the floor so that the other players can see what dance move they are performing. The cards do NOT need to be in any particular order. 
         [0052]    Each player will take turns performing one (1) dance card and its move on each new beat of the music. It is helpful to clap out the beat as a group before beginning the dance round.  FIG. 10  illustrates this process: Player A will perform dance card move #1 on the 1st beat, and then Player B will perform their dance card #1&#39;s move on the 2nd beat of the music. Step 6. Each player must hold their pose for two (2) beats. This will continue until one player does not perform one of their dance card moves on beat to the music, doesn&#39;t perform the dance move correctly or forgets their dance move. When this happens, this player is no longer in the game. The player who performs the most dance moves on beat to music &amp; lasts the longest is the winner. 
         [0053]    As players get better at the game, they can increase the number of cards they pick up and learn within 30 seconds to 1 minute. For example, pick up 5 cards and still learn them within 30 seconds to 1 minute. To increase the difficulty of the game, a player can increase the speed of the music chosen to play the game. The faster the song, the quicker the beats are, making the game harder. 
         [0054]    “Move It or Lose It!” 
         [0055]    Using the deck of Davatar cards you can play a game of Fish, much like the traditional bridge card game. The only difference is that the card pairs will have the beginning and end parts of urban dance moves, linked only by, for example, the colour of the Davatar&#39;s shirt or pants or an accessory such as a hat or gloves. 
         [0056]    When a pair is made you will not only collect them but have to jump to your feet and demonstrate the two dance moves. This is a great way to learn the moves properly, memorize the moves and incorporate interactive play into the learning process. At the end of the process you may have to create a short routine based on random pairs that you have matched up. Thus, each pair made is worth one (1) point and the ability to make the final dance movement with your cards is worth five (5) points. 
         [0057]    At Least Two Players 
         [0058]    Step 1. Shuffle the cards. These cards are known as the pile. 
         [0059]    Step 2. Decide which player goes first. 
         [0060]    Step 3. Decide who will keep score. 
         [0061]    Step 4. Player A and Player B both choose seven (5) cards from the shuffled pile, randomly, without looking. Some examples are illustrated in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0062]    Player A&#39;s cards: 
         [0063]    Step 5. All players will match up Davatar pairs in their hands and place them face down on the floor prior to beginning to play.  FIG. 12  is considered “one pair”. Each pair is worth one (1) point. 
         [0064]    Step 6. The player with the highest points goes first. In this case, it&#39;s Player A. 
         [0065]    Step 7. Player A will ask Player B if they have the match to one of the cards in their hand. They will have to ask by Davatar name and look. For example, Player A says, “Player B, do you have Austin (female Davatar), purple hat &amp; shoes?”  FIG. 13  shows each player&#39;s card after the pair is put on the floor. 
         [0066]    Step 8. If Player B has the card, they must give it to Player A immediately. Player A gets one (1) point for making a pair. To collect the point, Player A must stand up and demonstrate the dance move on each card. Player A will get to go again, repeating steps 7 &amp; 8 until Player B does not have any cards to give Player A that they asked for.  FIG. 14  illustrates player A&#39;s new pair. These cards do match since the entire outfit is the same colour on both cards. Player A must demonstrate both dance moves. 
         [0067]    Step 9. If Player B does not have the card asked for, then they must tell Player A to “Move It!” and it becomes Player B&#39;s turn to ask Player A for a card.  FIG. 15  illustrates two cards from player A and B that do not match. These cards do NOT match since shirts are different colours on both cards, red and green. 
         [0068]    Step 10. When Player A is told to “Move It” this means they must go to the pile and pick up one (1) card randomly, without looking. They then lose their turn and it becomes Player B&#39;s turn. 
         [0069]    Step 11. When it is Player B&#39;s turn, they will start at step  7 , asking Player A for a card. 
         [0070]    Step 12. This continues until all the cards are paired up. 
         [0071]    Step 13. Total all the pairs each player has and add up the score. 
         [0072]    Step 14. The losing player has the option to call out “MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!” This is a bonus round worth five (5) points. Both players get to take part in this round. If this happens: 
         [0073]    Step 15. Turn all the cards face down. Only the Davatar logo should be showing. 
         [0074]    Step 16. Player A goes first. Player A gets to randomly choose four (4) Davatar cards from Player B&#39;s deck of cards. These are single cards, and do not need to be matching pairs. For instance,  FIG. 16  illustrates cards from Player B&#39;s hand, randomly chosen by Player A. 
         [0075]    Player B get to choose four (4) Davatar cards from Player A&#39;s hand. They are randomly chosen so they do not have to be matching pairs.  FIG. 16  also illustrates cards from Player A&#39;s hand, chosen by Player B. 
         [0076]    Step 17. The player with the least amount of points from the original round of the game (for example, Player B) must go first. 
         [0077]    Step 18. Player B has 30 seconds—one minute to memorize the four dance moves on the cards (time is set by players). 
         [0078]    Step 19. Player B must give Player A their cards. Within 30 seconds to one minute Player B must perform all four card moves while they continue to dance. 
         [0079]    Step 20. To receive all five (5) points in the “Move It or Lose It” bonus stage: If Player A dances the entire time, they receive one (1) point. Each dance card move they get right is worth one (1) point. A total of five (5) points. 
         [0080]    Step 21. Switch and repeat steps 14-18 for Player A and any other players in the game. 
         [0081]    The winner is the player with the most points at the end of the round. You can also play best two out of three games. 
         [0082]    Note: If any player runs out of cards, they must go to the pile and pick up maximum seven (7) cards. 
         [0083]    If a player runs out of cards during play, they must temporarily stop the game, pick up maximum seven (7) new cards and collect their pairs before re-starting the game. 
         [0084]    The number of cards and the dance poses can be increased or decreased to make the game easier or harder for different age groups and different levels of expertise in dancing. The card game can be provided in various versions of manufacturing choices, such as card game can be produced for home use, or studio or classroom uses, or the game can be shown and played on other types of media such as on TV game show, on the internet or electronic and computer game. 
         [0085]    While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims. 
         [0086]    Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail may be made to the presently described embodiment, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not by way of limitation.