Abstract:
Playing the game of Solitaire is facilitated with tiles, each tile including indicia representing playing cards, and a custom rack which includes compartments to house the tiles. In one embodiment the compartments are for stock, tableau tiles, foundations for a completed suit, a special tile storage compartment and sequence slots positioned in front of tableau compartments. The tiles are nestable or stackable such that when one is placed atop one another, they stay in place, yet they are not so tightly constrained that they cannot be easily picked up and removed from a stack of tiles. As such the tiles are lightly interlocked when stacked. For selected compartments in which tiles are upstanding a number of ridges are provided to form channels at the bottom of a compartment in which the bottom edge of a tile is adapted to fit. The purpose of the ridges is to prevent tiles from slipping, as they are stacked within a rack compartment. The compartments housing stacked tiles are configured to permit the tiles to lie flat and are thus not provided with the ridges. The sequence slots lie in front of corresponding tableau compartments so as to organize the sequences in relation to the upstanding tiles in the tableau compartments. The ultimate object of the Solitaire tile game is to stack all the tiles in the four foundation compartments, one each corresponding to a suit, with the game being won when a sequence from Ace to King exists in each of the four foundation compartments.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to games, more particularly, to apparatus including tiles and a rack for the playing of the game of Solitaire.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Solitaire has conventionally been played with a stack of playing cards that are laid out in front of person during the playing of the game. In this game, sequences of playing cards are built up until the four suits have a sequence of playing cards going from an Ace all the way up to a King, with play depending upon how cards from a stack of cards are first laid down and then are moved in such a manner as to build up the final sequences, at which point the game is won.  
           [0003]    The playing of Solitaire with cards while for years has been a pleasant pastime has involved cards which are shiny and which slip over each other such that sometimes the sequences involved can be disturbed through inadvertent motion of the individual playing the game, or in fact, by a wind which can blow the cards from the playing surface.  
           [0004]    From a tactile sense, playing with cards has a “flimsy” feel that does not provide the player of Solitaire with a sense of quality to make the game more enjoyable. Moreover, during the play of Solitaire the piles are always messy and the individual is always tidying up the piles.  
           [0005]    Additionally, the use of cards is relatively common and there is therefore a requirement for a more customized game that appeals to the player who is uniquely interested in playing Solitaire with quality pieces.  
           [0006]    It will be appreciated that over the card play, there is a requirement for a deluxe or upscale version of the game to appeal to the discriminate player. At the same time, it is important to be able to provide new apparatus for the play of Solitaire that anyone can use.  
           [0007]    It will be appreciated that while Mahjong and related games have been played with tiles over many centuries, there are no interlocking tiles in terms of structure. Nor is there typically a rack to organize the tiles. When a rack is present, it is simply to display the tile available for a player to see his or her hand.  
           [0008]    Moreover, there is a company called Indochine 2000 that provides tiles that are used in a kind of Solitaire which has six suits and custom rules. There is no rack. Nor is there any interlocking of the tiles, making the Indochine 2000 game much closer to Mahjong than to Solitaire.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    In order to upgrade the game of Solitaire and to make it more pleasurable for playing, in the subject invention the cards are replaced with nestable tiles, with the tiles being provided with cavities and mating plateaus that result in a light interlocking when the tiles are stacked. The tiles are provided with indicia on the front face of the tile which indicates a suit, namely clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades, with the suit indicia also having numerical or order indicia was well.  
           [0010]    A playing rack is provided to minimize the space in which the game is played and to provide convenient stacking of the tiles in relation to the sequences which are formed. In one embodiment, the rack includes a stock compartment for housing un-played tiles and various tableau compartments, being seven in number in one embodiment. The tableau compartments each have an associated slot, such that a sequence of slots extends towards a player, with slots performing the function of organizing a sequence of tiles in front of a particular tableau.  
           [0011]    In the play of the game, the tableaus establish the top of the sequence, with the sequence of tiles in the corresponding slots being descending in order.  
           [0012]    During the play of the game, the end result is to have an ascending sequence of tiles of the same suit, with the game being won when there are four stacks of tiles, each starting with an Ace at the bottom and a King at the top for each suit. In order to conveniently house these stacks, a set of compartments called foundation compartments are provided in the rack.  
           [0013]    Thus there is a unique correspondence between the playing pieces and the compartments and physical structures of the rack dictated by the game, with the rack providing a convenient stacking and organizing system for the tiles. Thus there is a novel cooperation between the playing pieces and the rack that facilitates play.  
           [0014]    The tiles themselves are pleasant to the feel and are more than ten to twenty times as thick as a single standard playing card. The tactile sense of dealing with the tiles is quite different than the tactile sense of dealing with playing cards. Moreover, each of the tiles is provided with a rectilinear cavity on its bottom that corresponds to a rectilinear plateau on the tile on which this tile is to be placed. The cavities and the plateaus permit the loose stacking and interlocking of the tiles when the tiles are stacked in a sequence so that unlike card play, the tiles are stacked in a neat manner, with the stack not being easily disrupted.  
           [0015]    For the tableau compartments in which various numbers of tiles are upstandingly stacked and in terms of the stack compartment which houses the unused tiles, the tile bottom edges are prevented from moving forward in the compartment due to the provision within the compartment of a number of upstanding ridges and corresponding depressed channels, with the channels and the ridges defining an opening which communicates with the bottom edge of each of the tiles so that the tiles are held in an upright stacked position, with the bottom edges of the tiles being prevented from slipping out or moving forward.  
           [0016]    It will thus be appreciated that the reason that the ridges and channels are utilized is that as the tiles are played out of the tableau compartments, the bottom edges are prevented from slipping forward. The same is also true of the stock compartment.  
           [0017]    Thus the rack is provided with several compartments which are adapted to house upstanding tiles, with the compartments being provided with a structure at the bottom of the compartment which has ridges and channels to prevent the tiles, once upstandingly positioned within a compartment from slipping out and/or sliding down from their upright position.  
           [0018]    As result, the play of Solitaire or more particularly, the Klondike version thereof, is facilitated with pleasing game pieces that are pleasant to the touch and that are easily stackable and able to be arranged in the corresponding rack compartment so as to provide a compact area in which to play the game. The lightly interlocking structure permits the stacking or sequencing of the tiles such that the pile is maintained neat and orderly and more particularly positioned in front of the particular tableau compartment which facilitates play of the game.  
           [0019]    In summary, playing the game of Solitaire is facilitated with tiles, each tile including indicia representing playing cards, and a custom rack which includes compartments to house the tiles. In one embodiment the compartments are for stock, tableau tiles, foundations for a completed suit, a special tile storage compartment and sequence slots positioned in front of tableau compartments. The tiles are nestable or stackable such that when one is placed atop one another, they stay in place, yet they are not so tighter constrained that they cannot be easily picked up and removed from a stack of tiles. As such the tiles are lightly interlocked when stacked. For selected compartments in which tiles are upstanding a number of ridges are provided to form channels at the bottom of a compartment in which the bottom edge of a tile is adapted to fit. The purpose of the ridges is to prevent tiles from slipping, as they are stacked within a rack compartment. The compartments housing stacked tiles are configured to permit the tiles to lie flat and are thus not provided with the ridges. The sequence slots lie in front of corresponding tableau compartments so as to organize the sequences in relation to the upstanding tiles in the tableau compartments. The ultimate object of the Solitaire tile game is to stack all the tiles in the four foundation compartments, one each corresponding to a suit, with the game being won when a sequence from Ace to King exists in each of the four foundation compartments. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    These and other objects of the subject invention will be better understood in connection with the Detailed Description in conjunction with the Drawings of which:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1A is an isometric view of the play of Solitaire utilizing the subject tiles and a rack housing the tiles in various compartments;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1B is a diagrammatic illustration of the rack associated with the play of Solitaire as described in FIG. 1A in which the rack is provided with a number of compartments for housing the tiles, with some of the tiles being housed in an upstanding position, whereas in other parts of the rack, the tiles are housed in a horizontal position;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the rack in FIG. 1B illustrating the use upstanding tiles and the rib/channel structure utilized to maintain the tiles in a upright position within a compartment;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the stacking of two tiles showing the nesting arrangement thereof;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3B is a diagrammatic illustration of the bottom side of one of the tiles of the subject invention illustrating a rectilinear ridge portion that protrudes out from the body of the tile;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3C is a diagrammatic illustration of the bottom side of the tile having an angular rectilinear depression or cavity adapted to receive the rectilinear plateau protrusion of an overlying tile so as to secure the overlying tile in a loose locking fit;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a stack of tiles in a compartment having the ridges and channels of FIG. 2 showing the interlocking of the tiles along with the bottom edge of the tiles being fitting into the channels in the base of the compartments, thus showing the nesting of the tiles and the anti-slip arrangement to prevent the tiles from slipping in a compartment;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the subject invention illustrating the various compartments of the rack including the stock compartment, the tableau compartment, the foundation compartment, the special tile storage compartment and the sequence slots in front of respective tableau compartments;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a top view of the tile used in the subject game in which the top portions of the tiles are provided with indicia corresponding to playing cards;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of the subject invention illustrating the set-up before a game of Solitaire is commenced;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of the subject invention indicating the play in terms of the movement of tiles from tableau compartments to and from the sequence slots associated with the compartments;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of the play utilizing tiles from the stock compartment; and,  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of the stacks of tiles indicating the winning of a game. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0034]    Referring now to FIG. 1A, the game of Solitaire is played utilizing tiles generally indicated at  10  and a rack generally indicated at  12  in which the tiles during play are situated in various compartments of the rack. Here tiles  14  are illustrated as being within a compartment  16  called the stock, whereas tiles  18  are situated in compartments known as tableaus. Tiles  20  are situated in compartments  21  in the rack known as foundations, with tiles  22  being located in front of corresponding tableaus by virtue of sequence slots  24  defined by projecting slot defining tabs  26 .  
         [0035]    As can be seen, the tiles are neatly organized by rack  12  so as to facilitate the play of the game. As will be described, the tiles will have a nesting configuration so as to prevent tiles from slipping one on top of the other.  
         [0036]    Referring to FIG. 1B, an isometric view of the rack and the tiles is illustrated in which like elements carry like reference characters. Here it can be seen that rack  12  provides tableau compartments as illustrated at  30  through the provision in the rack of spaced apart by upstanding wall portions  32  which define and separate the tableaus. As will further be described, the bottoms of the tableau compartments are provided with ridges  34  and corresponding channels  36  there between which co-act with the bottom edges of tiles  18  to prevent the tiles from moving forward in any of the compartments when tiles are moved into and out of the compartments. Not illustrated in this figure is the fact that compartment  16  also has the aforementioned ridges and channels, being understood that for those compartments which have upstanding tiles as illustrated  14  and at  18 . These ridges and channels provide for neat stacking of the tiles therein.  
         [0037]    Also shown in FIG. 1 B is a compartment  38  which houses special tiles  40  for use in the play of the game.  
         [0038]    As can be seen by tiles  22 , it contains a rectangular plateau region  42  which is utilized to nest into a corresponding cavity  44  in a tile onto which it is stacked. The stacking of the tiles in an upstanding position is facilitated through the utilization of the aforementioned ridges  34  at the base of the tableau compartments  30  and the base of the stock compartment  16  as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0039]    Referring now to FIGS. 3A, 3B and  3 C, the nesting of the tiles  10  is accomplished through the upstanding plateau portion  42  of the tile loosely fitting into cavity  44  of the underneath side of the tile. As seen at  46 , in one embodiment the edges of the tiles are rounded to permit ease of insertion into the ridge/channel structures at the bottom of the tableau and stock compartments of the rack.  
         [0040]    Referring to FIG. 4, how the bottom edges of the tiles are retained in channels  36  in either bottoms of the tableau or stock compartments of the rack is shown. It will be seen that ridge/channel structures are such as to contact the rounded bottom edges  46  of the tiles as they are nested so as to prevent the bottom edges of these tiles from moving laterally.  
         [0041]    It will be appreciated that these tiles may be held in place by the ridge and groove structure individually or as stacked, with the loose nesting or interlocking feature of the tiles making it relatively easy for the tiles to be removed during play.  
         [0042]    In short, the ridge and channel structure merely contacts the tiles at their lower edge so that movement of the tiles by grasping the sides or tops of the tiles is easily accomplished.  
       Play of the Game  
       [0043]    As illustrated in FIG. 5, the ultimate object of Solitaire Tiles is to stack all the tiles as illustrated in FIG. 6 in the four “Foundation” compartments. This is challenging. In fact even if you play the tiles as best you can, you&#39;ll only achieve an ultimate victory some of the time. For this reason, the common objective is to stack ten or more tiles onto the Foundations—the more tiles you stack, the better your victory.  
         [0044]    At the start of the game,  28  of the tiles are dealt to the seven front-facing compartments (called the “Tableau”) and the remaining tiles are placed in the long compartment in the rear (called the “Stock”). At first, the Foundation compartments are empty. During the game, you&#39;ll play tiles from the Tableau and Stock to form “Sequences,” which are stacked neatly in front of the Tableau compartments. When an Ace appears, you move it to a Foundation compartment. From then on, you may move tiles of its suit onto the Ace, in ascending order (2, 3, 4, etc., up to King). When you can no longer make any plays, the game ends.  
         [0045]    There are 56 tiles in the game. They represent a deck of standard playing cards. There are  4  suits of tiles (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades). Each suit has 13 tiles-from lowest rank to highest they are: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King. The other 4 tiles are special (two Wilds and two Swirls).  
         [0046]    As illustrated in FIG. 7, the set-up for this game is as follows: Place the special tiles (two Wild tiles and two Swirl tiles) sideways in the “storage” compartment on the rack. They are used only in the “Points” and 2 player versions.  
         [0047]    For now, please also ignore the scoring values found on the tiles.  
         [0048]    Position the rack in front of you, about 18″ away.  
         [0049]    Turn all tiles face down and mix them thoroughly.  
         [0050]    Fill the Tableau with 28 tiles face backwards. Take care not to look at these tiles. The leftmost compartment of the Tableau holds one tile. Each successive space to the right holds one more tile. The last space holds seven tiles.  
         [0051]    Place the remaining 24 tiles in the Stock compartment of the rack, facing towards your left.  
         [0052]    Now, turn face forward (and right side up, if need be) the tile at the front of each of the seven compartments of the Tableau.  
         [0053]    As illustrated in FIG. 8, the rules of play for this game are as follows:  
       Play  
       [0054]    Building Sequences  
         [0055]    Before you play any tiles from the Stock, look at the tiles visible on the Tableau. You might be able to move one or more of these tiles to Sequence slots. A Sequence is a stack of tiles of descending rank and alternating color.  
         [0056]    For example, in this photo, you may start a Sequence below the 5 of Diamonds on the Tableau by moving the 4 of Clubs to its slot. You may also move the Queen of Spades below the King of Hearts.  
         [0057]    Turning Tiles on the Tableau &amp; Moving Kings  
         [0058]    After you move a tile from the Tableau to a Sequence, turn face-forward the next tile in the compartment. In this way, more and more tiles on the Tableau become active. When a Tableau compartment becomes empty, you are free to move a King from another compartment (or the Stock, see below) into it. Kings may be on the Tableau but never in a Sequence slot. If a King has a Sequence below it, you may still move the King into an empty space, but you must also move its Sequence into the slot below it.  
         [0059]    Building Suit Foundations  
         [0060]    If an Ace appears, place it immediately in any empty compartment of the Foundation (see diagram of the rack). You&#39;ll try to stack all of the tiles of this suit-in ascending rank on top of this Ace. (After you play the Ace, it becomes possible to play the 2 of the same suit, then the 3, etc., culminating with the King.)  
         [0061]    Playing from the Stock  
         [0062]    As illustrated in FIG. 9, once you can no longer move any tiles from the Tableau to Sequences, you begin to draw and play tiles from the Stock. You always turn over the top three tiles of the Stock, as a unit, and place them in front of you. Take care that you only see the uppermost tile. These tiles are the beginning of the Play pile.  
         [0063]    If you can stack the visible tile atop any sequence, do so. For example, you may stack the 3 of Diamonds atop the 4 of Clubs.  
         [0064]    You may also move a King to an empty Tableau compartment, an Ace to the Foundation, and thereafter, stack tiles of this suit in ascending order in this compartment.  
         [0065]    After you play the top tile from the Stock, the tile beneath of it is available to play.  
         [0066]    You flip three more tiles from the Stock and place these on top of the Play pile when:  
         [0067]    1) You&#39;ve played all the tiles in the Play pile, or  
         [0068]    2) You cannot play the top tile on the Play pile.  
         [0069]    When you come to the end of the Stock flip whatever tiles remain.  
         [0070]    When the Stock is exhausted, carefully place the tiles in the Play pile, without disturbing their order, back in the Stock compartment. Now continue to play from the Stock.  
         [0071]    Note: Some players prefer to keep the Stock in a convenient stack, face down, in front of them. To do so, just flip over the Play pile when the Stock is exhausted and continue to play by drawing the top three tiles to begin the new Play pile.  
         [0072]    Moving a Tableau tile and its Sequences  
         [0073]    When a tile visible on the Tableau can be moved to add to another Sequence stack, move it, and then place ALL the tiles in its Sequence atop it.  
         [0074]    For example, you may move a sequence headed by the 5 of Diamonds below the 6 of Clubs on the Tableau. Below the 5 is a stack consisting of the 4 of Spades, 3 of Hearts and 2 of Clubs. First move the 5 of Diamonds below the 6 of Clubs; then place the Sequence stack on top of it.  
         [0075]    Note: You are permitted to move the top tile from one sequence to another if rank/order is preserved  
         [0076]    For example, you have a Sequence topped by a 2 of Hearts. You see another Sequence topped by the 3 of Clubs. You may move the 2 of Hearts on top of it. Why do so? In this example, the 3 of Spades would be revealed and you would be able to move it on top of the 2 of Spades in the Foundation. If the 4 of Spades were on the Play pile, you could now move it onto the Foundation as well.  
       Special Rules  
       [0077]    1. You are never compelled to move a tile until or unless you want to. Sometimes, it is to your advantage to wait before making a move.  
         [0078]    2. If faced with a choice to play a tile from the stock, or from the Tableau, it is up to you which to move (or to move neither). You are not compelled to make a play if you feel it is in your best interest not to.  
         [0079]    3. You may not move back a tile from atop a Foundation to a Sequence (unless you are playing the “Points” version described below).  
       Game Over/Winning  
       [0080]    As illustrated in FIG. 10:  
         [0081]    When you can no longer move any tile from the Play pile, Sequences or from the Tableau, the game ends.  
         [0082]    If you have succeeded in stacking all tiles on the Foundations, you win an ultimate victory.  
         [0083]    If you&#39;ve moved 10 or more tiles onto the Foundations, you&#39;ve won a common victory. (Of course the more tiles you&#39;ve moved onto the Foundations, the more significant the victory.)  
         [0084]    Now mix the titles and try a new game.  
       Rules—Points Version  
       [0085]    This version plays just like regular Solitaire, but with the addition of point scoring and four very special tiles. The object is to play game after game until you reach 1000 points. Since you could win or lose points with each game played, it is uncertain as to how many games it will take before you finally win.  
       Scoring  
       [0086]    This version is very exciting, because points are at stake. Each tile features a point value below its symbol. These points are awarded for all tiles played onto the Foundations. Penalty points are deducted for all tiles remaining in the Stock and on the Tableau. (Tiles in Sequences are neutral and do not count as scores or as penalties.) If you “run the deck” and play all 52 regular tiles onto the Foundation, you score a bonus of 100 points. This will give you 500 points for the game.  
         [0087]    Note: As many people know, Solitaire is played for money in Las Vegas. A player “buys” a deck for $50 and receives $5 back for each card played to the foundation piles at game&#39;s ends. Ten cards are needed to break even. Our Points version provides a similar thrill.  
         [0088]    Add the Two Wild &amp; Two Swirl Tiles  
         [0089]    Before play begins, mix the two Wilds and two Swirl tiles in with the other tiles. During the game, you are permitted to “own” up to two of these tiles at a time. You may not claim a third unless you play one of the two tiles you currently own. These tiles have no scoring value, but can help you to break an impasse and keep the game moving.  
         [0090]    When a WILD appears, claim it by placing it in front of you, away from the Play pile. You may use it whenever you feel it is to your advantage-now or on a future turn. A Wild can be used in place of another tile, but only of its color (red tiles for hearts and diamonds, black tiles for spades and clubs). You may use a Wild to add to a Sequence stack or to play onto a Foundation. A Wild played onto a Sequence can later be replaced by a tile of the rank and color it is representing, should that tile become available to play AND the Wild is visible. The Wild is then discarded by placing it on its side in the Storage compartment (it may not be reused). Likewise, a Wild on a Foundation can be replaced but only if visible.  
         [0091]    When a SWIRL tile appears, you may also claim it and place it in front of yourself. You may only play a Swirl at the start of any future turn. To do so, stand it upright in the Storage compartment of the tray. A Swirl sweeps aside certain rules while it is active.  
         [0092]    While active, a Swirl enables you to . . .  
         [0093]    Turn over 1 tile at a time from the Stock instead of 3.  
         [0094]    Return one or more tiles from the Foundation to Sequences  
         [0095]    Why do so? To help move/expose other tiles on the Tableau.  
         [0096]    Exchange two tiles of the same rank and color within two different sequences.  
         [0097]    For example, you may exchange the red 4&#39;s, within two sequences.  
         [0098]    Why do so? To make it easier to move other tiles, especially onto the Foundations.  
         [0099]    When you can&#39;t play the tile on top of the play pile, discard the Swirl by turning it on its side in the Storage compartment. Resume normal play.  
         [0100]    When the game ends, you are penalized for each Wild or Swirl tile that you have claimed and not played. Your penalty for each: you score no points for the tiles in one of the Foundation stacks (your choice: pick a stack that has at least one tile in it).  
       Two-Player Points Version  
       [0101]    Two players, sitting side by side, may take turns playing “Points” Solitaire Tiles. Each player picks a scoring color one will be red, the other will be black. The game is quite competitive because you will only score for tiles you play onto the Foundations of your color. Ignore the scoring value of tiles you play onto the Foundations of the opponent&#39;s color. (Doing so will prevent the opponent from scoring for them). Un-played special tiles score −20 points, each.  
         [0102]    Keep score after each turn with a sheet of paper and a pencil.  
         [0103]    After playing three games, you can determine victory in one of two ways (decide in advance). The winner is either the player who wins 2 games (regardless of total score), or the winner is the player who amasses the most points during the three games played.  
         [0104]    Having now described a few embodiments of the invention, and some modifications and variations thereto, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing is merely illustrative and not limiting, having been presented by the way of example only. Numerous modifications and other embodiments are within the scope of one of ordinary skill in the art and are contemplated as falling within the scope of the invention as limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.