Patent Publication Number: US-2016220892-A1

Title: Card Game Counter

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to devices for counting or displaying multiple parameters of a card in a card game. In particular, the present disclosure provides rotational devices which allow players of card games to display various parameters of a card or mathematical function through at least two rotating semi-circular members accompanied by a separating housing that displays a central function related to both corresponding side numbers. (e.g., /, +, −, x). 
     BACKGROUND 
     A card game generally refers to any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). Card game has gained in popularity since the beginning of the twentieth century, and has gone from being primarily a recreational activity confined to small groups of enthusiasts, to a widely popular activity, both for participants and spectators, including online, with many professional players and multi-million dollar tournament prizes. 
     For example, a well-known game called “Magic the Gathering®” was purported to be the first collectible card game, launching a new genre of hobby games in which each card could change the game rules in some way. Players are wizards attempting to reduce their opponent&#39;s life total to zero (or run them out of cards) by casting spells and attacking them with various creatures. Cards can be lands, which usually generate mana of various colors, or spells, which require a certain amount of mana to be used. Some cards (creatures, artifacts, and enchantments) stay on the board and continue to affect the game, while others have a one-time effect. An important part of the game is deck construction, which is done prior to the actual game by selecting what cards are included in a particular deck. 
     In Magic the Gathering®, the deck of cards the player holds represents modes of attack and strategic maneuvering available to that player. The deck contains spells the player knows how to cast and creatures the player can summon for that player. Each player starts with  20  “life.” When a player reduces their opponents to 0 life by attacking them with creatures and playing spells, that player wins. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a creature card, the main type of card, contains two parameters establishing their primary value system that represent their strength in combat, printed on the lower right-hand corner of the card. The first number is the creature&#39;s power, the amount of damage it deals in combat. The second number is its toughness which indicates the amount of damage it can receive from another card before it must be discarded. A card cannot receive equal or greater damage than the power of the opposing creature or spell card that is dealing it damage. 
     Due to complex rule structure, these numbers can change depending on other cards&#39; effects or if the creature contains a special provision affecting these numbers. For example, a card which is already in play can receive a boost in its power and toughness parameters from another card or from another creature. This permanent boost in power and toughness results in a permanent change in the creature&#39;s abilities. 
     In order to keep track of or reflect changes in a card&#39;s parameters, various types of counters have been introduced. Counters can be anything the player has handy, such as dice, small beads, buttons, cereal pieces, anything the player wants as long as it shows the card&#39;s parameter or stats. However, as the complexity of the game increases, people lose tracks of the card&#39;s stats or parameter easily. It is also tedious to keep track of parameter changes using traditional counters because they take up a lot of spaces and sometimes users will get confused of which counter represents which parameter. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a better counting device where players can effectively monitor the parameters and stats on any given card for all types of card games. In addition, there exists a need for a device which does this all in one consolidated piece to remove clutter as trading card games can become congested without the plethora of cards about. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure provides a counting device that can be used during card game which is effective in tallying the numerical attributes of the card. Specifically, the present disclosure uses at least one semi-circular rotating member (e.g. arithmetic spinner) to allow the user to present multiple parameters of a card during a card game. 
     In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the device of the present disclosure comprises a housing with plurality of openings; plurality of semi-circular members rotationally connected to the housing, wherein each of the plurality of semi-circular members contains numbers, characters or symbols; wherein for each of the plurality of semi-circular members, one of the numbers, characters or symbols is displayed through one of the openings of the housing; and wherein when each of the plurality of semi-circular members is rotated, the number, character or symbol displayed through the openings of the housing changes. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the device comprises a housing with first opening and second opening, a first wheel rotationally connected to one side of the housing, wherein the first wheel has multiple numbers, characters or symbols on its surface and a second wheel rotationally connected to different side of the housing, wherein the second wheel has multiple numbers, characters or symbols on its surface. At least one of the multiple numbers, characters or symbols on the first wheel is displayed through the first opening of the housing and at least one of the multiple numbers, characters or symbols on the second wheel is displayed through the second opening of the housing. When the first wheel and the second wheel are rotated, the number, character or symbol displayed through the first opening and the second opening of the housing change respectively 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exemplary drawing of a card in a card game. 
         FIG. 2  is an exemplary drawing of a card in a card game. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the counting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the counting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the counting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the counting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a stationary cap design showing how hook is connected to a spring according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a spinner design showing round budge equidistant from center and positioned exactly in center of decagon side according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a housing design showing spring insert hollow and uniform according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a spring design showing key slides into housing preventing it from turning but still allowing spinner to flex away from housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  is a stationary cap design showing how spinner fits into housing with spring and hook according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the disclosure. Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. 
     Broadly, embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to devices which can display multiple parameters of a card&#39;s attributes in a card game and allows players to track changes to the parameters. 
     In one aspect of the present disclosure, the device of the present disclosure is an arithmetic spinner which comprises a housing with plurality of openings and plurality of semi-circular members rotationally connected to the housing. Each of the plurality of semi-circular members contains numbers, characters or symbols. For each of the plurality of semi-circular members, one of the numbers, characters or symbols on the semi-circular members is displayed through one of the openings of the housing. When each of the plurality of semi-circular members is rotated, the number, character or symbol displayed through the openings of the housing changes accordingly. 
     The primary use for the device is to depict, in a clear and concise fashion, the attributes, including but not limited to the numerical values, attributed to parameters (e.g. the power and toughness “P/T”) of a card used in a card game. 
     Refer to  FIG. 3  for a perspective view of the counting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the counting device comprises a housing  1  with a first opening  4  and a second opening  5 . A first wheel  2  is rotationally connected to one side of the housing  1  and has numbers 0 to 9 on its surface. Similarly, a second wheel  3  is also rotationally connected to the housing  1  on the other side and has numbers 0 to 9 on its surface. A number on the first wheel  2  is displayed through the first opening  4  of the housing  1  and a number on the second wheel is displayed through the second opening  5  of the housing  1 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the first wheel  2  or the second wheel  3  is rotated, the number displayed through the first opening  4  or the second opening  5  of the housing changes respectively. 
     In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotating wheels are decagons with numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 showing on each side of the decagons. 
     In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotating wheels do not need to have numbers or in the range of 0 to 9. It can be in any numerical ranger or in the form of characters or symbols as long as it can sufficiently display the parameters in a card. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing can further comprises a clip so that the counting device can be clipped on the card. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of rotating wheels can be increased and the numbers and symbols on the rotating wheel can be modified based on the requirement of the card game. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the number, character or symbol displayed through the first opening and the number, character or symbol displayed through the second opening are separated by a slash sign (/). 
     In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown from  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 11 , hooks and springs are used to station the wheel (or spinner) on the housing. The spring also prevents the wheel from turning automatically and it allows the wheel to flex away from the housing. 
     Provided below is a detailed description of an example scenario where the device would be used in a card game. This is not intended to be used in a limiting manner, but simply as a means of presenting the means in which a device or method as discussed in this disclosure would be effective. 
     For instance, in the game of Magic the Gathering®, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , numbers (i.e., 2/3) on the right bottom corner of the card denote to a creature&#39;s ability to deal damage to other creatures (“power”) and the creature&#39;s limit to receive damage (“toughness”) respectively. A creature with a power and toughness of “2/3” deals 2 points of damage and can receive up to 3 damage points without dying and being placed out of play. Throughout the course of a typical game of Magic the Gathering®, creatures change power and toughness in many ways. Some common interactions are (1) between creatures&#39; abilities adding to or subtracting from other or all creatures P/T, (2) a permanent change (aura), or (3) a sorcery/instant spell that changes it for only a turn. The device&#39;s primary uses involve situations where the P/T has changed for a longer duration than one turn as applicable in the first two scenarios. As such, when a player receives a card as shown in  FIG. 2 , the player can show the initial P/T of the card to others by rotating first wheel and second wheel of the counting device so that number “2” is displayed in the first opening and number “3” is displayed in the second opening of the housing. This way, every player can clearly understand each card&#39;s initial attributes. 
     During the game, the card may have interaction with other cards which changes the parameters of the card. For example, when a card enters a battlefield with certain card, it may create a +1/+1 bonus to the card&#39;s P/T. To show that the P/T on the player&#39;s card has increased from 2/3 to 3/4 because of the bonus, the player can simply rotate the first wheel and second wheel again so that numbers “3” and “4” are shown in the first opening and the second opening of the housing respectively. The counting device of the present disclosure would clearly indicate what the current characteristics of a card are at any moment. 
     Among other things, the present disclosure provides various benefits and advantages to card game players. One benefit of the present disclosure&#39;s devices is that it allows the player to display attributes of a card in a clear and concise fashion. It also allows the player to adjust or modify the attributes at any time by simply rotating the semi-circular member on the device. As such, players will less likely to lose track of the attributes on their card and they will feel the game becomes more enjoyable. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.