Patent Publication Number: US-6666455-B1

Title: Baseball board and trivia game

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to baseball trivia games and more particularly pertains to a new baseball board and trivia game for providing fun and entertainment for baseball enthusiasts. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of baseball trivia games is known in the prior art. More specifically, baseball trivia games heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,780; U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,337; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 340,746; U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,467; U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,872; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,956. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new baseball board and trivia game. The prior art includes inventions having game boards and cards and game pieces for moving upon the game boards. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new baseball board and trivia game which has many of the advantages of the baseball trivia games mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new baseball board and trivia game which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art baseball trivia games, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a game board having a top side and further having a simulated diamond-shaped playing field diagrammed upon said top side and including simulated first, second and third bases and a simulated home base being diagrammed upon the simulated diamond-shaped playing field; and also includes decks of playing cards including a first deck of playing cards each having a baseball trivia question and answer displayed upon a side thereof, and also including a second deck of playing cards each having a particular baseball play outcome being displayed upon a side thereof; and further includes a plurality of game pieces being movably positioned upon the game board. None of the prior art includes inventions combining selection of trivia questions with the selection of play outcomes. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the baseball board and trivia game in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new baseball board and trivia game which has many of the advantages of the baseball trivia games mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new baseball board and trivia game which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art baseball trivia games, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new baseball board and trivia game for providing fun and entertainment for baseball enthusiasts. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new baseball board and trivia game that is easy and fun to play by anybody having baseball knowledge. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new baseball board and trivia game that would be played like that of a real baseball game which allows the players to learn more about the game of baseball. 
    
    
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a new baseball board and trivia game according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of game pieces of the present invention. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 2 thereof, a new baseball board and trivia game embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 2, the baseball board and trivia game  10  generally comprises a game board  11  having a top side  12  and further having a simulated diamond-shaped playing field  13  conventionally diagrammed upon the top side  12  and including simulated first, second and third bases  14 - 16  and a simulated home base  17  being conventionally diagrammed upon the simulated diamond-shaped playing field  13 . 
     Decks of playing cards  20 , 21  include a first deck of playing cards  20  each having a baseball trivia question and answer displayed upon a .side thereof, and also include a second deck of playing cards  21  each having a particular baseball play outcome being displayed upon a side thereof. The game board  11  further includes designated deck placement areas  18 , 19  being conventionally displayed upon the top side  12  of the game board  11 . The second deck of playing cards  21  include indicia indicating the particular baseball play outcome such as a strike, out, single, double, triple, and home run. 
     A plurality of game pieces  22  are movably positioned upon the game board  11 . The game pieces  22  are baseball player figurines having game action posters and being positionable upon the simulated diamond-shaped playing field  13 . 
     In use, a player first selects a card from the first deck of playing cards  20 , and answers the baseball trivia question correctly and moves on to a next step or incorrectly and moves back to the previous step. The player is given three opportunities to answer the baseball trivia question correctly, and if the player fails to do so, the result is an out for the player. The player is given three outs per turn with the player having nine turns which simulates a nine inning baseball game. Upon answering the baseball trivia question correctly, the player then selects a card from the second deck of playing cards  21  to determine the outcome for positioning one&#39;s game pieces  22  about the simulated diamond-shaped playing field  13  and for keeping track of scores upon the game pieces  22  reaching the simulated home base  17 . The player continues to select cards from the first deck of cards  20 , and upon answering the trivia questions correctly, selects cards from the second deck of playing cards  21  until the game is over with the player tallying the highest scores after nine turns winning the game. 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the baseball board and trivia game. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.