Abstract:
Described is a picture game which utilized bingo-style game cards having images depicted thereon. As random images and photos are selected and displayed, matching images on the game cards are identified until one or more players hold a game card having a pre-established pattern marked. During the display of images and photos, messages, including advertisements or trivia questions, may be displayed as well. In another version, the game may also be used to facilitate memory exercises.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/803,563 filed May 31, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiments of the present invention relate to games, more specifically, to a picture game modeled after bingo. 
     BACKGROUND 
     People enjoy taking pictures and sharing them with friends and family. With the advent of digital cameras and camera phones, sharing pictures has never been easier. However, not everyone enjoys sitting down in front of a computer, television or monitor to view these pictures or photographs. Furthermore, it becomes a challenge when there are four or five people wanting to view the photographs at the same time. Indeed, the only practical way to do so is to take turns in front of the computer, television or monitor. 
     Thus, there exists a need for a method in the form of a game that makes it easy to share pictures with friends and family and also makes the process more enjoyable. Furthermore, the game may incorporate trivia questions and be adapted as a training tool or for memory exercises. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, a first embodiment of the present invention comprises: display means operable to display one or more images from a group of images intermixed with one or more photos from a group of photos in a random order; and a plurality of game cards having a pre-determined matrix pattern including a plurality of images matching those in the group of images, said game cards able to be marked during the game to identify the display of images matching those images on the game cards, and wherein a winner is determined by a player marking the card to form a pre-established pattern, e.g., five across, five up/down or five diagonal. 
     The display may comprise a computer monitor, television screen, aircraft cabin passenger entertainment system, monitor or other device. The photos can come from photographs taken by digital cameras, video cameras and digitized pictures from books, newspapers, magazines, other printed materials, works of art and artistic renditions. The images can belong to various categories such as animals, people, things, numbers and themes. Preferably, the game card is constructed with a metal, plastic or paper substrate. In other embodiments, one or more messages may be intermittently interposed within the series of images and photos being displayed. The messages may include advertisements and trivia questions. The picture game can also be adapted to facilitate memory exercises. 
     Other variations, embodiments and features of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description, drawings and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a plurality of pictures that can be used in a picture game in accordance with the presently disclosed invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a 5×5 matrix picture bingo-style card including a plurality of images; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a first method of playing the picture game using a plurality of images, photos, and a bingo-style card; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a second method of playing the picture game using a plurality of images, picture frames and a bingo-style card; and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a third method of playing a picture memory exercise game. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. 
     Initial reference is made to  FIG. 1  illustrating a plurality of images  10 . In one embodiment, the images  10  are printed on a suitable medium, individually removed and randomly mixed to construct a bingo-style card  12  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In another embodiment, the bingo-style cards  12  are-pre-printed and packaged in a game box. For example, a game box may come with three or four pads of unique bingo-style cards  12  to allow for different games to be played. Although a 5×5 matrix bingo-style card  12  is shown, it is understood that any matrix (e.g. 3×3, 4×4, 3×5) can be created or provided. Along with the bingo-style cards  12 , a game box also includes one or more memory devices (e.g., DVDs, memory cards, etc.) (not shown) for downloading digital images corresponding to the images  10  on the bingo-style cards  12 . The digital images may be downloaded to a computer, television or any suitable device having a display. The game box also includes randomization software for facilitating game play. 
     The bingo-style card  12  can be constructed with a metal, plastic or paper substrate. With a metal substrate, the images  10  may be printed directly on magnetically sensitive material to facilitate connection of the images  10  to the metal bingo-style card. In the alternative, the images  10  can be printed on paper, attached to magnetically sensitive materials using known methods and coupled to the metal substrate. With a plastic or paper cardboard substrate, the pictures  10  can be printed directly on a plastic medium or on a paper medium and adhered to the plastic or paper cardboard substrate using known fastening means such as glue or tape. The bingo-style cards  12  may also be pre-printed in pad form. Multiple bingo-style cards  12  can be constructed using a plurality of images  10  being randomly distributed within the matrix such that no two bingo-style cards  12  have identical image  10  patterns. 
     Once the bingo-style cards  12  have been created or provided, home pictures or photos  11  are selected and downloaded for use with the game. The photos  11  used with the game may be taken with a cellular telephone equipped with a camera, digital camera, video camera or other electronic means. Ideally, the photos  11  are digitized and can be uploaded in electronic formats onto devices such as computers and laptops. The photos  11  can also be uploaded onto the Internet. The photos  11  should be displayable on computers, televisions, monitors and other entertainment hardware/software systems. Photos  11  that are not digitized can be digitized and uploaded using known methods such as a scanner linked to a computer. Therefore, old family photos  11  that were developed on film can be scanned and used to play the picture game. The home photos  11  can be of any desired nature and do not need to relate to the images  10 . Once the images  10  and home photos  11  are downloaded onto an appropriate device having a display, the picture game can commence with one or more players. 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 3  illustrating a method of playing a picture game using a plurality of images  10 , photos  11  and the bingo-style cards  12 . Ideally, each player has at least one bingo-style card  12 . Players can also choose to play multiple bingo-style cards  12  simultaneously. In one embodiment, the game is played with specific themes. In other words, the bingo-style cards  12  may be limited to images  10  of animals (including their foot tracks), picture frames or numbers only. In other instances, the bingo-style cards  12  may have mixed categories or themes. In another embodiment, there may be a limited variations of images  10  on the bingo-style cards  12  to limit the amount of time required to play the picture game. For example, the bingo-style cards  12  may be limited to eight different images  10  of animals or six different images  10  of people. 
     Once the images  10  and photos  11  have been digitized or made available electronically, they can be subjected to a randomization software algorithm whereby the images  10  and photos  11  are randomly displayed on a computer, television or monitor. In one embodiment, random images  10  and photos  11  are sequentially displayed one after the other. For example, first a photo  11  is shown for a pre-established amount of time (e.g., 10-15 seconds) and then an image  10  is shown for a pre-established amount of time (e.g., 5-10 seconds) and this is repeated with random images  10  and photos  11 . Once an image  10  is displayed, each player views their one or more bingo-style cards  12  to determine if there is a match between the image  10  being displayed on the screen and the images on his or her bingo-style card  12 . If there is a match, the player marks or highlights it on his or her bingo-style card  12 . If the bingo-style card  12  is metallic, magnetic markers may be used to highlight the matching image  10 . If the bingo-style card  12  is plastic or paper, suitable markers (e.g., daubers) may be used to highlight the matching images  10 . 
     An illustration of the process as described above is shown in  FIG. 3 , in which a series  14  of images  10  and photos  11  are intermittently displayed to a player holding a bingo-style card  12 . Initially, a photo  18  of a girl in a swimming pool is shown, followed by an image of a moose  20 , which yields a match. The player can highlight or indicate the match with a marker or other marking means as described above and shown in  FIG. 3 . A subsequent photo  22  of a family portrait is shown, followed by an image of a snowman  24 , which also yields a match. Again, the player can highlight or indicate the match with a marker or other marking means as described above and shown in the figure. If there is no match, the player does nothing. The display and match process continues until at least one player has matched five pictures  10  in a row, column or diagonal (or some other pre-established pattern) for a 5×5 matrix bingo-style card  12 . Other matrix sizes may be used. As suggested above, in one embodiment, the photos  18 ,  22  are displayed for 10-15 seconds while the images  20 ,  24  are displayed for 5-10 seconds. Any suitable display times are possible. 
     Intermixing the images  10  and photos  11  in the manner described above allows players to enjoy the home photos  11  while participating in a competitive game simultaneously. The game facilitates viewer ship of home photos  11  bringing the viewers closer together. 
     In another embodiment, the bingo-style card  12  is constructed of a plurality of picture frames as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Ideally, the picture frames do not contain a picture so that various images  10  and photos  11  may be projected within the picture frame in manner as detailed above. As the series  26  of picture frames is being scrolled through, the picture frame can remain static while interior images  10  and photos  11  are projected within the picture frame (as shown by step  28  to step  30 ). Alternatively, the interior images  10  and photos  11  can remain static while the picture frame changes (as shown by step  30  to step  32 ). Furthermore, the picture frame and the image  10  and photo  11  within the picture frame can both change simultaneously (as shown by step  32  to step  34 ). Like above, the game ends when the player has matched three picture frames in a row, column or diagonal of a 3×3 matrix bingo-style card  12 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , only three picture frames have been matched  28 ,  32 ,  34  and they do not form a row, column or diagonal, so the bingo-style card is not a winner yet. 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, instead of images  10  being displayed intermittently with the photos  11 , trivia questions and training materials are used. Like above, the trivia questions or training materials may be shown in place of the images  10  but intermixed with the photos  11 . Doing so not only allows players to actively participate in the picture game thereby making it exciting and entertaining, it also makes for honing one&#39;s mental faculty and exposing people to training applications. The game can be played in a method similar to that previously described. 
     Additionally, the game can include static advertising displayed within the series of displayed images  10  and photos  11 . Doing so not only allows extra revenue to be generated from the selling of advertising space for games played in a bingo hall, public venue or online, but also increases the likelihood that players will be focused on the advertising because the players do not want to miss subsequent images  10  displayed within the series  14 ,  26 . 
     In yet another embodiment, the picture game can be adapted for memory exercises. In this instance, no bingo-style cards  12  are necessary as the game is played on an electronic display such as a computer monitor or television screen. Reference is now made to  FIG. 5  illustrating a picture memory exercise game  36  having a 5×5 matrix. Underneath each individual box  38  is a picture  10  that is initially concealed  38 . Players take turns selecting a pair of covered boxes  38  in hopes of matching the pictures underneath. The selections can be made by touching the screen, using a keyboard, mouse, remote control or other external devices. If there is no match as shown by the player turning over a cap  40  and an apple  42 , then the boxes revert back to being covered  38  and the next player gets to make his or her selection. The player that fails to make a match needs to remember which picture  10  was displayed and in which box  38  in order to improve his or her chance of making a match during subsequent selections. The game  36  can be played where the player making the selection is the only one that can look at the screen. Alternatively, the game  36  can also be played whereby all the players are able to view the selections made by each and every player. Doing so allows everyone to exercise their own memory power in trying to remember where the pictures  10  are located. The player that matches a pair of pictures  10 , as illustrated by the selection of a pair of fish  44 ,  46 , is accordingly credited with the match by having the boxes outlined  48  to correspond with the player that made the match. Other highlighting or coloring schemes can also be employed to ensure that credit is properly provided. The pictures  10  that have been matched  44 ,  46  remain exposed until the game  36  ends. The player having the most highlights  48  at the end of the game  36 , after all the pictures  10  have been revealed, wins the game  36 . And like above, although a 5×5 matrix is illustrated, it is understood that the game  36  can be played using any sized matrix. In addition, the boxes  38  could be displayed as bubbles that move freely about the screen without overlapping each other or relocating position. By having the boxes  38  or bubbles move about a general area adds to the memory challenge. 
     The bingo-style card games described herein can be adapted for play in a gaming hall, other public venues or on the Internet with the bingo-style cards  12  being electronically generated. In other instances, the picture game may be played using a picture board (not shown) instead of bingo-style card  12 , the picture board game being physically or electronically generated. 
     The embodiments as described above allow friends and families to view and share pictures and make the process more pleasant and enjoyable by playing a game that adults and children will enjoy. And even though the game can be enjoyed at home, it is understood that the picture game can be played on trips using a laptop computer, monitor, iPhone, electronic device, and even on airplane flights via an airline&#39;s in-flight entertainment system. 
     Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments, additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.