Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to memory-based card matching games, and more particularly to such a game where players may employ the aid of mnemonic coding.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     It has been known in the past to play a memory-based card matching game commonly known as concentration. In concentration, a series of cards are provided with indicia located on one side thereof. Two cards (or at least an even number of cards) have matching indicia. The cards are placed in a playing area face down. Players take turns selecting two cards and turning them face up. If the indicia on the cards match, the player keeps the matching pair. If the indicia you do not match, the cards are turned face down again, and the next player selects two cards attempting to find matching indicia. The object of the game is to collect as many pairs of matching cards as possible. This is accomplished by using one&#39;s memory to track the location of previously exposed cards.  
         [0005]     Concentration is a very simple game. However, it is the game&#39;s simplicity that causes players to lose interest in it over a relatively short period of time. New twists need to be added to make the game play a more exciting, competitive, and mentally challenging, and retain players&#39; interest for a longer period of time. The other problem of concentration, is that little or no strategy is involved.  
         [0006]     Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a memory-based card matching game with novel game playing differences.  
         [0007]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a game with strategic elements.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     It is with the above objects in mind that the present game was developed. The game uses a deck of cards or other tiles with indicia located on a front side. The deck actually comprises groups of tiles, and in the case of the preferred embodiment, they are pairs. Each pair (or group) has matching indicia. The backs of the tiles are used as a coding region for players to place mnemonic coding to aid them in remembering the location and/or details of previously exposed tiles.  
         [0009]     In its simplest form, the present invention plays like concentration, except that after selecting two tiles without matching indicia, the player is permitted to place a coded mnemonic on the back of one of the tiles to aid him in remembering what was on the face of that tile, preferably using a code of his or her own design, that other players will not be able to decipher. In the preferred embodiment, only one of the selected tiles in a given turn is exposed to everyone and the other is only exposed to the player selecting it. The player then gets to place a mnemonic, which hopefully only he or she will understand, on the back of privately viewed tile.  
         [0010]     Alternative embodiments of the present invention include new variations that add a modicum of strategy to the game. One addition involves the association of a characteristic to each indicium, and permitting the removal of a matched pair of tiles only on a turn when the associated characteristic is deemed “active.” Subvariations on that include using wildcard indicia that are associated with any characteristic, and the use of a token given to each player at the start of the game to activate the next set of characteristics. Another addition rewards players for finding three consecutive pairs of matching indicia by permitting that player to take a matched pair from another player. Other tiles may be added that affect a player&#39;s or an opponent&#39;s coding.  
         [0011]     Another alternative embodiment involves collecting tiles with a consecutive sequence of ordered indicia (e.g. a 2-3-4 tile run). This game would be more similar to traditional rummy with the addition of the coding element of the preferred embodiment.  
         [0012]     Like traditional concentration, the game ends when all of the tiles have been matched. The player with the most pairs of tiles is declared the winner. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     So that the manner in which the above-identified features, advantages, and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the appended drawings.  
         [0014]     It is noted however, that the appended drawings illustrate only a typical embodiment of this invention and is therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. Reference the appended drawings, wherein:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a drawing of a typical game playing tile according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a drawing of the back side of the tile of  FIG. 1 , showing a mnemonic coding region; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a drawing of a characteristics indicator for use with one embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]     The invention is a tile or card matching game, wherein the object is for the players to find, from memory, pairs of cards with matching indicia. Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the front (face) of a typical playing tile  10  is shown generally, with an indicium  12 . Optionally, the face of the tile  10  also contains a characteristic icon  14  associated with the indicum  12 . This is used to add an additional strategy element to the game, which will be explained in more detail below.  
         [0019]     In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the indicium  12  is a character named Undula™ from the Cogno® series of books and games from DoubleStar, LLC of St. Louis, Mo. In the background, behind Undula™ is the characteristic icon, which in this example is a drawing of a blue planet, which has been designated “Cold Planet”—meaning Undula™ can only live on a cold planet.  
         [0020]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the back of the tile  10  is designated as a coding area  16 . Players are permitted to place a mnemonic code. The drawings show text and a symbol as codes, but, as will become apparent, any code can be used. The object of the code is to aid the player who placed the code to remember which indicium is on the front side thereof, while at the same time, not being too easily deciphered by competing players.  
         [0021]     In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , two codes  20 ,  22  are shown. Although, the drawings are in black-and-white, it should be understood that in the preferred embodiment each player is assigned a different color for his or her codes. Thus, each player can know who wrote which codes. If the drawings were in color, it would be seen that code  20  is red, and code  22  is purple. Hypothetical Player 1 drew code  20 . The words “Loch Ness” are intended to remind the player that Undula™ is the indicium on the other side. Those familiar with the Cogno® characters will understand that Undula™ is indigenous to water. Hypothetical Player 2 drew code  22 , which is a pictograph of an airplane. Because Undula™ is the fastest creature in the universe, the jet plane (being a fast mode of transportation) is intended to remind Player 2 of Undula™.  
         [0022]     In its most general form, the preferred embodiment is played as follows. A plurality of tiles  10  are arranged in a playing area, face down. The complete set of tiles comprises pairs of tiles with matching indicia  12  on the front thereof. Only the coding region  16  of the tiles is exposed. Game play is turn-based, with a player on his or her turn exposing one tile  10 . He or she then tries to find a tile  10  with a matching indicium  12  to the first. If the indicia  12  match, the player keeps the matching pair (and in the preferred embodiment, is entitled to another turn). If the indicia  12  do not match, the tiles  10  are returned to the playing area face down in the same location. The player then has the opportunity if he or she wishes to place a mnemonic code in the coding region  16 . In the preferred embodiment, the coding region  16  is a dry erase surface, and, as mentioned above, each player is given a dry erase marker of a unique color, so that each player knows which codes belong to which players. Other coding devices are also possible. For instance, flexible members (e.g. pipe cleaners) of varying colors may be used by players to bend into coded shapes.  
         [0023]     In some variations, it is possible to give another player an opportunity to code one or both tiles  10 . In fact, in the preferred embodiment, the player to the right of the player whose turn it is, is permitted to code the first (exposed) tile  10 , while the player whose turn it is, is coding the second (unexposed) tile  10 .  
         [0024]     Play then passes to the next player, who attempts to locate a matching pair in the same manner, by using his or her memory, his or her own codes, and/or any codes of opponents that he or she has deciphered (or thinks that he or she has deciphered). After all of the tiles have been matched, the player with the most sets of tiles  10  is declared the winner.  
         [0025]     Players are not bound to keep a consistent coding schema. Each player is entitled to change his or her coding schema as often as he or she wishes during a game, and may even place intentionally inconsistent codes to deceive his or her opponents.  
         [0026]     Other variations of the preferred embodiment are possible to make game playing more interesting and to add additional strategic elements. In one such variation, characteristic icons  14  are included with each indicium. An indicator  18 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is used to keep track of which characteristics are eligible for removal from game play. If a matching pair of tiles  10  is found, the player may only keep the pair if the characteristic associated with the indicia  12  is designated that turn. If the characteristic is not designated that turn, the tiles  10  must be replaced to the playing area the same as if the indicia  12  did not match. Each time a pair of tiles  10  is removed, the indicator is changed to designate a new set of characteristics.  
         [0027]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the indicator may simply be made of a card with icons representing the characteristics being indicated on that turn. To change the indicator, the card is simply flipped over.  FIG. 3  shows both sides of the indicator  18 . On side 1, is a drawing of a blue planet, like the “Cold Planet” seen on the tile  10  of  FIG. 1 . On side 2, is a drawing of an orange planet, representing a “Hot Planet”. Thus, in the examples shown in the Figures, if the indicator  18  was positioned with side 1 up, a player finding the two matching Undula™ tiles  10  could remove them from play. However, if side 2 of the indicator  18  was facing up, a player finding the two matching Undula™ tiles  10  would have to return them to the playing area because the characteristic associated with Undula™ (cold planet) does not match the characteristic on the indicator  18  (hot planet).  
         [0028]     In an alternative embodiment, the indicator  18  can change every turn. In another alternative embodiment, each player is given a pass (or more than one) at the beginning of the game which can be redeemed to change the indicator  18  out of sequence.  
         [0029]     When using the characteristics indicator  18 , certain indicia  12  are designated as wildcards—that is they have no associated characteristics. Thus, these wildcard tiles  10  may be removed when matched regardless of the status of the indicator  18 . Indicia may be shown as wild cards by displaying no characteristics icon  14  therewith. In yet another embodiment, the tiles  10  are not removed when matched. Instead, the indicia  12  are arbitrarily ordered, and potentially numbers representing that order are located on the tiles  10  adjacent to the indicia  12 . The object in this alternative embodiment is to find three tiles  10  with consecutively ordered indicia  12 . In a subvariation thereof, a player who has found three consecutively ordered indicia  12 , may at his or her option select a fourth tile  10  seeking an indicium  12  that would extend the consecutive run (either upward or downward). If, however, he or she did not find a tile  10  that extended the run, all of the tiles  10  selected on the turn would have to be replaced. If the run were extended, he or she may optionally risk all of the tiles  10  again by selecting an additional tile  10  in a further attempt to extend the run, and so forth. In this subvariation, the winner is the player collecting the most tiles.  
         [0030]     The game may also be computerized. In a possible computer version, each player is located at a separate computer or terminal, connected by local area network (LAN) or the Internet. Each tile is an abstract computerized object, which can be exposed to only one player by displaying the indicium associated with the tile on the screen of that player. The coding regions in this version would not be on the physical backs of tiles, but would be logically associated with tiles in a one-to-one correspondence.  
         [0031]     While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, other and future embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims which follow.

Technology Category: 1