February Board and Card Game Patents

A dear reader has informed me that the links I use in these posts point to search result rankings rather than the correct patent. Which means that if you click the link today or tomorrow, you'll get to the right page, but a week from now you won't.

I will have to fix this, eventually.

As usual, among the following patents, most appear to be wholly unoriginal, obvious, and not deserving of patent protection.

Wagering card game

A genericized version of blackjack which doesn't specify the point value limit.

Method and apparatus for playing a stock trading simulation game

Monopoly with stocks. A few other things thrown in for flavor.

Word game

A word game based on "hold'em poker is played using one or more decks of cards, with each card containing a consonant or a vowel ... separate decks are provided for the vowels and consonants ... Two cards from the vowel deck are dealt face down to each player. Three consonant cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table. These face up consonant cards are available for use by all players. The object of the game is to provide the longest word possible using the face down cards and the face up cards in the center of the table. After the three up cards have been dealt, the players bet using play money distributed to the players at the beginning of the game. After the first round of betting is complete, a fourth consonant card is dealt face up in the center of the table and a further round of betting takes place. A fifth card (also a consonant card) is dealt face up in the center of the table and the final round of betting takes place.

Interesting, but unlike regular poker, this game is subject to variant spellings and dictionary issues.

Reminiscent of the game Letter Hold'Em, as well as several other "poker games with letters".

Football board game

A football board game may be played with a football board, a pair of dice, and a coin or other device suitable as a marker. The coin is placed on a starting position, each player rolls a die, and the resulting die values are compared to determine the amount by which the coin should be advanced. If the coin advances to the defense's goal line before the offense has to turn over the ball four attempts, the offense has scored a touchdown.

Boy, that sounds boring.

Math board game

A game for teaching arithmetic skills involves having a player spin a wheel twice, the first time determines the arithmetic operation to be performed and the first number and the second spin determines the second number. The player then moves his or her game piece according to the results of the arithmetic operation, if the player correctly performs the operation and obtains the correct result. The player will forfeit his turn if he incorrectly performs the operation. Rules of the game control the direction of movement of the game pieces and the number of spaces the game piece can be moved on any one turn. A winner is determined by the first player to reach a finish position.

Tora

"Tora" is a classical strategy board game, constructed as a two-tiered, three-pronged, battlefield simulation. Using 7, 27 or 28 classical pieces at their disposal, players have the option to contend on a limited (9.times.9) or expanded (17.times.17) field of contest to determine the future course of history!

Essentially an abstract game with a lot of flavor, like Shogi.

Multiplication teaching board game

A design patent only; no claim is made for the game itself.

Dice based turnover game

This one seems a little original. It appears to be a clever way of running a series of dice based games using one set of dice for multiple different payouts. I couldn't fully understand it, however.

Combination wagering game

A combination card game allows players to play 3 distinct games using one hand of cards ... players place wagers on an Ante spot to play THREE CARD POKER, a TRIPOLEY spot to win odds, and a Best 2 Blackjack spot to play blackjack. A player can bet one, two or all three spots. Next, a three card hand is dealt to each player and to the dealer. If, after viewing his cards, a player has made the Ante wager, that player must make the Play wager or forfeit the Ante wager. A player who beats the dealer's three-card poker hand of Queen high is paid 1 to 1.

Method for playing Blackjack with a three card poker wager ("21+3")

Card games that combine the play of Blackjack ("21") with a 3-card Poker wager or side bet ("21+3"). Each player places a basic Blackjack wager and an optional 3-card Poker wager before the cards are dealt. Each player is then dealt a card with the dealer receiving a face-up card. Each player is dealt a second card. At this point, the outcome of each 3-card Poker hand is determined, where a 3-card Poker hand consists of the 2-card hand dealt to that player and the dealer's face-up card. After settling the Poker wagers, the game of Blackjack continues in a typical fashion.

Method of playing a twenty-one game using unknown shared cards ("Suspense 21")

Blackjack, where the face down card is shared between the player and the dealer, and not revealed until the end.

Card game

Another design patent.

Card game monitoring system, card game table and monitoring method

RFID chips in cards, to track what is actually dealt to players.

Collapsible chess game pieces

Big outdoor chess pieces that can be collapsed for ease of storage.

Chess board

Design patent.

Chess piece set

And another one.

Yehuda