| United States Patent | 3,871,654 |
| Bliss | March 18, 1975 |
Game carton
Abstract
A blank is folded to form a game board and game piece storage compartment carton. The blank includes a bottom panel, a pair of side walls hingedly connected thereto, an apertured top panel hingedly connected to the upper edge of one of the side walls, and a platform panel hingedly connected to the upper edge of the other side wall. Extensions of the top and bottom panels are folded to form the storage compartment. A symbol carrying disc is centrally pivoted between the top and platform panels. The top panel apertures through which the symbols are viewable depends on the position to which the disc is pivoted. Game pieces placed in the apertures obscure the symbols and enable the game of Concentration to be played. A cover fits over the carton.
| Inventors: | Bliss; Robert A (St. Paul, MN) |
| Assignee: |
Hoerner Waldorf Corporation
(St. Paul,
MN)
|
| Appl. No.: | 05/489,258 |
| Filed: | July 17, 1974 |
| Current U.S. Class: | 273/282.1 ; 273/273; 273/284; 273/290 |
| Current International Class: | A63F 3/02 (20060101); A63F 3/00 (20060101); A63f 003/00 () |
| Field of Search: | 273/13R,135R,136 229/27 |
| 2330345 | September 1943 | Elliott |
| 2593895 | April 1952 | Kohl |
| 3251528 | May 1966 | Cillufo |
| 3347549 | October 1967 | Jackson |
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
I claim:
1. A game structure including:
a carton having a rectangular bottom panel,
side walls of equal height extending upwardly from opposite sides of said bottom panel,
a top panel hinged to the upper edge of one of said side walls,
an outer side wall hingedly connected to the side of said top panel,
means connecting said walls and panels in tubular relation,
a top panel liner panel secured to one of said side walls and underlying said top panel,
flanges hinged to two opposed edges of said top panel liner panel and extending downwardly therefrom into engagement with said bottom panel, and
said top panel having apertures therethrough adapted to accomodate game pieces adapted to rest upon said top panel liner panel.
2. The structure of claim 1 and including end closure flaps hingedly connected to one of said top and bottom panels.
3. The structure of claim 1 and including hand holes at the juncture between said top panel and the side walls connected thereto.
4. The structure of claim 1 and in which said top panel is narrower at one end than said bottom panel in length and includes an end closure including an end wall and a bottom wall liner panel, and in which the corresponding end of said top panel includes an outer end wall, and corner flap means connecting said outer end wall and said side walls,
said end wall being folded downwardly, and said bottom wall liner panel overlying said bottom panel and extending to said end wall.
5. The structure of claim 4 and in which one of said end closure flaps includes an end wall hinged to one of said top and bottom panels, a tuck flap hinged to said end wall, and corner flaps hinged to said side walls and folded inwardly of said end wall.
6. The structure of claim 1 and including a game disc pivotally supported between said top panel and said top panel liner panel.
7. The structure of claim 6 and in which said disc is substantially equal in diameter to said top panel liner panel, and is pivotally secured thereto.
8. The structure of claim 4 and in which said outer end panel is hinged to an end panel liner which in turn is connected to a bottom flap overlying said bottom panel.
This invention relates to an improvement in game cartons, and deals particularly with a carton including a supporting platform, a disc rotatably supported upon the platform, and a perforated top panel having spaced apertures extending therethrough. The disc is provided with a series of symbols, certain of the symbols being similar, and others being different, there being a pair of symbols of each type being visible through the openings in all positions of the disc. Game pieces are provided which fit within the openings in the cover panel so as to block the view of the symbols therebeneath. The purpose of the game is for each player to remove two symbols in an attempt to uncover identical symbols. The game pieces are replaced unless the symbols match. The game is a game of memory, as it is necessary for the players to remember the location of the various symbols which have been uncovered, the game pieces being replaced if the symbols are not similar.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The original game was produced merely of three sheets of heavy paperboard, the intermediate sheet comprising a disc, and one of the outer sheets being square or generally rectangular and including a series of apertures through which the symbols on the disc may be viewed. The disc is centrally pivoted to the upper and lower sheets, and the upper and lower sheets are marginally secured so that the disc could be rotated therebetween.
The original game was included in an outer rectangular box so that the game pieces could also be contained. In view of the fact that in the actual game, there are 36 apertures in the top panel, a similar number of game pieces were required.
In preferred form, the game pieces are somewhat similar to checkers but having a cylindrical plug concentric with the body of the game piece which extends into the aperture. In order that the game pieces may stack, apertures are provided in the upper surface of each game piece into which the plug of a similar game piece may extend.
The original game had the difficulty that it lay flat on a table so that the disc was somewhat difficult to rotate. Furthermore, in view of the fact that the box or carton had to be of sufficient size to accomodate the game board, the game pieces had a tendency to roll around within the box when the game was not in use, if the pieces were not confined in some way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a carton having a bottom panel, side wall panels connected to opposite sides of said bottom panel to extend upwardly therefrom, a platform panel, and a top panel hingedly connected to the upper edge of a side wall panel. The bottom panel was somewhat longer than the top panel, and the walls were extended to provide a pocket extending the full width of the game board and adapted to receive the playing pieces when not being used.
A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the disc on which the symbols are printed is substantially equal in diameter to the top panel having the openings therethrough, the openings being spaced in spaced concentric relation to the center of the disc. An aperture is provided at the juncture between the side walls and the top panel and platform panel so that the marginal edge of the disc projects slightly beyond the edge of the aperture in the top panel and platform panel so that it may be readily rotated.
While the top panel is provided with only 36 apertures, the arrangement of symbols is such that there are a total of 108 symbols on the disc, so that the disc may be rotated to 18 different positions, in each of which the symbols to be viewed are in a different position. In other words, in each of the 18 positions of the disc, there are 18 pairs of symbols visible through the apertures so that the game may be played almost indefinitely and so that the players will not remember the position of the symbols in each rotated position of the disc. Because of this there are a great number of combinations, and after turning the disc from one position to another, the symbols will always appear in a different location.
In certain Figures of the drawings, the number of apertures has been considerably reduced, as otherwise, the apertures would appear very small in size, and the number of apertures is not critical as long as the number is divisible by 2. The present invention relates to the construction of the device rather than the game itself, or the manner in which it is played.
These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game carton with the top cover removed to show the general arrangement of the game.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover in somewhat reduced size, the cover comprising merely an inverted tray which is applied to the game when it is not in use.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view transversely through the carton, the position of the section being indicated by the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device, the position of the section being indicated by the line 4--4 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the game carton is formed.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the partially folded game carton.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section of the game with the cover applied thereto.
FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the disc, diagrammatically indicating certain of the symbols thereupon.
FIG. 9 is a segment of a small portion of the disc.
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of one of the playing pieces which cover the symbols while the game is being played.
FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the game piece indicated in FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The game A is formed of the blank which is best illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The blank includes a bottom panel 10 which is hingedly connected along its longitudinal edges 11 and 12 to side walls 13 and 14 respectively. A platform panel 15 is hingedly connected to the side wall 14 along a fold line 16 which is parallel to the previously described fold lines 11 and 12. The platform panel 15 is provided with an inner side wall 17 which is approximately the same height as the side walls 13 and 14, the inner reinforcing panel 17 being hingedly connected to the platform panel 15 along the fold line 19.
The side wall 13 is hingedly connected along the fold line 20 to the top panel 21. The parallel edge of the top panel 21 is connected by fold line 22 to an outer side wall panel 23. The top panel 21 is connected along parallel fold lines 24 and 25 to an end wall 26 and a partition wall 27 respectively. The walls 26 and 27 are substantially equal in width to the wall panels 13 and 14. The tuck flap 29 is hingedly connected to the side wall 26 along the fold line 30. The partition wall 27 is connected along the fold line 31 to a pocket liner panel 32 which is designed to form the bottom of the game piece tray, as will be described.
The fold line 24 is substantially aligned with the edge 33 at one end of the bottom panel 10. The top panel 21 is substantially square, while the bottom panel 10 is somewhat longer in order to form the pocket. The end of the bottom panel 10 opposite the edge 33 is hingedly connected by a fold line 34 to an outer end wall 35 which is connected along the fold line 36 to an end wall liner panel 37. The end wall liner panel 37 is connected to a bottom flange 39 along a fold line 40. The fold line 40 is interrupted by a pair of U-shaped cut lines 45 to accomodate short tongues 46 projecting from the panel 32 which forms the bottom of the game piece pocket.
The outer side wall 23 is provided with a projecting tongue 47 which is designed to lie outwardly of the side wall 14. The wall 13 also includes a projection 49 which extends throughout the length of the bottom panel 10. Corner flaps 50 and 51 are hingedly connected to the ends of the tongues 47 and 49 respectively along fold lines 52 and 53 which are aligned with the fold line 34. A locking tongue 54 is hingedly connected to the edge 33 of the bottom panel 10, and the fold line 30 is provided with a slot 55 into which the locking tongue may extend when the game is erected, in the manner which will be described.
The top panel 21 is provided with a series of apertures 56 of equal size. These apertures 56 are preferably concentric about a central pivot hole 57. The platform panel 15 is provided with a central aperture 59. A pivot 60, which is perhaps best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, extends through the top panel 21, the center of the disc 62 as indicated by the aperture 61, and through the platform panel 15 as is indicated in FIG. 5. The platform panel 15 is somewhat narrower than the top panel 21, and is hingedly connected by parallel fold lines 63 and 64 to reinforcing flanges 65 and 66 respectively. The flanges 65 and 66 are somewhat wider than the height of the game carton and extend downwardly and outwardly as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. The lower edge 67 of the flange 65 engages the juncture between the end wall 26 and the tuck flap 29, the edge 67 including a notch 69 to bridge the locking tongue 54. The flange 66 is designed to engage between the partition wall 27 and the bottom panel 10.
Apertures are provided in the various layers of the device in order to provide access to the peripheral edge of the disc 62 when the game is assembled. The apertures are similar in shape, having arcuate ends 72 and convex elongated sides 73 as indicated at the top of the blank shown in FIG. 5. One such aperture 74 is provided intersecting the fold line 22 connecting the top wall 21 to the side wall 23. A second similar aperture 75 is provided intersecting the fold line 20 between the top wall 21 and the side wall 13. A third such aperture 76 intersects the fold line 16 connecting the platform panel 15 and the side wall 14. A fourth aperture 77 intersects the fold line 19 connecting the platform panel 15 to the supporting wall 17. These apertures are designed to move into alignment when the game board is set up as indicated in FIG. 1. When the game carton is set up, the aperture 75 aligns with the aperture 76, and the aperture 74 aligns with the aperture 77.
In the initial forming of the game carton, adhesive is applied to the area 79, and the platform panel 15 and the wall 17 are folded along the fold line 16 to overlie the bottom panel 10. From the position shown in FIG. 6, the blank is folded along the fold line 11 so that the platform panel and bottom panel overlie the top panel 21. The wall 23 is next folded along the fold line 22 to overlie the wall 14 and is adhered thereto.
As is indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the disc 62 projects slightly beyond the edges of the apertures. This can also be seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings. A sufficient portion of the edge of the disc 62 is disclosed so that the disc may be rotated from one position to another.
The disc 62 is not shown in its completed form in FIG. 8 of the drawings in view of the fact that there are dozens of different symbols printed on the surface of the disc, and these symbols may be changed or varied. All in all, there are 108 symbols on the disc 62 in the specific game which is being produced. A small section of the edge of the disc 62 is shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings. The edge of the disc is divided into equal sections, and lines 80 are provided extending inwardly from the periphery of the disc a short distance.
When any of these lines 80 become aligned with one of the two pointers 81 printed on the top of the game board 21, symbols are visible through each of the various apertures 56. Symbols 82 are provided in concentric circles on the disc 62, these symbols being visible when the lines 80 and pointers 81 are aligned.
The game pieces 84 are cylindrical in form being notched as indicated at 85 along the upper and lower edges so as to simplify handling. A short downwardly extending cylindrical projection 86 is provided concentric with each cylindrical playing piece 84, and a recess 87 is provided in the upper surface of each of the playing pieces. As a result, the projection 86 of one playing piece can extend into the cylindrical socket of another playing piece so that the playing pieces may be stacked without difficulty.
In setting up the game carton, it is only necessary to square up the longitudinal walls so that the carton is rectangular in cross section. One end of the carton is closed by folding the wall 26 downwardly and tucking the tuck flap 29 inwardly to overlie the bottom panel. During this operation, the reinforcing panel 65 will be angled downwardly into the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. The locking tab 54 is inserted up through the slot 55 to lie inwardly of the wall 26.
In forming the other end of the carton, the end wall 35 is folded upwardly to lie outwardly of the corner flaps 50 and 51. The end wall liner panel 37 is folded throughout 180.degree. in order to lie inwardly of the outer end wall 35 and the corner flaps 50 and 51. The flange 39 is folded flat against the bottom panel 10. The partition wall 27 is then folded downwardly into vertical position as shown in FIG. 4, and the panel 32 is folded to overlie the bottom panel 10. The tongues 46 on the edge of the panel 32 engage in the slots 45 in the end wall liner wall 37, and the game is completely assembled. A cover B is provided but is not shown in detail, as it comprises merely an inverted tray having a cover panel 90, parallel side walls 91, and parallel end walls 92. The cover merely fits over the game carton as indicated in FIG. 7 to protect the same while it is not in use.
In playing the game, the first step is to place a game piece 84 on the top panel 21 over each aperture with the cylindrical projection 86 extending into a corresponding aperture 86. Obviously, some of the symbols are visible through the apertures 56 during the operation of covering the apertures. However, in order to prevent the location of any of the symbols from being remembered, the disc 62 is rotated through several degrees of rotation and one of the lines 80 is lined up with an arrow or pointer 81 on the panel 21. Each player is permitted to remove two of the game pieces and view two of the symbols, replacing the game pieces in the apertures unless the symbols match. After a number of game pieces have been removed and replaced, one of the players will remember having seen two similar symbols, and will remove the game pieces therefrom and keep the symbols exposed. This is continued until all of the game pieces are removed, the player having the greatest number of game pieces winning the game.
In accordance with the Patent Statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in GAME CARTONS; and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.
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