DE20207085U1 - board game - Google Patents

Description

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DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a board game.

Board games have been around for thousands of years, the oldest of which is sold under the name "Go" and was invented around 2000 BC. A popular, purely strategic board game is chess. In contrast, the well-known board game "Ludo" uses dice and the course of the game is influenced by chance as well as the decisions of the players.

What all board games have in common is that they consist of a game board with a playing field and at least 2 or more game pieces. Depending on the type of game and the rules, the game pieces are moved around the game board during the game and change their position to determine the game. The game board can be made of various materials, typically a wooden board. If the game is to be light and portable, game boards made of cardboard, which can also be folded up using a joint, are common. Game boards made of hard plastic or plastic film are also common.

A general characteristic of the usual board games described above is that the position of the game pieces on the game board cannot be fixed, i.e. the game piece is only held in its position by its static friction and mass inertia. Minor mechanical influences during the game transfer shocks to the game board or the game pieces. The game pieces can therefore be moved around the game board in an undesirable way or easily tip over if the center of gravity is high.

A well-known solution to this problem is to have a game board made of sheet metal and to move the game pieces by means of a

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The game pieces are held in place by magnets attached to the bottom. Another solution is to use a pin to firmly insert them into a hard plastic game board with matching grooves. These serve as travel games that can be used on a moving train, for example.

Board games are used for therapeutic purposes for mentally and/or physically handicapped people because playing them allows them to train several physical and psychological skills at the same time. Board games promote social skills because the game allows players to practice interacting with other players. They also require concentration on the game and promote intelligence and tactical thinking. Manipulating figures and dice helps practice the tactile coordination of movement sequences.

However, conventional board games have the disadvantages described above. These disadvantages have an even greater impact on mentally and/or physically disabled players or children than on non-disabled people or adults, because disabled people and children can have reduced motor and tactile skills. However, the known solutions, such as travel games, have other disadvantages because they are particularly small and therefore require even greater motor and tactile skills. Game boards made of sheet metal with magnetic figures, on the other hand, are more difficult to handle. They also have a higher risk of injury from sharp edges. The state-of-the-art games are therefore not suitable for disabled people and/or children.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a board game that is also and especially suitable for physically and/or mentally handicapped people or children, whose specific needs are taken into account when playing

and avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages of traditional board games.

The inventive solution to this problem for the generic object provides that the board game and one or more of its elements are made of foam. By using foam, the board game can be made considerably larger than conventional board games and yet still be surprisingly light. Foam as a material also makes it possible to produce a board with an unusual thickness. Both properties, i.e. the size and the height of the game board, are particularly suitable for disabled people and/or children because they make handling easier. Foam is also a material that appeals to the sense of touch and feels particularly pleasant. It should also be emphasized that the foam is particularly slip-resistant due to its rubber or velvety surface texture and can therefore also be used on smooth surfaces, such as glass tables.

The fact that the game pieces and/or the random number generator, preferably designed as one or more dice, are made of wood or plastic results in the same or similar advantages as the game board, i.e. low weight with an unusual size and very good handling, as well as the use of a pleasantly tactile and tangible material. The unusual size also prevents the game pieces or the dice from being accidentally swallowed.

Another advantage is that the foam of the game board and/or the game pieces and/or the dice is colored. Because the foam is colored throughout and not painted, the

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Colours are retained even under heavy use. The colour cannot wear off, as can happen with superficial painting. By using luminous colours (or fluorescent colours), the elements of the game have a high attention and differentiation value, which increases the players' ability to concentrate and motivation to play. If luminescent colours are also used, the game can also be played at dusk or in the dark.

With conventional board games, there is a risk of injury, particularly for children or disabled people, due to the use of hard components and/or sharp edges. The invention solves this problem by making the foam of the game board and/or the game pieces and/or the dice(s) flexible and elastically resilient. The flexibility of the material absorbs energy, like a crumple zone, and thus minimizes the risk of injury. The elastic recovery means that the game element returns to its original shape after absorbing the shock.

Because the foam game figures are sanded, turned or cut, foam game figures can be easily and inexpensively produced in various shapes and colors, preferably as rotationally symmetrical bodies.

By having openings of the same and/or different sizes, the game board presents structures that allow it to be adapted to different games and/or game rules. The openings can also serve as design features for various tasks, some of which are described below. By preferably using a high-pressure water jet

shaped, the openings in the foam can be produced cost-effectively, quickly and precisely.

Colored markings, playing fields or game sections on the game board can be created surprisingly easily by fitting colored foam moldings, preferably cylinders, into the openings of the game board. These foam moldings are firmly connected to the game board, for example glued in. The foam moldings can be made from foam using the same process as the game pieces, i.e. sanded, turned or cut. This makes the manufacturing process simple, uniform and cost-effective.

The above-mentioned colored foam moldings can, like the game board, have water jet-formed openings. Foam moldings of a different color can be fitted into these openings. This makes it possible to create multi-colored playing fields.

To prevent the game pieces from tipping over or slipping on the playing field, they have at least one pin-like attachment on their underside, which can be inserted into the openings in the game board or the openings in the foam bodies. It is advantageous and particularly handicapped-friendly that little effort is required to insert the game pieces into the game board and to pull them out, because both the opening in the board and the pin of the game piece are made of foam, i.e. flexible. Due to the natural surface roughness of the foam, both connecting elements hook together and the game pieces are still securely fixed to the game board, so that they can, for example,

Maintain position when the game board is held upside down.

Due to the size of the game board and the secure fixation of the game pieces on the game board, it is possible to roll the dice on the game board without knocking over the pieces.

Because the foam of the game board and/or the game pieces and/or the dice(s) has closed pores, the foam cannot absorb water, as is the case with a sponge, for example. Since the foam preferably has a lower specific mass than that of water, all elements of the board game are buoyant. For this reason, the board game can also be used as intended in water, for example in a swimming pool or the sea. This surprising usability results from the advantageous combination of several features of the invention. This includes, on the one hand, the buoyancy of both the game board and the game pieces and, on the other hand, the possibility of fixing the game pieces to the game board, which also makes it possible to play while moving, such as in waves. Because the game pieces are very large and have a low density, they are less likely to get lost in the sand. Thanks to these numerous, usefully complementary designs, the invention is also suitable for sports and leisure purposes, such as for use on the beach and at sea.

In one embodiment of the invention, the board game and the game pieces are designed in the form of the "Ludo" game. The advantage is its simplicity and familiarity, so that no complicated rules have to be learned.

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The invention is described by way of example in a preferred embodiment with reference to a drawing, wherein further advantageous details can be taken from the figures of the drawing.

Functionally identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols.

The figures in the drawing show in detail:

Figure 1 shows a schematic vertical section through the game board

with toy figure and opening and

Figure 2 shows a schematic horizontal section through the game board

according to section line H-Il in Figure 1.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a section of a game board. A foam from which the game board is made is designated with 1. The game board is provided with an opening 3 that preferably runs through from the top 8 to the bottom 9 of the board. A foam molded body 4 that completely fills this opening is fitted into the opening 3 and is firmly connected to the game board, i.e. glued in, for example. It is preferably designed in a different color than the game board. The foam molded body 4 has an opening 5 that preferably runs through, preferably centered, from the top 8 to the bottom 9 of the game board or the molded body. In the side of the opening 5 of the foam molded body 4 facing the top 8 of the game board there is a pin-like projection 7, the diameter of which is adapted to the diameter of the opening 5 and the length of which, in the preferred embodiment described, is approximately 1/4 of the length of the opening 5. The pin-like projection 7 is formed on the underside 6 of the playing figure 2 and is in the preferred embodiment of the

Invention integral part of the playing figure 2. The playing figure 2 can be inserted and fixed into the game board 2 by means of the pin-like extension 7.

For better understanding, Figure 2 shows a schematic horizontal section of the same embodiment as Figure 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

1. Foam of the game board

2. Playing figure

3. Opening,

4. Foam bodies, especially coloured ones, especially cylinders

5. Opening of the foam body, especially water jet formed

6. Bottom of the toy figure

7. pin-like approach

8. Top of the game board

9. Bottom of the game board

EXPECTATIONS

1. Board game, characterized in that one or more of its elements consists of foam (1).

2. Board game according to claim 1, characterized in that the

Board game consisting of a game board and/or game pieces (2) and a random number generator, preferably one or more dice.

3. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam (1) of the game board and/or the game pieces (2) and/or the dice(s) is colored, preferably luminous or fluorescent, in particular colored throughout.

4. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam (1) of the game board and/or the game pieces (2) and/or the dice(s) is designed to be flexible and elastically resilient.

5. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the playing pieces (2) are sanded, turned or cut from foam.

6. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the game board has openings (3) of the same and/or different sizes, which are preferably formed or punched or drilled by a water jet.

7. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the openings of the

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Claims (11)

1. Board game, characterized in that one or more of its elements consists of foam ( 1 ). 2. Board game according to claim 1, characterized in that the board game consists of a game board and/or game pieces ( 2 ) and a random number generator, preferably one or more dice. 3. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam ( 1 ) of the game board and/or the game pieces ( 2 ) and/or the dice(s) is colored, preferably luminous or fluorescent, in particular colored throughout. 4. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam ( 1 ) of the game board and/or the game pieces ( 2 ) and/or the dice(s) is designed to be flexible and elastically resilient. 5. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the playing pieces ( 2 ) are sanded, turned or cut from foam. 6. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the game board has openings ( 3 ) of the same and/or different sizes, which are preferably formed or punched or drilled by a water jet. 7. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that colored foam moldings ( 4 ), preferably cylinders, are fitted into the openings of the game board, which are preferably designed as markings of playing fields and/or game sections. 8. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the colored foam molded bodies have water jet-formed or punched or drilled holes ( 5 ). 9. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the playing pieces have on their underside ( 6 ) at least one pin-like projection ( 7 ) which is designed to be inserted into the openings of the game board. 10. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam ( 1 ) of the game board and/or the game pieces ( 2 ) and/or the dice(s) is a closed-pore, buoyant foam and preferably has a lower specific mass than that of water. 11. Board game according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the board game and the game pieces are designed in the form of the "Don't Get Angry!" game.