Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7665735 | Closable-type game board box for strategic word pattern engagement My child educational board game, “Word Battle”, requires players to approach word learning, sequencing, and construction from a naval/military strategist point of view in that instead of targeting objectives in a mere hit-or-miss situation, where the goal in and... | 02/23/2010 |
| 7334793 | Game and method of playing the game A method of playing a game having multiple rounds between a plurality of players. The method includes initiating a first phase of the game, the first phase including selecting a plurality of words, scrambling the letters from each word of the plurality of words on a... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7172506 | Gaming Device having award modification options for player selectable award digits The present invention provides a gaming device that has an award modification function for player selectable awards that may be implemented with a primary or bonus game. More specifically, the present invention provides a processor controlled gaming device that rand... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7040624 | Game with multi-level game board A game wherein players move their game pieces across a multi-level playing field while trying to capture target pieces and avoid a chaser piece is described. Moreover, the game may be portable. In some cases, the game apparatus may be carried in a plastic case that ... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7017910 | Card game A game, including a plurality of Message Cards. In another aspect, a method of playing a card game, including providing a plurality of Message Cards to each player and each player in his or her turn providing one or more Message Cards from his or her hand to one or ... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6561513 | Role and war game playing system Combat is resolved and war game play is expanded without the use of dice or the like. Players substantially simultaneously memorialize actions appointed to be taken, and present the actions in a recorded format wherein tactical decisions, not random numbe... | 05/13/2003 |
| 6209873 | Role and war game playing system Combat is resolved and war game play is expanded without the use of dice or the like. Players substantially simultaneously memorialize actions appointed to be taken, and present the actions in a recorded format wherein tactical decisions, not random numbe... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6068262 | Selection game A game for play by one or more players. The illustrated game includes a selection surface for each player. Each surface faces a player area where the associated player would position herself to observe the surface. A liquid discharge mechanism is selectiv... | 05/30/2000 |
| 5630588 | Apparatus and method of playing a game using azimuths A method and apparatus for teaching azimuths. The present invention discloses a game or simulation using azimuths to locate targets placed on the game board of a player's opponent. The player alternate turns in an attempt to hit the targets on the opposin... | 05/20/1997 |
| 5401031 | Strategy attack game A strategy attack game including two consoles separated by an opaque shield and each having two 10×10 hole screens. Each console is also provided with one or two smaller, 7×7 screens that are movable with respect to the 10×10 screens. Players are provi... | 03/28/1995 |
| 5251644 | Upper extremity assessment systems and methods The present invention relates to an upper extremity assessment device usable to test individuals for functional capacity of their upper extremities. The device includes a first support having a first opening. The first support may further include a second... | 10/12/1993 |
| 5154428 | Military game apparatus A housing assembly includes a first housing hingedly mounted to a second housing, wherein each housing includes a first inner wall playing field, with a second playing field relative to each first playing field pivotally mounted thereto, with each first p... | 10/13/1992 |
| 4883277 | Educational board game for teaching mathematics and logic An educational game includes a substrate having a plurality of separate sets of indicia thereon and structure for exhibiting the indicia of one of the sets of the substrate. A random symbol is generated from a plurality of possible symbols and an initial ... | 11/28/1989 |
| 4811953 | Numbering guessing game structure This invention relates to a novel structure of a ball type "figure-guessing" game, and in particularly refers to the structure of game which is composed of several cases, a base and a top plate. All cases have identical outer appearances to the naked eye,... | 03/14/1989 |
| 4801148 | Military boardgame A board game apparatus for playing is provided. The apparatus includes a set of game boards, each having a matrix of holes arranged in mutually orthogonal rows and columns for receiving game pieces that are coded according to the adversary and the type an... | 01/31/1989 |
| 4616832 | Electrical hidden movement game A game comprising a game board having at least a pair of substantially identical playing surfaces, one for each game player, with each playing surface positioned so that the playing surface for any one game player is obscured from the view of all other ga... | 10/14/1986 |
| 4565373 | Numerical guessing game A deductive numerical game played by plural (N) players, one of whom is a dealer, includes N sets of first game pieces, each set including a like plurality (M) of game pieces respectively bearing indicia representing consecutive numbers. A second set of g... | 01/21/1986 |
| 4550916 | Cube game of skill and chance Cube game of skill and chance in which players insert rod shaped playing piece through apertures on one face of a hollow cube. Long pieces protrude through opposing holes on the opposite playing surface and short pieces do not. Either playing pieces dislo... | 11/05/1985 |
| 4535993 | Push peg game apparatus A push peg game apparatus (10) comprising a block of material formed into a geometric configuration such as a cube element (14), wherein at least three cube faces (15) are provided with apertures (16) that extend into, and intersect with one another at an... | 08/20/1985 |
| 4502689 | Apparatus and method for playing a board game An apparatus and a method of playing a game in which a game board having a question indicator-grid and aligned response sections, for use in asking and responding to questions and answers by the placement of specialized pegs, the questions and answers rel... | 03/05/1985 |
| 4461483 | Game apparatus employing cards and dice A game apparatus for two players is disclosed comprising (A) a card tray containing at least N compartments; (B) N dice cubes, each cube bearing six different indicia on its faces and being of a different color from the other dice cubes; (C) 6N playing ca... | 07/24/1984 |
| 4453719 | Phonetic/semantic systems, devices and methods of constructing and utilizing same An encoding game device having a series of flexible elongated carriers including a series of compartments interconnected by reduced sections. Each compartment contains a rotatable sphere having raised binary 1's and 0's with different tactile backgrounds ... | 06/12/1984 |
| 4365811 | Battle type game and kit for construction thereof A battle type game, which is readily constructed, includes simple electric circuitry for actuating signals to indicate hits made. The signals are actuated by completion of an electric circuit due to contact of an electrically conductive piercing portion o... | 12/28/1982 |
| 4341389 | Word finding and guessing game The disclosure describes a game to be used by two players and which involves the guessing by one player of a word selected by the opposite player. Each player has at his disposal a plurality of each of the letters of the alphabet, and if desired, a plural... | 07/27/1982 |
| 4341390 | Pattern location board game device A pattern location board game device is described in which each player attempts to locate a pattern of playing positions selected by an opponent. The device includes a game board having a plurality of playing positions bearing indicia representative of ea... | 07/27/1982 |
| 4319754 | Warfare simulating game apparatus The specification of the present invention discloses a game board apparatus which allows two parties to efficiently play numerous games in which both parties move simultaneously and the observation of the opponent's playing surface is limited. The apparat... | 03/16/1982 |
| 4280704 | Method for playing a military warfare board game A naval warfare board game apparatus is provided which consists of two sets of two grids or pegboards, each having a 10×10 grid pattern of peg holes, and one of which is a minefield grid and the other of which is a tracking grid. Each player hides his se... | 07/28/1981 |
| 4272081 | Game with board and tokens The invention relates to a game of skill which uses a board and a deck of special cards. Each card is unique with regard to its selection of one of each of three different attributes. The board preferably has a representation of each card. In one embodime... | 06/09/1981 |
| 4251078 | Guessing game A game board for a guessing game includes a number of separate game board elements each for one of the players of the game. Each game board element includes four groups of recesses which, within each group, are arranged in rows indicated by numerals, and ... | 02/17/1981 |
| 4241923 | Board game This relates to a game which includes a game board and a plurality of playing pieces. The game board is generally rectangular in outline but is provided at one end with a projection which is intended to interlock with another game board. The projection de... | 12/30/1980 |
| 4236719 | Competitive word game A game is provided involving the spelling of words, and played competitively by two to four participants. The game is comprised of a series of elongated word cards having a word printed on one face thereof, multi-apertured holders adapted to accommodate s... | 12/02/1980 |
| 4232864 | Game apparatus with movable superimposed boards and viewing structure The specification discloses a game apparatus having at least two identical playing surfaces and playing pieces adapted to releasably engage the playing surfaces. The apparatus also includes means to superimpose the playing surfaces wherein at least one of... | 11/11/1980 |
| 4231577 | Electrical game apparatus using fold switch matrices Two playing boards with a matrix array of apertures are positioned so that one board only is displayed to each player. Electric circuitry including contacts are printed on one side of a flexible sheet which is folded so that contacts face each other adjac... | 11/04/1980 |
| 4222570 | Simulated radar game A simulated radar game having a radar-like display screen with an illuminated circular rotating scanning line. A first set of programming switches may be used to establish one or more target positions on the screen corresponding to selected angular and ra... | 09/16/1980 |
| 4222565 | Logical deduction development game The invention relates to an educational game intended for developing the logical deduction of the players, particularly of children, said game comprising on the one hand a model representing a plurality of ordered assemblies of squares to each of which is... | 09/16/1980 |
| 4194742 | Land and sea war game apparatus A war game for two opponents each having an assembly including a playboard hidden from the opponent by a shield board, both boards having a grid of target-receiving sockets identified by co-ordinates, the playboard representing an expanse of water and add... | 03/25/1980 |
| 4188036 | Board game with letter shaped playing pieces The invention provides a board game for two players to test their deductive abilities. The game comprises a board, a holder, a set of playing pieces, a set of marking elements, a set of scoring elements, and a word list, the board having a number of rows ... | 02/12/1980 |
| 4185833 | Game apparatus including code card, card holder and matrix sheet A game method and apparatus is disclosed wherein an ordered matrix is formed and a representation, such as a letter, word, phrase, symbol or picture, is arranged in a representation matrix corresponding to the ordered matrix. The representation is divided... | 01/29/1980 |
| 4185832 | Position matching board game apparatus A pursuit game apparatus which includes a board divided into two segments in visual isolation of each other, each segment having a plurality of electrical connectors thereon within a design pattern and a moveable probe, with both the design and connector ... | 01/29/1980 |
| 4165077 | Word game A word game comprising a plurality of tiles and a tile support means having an intersecting pattern of at least one row and at least one column of tile receiving spaces is disclosed. The object of the game is to determine the word combinations chosen by t... | 08/21/1979 |
