Self regulating chessboard
AssigneeSummerville-New England LLC
InventorAndrew Goodwin Summerville, JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chessboard having a playing platform and a stage or table which together maintain the flatness of the playing platform despite changing humidity conditions is disclosed. The playing platform is fabricated from a plurality of wooden pieces that are cut to exhibit a radial grain, and adhered to adjacent wooden pieces so that the radial grain has a mirrored image to the immediately adjacent wooden piece. The playing platform is allowed to expand and contract without placing undue pressure on the stage or table, and vice versa (i.e., unconstrained).
Claims19
A chessboard comprising:
- a playing platform having a plurality of square pieces of wood arranged in a square configuration, the plurality of square pieces of wood being laterally attached to each other to form a flat chessboard playing surface;
- a stage having four sides disposed on four sides of the playing platform, an interior side of the stage having a groove;
- a first clip attached to a bottom surface of the playing platform on a first side of the playing platform with a first tab of the first clip slideably disposed within the groove of the stage on a first side of the stage;
- a second clip attached to the bottom surface of the playing platform on a second side of the playing platform with a second tab of the second clip slideably disposed within the groove of the stage on a second side of the stage;
- a third clip attached to the bottom surface of the playing platform on a third side of the playing platform with a third tab of the third clip slideably disposed within the groove of the stage on a third side of the stage;
- a fourth clip attached to the bottom surface of the playing platform on a fourth side of the playing platform with a fourth tab of the fourth clip slideably disposed within the groove of the stage on a fourth side of the stage.
- wherein the first, second, third and fourth clips permit expansion and contraction of the playing platform due to environmental changes while maintaining flatness of the playing surface of the playing platform.
A method of manufacturing a chessboard, the method comprising the steps of:
- selecting sixty-four square pieces of wood;
- attaching the sixty-four square pieces of wood together in a 8×8 square configuration to form a playing platform;
- forming a stage that peripherally surrounds the playing platform;
- and
- securing the playing platform to the stage while allowing for lateral expansion and contraction of the playing platform at a different rate compared to the stage to mitigate warping of the playing platform due to environmental changes.
A playing platform of a chessboard, the platform comprising:
- sixty four square pieces of wood cut to provide a radial grain in the lateral direction of the transverse sections, the pieces being arranged in an 8×8 pattern with the longitudinal grains parallel to each other, adjacent pieces of wood being arranged so that the radial grains are in a mirror configuration, the pieces of wood being attached to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.