Hand-held electronic game playing device with replaceable cartridges

A compact electronic device adapted for actualizing a program on a visual display, the device comprising:

• a housing;
• a liquid crystal display unit contained within the housing;
• at least one cartridge unit capable of being removably attached to the housing;
• a microprocessor and memory unit contained within the cartridge unit, the memory unit defining a program to be activated by active participation of a person and displayed on the display unit;
• an electronic module contained within the housing and being operatively connected to the memory unit in the assembled electronic device, the electronic module including control means for bringing about predetermined responses in the memory unit, upon selective manipulation by a player, the electronic module adapted for transmitting signals from the memory unit to the display unit whereby the display unit displays visual symbols in accordance with the program objectively determined in the memory unit and subjectively determined by the player, and
• an overlay integrally included in the cartridge unit, the overlay disposed in a special relationship relative to the display unit wherein the display unit is viewed through the overlay, the overlay having a permanently affixed graphic pattern thereon whereby a visual effect of the program displayed on the display unit is further defined by the graphic pattern.

In a compact electronic device having a flat panel electro-optical information display unit, circuitry means for driving the display unit, memory means for storing a program and microprocessor means for transmitting electric signals in response to the memory means through the circuitry means for visual display on the display unit, and manually operable control means for causing subjectively determined changes in an electronic state of the microprocessor means resulting in corresponding changes in the visual display, an improvement comprising:

• at least one cartridge unit separable from the display unit, the cartridge housing the microprocessor means;
• and
• an overlay incorporated in the cartridge unit, the overlay having a permanently affixed graphic symbol thereon, the overlay being positioned in the assembled device for viewing the overlay in unison with the visual display on the display unit, the control means including more than one manually operable control switch, and
• means for obscuring at least one of the control switches whereby a player is limited to activating only those switches dedicated to playing the game defined by the program.

A compact hand-holdable electrical toy game assembly adapted for enabling a person to play at least one visually simulated displayed toy game, wherein the player controls a portion of the game activity, the toy game assembly comprising:

• a housing base unit of a size capable of being held in an adult hand during game play;
• a relatively flat information display unit contained within the housing unit, the display capable of selectively displaying symbols in the form of a visual image, that are capable of movement during the playing of the game;
• an electronics module having an appropriate driving circuit contained within the base unit, the electronics module operatively associated with the display unit and adapted for driving the display unit;
• at least one cartridge unit having means for removable physical attachment to the housing base unit wherein it is operatively connected with and across the housing base unit to enable the game assembly to play at least one predetermined game associated with the cartridge unit;
• a microprocessor contained within the cartridge unit having a memory defining predetermined visual symbols capable of being controllably displayed on the display unit, the memory also defining a game to be played on the display unit through appropriate electrical signals transmitted by the microprocessor to the driving circuit;
• means on the base unit for permitting the cartridge unit to be removably mounted across a portion of the surface of the housing base unit containing the flat display unit;
• means for electrically interconnecting the microprocessor with the electronics module, and
• control means operatively connected to the electronic module, the control melans adapted for being selectively manipulated by at least one player thereby causing a predetermined response in an electronic state of the microprocessor and causing alteration in the visual image on the display unit whereby the game defined by the microprocessor is played.