US 5,772,208 AGranted

Game board incorporating apparatus for selectively providing sensory game enhancement and method for making the same

OwnerStephen I. McTaggartinventor

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Abstract

An electronic game board includes a foldable sheet, each side of which is divided into first and second sections. On one side, a conductive ink printed circuit, including a plurality of switch contact pads, is laid down such that upper contacts register with lower contacts to effect a switch pair when the sheet is folded. A spacer expedient of dielectric ink, thicker than the conductive ink, is employed to juxtapose the upper and lower contacts of each switch pair in a normally-open condition such that finger pressure selectively effects a momentary closure. The printed circuit also includes traces coupling all the contacts to a decoder which senses if a switch pair is closed. A game board layout is provided on the second side of the sheet and includes indicia identifying the position of each underlying switch pair to be used in the performance of a game to be played in accordance with the game board layout. Signal producing apparatus, such as a sound unit, responds to the closure of a given switch pair by issuing an appropriate, predetermined signal passage. In order to permit folded storage of the game board, one section is bifurcated by a slot which facilitates a temporary fold.

Claims117

Dependent claims

A game board incorporating means for selectively providing sensory game enhancement comprising:

A) a foldable sheet having first and second sides, each said side of said foldable sheet being divided into first and second sections;
B) said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet having overlaid thereon a conductive printed circuit including a plurality of switch contact pads;
C) said switch contact pads overlaid on said first section of said first side of said foldable sheet comprising a plurality of upper contacts;
D) said switch contact pads overlaid on said second section of said first side of said foldable sheet comprising a plurality of lower contacts;
E) said upper and lower contacts being positioned, respectively, on said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet such that, when said foldable sheet is folded along a predetermined line to bring said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet into face-to-face relationship, each of said upper contacts registers with one of said lower contacts to effect a switch pair;
F) spacer means adapted to juxtapose said upper and lower contacts of each said switch pair in a normally spaced-apart relationship to define a normally-open condition such that finger pressure applied to said second side of said foldable sheet above a given upper contact and on the opposite side thereof urges said given upper contact into conductive contact with the said lower contact with which it registers, thereby effecting a momentary closure of the switch pair;
G) said printed circuit further including traces coupling all said upper contacts and all said lower contacts to decoder means, said decoder means being adapted to sense if a switch pair is closed and, if so, which switch pair;
H) at least one section of said second side of said foldable sheet having emplaced thereon a game board layout;
and
I) signal producing means coupled to said decoder means, said signal producing means being adapted to issue a predetermined sensible sequence in response to the detection by said decoder means that a specific contact pair has been momentarily closed.

7 more elements

A method for making a game board incorporating means for selectively providing sensory game enhancement the comprising the steps of:

A) establishing first and second sides of a foldable sheet;
B) establishing first and second sections on each of the first and second sides of the foldable sheet;
C) laying a conductive printed circuit on the first and second sections of the first side of the foldable sheet, the printed circuit including at least one contact pad on each of the first and second sections, the contact pads being configured and disposed to effect a switch pair when the foldable sheet is folded according to step E);
D) laying spacer means at least partially encompassing each contact pad laid on at least one of the first and second sections;
E) folding the sheet along a predetermined line to bring the first and second sections of the first side of the foldable sheet into face-to-face relationship such that the contact pad on the first section is brought into over-and-under registration with the contact pad on the second section and juxtaposed spaced-apart therewith by the spacer means to establish a switch pair in a normally-open condition, which switch pair may be actuated into a momentarily-closed condition by finger pressure applied to the second side of the foldable sheet at a designated position;
F) emplacing a board game layout on the second side of the foldable sheet, which layout includes indicia indicating the designated position for selectively actuating the switch pair;
G) coupling the switch pair to a circuit adapted to sense a closure thereof;
and
H) coupling to the circuit a signal producing means which is responsive to a momentary closure of the switch pair to issue a predetermined sensible sequence.

6 more elements

A game board incorporating means for selectively providing sensory game enhancement comprising:

A) a foldable sheet having first and second sides, each said side of said foldable sheet being divided into first and second sections;
B) said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet having overlaid thereon a conductive printed circuit including a plurality of switch contact pads arranged in at least one rectangular array on each of said sections;
C) said switch contact pads overlaid on said first section of said first side of said foldable sheet comprising a plurality of upper contacts;
D) said switch contact pads overlaid on said second section of said first side of said foldable sheet comprising a plurality of lower contacts;
E) said upper and lower contacts being positioned, respectively, on said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet such that, when said foldable sheet is folded along a predetermined line to bring said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet into face-to-face relationship, each of said upper contacts registers with one of said lower contacts to effect a switch pair;
F) spacer means adapted to juxtapose said upper and lower contacts of each said switch pair in a normally spaced-apart relationship to define a normally-open condition such that finger pressure applied to said second side of said foldable sheet above a given upper contact and on the opposite side thereof urges said given upper contact into conductive contact with the said lower contact with which it registers, thereby effecting a momentary closure of the switch pair;
G) said printed circuit further including traces coupling all said upper contacts and all said lower contacts to decoder means, said decoder means being adapted to sense if a switch pair is closed and, if so, which switch pair;
H) at least one section of said second side of said foldable sheet having emplaced thereon a game board layout;
and
I) signal producing means coupled to said decoder means, said signal producing means being adapted to issue a predetermined sensible sequence in response to the detection by said decoder means that a specific switch pair has been momentarily closed.

7 more elements

A game board incorporating means for selectively providing sensory game enhancement comprising:

A) a foldable sheet having first and second sides, each said side of said foldable sheet being divided into first and second sections;
B) said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet having overlaid thereon a conductive printed circuit including a plurality of switch contact pads;
C) said switch contact pads overlaid on said first section of said first side of said foldable sheet being arranged in contact pairs of adjacent switch contact pads disposed in proximally spaced-apart relationship;
D) said switch contact pads overlaid on said second section of said first side of said foldable sheet comprising a plurality of shorting contacts;
E) said contact pairs and said shorting contacts being positioned, respectively, on said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet such that, when said foldable sheet is folded along a predetermined line to bring said first and second sections of said first side of said foldable sheet into face-to-face relationship, each of said contact pairs registers with one of said shorting contacts to effect a switch pair;
F) spacer means adapted to juxtapose said contact pairs and said shorting contacts of each said switch pair in a normally spaced-apart relationship to define a normally-open condition such that finger pressure applied to said second side of said foldable sheet above a given switch pair urges the contact pair of said given switch pair into conductive contact with the said shorting contact with which it registers, thereby effecting a momentary closure of the contact pair;
G) said printed circuit further including traces coupling all said contact pads comprising said contact pairs to decoder means, said decoder means being adapted to sense if a contact pair is closed and, if so, which contact pair;
H) at least one section of said second side of said foldable sheet having emplaced thereon a game board layout;
and
I) signal producing means coupled to said decoder means, said signal producing means being adapted to issue a predetermined sensible sequence in response to the detection by said decoder means that a specific contact pair has been momentarily closed.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.