Patent race game

It is another object of the invention to provide a board game for simulating a horse race or other racing event which can be played and enjoyed by persons of all ages. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a racing game, which can be comprehended and enjoyed by children. It is still a further object of the invention to provide a racing board game, in which the individual races may be completed in a relatively short time period.

These and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the present invention. A board game which simulates a racing event, such as a horse race, is comprised of a game board having a plurality of parallel racing tracks disposed thereon, each of said tracks being assigned a discrete number in a sequence of numbers 2 through 12; a plurality of playing pieces for being positioned at respective starting positions on the corresponding racing tracks at the commencement of the game, each playing piece being assigned a discrete number in the sequence of numbers 2 through 12; a pair of gaming dice for determining the movement of the playing pieces during the play of the game; a plurality of sets of playing cards, each set being comprised of eleven cards bearing respective numbers in the sequence of numbers 2 through 12, the playing cards for being randomly distributed among the players of the game.

The dice are rolled by the players to determine the movement of the playing pieces along the respective racing tracks. Players holding playing cards corresponding to the number of the "winning" playing piece are entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of the playing chips contributed to a central "pot" of the players during the game based on the total number of such "winning" cards held by the respective players.

In a preferred embodiment each of the racing tracks has associated therewith first, second, third and fourth non-racing positions. The dice are rolled four times at the commencement of the game so that four of the playing pieces are "scratched" from the race.

The playing piece which is scratched on the first roll of the dice is moved to the corresponding first non-racing position; the playing piece which is scratched on the second roll of the dice is moved to the corresponding second non-racing position; the playing piece which is scratched on the third roll of the dice is moved to the corresponding third non-racing position; and the playing piece which is scratched on the fourth roll of the dice is moved to the corresponding fourth non-racing position.

Each of the players then pays into the central "pot" for each playing card held by him corresponding to a "scratched" playing piece a number of chips corresponding to the particular non-racing position of each scratched playing piece. Each of the players of the game thereafter rolls the dice in turn and each of the remaining playing pieces is advanced by one racing position along the corresponding racing track when a roll of the dice yields a combination of numbers corresponding to the assigned number of that particular playing piece until one of the playing pieces reaches the final position on its corresponding racing track, thereby signifying the winner of the race.

If, however, a player rolls a combination of numbers with the dice which corresponds to the assigned number of a "scratched" playing piece, that player must pay into the central "pot" a number of playing chips corresponding to the non-racing position of that particular "scratched" playing piece.

After the "winner" of the race has been determined, the central "pot" is distributed among the players in accordance with the total number of playing cards in the possession of each player, if any, corresponding to the winning playing piece. Four identical sets of playing cards are preferably used to play the game so that there are a total of four playing cards corresponding to the winning playing piece in each race.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:. In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated in order to more clearly depict certain features of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. Each racing track is comprised of a predetermined number of "racing" positions 16, which are represented by individual blocks. The row of blocks 18 in the central portion of board 14 which are marked with the number 2 through 12 are "starting" positions for the respective playing pieces. The row of starting positions 18 simulates a starting gate at a typical horse race track. The racing positions 2F through 12F farthest from the corresponding starting position 18 on each racing track, as indicated by the dotted line X, represents the "finish" line for the race.

Racing track 7 has eight racing positions 16 between the corresponding starting position 18 and the finish line, which is the greatest number of racing positions 16 of any of the racing tracks.

Racing tracks 2 and 12 have three racing positions 16 between the corresponding positions and the finish line, which represents the smallest number of racing positions 16 among the racing tracks. Players receive points based upon the number of cars they can pass.

Thus, since points are awarded based on personal achievements the player is not hindered by other players joining mid-game. Whenever a race is completed the players are ranked based upon their finishing positions. Players who finish in other positions may be kicked from the server because of their poor performance. Some people believe that video game software doesn't meet the criteria for being innovative and original, but that is not necessarily the case.

In addition, keeping your invention away from the public can help meet the unfamiliar requirement. Obviously, you need to test a new game prior to marketing it, but keep the test group to a very select group, like trustworthy friends or immediate family. Don't post your ideas online or somewhere else that is accessible to the general public. You can opt to file a regular application, which is expensive and takes three years or file a provisional one which is cheaper and easier.

However, you still have to file a full patent application at some point. For example, if three of the cubes show the symbol 4 on the top cube face, then horse 4 is moved ahead three spaces. The players take turns in rolling the cubes from a cup not shown onto the area encompassed by the fence 9. The first player rolls the cubes and the Commissioner calls aloud the symbol on each top cube face and moves the horse which has the corresponding number one space for each such cube, as previously described.

The game is continued, the players rolling the cubes 10, whereby the horses 12 are moved around the track until three horses land in a finish box not shown at the end of the track. The rst horse to enter the finish box is designated as the win horse, the second horse as the place horse, and the third horse as the show horse. If two or more horses land in the finish box on the same roll of the cubes, the Commissioner declares a dead heat for that position of nish.

In the event of a dead heat or more than one winner in any race, the payofIr is divided by the number of winners. For example: If two horses finish in a dead heat, the payoff, which includes both win and place wagers, is shared equally by the two winners and there is no place winner.

However, there is a show winner. If there are three horses that finish in a dead heat, the payoff, which includes win, place, and show wagers, is shared equally by the three winners, and there are no other winners. After the race is completed and the Commissioner has paid the winners, the Commissioner replaces the game card 7 with a second game card, which may be for a different type of race, eg.

The players Wager on the second race, in accordance with the odds shown on this second game card. The second race is run in a similar fashion as the previously run race, after which the Commissioner pays the winners of the second race.

Thereafter, the third, fourth, fifth, etc. The winner of the game is the player having the greatest amount of money at the conclusion of the tenth race.