SEVEN-FACE GAMING DIE AND METHOD OF OPERATION

Abstract

A gaming die is provided, that has a generally spherical body and a plurality of substantially planar faces distributed around the die. The spherical body defines lands extending between pairs of the plurality of faces. A plurality of bosses positioned on the spherical body between respective pairs of the plurality of faces.

Claims

1. A gaming die, comprising: a generally spherical body; a plurality of substantially planar faces, distributed around the die, the spherical body defining lands extending between pairs of the plurality of faces; and a plurality of bosses positioned on the spherical body between respective pairs of the plurality of faces.

2. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of bosses is positioned on a land that is wide, relative to others of the plurality the lands defined on the spherical body.

3. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein the gaming die includes exactly seven faces, comprised by the plurality of faces.

4. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein the the gaming die includes exactly three bosses, comprised by the plurality of bosses.

5. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of faces is in the shape of a regular polygon.

6. The gaming die of claim 5 wherein each of the plurality of faces is heptagonal in shape.

7. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of faces has an equal surface area.

8. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of faces is recessed into the generally spherical body, such that a side wall extends from the face to a surface of the spherical body around a perimeter of the respective face.

9. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of faces comprises a respective symbol that is distinct, relative to symbols of the others of the plurality of flats.

10. The gaming die of claim 9 wherein the respective symbol comprised by each of the faces is one of: an Arabic numeral, Roman numeral, Chinese character, traditional gambling symbol, business logo, or pictogram.

11. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of faces comprises a machine-readable code by which each ace can be distinguished from the others of the plurality of faces.

12. The gaming die of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of bosses has a semi-spherical shape.

13. A gaming die, comprising: a generally spherical body; exactly seven depressions defined in the spherical body each having a substantially planar face and a side wall extending, around a perimeter of the respective face, from the planar face to a surface of the spherical body, the exactly seven depressions being distributed on the body such that a center of a first one of the depressions defines a central axis of the body, second, third, and fourth ones of the depressions are positioned a first distance, longitudinally, from the first depression and spaced 120 degrees apart around the central axis, and fifth, sixth, and seventh ones of the depressions are positioned a second distance, greater than the first distance, longitudinally, from the first depression and spaced 120 degrees from each other around the central axis.

14. The gaming die of claim 13, comprising three bosses on the spherical body, each positioned between a respective pair of the fifth, sixth, and seventh depressions.

15. A method, comprising: tossing a die having an odd number of faces onto a gaming surface; and after the tossing a die, and after the die has settled onto the gaming surface, obtaining a count of the die by viewing a bottom-most face of the die through the gaming surface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the viewing a bottom-most face of the die through the gaming surface comprises viewing a bottom-most face of the die through a transparent layer of the gaming surface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the obtaining a count of the die by viewing a bottom-most face of the die through the gaming surface comprises obtaining the count of the die by viewing the bottom-most face of the die reflected from a mirrored surface positioned below and substantially parallel to the gaming surface.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the obtaining the count of the die by viewing the bottom-most face of the die reflected from a mirrored surface positioned below and substantially parallel to the gaming surface comprises obtaining the count of the die by viewing the bottom-most face of the die reflected from a mirrored, bottom-most face of the gaming surface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the obtaining a count of the die by viewing a bottom-most face of the die through the gaming surface comprises obtaining the count of the die from an image transmitted from an imaging device positioned below the gaming surface.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the tossing a die having an odd number of faces comprises tossing a die having exactly seven faces.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the tossing a die having an odd number of faces comprises tossing a substantially spherical die having an odd number of substantially planar faces.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seven-faced gaming die, according to an embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the gaming die of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the gaming die of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIGS. 4-7 are respective side elevation views of the gaming die of FIG. 1;

[0019] FIGS. 8 and 9 are enlarged views of a portion of the gaming die of FIG. 1, showing, respectively, side and plan views of a detail of the die;

[0020] FIGS. 10-12 show examples of other types of symbols that can be used, according to respective embodiments, on gaming dice similar to the die of FIG. 1;

[0021] FIGS. 13-15 are side elevation views of gaming surfaces, according to respective embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. Other embodiments may be used and/or other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

[0023] As noted above, it is mathematically impossible to construct a die having certain odd rather than even numbers of sides and the shape of a regular polyhedron. The present invention provides for construction of dice having odd numbers of faces, but with a shape that enables the dice to roll and achieve a level a randomness approximating the results produced by regular polyhedronal dice when thrown in play. The odd number of faces (e.g., seven) is distributed over of a generally spherical body in accordance with the invention. The faces may be located on the body utilizing a spherical coordinate system.

[0024] FIGS. 1-9 are consequently diagrams showing a gaming die 100, in respective views, according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gaming die 100. FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the gaming die 100, looking down on the North pole NP of the die. FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view, looking up at the South pole SP of the die. FIGS. 4-7 are side elevations showing respective sides of the gaming die 100. FIGS. 8 and 9 are enlarged views of a portion of the gaming die 100.

[0025] For clarity and convenience, the gaming die 100 is described hereafter using a geographical coordinate system, in which positions on the die are defined by latitude and longitude, as will be explained in more detail below. North and South poles, as well as reference meridians are assigned arbitrarily. The use of such descriptive tools in the specification does not suggest or imply any necessary limitation to the inventions defined by the claims, which are limited only by their own language.

[0026] The die 100 includes a body 102 having a generally spherical shape, with a plurality of recesses, or faces 104 and bumps, or bosses 106 distributed over the body 102. Each of the faces 104 comprises a region that is recessed, relative to the surface of the spherical body 102, and is defined by side walls 108. In the embodiment shown, there are seven faces 104, each a regular seven-sided polygon of equal size.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the die 100 has a diameter of around 36 mm (about 1), and each of the faces can be circumscribed by a circle with a diameter of about 20 mm (slightly more than ).

[0028] Each face 102 lies in a plane that is normal to a-notional-radial line extending from the center of the spherical body 102 to a center of the respective face, and the side walls 108 of the face are parallel to the respective radial line. A respective distinguishing symbol 110 is positioned on each of the plurality of faces 104, enabling each face to be easily distinguishable from each of the remaining faces. In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1-7, the symbols 110 are Arabic numerals 0-6. A few examples of embodiments employing other types of symbols are shown and described below with reference to FIGS. 10-12.

[0029] Latitude and longitude lines are provided in many of the drawings to more clearly show the relative positions of various elements of the gaming die 100, according to an embodiment. As best shown in the top and bottom plan views of FIGS. 2 and 3, six meridian lines M.sub.1-M.sub.6 meet together at the North and South poles NP, SP. The first meridian M.sub.1 is arbitrarily designated the prime meridian, at 0 longitude. The second meridian M.sub.2, directly opposite the first meridian, is at 180 longitude. The third and fourth meridians M.sub.3, M.sub.4 are at 120 West longitude and 60 East longitude, respectively, while the fifth and sixth meridians M.sub.5, M.sub.6 are at 120 East longitude and 60 West longitude, respectively. Additionally, as shown, particularly, in FIGS. 4-7, four parallels P.sub.1-P.sub.4 are shown. The first parallel P.sub.1 is the equator, at 0 latitude, while the second, third, and fourth parallels are at 23 North latitude, 43 South latitude, and 12 North latitude, respectively.

[0030] A first face 104a is centered over the North pole NP. Second, third, and fourth faces 104b, 104c, and 104d are evenly spaced around the North pole and substantially within the Northern hemisphere, each centered over the fourth parallel P.sub.4, at around 12 degrees North latitude. The second face 104b is also centered over the first meridian M.sub.1 at 0 degrees longitude, while the third face 104c is centered over the third meridian M.sub.3 at 120 degrees West longitude, and the fourth face 104d is centered over the fifth meridian M.sub.5 at 120 degrees East longitude. The fifth, sixth, and seventh faces 104e, 104f, 104g are evenly spaced around the South pole, wholly within the southern hemisphere, each centered over the third parallel P.sub.3, at around 43 degrees South latitude. The fifth face 104e is centered over the second meridian M.sub.2 at 180 degrees longitude, the sixth face 104f is centered over the fourth meridian M.sub.4 at 60 degrees East longitude, and the seventh face 104g is centered over the sixth meridian M.sub.6 at 60 degrees West longitude.

[0031] The second, third, and fourth faces 104b, 104c, and 104d are separated from each other by 120 degrees, as are the fifth, sixth, and seventh faces 104e, 104f, 104g, with the northern and southern groups of faces being offset from each other by 60 degrees. As noted above, the second, third, and fourth faces 104b, 104c, and 104d are positioned at about 12 degrees North latitude, which is much lower than the 43 degrees South latitude, where the fifth, sixth, and seventh faces 104e, 104f, 104g are positioned. This difference is due to the presence of the first face 104a over the North pole NP, with no corresponding face positioned over the South pole SP. As a consequence of the difference in positions of the northern and southern faces, the spacing between the northern faces is much greater than the spacing between the southern faces, as can be seen in a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0032] The inventors recognized that the wider lands between the second, third, and fourth faces 104b, 104c, and 104d, relative to those between fifth, sixth, and seventh faces 104e, 104f, 104g, would affect the probabilities of each roll of the die 100. As the die rolls over a smooth, planar surface, there would be a greater probability that the die would roll across the northern hemisphere without stopping on one of the faces, as compared to the probability of stopping on one of the faces in the southern hemisphere. To equalize the probabilities, the inventors introduced the bumps 106. The bumps 106 are positioned between adjacent pairs of the second, third, and fourth faces 104b, 104c, and 104d, and centered over the second parallel P.sub.2, at about 23 degrees North latitude. The bumps 106 act as comparators by causing the die 100 to change direction to a moderate extent each time it rolls over a bump, thus effectively narrowing the lands between the northern faces.

[0033] FIG. 8 shows a portion of the die 100 with one of the bumps 106 in a side view, similar to the view of the bump 106 to the right in FIG. 5. FIG. 9 shows a bump 106 as viewed from a point nearly directly over the bump, similar to the view of the bump that is visible in FIG. 6. In FIG. 8, projection lines T are shown tangent to the surface of the bump 106 and also to the surface of the spherical body 102, above and below the bump. It will be recognized that as the die 100 rolls over a bump 106 on a smooth, planar surface, contact between the body 102 and the surface can occur no closer to the bump than a point at which the surface is tangent to both the bump and the body, which is represented by the tangent lines T in FIG. 8. Contact cannot occur within a circular area having a diameter D, except at the apex of the bump 106. Once having reached the limit defined by the diameter D, it either changes direction, or hops over the bump 106 to land on the opposite side. In either case, the likelihood that the die 100 will roll across one of the adjacent faces 104 is greatly increased.

[0034] According to various embodiments, there are a number of features that may tend to promote the energetic movement of the die 100 as it rolls. Such features can be modified in the design of a particular class of dice to change the character of motion. In the pictured embodiments, the bumps 106 are about 6.5 mm in diameter, and about 1.25 mm in height, with an arc radius of about 5 mm, or around 30% of the radius of the spherical body 102. If the height and/or relative arc radius of the bumps 106 is changed, this will change the diameter D of the area excluded from contact with the gaming surface, which will, in turn change the behavior of the die 100 as it rolls. The shape of the bumps can also be changed. For example, the bumps 106 in the drawings are semi-spherical, but they can be ovoid, i.e., elliptical in plan view. This will cause the rolling behavior to vary according to the orientation of the bump, relative to the direction of the roll. Other bump shapes that are contemplated include pyramidal and polygonal, i.e., having a point and/or a number of facets.

[0035] In the drawings, each of the faces 104 is heptagonal in shape. Accordingly, no two sides of a face 104 are parallel, which reduces the likelihood that the die 100 will be captured by opposing sidewalls 108 of a face 104, causing it to roll in a direction defined by the opposing side walls. Similarly, no two adjacent faces are oriented with their closest sidewalls 108 lying parallel to each other. Thus, as the die 100 rolls so as to cross over a land between two faces 104, each of the sidewalls 108 that define the intervening land will impart a different angular impetus to the roll of the die 100, thereby reducing the predictability of the roll.

[0036] If the dimensions of the faces 104 are reduced or enlarged, relative to the size of the die 100, the width of the intervening lands becomes, conversely, wider or narrower, which may result in longer or shorter average roll times.

[0037] Various details of the design of the die 100 can be varied to further adjust or modify the behavior of the die 100. For example, if testing reveals that there are slight differences in the likelihoods of arriving at particular faces, the weight of the die can be adjusted to correct such differences. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the symbols 110 are raised above the faces 104. The weight at a particular face can be increased or reduced by changing the distance by which the symbol on that face extends above the face, compared to the other symbols on the die. Similarly, the depth by which a particular face 104 is recessed into the spherical body 102 can be modified. Reducing the depth of a particular face 104 will result in a greater mass at that location, compared to the other faces, increasing the likelihood that the die 100 will come to a stop on that face.

[0038] With respect to the disclosed embodiments, it can be seen from the drawings that none of the faces 104 are positioned directly opposite each other. As a result, when the gaming die 100 is tossed so as to tumble, then land with one face down, no single face will be uppermost on the opposite side. Accordingly, it is most practical to count the bottom-most face when determining the outcome of a particular toss. This requires that the user employ some method for identifying that face that is acceptable to all of the participants of a game. According to an embodiment, the surface of the spherical die is printed or incised with small numbers, symbols, or dots representing the symbol on the face directly opposite, enabling the identification of that face without disturbing the die.

[0039] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7, the symbols 110 are Arabic numerals 0-6. The numbers 1-7 may also be used, or any other combination of numbers and/or letters. In some cases, it may also be advantageous to leave one face blank. FIGS. 10-12 show examples of other types of symbols that may be used. FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of a gaming die 120 that includes symbols 110 in the form of fanciful Rohman numerical characters.

[0040] FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of a gaming die 130 that includes symbols 110 in the form of traditional slot machine tokens, such as cherries, lemons, grapes, bells, etc. It is contemplated that with dice (typically three dice) similar to the gaming die 130 of FIG. 11, a user can play a game that evokes the experience of playing a slot machine. It is further contemplated that, in addition to numerical scoring, coins or other tokens may be distributed manually or mechanically during play, which may also be accompanied by suitable auditory or visual effects.

[0041] FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of a gaming die 140 that includes symbols 110 in the form of Chinese characters. The use of non-Roman alphabet and character sets is contemplated, particularly where a set of dice is to be sold or marketed to a particular ethnic or national group.

[0042] In addition to standard characters, it is also contemplated that symbols, numbers, pictograms, or other characters having particular significance can be employed. Numbers, words, colors or symbols associated with good or bad luck; colors, business names or logos, pictures, place-names, advertising images, etc., are among the types of symbols that can be incorporated.

[0043] According to another embodiment, identically weighted decal or resin-coated emblem pieces are provided for respective ones of the recesses of a blank die, corresponding, for example, to the faces 104 of the die 100 of FIGS. 1-7. For example, according to an embodiment, an emblem piece bears a dragon-face symbol to be mounted on one of the faces of the die, with Chinese characters for the remaining faces. However it will be understood that other sets of indicia/symbols can likewise be formed and mounted about the surface of a die, e.g., Roman numerals, fruit and other slot machine symbols, other animals, etc., each emblem piece being substantially identical in weight to the others in a set. Each emblem piece has a size and shape that allows it to be set within a corresponding recess formed in the surface of the die at locations as previously described. According to an embodiment, each emblem piece has a seven-sided (heptagonal) outer edge that fits closely within the corresponding seven-sided perimeter of the recess, the thickness of the emblem piece being somewhat less than the height of the recess so that its upper surface is set below the rim of the latter.

[0044] The indicia/symbols borne by the emblem pieces may be displayed on or in the pieces. According to an embodiment, the symbol is printed, or otherwise formed, in a suitable color or colors on the upper surface of a base plate, which is then covered by a layer of transparent plastic or other material. According to a further embodiment, the cover layer has a domed upper surface to give the symbol a pleasing jewel appearance. A lower side of the base plate includes a layer of adhesive for mounting to the die; it will be understood that an adhesive may also be applied at other locations during the assembly process, and that alternative mechanisms can be employed to affix the emblem piece to the die.

[0045] According to an embodiment, the balance of the die body is fine tuned to ensure that the center of mass is correctly zeroed, for example, by raising/lowering the bottom surfaces of the recesses or by removing (e.g., drilling) or adding material to the bottom surfaces at locations that will subsequently be covered by the emblem pieces. The emblem pieces then can then be installed by being rotated to the correct orientation relative to the die bodye.g., by referring to indicators provided in the recessesand then inserted into the recess with the base plate disposed downwardly so that the adhesive layers form an engagement with the bottom surface. Thus installed, the upper surface of the emblem piece is depressed or spaced a distance below the perimeter rim, so that the rolling and play action of the die will be substantially the same as previously described. Since the emblem pieces are uniformly weighted, the center of gravity of the blank original die body will remain unaffected and correctly located.

[0046] Embodiments are also contemplated in which other design elements are varied, including, for example, the shape of the faces, as well as their relative orientation and their arrangement on the spherical body.

[0047] FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a gaming surface 150, according to an embodiment, with a gaming die 100, positioned thereon. The gaming surface 150 includes a first layer 152 that is made of a transparent material, such as, e.g., glass, acrylic, polycarbonate, etc. A bumper rail 154 is shown, as may be provided to contain dice that are thrown onto the gaming surface 150. A second layer 156 with a mirrored surface 158 is positioned parallel to, and directly below the first layer 152, at a distance that is sufficient to provide a clear view of the bottom of the diemore than about one quarter the diameter of the die 100, for example. When the die 100 is tossed onto the gaming surface 150, it eventually comes to rest with one of the seven faces lying against the gaming surface, and it becomes a simple matter of looking at the reflection 160 in the mirrored surface 158 to identify the bottom-most face. FIG. 14 shows a gaming surface 170, according to an alternate embodiment, that includes a single transparent layer 172 with a mirrored face 158 on the side opposite the gaming face. The material of the gaming surface 150 is sufficiently thickaround one-quarter the diameter of the diethat the hidden face can be easily viewed in the mirrored image 160. A material thickness of around 9 mm (about of an inch) or greater is adequate to read the hidden face of a 36 mm die. To further facilitate this method, according to an embodiment, the symbols on each face may be presented as mirrors of the actual symbols, so that they become right-reading when viewed in the mirrored surface.

[0048] FIG. 15 is a side elevational view, according to another embodiment, of a gaming surface 180 that includes a single transparent layer 182, and a video camera or other 2D or 3D imaging device 184 is positioned on the side opposite, so that when a tossed die 100 comes to rest, the bottom-most face is within range of the camera. A 2D video screen or possibly a holographic or other 3D projection showing the captured image may be positioned within view of the players and/or spectators.

[0049] According to a further embodiment, each face 104 of the die 100 is provided with a machine-readable encoding, in addition to, or instead of the visible symbols. The gaming surface is provided with one or more sensors configured to detect the bottom-most face of a tossed die. A display is provided on which the results of a toss are shown, in real time.

[0050] In the drawings, some elements are designated with a reference number followed by a letter, e.g., 104a, 104b. In such cases, the letter designation is used where it may be necessary in the corresponding description to refer to or differentiate between specific ones of a number of otherwise similar or identical elements. Where the description omits the letter from a reference, and refers to such elements by number only, this can be understood as a general reference to the elements identified by that reference number, unless other distinguishing language is used.

[0051] Ordinal numbers, e.g., first, second, third, etc., are used in the claims according to conventional claim practice, i.e., for the purpose of clearly distinguishing between claimed elements or features thereof. The use of such numbers does not suggest any other relationship, e.g., order of operation or relative position of such elements, etc. Furthermore, an ordinal number used to refer to an element in a claim does not necessarily correlate to a number used in the specification to refer to an element of a disclosed embodiment on which that claim reads, nor to numbers used in unrelated claims to designate similar elements or features.

[0052] The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

[0053] These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.