Handheld wheel spelling game device

Abstract

A game device has a series of annular wheels with exposed game indicia carrying facets around perimetrical edges and rotatively mounted in stacked, face-to-face relation on an axle rod extending from a handle housing part mounting an LCD display and mode operating buttons. An actuating and locking ring button is mounted on a free end of the axle rod. Wheel interiors are provided with coded areas identifying rotational positions and detected by detectors on the axle rod identifying wheel sequence and rotational positions corresponding to combinations of aligned indicia such as letters, the sensors providing corresponding signal to a microprocessor in the handle programmed to compare words with a dictionary in memory and calculate a players score for display on the LCD. The coded area can be bar codes or apertures for detection by a scanning head driven along the axle or circuit board mounted contact protuberances.

1 . A game device comprising:
 a plurality of individual wheels each having an exposed circumferential edge portion formed with facets marked with respective discrete indicia;   means for mounting, releasably, the plurality of wheels stacked together in coaxial, face-to-face relation for relative rotation of selected individual wheels to bring the indicia into a selected axial alignment to complete one of an equation, word, picture, and pattern, release of the wheels permitting shuffling thererof as loose piece items for remounting in a different sequence/order;   means on respective individual wheels for identifying their relative rotational and sequential positions when stacked together, corresponding to relative positions of selected respective indicia;   means cooperable with the identifying means for detecting said at least one of said relative rotational positions and said sequential positions of the wheels corresponding to relative position of selected respective indicia and providing signals indicative of such positions;   signal processing means comprising an input operably linked to the detecting means for receipt of said signals therefrom, at least one database correlating said signals with respective values associated with respective indicia and an executable program for at least one of comparing said values with a database (such as a dictionary) and for calculating a score corresponding to the relative positions of selected respective indicia and for determining and providing a result signal to an output; and,   a display, operably linked to the output to receive the result signal and display the result determined by the processor.   
   
   
       2 . The game device of  claim 1  wherein the mounting means may comprise at least one of magnetic elements on the wheels, a wheel mounting axle extending coaxially through the wheels and a channel receiving, rotatively, lower peripheral edge portions of the wheels. 
   
   
       3 . The game device of  claim 2  wherein the mounting means may comprise a handle-form housing connected to one axial end of the wheel mounting axle to prevent release of wheels from that end, the wheels being releasable for shuffling from another end of the axle. 
   
   
       4 . The game device of  claim 3  wherein the display and operating buttons are mounted in exposed positions on the handle form housing and the signal processing means are contained within the handle form housing. 
   
   
       5 . The game device of  claim 3  wherein the axle comprises a hollow rod and the detecting means extends along the rod past each wheel. 
   
   
       6 . The game device of  claim 5  wherein the detecting means comprises:
 a circuit board extending along an interior of the rod and having a contact surface covered with a matrix array of spaced apart contact pairs,   a strip of elastomeric detent contacts mounted on the contact face of the circuit board with respective detent contacts aligned with respective contact pairs, the identifying means comprising wheel and indicia identifying patterns of detent receiving recesses on an inner periphery of each wheel and means for moving the detents into and out from engagement with inner peripheries of each wheels so that some of the detent contacts are received in respective recesses and others of the detent contacts are compressed between inner surface portions of the wheels adjacent the recesses and the contact face of the circuit board in electrical bridging engagement with respective aligned contact pairs to complete an electrical connection therebetween and produce a corresponding electrical signal.   
   
   
       7 . The game device of  claim 6  wherein the hollow rod comprises a cover shell formed with apertures aligned with respective detents to receive, guide and support the detents during said movement. 
   
   
       8 . The game device of  claim 7  wherein the moving means comprises a circuit board supporting carriage extending along the interior of the rod; a cam shaft providing with a fingerpiece at one axial end and mounted along the rod below the platform for limited movement against the action of a biasing spring and the carriage and cam shaft being formed with engageable complementary cam surfaces, whereby operation of the fingerpiece moves the cam shaft to bring the complementary cam surfaces on the cam shaft and the carriage progressively into engagement to raise the platform and thereby move the detents into engagement with the inner peripheries of the wheels to complete the electrical connections. 
   
   
       9 . The game device of  claim 1  wherein the identifying means comprises bar codes on respective wheels and the detecting means comprises a bar code scanning head driven along the axle rod passed respective wheels to scan at least one bar code thereon.