Word formation game

Abstract

A word formation game using a grid pattern to define a plurality of grid space, a plurality of tiles having various letters and associated numerical point values imprinted thereon, and having a root word, preferably the word “EXTRACTOR,” disposed on grid spaces, with the goal of such word game being to earn and accumulate more points than the other players by the game's end. The game provides for removing letters of words already formed in the grid spaces to form new words via simple extraction or by extracting and adding a new letter in place of the extracted letter.

1 . A method for facilitating the play of a game adapted to form words out of lettered tiles, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a grid pattern defining a plurality of grid spaces;   providing a set of lettered tiles to each player in a plurality of players;   determining a turn for each player in the plurality of players; and   during the turn of each player, forming at least one word on the grid pattern by using one or both of the steps of assigning at least one lettered tile to a corresponding at least one grid space and unassigning at least one lettered tile from a corresponding at least one grid space.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 providing a root word disposed within a contiguous line of grid spaces, wherein each letter of the root word is disposed in a distinct one of the grid spaces; and   requiring the player with the first turn to form a word by assigning at least one lettered tile in the word to at least one grid space in the contiguous line.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of providing the root word as “EXTRACTOR.” 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of indicating which letter was represented by an unassigned lettered tile in the associated former grid space. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising the step of forbidding assigning lettered tiles to any grid spaces which was previously assigned to an identical lettered tile. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of selecting the grid pattern from one of a standard size grid pattern and an extended size grid pattern. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the steps of:
 forming the standard size grid pattern from fifteen rows of grid spaces and fifteen columns of grid spaces; and   forming the extending size grid pattern from seventeen rows of grid spaces and seventeen columns of grid spaces.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming the grid pattern on a physical game board. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming the grid pattern digitally on a display of a computing device. 
     
     
         10 . A game apparatus adapted to be played by a plurality of players, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of sequencing tiles, wherein each player in the plurality of players begins the game with a subset of the sequencing tiles;   a game board;   a grid pattern disposed on the game board, wherein the grid pattern defines a plurality of grid spaces;   a root word disposed on the game board and comprised of a plurality of characters, wherein the root word is disposed within a contiguous portion of the grid spaces, and wherein each character in the plurality of characters occupies a single grid space in the plurality of grid spaces; and   wherein the plurality of players use the sequencing tiles to form words on the game board.   
     
     
         11 . The game apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein each sequencing tile in the plurality of sequencing tiles includes a letter and a numerical point value disposed thereon. 
     
     
         12 . The game apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising wherein each sequencing tile in the plurality of sequencing tiles includes one of a magnetic field and a ferromagnetic portion. 
     
     
         13 . The game apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein each grid space in the plurality of grid spaces includes one of a magnetic field and a ferromagnetic portion. 
     
     
         14 . The game apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the game board may be rolled into a first orientation and unrolled into a second orientation, wherein the first orientation is a tube shape, and wherein the second orientation is a flat planer shape. 
     
     
         15 . The game apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a standard main playing area defined by the grid pattern and including fifteen rows of grid spaces in the plurality of grid spaces and a fifteen columns of grid spaces in the plurality of grid spaces; and   an extended playing area defined by the grid pattern and including seventeen rows of grid spaces in the plurality of grid spaces and seventeen columns of grid spaces in the plurality of grid spaces.   
     
     
         16 . The game apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the root word is “EXTRACTOR”. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a series of steps to be used to control a procedure, the procedure comprising:
 displaying a grid pattern which defines a plurality of grid spaces on a display;   providing a root word disposed in a root contiguous portion of the grid pattern, wherein the root word is comprised of a plurality of root word letters, and wherein each root word letter is disposed in a distinct one of the plurality of grid spaces in the root contiguous portion;   displaying a plurality of virtual tiles on the display adjacent to the grid pattern;   displaying a letter and a point value on each virtual tile in the plurality of virtual tiles;   allowing a first player to form a first constructed word by manipulating the display to move a set of virtual tiles in the plurality of virtual tiles into a constructed contiguous portion of the grid pattern, wherein the first constructed word is comprised of the set of virtual tiles arranged to form the first constructed word, and wherein each virtual tile in the set of virtual tiles is disposed in a distinct one of the plurality of grid spaces in the constructed contiguous portion; and   enforcing a rule that the root contiguous portion and the constructed contiguous portion share at least one overlapping grid space in the plurality of grid spaces.   
     
     
         18 . The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the procedure further comprises:
 displaying a game score of the first player on the display; and   adding all of the point values of the virtual tiles in the set of virtual tiles to the game score.   
     
     
         19 . The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the procedure further comprises allowing the first player to select the number of grid spaces defined by the grid pattern. 
     
     
         20 . The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the procedure further comprises providing “EXTRACTOR” as the root word.