System and method for providing an adjustable game board

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a three-dimensional game board having a base and a plurality of tiles positionable on the base. Tiles may be spaced apart from the base in an adjustment direction by spacers. The tiles may be movably supported by supports coupled to a frame. The supports may extend through cavities in the tiles and tiles may move in the adjustment direction while supported by the supports. The frame may be positioned on the base, and the act of positioning the frame on the base may cause certain tiles to be spaced apart from the base by corresponding spacers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A game board comprising:
 a base having a surface;   a plurality of tiles positionable on the surface, the plurality of tiles comprising a first tile having a first face and a second tile having a second face;   a first spacer positionable between the first tile and the surface, the first tile spaced apart from the surface in an adjustment direction while the first spacer is positioned between the first tile and the surface, the first face out-of-plane with the second face while the first spacer is positioned between the first tile and the surface.   
     
     
         2 . A game board according to  claim 1  wherein the base comprises one or more spacer retainers on the surface, the first spacer retainable by a first spacer retainer of the one or more spacer retainers, the first spacer positionable between the first tile and the base while retained by the first spacer retainer. 
     
     
         3 . A game board according to  claim 2  wherein the first spacer retainer comprises an indentation defined by the surface. 
     
     
         4 . A game board according to  claim 2  wherein the first spacer retainer comprises a magnetic attractor causing the first spacer to be magnetically attracted to the first spacer retainer. 
     
     
         5 . A game board according to  claim 2  wherein:
 the base comprises a plurality of spacer retainers and the first spacer retainer is one of the plurality of spacer retainers; 
 the first spacer is one of a plurality of spacers, the plurality of spacers retainable in a substantially random arrangement by the plurality of spacer retainers. 
 
     
     
         6 . A game board according to  claim 5  wherein the plurality of spacer retainers are spaced apart, and the plurality of spacers are movable along the surface of the base between adjacent ones of the spacer retainers. 
     
     
         7 . A game board according to  claim 6  wherein at least one of the plurality of spacers is rollable along the surface of the base. 
     
     
         8 . A game board according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a second spacer, the second spacer larger in the adjustment dimension than the first spacer, the second spacer positionable between the second tile and the base, the second tile spaced apart from the base in the adjustment direction by a second adjustment distance while the second spacer is positioned between the second tile and the base; 
 wherein the first tile is spaced apart from the base in the adjustment direction by a first adjustment distance while the first spacer is positioned between the first tile and the base, the first adjustment distance being less than the second adjustment distance. 
 
     
     
         9 . A game board according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a frame positionable on the base; and 
 one or more supports coupled to the frame, the plurality of tiles supportable by the one or more supports; 
 wherein the first tile is supported by a first support of the one or more supports and is movable in the adjustment direction relative to the first support. 
 
     
     
         10 . A game board according to  claim 9  wherein:
 the first tile defines a cavity extending through the first tile in a longitudinal direction; 
 the first tile is positionable to cause a portion of the first support to extend through the cavity; and 
 the cavity has a greater dimension in the adjustment direction than the portion of the first support. 
 
     
     
         11 . A game board according to  claim 9  wherein the first tile comprises a support retainer at an end opposing the first face in the adjustment direction, the first support retainable in the cavity by the support retainer. 
     
     
         12 . A game board according to  claim 9  wherein:
 the one or more supports comprise a plurality of supports extending in a longitudinal direction and spaced apart in a transverse direction, the longitudinal and transverse directions substantially parallel to the surface; and 
 each of the plurality of supports supports a subset of the plurality of tiles. 
 
     
     
         13 . A game board according to  claim 1  wherein the base comprises one or more engagement members for engaging one or more dividers, the one or more dividers defining a plurality of regions and restricting movement of the first spacer to one of the plurality of regions when engaged with the base. 
     
     
         14 . A game board according to  claim 13  wherein the one or more engagement members comprise a plurality of apertures defined by the base and at least one of the one or more dividers comprises an elastic cord having flanges at opposing ends, the elastic cord receivable by at least two of the plurality of apertures and, when the elastic cord is received by the at least two apertures, the elastic cord extending between the at least two apertures and resiliently held in place by the flanges. 
     
     
         15 . A method for arranging one or more of a plurality of tiles on a game board, the method comprising:
 positioning a first spacer between a first tile of the plurality of tiles and a base of the game board, thereby spacing the first tile apart from the base in an adjustment direction; and   positioning a second tile of the plurality of tiles relative to the base so that a face of the first tile is out-of-plane with a face of the second tile.   
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 15  wherein positioning a first spacer comprises retaining the first spacer by a first spacer retainer of the base. 
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16  wherein retaining the first spacer by a first spacer retainer comprises magnetically attracting the first spacer toward the first spacer retainer. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 15  wherein the first spacer retainer is one of the plurality of spacer retainers and the first spacer is one of a plurality of spacers and the method further comprises retaining the plurality of spacers by the plurality of spacer retainers in a substantially random arrangement. 
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 18  wherein retaining the plurality of spacers by the plurality of spacer retainers in a substantially random arrangement comprises propelling the plurality of spacers to move along the base, at least some of the plurality of spacers moving between adjacent spacer retainers. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 19  wherein propelling the plurality of spacers to move along the base comprises rolling at least one of the plurality of spacers along the surface of the base. 
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 15  wherein positioning the second tile relative to the base comprises positioning a second spacer between the second tile and the base, thereby spacing the face of the second tile apart from the base in an adjustment direction by a second adjustment distance; and wherein the face of the first tile is spaced apart from the base in the adjustment direction by a first adjustment distance, the first adjustment distance being less than the second adjustment distance. 
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 15  comprising:
 positioning a frame on the base, the frame coupled to one or more supports supporting the plurality of tiles; and 
 moving the first tile in the adjustment direction relative to a first support supporting the first tile. 
 
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 22  comprising extending a portion of the first support through a longitudinal cavity defined by the first tile and retaining the portion of the first support in the cavity by a support retainer of the first tile. 
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 22  wherein positioning the frame on the base causes the first tile to be spaced apart from the base by the first spacer. 
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 15  comprising engaging one or more dividers with a plurality of engagement members, the one or more dividers defining a plurality of regions and restricting movement of the first spacer to one of the plurality of regions when engaged with the base. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 25  wherein the one or more engagement members comprise a plurality of apertures defined by the base and at least one of the one or more dividers comprises an elastic cord having flanges at opposing ends, and wherein engaging the one or more dividers with the plurality of engagement members comprises receiving the elastic cord by at least two of the plurality of apertures, thereby causing the elastic cord to extend between the at least two apertures and to be resiliently held in place by the flanges.