Re: Piecepack Pyramids

[Ron Hale-Evans <rwhe@...>]

1. Whatever his public position ("Piecepack Pyramids are all supposed
   to be the same color.  Would such pyramids infringe on our patent?
   It's debatable."), Andy has told me in private email that he does
   not believe piecepack pyramids infringe on his patent ("You know, I
   hadn't actually realized that [all piecepack pyramids are the same
   colour] before.... it sounds like they actually are different
   enough to not infringe...  I'll have to correct my essay.")

2. The Patent Office hands patents out like candy, not, as Andy would
   have it, "merit badges".  (If you doubt this, consider the infamous
   Amazon.com "one-click" patent.)  I sincerely doubt whether Andy's
   patent would hold up in court.  Stackable, hollow coloured pyramids
   were used in the game Pyramidis as early as 1988 [sic; the page
   lists the date for Pyramidis as 1998 at the top, but mentions an
   earlier edition from 1988 lower down]:

     http://www.boardgamegeek.com/viewitem.php3?gameid=1252

   And stackable, coloured pieces were used in Sid Sackson's game
   Focus as early as 1965, with improved, hollow pieces in the
   1982 version called Domination from Milton Bradley:

     http://www.webnoir.com/bob/sid/domination.htm

   I suggest you read Andy's patent again, if you've read it at all.
   Here is some relevant language from it:

     "I claim: 

     "1. A method of playing a board game of skill and strategy
     comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of playing
     pieces for each player, said playing pieces being visually
     distinguishable from those of other players, and of such a shape
     as to permit the stacking of one onto another such that multiple
     pieces can be stacked up into towers, with all pieces within
     remaining visible...
     
     "In addition, prior to this invention, all Icehouse sets featured
     solid pyramidal game pieces, as depicted in FIG. 1 of
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,585. This was always considered the optimal
     form of the playing piece, since a weightier game piece is more
     tactilely satisfying and less prone to jostled placement than a
     lightweight, hollow piece would be."

     Doesn't sound "new, useful, and non-obvious" to me.

Ron Hale-Evans

*****

On Sat, Jun 01, 2002 at 01:24:28PM -0500, smartgamer wrote:
> I've gotten a silent (no-email) subscription to
> that group... Andy's got something to worry about.
> 
> The file will print a sheet of octagons which
> should be cut in half to form pentagons, then folded
> to produce pyramids. The result will be a piece perfectly
> suitable for Icehouse if it is colored- basically,
> they are giving stackable Oragami Icehouse sets for free.
> There is NO @#$%ING DIFFERENCE at all- I could spit a
> few copies of this out, color them in with a marker or just
> print several sets on colored paper, and play Zendo with it.
> I could play IceTowers with it. I could play IceHouse
> with it. I could play Dibs.
> 
> Cracked Ice can't be played, but these paper 'mids are still
> a tad disturbing.
> 
> Andy, go sign up for yourself- to no email. You'll find
> that a patent lawsuit would not be out of line in the least,
> and you have nothing to be ashamed of.
> 
> They're the ones ripping off an idea for free, not you.
> 
> --Adam Norberg
> 
> 
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-- 
         Ron Hale-Evans ... rwhe@... & rwhe@...
           Center for Ludic Synergy, Seattle Cosmic Game Night, 
Kennexions Glass Bead Game &  Positive Revolution FAQ: http://www.ludism.org/
Home page & Hexagram-8 I Ching Mailing List: http://www.apocalypse.org/~rwhe/