US1551761A - Playing cards - Google Patents

Description

1y characterized plps on provided with dinary card value to the lowermost index at theleft Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

ED'XITABLD W. HGCARROLL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

rmxme cums. 1

Application fled Kay 23, 1924. Serial No. 715,323.

To all whom it may comem:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. MCCAR- ROLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in ,the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a. new and useful Improvement in Playing Cards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to playing cards, and has for an object the provision of a pack or deck of cards which while conforming so nearly to the standard conventional deck of playing cards as to readily lend itselfto all of the urposes and games for which ordinary p aying'cards are used, at the same time enables any player at will to modify or vary the game by choosing to play his hand under alternative suits and card values.

It is a special object to provide a pack or deck of playing cards of this character which may be used with either of the selected suit and card values at the option of the player, regardless which end of the cards are positioned uppermost, without changing the relative disposition of the differentthe face of the respective cards, and without in any way altering the character of play in accordance with well known conventional rules after the selection has been made.

It is a further special object to provide a deck of playing cards each card of which is means for designating alternative suits and card values, with the pips so arranged as to ada t it for use in the manner above describe which, in addition lendsitself for use as an ordinary deck having but one suit and card value for each card by blocking off a visual representation.

of a standard playing card upon each card of the improved deck.

These and other objects of the invention will more fully appear when taken in conjunction with the following description and the appended claims.

Figs. 1 to 4.- of the drawings illustrate four cards of a deck or pack embodying the invention, showing several com inations of selective suits and card values with the preferred disposition of the indexes and pips, together with the representation of the orcorresponding in suit and card hand margin of each card.

In the drawings 1, 2, 3 and 4; designate, respectively, four cards of the complete implaying proved deck or pack, it being contemplate using the customary number of 52 cards, divlded into four suits with the thirteen cards of each suit varying in card value in accordance with the ordinary symbols ace, king, numerals 10 to 2 taken in order and identifymg the various suits as hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades, all in a well known fashion.

All of the cards are rectangular in shape and of the same size, and each is provided with a ruled ofl rectangular space at its.

center in which is a representation of one card of an ordinary pack or deck. For instance, the central space 5 of Fig. 1 contains a conventional representation of the live of clubs. Similarly cards 2 to 4, respectively, contain representations of the three of diamonds, the eight of spades and the seven of hearts All of the pips comprising these representations, as well as the pips comprising the indexes to be described hereinafter more at length, conform in character queen and knave, and the successive to those in common use on ordinary playing cards, and the arrangement of the pips within the centrally disposed spaces 5 corresponds to the conventional disposition ordinarily employed.

By disregarding the pips spaced without the central spaces and observing merely the representation within the spaces, it is obvious' that the pack may be readily used in the same manner as an ordinary pack of cards, and in the same way regardless which end of the cards are positioned uppermost.

Arranged at each side margin of each card are a plurality of indexes designating a plurality of selective suits and card values. As shown in Fig. 1, there are indexes 6 and 7 in the left hand margin and a corresponding number of indexes 6 and 7 in the right hand margin. All of these indexes are comprised by pips of familiar characteristics, indicating a suit and a card value of the card for that suit. The indexes 6 and 6', as well as the indexes 7, 7 are identical, with the exception that they are reversely.

I the upper and lower ends of the card while indexes adjacent the the index in both groups indicating the five of clubs lies nearer this mid-point. Because of this arrangement, it is immaterial which end of the card is positioned uppermost so far as the resulting relative disposition of the indexes are concerned. In other words, the same general appearance is present whether the index 6 or the index 6 occupies the upper left hand corner of the card. Therefore, the player can play either the heart or the club suit with equal facility and ease irrespective of the narrow end of the card forming the top thereof.

The description thus far has been directed particularly to the details of the card shown in Fig. 1, but since the same features and arrangement are observed in respect to each of the cards comprising the entire pack, it will be unnecessary to relate the details of the remaining cards illustrated in Figs. 2 to 4.

It is understood that each of the cards of the entire pack is constructed as described to provide a plurality of selective suits and card values on its face, but that the combination of suits and card values of every card is different from that of every other card of the pack, and that at'least two indexes of the character shown at 6, 7 and 6, 7 appear upon each card, and are divided into at least two groups with the indexes of each, group arranged in reverse order.-

Preferably, a red suit, either hearts or diamonds, will be combined with a black suit, either. spades or clubs, for the purpose of visually contrasting the several suits. However, this is not an essential feature of the invention. It is also obvious that no special card value "of a specific suit need be combined with a special card value of another suit, the combination of any two suits with any two card values being'within the contemplated scope-of the invention. The combinations shown in the drawings are therefore intended merely as illustrative of some of the combinations which may be adopted. 7

In use, the cards are dealt in the usual fashion and may be played, by disregarding the marginal indexes, in the customary way, each card having the suit and card value shown in the central space 5. In order to vary the game, however, it is intended to permit the player having the first voice in naming a suit, bid, etc. to choose whether he wishes to play the hand in accordance with the suit and card values represented by the ends of the cards, or in accordance with the suit and card values represented by one of the remaining sets of indexes. For example, with cards as illustrated in the drawings, the player may choose to play the hand containing the ace of hearts,

monds, the four of clubs, etc. rather than as the ten of spades, the three of diaa hand containing the five of clubs, the three of diamonds, the eight of spades and the seven of hearts, etc.

WVhenever the improved pack is used for the game of poker, it is intended to permit every player to consider his hand in accord ance with any of the suit and card values shown on his cards, at any stage of the game, and for any of the usual purposes, but he must elect definitely to consider the hand in accordance with one particular set of indexes. In other words, each player may elect a preferred indexfor his hand at any stage, but with the cards shown in the drawings, must choose between the outer or the inner set of indexes. He cannot consider one card according to the outer indexes and another card according to the inner indexes, but must elect to play his entirenumber of cards according to one set or the other. For instance, if one player calls, he may then elect one set of indexes, and likewise the remaining players required to show their hands may also, elect the set of indexes preferred by them for their respective hands.

By permitting such an election on the part of the player, the results of the game being played may be entirely modified, without in any way departing from the rules ordinarily used for the game, and due to the arrangement of the indexes in the manner described, the cards may be conveniently employed for this purpose regardless of which end of the card is positioned uppermost.

As previously noted, a pack of fifty-two cards, comprising combinations of four conventional suits, each suit having thirteen cards of different card values, constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention beyond that particularly defined by the appended claims.

I. claim:

1. A pack of playing cards each card of which is provided with a plurality of selec-.

tivesuits and card values on its face, a plurality of difl'eren'tly characterized indexes designating each suit and card value, each index of the same character occupying the same relative position on the card regardless of which end of the card is positioned uppermost.

2. A pack of playing cards each card of which is provided on its face with indexes designating a plurality of selective suits and card values, identical indexes value, all of the indexes being so disposid with respect to each other that identical indexes occupy the same relative positions on the face of the card regardless of which end of thecard is positioned uppermost.

3. A pack of playing cards each card of which is provided on its face with indexes there being a plurality of j for each suit and card designating a plurality of selective suits and card'values, there being a plurality of identical indexes for each suit and card value, said indexes being arranged in a plurality of similar groups with the order of the indexels in respective groups reversely arran 'e L A pack ofplaying cards comprising a plurality of rectangular cards of equal size, each card being provided with a plurality of selective suits and card values on its face, indexes designating the several suits and card values arranged in similar groups at the opposite side margins of the card, there being a pair of identical indexes for each suit and card value, the indexes comprising each group being reversely arranged whereby the several indexes occupy the same relative position on the face of the card regardless of the end positioned uppermost.

5. A pack of playing cards comprising a plurality of rectangular cards of equal size, each card being provided with a plurality of selective suits and card values on its face, indexes designating the several suits and card values arranged in similar groups at the opposite side margins of the card, there being a pair of identical indexes for each suit and card value, identical indexes being disposed at diagonally opposite corners of the card with the groups symmetrically disposed, and the indexes of each group arranged in reverse order.

6. A pack of playing cards comprising a plurality of rectangular cards of equal size, each card being provided with a plurality of selective suits and card values on its face, indexes designating the several suits and card values arranged in similar groups at the opposite side margins of the card, there being a pair of identical indexes for each suit and card value, identical indexes being disposed at diagonally opposite corners of the card with the groups symmetrically disposed, the indexes of each group being arranged in reverse order, and a ruled rectangular space at the center of each card containing a representation of an ordinary playing card corresponding in suit and card value to the lowermost index at the left hand margin of the card.

7 A pack of playing cards each card of which is provided on its face with indexes designating a plurality of selective suits and card values, there being a plurality of identical indexes for each suit and card value, said indexes being arranged in a plurality of similar groups with the order of the indexes in respective groups reversely arranged, the number of cards in the pack and the number and variety of indexes equalling that of an ordinary pack of playing cards.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

EDVARD W. MoCARROLL.

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