Traditionally, game apparatus including a games board, playing pieces, a random number generator such as a die, other accessories, and rules for playing the game, are provided in a cardboard or similar box. The cardboard box itself is often bulky and is therefore troublesome to store when the game is not in use and also even when the game is being played. Especially where the game is intended for children, it is a fact that children are often reluctant to put away the game apparatus after the game has been completed. There is always a risk that playing pieces will be lost. Furthermore, for more complex game apparatus having a games board with features beyond the typical planar cardboard games board, it is necessary with these traditional game apparatus for the game player to assemble the various pieces of the games board and apparatus. This can often be troublesome, especially for children.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a games board on which a game may be played, the board comprising a main panel, a first set of panels deployable about the main panel, and a second set of panels, each panel being foldably connected to another of said panels such that the games board may be folded to form a container in which at least some of said panels form a base and side walls of the container, the panels being deployable such that said panels of the second set occupy space between said panels of said first set to provide a game-playing surface on which a game may be played.

In the aspect described above, and the other aspects described further below, the present invention provides a

games board which can be folded up in a quick and convenient manner to provide a box in which accessories, such as playing pieces, can be stored. The game apparatus including the games board and the playing pieces can be very compact in its folded box configuration and is readily transportable from one place to another. The invention provides a games board which is very easy for children to deploy and put away again. In the preferred embodiment, there are no loose or complex parts which need to be assembled to make up the playing surface. The games board helps to prevent loss of playing pieces or other accessories since the games board effectively provides its own box in which playing pieces or other accessories can be stored. The very nature of the folding of the games board and its conversion to a box and back again also adds to the interest and play value of the game for children.

In the aspect described above, the second set of panels can be arranged to provide a complete, continuous game-playing path around the games board along which playing pieces may be moved as the game is played on the board. The panels of the second set can be arranged to occupy all of the space between the panels of the first set.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the first set of panels is foldably connected to a respective edge of said central panel.

Each of the second set of panels may be foldably connected to a respective one of the first set of panels.

Said main panel may be a quadrilateral, the first set of panels consisting of four panels. The second set of panels may consist of four panels each foldably connected to one of the first set of panels.

In the preferred embodiment, a further panel is foldably connected to one of the other panels and is foldable relative thereto to provide a lid of the box.

Said panel which provides the lid may include a random number generator.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a games board on which a game may be played, the board being foldable to form a container, the board comprising a plurality of panels at least some of which provide a game-playing surface on which a game may be played, each panel being foldably connected to another of said panels such that the panels may be folded to form the container in which at least some of said panels form a base and side walls of the container, at least one of the panels having a random number generator.

Said panel having a random number generator is preferably foldably connected to one of the other panels to provide a lid of the box.

In either aspect, one of the panels may include a tower upstanding therefrom. At least one fold-out wall may be hingedly connected to the tower for deployment to project from the tower. The or each fold-out wall may form part of the playing surface of the games board. The tower may include a mechanism which forms part of the game play.

For example, the tower may have mechanisms which randomly or selectively drop an object onto a playing piece or which trap a playing piece.

A loose playing piece may be provided for each player of said game. For many games, it is not necessary to provide any other loose pieces, thus reducing the risk of losing pieces of the game.

The present invention also includes games apparatus comprising a games board as described above and a set of rules for playing the game on said games board.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided games apparatus, the apparatus comprising a games board on which a game may be played, the board comprising a main panel and a plurality of further panels deployable about the main panel, each panel being foldably connected to another of said panels such that the games board may be folded to form a container in which at least some of said panels form a base and side walls of the container; and, a set of rules for playing the game on said games board.

The further panels preferably comprise a first set of panels deployable about the main panel, and a second set of panels, the panels being deployable such that said panels of the second set occupy space between said panels of said first set to provide a game-playing surface on which a game may be played.

Each of the first set of panels may be foldably connected to a respective edge of said central panel.

Each of the second set of panels may be foldably connected to a respective one of the first set of panels.

Said main panel may be a quadrilateral, the first set of panels consisting of four panels.

The second set of panels may consist of four panels each foldably connected to one of the first set of panels.

A further panel is preferably foldably connected to one of the other panels and being foldable relative thereto to provide a lid of the box.

Said panel which provides the lid may include a random number generator.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a box formed by a games board of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a first example of a deployed games board in accordance with the present invention; and, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a further example of a deployed games board in accordance with the present invention.

In Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a first example of a games board 1 in its folded, box configuration and its deployed configuration respectively. The games board 1 is generally planar. The games board 1 has a square central panel 2 upstanding from which is a central tower 3 which will be further described below.

To each of the four edges of the central panel 2 is foldably connected a first peripheral panel 4. This first set of four peripheral panels 4 is foldably connected to the central panel 2 by means of a hinge 5 so that each of the first set of peripheral panels 4 can be folded about the hinge 5 so as to lie at a right angle to the central

panel 2 thereby to provide a side wall of the box shown in Figure 1.

A second panel 6 is connected to each of the first set of peripheral panels 4. The connection is by means of a hinge 7 at an edge of the first peripheral panel 4 which is adjacent to the hinge 5 which connects that first peripheral panel 4 to the central panel 2. By this means, each of the second set of peripheral panels 6 can be folded to lie over the first peripheral panel 4 to which it is foldably connected prior to folding up of that first peripheral panel 4 to provide the side walls of the box shown in Figure 1.

It will thus be appreciated that the combination of the first set of peripheral panels 4 which are foldably connected to the central panel 2 and the set of second peripheral panels 6 provides a complete games board playing surface around the central panel 2 and tower 3. Each of the first and second sets of peripheral panels 4,6 can be decorated or moulded with a pattern 8 on its surface which is uppermost in the deployed configuration shown in Figure 2 to provide a games path along which playing pieces 9 are moved in use according to the rules of the game.

A further peripheral panel 10 is connected by means of a hinge 11 to the edge of one of the first set of peripheral panels 4 which is opposite the hinge 5 which connects that peripheral panel 4 to the central panel 2 or to one of the second set of peripheral panels 6. Mounted on the further peripheral panel 10 is a random number generator 12. In the example shown, the random number generator is provided by a die 13 contained within a transparent hemispherical cover 14, though any suitable random number generator may be employed. The transparent cover 14 is itself fixed to a spring plate 15 such that

depression of the cover 14 causes the die 13 to jump in a known manner.

In the example of Figure 2, the central tower 3 has a generally square cross-sectional shape. To each of the vertical edges 16 of the tower 3 is hingedly connected a fold-out wall 17. Each fold-out tower wall 17 can therefore be pivoted about a vertical axis to lie generally along the diagonal of respective ones of the second peripheral panels 6. Each of the fold-out tower walls 17 has features such as steps 18 and an arch 19 which, in the example shown, form part of the playing surface of the games board 1.

The tower 3 may also have features such as mechanisms 20 which trap playing pieces 9 during game play. The tower mechanisms 20 can be caused to operate by rotation of a button 21 provided on top of the tower 3 for example. It may be a part of the rules that the button 21 be rotated through 90°, for example, at chosen intervals during the game, rotation of the button 21 either randomly or selectively causing operation of the mechanism 20 to trap a playing piece 9 for example.

As will be appreciated, the deployed games board 1 shown in Figure 2 can be collapsed to the box configuration shown in Figure 1 by firstly folding the fold-out tower walls 17 against the respective side walls 22 of the tower 3. This allows the second set of peripheral panels 6 to be folded about their respective hinges 7 to lie over the first peripheral panel 4 to which that second peripheral panel 6 is connected. Each of the first peripheral panels 4 is then folded about its respective hinge 5 to lie at a right angle to the central panel 2 to provide the side walls of the box shown in Figure 1. The further peripheral panel 10 is then folded over about its hinge 11 to provide

the lid of the box shown in Figure 1. The lid peripheral panel 10 may have features such as a tab or recess which engages a recess or tab respectively on the opposite peripheral panel 4 to lock the box in its folded configuration shown in Figure 1. Deployment of the games board 1 is a reverse procedure.

It will be appreciated that the only loose parts to the game apparatus are the playing pieces 9 themselves and these can be placed or dropped into the central volume of the box formed by the folded games board 1 prior to the lid panel 10 being locked onto the opposite first peripheral panel 4.

A further example of a games board 1 in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 3. Parts which correspond to the example shown in Figure 2 have the same reference numerals and will not be further described.

In the second example, the central tower 3 is very roughly circular in cross-sectional shape. A wall 17 which is hingedly connected to the tower 3 in this example folds about a hinge which lies parallel to the plane of the deployed panels 2,4,6. The wall or walls 17 also form part of the playing surface for the game in this example.

Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 3, the tower 3 has a string 22 which mimics a rope and which can be secured to a corner of one of the peripheral panels 4,6 by means of a corner-shaped connector 23 which fits over a corner of one of the peripheral panels 4,6. The string 22 can form part of the playing surface and one of the playing pieces 9 is shown attached to the string 22 in Figure 3.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described with particular reference to the examples

illustrated in the drawings. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the panels may have different shapes to those shown in the drawings and different numbers and different sets of peripheral panels to those shown may be used.