Other Patents


Technology which did not go into production


Click on the drawings to see the pdf file of the full Patent documents.

lazy under construction gif
LED Chessboard for Chess Computer neg

LED Chessboard

Patent Application filed 19th June 1979
Inventors : Darrell Tepoorten and Steven Hechtman
 

SciSys Chess Champion Mark VI
Sensor Board - Piece Recognition Prototype

Patent Application filed 19th July 1982
Inventors: Philip Blenkinsop, Tony Chung Chi-Ming, Peter Lee and Rupert Goodings
for SciSys-W Ltd.
 

Sensor Board Advert 2
SciSys Mark VI Sensor Board - Piece Recognition neg 80 x 80
SciSys Thin Membrane Sensory Board neg

Improved LCD Chessboard

Patent Application filed 14th March 1989
Inventors: Thomas Leung, Eric White and David Levy
for Newcrest Technology Limited (CXG)

 

Thin Membrane Sensor Board

Patent Application filed 20th March 1987
Inventors: Peter Ka-Tai Sun, Wilson Wong and Eric Winkler
for SciSys-W Ltd

It is not known whether this technology actually made it into a marketed product.
 

Newcrest Technology Improved LCD Chessboard neg
Saitek Piece Recognition Board neg

Saitek Piece Recognition Board

Patent Application filed 25th October 1990
Inventors: Paul Ryan
for Saitek Ltd.
 

Mephisto Chess Teaching Computer

Patent Application filed 21st November 1990
Inventor: Manfred Hegener
for Hegener + Glaser AG
 

Mephisto Chess Teaching Computer neg

 


Chess Game Devices leading up to Chess Computers

 

Rippenbein Game Device

Patent Application filed 17th August 1945
Inventor: Albert P Rippenbein

This device is an intricate use of a film on rollers
making electrical contact to provide the player with feedback in following an opening variation or famous game. I will let you figure out how it works !!
 

Rippenbein Game Device 2 neg
Rippenbein Game Device neg
Chess Machine neg

Chess Machine

Patent Application filed 21st April 1966
Inventors: Donald and Fred Worden and others.

A more practical version of Rippenbein’s device using punched card, photoelectric cells and illumination of each square. Intended to aid learning chess and following Master games.
 

Auto-Chess Apparatus

Patent Application filed 22nd July 1968
Inventor: Frederick Way.

Another similar example using punched card and illuminating the chess pieces themselves.

Auto-Chess Apparatus neg
Electrical Chess Game neg

Electrical Chess Game

Patent Application filed 29th October 1975
Inventor: Enrique Mustelier

An electronic chessboard for playing chess without pieces.
 

Electronic Chess Game

Patent Application filed 15th November 1976
Inventor: David Bathurst

Another electronic chessboard. Again looking more like a chess computer, but without a chess playing program.
 

Electronic Chess Game neg
Pocket Problem Solver neg

Pocket Problem Solver

Patent Application filed 9th May 1977
Inventor: Bruce Beach

A pocket-sized portable electronic device for playing chess problems.
 

 


Other Ideas including the Crazy

 

Coin Slot Arcade Chess Computer

Patent Application filed 4th April 1981
Inventor: Erwin Piotrowski

Not crazy but there was probably limited demand for playing chess in arcades even in 1981.

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Coin Operated Arcade Chess Computer neg
Water Squirting Gameboard neg

Water Squirting Gameboard

Patent Application filed 15th March 1991
Inventor: Michael J Jones

Envisaged by the inventor as a “fun” addition to a game of checkers (draughts) but applicable to chess also. The idea is that a pump squirts water at one of the players when they move a particular piece to a certain position on the board.

If that isn’t crazy I do not know what is.

“...Anand exchanges queens and reaches for his towel yet again !”
 

free counters