GB2121693A

GB2121693A - Manipulative puzzle

Info

Publication number: GB2121693A
Application number: GB08315554A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ovadya Patya
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-06-07
Filing date: 1983-06-07
Publication date: 1984-01-04
Also published as: GB8315554D0

Abstract

The puzzle comprises a plurality of layers 36-43, each of these layers being rotatable about a first, central axis 47 relative to the other layers. At least some of the layers other than a central layer each comprise a plurality of pieces arranged around said central axis, and the central layer is formed from two interlocking halves 10, 12 which are rotatable relative to each other about a second axis extending perpendicular to said first axis. All the pieces to one side of a diametral dividing line can be rotated together relative to the pieces of the other half about said second axis. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Game/toy This invention relates to a game or toy which is designed to exercise manipulative skills and also to present a challenging puzzle to the user. The game/toy can also be used as an educational aid, especially to improve knowledge of multiplication tables.

The "Rubik" cube is a well known toy or game which has been modified in many ways beyond the basic cube form. The toy/game of the present invention also relies upon movements of the parts of a multi-element "block", but it is constructed and operates on somewhat different principles.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a toy/game which comprises a multi-piece article made up of a plurality of layers, each of these layers being rotatable about a first, central axis relative to the other layers, with at least some of the layers other than the central layer comprising a plurality of pieces arranged around said central axis, and with the central layer being formed in two interlocking halves which are rotatable relative to each other about a second axis extending perpendicular to said first axis, whereby all the pieces to one side of the diametral dividing line can be rotated together relative to the pieces of the other half about said second axis.

Preferably, the article comprises a plurality of relatively rotatable layers at the top and bottom of the article, with a central section which is made in two inter-engageable parts which are rotatable as one relative to the layers above and below the central section.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the individual pieces of the layers above and below the central layer are built up from the central layer with means provided between each adjacent pair of layers interlocking the pieces of any given layer with those of the adjacent layer nearer the central layer. In this way the individual layers can be built up in opposite directions working away from the central layer.

The article of the present invention is particularly easy to assemble during manufacture.

Half the piece parts can be assembled in place on each of the two halves of the central layer, or core, and then the two halves of the central layer, each carrying their respective piece parts, can be pushed into locked interengagement, thereby rendering all the piece parts captive.

Preferably, each layer of the article which is composed of a plurality of pieces has ten pieces in the layer, with each piece subtending an angle of substantially 36 at the central axis.

The interengagement of the piece parts in the various relatively movable layers above and below the central layer is preferably effected by tongue and groove means between the respective layers.

The various outwardly facing surfaces of the individual pieces are preferably marked with numbers or letter or colours or other characters to distinguish them one from another.

One embodiment of game/toy in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a top plan view and a bottom plan view of the article; Figure 2 is a side view of the article with the pieces "unfolded" to indicate the layout of the markings on the faces of the elements; Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the article when fully assembled; Figure 4 is a plan view of just one triangular segment from one of the intermediate layers of the article; Figure 5 is an exploded side elevation to illustrate the interlocking of the segments of the layers; Figure 6 is a further vertical cross-sectional view through the article, with the article turned through 90' about the central axis as compared with Fig. 3; and, Figure 7 is a top plan view on a different scale, of the two parts which make up the central layer of the article, with a scrap view illustrating the interlocking of these two parts.

As will be seen from the drawings, this game/toy is a multi-piece block which is composed of pieces or segments arranged in superimposed layers. The block is built up on a central core which, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 7, is made up from two parts 10 and 1 2. Each of these components 10 and 1 2 comprises a substantially semicylindrical portion with a circumferential flange 1 4 which is shaped to define five side faces 1 6. One of these two core pieces 10 and 1 2 is provided with a projecting stub 18, and the other with a cylindrical recess 20.As shown in Figs. 3 and 7 in particular, the projecting stub 1 8 has a circumferential flange 22 and is slotted across its centre, as indicated at 24, to define two arms which can be squeezed together to enable the stub to be pushed into the matching recess 20. The recess 20 is counterbored at 26 to receive the circumferential flange 22 on the stub when it is pushed fully into place within the recess. The position is shown in Fig. 3. As shown most clearly in Figs. 3, 6 and 7, one of the two central core portions 10 and 12, here the left-hand portion 10, is provided with four blind holes 28 each containing a coil spring 30. Each coil spring serves as a seat for a bearing ball 32. The other core portion, here portion 12, is correspondingly provided with four hemispherical recesses 34 in the plane surface facing towards the other core portion.When the two core portions 10, 1 2 are interlocked one with the other, these spring-loaded balls 32 serve as locating elements so that as the two halves 10 and 1 2 of the core are rotated relative to one another about the central interconnecting stub 18, the two halves of the core will click into place each time that the two halves are turned relative to one another through 180 .

As is shown most clearly in Figs 3, 5 and 6, a number of layers of piece parts are built up above and below the central core 10, 1 2.

Above the core there are first, second and third intermediate layers 36, 37 and 38, superimposed by a top layer 39. Below the core are first, second and third intermediate layers 40, 41 and 42, superimposed by a bottom layer 31. Each of the layers 36 to 43 is composed of 10 piece parts 35, each of which is essentially triangular in plan view (Fig. 4) and subtends an angle of substantially 36 at the centre of the article. The sloping top surface 44 of each piece in the uppermost layer 39 is suitably marked, such as by the numbers 1 to 10 as in Fig. 1, to identify individual pieces. Similarly, the sloping bottom surface 45 of each piece in the bottommost layer 43 is suitably marked, such as by coloured dots representing a count of 1 to 10 as shown in Fig. 1.The smallest side face 1 6 of each piece or segment 35 carries an identification symbol or colour, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, which has been marked up to enable the article to represent a multiplication table, each small side face 1 6 of each segment 35 carries a number between 1 to 100, with the numbers arranged as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, when the article is correctly assembled with all the pieces in the right relative positions, the various indicia will appear in correct relative positions around the block. As the pieces 35 are arranged, a small central hole 46 is left at the apices of the segments.

Each of the layers of the block, i.e. the uppermost layer 39, the three upper intermediate layers 36, 37, 38, the central core layer 10, 12, the three lower intermediate layers 40, 41, 42 and the bottom-most layer 43, are each rotatable relative to one another about the central vertical axis which is indicated at 47 in Fig. 3. Each layer is of course rotatable as a whole relative to the layer or layers above and/or below it. An important feature of the present invention is the way in which the individual piece parts 35 of the layers are linked one to another and to the central core 10, 12. As will be seen from the drawings, the circumferential flange 1 4 of the central core layer 10, 1 2 is provided with grooves 48 and 50 in the upper and lower faces of this flange respectively.These grooves 48, 50 are T-shaped in cross-section and form arcuate slots, one in each half of the central core, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7. Each segment 35 of the intermediate layers adjacent to this central core flange 14 is provided with a Tshaped arcuate rib 52 on one of its flat faces, in alignment with the corresponding T-shaped groove 48, 50. Each of the segments 35 in the intermediate layers is also provided with an equivalent T-shaped arcuate slot 53 in its face opposite the one which carries the Tshaped rib 52, so that the segments can be built up on one another, layer by layer, in an interlocked relationship. The segments of the uppermost and lowermost layers 39 and 43 are provided only with T-shaped arcuate ribs and are not provided with slots.As shown in Fig. 5, and as is indicated in Figs. 4 and 7, each of the segments or piece parts 35 is provided substantially at the middle of the length of its arcuate rib 52 with a springloaded ball 54 recessed into the rib and dimensioned and of a strength to enable a "clicking" action to be achieved as the layers are rotated relative to one another. The balls 54 engage in correspondingly formed seating recesses 56 formed in equivalent positions within the T-shaped arcuate slots 53 of various segments.

One particular advantage of the type of construction described above is that it facilitates the factory assembly of the article. Thus, one simply has to assemble the individual segments 35 on each half 10, 12 of the central core by sliding the T-shaped ribs 52 into their corresponding slots 48, 50, 53, and then push the two core halves together until the stub 1 8 snaps into place in the recess 20 and the individual segments 35 are then made captive by the interlocking of the two core portions.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the segments 35 of four of the intermediate layers 36, 37, 40 and 41 are identical in structure, and this simplifies the number of moulds which are required when the article is to be made from a moulded plastics material.

As will be apparent from the drawings, when the block is assembled, the individual layers can be rotated relative to one another about the central vertical axis 47, and additionally, the two halves of the block defined by the respective core portions 10 and 12 and those segments carried thereby, can be rotated relative to one another about a horizontal axis which extends through the centre of the projecting stub 1 8. In other words, all the pieces to one side of the diametral plane can be rotated through 180 relative to the pieces on the other side of this plane. This, combined with the possibility of rotating individual layers relative to other layers, gives an extremely high number of possible configurations of the individual pieces.

Although the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings has ten layers of numbers marked on to nine actual layers of segments (the circumferential flange 14 of the central core 10, 1 2 representing two layers), the invention is not limited to this particular number of pieces or this configuration of the pieces. In its broadest concept the invention extends to cover any multi-layer arrangement where the multiple layers can be rotated halfand-half about a horizontal axis perpendicular to a vertical diametrical plane through the article.

Although in the preferred embodiment described above the individual piece parts are marked up with numbers, could alternatively mark the relevant faces with letters, characters, symbols, or even components of a picture to create a puzzle analogous to a jigsaw puzzle.

The three-dimensional article of the present invention invention can also be converted into two-dimensional form and displayed on a v.d.u. under the control of a micro-processor.

Movements of the piece parts would be effected by the operation of a keyboard by the player.

The following are two examples of games which can be played using the article of the present invention, one using the article alone and the other using an associated set of cards.

The first game uses the puzzle as described above, and is for 1 to 4 players. The recommended position for holding the puzzle is with numbers 25 to 30, which are on the central core layer, facing the player.

Player No. 1 must take layers carrying 4-40 and 7-70.

Player No. 2 takes layers 3-30 and 8-80.

Player No. 3 takes layers 2-20 and 9-90.

Player No. 4 takes layers 1-10 and 10-100.

The object of the game is for each player to position his/her number in a consecutive order, with a minimum number of turns of the puzzle. With four players, the players who achieve this using the smallest number of sequences now compete against each other, each player now claiming 4 layers.

Player No. 1 will have layers 4-40, 7-70, 3-30 and 8-80.

Player No. 2 will have layers 2-20, 9-90, 1-10 and 10-100.

The player who completes his layers using the least number of turns of the puzzle is the winner.

The second game is based upon use of the puzzle in conjunction with multiplication tables, and can be played by 1 to 10 players.

The game consists of 100 cards which are placed face down in a heap on a table. It is not necessary to use all the cards for each game, depending upon the number of players.

The first player takes one card from the pile and the figure underlined shows the number of points to be scored by that player if he/she can put the multiplication sequence in the correct order on the puzzle. A figure in the margin of the card indicates the maximum number of turns permissible for the player.

The card must not be replaced on the heap on the table after use, i.e. each card is to be used once only for each game.

This procedure is repeated by each player.

The player with the greatest number of points after the last card has been taken is the winner.

Claims

1. A toy/game which comprises a multipiece article made up of a plurality of layers, each of these layers being rotatable about a first, central axis relative to the other layers, with at least some of the layers other than the central layer comprising a plurality of pieces arranged around said central axis, and with the central layer being formed in two interlocking halves which are rotatable relative to each other about a second axis extending perpendicular to said first axis, whereby all the pieces to one side of the diametral dividing line can be rotated together relative to the pieces of the other half about said second axis.

2. A toy/game as claimed in claim 1, which comprises a plurality of relatively rotatable layers at the top and bottom of the article, with a central section which is made in two inter-engageable parts, which are rotatable as one relative to the layers above and below the central sections.

3. A toy/game as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the individual pieces of the layers above and below the central layer are built up from the central layer with means provided between each adjacent pair of layers interlocking the pieces of any given layer with those of the adjacent layer nearer the central layer.

4. A toy/game as claimed in claim 3, in which the interengagement of the piece parts in the various relatively movable layers above and below the central layer is effected by tongue and groove means between the respective layers.

5. A toy/game as claimed in claim 4, in which the tongue means are T-shaped projecting ribs and the groove means are T-shaped grooves.

6. A toy/game as claimed in claim 5, in which each of said pieces is provided on one face with an arcuate rib carrying a springbiassed ball, and in which each of said pieces having a co-operating groove has a ball-locating recess in the groove, whereby indexed rotation of the layers can be achieved.

7. A toy/game as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the central layer has a circumferential flange portion double the thickness of the adjacent layers and a central core portion provided with snap-fit spigot and socket means to effect interlocking of the two halves.

8. A game/toy as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each layer of the article which is composed of a plurality of pieces has ten pieces in the layer, each piece subtending an angle of substantially 36 at the central axis.

9. A game/toy as claimed in any preceding claim, in which outwardly facing surfaces of the individual pieces are marked with numbers or letters or colours or other characters to distinguish them one from another.

10. A toy/game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.