CA1304764C

CA1304764C - Toy set of elements for forming patterns or pictures

Info

Publication number: CA1304764C
Application number: CA000558174A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Valeria Hidvegi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-02-05
Filing date: 1988-02-04
Publication date: 1992-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 2009-07-07
Also published as: DE3875730T2; WO1988005680A1; EP0357605A1; DE3875730D1; EP0357605B1; AU1221988A; JPH02502067A; ATE81990T1; HUT50649A

Abstract

Abstract A toy set of elements that can be fitted together so as to form a pattern or picture which comprises types of flat pris-matic elements of different forms, in which the number of ele-ments is greater than the number of types, which comprise the following element types:
-a first square element with side forming a basic size;
-a second square element with a circular opening in the mid-dle that has a diameter equal to the half of the basic size;
-a third square element from a corner region of which a quarter of a circle is missing;
-a fourth element is a quarter of an annular ring, with ra-dii equal to the basic size and the half thereof;
-a fifth element is a quarter of a circle having a radius equal to the basic size;
-a sixth element being a rectangle with sides equal to the basic size and the half thereof;
-a seventh element is a half of a circle having a radius equal to the half of the basic size;
-eighth and ninth elements formed by a pair of symmetrical right-angled triangles their sides are the longer and shorter sides of the rectangle;
-a tenth element similar to the third element and it can be fitted in a square with a size corresponding to one and a half times of the basic size;
-an eleventh element being an isosceles triangle with sides as long as the basic size and close an angle of 120°;
-a twelfth element is an equilateral triangle with sides as long as the basic size;
wherein the toy-set comprises at least eight of these twelve types of elements.

Description

i304764 TOY SET OF ELEMENTS FOR FORMING PATTERNS OR PICTURES

The invention relates to a toy set of elements that can be fitted together so as to form a pattern or a picture, the ele-ments are flat prisms and can be grouped to types of different form. Such types include e.g. right-angled, isosceles and equi-lateral triangles, a rectangle, a half-circle and a quarter of a circle.
A number of types of toy sets are known from which figures can be set. In one of such toys, which corresponds to my earlier invention commercially available under the trade name 'Piky-toy' produced by Piky S.A. France, all of the elements are squares of the same size and respective patterns are made on the upper fa-ces of the square elements. Such a toy can be used for fitting closed surface areas only which imposes limitations on the num-ber of pictures that can be created thereby. One of these limi-tations lies e.g. in that any blank space required between mo-tives in the picture to be created must be fitted by square e-lements which bear no pattern. The predetermined size of the square elements imposed a limitation primarily in case of creat-ing curved contour lines.
2û Further ancient types of such toys are the various kinds of mosaic toys. The use of conventional rhomboida-I or triangular elements has limited the forming of fine details. For obtaining a finer picture resolution very small elements should be used which require, however, long time for creating more complex fig-urative compositions, and the younger generation which has the largest interest to such toys have neither patience nor talent for such time-consuming activities. From quite young ages on-wards children are nevertheless eager to create aesthetically pleasing, dynamic and expressive pictorial compositions. This eagerness for creating figures with appropriately fine details cannot be satisfied by any toy which would allow the accomplish-- ment of such creations in acceptable period of time.
The object of the invention is to provide a toy set of the kind defined which enables the formation of finely structured, ~304~

open and closed compositions having both linear and curved contour lines within shorter periods of time and by using a comparatively small number of elements.
The invention is based on the recognition that, by choosing elements with suitable form and size related to a predetermined basic size, the number of combinations of such elements will increase and the different forms of the elements enable a multitude of ways of juxtaposition thereof and the increasing fineness of detail will not necessarily require an increase of the number of elements.
Accordingly, the invention provides a combinable toy set for forming pictorial compositions, comprising a plurality of flat prismatic elements of substantially uniform thickness, said flat prismatic elements having shapes comprising the following types: (a) a square of side length A, (b) a square of side length A having a central circular aperture of diameter A/2, (c) a quadrant of a circle of radius A, (d) a quadrant of an annular ring having a short radius of A/2 and a long radius of A, (e) a square of side length A having a circular section of radius A/2 removed, the radius being measured from a corner of the square, (f) a rectangle having a width A/2 and a length A, (g) a half-circle of diameter A, (h) a first right triangle having sides of length A/2 and A respectively, (i) an equilateral triangle having sides of length A, and (j) a triangle having an angle of 120 degrees and two sides of length A.
Thus, the invention affords a toy set of elements that can be fitted together so as to form a pattern or picture which comprises types of flat prismatic elements of different forms, in which the number of elements is greater than the number of types, wherein a first group of element types can be fitted in a square the side of which corresponds to a basic size, the first group comprises a first square element type formed by the square, a second square element type in the first group that comprises a circular opening in the middle of the square, the opening has a diameter corresponding to the half of the basic size, a third square element type in the ~30~
2a first group with a corner region from which a quarter of a circle is missing, the center of the quarter circle is located on the corner of this region and the radius thereof is equal to the half of the basic size, a fourth element type of the first group is a quarter of an annular ring, wherein the radius of the smaller quarter circle is equal to the half of the basic size and the radius of the larger quarter circle is equal to the basic size and the centerpoint of these quarter circles is located on a corner of the square in which the fourth element can be fitted, and a fifth element of the first group is a quarter of a circle having a radius equal to the basic size and the center of this quarter circle is located in a corner of the square in which the fifth element can be fitted, a second group of the elements can be fitted to a rectangle which has longer sides equal to the basic size and shorter size half as long as the longer sides, the second group comprises a sixth element type forming the rect-~`
U~

angle, a seventh element type in the second group is a half of acircle having a radius equal to the half of the basic size and the center of this quarter circle is located in the midpoint of a longer side of the rectangle in which the seventh element can be fitted, eighth and ninth element types in the second group formed by a pair of symmetrical right-angled triangles and their sides form a longer and a shorter side of the rectangle, a tenth element type which can be fitted in a square with a size corres-ponding to one and a half times of the basic size and from a corner region of this tenth element type a quarter of a circle is missing, wherein the radius of this quarter circle is equal to the basic size and the center of the quarter circle is locat-ed in the corner of the region, an eleventh element type is an isosceles triangle with sides as long as the basic size and close an angle of 120, a twelfth element type is an equilateral triangle with sides as long as the basic size, wherein the set comprises at least eight of these twelve types of elements.
The elements of the toy set have preferably single-colored surfaces and the toy set comprises elements of identical form with different color and/or shade.
The number of possible variations is increased if the toy-set comprises predetermined number of elements from each type, but this number can be different for the respective types.
The toy-set according to the invention enables indeed the formation of pleasing pictorial compositions, improves child-ren's sense to proportions, creativity and develops their taste to forms, and owing to the comparatively small number of ele-ments the time required for creating the compositions is not too long.
The toy-set according to the invention will now be described in connection with preferable embodiments thereof, in which re-ference will be made to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawing:
Figs. a to h show the elements used in the toy-set;
Fig. 2 shows stylized open motives formed by the elements;
Fig. 3 shows examples for the connection of triangular ele-ments;

Fig. 4 shows a square with curved motives in the inner part;
Fig. 5 shows the connection of the elements in case of a li-on compositon;
Fig. 6 shows elements of an exemplary toy-set;
Fig. 7 shows a clown face formed of the set of Fig. 6; and Figs. 8 to 10 show various composi-tions that can be formed by the set of Fig. 6.

Fig. 1 shows the elements usable in the set according to the ~10 invention. Fig. la. shows a square with side A which has a cir-cular opening in the middle. The center point of the circle is located in the point of intersection of the diagonal lines of the square and the diameter thereof is equal to the half of the side length i. e. to A/2. The form of element shown in Fig. lb is defined also by a square with side length A, but a quarter of a circle is missing from a corner region of the square and the center of this circular arc falls on the associated corner, and the radius of the arc is equal to the half of the side-length.
The third element shown in Fig. lc can also be drawn in a similar square with sides A and it consists of a quarter of an annular ring. The center of the annular ring is in a corner of the square and the radius of the smaller quarter arc that forms the inner boundary of the ring-is equal to the half of the side length, while that of the larger quarter arc is equal to the side length. The fourth element shown in Fig. ld can be obtained from the third one by deleting the inner boundary thereof defin-ed by the smaller circular arc section and by adding the remain-ing portion of the square that has a side length A to the an-nular ring. This fourth element can also be fitted in the square which has the side length A.
Figs. 19 and lh show the seventh and eighth elements as a pair of symmetrical right-angled triangles which are congruent and their two acute angles are 30 and 60, while the length of the longer side is A and that of the shorter one is A/2. Both of these elements can be fitted in a rectangle with side lengths of A and A/2, respectively. The fifth element shown in Fig. le is defined by such a rectangle. The sixth element shown in Fig. lf ~304764 can also be fitted in this rectangle and this element is defined by the longer side of the rectangle and by a half circle with a radius of A/2 which has a center located at the midpoint of the longer side.
The ninth element shown in Fig. li is similar to the second element of Fig. lb and its form can be defined as a square with side length of 1.5A and from a corner region thereof a quarter of a circle with radius A as shown in Fig. ld is missing. The tenth element shown in Fig. lj is an isosceles triangle with side length A and the sides thereof close an angle of 120. Fi-nally, the eleventh element shown in Fig. lk is an equilateral triangle with sides A. The set has a twelfth element not shown in the drawing which is a square with sides A.
The elements of the set according to the invention are pre-ferably flat, since their basic feature is determined by theform of their surface. The elements can be implemented by paint-ed wooden or plas-tic plates or by metal or cardboard plates, and it is preferable if respective magnet pieces are either fixed on or embedded in their rear surfaces to facilitate thereby the releasable but stable arrangement of the associated element on a playing board that can be made e.g. by a painted metal plate.
The use of magnets can be replaced by any other means which is capable of providing releasable positioning e.g. a self-adhesive rear surface or a napped surface provided at a portion of the rear side which can be used like a tear-lock. The respective elements can be single-colored, however, the toy set might comp-rise elements with identical form but differing color or color-shade.
The basic size A has outstanding significance in determining the form of the elements, since this basic size ensures the per-fect and versatile engagement thereof. The harmoniously matching system of circular arcs and triangles enables the settiny of a large number of patterns truly imitating natural forms even by using a toy set with very limited number of elements. In cont-rast to conventional mosaic-like toy sets the one designed ac-cording to the invention enables the setting of characteristic, lively and aesthetically pleasing configurations which can have closed or open shapes as well.
Fig. 2 shows a stylized flower configuration which has a middle part closed by a waving curved line constituted by the semicircular elements and an adjoining open ornamentation of a tulip pattern. The differently hatched lines in the interior of the configuration intends to imitate the effect of colors. It can thus be visualized that by appropriate use of colors very lively forms can be set even within a configuration. At the edges of the otherwise closed configuration the harmony of the mutually matching circular arcs will be apparent for the viewer.
The outer half ring is constituted by two elements as shown in Fig. lc in which the semi-circular element of Fig. lf is nicely fitted. Fig. 2 shows examples for the connection of triangular elements to the arced ones.
Fig. 3 shows the variations of the mutual connection of the four types of triangular elements and this exemplifies how a planar surface can be wholly set by such elements. The angles closed by the elements at such connections vary according to di-screte steps of 30 and we can find examples there for any of the angles 30, 60, 90, 12O, 150 and 180.
Fig. 4 shows the role of circles and arcs in a framing rect-angular form. Owing to the use of inner curves the otherwise dull square form turns to be lively and pleasing. If the ele-ments filling the area designated by the hatched line have color different from the color in the remaining area, then the inner form gets accentuated from the background by which it turns to be interesting.
Fig. 5 shows a lion set with very fine details. In the left half of the lion the thin lines designate the contour lines of the respective elements. The different parts of the lion shape exemplifies the partial and the full covering of a surface area.
The thin broken range of the tail is enabled by the connection of the triangular elements. The design of the head and mane gives examples for the use of the closed and open arcs. The in-terior of the body is a closed area. This area can be filledwith single-colored elements, however, if the illustrated curved details are made by elements of suitable color and shade, then the colors can emphasize the liveliness and dynamic properties of the composition.
In addition to showing the various ways of filling a playing surface the examples of Figs. 2 to 5 have illustrated how highly structured and detailed forms can be set on a small area with a comparatively small number and type of elements. The height of the lion figure is not higher than 20th of the basic size A and the width thereof including the tail is only 12th of this size A
either.
Fig. 6 shows a minimized configuration of the set according to the invention which consists of 36 elements, however the num-ber of the elements belonging to the different types within this set is not uniform. In this embodiment the elements are single colored. The further part of the drawing shows certain charac-teristic and interesting figures which can be set from this set of minimized number of elements. For the sake of better illust-ration the boundaries of the respective elements in such figures have not been shown separately, since in case of single-colored elements the figures set thereby give the viewer a uniform visu-al impression. The difference compared to the drawing lies inthat the color of the elements differs from that of the back-ground.
Fig. 7 shows the head of a clown. The size of the elements corresponds to those shown in Fig. 6. Figs. 8 to 10 show confi-gurations set from elements with half-size. The squares around the respective figures illustrate the playing board. In practic-al implementations of the set according to the invention the ba-sic size A can preferably be between 15 and 25 mm. In these ex-amples the side of the squares which represent the playing board is as small as only 9th of the size A. In Figs. 8 to 10 the rows are designated by letters while the columns by numbers.
Fig. 8 shows different animal figures. It can be observed that the set can be used not only for setting different animals (e.g al - horse, bl - donkey, b3 - fox, etc.) but also for the adequate representation of several characteristic movement posi-tions of the same animal. This is exemplified in Fig. 8 by the animal in squares a2-b2 or in cl and c3. The configuration in square c2 shows e.g. a pine tree with the sun in the background.
The pictures of Fig. 9 show domestic animals, birds, flow-ers, houses, all selected from children's world of phantasy, and many of the pictures comprise one or more ornament motives in addition to the dominant figure. The animals are illustrated a-gain in characteristic positions and and reflect thereby the at-mosphere of a world of tales. For instance every animal shown in column 3 of Fig. 9 is smiling and has a merry appearance. This gaiety is in contrast to the serious quiet pose of the animals in column 1. The cat shown in square d2 appears as it would be stealthily climbing somewhere.
Rows a. and b. of Fig. 10 reflect an oriental world. The fi-gure of al shows a mosque , that of a2 a pyramid with a palm and the sun, while picture bl shows the palm-tree from a shorter distance. The pictures of a3 and b2 show different camels. The camel of square a3 is shown in a posi-tion of a sudden frightened stop, while the dromedary in square b2 is cheerfully running.
The pictures in row c. show a stylized locomotive, a racing car and a small car, while those in squares dl and d2 are dif-ferent clown figures. The church of square d3 illustrate howfine details can be represented by this small set.
The toy set shown in Fig. 6 which has largely reduced number of elements can, of course, be used for setting much more fi-gures than shown in the examples. Nevertheless these examples have been sufficient to demonstrate how versatile and finely shaded visual representation can be achieved even by using this minimized set. The examples show furthermore the possibility of using mutually closed and open formations as well as the visual-ly harmonious juxtaposition of the elements constituting the toy set. For demonstrating this last mentioned feature, let us ob-serve the dynamical character of the curved contour line of the two-humped camel in square a3 of Fig. 10 from the arc of the legs through the accurate fitting of the humps up to the range of the neck and the head. This line is finely continued at the lower Pnrtion of the legs by means of further elements which truly define the form of the front and rear legs. In existing prior art toy sets such a detailed and form-true representation i304764 can be realized by means of toy sets comprising very large number and types of elements and just due to the large number of elements the time required for setting such forms is long and a major part of playing children would find the task of setting such figures to be a dull job and would give it up before the aesthetic pleasure caused by the fine visual impression could emerge at all.
By using the toy set according to the invention the various figures can be set quickly and the presence of larger elements compared to the size of the figures assist in recognizing the essential features of a composition and in developing children's draftsmanship.
The use of elements with different colors and shades as well as of a set with larger number of elements can further enhance the versatility of figurative representation.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

l. A combinable toy set for forming pictorial compositions, comprising a plurality of flat prismatic elements of substantially uniform thickness, said flat prismatic elements having shapes comprising the following types:
(a) a square of side length A;
(b) a square of side length A having a central circular aperture of diameter A/2;
(c) a quadrant of a circle of radius A;
(d) a quadrant of an annular ring having a short radius of A/2 and a long radius of A;
(e) a square of side length A having a circular section of radius A/2 removed, the radius being measured from a corner of the square;
(f) a rectangle having a width A/2 and a length A;
(g) a half-circle of diameter A;
(h) a first right triangle having sides of length A/2 and A respectively;
(i) an equilateral triangle having sides of length A; and (j) a triangle having an angle of 120 degrees and two sides of length A.
2. A toy set as defined in claim 1, further comprising flat prismatic elements having the shape of a square of side length 3A/2 having a circular section of radius A removed, the radius being measured from a corner of the square.
3. A toy set as defined in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second right triangle having sides of length A/2 and A respectively, wherein said first and second right triangles can be adjoined along their hypotenuses to form a rectangle.
4. A combinable toy set for forming pictorial compositions, comprising a plurality of flat prismatic elements of uniform thickness, said flat prismatic elements having shapes consisting of only the following types:
(a) a square of side length A;
(b) a square of side length A having a central circular aperture of diameter A/2;
(c) a quadrant of a circle of radius A;
(d) a quadrant of an annular ring having a short radius of A/2 and a long radius of A;
(e) a square of side length A having a circular section of radius A/2 removed, the radius being measured from a corner of the square;
(f) a rectangle having a width A/2 and a length A;
(g) a half-circle of diameter A;
(h) first and second right triangles having sides of length A/2 and A respectively, wherein said first and second right triangles can be adjoined along their hypotenuses to form a rectangle;
(i) an equilateral triangle having sides of length A;
(j) a triangle having an angle of 120 degrees and two sides of length A; and (k) a square of side length 3A/2 having a circular section of radius A removed, the radius being measured from a corner of the square.