EP0072215A2 - Puzzle - Google Patents

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Publication number
EP0072215A2
EP0072215A2 EP82304147A EP82304147A EP0072215A2 EP 0072215 A2 EP0072215 A2 EP 0072215A2 EP 82304147 A EP82304147 A EP 82304147A EP 82304147 A EP82304147 A EP 82304147A EP 0072215 A2 EP0072215 A2 EP 0072215A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
face
puzzle
piece
edge
pieces
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP82304147A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0072215A3 (en
Inventor
Christopher John Walton
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0072215A2 publication Critical patent/EP0072215A2/fr
Publication of EP0072215A3 publication Critical patent/EP0072215A3/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
    • A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
    • A63F9/08—Puzzles provided with elements movable in relation, i.e. movably connected, to each other
    • A63F9/0826—Three-dimensional puzzles with slidable or rotatable elements or groups of elements, the main configuration remaining unchanged, e.g. Rubik's cube
    • A63F9/0838—Three-dimensional puzzles with slidable or rotatable elements or groups of elements, the main configuration remaining unchanged, e.g. Rubik's cube with an element, e.g. invisible core, staying permanently in a central position having the function of central retaining spider and with groups of elements rotatable about at least three axes intersecting in one point
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
    • A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
    • A63F9/08—Puzzles provided with elements movable in relation, i.e. movably connected, to each other
    • A63F9/0826—Three-dimensional puzzles with slidable or rotatable elements or groups of elements, the main configuration remaining unchanged, e.g. Rubik's cube
    • A63F9/0838—Three-dimensional puzzles with slidable or rotatable elements or groups of elements, the main configuration remaining unchanged, e.g. Rubik's cube with an element, e.g. invisible core, staying permanently in a central position having the function of central retaining spider and with groups of elements rotatable about at least three axes intersecting in one point
    • A63F2009/0846—Three-dimensional puzzles with slidable or rotatable elements or groups of elements, the main configuration remaining unchanged, e.g. Rubik's cube with an element, e.g. invisible core, staying permanently in a central position having the function of central retaining spider and with groups of elements rotatable about at least three axes intersecting in one point characterised by the shape of the puzzle
    • A63F2009/0849—Dodecaedrons

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a puzzle and in particular to puzzles of the type in which surfaces of the puzzle can be rotated relative to the remainder of the puzzle.
  • the best known puzzle of this general type is that sold as the Rubik's cube which comprises a cube, each face of which has nine components and each face of which can be rotated relative to the remainder of the cube so that, on successive random rotation, the order of the components on the faces can be mixed.
  • the invention in its broadest sense comprises a puzzle comprising a regular dodecahedron in which the components defining each face can be rotated about an axis normal to the face, each face including eleven components, a central pentagon, five edge pieces, the base of each abutting one side of the central component and extending outwardly therefrom to the adjacent edge of the face and five corner pieces, each being four sided,, two of the sides abutting adjacent edge pieces and the other two sides defining portions of the adjacent edges of the face.
  • the surface of the edge piece which can be seen on each face is triangular in form and its base corresponds to the side of the central pentagon so that the pentagon and the five edge pieces form a five pointed star within the larger pentagon which defines the shape of the face.
  • the components be made of a relatively rigid thermoplastics material which can be accurately moulded and, if required, the various surfaces can be provided to be different colours or can otherwise be arranged with patterns or the like.
  • the puzzle is a regular dodecahedron, that is it has twelve faces each of which is identical, except for spatial orientation.
  • Each face can rotate about a central axis and in a plane spaced towards the centre of the puzzle by an amount which is equal to the apparent thickness of each of the components which form the face.
  • the form of rotation can best be seen from examination of Fig 6 and will be explained more fully in relation to Figs 3 to 5.
  • Each face has a centre piece 20 and, where a specific centre piece is referred to herein, it will be given a superscript depending upon which face it is on, for example 20 1 , and so on.
  • any piece is only an immediate thing as any piece, except the centre pieces 20, can assume any position relative to any other piece, the central pieces 20 being fixed in relation to each other.
  • Each pair of faces has one common centre piece, piece 40 12 in the case of faces 1 and 2, 40 23 in the case of faces 2 and 3 and 40 13 in the case of faces 1 and 3.
  • centre pieces 20 are each fixed, one relative to the other, and that each can rotate about a central axis and it is this axis about which the face of the centre piece rotates.
  • the centre of the puzzle can be considered to be a regular icosidodecahedron 50 having 12 faces 51, each of which is a pentagon, and the normal axes of each of which is the axis of the centre of one of the faces of the puzzle.
  • Fig 9 I Whilst in Fig 9 I have shown the outer face 53 of the cone 52 as having an aperture or the like 54 to permit rotational movement of the centre piece 20 it is to be appreciated that the component 50 is illustrated in a somewhat stylized manner for ease of understanding. In practice this would not necessarily be seen to be an icosidodecahedron as, although this shape is desirable to obtain the correct angles for the axes, it is not necessarily the best shape for moulding purposes. Neither would the centre piece 20 necessarily be rotatably mounted at the end 53 of the truncated conical member 52. Portion, or indeed all, of the conical member could be integral with the centre piece.
  • the interconnection between the centre piece 20 and the conical member 52 is sprung in some way to provide a certain amound of resilience in the puzzle when it is being used. This is not strictly necessary as the construction described permits full movement but when manufacturing tolerences are taken in consideration certain movement may be desirable.
  • a corner piece 30 is illustrated in Figs 10 and 11.
  • the faces 60 and 60' are two of the three faces of the corner piece which are seen when the puzzle is assembled and face 60", which cannot be seen is the third face.
  • the corner piece has three further faces 61, 61' and 62" which lie in planes spaced from but parallel to the planes of the corresponding faces 60 bearing the same superscript.
  • Each of the faces 60, 61 and 62 are of diamond shape and have the same included angles, the faces 60 and 61 being congruent and the faces 62 being smaller.
  • the faces 62 are also truncated along one edge where two faces are not in contact, edges 66, and are spaced from the adjacent faces 61 by a number of surfaces 63, 64 and 65 which extend completely around the extension having surfaces 62.
  • FIGs 12 and 13 The formation of an edge piece is illustrated in Figs 12 and 13.
  • the two faces which are exposed when the edge piece is located in a puzzle are faces 70, 70'. These are interconnected by two further pairs of faces 71, 71' and 72 and 72'.
  • the inner edges of faces 71, 71' are formed as arcs 79 which are defined by faces 75, 75'.
  • a series of faces, shown generally as 77 are located between the faces 73, 74 and 74' and 73', 74 and 74'.
  • Fig 7 is a view into the puzzle when one face has been removed and Fig 8 is a view from the puzzle of the removed face.
  • centre piece 206 has one face 25 directed inwardly which face would have been in contact with a removed edge piece and each other face 25 is in abutment with a face 72.of a centre piece.
  • the surface 77 of the edge piece passes beneath the face and the surface 73 lies along the surface of the cone 52.
  • Each corner piece 30 has its surfaces 61 in abutment with surfaces 71 of three edge pieces 40 each of which is in abutment with a side 25 of a centre piece 20.
  • the lines 78, formed at the junction of the surfaces 73 form a pentagon the sides of which are tangential to the diameter of the cone at that position.
  • Fig 14 is a partial, broken, view showing the inter-relationship between corner pieces 30 and edge pieces 40 looking into an edge of the portion illustrated in Fig 8 and is shown by arrows 14-14 and, in particular, shows the inter-engagement of the faces 61 and 71 and the incursion behind the face 71 into the area defined by the surfaces 74 and 75 of the surfaces 63, 64 and 65.
  • Fig 15 illustrates the inter-relationship between an edge piece 40 and two adjacent centre pieces 20 and particularly the abutment of surfaces 25 and 72 and the abutment of surfaces 73 of a single edge piece with the surfaces of two cones 52. This view is substantially as would be seen along line 15-15 of Fig 8.
  • the puzzle can be assembled by locating the various components around a fully or partially formed centre component 50.
  • Each corner and edge piece can be located in relationship with the adjacent centre and corner pieces and the centre pieces with which they co-operate.
  • the centre piece 20 must be left for final connection or one of the last corner pieces 30 must be sprung into place.
  • the centre pieces are resiliently connected to the cones 52 this may be the preferred method.
  • each face of the puzzle can be seen to comprise a five pointed star formed from the central pentagon and the five edge members and the star itself located in the centre of a regular pentagon.
  • the shape of the edge pieces can be such that they do not move to a point at the edge of the face but rather have a finite width at that point.
  • the shape of the corner pieces can be varied so that the final shape of each face is not pentagonal. These variations can be considered partially cosmetic. For example, if the edge pieces were thickened so as not to give the appearance of a sharp point, a consequential alteration may be made to the thickness of the rear part of these edge pieces and a further consequential alteration to each conical member is necessary.
  • each face being a different colour but each face could equally well be patterned.
  • each centre piece could be marked to permit an indication of its initial condition to be achieved. It is normally required to commence with a puzzle in a mixed condition and to return the puzzle to its original condition, that is with each of the pieces in its starting position and in the same rotational orientation.
  • the corner piece 30 123 can be brought into the 30 2611 position in two very simple ways which can be described in relation to Figs 3 to 5.
  • face 3, shown in Fig 4 can be rotated through 72, in the clockwise direction and then face 2, shown in Fig 5 can be rotated through 144, in an anticlockwise direction and the piece has reached the 30 2611 position with the surface 60 which was originally in face 1 now being in face 2.
  • face 1 is first moved 72, anticlockwise and face 2 72, clockwise bringing the piece into the required condition but in this case the surface 60 which was originally in face 1 is now in face 6.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
EP82304147A 1981-08-07 1982-08-05 Improved puzzle Withdrawn EP0072215A3 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU13181 1981-08-07
AU131/81 1981-08-07

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0072215A2 true EP0072215A2 (fr) 1983-02-16
EP0072215A3 EP0072215A3 (en) 1984-05-09

Family

ID=3690974

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82304147A Withdrawn EP0072215A3 (en) 1981-08-07 1982-08-05 Improved puzzle

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0072215A3 (fr)
AU (1) AU8708582A (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4506891A (en) * 1982-03-29 1985-03-26 Adam Alexander Geometric device
DE9014597U1 (de) * 1990-10-22 1991-01-03 Sockel, Holger, 5330 Königswinter Polyedrisches Geschicklichkeitsspielzeug
WO1999004874A1 (fr) * 1997-07-21 1999-02-04 Zdenek Blazek Casse-tete
US6994343B2 (en) 1997-07-21 2006-02-07 Zdenek Blazek Brain twister

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE8104382U1 (de) * 1981-07-30 Moll, Walter, Dr., 8023 Pullach Geduldspiel in Form eines zusammengesetzten Körpers mit beliebig drehbaren Seitenflächen
FR2502021A1 (fr) * 1981-03-19 1982-09-24 Arxon Spiel Freizeit Gmbh Jeu solitaire a dodecaedre
WO1982003564A1 (fr) * 1981-04-16 1982-10-28 Szlivka Ferenc Jouet logique possedant des unites mobiles les unes par rapport aux autres et par rapport au noyau
DE3125532A1 (de) * 1981-06-29 1983-02-03 Christian 6100 Darmstadt Lorek Geduldspiel in der form eines fuenfeckwuerfels
FR2528712A1 (fr) * 1982-06-21 1983-12-23 Pierrat Dominique Jeu de manipulation a douze faces

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE8104382U1 (de) * 1981-07-30 Moll, Walter, Dr., 8023 Pullach Geduldspiel in Form eines zusammengesetzten Körpers mit beliebig drehbaren Seitenflächen
FR2502021A1 (fr) * 1981-03-19 1982-09-24 Arxon Spiel Freizeit Gmbh Jeu solitaire a dodecaedre
WO1982003564A1 (fr) * 1981-04-16 1982-10-28 Szlivka Ferenc Jouet logique possedant des unites mobiles les unes par rapport aux autres et par rapport au noyau
DE3125532A1 (de) * 1981-06-29 1983-02-03 Christian 6100 Darmstadt Lorek Geduldspiel in der form eines fuenfeckwuerfels
FR2528712A1 (fr) * 1982-06-21 1983-12-23 Pierrat Dominique Jeu de manipulation a douze faces

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4506891A (en) * 1982-03-29 1985-03-26 Adam Alexander Geometric device
DE9014597U1 (de) * 1990-10-22 1991-01-03 Sockel, Holger, 5330 Königswinter Polyedrisches Geschicklichkeitsspielzeug
WO1999004874A1 (fr) * 1997-07-21 1999-02-04 Zdenek Blazek Casse-tete
US6994343B2 (en) 1997-07-21 2006-02-07 Zdenek Blazek Brain twister

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU8708582A (en) 1983-02-03
EP0072215A3 (en) 1984-05-09

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