EP0331263A2 - Ornamental object with plane-parallel elements, and assembly kits thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The three titration faces lie in a Cartesian coordinate system, with one outer face remote from the zero of the coordinate system. The plane-parallel elements are partly mutually orthogonal, and partly with the parallel sides next to each other. The elements always lie parallel to one of the planes of the Cartesian coordinate system. The outer face of the tetrahedron has a centre, and the elements are of increasingly reduced size towards the centre. The straight line between the centre and the zero of the coordinate system is the displacement straight line along which the Cartesian coordinate system has moved to form intersecting faces.

Description

The invention relates to ornamental objects, elements to be used with two plane-parallel sides and building packages thereof.

The objects according to the invention can be used for different purposes. For example, these can be used for constructive, decorative, educational or recreative purposes. For example, curved elements according to the invention can be used for the construction of domes or, in a smaller embodiment, for the manufacture of table or lamp bases. In a flat embodiment, elements according to the invention can be assembled into table tops and floors; For educational purposes, crystal shapes or geometric figures can be produced according to the invention, and three-dimensional puzzles for recreational purposes. For these applications, the invention can be expressed in the form of building packages.

The objects according to the invention can be produced from different materials, for example from metal, plastic, decorative stones or from different types of wood. The latter material is particularly suitable.

Many ways have already been proposed to assemble ornamental objects from separate, probably or not identical or uniform elements.

For example, the structure of a hollow cube consisting of separate mating elements is known from American Patent 4,643,427, each element being formed by six identical edges standing perpendicular to one another, each edge forming part of the surface of the cube and each element forming part of three inches forms a point of meeting surfaces of the cube. From the American patent specification 3,578,331 is a three-dimensional puzzle for the formation of a hollow decorative object known, which has a surface of revolution. The surface is formed by a multiplicity of essentially identical parts of the puzzle, the parts lying against one another being provided with interlocking projecting parts or recesses.

In particular, in the context of the present invention, reference may be made to US Pat. No. 3,981,506, in which a three-dimensional puzzle game has been described which is constructed from a multiplicity of block-like separate blocks of different heights, which together form a solid block. The individual blocks are held together with cylindrical pins that fit in cylindrical recesses in the individual cuboid blocks.

The problem with the known objects is that they are difficult to manufacture and often require complicated measures to connect the individual elements to one another. It is also known to produce articles from separate elements that are glued together and then subjected to material processing. Attention is drawn to the American patents 2,382,208, 4,050,490, 4,050,489 and the British patent specification A-2.112.208. However, these methods show a large loss of material during processing.

The invention relates to ornamental objects which have the shape of an octant. In this patent application, an "octant" is understood to mean a body which is delimited by three flat surfaces which lie in the planes of a Cartesian coordinate system and by a fourth outer surface which is remote from the zero point of the Cartesian coordinate system - hereinafter referred to as "outer surface" for short - the octant. Using a Cartesian coordinate system, objects can be in eight octants be distributed. Conversely, these objects can be constructed from such octants.

The invention relates in particular to ornamental objects which are characterized in that they are constructed in a special way in the form of an octant from plane-parallel elements.

The invention consists of an ornamental object made up of plane-parallel elements, which are characterized in that the plane-parallel elements form an octant as defined above, each of the three mutually perpendicular surfaces being different from another plane-parallel surface of three plane-parallel elements and the outer surface of the octant, as defined above, is formed by the surfaces of the plane-parallel elements facing away from the zero point of the Cartesian coordinate system in such a way that the others, which follow one another towards the center of the outer surface of the octant, are partly perpendicular to the plane-parallel surfaces standing parallel to each other and partially parallel to each other with the plane-parallel surfaces plane-parallel elements.

The invention is intended to easily assemble ornamental objects consisting of one or more octants in a relatively arbitrary shape, for example regular or irregular polyhedra or objects with a closed, curved outer surface. Objects can be named as such, the outer surface of which is formed, for example, by triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons or hexagons or by parts or combinations thereof, or whose cross-sections by the outer surface by a circle, an ellipsoid, a parabola, hyperbole or parts or Combinations of these can be described. Objects are also possible, the surface of which consists of one or more combinations of flat polyhedra with curved surfaces.

The invention is particularly suitable for the production of octants or combinations thereof, whose outer surface of an octant is to be described using one or more mathematical formulas.

The objects according to the invention are hollow or solid and, viewed over the entire outer surface, can comprise flat, concave or convex parts. The outer surface of an octant can be self-contained or have one or more gaps. The three faces of an octant that lie in a Cartesian coordinate system can be closed or open up to the zero point of the coordinate system. The shape of the individual elements can be determined as follows.

Starting from a model or from a representation of the ornamental object according to the invention to be produced, a straight line is drawn from the zero point of the Cartesian coordinate system to a point on the outer surface of the octant facing away from the zero point (referred to above and hereinafter as the "center"), after which the model or in the illustration, the Cartesian coordinate system is displaced parallel to itself in order to have the surfaces of the Cartesian coordinate system intersect with the model or the representation of the ornamental object according to the invention to be produced at predetermined points on this straight line - hereinafter referred to as the "straight line of displacement".

In this way, smaller and smaller, plane-parallel elements are cut out of the body of the octant, one after the other. The last cut is preferably carried out by cutting out an element whose three faces are perpendicular to each other and the rest of the delimiting outer face coincides with the corresponding part of the outer face of the octant.

Basically, the shape of the ornamental object to be produced, the position of the zero point of the Cartesian coordinate system, the orientation of this Coordinate system, the straight line of displacement and the center on the outer surface of the object to be produced can be chosen as desired.

In practice, however, one will prefer those forms and places that can be described with mathematical formulas. This simplifies the task of the experts, such as the task of the design drawer for determining the shapes of the constructing plane-parallel elements and that of the technicians for the production of the determined shapes on the processing machines, e.g. on the milling machines. This also offers the possibility of rewriting the applied mathematical formulas in software programs and then entering them in hardware systems for the production of the plane-parallel elements by means of numerically controlled processing machines.

It should also be pointed out that for practical reasons it is not advisable to set the center on the outer surface too close to one of the axes of the Cartesian coordinate system, since otherwise the thickness of the plane-parallel elements can become too thin to be easily realized could.

The straight line of displacement should be a continuous straight line, without retrograde parts or loops. A straight line offers a strict ornamentation, especially the straight line that runs symmetrically with the axes of the coordinate system. This is particularly the case in situations in which one or more axes of symmetry of the object to be produced coincide or coincide with one or more axes of the Cartesian coordinate system.

Various advantages are associated with ornamental objects according to the invention.

Firstly, a very attractive effect is achieved that cannot be easily achieved in any other way. This is especially the case when using wood with which you can emphasize the wood fiber structure very succinctly.

Furthermore, the composition of the plane-parallel elements to form an octant poses no problems, because the finished plane-parallel elements, starting with the largest, can simply be pushed into a shape consisting of a construction of vertically intersecting surfaces, the plane-parallel elements parallel to the vertical surfaces in the form. In order to maintain mutual cohesion, it is necessary to connect the three outer elements together, for example with screws or with a mortise and tenon. Furthermore, an octant so assembled is self-supporting, which means that little connecting means, for example glue, is required to protect an octant from falling apart.

The self-supporting character of the construction does not suffer if the width of the plane-parallel elements, i.e. the distance between the outward and the inward-facing surfaces of a plane-parallel element, is relatively small. This also means that the inwardly facing surface of a plane-parallel element is not bound to a specific shape. This also advantageously allows residual materials such as bar, board or slat remnants that are already plane-parallel in their nature to be used advantageously for the production of the plane-parallel element in the material processing industry. These can also be used excellently for the production of hollow articles according to the invention.

From the foregoing it will be clear that the plane-parallel elements each form a set of three in the sense that three corresponding plane-parallel surfaces of each set lie in the surfaces of the same Cartesian coordinate system.

The following can be said about the shape of the individual plane-parallel elements. The length, width and thickness ratios of the plane-parallel elements of two further congruent octants can be very different. In general, the length (i.e. the distance between two end faces, measured along the outward facing surface) of a plane-parallel element will be several times greater than the thickness (i.e. the distance between two plane-parallel surfaces) of this element. The relationship between length and thickness is largely determined by the distance between two corresponding parallel surfaces of subsequent Cartesian coordinate systems and the positions of the zero point of this coordinate system on the line of displacement. The width of a plane-parallel element (i.e. the greatest distance between the outer and inner surface of a plane-parallel element, measured in a plane-parallel plane in the direction of the zero point of the corresponding coordinate system) in comparison with the length of this element can also be very different. One of the decisive factors is, for example, whether or not the surfaces of a plane-parallel element extend to the zero point of the corresponding Cartesian coordinate system. Since saving material is one of the achievable advantages in the production of the objects according to the invention, it will be preferred to work with plane-parallel elements whose plane-parallel surfaces do not continue to the intended zero points. This offers the possibility of producing ornamental objects according to the invention from plane-parallel elements which together form only a shell of the outer surface of the octant. This offers the additional advantage that the shape of the inner surface of the plane-parallel elements can be arbitrary.

The three outer, mutually perpendicular surfaces of an octant according to the invention do not need to continue to the zero point of the corresponding Cartesian coordinate system. Of course, these must be able to be firmly connected. The invention thus offers the possibility of producing hollow ornamental objects which have been constructed entirely from edge-like plane-parallel elements.

It is also possible to produce ornamental objects according to the invention in which the outer surface of the octant has not been completely covered with plane-parallel elements up to the center thereof. In such a case, the outer surface is formed by a multiplicity of three plane-parallel elements in each case, a hole being left free around the center.

A completely closed outer surface of an octant according to the invention can also be achieved with a large number of three plane-parallel elements. However, there can be a particular problem that arises in many cases because the last three plane-parallel elements meet after a straight line ending in the center of the outer surface of the octant, the length of which is often less than the thickness of the thinnest of the three last plane-parallel elements. To avoid damage at the point of the octant, it is advisable to attach a stiffener at the point. This can be done in different ways. According to a preferred form of the invention, the last three plane-parallel elements are not inserted as such separately in the octants, but in the form of a single whole, in the sense that this last element of three meeting in one point intersecting at an angle of 90 ° flat surfaces and is limited by a fourth surface facing outwards, which fourth surface coincides with the remaining part of the outer surface of the octant.

Another possibility is that the inner surface of the octant is stiffened at the center with a hardening putty or from an object that is in any case partially delimited by three surfaces that meet at one point and intersect at an angle of 90 °, for example a cube or a cuboid.

When determining the exact shape of the plane-parallel surfaces of the elements of each sentence, the question should of course be taken into account in which way the end surfaces of a plane-parallel element should be in contact with the ends of other plane-parallel elements standing upright thereon. Thus, two plane-parallel elements can rest vertically on a third horizontally lying plane-parallel element, but it is also possible that a horizontally lying plane-parallel element lies on both between two vertically passing elements. In the first case, in comparable situations, the length of the horizontal plane-parallel element is the sum of the thicknesses of the vertically standing elements greater than the length of the horizontal plane-parallel element in the second case (in this case, the distance between two plane-parallel elements is below the thickness Roger that).

It is also possible, for example, for the one perpendicularly standing plane-parallel element to pass the horizontal plane-parallel element at one end and for the other vertically standing plane-parallel element to rest on the same horizontal plane-parallel element on the other side.

In these examples, the end faces of a plane-parallel element are always perpendicular to the plane-parallel surfaces of this element. It can be noted that the intersection lines of each plane-parallel element of each plane-parallel surface with the plane-parallel surfaces of the two other elements standing upright on this element form an angle of 90 ° form, and that these intersection lines run parallel to two axes of the Cartesian coordinate system belonging to this octant when this element is inserted in the corresponding octants.

It is also possible to design the end faces of a plane-parallel element with a profile in the miter angle. In such a case, of course, a corresponding contra-profile must be present in the end face of another plane-parallel element perpendicular to it.

The invention further relates to plane-parallel elements for use in the composition of the ornamental objects according to the invention. These plane-parallel elements are characterized in that the intersecting lines of the end faces with a plane-parallel surface have an angle of 90 ° to one another.

The invention further comprises a package of plane-parallel elements for assembling an ornamental object according to the invention, which is characterized by a series of plane-parallel elements with two plane-parallel surfaces, two end surfaces, whose intersecting lines with the plane-parallel surfaces have angles of 90 ° to one another, one facing outwards Surface which corresponds to a corresponding part of the ornamental object and an inward-facing surface such that when the plane-parallel elements are composed almost an octant as defined above can be formed from the ornamental object, and further an element if necessary, of which three sides are formed by three mutually perpendicular surfaces and the remaining part of the outer surface coincides with the part of the surface of the octant that remains free after the plane-parallel elements have been assembled.

After the individual plane-parallel elements and the last element have been put together to form the ornamental element according to the invention, it can still be desired to post-process the octants, or a construction of octants, to correct irregularities in the outer surface. This can be done, for example, by scouring or sanding, grinding or polishing with the means or devices provided for this purpose.

An octant according to the invention can in itself be an ornamental object. It is of course also possible to combine such an octant with one or more other octants according to the invention or with other types of objects, for example with likewise plane-parallel elements.

Finally, it can be noted that the plane-parallel elements or the octants can also be joined together by means of magnets, screws, pins, knobs or clamps.

• Figur 1 zeigt als Oktanten in der Perspektivsicht ein ein-achtel geschlossenes Kugelsegment mit dreiseitigem ornamentalem Gegenstand, im wesentlichen aufgebaut aus achtzehn planparallelen Elementen, in denen die Elemente 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 und 6 drei mal vorkommen. Das Zentrum M befindet sich symmetrisch zu den Eckpunkten A, B und C des Oktanten.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to drawings in which several embodiments are shown.

• Figure 1 shows as octants in perspective view a one-eighth closed spherical segment with a three-sided ornamental object, essentially constructed from eighteen plane-parallel elements in which elements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 occur three times. The center M is symmetrical to the corner points A, B and C of the octant.

• Figur 2 zeigt als Oktanten den achtel Kugelausschnitt aus Figur 1 in der Draufsicht.
• Figur 3 zeigt den achtel Kugelausschnitt aus Figur 1 in der Seitenansicht und ist identisch mit der Ansicht von unten.
• Figur 4 zeigt die planparallelen Elemente 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 und 6, als Oktanten den achtel Kugelausschnitt aus Figur 1 in der Perspektive auseindergenommen, die jeweils drei mal vorkommen. Der Radius 7 wird von der Anzahl und der Dicke der ebenen Segmente bestimmt, Radius 8 ist identisch mit Radius 7 mit als Nullpunkt dem Zentrum der Kugel.

The last element, not shown in FIG. 1, consists of a tetrahedron, the three standing surfaces of which are at an angle of 90 ° to one another and the tip of which coincides with the center M of the outer surface of the octant. This tetrahedron can also be a cube. Incidentally, the last element can be in the form of three elements 1, which have been combined into a single whole,

• Figure 2 shows as octants the eighth spherical section from Figure 1 in plan view.
• Figure 3 shows the eighth spherical section of Figure 1 in side view and is identical to the view from below.
• FIG. 4 shows the plane-parallel elements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, as octants, the eighth spherical section from FIG. 1 taken apart in perspective, which occur three times each. The radius 7 is determined by the number and the thickness of the flat segments, radius 8 is identical to radius 7 with the zero point being the center of the sphere.

• Figur 5 zeigt in der Perspektive einen halben Rotationskörper, bestehend aus vier mal ein achtel geschlossenen Kugelausschnitten mit dreiseitigem Ornament, ergänzt um vier planparallele Elemente, in der Zeichnung mit 21 angegeben.
• Figur 6 zeigt in der Perspektive eine offene halbe Kugel, aufgebaut aus vier Oktanten von je ein achtel Kugelausschnitten.
• Figur 7a zeigt in der perspektive eine ganze Kugel, aufgebaut aus acht Oktanten von jeweils ein achtel geschlossenen Kugelausschnitten mit dreiseitigem Ornament.
• Figur 7b zeigt ebenfalls eine ganze Kugel, mit der Besonderheit, daß die senkrecht aufeinanderstehenden Elemente in einem Gehrungswinkel ineinander passen.
• Figur 8 zeigt eine einfache Form eines erfindungsgemäßen Oktanten.
• Figur 9 zeigt einen Oktanten, dessen nach außen gewandte Flächen der planparallelen Elemente zusammen die flache Außenfläche des Oktanten bilden, in der Form eines gleichschenkligen Dreiecks. Solche Oktanten können dazu verwendet werden, um, zum Beispiel ausgeführt in Holz oder in Marmor, in der Form von Fußböden verlegt zu werden. Solche ebenen, dreieckigen Oktanten können auch für die Konstruktion der Fläche von Tischplatten verwendet werden.
• Figur 10 zeigt einen Oktanten, dessen außenfläche hohl ist.
• Figur 11 zeigt einen Oktanten, dessen Außenfläche ein unregelmäßiges Polygon ist.
• Figur 12 zeigt in der perspektive, auseinandergenommen nach der Verschiebungsgeraden 15, eine ein-achtel geschlossene Kugel. 14 ist der Nullpunkt des kartesischen Koordinatensystems des Oktanten. Die Verschiebungsgerade geht durch die nachfolgenden Nullpunkte 16, 17, 18, 19 und 20 zum Zentrum M der Außenfläche des Oktanten. x, y und z zeigen in der Perspektive die Koordinatenachsen des kartesischen Koordinatensystems. 1-6 sind die in den Figuren 1-4 dargestellten planparallelen Elemente.

Each subsequent element is twice its own thickness longer than the previous element at a ninety degree angle measured from the sides, which has been indicated in the drawing with the dimensions 9 to 13. The plane-parallel elements 1 to 6 are fitted together, as has been indicated in FIG. 1.

• FIG. 5 shows in perspective a half rotating body, consisting of four times an eighth closed spherical sections with three-sided ornament, supplemented by four plane-parallel elements, indicated by 21 in the drawing.
• FIG. 6 shows in perspective an open half sphere, made up of four octants of eighth sphere sections each.
• FIG. 7a shows in perspective an entire sphere, made up of eight octants, each of one eighth closed spherical sections with three-sided ornament.
• Figure 7b also shows an entire sphere, with the special feature that the elements standing perpendicular to one another fit into one another at a miter angle.
• Figure 8 shows a simple form of an octant according to the invention.
• FIG. 9 shows an octant, the outward-facing surfaces of the plane-parallel elements which together form the flat outer surface of the octant, in the form of an isosceles triangle. Such octants can be used to, for example, run in wood or in marble, to be laid in the form of floors. Such flat, triangular octants can also be used for the construction of the surface of table tops.
• Figure 10 shows an octant, the outer surface of which is hollow.
• Figure 11 shows an octant, the outer surface of which is an irregular polygon.
• Figure 12 shows in perspective, taken apart after the line of displacement 15, a one-eighth closed ball. 14 is the origin of the Cartesian coordinate system of the octant. The straight line of displacement goes through the subsequent zero points 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 to the center M of the outer surface of the octant. x, y and z show the coordinate axes of the Cartesian coordinate system in perspective. 1-6 are the plane-parallel elements shown in Figures 1-4.

The structure as an octant of a one-eighth spherical section with three-sided ornament, see Figure 1, in this case made up of remnants of oak boards, with a thickness of 22 mm and a length lying between 5 cm and 50 cm, is as follows. After the plane-parallel elements have been milled according to the zero-point dimensions given in Figure 5, a frame is created from three times element 6, which are fixed with screws, to figure 8, after which the elements 5 are inserted three times, a little wood glue in between, then elements 4, 3, 2 and 1 in the same way so that the area looks as indicated in Figure 1. This construction results in a solid construction that is only subjected to a short post-processing (scrubbing and sanding), since the spherical shape already exists.

Claims (8)

1. Ornamental object, constructed from plane-parallel elements, characterized in that the plane-parallel elements form an octant as defined above, each of the three mutually perpendicular surfaces of a different plane-parallel surface of three plane-parallel elements and the outer surface of the octant, as defined above, is formed by the faces of the plane-parallel elements facing away from the zero point of the Cartesian coordinate system, in such a way that the others, which follow the definition as defined above, follow the outer surface of the octant partially with the plane-parallel ones Areas perpendicular to one another and partially parallel to one another with the plane-parallel surfaces lying against one another are becoming ever smaller. 2. Ornamental object according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer surface of an octant can be described by means of one or more mathematical formulas. 3. Ornamental object according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the three plane-parallel elements at the center consist of a single whole. 4. Ornamental object according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the center of the outer surface of the octant has been stiffened by a stiffening body on the inside of the octant. 5. Ornamental object made up of plane-parallel elements, characterized in that the object consists of a combination of two or more octants according to one of claims 1 to 4. 6. plane-parallel elements for use in the composition of an ornamental object according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the intersecting lines of the end faces of the plane-parallel elements with the plane-parallel surfaces of these plane-parallel elements have an angle of 90 ° to one another. 7. Building packages for assembling ornamental objects according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that they contain plane-parallel elements according to claim 6. 8. domed vaults, floors, table tops, table feet or puzzles, composed of objects according to one of claims 1 to 6.

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