Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H33/00—Other toys
  • A63H33/04—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
  • A63H33/06—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements
  • A63H33/08—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails
• • 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
  • A63F9/12—Three-dimensional [3D] jig-saw puzzles
  • A63F9/1208—Connections between puzzle elements
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H33/00—Other toys
  • A63H33/04—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
  • A63H33/06—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements
  • A63H33/062—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements with clip or snap mechanisms
• • 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
  • A63F9/12—Three-dimensional [3D] jig-saw puzzles
  • A63F2009/124—Three-dimensional [3D] jig-saw puzzles with a final configuration being a sphere

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a three-dimensional object of the puzzle type, broken down into fragmentary elementary pieces whose assembly allows its reconstruction in volume.
• the present invention aims to meet these objectives and others by proposing the reconstruction of a three-dimensional object like a puzzle, that is to say by juxtaposition-assembly of fragmentary elementary pieces.
• a simple, fast, safe and efficient assembly system is provided, the shapes of which allow economical mass production by the technique of plastic injection molding.
• the component parts may have a reduced thickness sufficient for good mechanical strength and leaving an empty interior space which does not harm their aesthetic appearance, since it is invisible from the outside.
• the assembly / disassembly of the object must be considered a game because it does not present any particular difficulty.
• the most diverse objects can be envisaged: reproduction of inert or animated elements of the public domain or models made by man.
• the elementary parts can be molded all of the same color or according to different colors making it possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the object reconstituted by the play of contrasts or nuances of hues.
• the present invention has the merit of proposing a new three-dimensional object which can be reconstructed at will in a simple and playful manner in the manner of a puzzle, by juxtaposition-assembly of its fragmentary pieces.
• the volume object reconstituted in this way has a good quality hold and can therefore be handled, moved or exposed without difficulty after assembly. Its assembly is simple, reliable and fast, as is its disassembly.
• the three-dimensional object according to the invention can take different forms, namely simple geometric shapes such as spheres, cylinders, cubes or the like, or even more complex shapes such as bottles, flasks, books or reproductions of cars, monuments, houses
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first method of assembly between two simple elementary parts; .
• FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second method of assembly for parts with returns with mixed straight and curvilinear contours; .
• Figure 3 is a schematic view of a part with double connecting lugs; .
• Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of a cylinder shown respectively in the assembled and fragmented state according to a first form of elementary parts;
• Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of a cylinder shown respectively in the assembled state and fragmented according to a second form of elementary parts; .
• Figures 8 to 19 are schematic views of various objects respectively box, bottle, bottle, jar, packaging, book, candy, car, animal yogurt pot with for certain representations figuration of elementary pieces.
• the general inventive idea relates to the wedging between them of the component parts of a three-dimensional object by their facing edges and their assembly by means of lateral extensions each provided with a form of immobilization cooperating with a complementary homologous form d 'another adjacent room.
• the basic version of the assembly shown in Figures 1 to 3 consists of the following means. At least one rectilinear edge in line segment 1 or in curvilinear segment 2 or mixed 3 of the perimeter contour 4 of one of the elementary parts 5 and 6 (FIG. 1) or 7,8,9 (FIG. 2) has a flat edge 10 and at least at one of its ends a lateral extension 11 preferably set back constituting a connecting tab 12 which comprises an immobilizing means 13 with elastic retaining effect, by pressure or by snap-fastening.
• the flat edge 10 of the support edge 1, 2 or 3 and the lateral extension 11 form a wedging shoulder 14 intended to cooperate with the connecting tab 12 for the purpose of assembly by juxtaposition.
• This assembly is improved by the immobilization means 13, for example by pressure, which each connecting tab 12 has at its free end.
• This immobilization means may be of the type of that shown, that is to say a shape protruding 15, for example transverse, cooperating with a complementary form 16 for reception which the adjacent part 5 or 6 comprises on its rear face 17.
• the profile of the protruding shape 15 may vary from a prismatic volume 18 to a stud with slightly crushed end (not shown).
• FIG. 4 A first preferred embodiment is described below with reference, in particular, to Figures 4 and 5, in which there is shown an internally hollow cylinder 20, previously broken down into fragmentary elementary parts 21, 22 and 23 respectively from above, of lateral and bottom surface according to simple geometric contours, preferably made up of a succession of straight line segments 1 or of mixed contours such as 3 formed by alternating straight line segments and curved portions.
• the parts constituting the hollow cylinder 20 may have contours formed simply by straight line segments 1 or curvilinear segments 2 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
• each elementary part is provided, locally on the same side, with at least one connecting tab 12 in the form of a lateral extension at each of its edges.
• These connecting lugs 12 are each provided with the projecting immobilization shape 15, preferably transverse, for example, a stud, a pellet, the prismatic roughness 18 or any other suitable protruding shape provided for cooperating, by pressure or by snap-fastening, with the complementary shape 16, for example, a receiving recess formed in the elementary part immediately adjacent.
• the protruding form of immobilization of a connecting lug is of the prismatic block type 18, and cooperates with a reception housing of complementary shape 16 provided on the face rear 17 of the adjacent elementary part.
• the complementary forms of immobilization 15 and reception 16 are produced so that, after placing a connecting lug 12 of an elementary part against the rear face 17 of a part adjacent elementary and snap-fit or pressure of the corresponding complementary shapes 15 and 16, the two elementary parts to be assembled come into abutment against one another according to the straight line segments or the portions of curves of their opposite edges, thus providing maintaining excellent quality of the elementary parts together and good cohesion of the reconstituted object.
• This wedging shoulder 14 can be provided at any point on one of the edges 1, 2 or 3 corresponding to the elementary part, and preferably over the entire length thereof.
• a single 12 or double 19 connecting lug exists at least at one of the ends of each line segment 1 or in the vicinity of at least one of the ends of each curvilinear segment of the outline of the elementary parts.
• This conformation has the important advantage of improving the wedging and embedding of the forms necessary for the proper maintenance of the elementary parts together.
• the fragmentary elementary parts 6, 7 and 8 are provided with returns 24 and 25 extending, for example in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panels 26, 27 of these exhibits.
• the connecting lugs 12 are provided both in the lateral extension of the returns 24, 25 and the front panels 26, 27 of the elementary parts, at any point on the edge thereof, or at each of their ends.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9480111

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (31)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 1995
  • 1995-06-14 FR FR9507259A patent/FR2735375B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1996
  • 1996-06-12 CA CA002178850A patent/CA2178850A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-06-13 AU AU63098/96A patent/AU6309896A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-06-13 EP EP96922109A patent/EP0801588A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-06-13 WO PCT/FR1996/000896 patent/WO1997000105A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1996-06-14 US US08/666,891 patent/US5823531A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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