EP1123147B1 - Jig-saw puzzle - Google Patents

Abstract

An account has been given of a puzzle comprising two or more fields (14, 12) for the assembling of different, preferably associated motifs, with the help of familiar puzzle pieces (14a', 14b', 14c'... and 12a, 12b, 12c...) in each field (14, 12). In order to facilitate the use of puzzle pieces (12a, 12b, 12c, ...; 14a', 14b', 14c'...) in each field (12, 14), with a mutually independent division during the stamping out of the pieces from cardboard/plywood, such that, amongst other things, puzzle designs with varying grades of difficulty are facilitated, a continuous separating field (16) has been used in the area between the individual fields (12, 14) which separates the individual fields (12, 14) from each other.

Description

The present invention relates to a puzzle as set forth in the preamble of claim 1. Such a puzzle is desclosed in US-A 4 776 802.

Known puzzles of that type my comprise a number of stamped out/cut to measure, or by other means shaped to fit pieces with edges with a special course that fit together, and which, with a correct assembly of the pieces, will fit tightly together with edges of adjacent pieces. The pieces can be assembled to make at least one definite motif in colours, and the jigsaw puzzle contains at least two fields in which, with the assistance of the pieces, two or more different motifs/pictures etc can be constructed.

The degree of difficulty with the above puzzle will usually vary with the number of pieces, their size and shape, together with the colour contrasts of the motif. Thus, mass produced puzzles with up to many thousand pieces can be found.

Thus puzzles of this general type consist of a collection of paper or plywood pieces that, when assembled correctly, will make up a "whole", usually a picture.

Generally, the chief purpose of the invention being considered is provide a puzzle which, even with a moderate number of pieces, will be interesting as well as educational. According to the invention, the puzzle will consist of two or more separate puzzle fields with individual pictures that preferably belong together, and where it is appropriate that, with the assistance of reference marks that can be found over the whole or part of the individual pieces, this interdependence can be identified.

The standards of the techniques are, amongst other things, demonstrated in the US Patent Publications No. 4 776 802 and 5 022 655, together with GB Patent Application, Publications No. 2 184 027.

These Patent Publications deal with neighbouring techniques and US Patent Publication No. 4 776 802 is considered as being the most relevant one in relation to the invention under consideration. This Patent Publication demonstrates and describes a puzzle that consists of two 360 extending mainly "concentric" puzzle fields: an inner field where the individual bricks follow each other in a circumferential direction, and an outer field, situated immediately outwards of this, with reciprocal arrangement of the pieces and course.

This particular puzzle contains some of the educational aspect, in that each piece in the outer field shows a concrete figurative object, living creature etc., for example a landing net, a leg with a foot and a hen. In each outer field piece, that is situated on the outer radius of its corresponding inner field piece, text is to be found, in this case, respectively "net", "leg", and "hen".

In that the inner and outer fields of this known puzzle by their mutual adjacent circumferential edges lying directly against each other, the radial or approximately radial dividing lines must, in production of the paper or plywood puzzle pieces, run unbroken, and thereby be common for both the inner and outer puzzle fields. This limits the possibilities for any variation in the design of this two-field puzzle.

In accordance with the invention in hand it therefore has been aimed at relieving, or to a substantial extent reducing, shortcomings, disadvantages and restrictions upon applicability that are common to traditional and familiar technology.

The stated objectives are realised by designing the puzzle in accordance with the characterising part of Patent Claim 1.

According to the invention in hand, in the case of puzzles with two or more fields, two or more fields, possibly paired off and adjacent, are separated from each other by using at least one intervening separating field.

Among other things, this means makes it possible to use dissimilar division for two puzzle fields, as the intervening separating field breaks up the division pattern that is traditionally created by the separating groove between pieces lying next to each other. By this means, the opportunities for varying the design of puzzles with two or more fields is substantially increased.

With familiar techniques, the stamping machine's cutting blade must extend over the whole puzzle. According to the invention, the stamping machine's cutting blade can extend from the outer edge and inwards to the separating field and, thereafter, possibly with a new division, a new blade can extend over the inner section. In this manner, the stamping machine has two frames that can have different divisions.

The intervening separating field is not divided up into individual pieces that fit with each other, but runs unbroken from one axial end to the other. The separating field or fields can have various courses, possibly mutually different courses in the event that there are several such intervening separating fields. At the same time, words/names/terms and or/other reference marks can appear on the separating field and have an active role in the puzzle, usually for the purpose of linking together inter-dependent figures/text etc. that appear in two or more puzzle fields.

In a rectangular puzzle, with or without a reciprocal outer circumferential frame, it can be appropriate for an inner puzzle field to have a reciprocal rectangular field shape, whilst an outer puzzle field can run parallel, or mainly parallel, with the outer circumferential frame that is mentioned above, or respectively an outer circumferential border, in that the inner field preferably has a "concentric" position within the outer circumferential frame of the main puzzle. In this way one can firstly place the puzzle pieces in the inner puzzle field in order to get a general view of the pieces having appurtenant details in the outer puzzle field.

The separating field is not divided up into pieces but, in the main, has the same thickness as the pieces in the inner and outer fields.

According to the invention, all of the pieces in the puzzle with two or more fields can be different, such that each piece can only fit a specific place within the inner or outer puzzle field.

The separating field is joined to the base of the puzzle. Instead of a square, closed frame, the separating field can have any course that is appropriate, assuming that it separates two or more fields that are part of a puzzle. Further, lines with dissimilar division can be used for stamping out the pieces during production in order to facilitate variations in puzzle design, degree of difficulty etc.

In one possible design of a square puzzle, the separating field can have a right-angled U shape which is placed between two puzzle fields in such a way that the inner field will have a flat, rectangular shape. The outer field will consist of a right-angled U-shaped surface where each of the two parallel branches of the U, and the rung between them, extend parallel towards the adjacent U-branches, or if appropriate the U rung, of the separating field.

Further objectives, advantages and characteristics of the puzzle, designed in accordance with the invention in hand, ought to be contained within the following description of examples of embodyments of the invention, explained with reference to the attached drawings where:

Figures 1-3 show, in each case, a finished, correctly completed puzzle of the type having two or more fields, seen from above and bordered on the outside by a rectangular circumferential frame which, from the outside, retains the puzzle pieces that lie within and whose adjacant edges, as part of the puzzle are shaped to fit with the inner edges of the outer frame. As such, in other cases, an outer square frame can be deleted or added to with straight, inner circumferential edges against which the adjoining, straight edges of neighbouring pieces can be supported; as

Fig. 1 shows the first assembly of a special puzzle, OUR BODY, which has possibly been inspired by primary school tuition;

Fig. 2 shows a similar puzzle board with two fields (unmarked pieces) which is reminiscent of the assembly shown in Fig. 1, but where the division - pattern of how the pieces have been stamped - shows more distinct differences between the fields;

Fig. 3 shows another design of the puzzle, where the separating field takes the shape of a continuous right-angled U, in that the inner field of the puzzle is bounded on three sides by the U-shaped separating field, and, along its remaining edge, by an inward-facing inner circumferential lateral edge of the square frame;

Reference is firstly made to Fig. 1 that, in the same way as in the remaining figures 2-3, has a continuous, rectangular outer frame (10) with straight outer circumferential lateral edges and rounded-off corners. The inner circumferential lateral edges, 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, of the outer frame (10), that run unbroken, are each shaped with an irregular run, as edges of puzzle pieces, in order to allow a traverse, retaining, shaped to fit insertion, in a fixed position, of the outer edges of a row of square frame shape, insertable pieces 12a, 12b and 12c. Pieces 12a, 12b,12c are part of an outer, rectangular, circumferential frame-shaped puzzle field 12 which comprises that which, in Fig.1 showed a two-field puzzle which, in addition to the outer frame 10 and the inner field 12, includes an inner rectangular surface shaped puzzle field 14 and a square frame shaped separating field 16 that separates fields 12 and 14 from each other. The square shaped separating field 16 is continuous, and shows irregular, continuing edges resembling the edges of puzzle pieces, outer circumferential side edges 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d for a fitted insertion into the inner circumferential edges of pieces 12a, 12b, 12c ... in the outer puzzle field 12.

However, in the embodyments shown, the inner circumferential side edges of the separating field 16 continues rectilinear, for placement against the outer, rectilinear circumferential side edges 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d of the inner puzzle field 14.

The illustrations and text of the correctly assembled two-field puzzle OUR BODY, in accordance with Fig. 1, show one of the intentions of the separate fields, 12 and 14. The primary objective of the undivided separating field 16 is to enable the use of another division when dividing up the pattern of the pieces in one field to that in the other. In this way, the possibilities of varying such puzzles with two or more fields are generally increased, in order to change the degree of difficulty and make the puzzle more interesting.

For example, the outer frame 10 and separating field 16 can be used to display such terms as "ear", "tongue", "rib bone" etc, and, as applicable, "brain", "eye", "skull" etc, and for separating field 16, parts 18' of reference marks 18.

Each of the pieces 12a, 12b, 12c.. has a complete picture, which themselves are adjusted to detailed terms, for example, "forehead", "cheekbone" and "jawbone" for the SKULL puzzle piece.

Parts of the reference mark 18" continues into the inner puzzle field 14, this being a continuation of the reference marks 18 parts 18' in the square separating field 16. Another advantage of the separating field beyond the primary technical effect that it entails, is a suitably large separating field offers ample space for text etc in the middle of the two or more fields puzzle.

In all the figures 1-3, the individual pieces in inner field 14 are denoted as 14a', 14b', 14c'...

In figure 2, the outer circumferential frame 10, outer and inner puzzle fields 12 and 14, together with separating field 16, have the same circumferential shapes as in Fig.1. The only difference between the figures is that the pieces 14a', 14b' 14c'... in Fig. 2 are smaller and show a greater divergence as far as division is concerned, compared to Fig. 1.

In the embodyment according to Fig.3, it is separating field 16A which particularly differs, in terms of its circumference, from the separating field in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3, separating field 16a, which in the same way as the reciprocal field 16 in Fig.1 separates inner and outer puzzle fields 14 and 12 from each other, has a circumferential shape which is essentially a right-angled, prone U. The right hand engaging edges of pieces 14a', 14b', 14c'... in inner field 14, which will be situated furthest out to the right when the puzzle is complete, will, by this embodyment, by their right edge of engagement fit into the opposite inner edge of the outer frame 10. This puzzle with two fields represents a some more asymmetrical modification of the puzzles according to Fig. 1 and 2.

According to this invention, a puzzle with two or more fields, having a separating field between the adjacent inner and outer field, can be varied-and modified in a random way within the scope of the protective framework which is drawn up in the following patent claims.

Claims (5)

1. A puzzle, comprising a number of pieces (12a, 12b, 12c...; 14a', 14b', 14c'...) where adjoining edges of the pieces are such that they are shaped to fit with each other, and where the puzzle consists of two or more puzzle fields (12, 14) including at least an inner (14) and an outer field (12), each field comprising a plurality of pieces (12a, 12b, 12c...and respectively 14a', 14b', 14c'...), and said pieces when correctly assembled in said individual fields (12, 14) constitute a whole, consisting of one or more concrete motifs, said puzzle characterized in that at least one individual continuous frame shaped separating field (16) has such a circumferential shape that it separates an inner field (14) from an outer field (12) by surrounding said inner field (14).
2. Puzzle according to claim 1, further having a rectangular surface shaped inner field (14) being surrounded on all sides by a circumferential square shaped separating frame field (16) which itself is surrounded by a reciprocally-shaped outer puzzle field (12).
3. Puzzle according to claim 1, wherein an inner field of the puzzle (14) is shaped in a rectangular form, whilst an outer puzzle field (12) is shaped as a right-angled U-shaped form whose three inner circumferential edges surround three of the edges of the inner field (14) having a distance between said inner (14) and said outer field (12) corresponding to the width of the rectangular shaped frame field (16a) separating said inner (14) from said outer field (12).
4. Puzzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said inner (14) and outer (12) fields are surrounded in a tight-fitting manner by a continuous circumferential outer frame (10).
5. Puzzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the inner circumferential edge (10a-10d) of the outer continuous circumferential frame (10), and at least one circumferential edge of an outer edge (16a-16d) of the separating frame (16; 16A), follow an irregular course in the form of the edge of a puzzle piece.

Images