GB2064965A

GB2064965A - Moving-block puzzle

Info

Publication number: GB2064965A
Application number: GB8037042A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-12-15
Filing date: 1980-11-19
Publication date: 1981-06-24
Also published as: AU6450280A; ES254808U; NL8006127A; JPS5697477A; DE8019535U1; BE886206A; FR2471202A1; DE3027556A1; IT8030867V0; HU180051B; AR226441A1; IT8026639A0; BR8008114A; IT1134722B; ES254808Y

Abstract

A closed, transparent, cubic box (1) contains twenty-six cubes (2) and a vacant cubic space (3) into which the small cubes (2) readily slide when the box (1) is tilted. A central core consists of seven small cubes permanently interconnected while the other nineteen are slidable. In the basic position, the faces of the small cubes (2) lying outermost and adjacent the inner wall of the box (1) have the same colour e.g. red, while all other faces are of a different colour. The task is to restore the cubes (2) into the basic position in which only red faces can be seen. A less exacting version has a 2 x 2 x 2 box filled with seven cubes. The number of colours or markings may be varied or transparent cubes may each contain part of a sculpture. The box (1) may be partially opaque. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Three dimensional translational logic toy The invention relates to a three-dimensional translational logical toy.

Dice-shaped logical toys of different types have been known for a long time.

In the specifications of US-PS.786,665; US PS.1,518,889; and US-PS 3,945,959 dice-shaped logical toys similar to that forming the object of our invention are described.

These toys can be collectively characterized in that one large-sized housing is filled with small cubes with a vacancy corresponding to one small cube therein. The housing is not a completely closed box, on the surface there are openings which serve for the displacement of the cubes. The small cubes are to be pushed by one's finger through said openings and none of the toys contains any fixed and rigid body which would make the toy really spatial. For identification more than two colours or markings have been used.

The drawbacks of said toys are the following: When playing with the toy, both hands are needed, and the small cubes are very slowly movable by the finger; the openings allow the penetration of dirt resulting in the hindered displacement of the small cubes. In most cases the three-dimensional toy may be reduced to a plain toy. By using several colours, the toy is degraded to a simple logical task and cannot be considered as a pronouncedly "mem orytoy" too.

One aim of our invention is to improve the known solutions by accelerating the play, by making play with one hand possible, while simultaneously protecting the toy against contamination. A further aim of the invention is to give the toy an aesthetic appearance and to produce a real spatial toy which cannot be reduced to the level of a plane toy and is well suitable for the promotion and development of mnemonics.

The invention relates to a translation logical toy consisting of one single completely closed angular box containing small angular bodies and one or more surfaces each of the small angular bodies is provided with markings enabling distinction. Within the box, e.g. in a cubic box the place of at least one angular small body, e.g. a small cube is left unoccupied and any of said small bodies confining said vacant space may be displaced in the direction of the vacant space, whereby the position of the small angular bodies within the box may be changed. The box is made partly or entirely of a transparent material. The box may have the shape of a cube, prism or other angular forms and the small body may also be a small cube or a prism.

In the box, e.g. in the cubic box, in a given case at least two little angular bodies, e.g. small cubes are fixed to each other along a spatial axis.

The three-dimensional translation logical toy will be described by means of a preferred embodiment, with the aid of the accompanying drawing, wherein: Figure 'shows the toy composed of a cubic box and of 26 pieces of small cubes, Figure 2 illustrates one single small cube, Figure 3 shows the rigid spatial axles composed of seven small cubes, and Figure 4 shows the toy consisting of a cubic box and seven small cubes.

In the following we intend to describe one single variant, further possibilities will be dealt with later on.

The toy consist of 26 pieces of small cubes 2 having been arranged in a completely closed large cubic box 1 made of a transparent material, e.g.

methyl methacrylate, known as "plexiglass", in such a manner that seven small cubes 2 form spatial axes (see Figure 3). The nineteen displaceable small cubes 2 are arranged around said spatial axes. The transparent box, which cannot be opened, is dimensioned in such a manner that it should be able to receive accurately twenty-seven small cubes 2, accordingly the place of one small cube is always left free (hereafter referred to as space 3). In the basic position of the toy all sides of the small cubes 2 which lie on the inner surface of the cubic box 1 are of the same colour, e.g. they are red. The inner sides of the small cubes 2, i.e. those which are invisible in the basic position, are also of the same colour, e.g.

they are black. Three walls of the space 3 are also black. By tilting the cubic box 1, two of the small cubes 2 confining the space 3 - which are made of an expediently gliding synthetic material - are each displaced by one unit, accordingly, the space 3 is displaced bytwo units (under "one unit" the length of the edge of the small cube 2 is meant). Out of the small cubes 2 confining the newly positioned space 3 further two small cubes 2 may be displaced (translated) in the optionally chosen direction, along the three edges of the vacant space. By the repeatedly performed double displacement the nineteen movable small cubes 2 are mixed; as a consequence, on the surface of the cubic box 1 simultaneously black surfaces in the most diverse combination appear beside the red ones.

The essence of the toy according to the invention lies in the restoration of the basic position of the toy with the aid of the informations yielded by the black and red surfaces forming the surface of the toy by using logic, reasoning power and memory, i.e. to arrive at the position where all the covering surfaces of the small cubes 2 are once again red. Since the seven small cubes 2 (see Figure 3) are fixed to each other in an immobile and unreleasable manner, the six middle surfaces on the sides of the cubic box 1 are always red coloured and unperturbed. Where all the small cubes 2 are movable, by collecting them in the same plane they can be easily arranged within the plane, accordingly the spatial toy will be reduced to the level of a planar one, representing - mainly for children - a considerably easier task.

A toy for children based on the two-dimensional translation is also well-known, where fifteen squares provided with numbers are to be brought into the proper order of sequence by pushing the single squares. In our case, i.e. in case of the translation toy according to the invention, numbering becomes superfluous; by using the colours black and red and by transgressing into the third dimension, all the twenty-six cubes 2 can be unambiguously marked and identified, respectively, since the surfaces of the small cubes 2 keep all the while their mutually parallel position during translation. Compared to the two-dimensional toy, the possibilities of arrangement are increased by several millions, rendering the play an exciting game and intellectual training for adults; it goes without saying that partial tasks can be solved by children, too.Every single small cube 2 may be turned in all the vacancies, accordingliy we may turn from the corner to the edge and vice versa. Two colours are quite enough for identification, all the six faces of the cube may be brought to the surface. For identifying the proper place of one single cube 2 in in the basic position a train of logical thoughts and a retentive memory are imperative. (In order to avoid the visibility of the colour of the inner surfaces in the course of the game, the markings should be formed in a slightly concealed manner).

The practical advantage of the toy according to the invention lies in that it can be produced in a surprisingly easy manner, without high cost expenditures. The game itself hardly requires physical effort, the toy can be easily managed by one hand.

The number of the possible variations is of the order of magnitude of 1018.

A further interesting feature of the toy lies in that through the completely and unreleasably closed box 1 - made of"plexiglass"-essentially using our intellectual faculty as a "third hand", this hygienically sealed random order may be well ordered without even touching the small cubes 2.

From a mathematicai point of view the task symbolizes a group to be built up from three elements. The three elements mean the doubledisplacement along the three axes (it is absolutely obvious that the displacement of one single cube would be senseless since the central fields of the surfaces are well fixed). At a given position of the vacant space 3, after having chosen the axis, the direction of translation is automatically given. By means of the group elements the nineteen small cubes 2 are permutated in twenty places. It can be demonstrated that a given position of the vacant space 3, the double permutation of the nineteen elements (small cubes) and of the remaining nineteen vacant spaces can be performed (double permutation: the simultaneous change of two elements), at the same time, a simple change, i.e.

uneven permutation cannot be performed. Accordingly, the possibilities of mixing the small cubes 2 within the large cube 1 amount to 20/2 (to be read: twenty factorial to be divided by two), complying approximately to the value of 1.21 x 1018, as already mentioned before.

Further possible variations will be shortiy discussed.

In the basic position the toy can be coloured as follows: (a) every side of the toy containing the cubic box 1 and the small cubes 2 is of a different colour, the inner sides are invariably black. This arrangement makes the game easier, since a certain information is given about the original position of vacant space 3 and the actual working field.

(b) all the opposite-hand view surfaces of the red sides of the small cubes 2 are blue, all the remaining surfaces are black. The central fields of the surfaces of the large cube are formed by blue circles on a red background. The game can be played as follows: the entire large cube of red colour can be changed to blue. It goes without saying that by marking the centre of the surfaces the same change to colours may be performed with the black and red cubes too, but in this case (as there are more black lateral surfaces of the small cubes 2) the task to be solved becomes more simple.

In addition, several further internal and external numberings and colourings are possible with the aid of which games of different puzzle-grades (degrees or difficulty) can be developed. The small cubes 2 may be also made of a transparent material, yielding further interesting modes of marking. In this case, in the inside of the small cubes a part each of a statue, or of a three-dimensional sculpture may be arranged, whereby the task set is to restore the shape of the stereoscopic three-dimensional formation.

The object of the invention may be realized in a reduced size (2 x 2 x 2), as may be seen in Figure 4; in this embodiment seven small cubes 2 are movable within a completely closed and transparent cubic box 1 of sufficient size to receive eight small cubes. In this embodiment none of the small cubes 2 has been fixed, only one single small cube 2 can be put into motion; colouring is similar to that of the large cube previously described. This kind of toy is more suitable for children, who may develop logical thinking by playing an entertaining game.

It goes without saying that the translation cube may be produced with larger dimensions, too; the shape is not necessarily restricted to the dice-shape, many angular shapes will be in compliance with the requirements.

Within the scope of the claims the small angular cubes 2 and the cubic box 1 may have other optional polygonal shapes, too.

If a part of the closed box is made of a nontransparent material, the game becomes more difficult involving a higher requirement of memory.

Claims

1. Athree-dimensional translational logic toy, consisting of one single polyhedral e.g. cubic, box containing small polyhdedral e.g. cubic bodies; one or more surfaces of each small body being provided with a distinctive marking, within the box e.g. in the cubic box, the place of at least one body, e.g. a small cube, is left unoccupied; said small bodies confining said vacant place being displaceable in the direction of the vacant place, whereby the position of the small bodies in the box may be changed, the box being completely closed and made partly or entirely of a transparent material.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein along at least one spatial axis at least two angular bodies, e.g.

small cubes, are fixed to each other.

3. A toy as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the box and the small bodies are regular cubes with rounded edges.

4. A toy according to any preceding claim, wherein the box is made of "plexiglass" (methyl methacrylate).

5. Atoy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the internal size of the box, which is cubic, corresponds to 3 x 3 x 3 small bodies which are cubes and which are 26 in number.

6. A toy according to claim 5 wherein 19 small cubes are displaceable while 7 small cubes are permanently fixed to each other along three orthogonal axes in a symmetrical configuration.

7. A toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the faces of the small bodies are marked in two colours in such a manner that in the basic position the faces of the small bodies lying on the internal surface of the box are of the same colour, while the remaining faces of the small bodies are marked with a different colour.

8. A toy as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein for all the small bodies seven colours are used in such a manner that in the basic position the faces of the small bodies coming into contact with the same internal surface of the box are of the same colour, whereas the faces visible through one side of the box are differently coloured, i.e. six colours are used, while in the basic position the sides of the small bodies not in contact with the internal surface of the box are marked with the seventh colour.

9. A toy as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein both the small bodies and the box are cubiform and the internal size of the box equals the size of 2 x 2 x 2 small cube bodies, there being pieces of displaceable small cubes in the box.

10. A toy as claimed in claim 9, wherein the small cubes are marked in two colours in such a manner that in the basic position the faces of the small cubes in contact with the internal surface of the box are of the same colour, whereas the other faces of the small cubes are marked in a different colour.

11. A toy as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein every single small body is cubiform and the internal size of the box corresponds to 2 x 2 x 3 or 3 x 3 x 2 small cube units.

12. A toy according to claim 1 substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawing.