GB2084471A

GB2084471A - Logic puzzle

Info

Publication number: GB2084471A
Application number: GB8103910A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: POLITECHNIKA IPARI SZOVETKEZET
Current assignee: POLITECHNIKA IPARI SZOVETKEZET
Priority date: 1980-10-03
Filing date: 1981-02-09
Publication date: 1982-04-15
Also published as: GR73829B; SE8100810L; JPS5764070A; AU6714081A; HU180385B; BR8101099A; FR2491346A1; IT1135574B; NL8100671A; IT8120864V0; IT8119903A0; AR227311A1

Abstract

A puzzle of the type described in Hungarian Patent 170062 (Rubik), comprises a core 6 within a plurality of elements which can be rotated in groups about axes passing through the median points of the outer faces of the elements which have an odd number of edges and wherein the elements have interlockable lateral surfaces which are at least partly curved. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Three-dimensional toy The present invention relates to threedimensional toys consisting of a plurality of elements, particularly for use as a logical puzzle.

Several such three-dimensional toys are known, for example, the toy according to our Hungarian Patent No. 170 062 in which a regular or irregular solid is constructed from a predetermined number of elements and a given number of said elements may be rotated by means of pivots and connecting elements having been arranged along axes passing through the geometrical centre of the toy. The external surface of the individual elements may be marked with, for example, figures, colours or other symbols and by rotating said elements the overall surface of the toy can be varied. The number of possible arrangements depends on the total number of the elements, In the case of the "3 x 3 x 3" cube i.e.

having 27 small cubes, 9 per face, the number of possible arrangements is of the order of a billion.

Rotation of the elements takes place about the three intersecting axes of a rectangular coordinate system and there are six modes of movement possible.

According to the present invention, we propose a three-dimensional toy for use as a logical puzzle comprising a body and a core within the body, including a plurality of elements, each having at least one surface which together constitute the external surface of the body, the said surfaces each having an odd number of edges, the elements comprising at least two groups in which each element is angularly displaceable relative to an adjacent element and a third group of elements in which each element is angularly displaceable relative to the core about an axis passing through the surface of each said third elements.

A three-dimensional toy according to the invention is preferably formed by a plurality of elements which make up a regular octahedron when assembled and are such that the surface has thirty two triangles, four per face of the octahedron. The elements can be rotated in groups of seven clockwise or anti-clockwise about axes passing through the median points of the triangles defining the surface of the octahedron.

The elements making up the octahedron belong to three groups: Group 1: six identical elements, derived from the corners of the octahedron, Group 2:four identical elements, derived from a tetrahedron, Group 3: four identical elements also derived from a tetrahedron.

The fourteen elements bear on a centrally disposed element having a regular shape, such as a sphere. In order to aid rotation, some of the elements forming the toy are connected by resilient connecting means to the centrally positioned element.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, taken looking directly at one face of the octahedron, of a threedimensional toy according to the present invention, when assembled; Figure 2 is a sectional view, taken just below line ABCD round the octahedron in Figure 7, through the toy showing elements of a first and second type; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken just above line ABCD round the octahedron in Figure 7, through the toy showing elements of the first type and elements of a third type; Figure 4 shows an element of the first type; Figure 5 shows an element of the second type; Figure 6 shows an element of the third type; and Figure 7 is the same as Figure 1 with the elements of the toy numbered, line ABCD and axes W, X, Y and Z indicated.

A three-dimensional toy according to the invention is in the form of an octahedron, which is composed of three different types of elements. Six identical elements of a first group, as shown in Figure 4, are solid and consist of two parts. The upper part is formed by a square-based pyramid the faces defined by four equilateral triangles and a truncated pyramid 7 is joined to the base, the bottom of which has a curved surface from which a semi-prism with a curved, upper surface projects. The semi-prism has two opposite sides 1 2 bevelled and inclined which join two opposing lateral surfaces 13 of the truncated pyramid 7 via curved surface 14 and the other two sides 1 5 are inclined and join the base of the pyramid such that a curved surface 16 is formed underneath the pyramid, which overhangs the semi-prism on either side.

Four identical elements of a second group, as shown in Figure 5, are solid and have an upper part in the form of a truncated tetrahedron having an upper face formed by an equilateral triangle, which is congruent with any one of the similar faces of the pyramid forming the upper part of the elements belonging to the first group, and sides 17 joined to the upper face on all the three sides of the triangle. The upper part is joined to a truncated pyramid 9 having a curved upper surface 3 on each side of the upper part.

The curvature of the upper surface 3 is the same as the curvature 14 of the bottom-part of the elements belonging to the first group, and the angle of inclination of the sides 1 8 of the truncated pyramid is the same as the inclination of the lower end surfaces 12 of the semi-prism. Also, the curvature of the upper surface 1 3 complements the curvature of the underneath surface 1 6 of the pyramid of the first type of element, so that an element 2 may be fitted beside an element 1.

Four elements 4, as shown in Figure 6, comprise the third group of element, which has a triangular upper face congruent with the upper faces of the first and second types of element.

Each element is located at the centre of four of the faces defining the octahedron and each vertex of the triangle is located at the midpoint of the edge with the adjacent octahedron face.

The elements 4 are hollow and have three concave, lateral faces in the form of a truncated pyramid 10, below which there is centrally disposed a lug 11, also in the shape of a truncated pyramid, with the lateral faces of the truncated pyramid 10 parallel with the lateral curved faces of lug 11. Thus a surface 19 extends underneath the truncated pyramid 10, joining the lug 11 thereto.

The curvature of surface 19 is such that the surface complements the curvature of surface 14 of the first type of element, so that an element 4 may be fitted beside an element 1.

A bore extends through the lug, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the lug, in which a threaded pivot 5, as shown in Figure 3, is received.

A spring surrounds the upper part of the pivot and bears against the floor of the interior of the element and the head of the pivot. The pivot is screwed into a spherical body centrally disposed within the octahedron; the body may be of any convenient shape on which the elements may easily rotate. The four elements 4 are, thus, fixed to the central sphere.

By assembling all the fourteen elements 1-14 in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 7 around the centrally positioned sphere and fixing the elements by by means of the threaded ends of the resilient pivots, an octahedron is obtained in accordance with the invention.

The size of the sphere 6 and the dimensions of the other elements are selected so that a regular octahedron is obtained when the elements are assembled and the curved surfaces of the elements can easily slide on each other and also over the sphere 6.

As shown in Figure 7 (elements 1), (12), (13), (14) are located on the part of the surface not directly visible, but indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1), when assembled the octahedron has six elements of the first type 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 each located at the corners, four elements of the second type 3, 7, 10, 14 each located at the centre of the other four octahedron faces, such of the third type 1, 11, 12, 13 each located at the centre of the other four octahedrom faces, such that three of the elements of the second type are disposed below the line ABCD round the octahedron in Figure 7 and three of the third type are disposed above line ABCD.

By this arrangement, in use, groups of seven elements can be moved angularly together with respect to the remaining seven by virtue of surfaces 13 and 16, 14 and 19 about four axes each passing both through each pivot and passing perpendicularly through the median of the upper surface of each element 4. Each axis is at an angle of 1200 to the other. Clockwise and anti clockwise movements are each possible, so there are eight modes of rotary movement.

The specific movements are as follows; elements 6, 8, 9, 7, 10, 14 and 12 may be moved about an axis passing through the pivot of element 12 (as indicated by W in Figure 7); elements 2, 4, 9, 3, 10, 14 and 13 may be moved about an axis passing through the pivot of element 1 3 (as indicated by X in Figure 7); elements 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 14 and 11 may be moved about an axis passing through the pivot of element 11 (as indicated by Y in Figure 7); and elements 2, 5, 8, 3, 7, 10 and 1 may be moved about an axis passing through the pivot of element 1 (as indicated by Z in Figure 7).

Thus, movements of these four groups of seven elements are possible with respect to the respective remaining seven stationary elements.

Many arrangements of the elements of the octahedron are therefore possible by rotating the groups of seven elements about the four axes of rotation. By marking each element with colours, figures, letters, patterns or any other symbols, the overall surface of the octahedron can be varied.

The toy may be used as a logical puzzle by moving the elements so as to attempt to get preselected triangles adjacent one another, for example.

The toy according to the invention may also be used for a forfeit-type game by fitting removable elements to the surface via, for example, a pivot protruding from the surface onto which elements are attached.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional toy for use as a logical puzzle comprising a body and a core within the body, including a plurality of elements, each having at least one surface which together constitute the external surface of the body, the said surfaces each having an odd number of edges, the elements comprising at least two groups in which each element is angularly displaceable relative to an adjacent element and a third group of elements in which each element is angularly displaceable relative to the core about an axis passing through the surface of each said third elements.

2. A three-dimensional toy according to claim 1 wherein the elements of the third group are individually angularly displaceable about axes passing through the centre of the core of the toy.

3. A three-dimensional toy according to claim 2 wherein the core is spherical and at least each element of the third group has a surface bearing thereon.

4. A three-dimensional toy according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein each axis of angular displacement passes perpendicularly through the central point on the external face of each third group element.

5. A three-dimensional toy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the body is comprised by an interlocking arrangement of lateral surfaces of the elements, said surfaces being at least partly curved.

6. A three-dimensional toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein elements of the first and second groups are retained by elements of the third group.

7. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the toy is in the form of an octahedron and the elemental surfaces constituting the external surface of the octahedron are in the form of congruent equilateral triangles.

8. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the toy is comprised by a total of fourteen elements, six identical elements of the first group, four identical elements of the second group and four identical elements of the third group.

9. A three-dimensional toy according to claim 8 wherein there are four combinations of seven elements, comprising three of the first group, three of the second group and one of the third group which are angularly movable together about an axis passing through the element of the third group.

1 0. A three-dimensionai toy according to any preceding claim wherein each element of the third group is connected to the central core by means of a threaded screw which serves as a pivot through which the axis of angular movement passes.

11. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the elements of the first group are substantially pyramidal and are located at the corners of the body.

12. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the elements of the first group each have an upper part defined by a square-based pyramid, the faces of which define part of the external surface of the body, which pyramid is attached via a truncated pyramid having a curved base surface to a semi-prism, such that two opposite sides of the semi-prism are each overhung by a curved surface of the truncated portion and the other two opposite sides each project from underneath the truncated portion, defining two further curved surfaces.

13. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the elements of the second group each comprise a triangular surface and three adjoining sides each attached via a curved surface to a truncated pyramid, said curved surface being complementary to the overhanging curved surface of the elements of the first group and identical to the projecting curved surfaces thereof.

14. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the elements of the third group are disposed so that the external triangular face is located centrally between and adjacent a face belonging to the pyramidal element at each corner of the octahedron.

1 5. A three-dimensional toy according to any preceding claim wherein the elements of the third group each comprise a triangular surface adjoined on each side by a portion, curved complementarily to the projecting curved surfaces of the first element and the curved surfaces of the second element, which portion is integral with a cam having a bore.

1 6. A first element constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

1 7. A second element constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings.

18. A third element constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings.

1 9. A three-dimensional toy constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawings.