GB2203664A - Puzzle - Google Patents

Abstract

A puzzle in the form of an open, space frame cuboid is assembled from six frame members (1). Two frame members (1a) form a frame of which there are three in the assembled puzzle, one in each perpendicular plane. Each frame (1a, 1a) holds captive within it one (6a, 6a) of the remaining two frames and at the same time is itself held captive within the other (5a, 5a) of the remaining two frames.

Description

PUZZLE The present invention relates to a puzzle, particularly to a puzzle comprising a number of separate pieces which can be assembled together.

According to the invention there is provided a puzzle which comprises a plurality of individual elongate pieces which are capable of being assembled to form a plurality of closed frames which are locked together.

Preferably, the pieces are capable of being assembled into three separate closed frames which are locked together in three mutually perpendicular planes.

Conveniently, the pieces are of such a length that, when assembled, the puzzle is of such a size that it can be held in the hand.

In a puzzle according to the invention, first, second and third frames can be assembled, with a part of the first frame holding captive the second frame; a part of the second frame holding captive the third frame; and a part of the third frame holding captive the first frame.

In one preferred form, each frame is generally rectangular having first and second pairs of opposed parallel limbs. A first pair of limbs of the first frame holds captive therebetween a second pair of limbs of the second frame; a first pair of limbs of the second frame holds captive therebetween the second pair of limbs of the third frame; and a first pair of limbs of the third frame hold captive therebetween the second pair of limbs of the first frame.

To make the puzzle particularly interesting to play, at least one frame may be built-up from two U-shaped frame members (each composed of three elongate pieces integrally formed together), and preferably each frame is similarly formed, so that the entire puzzle can be assembled from six U-shaped frame members. However, to simplify the assembly to make it easier for children to manipulate, one or more of the frames may be of one-piece construction.

Preferably, the mating ends of the U-shaped frame members of the or each frame are each shaped so as to define together first and second holding recesses in which can be located a piece of the associated frame to be held captive therein.

Conveniently, each elongate piece is of circular cross-section, in which case the holding recess will be substantially semi-cylindrical.

To render the puzzle attractive in appearance, preferably the pieces which are intended to form each frame are distinctively coloured, so that three coloured frames are obtainable upon assembly.

The invention in a preferred embodiment provides a space frame-type puzzle which is substantially in the form of a cube or cuboid, when assembled from four sided rectangular frames, but it should be understood that other designs of closed or open frames may be provided e.g.

triangular, in which case a star shaped configuration of space frame puzzle may be obtained upon assembly. Other shapes of closed frame which may be provided include curved or circular configurations, in which case a substantially spherical configuration, or ovoid shape may be obtained when the puzzle is assembled.

In a preferred form, there are six frame members and, in the assembled configuration, two are located in each of three mutually perpendicular planes.

Conveniently, in the assembled puzzle, two frame members of the first frame cooperate with each other to restrain two frame members of the second frame against disengagement and also to provide a tensioning force on two frame members of the third frame, the tensioning force acting outwardly from the centre of the puzzle. Similarly, two frame members of the second frame cooperate to restrain two frame members of the third frame and at the same time provide an outward tensioning force on the two frame members of the first frame. The two frame members of the third frame cooperate to restrain the two frame members of the first frame and to provide an outward tensioning force as the two frame members of the second frame.

Each of the frame members preferably comprises a straight portion and an end portion at each end thereof, the two end portions being bent so as to extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the straight portion, both end portions lying in the same plane.

When each frame is assembled from a pair of U-shaped frame members, the end portions of each member are preferably cut away so as to leave a curved recess such that when the end portions of two of the pieces are placed together, the respective curved recesses together define the first and second substantially semi-circular holding recesses. Thus, the semi-circular recesses provided by a pair of frame members of the first frame locate around the outside of the pair of frame membersof the second frame, thus providing the restraining force on said pair of frame members of the second frame, and the straight portions of said pair of frame members of the first frame are received within the two semi-circular recesses defined by the pair of frame members of the third plane, thus providing the necessary tensioning force acting on the pair of frame members of the third frame.

Thus, in the assembled configuration, the recesses of the pair of frame members of the first frame engage the outside of the straight portions of the pair of frame members of the second frame and at the same time the straight portions of the pair of frame members of the first frame are located in the recesses of the pair of frame members of the third frame.

Similarly, the recesses in the pair of frame members of the second frame engage the outside of the straight portions of the pair of frame members of the third frame, and at the same time the straight portions of the pair of frame members of the second frame are located within the recesses in the pair of frame members of the first plane.

Also, the recesses in the pair of frame members of the third frame engage the outside of the straight portions of the pair of frame members of the first frame and at the same time the straight portions of the pair of frame members of the third frame are located in the recesses of the pair of frame members of the second frame.

This arrangement causes each pair of frame members to be inwardly restrained against separation in a direction perpendicular to the straight portion of that pair and outwardly tensioned in a direction parallel to the straight portions of that pair. The effect of this is to provide a stable locked configuration which can quickly be disassembled by a twisting action of one frame members relative to the other frame members, and once one frame member has been released then all of the frame members fall apart.

It is preferred that the frame members are made of a resilient material such as plastics, to enable the frame members readily to be assembled together.

It is preferred that the frame members are identical, but it is also envisaged that more than one type of piece may be manufactured, with members of different types being assembled together to form the puzzle.

By altering the dimensions of the end portions of each frame member, twelve identical frame members may be assembled together in a manner similar to that described above, with four frame members (two frames) in each mutually perpendicular plane.

In order to assist assembly of the puzzle, one or more detachable clips may be provided to hold the two frame members of each frame together, the clip being of such a configuration that will not interfere with the assembly of the puzzle.

Once the cuboid configuration has been assembled, another cuboid may be assembled so as to be linked with the first cuboid, and this may be repeated to form any one of a variety of different possible arrangements. The linking may be a loose link formed by one frame member of one cuboid being linked around the frame member of an adjacent cuboid at a corner thereof, or it may be a tighter link formed by more than one of the frame members of one cuboid being linked around more than one of the frame members of an adjacent cuboid.

Additional variation can be provided by connecting two frame members together either back to back or side to side by at least one integral bridge or a separate bridge which may be slid over the ends of each frame member. These bridges may be flexible or rigid.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 is a view of a standard frame member; Fig 2 shows two frame members of Fig 1 placed together during assembly of a cuboid; Figs 3 and 4 show different views of the assembled cuboid; Fig 5 is a view of a frame of one piece construction; Fig 6 is a view of a further modified fame member; Fig 7 shows the assembled cuboid formed from twelve of the frame members shown in Fig 6; Figs 8 and 9 show modifications of the frame members shown in Fig 1, in which two frame members are rigidly held together; Figs 10 and 11 show further modified frame members; Figs 12, 13, 14 and 15 show further modified frame members which will assemble into a cuboid when combined with other frame members as shown in Figs 1 and 5;; Fig 16A shows how two frame members as shown in Fig 16 fit together; Figs 17 and 18 each show further modified frame members, two of which will form the frame member shown in Fig 5; Figs 17A and 18A show how two frame membersas shown in Figs 17 and 18 fit together to form a frame shown in Fig 5; Fig 19 shows three cuboids loosely linked together; Fig 20 shows three cuboids more closely linked together; Fig 21 shows a cluster of linked cuboids; Fig 22 shows three very tightly linked cuboids; Fig 23 shows two cuboids assembled using a frame member as shown in Fig 8; Figs 24 to 31 show eight different ways of linking two cuboids together; Fig 32 shows a separate bridge member for sliding over the frame members; Figs 32A and 32B show two different ways in which the bridge member of Fig 32 can be used to link two cuboids together;; Fig 33 shows a detachable clip for use in assembly of the cuboid; Fig 33A shows the clip of Fig 33 in use; Figs 34A and 34B show modified frame members of which nine are assembled together to form a cuboid; Fig 34C shows the cuboid assembled from nine frame members as shown in Figs 34A and 34B; Figs 35A and 35B show modified frame members which assemble together to make an offset double cuboid; Fig 36 shows a cuboid assembled from a combination of the frame members shown in Fig 35B and standard frame members shown in Fig 1; Fig 37 shows an offset double cuboid made with twelve frame members of the type shown in Fig 35A; Fig 38 shows a different type of fram member; Fig 38A shows how a tetrahedron can be assembled from two of the frame members of Fig 38; Fig 38B is an elevation of Fig 38A.

Referring to the drawings, Fig 1 shows a standard frame member 1 of circular cross-section. The frame member has a straight portion 2 and two end portions 3, 4, the end portions also being of circular cross-section and extending at right angles to the straight portion and in the same plane as the straight portion.

As can be seen from Figs 2, 3 and 4, six of the frame members 1 can be assembled together to form a cuboid configuration. This is achieved by first of all placing two frame members la, la together so that the curved cut away portions 3a, 4a form two substantially semi-circular recesses lb, lb.

Another pair of frame members 5a,5a (these extend perpendicularly to the plane of the paper in Fig 3) are then assembled with their cut-away portions located around the outside of the straight portions of frame members la, la.

Finally, a further pair of frame members 6a,6a are assembled in a third plane which is perpendicular both to the plane of frame members 5a,5a and the plane of frame members la,la, such that the recesses formed by the cutaway portions of frame members 6a,6a locate around the outside of the straight portions of frame members 5a,5a and at the same time the straight portions of frame members 6a,6a are located within the cut-away portions of frame members la,la.

As shown in Fig 5, instead of providing two separate frame members, these may be combined into a single frame member 7 having two substantially semi-circular cut-outs 7a, 7b. Incorporation of this frame member into a cuboid makes assembly of a cuboid easier, since the two separate frame members do not have to be held together during assembly.

Referring now to Fig 6, this shows a modified frame member 8 in which the end portions 9, 10 are shorter than the corresponding end portions 3, 4 of Fig 1.

As can be seen in Fig 7, twelve of the frame members 8 shown in Fig 6 may be assembled together in a very similar manner as described above for the standard frame members of Fig 1, with two pairs of frame members 8a, 8b being provided, side by side, in each mutually perpendicular plane. Such a configuration is known as a double cuboid.

Referring now to Figs 8 and 9, two standard frame members of Fig 1 are shown joined back to back by rigid cross-members 12, 13 integrally formed with the frame members, or alternatively a single cross-member 14 may be provided to join two frame members side to side as shown in Fig 9.

Fig 10 shows a modified frame member which is curved into a substantially semi-circular shape, such that the configuration when assembled takes the form of a sphere.

As shown in Fig 11, each frame member may be formed into the shape of a V or similar so that the configuration, when assembled, has the appearance of a three dimensiona1 star shape.

Figs 12, 13, 14 and 15 all show modified frame members which certain combinations, together with either a standard frame member as shown in Fig 1 or a modified frame member as shown in Fig 6, will assemble into a cuboid.

Fig 16 shows a modified frame member six of which will assemble together to form a cuboid as shown in Fig 16a.

Fig 17 shows a further modified frame member two of which cooperate as shown in Fig 17a to form the equivalent of the frame member shown in Fig 2.

Fig 18 shows a further modified frame member two of which cooperate as shown in Fig 18a again to provide the equivalent of the frame member shown in Fig 2.

Fig 19 shows how three or more cuboids can be loosely liked together to form a chain. This is achieved by assembling the first cuboid 20, assembling a second cuboid 21 such that one of the frame members of 21 is linked around one of the frame members of Fig 20 at a corner thereof, and subsequently assembling a third cuboid 22 such that one of its frame members links around one of the frame members of Fig 21 at a corner thereof.

Fig 20 shows the three cuboids 20, 21 and 22 more tightly linked together, this being achieved by assembling the first cuboid 20, then assembling the second cuboid 21 such that two of the frame members of cuboid 21 links around two of the frame members of cuboid 20, and assembling cuboid 22 such that two of its frame members link around two of the frame members of cuboid 21.

Fig 21 shows three cuboids 20, 21, 22 closely linked together in a "knot" configuration, and Fig 22 shows three cuboids 20, 21, 22 tightly linked together in a chain.

Fig 23 shows an assembly of cuboids assembled from standard frame members shown in Fig 1 and incorporating one modified frame member 27 as shown in Fig 8 to join the two cuboids 25, 26 together, the cuboid 25 also including a modified frame member 28 as shown in Fig 9 to provide a link to a further cuboid.

Figs 24 to 31 show various different ways in which two cuboids can be linked together.

Fig 32 illustrates a separately formed bridge member 30 which may be slid over the ends of two frame members 31, 32 to connect the two frame members together as shown in Fig 32a. Fig 32b shows an arrangement whereby the same bridge 30 can be used to connect the two straight portions of adjacent frame members 33, 34 together. The bridge 30 may be made of either rigid or flexible material.

Fig 33 illustrates a clip 35 which may be used as an aid in assembling the cuboid, as shown in Fig 33a, the clip 35 serving to hold adjacent frame members 36, 37 together.

The clip comprises a straight portion 35a and a split cylindrical portion 35b which fits around the outside of the end portions of frame members 36, 37. A central cutout portion 35c allows the cuboid to be assembled with the clip in place, the cut-out portion 35c of the clip being aligned with the recess formed by the cut-out portions 36a, 37a of the respective frame members 36, 37.

Figs 34A and 34B each show modified frame members 40, 41, frame member 41 having end portions 41a and 41b of equal lengths and frame member 40 having end portions 40a, 40b of unequal length. Nine of these frame members can be assembled together as shown in Fig 34C, to make a configuration referred to as an offset double cuboid.

Figs 35A and 35B show further modified frame members, 42, 43. Piece 42 has end portions 42a, 42b of unequal length and frame member 43 has end portions 43a, 43b of equal length.

Fig 36 shows how a number of standard frame members as shown in Fig 1 may be combined with a number of frame members shown in Fig 35B to arrive at a cuboid configuration, and Fig 37 shows an assembly of twelve of the frame members of Fig 35A.

By altering the lengths of the end portions of each frame member and altering the radius of curviture of the cut-outs in the end portions, various different combinations of the puzzle may be achieved.

Fig 38 illustrates a different form of frame member which is produced in both left-handed (see 61, Fig 38A) and right-handed forms (see 62, Fig 38A). A left-handed frame member 61 is locked together with a right-handed fram member 62 to form the tetrahedron which is shown in elevation in Fig 38B Once the tetrahedron has been formed, several tetrahedrons can be linked together in a similar manner to the cuboids.

Claims (12)

1. A puzzle comprising a plurality of individual elongate pieces which are capable of being assembled to form a plurality of closed frames which are locked together.

2. A puzzle according to Claim 1, in which the pieces are capable of being assembled to form three separate closed frames which are locked together in three mutually perpendicular plans.

3. A puzzle according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which each frame is generally rectangular having first and second pairs of opposed parallel limbs.

4. A puzzle according to Claim 3 in which the first pair of limbs of the first frame holds captive therebetween the second pair of limbs of the second frame, the first pair of limbs of the second frame holds captive therebetween the second pair of limbs of the third frame, and the first pair of limbs of the third frame holds captive therebetween the second pair of limbs of the first frame.

5. A puzzle according to any of the preceding Claims in which at least one frame is built up from two U-shaped frame members.

6. A puzzle according to Claim 5 in which the ends of the U-shaped frame members are each shaped so as to define together first and second holding recesses within which can be located a piece of the associated frame to be held captive therein.

7. A puzzle according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 in which there are six frame members two of which, in the assembled puzzle, are located in each of three mutually perpendicular planes.

8. A puzzle according to any of the preceding Claims which when assembled is substantially in the form of a cuboid.

9. A puzzle according to any of Claims 5 to 8 and including at least one detachable clip for holding the two frame members of each frame together.

10. A puzzle according to any of Claims 5 to 9 in which each frame member is of circular cross section.

11. A puzzle according to Claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

12. A puzzle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.