GB2276829A - Assembly game toy. - Google Patents

Abstract

An assembly game/toy consists of flat pieces with parallel equally-spaced slots. The slots enable the pieces to be interlocked to make geometrical forms such as cubes, cones and spheres and non-geometrical forms such as a robot, a toy vehicle and a model aeroplane. <IMAGE>

Description

A88EMBLY GAME/TOY UTILIZING GROUPS OF sLOTTED-FLAT SHAPES This invention relates to the games/toys field.

Assembly games/toys are well known type of games/toys.

They utilize group(s) of basic units which when assembled give the desired form. The way to assemble these basic units vary from one game/toy to another.Some are assembled with screws others with pegs and holes others with hooks ...etc.

According to the present invention there is provided an assembly game/toy consists of flat pieces with parallel equally-spaced groups of slots.

Different numbers of these slots and different spaces between them could be applied for different productions of the game/toy. The width of a slot corresponds to the thickness of the flat piece itself.

The flat pieces interlock/intersect together through the slots forming three dimensional compositions. These compositions can be approximations of the basic solids (i.e.

Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Cone) and/or any geometrical or non geometrical (free) composition, depending on the type, shape and number of pieces used. It also depends on the skills and imagination of the player/user.

The flat pieces are categorized into groups of regular shapes (geometrical) and non-regular shapes (free depending on the composition to be created). These groups are: 1. Squares.

2. Rectangles.

3. Triangles.

4. Hyperbolas.

5. Circles and semicircles.

6. Ellipses.

7. Other Geometrical shapes ( they might be combinations or parts of the above groups).

8. Various irregular flat pieces specially chosen to form predetermined 3-dimensional compositions (e.g. plane, ship, ...etc.).

9. Diverters: the word diverter here refers to any piece which belongs to any of the above groups, having either a. slots in more than one direction (e.g. vertically and horizontally) or b. groups of slots of different thicknesses, numbers and spaces in-between.

The second type would be used to solve the problem of incompatibility between different productions of the game/toy if they were of different sizes.

Different materials with different colors and sizes may be used in the production of the game/toy.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows sample pieces for each of the above groups; Figure 2 shows a group of flat pieces that are used as components of the compositions following in figures 3 to 5 Figure 3 shows the basic solids (cube, sphere, cylinder and 'cone) Figure 4 shows plan, elevation and oblique of a robot; Figure 5 shows plan, elevation, and two obliques of a truck ; Figure 6 shows the component-pieces, plan and elevation of a plane ;and Figure 7 shows two obliques of the plane.

Drawings in Fig 1. illustrate sample(s) of each group of pieces mentioned above (R1 group 1, R10 group 2, T1 group 3, P1 group 4, C1 group 5, El group 6, G group 7, FREE1 group 8, DIV1 & DIV2 & DIV3 group 9). Different sizes and number of slots (also different shapes for groups 7,8,9 ) can be applied.

Drawings in Fig 2. illustrate the very basic pieces (except for DIV1 piece) to compose the basic solids (Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Cone) which are shown in Fig 3. Different numbers of pieces will be needed for each solid.

Using these very basic pieces any composition can be created depending on the number of pieces used and the imagination of user. Fig 4. illustrates plan, elevation and oblique views of a robot created using (6) Rls, (8) RlOs, (2) Cls, (4) C2s, (4) C5s, (5) Coos, (4) Clls and (2) Ci3s pieces.

Adding the use of DIV1 piece (diverter) a truck composition is illustrated in Fig 5.

Fig 6. shows pieces that belong to group 8 and 9 which were used along with the circular pieces to create the form of a plane whose plan and elevation are also shown in Fig 6., while two obliques of the same plane are shown in Fig 7.

This game/toy as shown in Figures 1-7 is a very good means to illustrate transformation from 2-dimensional world into the 3-dimensional one ; square to cube, circle to sphere ...etc.

If pieces with different slot-sizes, numbers and spaces in-between are to be produced and manufactured (depending on the age to whom the game/toy is marketed); the problem of incompatibility between these sizes will be solved with diverters of type (b) that have different groups of slots with different sizes, spaces in-between, and numbers. Also the diverter thickness will vary in the areas of different groups to match with the thickness of the corresponding slots.

Claims (6)

1. An assembly game/toy consists of flat pieces with parallel equally-spaced groups of slots.

2. An assembly game/toy as claimed in claim 1 utilizing the idea of interlocking/intersecting of pieces via the slots as its assembly method.

3. An assembly game/toy as claimed in claims 1,2 that could be produced and manufactured in different sizes depending on the spaces between the slots, their number and thickness in the flat piece.

4. An assembly game/toy as claimed in claim 3 where the problem of incompatibility between different sizes of the game/toy is solved by a special flat piece which holds more than one group of slots either of the same size or of different sizes, numbers and spaces in-between.

5. An assembly game/toy as claimed in claims 1,2 where the flat pieces can be geometrical to compose the basic solids or any other geometrical composition, or they can be non-geometrical (free) specially designed to create a predetermined form.

6. an assembly game/toy substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-7 of the accompanying drawings.