NZ539738A - Cube construction puzzle and board games using puzzle pieces - Google Patents

Abstract

A puzzle comprising a number of pieces that can be arranged to form a cube and games incorporating the puzzle are disclosed. Each piece has a unique geometric shape formed by surfaces oriented consistent with faces of the cube. Equivalently oriented surfaces throughout the pieces are marked with an identifier unique to that orientation. When the cube is formed, only one identifier is present on each of the cube faces. The puzzle may be implemented electronically.

Description

Patents Form No. 5 53<=?73<p Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 2 6 JUL 2006 RECEIV £D Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Patent Application No. 539738 filed on 28 April 2005 PUZZLE AND APPARATUS I, ANDREW' DAVID CRICHTON BAKER, a New Zealand citizen of 9B Awariie Crescent, Orakei, Auckland, hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in the following statement: 12080-002.0015 Puzzle and Apparatus TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to an apparatus which can be used as a puzzle and as a set for playing games.

BACKGROUND ART Many puzzles are known which require a person to take a set of different shaped pieces and fit them together to form a shape. More particularly these puzzles usually have a plurality of ^ solutions.

One of the problems with these types of puzzles is that they may not be sufficiently 10 challenging to an advanced puzzler.

In addition, once one has solved the puzzle, there is no further use for it. This is wasteful.

There is a need for an improved puzzle which is more challenging than the existing block puzzles.

In addition, it would be advantageous if a further use for the puzzle pieces could be developed. 15 By way of example if the pieces could be used to play a game.

^ OBJECT It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved puzzle which addresses at least one of the forgoing problems, or at least provides the public with a useful choice.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the invention relates to a puzzle apparatus comprising a plurality of pieces which can be arranged to form a cube, each piece: Having a unique geometric shape; Having surfaces oriented consistent with the faces of the cube; and 2 Equivalent surfaces throughout the plurality of the pieces being marked with an identifier unique to that orientation; so that when the pieces form the cube only one identifier is present on each of the cube faces. Preferably the pieces are further made up of a number of blocks.

More preferably the blocks are identical and will have unique identifiers on each of their six faces.

More preferably the identifiers are decorative and allow each face to be distinguished from the five other faces on the block.

Suitable identifiers include colours, numbers, letters, pictures, shapes and the like.

Preferably the cube is four blocks high, four blocks wide and four blocks deep.

More preferably there are 13 pieces each made of between four to five smaller blocks such that there is a total of 64 blocks forming the 13 pieces.

More preferably the pieces can be combined with a die and a board and used to provide a set of pieces for playing a game.

Preferably the puzzle may be provided as an electronic game.

In a further related aspect the invention relates to a set of apparatus for playing a game including: Game board; and A die; and A plurality of pieces which can be arranged to form a cube; where each piece is a unique geometric shape having surfaces oriented consistent with the faces of the cube and equivalent surfaces throughout the plurality of the pieces being marked with an identifier unique to that orientation.

Preferably, the geometric pieces comprise 12 unique pieces, each of which, comprise a plurality of small blocks and have surfaces which are oriented at 90 degrees relative to each other. Each block features a different identifier on each surface, the blocks are arranged so that the Intellectual Property Office of N.z. 18 APR 2008 RECEIVED 12080-002.0015 identifiers are arranged facing the same directions and so that over the 12 pieces there are equal numbers of block faces bearing each identifier. This being 43 for each identifier.

More preferably all surfaces on the pieces in the same orientation will be marked with the same identifier.

Preferably the game board is a simple grid of with a chequered arrangement having alternate squares blacked out.

More preferably the game board is a six by six grid.

^ Preferably the die is a single block with a different identifier on each face.

The game set may additionally include a single cube with each of its faces bearing a different 10 identifier.

Preferably a set of instructions for playing the game or games is included.

In a further related aspect the invention relates to a game using the apparatus set out above.

The rules of the game may vary, however examples of suitable games are set out in the following description.

Preferably the game may be provided as an electronic game.

) In a further related embodiment the invention relates to a set of apparatus that can be used for both playing a game and providing a puzzle which needs to be solved. The apparatus comprising the geometric pieces which combine to form a cube, together with a game board and a die.

In a preferred embodiment the identifiers are colours. In this case each face of the pieces is marked with a colour. When the cube is made up each of its faces is a certain colour. Alternately, the faces could be marked with any other identifier including, by way of example, numbers, letters, words starting with a particular letter and the like.

The pieces are described as being made up of a number of blocks. The blocks are joined 25 together to form the pieces. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that individual pieces 4 12080-002.0015 of the puzzle may be formed from a complete piece of wood. Alternately they may be integrally formed from a plastics material, such as propylene or polypropylene, through a moulding operation.

The present invention is advantageous as it provides a puzzle, the pieces of which can be used 5 to play one or more games. In addition, the inclusion of the identifiers limits the solutions to the puzzle resulting in a substantially more challenging puzzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention shall now be described with reference to one embodiment shown in the | accompanying drawings in which should not be taken as limiting the spirit or scope of the 10 invention.

Figure 1 displays the different game pieces and details the arrangement of the identifiers thereon.

Figure 2 displays the cube which results when the puzzle is solved.

Figure 3 displays the solution to the four by four cube puzzle.

Figure 4 displays the additional pieces that when combined with pieces 1 to 13 make up a set of pieces capable of arrangement into a five by five cube.

| Figure 5 displays the solution to the five by five cube puzzle.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Apparatus As can be seen in Figure 1, the game pieces are made of blocks. Each piece includes between about four and five blocks. In each of the pieces, the blocks are joined to one another along their faces. Additional blocks are added until the pieces are formed.

The blocks bear an identifier on each external face. In the present embodiment the identifier is a coloured dot. Dots of white, black, orange, red, green and yellow are present on the faces 25 of the blocks and therefore the pieces. As can be seen in Figure 1, each identifier is only used 12080-002.0015 on surfaces on one of the six possible orientations. So that faces in a first orientation will all be marked with yellow dots, faces in the second orientation will be marked with green dots arid so forth.

The arrangement of the identifiers on each block is shown by the single block in Figure 1. 5 This arrangement is kept consistent on each block, each piece and on the cube when completed. White dots 26 always appear opposite black dots 27. Orange dots 28 always appear opposite red dots 29. Green dots 30 always appear opposite yellow dots 31. As will be appreciated if the different identifiers are used the pattern of distribution will need to be conserved. •to The particular individual pieces are displayed in Figure 1. All pieces shown are in the same orientation. The pieces are arranged so the identifiers of the same type are facing the same direction.

Piece 1 has four individual blocks with a first base block having two other blocks joined to adjacent sides. A fourth block is placed on the top surface of one of these additional blocks.

Piece 2 has five individual blocks. A first base block has two blocks joined on adjacent sides. A further set of two blocks is stacked on top of the base block.

Piece 3 has five blocks. It has a base of four blocks joined together to form a square. A further block is attached on top of one of the base blocks.

Piece 4 has five blocks. It has a base block which has two blocks joined on adjacent sides. A 20 further pair of blocks is attached to a further side of the base block. The pair is attached perpendicular to the existing arrangement.

Piece 5 has five blocks. It has a base block which has two sets of two blocks attached to it. The two sets of two blocks are attached to adjacent sides of the base block and arranged so that at least one edge of the first set of blocks is next to one edge of the second set of blocks.

Piece 6 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A fourth block is attached to the first block in the row to form an L-shaped piece. A fifth block is attached to the third block in the row. This fifth piece is attached at 90° to the fourth block. 6 12080-002.0015 Piece 7 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A fourth block is attached to the first block in the row to form an L-shaped piece. A fifth block is attached to the second block so that the fifth block extends in the opposite direction to the fourth block.

Piece 8 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A two block set is connected to the second block. The set is perpendicular to the row.

Piece 9 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A fourth block is attached to the second block in the row. A fifth block is attached to the second block on a side adjacent to the fourth block.

Piece 10 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A two block set is attached to the first block in the row to form an L-shaped piece.

Piece 11 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A fourth block is attached to the first block in the row to form an L-shaped piece. A fifth block is attached to the fourth block on the side adjacent to where the fourth block is attached to the 15 third block.

Piece 12 has five blocks. It has a base block which has second and third blocks attached to adjacent sides. A fourth block is attached to the lower surface of the third block. A fifth block is attached to the fourth block at a side adjacent to the attachment to the third block.

Piece 13 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A further set of two blocks is attached to the under-surface so that the one side of each of the fourth and fifth block is attached to the first and second blocks of the row respectively.

Puzzle The thirteen pieces that make up the set for the puzzle are clearly illustrated in Figure 1.

To solve the puzzle the thirteen pieces in Figure 1 must be arranged to form a four by four 25 cube with each of the faces of the cube featuring dots of only one colour. This is shown in Figure 2. Furthermore each piece within the cube is orientated so that the dots face the same direction. 7 12080-002.0015 The solution to the puzzle is attached as Figure 3.

Game Play In addition to the puzzle the pieces can be combined with a die and a game board to provide a set for playing a variety of games.

The die has six faces each face being marked with an identifier. In the preferred embodiment the identifiers are coloured dots. The game is played on a simple six by six checker board.

The rules of a number of possible games are recorded below.

Twelve of the 13 pieces are used in the games. Piece 13 is removed. There is an equal incidence of dots of each colour across the 12 pieces used in the games (43 of each). The 10 games are about orientating and positioning chosen pieces on the board to control the opponent and to control the game. Each player and each colour has an equal chance of success. Each of the games last approximately 7-10 minutes.

The games will be described with reference to pieces featuring coloured dots as identifiers. Other identifiers can be used.

Example 1 This game can be played with two, three or four players.

^ The board, the die and pieces 1-12, are required. Piece 13 is removed - see Figure 1.

The goal of the game is to have the most territory covered on the board with a selected colour.

Player colours are selected by rolling the die. If a colour has previously been selected, the die 20 is rolled again.

The game begins when one player selects a piece from the pool of available pieces and places it, in any orientation they choose, on the board.

Players then take turns placing pieces on the board, with each subsequent piece being selected from the pool of remaining pieces. 8 12080-002.0015 Players may block their opponents by placing their pieces with a colour other than their own facing upwards and across their opponent's piece on the board.

All pieces must be placed so that they are able to remain in position untouched and unsupported by the player. Additionally, each piece must be placed so that at least one of its 5 coloured dots is touching the board.

A new piece may be rested over a previously placed piece of any colour, as long as it also remains in contact with the board. A new piece may be rested up against previously placed pieces, but not in order for it to be claimed as unsupported.

} Pieces must not fall outside the bounds of the board, even on the second or third levels above 10 the board's surface.

A player may not move a previously placed piece in order to make a move.

If, at any time, a player is unable to make a placement, they forfeit their turn.

Once all pieces have been placed, or no further placements can be made, each players' upwards facing coloured dots are counted.

The player who has the most dots of their predetermined colour facing upwards is declared the winner.

| Example 2 This game can be played with two, three or four players.

The board, the die and pieces 1-12, are required. Piece 13 is removed - see Figure 1.

The aim of the game is to have the most territory on the board with a selected piece colour. Territory includes both covered squares and empty squares on the board that are completely surrounded by a player's colour or the board edge.

Player colours are selected by rolling the die. If a colour has previously been selected, the die is rolled again. 9 12080-002.0015 The game begins when one player selects a piece from the pool of available pieces and places it, with their colour facing upwards, on the board. Each player must begin by placing then-piece in a corner square of the board.

Players then take turns placing pieces on the board, with each subsequent piece being selected 5 from the pool of remaining pieces.

Players advance and capture territory by placing pieces, with their designated colour always facing upwards, on the board. Each subsequent placement by a player must have direct, side-by-side (dot-to-dot) contact with one of their previous placements.

^ Players may cover their opponents' pieces on the board, as long as side-by-side (dot-to-dot) 10 contact is also established with their previously placed pieces and as long as the piece is able to remain in position untouched and unsupported by the player. Additionally, each piece must be placed so that at least one of its coloured dots is touching the board.

A new piece may be rested over a previously placed piece of any colour, as long as it also remains in contact with the board. A new piece may be rested up against previously placed 15 pieces, but not in order for it to be claimed as unsupported.

Pieces must not fall outside the bounds of the board, even on the second or third levels above the board's surface.

| A player may not move a previously placed piece in order to make a move.

If at any time a player is unable to make a placement, they forfeit their turn.

Once all pieces have been placed, or no further placements can be made, each player's coloured dots and territory are counted. Empty squares not completely surrounded by any one colour or the board edge are ignored when counting.

The player with the most territory covered or surrounded is the winner.

Example 3 This game can be played with two, three or four players. 12080-002.0015 The board, the die and all thirteen pieces are required.

The aim of the game is to prevent your opponent from being able to place a piece on the board.

The game colour is selected by any player rolling the die. Only one game colour is selected 5 for all players.

The game begins with the player who rolled the die placing piece 13 on the board. The piece can be placed in any position so long as the game colour is facing upwards. Players then take consecutive turns choosing pieces from the pool of 12 remaining pieces until all pieces have ^ been distributed equally.

Players then take turns placing pieces on the board with the game colour always facing upwards. The game colour must face upwards on all placements. However the orientation of the colours on the sides of the pieces as they are placed may differ.

All pieces must be placed so that they are able to remain in position untouched and unsupported by the player. Additionally, each piece must be placed so that at least one of its 15 coloured dots is touching the board.

A new piece may be rested over a previously placed piece, as long as at also remains in contact with the board. A new piece may be rested up against previously placed pieces, but not in order for it to be claimed as unsupported.

Pieces must not fall outside the bounds of the board, even on the second or third levels above 20 the board's surface.

A player may not move a previously placed piece in order to make a move.

The last player to successfully place a piece onto the board is the winner.

Example 4 This game can be played with only two players.

The board, the die and pieces 1-12 are required. Piece 13 is removed - see Figure 1. 11 12080-002.0015 The aim of the game is to place pieces on the board so that five horizontal, vertical or diagonal dots of the same colour are facing upwards.

Player colours are selected by rolling the die. If a colour has previously been selected, the die is rolled again.

The game begins when one player selects a piece from the pool of available pieces and places it on the board. This first placement must cover at least three of the four middle squares of the board.

Players then take turns placing pieces on the board, with each subsequent piece being selected from the pool of remaining pieces.

Pieces can be placed on the board in any orientation and with any colour facing upwards, a strategy that enables blocking of an opponent's next move.

All pieces must be placed so that they are able to remain in position untouched and unsupported by the player. A new piece may be rested up against previously placed pieces, but not in order for it to be claimed as unsupported.

If a piece is put down with the player's colour facing upwards, however, it must be placed so that at least one of its coloured dots is touching the board's surface. If a piece is placed with an alternate colour facing upwards, it may be placed directly across other pieces, without touching the board's surface.

Pieces and dots may be situated on different levels and still be considered to be in a line.

Pieces must not fall outside the bounds of the board, even on the second or third levels above the board.

A player may not move a previously placed piece in order to make a move.

The first player to successfully place their pieces on the board with five dots of their colour in a line is declared the winner. 12 12080-002.0015 Further embodiment As will be appreciated the apparatus is not limited to a set of pieces capable of forming a four by four cube. Alternative sets of pieces may be used to allow the pieces to form cubes of other sizes. By way of example a set of pieces, which when combined with pieces 1 to 13, 5 can be arranged to form a five by five cube, is shown in Figure 4.

As can be seen from Figure 4 there are 12 additional pieces which combine with the pieces shown in Figure 1 to form the set for the five by five cube. All pieces are marked with the identifiers. The identifiers are arranged in the same arrangement as for the four by four set. White is always opposite black. Orange is opposite red. Green is positioned opposite yellow, •to As with Figure 1, all the pieces shown are arranged with the identifiers facing the same direction throughout the 12 additional pieces.

Pieces 1 to 13 are identical to those pieces used in the set for the four by four cube. These pieces are not shown in Figure 4 and shall not be described again here. Pieces 14 to 25 are additional and are described below.

Piece 14 has five blocks. It has a base comprising three blocks arranged in a row. A further two blocks are attached on opposite sides of the middle block to form a cross structure.

Piece 15 has five blocks. It is similar to piece 11 except that different faces of the component blocks are connected.

Piece 16 has six blocks. It has a similar arrangement of blocks to piece 13. There is a base of 20 three blocks. A set of two blocks is added and sits on top of the first two blocks in the base. A sixth block is attached to the first of the two block set. The attachment is to the side of the block adjacent to the attachment to the base.

Piece 17 has five blocks. There is a base comprising three blocks in a row. This is positioned vertically. A fourth block is attached to the first of the blocks in the base. A fifth block is 25 attached to the third block in the base. The fourth and fifth blocks are attached on opposite sides of the base. 13 12080-002.0015 Piece 18 has five blocks. There is a base comprising three blocks in a row. This is positioned vertically. A two block piece that extends from the central block in the base so that a T shaped block is formed.

Piece 19 has five blocks. The arrangement is similar to piece 11 except that the two piece set 5 is attached to a different face of the base.

Piece 20 has five blocks. There are two, two block sets which are connected to each other at the sides of one block from each of the two sets. They thus form a base. A fifth block is placed on the upper surface of one of the central blocks of the base.

Piece 21 has five blocks. There is a base formed of a two block set. A further two block set 10 is placed on top of the base. This second set is arranged so that the first of the blocks in the second set on one of the blocks in the base. A further block rests on top of the second block in the second two block set.

Piece 22 has five blocks. It has the five blocks arranged to form a zigzag arrangement.

Piece 23 has five blocks. It has a base of three blocks arranged vertically. A fourth block is 15 attached to the second block in the base. A fifth block is attached to the third block in the base. The fourth and fifth blocks are attached on adjacent faces of the base.

Piece 24 has five pieces. It has a base of three blocks. A fourth block is attached to the third ^ block of the base so that an L-shaped piece is formed. A fourth block is attached on top of the second block in the base.

Piece 25 has five blocks. It has a base of three blocks where two of the blocks are attached to adjacent sides of the first block. A further two block set is attached on top of the base.

The puzzle works in the same way as for the four by four cube. The 25 pieces may be fitted together to form a five by five cube with all the pieces arranged so that like identifiers face the same direction. The solution is shown in Figure 5.

Pieces 1 to 25 may be used in combination with a die and a board to play similar games as played with the four by four cube set. In this case the board will be a standard chess board of ten by ten squares. As with the set for the first embodiment one of the pieces is removed for 14 12080-002.0015 game play to ensure that an equal number of each identifier is available. In the case of the 25 piece set, piece number 7 is removed.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art there are a variety of other games that are playable with the pieces, board and die. The inclusion of the identifiers on the pieces allows for the increased difficulty of the puzzle and for the game play options. This means that the apparatus can form a dual purpose of being a challenging puzzle as well as being useful as a set for game play.

Claims (20)

We Claim:

1. A puzzle comprising a plurality of pieces which can be arranged to form a cube, each piece: (a) Being a unique geometric shape; 5 (b) Having surfaces oriented consistent with the faces of the cube; (c) Equivalent surfaces throughout the plurality of the pieces being marked with an identifier unique to that orientation; so that when the pieces form the cube only one identifier is present on each of the cube faces. 10

2. A puzzle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pieces are further made up of a number of blocks.

3. A puzzle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the blocks are identical and will have unique identifiers on each of their six faces.

4. A puzzle as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the identifiers are decorative and 15 ' allow each face to be distinguished from the five other faces.

5. A puzzle as claimed in claim 4 wherein the identifiers are colours, numbers, letters, pictures, shapes and the like.

6. A puzzle as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 wherein the cube is four blocks high by four blocks wide and four blocks deep. 20

7. A puzzle as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 wherein there are 13 pieces each made of between four to five smaller blocks such that the number of blocks in the 13 pieces sum to 64.

8. A puzzle as claimed in any previous claim wherein the pieces can be combined with a die and a board and used to provide a set of pieces for playing a game. 16 2 3 NOV 2007 JVEDl

9. A puzzle as claimed in any previous claim wherein the puzzle is provided as an electronic puzzle.

10. A set of apparatus for playing a game including: (a) Game board; 5 (b) A die; and (c) A plurality of pieces which can be arranged to form a cube; where each piece is a unique geometric shape having surfaces oriented consistent with the faces of the cube and equivalent surfaces throughout the plurality of the pieces being marked with an identifier unique to that orientation. 10

11. A set of apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the pieces are further made up of a number of blocks.

12. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 11 wherein the equivalent surfaces throughout the plurality of the pieces are marked with the same identifier.

13. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 11 or 12 wherein the die is a 15 single block with the six identifiers each falling on a different face.

14. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13 wherein the set includes 12,13,24 or 25 pieces.

15. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in any of claims 10 to 14 wherein the game board is a simple grid of alternate squares. 20

16. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 15 wherein the game board is a six by six grid.

17. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 15 wherein the game board is an eight by eight grid.

18. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed in claim 10 wherein a set of 25 instructions for playing the game or games is included. 17 Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 18 APR 2008 RECEIVED

19. A set of apparatus for playing a game as claimed any of claims 10 to 18 wherein the inclusion of a further geometric piece allows the pieces to be assembled to form a cube having a single type of identifier on each face.

20. 5 21. 22. 23. 10 24. A game using the apparatus as claimed in claims 10 to 15. A game as claimed in claim 20 wherein the game is provided as an electronic game. The puzzle as claimed in claim 1 as described in the specification with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings. The set of apparatus as claimed in claim 10 as described in the specification with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings. The game as claimed in claim 20 as described in the specification with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings. END OF CLAIMS Intellectual Property Office of z 1 8 APR 2008 18 iff re