US3510134A - Geometric puzzle - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1970 H. A. BROOKS ETAL 3,510,134

GEOME'QI'RIC PUZZLE Filed Nov. 20, 1967 F'IG.1.

INVENTORS WOW/9,80 4 5200A: 77 09001505 .6? Caerz ATTOR N EYS United States Patent 3,510,134 GEOMETRIC PUZZLE Howard A. Brooks and Thaddeus B. Curtz, Ann Arbor, Mich., assignors to KMS Industries, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 20, 1967, Ser No. 684,163 Int. Cl. A63f 9/12; A63h 33/06 US. Cl. 273-157 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a geometric puzzle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple puzzle of solid objects which can be fitted together to present a complete geometric shape, the clues being embedded in the puzzle.

It is a further object to present a puzzle which challenges the space perception capabilities of the player.

Another object of the invention is the forming of a puzzle which is attractive in its dissassembled form as well as its assembled form and which can be of interest to persons of all ages,

Other objects and features of this invention will be apparent from the following description and claims in which there is found the manner of making and using the invention and the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out this invention.

Drawings accompany this disclosure and the various views thereof may be briefly described as:

FIG. 1, a perspective view of the assembled puzzle.

FIG. 2, a side elevation of the assembled puzzle.

FIG. 3, an exploded view of the puzzle showing the respective parts.

FIG. 4, a view of a modified form of construction.

With reference to the drawings, the embodiment shown has a predetermined shape of a large cube 10 formed of a transparent material such as a transparent plastic. The cube is formed by eight smller shapes which, in the example shown, are also cubes.

The smaller fragmentary cubes designated 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 are shown in separated form in FIG. 3. When the composite cube is viewed in FIG. 1, it will be seen that there are geometric objects extending through the block 10 which form continuous recognizable patterns. In the examples shown, these objects are slender rods or recesses or extended shapes, filamentary in character which match up from block to block in the smaller cubes.

In FIG. 2, three different shapes are shown in endview cross-section. In block 11 is a triangular rod 21; in block 14, a round rod 24; in block 15, a square rod and in block 18, a rectangular rod 28. The continuation of these rods into blocks 12, 13, 16 and 17 is illustrated in both FIGS. 1 and 3. Other rods disposed perpendicular to those above described include a small triangular rod 31, a square rod 32, a rectangular rod 33, and a slender round rod 34.

It will be seen that the filaments or rods 21, 24, 25, 28 continue as rods 21A, 24A, 25A and 28A in blocks 12, 13, 16 and 17. Also, rods 31, 32, 33, 34 continue as rods 31A, 32A, 33A and 34A in blocks 15, 16, 17 and 18.

Thus, the embedded filaments or rods, which can be in attractive colors as well as varying shapes, serve as clues to enable a player to assemble the puzzle so that all of the embedded shapes match up. The puzzle can be made more difiicult by making all of the rods of the same sham, color, and size so that location only is the clue. Variations of combinations of shapes and colors can be used.

When all of the blocks are disassembled and jumbled, some little patience and persistence is required to reassemble in the proper positioning to bring all the embedded clues into proper alignment.

It will be recognized that other geometric shapes than those illustrated may be used for the overall shape, the fragmentary shapes, and the embedded shapes, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In FIG. 4, a modified construction is shown. It will be understood that the individual parts of the master threedimensional figure may be formed as hollow members as well as solid. For example, in FIG. 4, there is shown a cube 40 with a hollow interior but still carrying embedded geometric forms such as the rectangular shaft 42 and the triangular shaft 44 to align with similar structures in adjacent hollow cubes. This construction presents some manufacturing advantages and reduces the cost of material. It serves equally well in the purpose of providing a unit element of a larger geometric design.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A puzzle which comprises a solid geometric threedimensional, master shape formed of transparent material fragmented into a plurality of smaller discrete, unconnected three-dimensional geometric shapes on cleavage planes, each having formed therein, at selected orientations, permanently located, additional geometric configurations visible through the material from which the master shape is made and cleaved at the cleavage surfaces of the smaller shapes to serve as clues in re-assembling the master shape.

2. A puzzle which comprises a geometric master block of predetermined shape formed of a plurality of smaller discrete, unconnected geometric blocks, each formed with a hollow interior surrounded by transparent walls which interfit at adjacent surfaces to form the master block, each smaller block having formed within and between the walls thereof, at selected orientations, permanently located, additional visible geometric configurations which terminate and align at adjacent interfitting surfaces to serve as clues in the re-assembly of the master block.

3. A puzzle which comprises a plurality of eight individual, identically-shaped, discrete, unconnected cubes formed of transparent material and adapted to fit together to form a larger tube, each individual cube having, within its sides, two or more straight visible filaments, each of a partirular color, disposed off-center and extending perpendicular to and terminating at two parallel sides of that cube, each filament in each individual cube being disposed to register in end-to-end relation with a similar filament of a similar color in an adjacent cube when the individual cubes are properly assembled into the larger cube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,992,829 7/1961 Hopkins 273- 1,236,234 8/1917 Troje 46-23 2,280,609 4/ 1942 Williamson 273-157 3,069,805 12/1962 Burrows.

3,222,072 12/ 1965 Dreyer 273-157 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner US. 01. X.R. 46-24

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