Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
  • A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
  • A63F9/0613—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
  • A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
  • A63F9/0613—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts
  • A63F2009/0615—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts transparent
  • A63F2009/0619—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts transparent with an opaque part
  • A63F2009/062—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts transparent with an opaque part overlapping

Definitions

• This invention relates to a puzzle comprising a base surface and at least one puzzle element provided with at least one opening or transparent area surrounded by a nontransparent surface on which a part of a figure is provided.
• Puzzles exist whose puzzle elements are made of wood, cardboard or another nontransparent material . On every puzzle element a part of a figure is represented. In order to assemble the complete figure all puzzle elements must be placed on a base surface in the correct position next to one another. Often when forming a figure the puzzle elements must also be connected to each other, for example because of the fact that lateral projections of each puzzle element must be placed in corresponding notches of neighbouring puzzle elements. With this type of puzzle, puzzle elements are also found with an opening surrounded by the nontransparent material, in which another puzzle element must be placed in order to assemble the figure.
• the known puzzles are also significantly more difficult if a number of puzzle elements are provided with figure parts that strongly resemble one another. In order to achieve this however the choice of puzzle figure is limited and/or the puzzle elements have to be quite small.
• a purpose of this invention is to remedy the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a new type of puzzle whose level of difficulty is very much less dependent on the number, the size and the distinguishableness of the figure parts, so that for example puzzles with a small puzzle figure and with a relatively small number of well distinguishable figure parts can also be made as a difficult puzzle.
• a puzzle with a base surface and at least one puzzle element provided with at least one opening or transparent area surrounded by a nontransparent surface on which a part of a figure is provided, whereby on the base surface at least one other part of the figure is provided, and whereby the base surface is provided in order to cover a part of the puzzle element, so that the puzzle element on the base surface can be provided in a position whereby it is partially covered by the base surface, whereby an opening or transparent area coincides with a figure part on the base surface, and whereby this figure part and the figure part on the puzzle element are visible together in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• the base surface must be covered by one or several nontransparent areas of puzzle elements, on the part of this base surface to be covered, around the figure parts which are necessary for assembling the puzzle figure, other illustrations can also be provided, such as e.g. parts of one or several other figures, which are not usable for assembling the figure. Because of this it can be ensured that the usable figure parts are very difficult to distinguish from the other (unusable) illustrations on the base surface.
• Parts of different puzzle figures can also be provided on a base surface. On one and the same base surface various puzzle figures can then be formed with different series of puzzle elements.
• the parts of the puzzle element which are covered by the base surface can be provided with symbols or illustrations which are not usable for assembling the figure. These parts of the puzzle element can for example be provided with unusable figure parts, which also render the usable figure parts on the puzzle element difficult to distinguish. This makes the game more difficult.
• On these parts of the puzzle element numbers, texts, pictographs, and suchlike can be provided, which e.g. show information for the consumer. Such information must necessarily itself be provided on the puzzle element if the puzzle element is given separately (e.g. as collection element) to the consumer.
• the parts of the base surface that after the formation of the puzzle figure are not covered by a nontransparent area of a puzzle element, and are also not visible through an opening or transparent area of a puzzle element, can also for example be blank or provided with (parts of) a text or with one or several parts of the puzzle figure or with another figure. In this manner the puzz_le can also be made harder or easier.
• the puzzle according to this invention can also always be so made that it is very simple to assemble the puzzle figure. It can thus be indicated on the base surface which parts of this surface must be covered by the nontransparent areas of the puzzle elements when assembling the puzzle figure.
• the parts of the base surface to be covered can for example be left blank so that only the usable figure parts appear on the rest of the base surface.
• an illustration can also be provided of (a part of) the figure parts that are provided on the puzzle element that must be provided on that space on the base surface in order to form the puzzle figure.
• the whole puzzle figure can also be provided on the base surface, so that the assembly of the puzzle is effected by searching, for every puzzle element, which figure part on the base surface corresponds to the figure part on the puzzle element.
• a specific puzzle can also be made harder or easier by depicting more or less figure parts on the base surface.
• the level of difficulty of the puzzle is no longer principally determined by the size and the number of the puzzle elements and/or by the size of the puzzle figure the aforementioned characteristics can be determined in function of the space and the circumstances in which the puzzle figure is to be assembled and the desired level of difficulty can also be determined independently there from.
• the base surface is preferably provided with at least one slit into which a puzzle element can be slid so that this puzzle element is partially covered by the base surface.
• a puzzle element can be attached to the base surface. This is possible for example by ensuring that one or several corners or edge sections of the puzzle element must be provided in a slit of the base surface for the assembly of the figure.
• the aforementioned puzzle element has several openings or transparent areas which are separated from one another by a nontransparent surface on which one or several parts of the figure are provided, while on the base surface several figure parts are provided, so that the puzzle element can be provided on the base surface in a position whereby several openings or transparent areas thereof coincide with a respective figure part on the base surface, and whereby every figure part on the puzzle element and every figure part that coincides with an opening or transparent area thereof are visible together in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• the puzzle comprises a number of puzzle elements, which can be provided one above the other on the base surface in a position whereby at least one figure part on the base surface and at least one figure part of a puzzle element not located along the top coincide with (a part of) an opening or transparent area of each puzzle element lying above, so that the aforementioned figure parts are visible together with each figure part on the top puzzle element in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• Such a puzzle can even with a small number of puzzle elements be made as an especially difficult puzzle.
• a number of puzzle elements are so made that they can also be used as elements of a game with the purpose of the game being to stack up the elements such that with the (parts of) openings or transparent areas overlapping one another a figure is made visible.
• the purpose of the game being to stack up the elements such that with the (parts of) openings or transparent areas overlapping one another a figure is made visible.
• puzzle elements can be used both for forming a puzzle figure and for playing another game makes the puzzle and the puzzle elements in themselves especially attractive.
• This invention also relates to a puzzle element for a puzzle according to this invention, which is provided with an opening or transparent area surrounded by a nontransparent surface on which at least one part of a figure is provided, and which is destined to be provided on a base surface that is provided for covering a part of the puzzle element, and on which at least one other part of the figure is provided, in a position whereby the puzzle element is partially covered by the base surface, whereby the opening or transparent area coincides with a figure part on the base surface, and whereby this figure part and every figure part that is provided on the puzzle element are visible together in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• this puzzle element comprises several openings or transparent areas, and it is destined to be provided on a base surface on which several other parts of the figure are provided, in a position whereby several openings or transparent areas thereof coincide with a respective other figure part, and whereby every other figure part coinciding with an opening or transparent area and every figure part that is provided on the puzzle element are visible together in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• the puzzle element is provided in order to be used as element of a game with the purpose of the game being to stack up elements such that with the (parts of) openings or transparent areas overlapping one another a figure is made visible.
• the puzzle element is a collection element that is destined to be provided in a specific position on a base surface provided for the collection.
• Such a collection element can for example be obtained free of charge with the purchase of another product, in order to promote the sales of the product in question.
• a sheet can then for example be provided that forms a base surface, on which figure parts are provided so that the base surface and one or several collection elements form a puzzle according to this invention.
• this puzzle can be adapted to a great number of situations.
• This invention therefore offers the advantage that it is suitable to be utilised with greatly differing levels of difficulty in a great number of different places and circumstances .
• This invention further also relates to an apparatus comprising a screen and means for selecting at least one puzzle element and a position on a background for every puzzle element, provided in order to show one or several selected puzzle elements in the selected position against a background, and provided for obtaining a figure on the screen through a suitable selection.
• Another purpose of this invention is to provide such an apparatus, such as for example a computer, with which a puzzle figure can be assembled, moreover without having the above described disadvantages of known puzzles.
• the apparatus according to this invention is characterised in that at least one selectable puzzle element comprises a first area on which at least one part of the figure is represented, comprises a second area which is shown against the background as a transparent area, and comprises a third area which is shown in a selected position as an area covered by the background while at least one other part of the figure is shown on the background, so that the puzzle element can be selected in a position whereby it is partially covered by the background, whereby the second area coincides with a figure part shown on the background, and whereby this figure part and every figure part that is shown on the element are visible together in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• the apparatus according to this invention is so provided that at least one puzzle element comprises several second areas which are separated from one another by the first area on which one or several parts of the figure are provided, while several figure parts are provided on the background, so that the puzzle element can be selected on the background in a position whereby several second areas thereof coincide with a respective figure part on the background, and whereby every figure part on the element and every figure part that coincides with a second area thereof are visible in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• this apparatus is provided in order to select a number of puzzle elements one after the other in positions whereby they at least partially overlap one another, and whereby at least one figure part on the base surface and at least one figure part that is provided on a puzzle element not selected as last, coincide with (a part of) a second area of every puzzle element selected thereafter, so that the aforementioned figure parts together with every figure part that is provided on the last selected puzzle element are visible in a position required for the assembly of the figure.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a top view of a base surface of a puzzle according to this invention
• Figures 2, 3 and 4 are a schematic representation of a top view of three different puzzle elements of the puzzle of which the base surface has been represented in figure 1
• Figures 2, 3 and 4 are a schematic representation of a top view of three different puzzle elements of the puzzle of which the base surface has been represented in figure 1 ,
• Figure 5 is a schematic representation of a top view of a base surface of another puzzle according to this invention
• Figures 6 and 7 are a schematic representation of a top view of two different puzzle elements of the puzzle of which the base surface has been represented in figure
• Figure 8 shows a schematic cross-section of three puzzle elements which are stacked one on top of the other on a base surface in order together with their figure parts visible from the top to assemble a puzzle figure .
• this comprises a game board (12) of a nontransparent material, such as for example paper, cardboard, plastic or wood, on which three puzzle cards must be placed in a well-defined position in order to complete a puzzle figure.
• the puzzle figure is a continuous diagonally shaded surface, on the left of the vertical line in figure 1, and a diagonally shaded rectangle on a white background on the part of the game board (12) that is on the right of this vertical line in figure 1.
• the figure parts depicted on the game board (12) have been indicated by reference numbers (9), (10), (11).
• Each puzzle card (1), (2), (3) is a card of a flexible nontransparent material, such as paper, cardboard or plastic, in which an opening (4) is provided, whose shape corresponds to the shape of a figure part (9), (10), (11) on the game board (12).
• the material of each puzzle card forms a nontransparent surface ( 5 ) around the opening ( 4 ) , on which a figure part (6), (7), (8) is depicted which is missing on the game board (12).
• figure parts (9), (10), (11) on the game board (12) on the one hand and an opening (4) of the puzzle card (1), (2), (3) on the other hand is not necessary for this invention.
• figure parts (9), (10), (11) can also be provided with a shape which is totally different from the shape of the opening (4) coinciding there with.
• the principle of this invention only requires that what is visible through the opening or transparent area (4) is a part of the puzzle figure, and that this part is in a position in relation to the part (6), (7), (8) of the puzzle figure shown on the puzzle card (1), (2), (3) which is required for the assembly of the puzzle figure.
• two blank areas are provided on the game board (12) (on the left of the vertical line in figure 1) in order to indicate which part of this game board must be covered by nontransparent parts ( 5 ) of a puzzle card (1), (2).
• the shape of the puzzle cards (1), (2) themselves can be recognised on the game board.
• slits (13) are provided in the game board.
• the puzzle cards (2), (3) can be slid with an edge section into these slits (13), so that the puzzle card is attached to the game board (12).
• edge section of these puzzle cards (2), (3) disappears into the slits (13).
• This edge section which is indicated by wavy lines in figures 3 and 4, can be either transparent or nontransparent and unusable illustrations can be provided on these edge sections in order to make the usable figure parts less well distinguishable and thereby make the puzzle more difficult.
• the circle can be completed with the puzzle card (1) from figure 6.
• the figure which consist of two concentric circles can be completed with the puzzle card from figure 7.
• each puzzle card (1), (2) has several openings (4) whose shape corresponds to the shape of the figure parts (9), (10) depicted on the game board (12).
• the puzzle comprises a game board (12) on which two figure parts (9) are depicted and three puzzle cards (1), (2), (3), with openings (4) surrounded by a nontransparent surface (5), on which respective figure parts (6), (7), (8) are depicted.
• the puzzle cards (1), (2), (3) can be so laid on top of one another that the figure parts (9) of the game board (12) and the figure parts (6), (7) of the puzzle elements (1), (2), which are not the top puzzle element (3), come to lie under an opening (4) of each puzzle card lying above, and are therefore visible from above the pile of puzzle cards (1), (2), (3) together with the figure parts (8) of the top puzzle card (3). All visible figure parts (9), (6), (7), (8) are moreover in a position whereby the puzzle figure is assembled.
• the puzzle figure can be a drawing or a photograph, but can for example also be a number or a letter or a text.
• the figure parts (9), (10), (11) which must be visible through openings (4) of the puzzle cards (1), (2), (3) are preferably slightly larger than the openings (4), in order to avoid a disturbing blank edge or an illustration which is not a figure part from becoming visible through a small displacement of the puzzle card (1), (2), (3).

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3890792

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Citations (7)

• 1997
  • 1997-10-22 BE BE9700843A patent/BE1011509A5/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1998
  • 1998-10-22 AU AU97305/98A patent/AU9730598A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-10-22 WO PCT/BE1998/000157 patent/WO1999024131A1/nl not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-10-22 EP EP98951120A patent/EP1024868A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (7)

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