Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
114Z193
The conventional jig-saw puzzle consists of a picture
borne on one flat surface of a sheet material such as cardboard
which has been cut, usually with a die in commercial "jig-saw"
puzzles, into numerous differently shaped pieces which can
only be fitted together in one way to reproduce the picture.
The person or persons working the puzzle, that is, trying to
reconstruct the original picture from the separated pieces,
use shape, color, etc. "clues" to determine correct fit.
Variations have been made on the basic jig-saw
puzzle. It has been known to provide pictures on both sides
of the sheet, even similar pictures, to increase the difficulty
and thus the challenge of the puzzle. A commercially available
jig-saw puzzle has been made which had only a uniform color
instead of a picture.
The present applicant has, in the commercially
available ShmuzzleT~ toys, provided an interlocking tesselation
toy wherein individual elements shaped, e.g., in the shape
of a lizard, may be assembled in numerous arrays.
SU~D~ARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention takes the jig-saw puzzle in
a different direction by providing a picture on a sheet of
material such as cardboard, which is cut into a plurality of
identically sized and shaped interlocking jig-saw elements.
This results in an increase in difficulty and greater challenge
to those who work it as many pieces can fit in different arrays.
Consequently, an equally difficult jig-saw puzzle can be made
with fewer pieces.
A second feature of the present invention would include
having the individual pieces be complex edqe outline tesselation
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~142~93
pieces in the shape of definite animals or characters and bear
indicia thereof so that they could, when turned that side up,
be used in the manner of a ShmuzzlesTM tesselation toy.
A third feature of the invention would be to have
the picture include picture sub-units that could be translated
and "correctly" assembled in different positions in the field
of the picture. For example, a picture of a room having a
picture sub-unit of a chair or window which could be placed
in different field positions. This yields a jig;-saw puzzle
with a number o~ different solutions.
Thus, the invention relates to a jig-saw puzzle
comprising a plurality of flat puzzle elements which are sized
and shaped identically to one another, in an animal or character
outline and each of which bears a portion of a picture on one
side thereof, which portion is not coextensive with a ~icture
sub-unit, and which may be assembled into an interlocking flat
array with the picture-bearing portions on the same side to
produce the picture, and wherein the puzzle elements are in the
outline shape of ~ complex tesselation element and interlock
together in a plurality of different orientations.
The invention, together with the advantaqes thereof,
may best be understood by reference to the following description
taken in connection with the accompan~ing drawings, in the
several figure of which like reference numerals identify like
elements.
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ll~Z193
~rief Descri~tion of the Fiqures
Pigure 1 is a plan view of a partially worked
jig-saw puzzle made in accordance with the principles
of the present invention;
Piaure 2 is a plan view of another ~ig-saw puzzle
made in accordance with the principles of the present
invention and constituting a second embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figur~ 2,
of the same embodlment of the invention, but with
sub~units of the picture.and puzzle elements in diff-
erent positions;
Figures 4, 5, and 6 are each plan views of a third
embodiment in a worked configuration, wherein different
solutions of the same puzzle are illustrated.
Figures 7 and 8 are plan views of a third and fourth
puzzle constructed in accordance with the present inven-
tion; and
Figure 9 is a plan view of the different puzzles of
Figures 7 and 8 united together in a single puzzle and
illustrating a feature of the present invention.
il4Z193
Detailed Description
Referring to ~igure 1, there is depicted a jig-saw
puzzle generally designated by the number 10. The
puzzle 10 is constructed in accordance with the principles
of the present invention and comprises a plurality of
identically sized and shaped flat ~uzzle elements desig-
nated 12A, 12B, etc, On one side of these puzzle elements
12A, 12B, etc. are printed portions of a picture, 14,
in this case a portrait of an individual.
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~1'1219~
Each o~ these elements 12A, etc., are complex
edge outline tesselation elements which interloc~ with
one another in an array. The afore~entioned Savage
application may be consulted for a general method for
deriving such shapes.
In this particular embodiment of Figure 1, the
field of the picture 14 is within the outline of the
tesselation array of only 18 elements for ease of illus-
tration. That is, the top border 16 and side borders18 and 20 are o~ the surfaces of the elements. In
general, however, any number of elements may be used
and the elements may themselves form the border by
having the picture printed over their entire surface.
This would be especially desirable in a puzzle wherein
a larger number of elements is employed.
In accordance with one feature of the invention,
the opposite side of the elements 12 of Figure 1 are
imprinted with indicia conforming to their lizard shape
as illustrated by the inverted elements 12G, 12H, and
12I which are illustrated interlocking together. This
allows this jig-saw puzzle to be used as either a jig-
saw puzzle or as a tesselation toy in the manner explained
in the aforementioned Savage application.
In Figure 2, a second embodiment of the invention,
a jig-saw puzzle lOA, is illustrated with more elements
of pieces 12. In this case, in accordance with another
feature and advantage of the invention, the picture 114
(which is for ease of illustration simplified) includes
a number of picture sub-units 14A~ 14B, 14C, 14D, 14E
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1~ 4~93
and 14F which because of the unicue "single shape"
element construction may be translated to other portions
of the picture field and yet a complete worked puzzle
still results. Referring to Pigure 3, a second working
of the puzzle 114 of Figure 2 is illustrated where~n the
picture sub-units 14B and 14D have been translated as
well as the picture sub-units 14A and 14F. That is,
the elements 12 bearing the picture sub-units have been
removed from the position in the array as shown in
Figure 2 and replaced in other positions as shown in
Figure 3.
Referring now to Figures 4,5, and 6, a third
embodiment of the puzzle designated 214 is there illus-
trated wherein the marginal pieces or elements 12 are
cut off to form a border 24 and also to yield a number
of small, more conventionally shaped jig-saw puzzle
pieces. These Figures 4, 5, and 6 illustrate that
despite this change ln contruction that picture sub-
units such as 14D and 14B can be moved or translated
(Figure 4 to Figure 5~. Note that flower pot picturesub-unit 14B i9 not simply replacing the chair sub-unit
14D but has been placed in another position and the
chair's position filled by other units.
In Figure 5 the sub-units 14E,-14F and 14A have
all been translated.
This points up the fact that the puzzle 214 has
a number of correct solutions and can go together in
many ways.
i~Z193
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It is believed that the ouzzles of the tyoe of
those illustrated in Figures 2 through 6 would be of
use in psychological testing and would be especially
useful in determining spatial disorientation. However,
the main utility is believed to be in providing a
jig-saw puzzle which is fun and challenging to work.
Referring now to Figure 7, there is depicted
another puzzle designated 314 which is made up of a
~ plurality of identicallv shaped and sized tesselation
elements such as 12. (For convenience in representation
the internal boundary lines are omitted in Figure 7.)
The puzzle 314 is shown "worked," that is with a
scene or picture 300 correctly made out of the puzzle
elements 12.
In Figure 8, a puzzle 414 similar in size and made
up of the same sized and shaped elements 12' as those
used in Figure 7 is shown. This puzzle is also shown
worked, with a different scene or picture 302.
Referring now to Figure 9, a puzzle 714 is there
shown which is made up of the two ouzzles 313 and 414
joined together to form a composite mural 602. That;is,
the scene 300 of the Figure 7 puzzle and the scene 302
of the Figure 8 puzzle are scenes of the mural 602.
By using such scenes, larger and more complicated
ouzzles such as 714 can be made of smaller puzzles such
as 314 and 414 There is, of course, no reason why one
should stop at two puzzles since many mural-like scenes
or pictures lend themselves to a large nu~ber of sub-
2193
units, each of which could be a true puzzle in and of
itself. The capacity to make these sub-units intercouple
with other sub-units into a larger picture is an advan-
tage of the present invention.
~ hile particular em~odiments of the invention have
been shown and described, it will be obvious to those
skilled in the art that changes and modifications may
be made without departing from the invention in its
broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the aPpended
claims is to cover all such chanaes and modifications
as fall within the true spirit and scope of the
invention.
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