Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a manually operable
puzzle game of the type designed for disposing a plurality
of pegs in a predetermined order.
Normally, in puzzle games, it ls most important to
create difficulties and confusion by re-arranging various
pieces, drawings, or other elements identified with nurnbers
and/or colours, which have been placed at random. ~he idea
is to re-arrange them according to a predetermined order
for which the game has been conceived~ Presently, there
is an increasing nurnber of games that must be continuously
rotated to see which side is occupied by the piece which
should be moved. This forms part of the difficulties and
charm of certain games. However, it is also interesting
to be able to observe the game in its entirety on one plane
only, because with one single look the running of the game
is easier to understand.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
a game which makes use of pegs that can be moved by means of
pusher members.
According to the present invention, there is
provided a manually operable puzzle game intended to provide
an orderly arrangement of a plurality of pegs compsing a
base, a playing surface provided above said base, said
playi.ng surface comprising a plurality of rows~ and a
plurality of columns which are transverse with respect
to said rows. Each row and each column proviaes a plurali~.y
o~ positions so that one position corresponds to one
specific row and one specific column. A plurality of
movable pegs are also provided which are each intended
to occupy one said position, each pe~ ca.r~^y.ing .identi~ica-
tion means intended to provide an orderly arranc3emellt of
said pegs by properly aligninc3 same on the L`OWS ~nd co.~umns
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of said playing surface. A frame is mounted above said
base defining the outer boundaries of said playing surface
and pusher means are provided to abut a peg at one end of
a row and to enable to push said peg against the remaining
pegs in said row until all said pegs of said row have been
displaced to the next position and the peg at the other end
of said row enters underneath said frame. Displacement
means enable to move the pegs of a column by one position
without disturbing the relative arrangement of said pegs
in said column, the pegs occupying the positions in said
column bordering said fra~e being insertable underneath
said frame.
The invention will now be illustrated by means of
the enclosed drawings which are given only as an illustration
and without any intention to limit the scope of the invention~
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the
invention:
Figure 2 is an elevation view of the same;
Figure 3 is a view in elevation of a displacing
member, partly in cross-section, also showin~ one of the
spacer members;
Figure 4 shows a portion of the base 9 at a corner
thereof;
Figure 5 is a view of the pegs from above,
Figure 6 is a view in elevation, partly in cross-
section, of the game illustrated in Figure 1,
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the base and of
some of the elements of the invention;
Figure 8 is a view in elevat.;.on of the ~ase;
Figure ~ i5 a view in elevation of an asselllbly
in cross-section, show.ing the pusher member in fully e~ten<~e~
~8~3~
position;
Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 while
the pusher member is in the central position;
Figure 11 is a top plan view of the upper part
of the game'
Figure 12 is a view in elevation of the part
illustrated in Figure 11;
Figure 13 is a view in elevation of a displacing
member, partly in cross-section, in an e~treme position of
the displacing member;
Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13 with the
displacing member in a central position;
Figure 15 is a top view of the spacer according
to the invention;
Figure 16 is a cross-section taken along line
D-D of Figure lS;
Figure 17 is a view in elevation of the spacer
illustrated in Figure 15;
Figure 18 is a plan view of the other spacer,
Figure 19 is a cross-section taken along line
E-E of Figure 18;
Figure 20 is a top view of a pusher member accord-
ing to the invention,
Figure 21 is a view in elevation of a displacing
member according to the invention;
Figure 22 i5 a cross-section taken along line
A-A o~ Figure 21,
Figure 23 is a cross-section taken along line
B-B of Figure 21;
Figure 24 is a view of another pusher men~er
according to -the inven-tion.
E`i~ure 25 :i~ a view in eleva~ion o.~ the pns~ht?r
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mernber illustrated in Figure 24;
Figure ~6 is a cross-section taken along line
C-C of Figure 25;
Figure ~7 is a plan view of an example in operation
of an embodiment of the invention,
Figure 2~ represents a plan view of the same
ernbodiment in operation;
Figure 29 represents a plan view of the same
embodiment in operation; and
Figure 30 represents a plan view of the ernbodiment
after certain operations.
The puzzle game which is illustrated comprises a
hase 1 which is arranged to contain all the components of
the garne, as particularly shown in Figures 1-10 of the
drawings. Above the base, there is provided a playing
surface which will be defined later. With particular refer-
ence to Figures 7 and 8, it will be seen that the base is
rectangular and has wing-shaped mernbers 11 at the four
corners thereof. In addition, spacing flanges 12 and 13
are provided with each win~ member llo Finally, at the
junction between the spacing flanges 12 and 13, there is
a dowel-receiving hole 14. Projecting from the four sides
of the base 1, there is a plurality of tabs 15. Each of
these tabs corresponds with both ends of the elongated and
longitudinal mernbers S and 6 which will be defined later.
A dent 17 project~ from each of the tabs 15 the purpose
of which will be de~ined later.
Looking at Figures 1~6, it will be seen that the
playing surface is divided into a plurality of horizontal
rows and a plurality of vertical columns ~ich are transverse
with respect to -the rows. It will be obvious that each row
and each colurnn provides a pL~lrality of positions SO that
. ~ i
one position corresponds to one specific row and one
specific column.
With reference to Figures 16, 17, 18 and 19, it
will be seen that the game comprises a pair of elongated
spacer members 3 and 4. Each spacer member is provided
with lower dowels 18 and 19 and upper dowels 20 and 21,
all as shown in Figures 3 and 17 of the drawings. The
dowels 18 and 19 are received in the holes 14 of the base
for mounting the elongated spacer members 3 and 4. Of
course, the dowels should be dimensioned to spacedly
mount the elongated spacer members above the base along
opposite sides thereof. With respect to the dowels 20 and
21, they are provided to engage holes 22 provided in the
frame 2, which will be described later.
With respect to Figures 9, 10, 24, 25 and 26, it
will be seen that there are provided a plurality of elongated
members 5, there being one elongated member 5 for each row on
the playing surface. The elongated member 5 comprises an
intermediate blade portion 22 which is slidable underneath
the elongated spacer 4. The elongated member 5 has an
abutment 23, 24, at both ends to abut a peg 7 at one end
of a particular row. The idea is to move all the pegs of
one row in either direction. Referring particularly to
Figure 25, it will be seen that each elongatecl member 5
has second abutments 25, 26 which would cause the elongated
member 5 to abut the spacer members 3, 4 in order to stop
the sliding of the elongated member when a peg at the end
of one row has been received underneath the frame ~
The game also comprises a plurality of longituclinal
members 6 which are transverse with respect to the eloncJated
members 5. There is provided one longitudinal me~ el 6 ~or
each column. The longitlldinal men~er 6 has an intermediate
_~, Li ~--
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raised blade portion 27 which is slidable over the inter-
mediate blade 22. The raised blade portion 27 carries
T-shaped hooking members 28 corresponding to each peg
7. Since the latter are C-shaped, as particularly shown
in Figure 3 of the drawings, they can easily be engaged
and ride over the T-shaped hooking men~ers 28. Tn this
manner, the longitudinal member 6 can move the engaged
pegs 7 along a particular column, while enabling the
elongated menber 5 to slide a peg from one position over
one hooking member 2~3 to the next one in the adjacent posi-
tion.
As shown in the drawings, the longitudinal members
5 are engaged together by tongue and groove engagement so as
to enable all the longitudinal members to create a perfectly
even surface.
Finally9 it will be seen that the elongated member
6 has abutments 29 and 30 which are adapted to come to rest
against the extreme elongated members ~ when sliding the
longitudinal members 6.
With respect to the tabs 15, it will be noted that
each of them has an upward dent 31 while both -the elongated
and longitudinal members 5 and 6 have downward dents 3~.
T~e idea is that when the dents at both ends of the elonc~ated
and longitudinal members are in abutment with the dents pro-
vided on the tabs 15 5 the elongated and longitudinal members
are centered and the pegs should occupy all the positions on
the pla~ing surface of the game. By causing the elongated
or longitudinal member to jump over the dent 31 provided on
a peg 15, it is possible to slide one of these men~bers until
it abuts either a spacer 4 or a lollc3itlldiIlal men~er ~.
To play the game, it is merely necessary to create
a confusion of the pec~s 7 by matloeuve~nin~3 the ~lotlcl~ted and
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longitudinal members 5 and 6 after which the idea is to re-
arrange the pegs in the proper order.
Figures 26 to 28 which illustrate an arranyement
of pegs of different colours illustrate how the game
operates. For convenience, the frame can carry indications
of colour, as shown in Figure 27.
Otherwise, the game is self-explanatory.
