Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
131581 l)
MULTI-LEVEL CROSSING MAZE TOY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional ball carrying toy has been proposed in
which an iron ball is rolled from a start portion to a goal
portion of a passage formed by pins or the like on a
double-construction upper plate surface, and a circular
opening for causing the iron ball to be fallen on a lower
plate surface to return it to the start portion and a nar-
row communication passage are aligned in a suitable loca-
tion of said passage. A further proposal has been made in
which as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication
No. 28637/1983, a plurality of annular squares mutually as-
sociated are incorporated into a cube, a portion of the
start end to the terminal of the cube is communicated by
through-holes formed in the sides of the plurality of an-
nular squares and a Celluloid ball with a bell inserted
therein is inserted from the top interiorly of the cube and
removed from the lower portion.
In the conventional ball carrying toy, a ball is moved
from the upper portion to the lower portion within a box
incorporated in plane or in cubic, and merely passes
through the determined passage, and therefore, it is pos-
sible to reduce the moving time from the start portion to
the goal portion through the technical exercise but a brain
judgement, a thinking power and a patience cannot be
naturally learned.
74220-1
1 3 1 5~ i 5
SUMMARY OF T~IE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a multi-level crossing
maze toy comprising a combination of the required number of solid
single cubes, first singlecubes formed in its front surface with
a circular opening and having a dead end continuous to said
circular opening and having the same size as that of said solid
single cube, second single cubes formed in its front and back
surface portion with a circular opening and having a linear
passage continuous to said circular opening and having the same
size as that of said solid single cube, third single cubes formed
in its front and upper surface portion with a circular opening
and having a curved passage continuous to said circular opening
and having the same size as that of said solid single cube,
fourth single cubes formed in its front surface, upper surface
and back surface portions with a circular opening and having a
T-passage continuous to said circular opening and having the
same size as that of said solid single cube, fifth single cubes
formed in its front surface, upper surface and right surface
portions with a circular opening and having a right-angled three-
forked passage crossing at right angles to and continuous tosaid circular opening and having the same size as that of said
solid single cube, sixth single cubes formed in its front surface,
left surface, back surface and right surface portions with a
circular opening and having a cross passage continuous to said
circular opening and having the same size as that of said solid
single cube, seventh single cubes formed in its front surface,
left surface, back surface, right surface and upper surface
1 3 1 5~ 1 5 7~220-1
portions with a circular opening and having the same size as that
of said solid single cube, and eiyhth single cubes formed in its
front surface, left surface, back surface, right surface, upper
surface and bottom surface portions with a circular opening and
having a six-forked passage crossing to and continuous to said
circular opening and having the same size as that of said solid
single cube to form a combined hexahedron, a multi-level crossing
maze in which said combined hexahedron has two surfaces formed
with an entrance or an exit is formed, and an insertable ball is
movably introduced into said multi level crossing maze.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partly cutaway perspective view of a
B 2a
1 31 5~1 5
multi-level crossing maze toy according to the present
invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a solid single
cube; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first single cube
having a dead end passage; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of
a second single cube having a linear passage; FIG. 5 is a
perspective view of a third single cube having a curved
passage; FIG. 6 is a perspective view o~ a fourth single
cube having a T-passage; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a
fifth single cube having a right-angled three~forked
passage; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sixth single
cube having a cross passage; FIG. 9 is a perspective view
of a seventh cube having a five-forked passage; FIG. 10 is
a perspective view of an eighth single cube having a six-
forked passage; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a multi-
level crossing maze toy according to the present inventioncomprising a combined hexahedron having three rows in a
longitudinal direction, three rows in a lateral direction,
and three rows thicknesswise; FIG. 12 is a perspective view
of a multi-level crossing maze toy according to the present
invention comprising a combined hexahedron having three
rows in a longitudinal direction, two rows in a lateral
direction and three rows thicknesswise; FIG. 13 is a
perspective view of a multi-level crossing maze toy accord-
ing to the present invention comprising a combined
hexahedron having three rows in a longitudinal direction,
one row in a lateral direction and three rows
thicknesswise; FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a multi-
1 31 5~ 1 5
level crossing maze to~y according to the present inventionin which a combined hexahedron shown in FIG. 11 is inserted
into a frame or a box; FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a
multi-level crossing maze toy according to the present in-
vention in which a combined hexahedron shown in FIG. 12 isinserted into a frame or a box; and FIG. 16 is a perspec-
tive view of a multi-level crossing maze toy according to
the present invention in which a hexahedron shown in FIG.
13 is inserted into a frame or a box.
DATAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be
described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. A multi-level
crossing maze toy 1 comprises the desired number of a solid
single cube 2 having no opening in six surfaces of the
cube, i.e., a front surface portion (a), a back surface
portion (b), a left surface portion (c), a right surface
portion (d), an upper surface portion (e) and a bottom sur-
face portion (f), a first single cube 5 formed in its front
surface portion (a) with a circular opening 3 and having a
dead end passage 4 continuous to the circular opening 3 and
having same size as that of the filled cube 2, a second
single cube 9 formed in its front surface portion (a) with
a circular opening 6 and in its back surface portion (b)
with a circular opening 7 and having a linear passage 8
continuous to the circular openings 6 and 7 and having the
same size as that of the solid single cube 2, a third
single cube i3 formed in its ~ront surface portion (a) with
1 31 5~ 1 5
a circular opening 10 and in its upper surface portion (e)
with a circular opening 11 and having a curved passage 12
continuous to these circular openings 10 and 11 and having
the same size as that of the solid single cube 2, a fourth
single cube 18 formed in its front surface portion (a) with
a circular opening 14, in its upper surface portion (e)
with a circular opening 15 and in its back surface portion
(b) with a circular opening 16 and having a T-passage 17
continuous to these circular openings 14 and 15 and having
the same size as that of the solid single cube 2, a fifth
single cube 23 formed in its front surface portion (a) with
a circular opening 19, in its upper portion (e) with a cir-
cular opening 20 and in its right surface portion (d) with
a circular opening 21 and having a right-angled three-
forked passage 22 crossing at right angles to and con-
tinuous to these circular openings 19, 20 and 21 and having
the same size as that of the solid single cube 2, a sixth
single cube 29 formed ln its front surface portion (a.) with
a circular opening 24, in its left surface portion with a
circular opening 25, in its bac~ surface portion (b) with a
circular opening 26 and in its right surface portion (d)
with a circular opening 27 and having cross passage 28
crossing to and continuous to these circular openings 24,
25, 26 and 27 and having the same size as that of the
filled cube 2, a seventh single cube 36 formed in its front
surface portion (a) with a circular opening 30, in its left
- surface portion (c) with a circular opening 31, in its back
1 3 1 5~ 1 5
surface portion (b) with a circular opening 32, in its
right surface portion (d) with a circular opening 33 and in
its upper surface portion (e) with a circular opening 34
and having a five-forked passage 35 continuous to these
circular openings 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 and having the same
size as that of the filled cube 2, and an eighth single
cube 44 formed in its front surface portion (a) with a cir-
cular opening 37, in its left surface portion (c) with a
circular opening 38, in its bottom surface portion (f) with
a circular opening 39, in its right surface portion (d)
with a circular opening 40, in its upper surface portion
(e) with a circular opening 41 and in its bottom surface
portion (f) with a circular opening 42 and a six-forked
passage 43 crossing to and continuous to these circular
openings 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 and having the same size
as that of the solid single cube 2, said cubes being
longitudinally, laterally and thicknesswise combined and
adhered to one another to form a combined hexahedron 45,
said combined hexahedron 45 having two surface formed with
an entrance 46 and an exit 47 by making use of any of the
circular openings of said cubes 9, 13, 18, 23, 29, 36 and
44, a multi-level crossing maze (A) leading to the entrance
46 and the exit 47 being formed, whereby a ball 48 such as
an iron ball is introduced into the multi-level crossing
maze (A) through the entrance 46 and the combined cube 45
is rotated or oscillated to move the ball 48 within the
multi-level crossing maze (A) and remove the ball,48 from
1315~15
the exit 47. In this case, the entrance 46 and the exit 47
are arranged in said order but this arrangement can be
reversed. Reference numerals 49 and 50 designate a detach-
able lid which can prevent the ball 48 being fallen.
With the arrangement as described above, according to
the present invention, the multi-level crossing maze toy 1
has the combined cube 45 composed of a combination of nine
kinds of the single cubes 2, 5, 9, 13, 18, 23, 29, 36 and
44~ within which cube 45 are freely communicated and formed
the dead end passage 4, the linear passage 8, the curved
passage 12, the T-passage 17, the right-angled three-forked
passage 22, the cross passage 28, the five-forked passage
35 and the si~-forked passage 43 to form the complicated
multi-level crossing maze (A), wherein the ball 4~ is put
through the entrance 46 in the two surface of the combined
hexahedron 45 and the ball 48 is rolled and moved within
the complicated multi-level crossing maze (A) and can be
removed from the exit 47.
FIG. 11 shows a combined hexahedron 51 having three
rows in a longitudinal direction, three rows in a lateral
direction, and three rows thicknesswise; FIG. 12 shows a
combined hexahedron 52 having three rows in a longitudinal
direction, three rows in a lateral direction and three rows
thicknesswise; and FIG. 13 shows a combined hexahedron 53
having three rows in a longitudinal direction, three rows
in a lateral direction and three rows thicknesswise, in
which the whole or a part o~ the required ones out of the
1 3 1 5~ 1 5
combined solid single cube and the single cubes is a
transparent cube so that the movement of the ball may be
seen through.
FIG. 1~ shows an arrangement wherein the combined
S hexahedron 51 is inserted into a transparent frame or a box
54, lids 54a and 54b are closed, and the combined
hexahedron 51 which does not adhere each other and indepen-
dent is held by stoper 54c and 54d and made to be
transparent or not transparent so that the desirable multi~
level crossing maze is formed pleasure. FIG. 15 shows an
arrangement wherein the combined hexahedron 52 is hel~
within a frame or a box 55; and FIG. 16 shows an arrange-
ment wherein a combined hexahedron 57 is held within a
frame or a box 56.
In the multl-level crossing maze toy according to the
present invention, the combined single cube is interiorly
formed with the complicated multi-level crossing maze in-
visible or visible from the outside or the multi-level
crossing maze a part or the whole of which can be seen
through to cause a player to remind of the structure of
this multi-le~el crossing maze so that the ball is moved
from the start portion of the entrance or exit to the goal
portion the entrance or exit to compete a speed. This toy
is rich in variety as compared with a conventional plane
maze or a ball carrying toy, and a high-degree and inter-
esting game can be enjoyed, and in addition, the brain
judgement, thinking power and patience can be naturallt
1 31 5~ 1 ~
l earned .
