Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02538431 2006-02-22
I THREE DIMENSIONAL JIGSAW PUZZLE
2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
3 1. Field of the Invention
4 The present invention relates to a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle, and more
particularly to a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle composed of multiple plates
6 interconnected to one another so as to form a three dimensional object.
7 2. Description of the Prior Art
8 A conventional plan jigsaw puzzle is composed of multiple pieces each with
9 multiple protrusions and cutouts. With the mutual correspondence between the
1 o protrusions and the cutouts, two adjacent pieces are connected together.
Therefore, little
11 by little, a complete picture is formed. The difficulty ofthe jigsaw puzzle
dcpcnds on the
12 number of the pieces involved. This kind of jigsaw puzzle does provide
entertainment to
13 the player. In order to increase the fun of playing with jigsaw puzzles, a
three
14 dimensional jigsaw puzzle is introduced to the market to challenge the
player's patience
and skill.
16 The 3D jigsaw puzzle is composed of multiple pieces and may soinehow
17 include a bladder. When the 3D jigsaw puzzle includes the bladder, the
player is able to
18 depend on the spherical contour of the bladder and place each of the pieces
on the outer
19 periphery of the bladder to manage to connect every two adjacent pieces.
When there is
no bladder provided to the 3D jigsaw puzzle, the player will have to depend on
hislher
21 own skill to gradually form a three dimensional pattern.
22 No matter what kind of jigsaw puzzle previously described, the pieces are
23 interconnected to one another in a plan surface or a curved surface. That
is, the space
24 usage is confined and fixed and the challenge to the player's patience and
skill is small.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an
CA 02538431 2006-02-22
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I improved laminated 3D jigsaw puzzle to mitigate the aforementioned problems.
2 SUM4ABYSDF 'Y TM 1NVENTIQhT
3 The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved
three
4 dimensional jigsaw puzzle having multiple pieces of different dimensions
such that after
the pieces are interconnected one another, a three dimensional object is
formed.
6 Another objective of the present invention is that a connection device is
7 provided to the three dimensional jigsaw puzzle to help position two
adjacent pieces,
8 Still another objective of the present invention is that a box configured to
have
9 multiple receiving recesses defined to receive therein the pieces so that
when the 3D
jigsaw puzzle is not in use, the 3D jigsaw puzzle is compact for storage.
11 Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become
more
12 apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction
with the
13 accompanying drawings.
14 RRTEF DESCRIPTION OF TH _I)R&WINGS
Fig. I is an exploded plan view of the 3D jigsaw puzzle of the present
invention;
16 Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the assembled 3D jigsaw puzzle in Fig. 1;
17 Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the connection device provided between
18 two adjacent pieces;
19 Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing alternat,e connection device between
two
adjacent pieces;
21 Fig. 5 is a plan view showing that a box is provided to the 3D jigsaw
puzzle;
22 Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing that a puzzle piece may be divided
into
23 halves to save space;
24 Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing that a puzzle piece may be provided
with
2
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1 recesses to receive puzzle pieces of different dimension; and
2 Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view showing that an image is printed on the box
for
3 identification of the content inside the box.
4 I?fiT IL=FD DRS.RIPTION flF THE PRFFER RF,n FMBOIIMENT
With reference to Figs. 1-3, it is noted that the 3D jigsaw puzzle in
accordance
6 with the present invention includes multiple puzzle pieces. In this
embodiment,
7 reference numerals (1-20) are respectively assigned to a corresponding one
of the
8 puzzle pieces and the multiple puzzle pieces are divided into a topmost
puzzle piece (1),
9 a bottommost puzzle piece (20) and mediate puzzle pieces (2-19). A
connection device
is provided between two. adjacent puzzle pieces to facilitate assembly of the
two
1 I adjacent puzzle pieces. In this embodiment, a puzzle piece (2) is provided
with
12 connection rods (22) extending from a bottom thereof and connection holes
(21) defined
13 in a top face thereof. A puzzle piece (3) is provided with connection rods
(32) extending
14 from a bottom thereof and connection holes (31) defmed in a top face
thereaf. With the
extension of the connection rods (22) into the connection holes (31), the
puzzle pieces
16 (2,3) are combined. In addition, the connection rods extending from a
bottom of the
17 puzzle piece (1) are able to extend into the connection holes (21) of the
puzzle piece (2)
18 so as to combine the puz.zle pieces (1,2). Altemate embodiment of the
connection device,
19 as shown in Fig. 4, is that the puzzle piece (2) is provided with
magnetically positive
material receive therein and the puzzle piece (3) is provided with
magnetically negative
21 material received therein such that the attraction between the magnetically
positive
22 material and the magnetically negative material facilitates the combination
between two
23 adjacent puzzle pieces (2,3).
24 With reference to Fig. 5, to facilitate storage and tidiness, a box (30) is
provided
3
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1 and has multiple receiving recesses (301) defined therein to receive the
puzzle pieces
2 (1-20) of different dimensions. That is, each of the receiving recesses
(301) is of
3 different dimensions so as to accommodate the puzzle pieces (1-20).
4 Witb reference to Fig. 6, it is noted that each puzzle piece (1 -20) may be
divided into two halves so that when the puzzle pieces (1 -20) are received in
the box (30)
6 (as shown in Fig. 5), every available space inside the box (30) is able to
be used.
7 With reference to Fig. 7, a puzzle piece (15), for example, is provided with
8 multiple recesses (155,157) such that two puzzle pieces (5,7) are able to be
received in
9 the puzzle piece (15). The purpose of the provision of the recesses in one
puzzle piece is
to save space in the box (30) and to organize the puzzle pieces (1-20).
11 With reference to Fig. 8, it is noted that an image may be printed on top
of the
12 box (30) so that a customer or a player of the}igsaw puzzle is able to
identify the content
13 inside the box (30) without the trouble of opening the box (30) to find out
what exactly
14 is received in the box (30).
] 5 It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous character'stics
and
advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing
description,
17 together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the
disclosure is
18 illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters
of shape, size,
19 and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full
extent
indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended
claims are
21 exxpressed.
4
