OCTAVE MAGIC CUBE

CUBE MAGIQUE OCTUPLE

English Abstract

An octave magic cube has a spherical center core with square slider plates mounted at end of a six-arm cross center piece. A pattern of space channel is formed between the slider plates. Seven movable cubic block pieces having a triangular retainer plate mounted at the center of a partial spherical depression formed in one of its corners. The movable cubic block pieces are mounted to the core by slidably engaging the retainer plate with the space channel of the core. An eighth cubic block piece has a mounting plate with a clover leaf pattern is snap-mounted to the space channel of the core at the remaining position of the cube after the seven movable cubic block pieces have been mounted to the core.

French Abstract

Un cube magique octuple comprend un noyau central sphérique muni de plaquettes de coulissement de forme carrée montées à l'extrémité d'une pièce centrale en croix à six bras. Des espaces sont prévus entre les plaquettes de coulissement. Sept pièces cubiques mobiles sont munies d'une plaque de retenue triangulaire montée au centre d'un évidement partiellement sphérique formé dans l'un de ses coins. Les pièces cubiques mobiles sont montées sur le noyau par glissement de leur plaque de retenue dans l'espace libre du noyau. Une huitième pièce cubique comporte une plaque de montage à motif de trèfle et est montée par déclic dans le dernier espace libre du noyau du cube une fois que les sept autres pièces ont été posées sur le noyau.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed
are defined as follows:


1. An octave cube comprising,

a spherical core including a center cross member having six arms perpendicular
to one
another and having a square slider plate fixedly mounted at an end of each of
said arms, said
slider plate having a partial spherical outer surface, and a pattern of space
channel being formed
between neighboring slider plates,

seven movable cubic block pieces and a partial spherical depression formed at
a corner of
each one of movable block pieces, said depression of said block pieces forming
a spherical
hollow within said cube, and said spherical hollow having a diameter larger
than the diameter of
said core,

a triangular retainer plate mounted at a center portion of said partial
spherical depression of
said each one of movable block piece, said retainer plate having a curvature
equal to said
spherical depression and being maintained spaced by a partial spherical space
from said
depression by a stand-off post located at a rear surface of said retainer
plate,

said seven movable cubic block pieces being slidably mounted to said core with
said slider
plate therein slidably engaged with said partial spherical space,

an eighth cubic block piece fixedly mounted to said spherical core at a
remaining position
after said seven movable cubic block pieces having been mounted to said core,
and said eighth
cubic block piece being movable together with said core relative to said
movable block pieces.


2. An octave cube according to Claim 1 including a mounting plate having a
clover leaf pattern
mounted at a center portion of a spherical depression of said eighth cubic
block piece, said three-

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leaf pattern being engageable with a clover leaf space pattern of said space
channel of said core
exposed in said remaining position for mounting said eighth cubic block piece
to said core with a
snap action.


3. An octave cube according to Claim 2 wherein said mounting plate and said
spherical core
have an equal curvature and said clover leaf pattern is equal in shape and
dimensions to said
clover leaf space pattern of said space channel of said core exposed in said
remaining position of
said cube.


4. An octave cube according to Claim 3 wherein said slider plates have a
thickness equal to
said partial spherical space between said retainer plate and said depression
of said movable cubic
block pieces.


5. An octave cube according to Claim 4 including a design pattern provided on
outer surfaces
of said seven movable cubic block pieces and said eighth cubic block piece.


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Description

CA 02547041 2006-05-15
OCTAVE MAGIC CUBE

This invention relates to a six-sided cube consisting of eight blocks with
graphic or
pictorial designs provided on their three outside surfaces such that a player
may manipulate the
blocks to move relative to one another to obtain various design combinations
for enjoyment

and/or educational purposes.

Heretofore, block games commonly consist of a plurality of block pieces
movably
mounted to a central core which may be a spherical ball having a plurality of
arms radially
extending outwards from its spherical surface. Slider plates are mounted at
the end of the arms.
The block pieces have a curved inner surface such that when they are placed
side by side to one

another to form a cube shaped overall block having a spherical space formed
within it by the
combination of the inner curved surface of the block pieces. Retainer plates
are mounted on the
curved surface of the block pieces such that the block pieces may be movably
mounted to the
core by slidably engaging the slider plates with the retainer plates. U. S.
Patent No.4,344,623 to
T. Isobe, U. S. Patent No.4,540,177 to T. Horvath and U. S. Patent
No.4,378,117 to E. Rubik

show such block games. However, these known block games are complicated in
construction and
they are problematic. As shown in the Rubik U. S. Patent No.4,378,117, springs
must be
provided in the radial arms of the core in order to pull the block pieces
towards one another so
that they may be held closely together. However, due to the spring arm
construction, it is very
difficult to mount the block pieces to the core. Furthermore, it is extremely
difficult to mount the
last block piece to the core.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an octave cube in
which the
movable block pieces are mounted to the core without using spring.

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CA 02547041 2006-05-15

It is another object of the present invention to provide an octave cube
consisting of seven
block pieces movably mounted to the core and one block piece fixedly mounted
to the core.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an octave cube in
which the last
block piece is easily mounted thereto.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent
from the
consideration of the following description, when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying
drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective front elevation view of the octave cube according to
the present
invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective front elevation view of the octave cube showing the
movement
of the group of four block pieces relative to the neighboring group of four
block pieces.

Figure 3 is a perspective front elevation view of the spherical core of the
octave cube
relative to which all block pieces may be moved.

Figure 4 is an exploded front elevation view of the components of the
spherical core.

Figure 5 is a perspective front elevation view of the movable block piece with
the retainer
plate mounted thereon.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective front elevation view showing the
components parts of
the movable block piece.

Figure 7 is a perspective side elevation view showing the mounting of the
movable block
piece slidably to the core.

Figure 8 is a perspective side and top elevation view of the cube with the
core located
within the semi-spherical hollow formed by the bottom four movable block
pieces.

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CA 02547041 2006-05-15

Figure 9 is a perspective front and top elevation view showing all the movable
block
pieces mounted to the core and the last block piece to be snap-mounted
thereto.

With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate
corresponding
parts in the several different view, the octave cube 10 of the present
invention has eight block

pieces 11 which are movable relative to one another by turning a group of four
block pieces 11
relative to the neighboring group of four block pieces as shown in Figure 2 in
turns so as to
change the positions of the block pieces relative to one another. Graphic
and/or pictorial designs
are provided on the surface of the block pieces 11 such that variations of an
overall graphic
and/or pictorial design may be obtained by changing the positions of the block
pieces 11 relative
to one another.

The octave cube 10 has a spherical core 12 consisting of a center cross member
13 having
six arms 14 extending perpendicular to one another. The arms 14 has a
bifurcated end with a
channell4A formed therein. Generally rectangular slider plates 15 are mounted
at the end of the
six arms 14 such as by screws 16. A mounting post 15A having a generally
rectangular portion

15B engages with the channel 14A of the arms 14 to prevent the slider plates
15 from rotating
relative to the arms 14. The slider plates 15 have a outer partial spherical
surface 17 such that,
when they are mounted to the center cross member 13, a spherical core is
formed with channel
spaces 18 located between the adjacent slider plates 15.

The block pieces consist of seven movable block pieces 19 having a cubic shape
with a
partial spherical depression 20 formed in one corner therein. A triangular
shape retainer plate 21
is mounted such as by a screw 22 at the center of the partial spherical
depression 20 as best
shown in Figure 5. The retainer plate 21 has a partial spherical curvature
equal to that of the

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CA 02547041 2006-05-15

partial spherical depression 20 of the movable block piece 19. The retainer
plate 21 has a stand-
off post 23 extending rearwards from its rear surface 24, and it maintains the
rear surface 24 of
the retainer plate 21 to space from the surface of the partial spherical
depression 20 of the
movable block piece 19 at a distance slightly larger than the thickness of the
slider plates 15 of

the core 12 to form a partial spherical gap 25. The movable block pieces 19
may be slidably
mounted to the core 12 by slidably engaging the retainer plate 21 within the
channel 18 of the
core 12 such that the slider plate 15 of the core is slidably located within
the partial spherical gap
25. All movable block pieces 19 may be slidably mounted to the core 12 one by
one in this
manner. When the movable block pieces 19 are slidably mounted to the core 12,
the partial

spherical depression 20 of the block pieces 19 forms a spherical hollow 26
which is larger in
diameter than the diameter of the core 12, and the movable block pieces 19 are
freely movable
slidably relative to the core 12 with their slider plates 15 sliding in the
spherical gap 25 between
the spherical core 12 and the spherical hollow 26 and the core 12. With this
provision, it is not
necessary to provide a spring mounting for the slider plates as in the prior
art construction for

maintaining the movable block pieces 19 from intimately engaged with the core
12. Figure 8
shows four movable block pieces 19 mounted to the core 12 so that the partial
spherical
depressing of the block pieces combining with one another to form half of the
spherical hollow
26.

Figure 9 shows seven movable block pieces 19 have been mounted to the core 12
as

described above leaving a last position of the cube 10 empty. The core 12 may
be rotated through
the exposed opening to position the corners of three slider plates 15 located
at the three corners
of the exposed opening of the spherical hollow 26 at the last position such
that three joining

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CA 02547041 2006-05-15

portions of the channel 18 forming a clover leaf space pattern 27 between the
slider plates 15 are
located adjacent to the last position. The eighth block piece 28 has a
mounting plate 29 mounted
thereon which is in the form of a clover leaf pattern 30 equal in dimensions
and shape to the
clover leaf space pattern 27 of the core 12. The eighth block piece 28 can be
mounted to the core

12 at the last position by pressing the eighth block piece 28 into the last
position such that the
clover leaf pattern 30 of the last block piece 28 is snap-fitted into the
clover leaf space pattern 27
of the core 12 to mount the eighth block piece 28 fixedly to the latter. After
it is mounted to the
core 12, the eighth block piece 28 becomes movable together with the core 12
and since the other
seven movable block pieces 19 are movable relative to the core 12 and to one
another, thus the

eighth block piece 28 will become effectively movable together with the core
12 relative to the
movable block pieces 19.

It can be understood that without the use of spring loaded slider plates and
the provision
of a snap-mounted last block piece, the octave cube of the present invention
may be easily and
quick assembled.

While the present invention has been shown and described in the preferred
embodiment
thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made therein
without departing
from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is desired therefore
that only such limitations
be placed thereon as are imposed by the appended claims.


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Representative Drawing