Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02751842 2011-09-01
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to jigsaw puzzles and more particularly to a jigsaw
puzzle having
cubic playing pieces which assemble into up to six different pictures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional jigsaw puzzle is composed of irregular interlocking pieces,
usually cut
from cardboard, bearing segments of a picture. A player in solving the puzzle
must first spread
out the pieces on a flat surface and arrange them so that the upper face of
each piece displays a
segment of the picture. The player must then interconnect the pieces so that
the segments
combine to display the complete picture. When the pieces do so, the puzzle is
solved
Usually the pieces of the puzzle display segments of a single picture on one
of their faces
while the opposite faces of the pieces are left blank. Occasionally however,
to add a degree of
difficulty in solving the puzzle, both bottom and top surfaces of the pieces
display segments of
the same picture or of two different pictures. In solving the latter jigsaw
puzzle, a player must
first examine each piece to determine which segment on each surface of the
piece belongs to
which picture. Once he has made that determination, he must then interconnect
the piece with
other pieces in such a way that the interconnected pieces all display segments
of the same picture
on their surfaces which face in the same direction.
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I have invented a jigsaw puzzle which adds a further degree of difficulty and
hence
challenge in the solution of a jigsaw puzzle. Instead of flat pieces I use
cubes which display
segments of up to six different pictures on their faces or facets. Thus,
before a player attempts to
arrange the cubes to complete a picture, he must determine which of up to six
different segments
on each cube is part of the picture which he is attempting to complete. The
cubes are arranged on
a flat surface and to ensure that they remain stationary once they are placed
on the surface, a
magnetized sheet which serves as the flat surface is optionally provided.
The cubes are magnetically attracted to the magnetized sheet and remain
stationary once
they are placed on the surface. As a result, it is unnecessary for the cubes
be interlocked unlike
the playing pieces of conventional jigsaw puzzles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the jigsaw puzzle of my invention includes a plurality of cubes each
having, on at
least the first and second facets thereof, segments of two different pictures.
The first facets when
all facing upward and correctly arranged side by side each other, combine to
display one picture,
while the second facets when all facing upward and correctly arranged side by
side each other,
combine to display a second picture.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The jigsaw puzzle of the invention is described in detail with reference to
the accom-
panying drawings in which:
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of the magnetized sheet and cubes separate from
one
another;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the cubes illustrated in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an elevation of the cubes arranged to display a picture of a Great
Dane;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the frame and the magnetized sheet within the
frame.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of
the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Figures 1-3, the jigsaw puzzle of the invention includes a
number of
cubes 12 and a magnetized sheet 14. Each cube has the segment of a different
picture on one of
its faces or facets 16. When the cubes are placed such that the segments of
the picture are all
facing upward and when the cubes are correctly arranged side by side each
other, the facets
combine to display the picture illustrated in Figure 3.
Each facet of the cube sets out or displays the segment of a different
picture. Since each
cube has six facets, six different pictures are displayed by the cubes when
combined as in Figure
3.
With reference to Figure 2, the facets 16 of the illustrated cube are composed
of relatively
stiff metallic or non-metallic sheet material such as cardboard. The material
may or may not be
attracted to a magnet. The interior of the cube contains steel wool 17 which,
of course, is
attracted to a magnet. The cube is accordingly attracted to magnetized sheet
14 of Figure 1.
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The facets of the cube may alternatively be composed of thin sheets of
material such as
steel or iron in which case steel wool is not necessary for the magnetized
sheet to attract the cube.
As a further alternative, the facets of the cube may be composed of
ferromagnetic material which
serves as a magnet to attract the sheet 14. In the latter case, sheet 14 is
composed of material
which will attract a magnet but need not be magnetized itself.
Whatever the cubes and the sheet are composed of, they should attract each
other to hold
the cubes to the sheet while the puzzle is being worked on.
With reference to Figures 1 and 4, sheet 14 lies on the base of frame 18.
Upstanding side
walls 20 are formed on each side of the base and upstanding front and back
walls 24 are formed
on the front and back of the frame.
The side, front and back walls of the frame are located such as to contain all
of the cubes.
As a result when the cubes are arranged side by side each other on the
magnetized sheet, the
walls of the frame prevent the cubes from falling out of the frame as well as
prevent the cubes
from moving within the frame.
The object of the jigsaw puzzle is to search in turn for the segment of one of
the six
possible pictures on each cube. The cubes are then placed so that the facets
of the cubes on which
the segments appear face upward. The cubes are then arranged so that the
segments combine to
display the selected picture in its entirety. The jigsaw puzzle accordingly
adds an additional
degree of difficulty over a conventional jigsaw puzzle, The additional
difficulty results from the
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fact that each cube has six possible faces which combine to form the selected
picture As a result
the facet of each cube must be examined in turn for the segment which is part
of the selected
picture. If the various pictures are similar, the task of finding the correct
segment may add
significantly to the difficulty and hence the challenge of solving the puzzle.
By contrast, convent-
ional pieces of a jigsaw puzzle are usually considerably easier to solve since
they have only one
or two faces which must be examined before the pieces of the puzzle are ready
to combine with
other pieces to display a picture.
As indicated previously, the magnetized sheet, which is an optional component
of the
jigsaw puzzle of the invention, serves to immobilize the cubes once they are
placed on it. As a
result, the cubes need not be interlocked to prevent them from separating from
one another
should the cubes or magnetized sheet be jarred or otherwise be disturbed while
the puzzle is
being worked on. This is to be contrasted with the flat pieces of a
conventional jigsaw puzzle
which must interlock to hold the pieces in place while the puzzle is being
worked on.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the
structure of the
jigsaw puzzle described above without departing from the scope and purview of
the invention as
defined in the appended claims. For example, not all of the facets of each
cubes may display the
segment of a different picture. One or more of the facets of a cube may be
blank or may display
the same segment as another facet of the same cube.
