US20110042893A1 - Puzzle and playing method using puzzle - Google Patents
Puzzle and playing method using puzzle Download PDFInfo
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- US20110042893A1 US20110042893A1 US12/782,483 US78248310A US2011042893A1 US 20110042893 A1 US20110042893 A1 US 20110042893A1 US 78248310 A US78248310 A US 78248310A US 2011042893 A1 US2011042893 A1 US 2011042893A1
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- pieces
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- puzzle
- pattern
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
- A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
- A63F9/10—Two-dimensional jig-saw puzzles
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
- A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
- A63F9/0613—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts
- A63F2009/0615—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts transparent
- A63F2009/0619—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts transparent with an opaque part
- A63F2009/062—Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts transparent with an opaque part overlapping
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- A63F9/00—Games not otherwise provided for
- A63F9/06—Patience; Other games for self-amusement
- A63F9/10—Two-dimensional jig-saw puzzles
- A63F2009/1083—Two-dimensional jig-saw puzzles having plural layers on top of each other
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a puzzle which completes one pattern by arranging a plurality of pieces with partial patterns at predetermined positions, and a playing method using the same.
- Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2537311 discloses a conventional puzzle.
- This puzzle includes a label attached in the frame of a casing, and eight pieces movably arranged on the label. Eight reference patterns are drawn on the label. The partial patterns are drawn on the eight pieces, respectively. The eight pieces on the label are moved within the frame using a free space corresponding to one piece to make the reference patterns and partial patterns match each other, thereby completing one pattern using the eight pieces.
- the positions of the eight reference patterns are determined in advance and need not be selected. To complete the pattern, only the eight pieces are moved to select positions. However, this lowers the difficulty level of the game.
- the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problem, and has as its object to provide a puzzle with high difficulty level of the game, and a playing method using the same.
- a puzzle including a plurality of pieces having the same outer shape, wherein the plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged in a plurality of layers, and the pieces assigned to each of the plurality of layers are selectively arranged at locations on a plane of the layer, each of the plurality of pieces includes an opaque part, and at least one of the plurality of pieces further includes a transparent part, and the opaque parts of pieces assigned to a given layer are formed to cover, of true patterns and dummy patterns on a lower side of the layer, the dummy patterns, and the true patterns seen through the transparent parts of the pieces are combined to form one pattern.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall outer appearance of a puzzle in a vertically exploded state according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining a method of completing one pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing several extracted parts so as to explain the principle of completing a pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which a lid is detached from a storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state before the start of game, in which all pieces are removed from the storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which selected lower pieces are placed at predetermined locations according to the first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which all lower pieces are stored in the storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which selected upper pieces are placed on predetermined lower pieces according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which all upper pieces are placed on the lower pieces to complete one pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic view for explaining a method of completing one pattern in a puzzle according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 11A is a schematic view showing several extracted parts so as to explain the principle of completing a pattern according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 11B is a schematic view for explaining the opaque parts of a piece of a lower piece group according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 12 is a plan view for explaining a puzzle playing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
- a puzzle 1 whose overall arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 includes a storage box 2 , 18 pieces 41 to 49 and 51 to 59 , and a lid 6 .
- the storage box 2 is formed into a shallow square box shape, and has an opening 2 a on the upper side.
- the storage box 2 also functions as a base member.
- the nine pieces 41 to 49 construct a lower piece group 4 which is inserted from the opening 2 a of the storage box 2 and overlaid on a bottom portion 2 b .
- the remaining nine pieces 51 to 59 construct an upper piece group 5 which is overlaid on the lower piece group 4 .
- the lid 6 covers the opening 2 a of the storage box 2 .
- the puzzle 1 is a game that is designed to form nine partial patterns 21 a to 29 a by overlaying the nine lower pieces 41 to 49 at predetermined positions on the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 and further overlaying the nine predetermined upper pieces 51 to 59 on the pieces 41 to 49 , and then complete an animal pattern 7 (in this embodiment, an illustration of a panda's face) by combining the nine partial patterns 21 a to 29 a , as shown in FIG. 2 .
- the entire surface of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 is colored in black that is the base of the pattern to be described later.
- the surface of the bottom portion 2 b is divided into nine areas 21 to 29 in which the nine pieces 41 to 49 of the lower piece group 4 are selectively overlaid at predetermined positions, as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the nine pieces 41 to 49 of the lower piece group 4 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape.
- the pieces 41 to 49 include first opaque parts 41 a to 49 a illustrated as hatched portions in FIG. 2 and transparent parts 41 b to 49 b as non-hatched portions, respectively.
- the first opaque parts 41 a to 49 a are colored in white.
- the transparent parts 41 b to 49 b are designed to visualize, out of the base of the bottom portion 2 b , the partial patterns 21 a to 29 a that are true patterns and dummy patterns 21 b to 29 b (the dummy patterns 22 b to 29 b are not illustrated), as shown in FIG.
- the first opaque parts 41 a to 49 a cover, out of the base of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 , portions other than the partial patterns 21 a to 29 a and the dummy patterns 21 b to 29 b.
- the nine pieces 51 to 59 of the upper piece group 5 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape as that of the above-described lower pieces 41 to 49 .
- the pieces 51 to 59 include second opaque parts 51 a to 59 a illustrated as hatched portions in FIG. 2 and transparent parts 51 b to 59 b as non-hatched portions, respectively.
- the second opaque parts 51 a to 59 a are colored in white.
- the second opaque parts 51 a to 59 a cover at least dummy patterns 21 b to 29 b to form the partial patterns 21 a to 29 a . That is, the first opaque parts 41 a to 49 a and the second opaque parts 51 a to 59 a cooperate to express and complete one pattern 7 out of the base of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 .
- FIG. 4 The illustration of an animal completed as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on a surface 6 a of the lid 6 as one pattern 7 .
- FIGS. 4 to 9 A method of completing the puzzle will be described next mainly with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9 .
- the lid 6 is detached from the storage box 2 to open the opening 2 a of the storage box 2 , as shown in FIG. 4 .
- the nine lower pieces 41 to 49 and the nine upper pieces 51 to 59 are removed from the storage box 2 and spread on a table 8 at random, as shown in FIG. 5 .
- the lower pieces 41 to 49 are selected from the pieces 41 to 49 and 51 to 59 and overlaid on the nine predetermined areas 21 to 29 of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 , as shown in FIG. 6 , using the pattern 7 displayed on the lid 6 as a clue.
- the lower pieces 41 to 49 are overlaid on the predetermined areas 21 to 29 after selecting their vertical and horizontal directions.
- the upper pieces 51 to 59 are overlaid on the predetermined lower pieces 41 to 49 , respectively, to form the predetermined partial patterns 21 a to 29 a , as shown in FIG. 8 .
- the upper pieces 51 to 59 are overlaid on the predetermined lower pieces 41 to 49 after selecting their vertical and horizontal directions, like the lower pieces 41 to 49 .
- the partial patterns 21 a to 29 a express and complete one animal pattern 7 .
- the upper piece group 5 may be the lower piece group
- the lower piece group 4 may be the upper piece group.
- the surface of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 is colored in black so that the storage box 2 functions as the base member.
- a background panel whose entire surface is colored in black may be placed on the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 so that the background panel functions as the base member.
- the surface of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 need not be colored in black.
- the surface of the bottom portion 2 b is colored in black. However, various colors such as white and red are also selectable.
- the first opaque parts 41 a to 49 a of the lower piece group 4 and the second opaque parts 51 a to 59 a of the upper piece group 5 are colored not in white but in a color different from the color of the surface of the bottom portion 2 b.
- a puzzle 101 according to the second embodiment includes a lower piece group 104 and an upper piece group 105 overlaid on the lower piece group 104 , as shown in FIG. 10 .
- the puzzle 101 also includes a storage box 2 to store the lower piece group 104 and the upper piece group 105 , and a lid 6 described in the first embodiment.
- the entire surface of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 is colored in white serving as the background of the pattern to be described later.
- the pieces 141 to 149 of the lower piece group 104 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape as that of the lower pieces 41 to 49 of the above-described first embodiment.
- the pieces 141 to 149 include opaque parts 141 b to 149 b colored in black that is the base of the pattern, and transparent parts 141 a to 149 a other than the opaque parts.
- the opaque parts 141 b to 149 b are formed from partial patterns 141 c to 149 c (the partial patterns 142 c to 149 c are not illustrated) that are true patterns and dummy patterns 141 d to 149 d (the dummy patterns 142 b to 149 b are not illustrated), as shown in FIG. 11B .
- the pieces 151 to 159 of the upper piece group 105 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape as that of the above-described lower pieces 141 to 149 .
- the pieces 151 to 159 include transparent parts 151 a to 159 a illustrated as non-hatched portions in FIG. 11A and opaque parts 151 b to 159 b colored in white and illustrated as hatched portions.
- the opaque parts 151 b to 159 b cover at least the dummy patterns 141 d to 149 d (the dummy patterns 142 d to 149 d are not illustrated) to form the partial patterns 141 c to 149 c.
- the lower pieces 141 to 149 are overlaid at predetermined positions on a bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 using a pattern 7 displayed on the lid 6 as a clue, as shown in FIG. 10 .
- the upper pieces 151 to 159 are overlaid on the predetermined lower pieces 141 to 149 , respectively, to form the predetermined partial patterns 141 c to 149 c .
- the partial patterns 141 c to 149 c are combined to express and complete one animal pattern 107 .
- the difficulty level lowers accordingly, as compared to the above-described first embodiment.
- the difficulty level in locating the lower pieces 141 to 149 at predetermined positions of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 and the difficulty level in overlaying the upper pieces 151 to 159 on the predetermined lower pieces 141 to 149 are almost the same as in the above-described first embodiment. Hence, the difficulty level of the game is still high.
- the opaque parts 141 b to 149 b of the lower piece group 104 are colored in black. However, various colors such as white and red are also selectable.
- the second opaque parts 151 b to 159 b of the upper piece group 105 are colored in white. However, the color needs only be different from that of the surfaces of the opaque parts 141 b to 149 b . At this time, however, the color of the entire surface of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 needs to coincide with that of the second opaque parts 151 b to 159 b.
- the lower piece group 104 has the transparent parts 141 a to 149 a .
- the transparent parts 141 a to 149 a may be colored different from the opaque parts 141 b to 149 b .
- the color of the second opaque parts 151 b to 159 b of the upper piece group 105 needs to coincide with that of the opaque parts 141 b to 149 b of the lower piece group 104 .
- the lower pieces 41 to 49 and 141 to 149 and the upper pieces 51 to 59 and 151 to 159 have a square outer shape.
- the lower pieces and upper pieces may have the same rectangular outer shape.
- the outer shape of each piece need not always be rectangular, and can also be triangular.
- the present invention is also applicable to a puzzle having a multi-layer structure with three or more layers.
- a plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged in a plurality of layers.
- Pieces assigned to each of the plurality of layers are selectively arranged at locations on the plane of the layer.
- the plurality of pieces are divisionally stored in the plurality of layers of the storage box 2 .
- Each of the plurality of pieces includes an opaque part and a transparent part. If partial patterns are formed on the pieces of the lowermost layer, as in the second embodiment, the pieces of the lowermost layer need not always have the transparent parts. That is, at least one of the plurality of pieces need only have the transparent part.
- the opaque parts of pieces assigned to a given layer are formed to cover, of partial patterns and dummy patterns on the other side (lower side) of the layer, the dummy patterns.
- the partial patterns seen from the upper surface side through the transparent parts of the pieces are combined to form one pattern.
- the “partial patterns and dummy patterns on the other side (lower side) of the layer” correspond to the partial patterns and dummy patterns of the base of the bottom portion 2 b of the storage box 2 in the first embodiment or the partial patterns and dummy patterns formed on the opaque parts 141 b to 149 b of the lower pieces 141 to 149 in the second embodiment.
- FIG. 12 As the third embodiment of the present invention, another playing method using the puzzle of the first or second embodiment will be described next with reference to FIG. 12 .
- the puzzle 1 of the above-described first embodiment one pattern 7 is completed, and in this state, an arbitrary piece 59 of the upper pieces 51 to 59 is removed from the storage box 2 , as shown in FIG. 12 .
- a free space corresponding to one piece is provided above the piece 49 .
- Providing the free space allows to move the piece 56 adjacent to the free space to the near side or move the piece 58 to the right so that the remaining upper pieces 51 to 58 are sequentially moved in the vertical or horizontal directions using the free space.
- the movement is repeated to arrange the upper pieces 51 to 58 as shown in FIG. 12 , thereby expressing and completing one pattern 7 again.
- it is unnecessary to select the positions of the lower pieces 41 to 49 or select the vertical and horizontal directions of the upper pieces 51 to 58 .
- the difficulty level of the game lowers relative to the above-described first and second embodiments. That is, the difficulty level of the game can be selected using the same puzzle.
- the piece 59 is removed from the storage box 2 .
- the piece to be removed can be any one of the remaining pieces 51 to 58 .
- the description has been made using the puzzle 1 of the first embodiment.
- the same playing method is also possible by removing one of the upper pieces 151 to 159 from the storage box 2 , as a matter of course.
- the positions of the pieces 151 to 159 of the upper piece group 105 but also the positions of the pieces 141 to 149 of the lower piece group 104 are not determined.
- the vertical and horizontal directions of the pieces 141 to 149 and 151 to 159 are not determined either. For these reasons, the difficulty level of the game of the puzzle 101 of the second embodiment is high.
- the third embodiment it is possible to select any one of the high to low difficulty levels of the game using the same puzzle.
Abstract
A puzzle includes a plurality of pieces having the same outer shape, the plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged in a plurality of layers, and the pieces assigned to each of the plurality of layers are selectively arranged at locations on a plane of the layer. Each of the plurality of pieces includes an opaque part, and at least one of the plurality of pieces further includes a transparent part. The opaque parts of pieces assigned to a given layer are formed to cover, of true patterns and dummy patterns on a lower side of the layer, the dummy patterns, and the true patterns seen through the transparent parts of the pieces are combined to form one pattern.
Description
- The present invention relates to a puzzle which completes one pattern by arranging a plurality of pieces with partial patterns at predetermined positions, and a playing method using the same.
- Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2537311 discloses a conventional puzzle. This puzzle includes a label attached in the frame of a casing, and eight pieces movably arranged on the label. Eight reference patterns are drawn on the label. The partial patterns are drawn on the eight pieces, respectively. The eight pieces on the label are moved within the frame using a free space corresponding to one piece to make the reference patterns and partial patterns match each other, thereby completing one pattern using the eight pieces.
- In the conventional puzzle, the positions of the eight reference patterns are determined in advance and need not be selected. To complete the pattern, only the eight pieces are moved to select positions. However, this lowers the difficulty level of the game.
- The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problem, and has as its object to provide a puzzle with high difficulty level of the game, and a playing method using the same.
- In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a puzzle including a plurality of pieces having the same outer shape, wherein the plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged in a plurality of layers, and the pieces assigned to each of the plurality of layers are selectively arranged at locations on a plane of the layer, each of the plurality of pieces includes an opaque part, and at least one of the plurality of pieces further includes a transparent part, and the opaque parts of pieces assigned to a given layer are formed to cover, of true patterns and dummy patterns on a lower side of the layer, the dummy patterns, and the true patterns seen through the transparent parts of the pieces are combined to form one pattern.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall outer appearance of a puzzle in a vertically exploded state according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining a method of completing one pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing several extracted parts so as to explain the principle of completing a pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which a lid is detached from a storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state before the start of game, in which all pieces are removed from the storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which selected lower pieces are placed at predetermined locations according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which all lower pieces are stored in the storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which selected upper pieces are placed on predetermined lower pieces according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which all upper pieces are placed on the lower pieces to complete one pattern according to the first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 10 is a schematic view for explaining a method of completing one pattern in a puzzle according to the second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 11A is a schematic view showing several extracted parts so as to explain the principle of completing a pattern according to the second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 11B is a schematic view for explaining the opaque parts of a piece of a lower piece group according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 12 is a plan view for explaining a puzzle playing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention. - The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to
FIGS. 1 to 9 . - A
puzzle 1 whose overall arrangement is shown inFIG. 1 includes astorage box 2, 18pieces 41 to 49 and 51 to 59, and alid 6. Thestorage box 2 is formed into a shallow square box shape, and has anopening 2 a on the upper side. Thestorage box 2 also functions as a base member. Out of the 18 pieces, the ninepieces 41 to 49 construct alower piece group 4 which is inserted from theopening 2 a of thestorage box 2 and overlaid on abottom portion 2 b. The remaining ninepieces 51 to 59 construct anupper piece group 5 which is overlaid on thelower piece group 4. Thelid 6 covers theopening 2 a of thestorage box 2. - The
puzzle 1 is a game that is designed to form ninepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a by overlaying the ninelower pieces 41 to 49 at predetermined positions on thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 and further overlaying the nine predeterminedupper pieces 51 to 59 on thepieces 41 to 49, and then complete an animal pattern 7 (in this embodiment, an illustration of a panda's face) by combining the ninepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a, as shown inFIG. 2 . - The entire surface of the
bottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 is colored in black that is the base of the pattern to be described later. The surface of thebottom portion 2 b is divided into nineareas 21 to 29 in which the ninepieces 41 to 49 of thelower piece group 4 are selectively overlaid at predetermined positions, as shown inFIG. 1 . - The nine
pieces 41 to 49 of thelower piece group 4 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape. Thepieces 41 to 49 include firstopaque parts 41 a to 49 a illustrated as hatched portions inFIG. 2 andtransparent parts 41 b to 49 b as non-hatched portions, respectively. The firstopaque parts 41 a to 49 a are colored in white. Thetransparent parts 41 b to 49 b are designed to visualize, out of the base of thebottom portion 2 b, thepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a that are true patterns anddummy patterns 21 b to 29 b (the dummy patterns 22 b to 29 b are not illustrated), as shown inFIG. 3 , when thepieces 41 to 49 are overlaid on the predetermined nineareas 21 to 29 of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2. Hence, the firstopaque parts 41 a to 49 a cover, out of the base of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2, portions other than thepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a and thedummy patterns 21 b to 29 b. - The nine
pieces 51 to 59 of theupper piece group 5 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape as that of the above-describedlower pieces 41 to 49. Thepieces 51 to 59 include secondopaque parts 51 a to 59 a illustrated as hatched portions inFIG. 2 andtransparent parts 51 b to 59 b as non-hatched portions, respectively. The secondopaque parts 51 a to 59 a are colored in white. When thepieces 51 to 59 are overlaid on the predeterminedlower pieces 41 to 49, the secondopaque parts 51 a to 59 a cover at leastdummy patterns 21 b to 29 b to form thepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a. That is, the firstopaque parts 41 a to 49 a and the secondopaque parts 51 a to 59 a cooperate to express and complete onepattern 7 out of the base of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2. - The illustration of an animal completed as shown in
FIG. 4 is displayed on asurface 6 a of thelid 6 as onepattern 7. - A method of completing the puzzle will be described next mainly with reference to
FIGS. 4 to 9 . First, thelid 6 is detached from thestorage box 2 to open theopening 2 a of thestorage box 2, as shown inFIG. 4 . Then, the ninelower pieces 41 to 49 and the nineupper pieces 51 to 59 are removed from thestorage box 2 and spread on a table 8 at random, as shown inFIG. 5 . - From this state, the
lower pieces 41 to 49 are selected from thepieces 41 to 49 and 51 to 59 and overlaid on the ninepredetermined areas 21 to 29 of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2, as shown inFIG. 6 , using thepattern 7 displayed on thelid 6 as a clue. In this case, thelower pieces 41 to 49 are overlaid on thepredetermined areas 21 to 29 after selecting their vertical and horizontal directions. - After all the
lower pieces 41 to 49 are overlaid on thepredetermined areas 21 to 29, as shown inFIG. 7 , theupper pieces 51 to 59 are overlaid on the predeterminedlower pieces 41 to 49, respectively, to form the predeterminedpartial patterns 21 a to 29 a, as shown inFIG. 8 . In this case, theupper pieces 51 to 59 are overlaid on the predeterminedlower pieces 41 to 49 after selecting their vertical and horizontal directions, like thelower pieces 41 to 49. - When all the
upper pieces 51 to 59 are overlaid on the predeterminedlower pieces 41 to 49, thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2, thelower piece group 4, and theupper piece group 5, which are overlaid, form thepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a, as shown inFIG. 9 . Thepartial patterns 21 a to 29 a express and complete oneanimal pattern 7. - That is, to complete one
pattern 7, it is necessary to select thelower pieces 41 to 49 from the 18pieces 41 to 49 and 51 to 59, and select a position where each of thelower pieces 41 to 49 should be overlaid from the nineareas 21 to 29 of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 using thepattern 7 displayed on thelid 6 as a clue. Since the vertical and horizontal directions of thepieces 41 to 49 need to be selected, the difficulty level of the game is high. - Similarly, it is necessary to selectively overlay the
upper pieces 51 to 59 on thelower pieces 41 to 49. In this case as well, the vertical and horizontal directions of thepieces 51 to 59 need to be selected. This further raises the difficulty level of the game. - Note that in the first embodiment, the
upper piece group 5 may be the lower piece group, and thelower piece group 4 may be the upper piece group. As for the base member, the surface of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 is colored in black so that thestorage box 2 functions as the base member. Instead, a background panel whose entire surface is colored in black may be placed on thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 so that the background panel functions as the base member. In this case, the surface of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 need not be colored in black. The surface of thebottom portion 2 b is colored in black. However, various colors such as white and red are also selectable. In this case, the firstopaque parts 41 a to 49 a of thelower piece group 4 and the secondopaque parts 51 a to 59 a of theupper piece group 5 are colored not in white but in a color different from the color of the surface of thebottom portion 2 b. - The second embodiment of the present invention will be described next with reference to
FIGS. 10 , 11A, and 11B. Apuzzle 101 according to the second embodiment includes alower piece group 104 and anupper piece group 105 overlaid on thelower piece group 104, as shown inFIG. 10 . Thepuzzle 101 also includes astorage box 2 to store thelower piece group 104 and theupper piece group 105, and alid 6 described in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, however, the entire surface of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 is colored in white serving as the background of the pattern to be described later. - Nine
pieces 141 to 149 of thelower piece group 104 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape as that of thelower pieces 41 to 49 of the above-described first embodiment. Thepieces 141 to 149 includeopaque parts 141 b to 149 b colored in black that is the base of the pattern, andtransparent parts 141 a to 149 a other than the opaque parts. Theopaque parts 141 b to 149 b are formed frompartial patterns 141 c to 149 c (thepartial patterns 142 c to 149 c are not illustrated) that are true patterns anddummy patterns 141 d to 149 d (thedummy patterns 142 b to 149 b are not illustrated), as shown inFIG. 11B . - Nine
pieces 151 to 159 of theupper piece group 105 are made of a transparent material, and have the same square outer shape as that of the above-describedlower pieces 141 to 149. Thepieces 151 to 159 includetransparent parts 151 a to 159 a illustrated as non-hatched portions inFIG. 11A andopaque parts 151 b to 159 b colored in white and illustrated as hatched portions. When thepieces 151 to 159 are overlaid on the predeterminedlower pieces 141 to 149, theopaque parts 151 b to 159 b cover at least thedummy patterns 141 d to 149 d (the dummy patterns 142 d to 149 d are not illustrated) to form thepartial patterns 141 c to 149 c. - In this arrangement, to complete the puzzle, the
lower pieces 141 to 149 are overlaid at predetermined positions on abottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 using apattern 7 displayed on thelid 6 as a clue, as shown inFIG. 10 . - Next, the
upper pieces 151 to 159 are overlaid on the predeterminedlower pieces 141 to 149, respectively, to form the predeterminedpartial patterns 141 c to 149 c. Thepartial patterns 141 c to 149 c are combined to express and complete oneanimal pattern 107. - In the second embodiment, since the
lower piece group 104 can be discriminated from theupper piece group 105, the difficulty level lowers accordingly, as compared to the above-described first embodiment. However, the difficulty level in locating thelower pieces 141 to 149 at predetermined positions of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 and the difficulty level in overlaying theupper pieces 151 to 159 on the predeterminedlower pieces 141 to 149 are almost the same as in the above-described first embodiment. Hence, the difficulty level of the game is still high. - Note that the
opaque parts 141 b to 149 b of thelower piece group 104 are colored in black. However, various colors such as white and red are also selectable. The secondopaque parts 151 b to 159 b of theupper piece group 105 are colored in white. However, the color needs only be different from that of the surfaces of theopaque parts 141 b to 149 b. At this time, however, the color of the entire surface of thebottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 needs to coincide with that of the secondopaque parts 151 b to 159 b. - The
lower piece group 104 has thetransparent parts 141 a to 149 a. Thetransparent parts 141 a to 149 a may be colored different from theopaque parts 141 b to 149 b. At this time, however, the color of the secondopaque parts 151 b to 159 b of theupper piece group 105 needs to coincide with that of theopaque parts 141 b to 149 b of thelower piece group 104. - In the above-described first and second embodiments, the
lower pieces 41 to 49 and 141 to 149 and theupper pieces 51 to 59 and 151 to 159 have a square outer shape. The lower pieces and upper pieces may have the same rectangular outer shape. The outer shape of each piece need not always be rectangular, and can also be triangular. - In the above-described first and second embodiments, an example of a two-layer structure that overlays two layers of a plurality of pieces has been described. The present invention is also applicable to a puzzle having a multi-layer structure with three or more layers. In this case, a plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged in a plurality of layers. Pieces assigned to each of the plurality of layers are selectively arranged at locations on the plane of the layer. Note that the plurality of pieces are divisionally stored in the plurality of layers of the
storage box 2. - Each of the plurality of pieces includes an opaque part and a transparent part. If partial patterns are formed on the pieces of the lowermost layer, as in the second embodiment, the pieces of the lowermost layer need not always have the transparent parts. That is, at least one of the plurality of pieces need only have the transparent part.
- The opaque parts of pieces assigned to a given layer are formed to cover, of partial patterns and dummy patterns on the other side (lower side) of the layer, the dummy patterns. The partial patterns seen from the upper surface side through the transparent parts of the pieces are combined to form one pattern. The “partial patterns and dummy patterns on the other side (lower side) of the layer” correspond to the partial patterns and dummy patterns of the base of the
bottom portion 2 b of thestorage box 2 in the first embodiment or the partial patterns and dummy patterns formed on theopaque parts 141 b to 149 b of thelower pieces 141 to 149 in the second embodiment. - As the third embodiment of the present invention, another playing method using the puzzle of the first or second embodiment will be described next with reference to
FIG. 12 . In thepuzzle 1 of the above-described first embodiment, onepattern 7 is completed, and in this state, anarbitrary piece 59 of theupper pieces 51 to 59 is removed from thestorage box 2, as shown inFIG. 12 . When thepiece 59 is removed, a free space corresponding to one piece is provided above thepiece 49. Providing the free space allows to move thepiece 56 adjacent to the free space to the near side or move thepiece 58 to the right so that the remainingupper pieces 51 to 58 are sequentially moved in the vertical or horizontal directions using the free space. - The movement is repeated to arrange the
upper pieces 51 to 58 as shown inFIG. 12 , thereby expressing and completing onepattern 7 again. In this case, it is unnecessary to select the positions of thelower pieces 41 to 49 or select the vertical and horizontal directions of theupper pieces 51 to 58. For this reason, the difficulty level of the game lowers relative to the above-described first and second embodiments. That is, the difficulty level of the game can be selected using the same puzzle. - Note that in the embodiment described with reference to
FIG. 12 , thepiece 59 is removed from thestorage box 2. However, the piece to be removed can be any one of the remainingpieces 51 to 58. The description has been made using thepuzzle 1 of the first embodiment. However, even in the puzzle of the second embodiment, the same playing method is also possible by removing one of theupper pieces 151 to 159 from thestorage box 2, as a matter of course. - As described above, in the above first embodiment, whether the
pieces 41 to 49 or 51 to 59 form theupper piece group 5 orlower piece group 4 is not determined in advance. Not only the positions of thepieces 51 to 59 of theupper piece group 5 but also the positions of thepieces 41 to 49 of thelower piece group 4 are not determined. The vertical and horizontal directions of thepieces 41 to 49 and 51 to 59 are not determined either. For these reasons, the difficulty level of the game of thepuzzle 1 of the first embodiment is high. - In the second embodiment, not only the positions of the
pieces 151 to 159 of theupper piece group 105 but also the positions of thepieces 141 to 149 of thelower piece group 104 are not determined. The vertical and horizontal directions of thepieces 141 to 149 and 151 to 159 are not determined either. For these reasons, the difficulty level of the game of thepuzzle 101 of the second embodiment is high. - According to the third embodiment, it is possible to select any one of the high to low difficulty levels of the game using the same puzzle.
Claims (7)
1. A puzzle including a plurality of pieces having the same outer shape, wherein
the plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged in a plurality of layers, and the pieces assigned to each of the plurality of layers are selectively arranged at locations on a plane of the layer,
each of the plurality of pieces includes an opaque part, and at least one of the plurality of pieces further includes a transparent part, and
the opaque parts of pieces assigned to a given layer are formed to cover, of true patterns and dummy patterns on a lower side of the layer, the dummy patterns, and the true patterns seen through the transparent parts of the pieces are combined to form one pattern.
2. A puzzle according to claim 1 , further comprising a base member having a base of the one pattern formed on an entire surface, the base including the true pattern and the dummy pattern,
wherein pieces of a lowermost layer are arranged on the base member.
3. A puzzle according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of layers include an upper layer and a lower layer,
the opaque parts of the pieces assigned to the lower layer are formed to cover portions other than the true patterns and the dummy patterns, and
the opaque parts of the pieces assigned to the upper layer are formed to cover at least the dummy patterns.
4. A puzzle according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of layers include an upper layer and a lower layer,
the opaque parts of the pieces assigned to the lower layer form true patterns and dummy patterns, and
the opaque parts of the pieces assigned to the upper layer are formed to cover at least the dummy patterns.
5. A puzzle according to claim 1 , wherein the pieces are made of a transparent material, and the opaque parts are formed by coloring the transparent material.
6. A puzzle according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage box which divisionally stores the plurality of pieces in the plurality of layers,
wherein each of the plurality of pieces has a rectangular outer shape.
7. A playing method using the puzzle of claim 6 , comprising the steps of:
in a state in which the plurality of pieces are divisionally arranged at predetermined positions in the plurality of layers in the storage box, removing one piece of the pieces arranged on an uppermost layer; and
moving the remaining pieces arranged on the uppermost layer in vertical and horizontal directions using a free space corresponding to the removed piece, thereby completing the pattern.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP189817/2009 | 2009-08-19 | ||
JP2009189817A JP2011041589A (en) | 2009-08-19 | 2009-08-19 | Puzzle |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20110042893A1 true US20110042893A1 (en) | 2011-02-24 |
Family
ID=43604689
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US12/782,483 Abandoned US20110042893A1 (en) | 2009-08-19 | 2010-05-18 | Puzzle and playing method using puzzle |
Country Status (3)
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US (1) | US20110042893A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2011041589A (en) |
CN (1) | CN101991946A (en) |
Cited By (5)
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---|---|---|---|---|
US20140183819A1 (en) * | 2012-12-27 | 2014-07-03 | Pigment & Hue, Inc. | Packaged puzzle |
WO2016182971A1 (en) * | 2015-05-08 | 2016-11-17 | Douglass Ii Myrl Rae | Structures and kits for displaying two-dimensional images in three dimensions |
US20160379503A1 (en) * | 2015-06-29 | 2016-12-29 | John David Skeete | Puzzle Teaching System |
US20170259165A1 (en) * | 2016-03-08 | 2017-09-14 | James L. Prentice | Process for creating multiple-in-one jigsaw puzzles and for creating artwork from single images |
US10350483B1 (en) * | 2016-03-10 | 2019-07-16 | Simon Basyuk | Puzzle and a method of making thereof |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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KR101314834B1 (en) * | 2012-01-30 | 2013-10-04 | 김덕용 | jigsaw puzzle having frame-box |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2011041589A (en) | 2011-03-03 |
CN101991946A (en) | 2011-03-30 |
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