Push button puzzle with internal locking mechanism, dual rotors, adjustable weights and a simplified reset
OwnerMark J Holmesinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a puzzle toy having a plurality of push buttons, a mechanism for latching push buttons to a rotor, where rotation of the rotor sets a predetermined order for pushing buttons to solve the puzzle, and a chance mechanism for rotating the rotor, an improvement that partitions a rotor shaft and the rotor into two segments that rotate independently, responsive to separate weights affixed to each shaft segment. A reset mechanism operates by shifting the rotor along the shaft axis.
Claims20
In a puzzle solution method comprising presenting to a user a plurality of push buttons arrayed on the outer surface of a toy, providing a latching mechanism within said toy that latches each of said plurality of push buttons in a pushed-in position provided each of a selected subset of said plurality of push buttons is pushed by the user in a predetermined order, providing a reset mechanism for unlatching any latched push buttons when one of said selected subset of push buttons is pushed-in out of said predetermined order, and providing a chance mechanism that changes the predetermined order upon the occurrence of an event unknown to the user, said event relating to user operation of said toy, an improvement comprising:
- using a rotor at a spatial center of the toy for said latching mechanism, said rotor thereby being a latching rotor;
- and
- providing a shaft around which the latching rotor rotates, the shaft being partitioned in two segments along a common axis, with the latching rotor being separated into two portions along a plane running perpendicular to the shaft axis, each latching rotor portion rotating independently of the other with a respective shaft segment.
In a puzzle apparatus comprising a plurality of push buttons arrayed on the outer surface of a toy, a latching mechanism within said toy that latches each of said plurality of push buttons in a pushed-in position provided each of a selected subset of said plurality of push buttons is pushed by a user in a predetermined order, a reset mechanism for unlatching any latched push buttons when one of said selected subset of push buttons is pushed-in out of said predetermined order, and a chance mechanism that changes the predetermined order upon the occurrence of an event unknown to the user, said event relating to user operation of said toy, an improvement comprising:
- a rotor at a spatial center of the toy for said latching mechanism, said rotor thereby being a latching rotor;
- and
- a shaft around which the latching rotor rotates, the shaft being partitioned in two segments along a common axis, with the latching rotor being separated into two portions along a plane running perpendicular to the shaft axis, each latching rotor portion rotating independently of the other with a respective shaft segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.