US 4,354,682 AGranted

Method and apparatus for enhancing the twelve coin balancing puzzle

OwnerVlastimil Vcalainventor

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Abstract

A total of thirteen identically appearing coins is provided in lieu of the usual twelve coins. Eleven of these thirteen coins are made identical in weight to result in eleven identical coins and two remaining coins. One of the remaining coins is heavier than any one of the eleven identical coins and the other of the remaining coins is lighter. These two remaining coins are undistinguishable from the eleven identical coins without some sort of the aid to the human senses. Such an aid is provided to enable separation of the two remaining coins from the eleven identical coins when they are all mixed up at the start of the game. One of the two remaining coins can then be added to the eleven coins to make up the necessary twelve coins to work the puzzle. The player does not know whether a lighter or heavier coin has been added and thus a new and challenging game is presented each time.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of enhancing the twelve coin balancing puzzle comprising the steps of:

(a) making thirteen coins sufficiently similar as to be indistinguishable by the unaided human senses;
(b) making eleven of said thirteen coins of identical weight to result in eleven identical coins and two remaining coins;
(c) making one of said two remaining coins heavier than any one of said eleven identical coins by an amount less than can be detected by a person handling the coins yet enough to unbalance a scale when weighed against one of said eleven identical coins;
(d) making the other of said two remaining coins lighter than any one of said eleven identical coins by an amount less than can be detected by a person handling the coins yet enough to unbalance said balance scale when weighed against one of said eleven identical coins;
and
(e) making said two remaining coins distinguishable from said eleven coins by an aid to the human senses but wherein such aid does not permit distinguishing the two remaining coins from each other, wherein the two remaining coins can readily be separated from the eleven identical coins and one of the two returned to the eleven identical coins to provide twelve coins for the puzzle, a player not knowing whether the returned coin is the heavier or the lighter coin.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.