Set of tiles for covering a surface
OwnerAlan H. Schoeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A set of tiles each of which is distinct from the other tiles in the set is arranged in a particular circle tiling having various unusual properties. As a result of these properties, each one of a number of sub-sets of these tiles may be identified by a characteristic color or other characterizing mark, and these sub-sets, so identified, may be used in various ways as a recreational puzzle, as a game, as an educational tool, for aesthetic purposes, and for a variety of other uses.
Claims15
A set of tiles for covering a plane surface bounded by a regular polygon of 2n sides, for forming a repeatable cell, and for other purposes, said regular polygon being dissectible into a set of (n-1)n/2 rhombuses, comprising one specimen of each distinct rhombus in said set and one specimen of each distinct shape formed by combining two of the remaining rhombuses in said set in such a manner that no two edges at any vertex are collinear,
- each said specimen formed by thus combining two rhombuses having an outer notch in its periphery and being identifiable by two integers i and j which are the indices of the convex interior face angles flanking said notch, wherein i is not less than j,
- said tiles covering said plane surface in the following configuration of vertical columns of specimens, wherein all said notches in the longest vertical column face in the same direction and all said notches in the other vertical columns face said longest vertical column, and the integers within each bracket identify the particular specimen as well as its orientation:
- ##STR4## said configuration setting forth a series of rows of integers as shown in which each succeeding row reverses the order of the integers in the next preceding row and adds the next higher integer after the highest integer of said preceding row until the last row, in which the highest integer is n-1 and in which completion of the row is achieved by brackets having a single integer rather than a pair of integers so as to designate the specimens each of which is a rhombus,
- the index of any angle of A degrees being defined as equal to An/180,
- or in the mirror image of said configuration.
A game method associated with one or two sets of tiles, wherein each of said sets is a set of tiles for covering a plane surface bounded by a regular polygon of 2n sides, for forming a repeatable cell, and for other purposes, said regular polygon being dissectible into a set of (n-1)n/2 rhombuses, comprising one specimen of each distinct rhombus in said set and one specimen of each distinct shape formed by combining two of the remaining rhombuses in said set in such a manner that no two edges at any vertex are collinear, the rules of the game method comprising the following steps:
- one player uses specimens from said sets to tile the smaller polygon of a conjugate pair of convex polygons having rotational symmetry and opposite pairs of parallel sides, and each other player in turn makes use of the specimens in said sets of tiles, including the specimens in said tiled polygon, to construct the larger polygon of said conjugate pair, the first such player to succeed in such construction being the provisional winner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.