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US 6,116,599 AGranted
Convertible interference sliding block type manipulable puzzle and method
AssigneeBinary Arts Corporation
InventorsHarry L. Nelson, Hiroshi Yamamoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The manipulable puzzle of the present invention includes a housing, multiple sliding bars, and multiple movable pieces. The housing has a support surface with an area defined by walls. The sliding bars are retained on the support surface by overhangs extending from opposing walls such that the sliding bars are removable and can slide across the support surface. The sliding bars each have a channel and peak pattern through which the movable pieces are slid as the sliding bars are manipulated to provide adjacent channels for the movable pieces to move through.
Claims18
A manipulable puzzle comprising:
- a housing having a support surface, a first set of opposing walls projecting above said support surface, and a second set of opposing walls projecting above said support surface, each of said walls of said second set having an overhang spaced apart at a select distance from and extending substantially parallel to said support surface, said housing having a select length and a select width,
- at least two sliding bars contacting said support surface, said sliding bars capable of sliding across said support surface, said sliding bars having peaks and channels, each sliding bar having a select length, a select depth, and a select width where the width corresponds to X, and
- a plurality of movable pieces capable of communication with a channel of at least one of said sliding bars;
- and wherein
- the select length of said support surface corresponds to a first integer multiple of X and the select width of said support surface corresponds to a second integer multiple of X, each of said overhangs extends over said support surface by a distance corresponding to a third number multiplied with X,
- each select length of said sliding bars corresponds to a fourth integer multiple of X and each select width of said sliding bars corresponds to X, where the fourth integer is less than a first integer, each peak and channel has dimensions of X by a fifth integer multiple of X, and
- each movable piece has a length corresponding to a sixth integer multiple of X and a width of X, where said sixth integer is in a range of 1 to half of the first integer rounded up to the next integer.
4 more elements
A puzzle comprising
- a plurality of movable pieces having a select width generally corresponding to X and a length corresponding to a small integer multiple X,
- a plurality of sliding bars having a width generally corresponding to X and a length corresponding to nX where n is an integer greater than 3, each of said sliding bars also having a depth of Y, each of said sliding bars providing a select pattern of peaks and troughs where each peak has a width generally corresponding to X, a height generally corresponding to Y/3 and a length corresponding generally to an integer multiple of X, and
- a housing defining a recessed support surface bordered by upstanding walls, said support surface having a width generally corresponding to rX where r is an integer greater than 3 and a length corresponding to nX+2X, said housing permitting reciprocal translation in the direction of said sliding bar length over said support surface;
- and wherein said sliding bars being removable and positional on said support surface where the relative position of sliding bars may be rearranged to provide a select unique patterning of peaks and troughs for manipulation of said movable pieces through said troughs when said unique pattern provides for alignment of troughs between at least two contiguous slider bars.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.