Push button puzzle with internal locking mechanism
OwnerMark J. Holmesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A puzzle toy that includes a plurality of push buttons that normally project from the surface of a cubic or spherical body. As the buttons are pushed in one at a time a latching mechanism residing within the body holds the buttons in a pushed-inwardly state, given a correct sequence of a subset of the buttons was pushed, deduced by logic and memory and including a chance mechanism. However if an incorrect sequence of the selected subset of button pushing is employed all the buttons so far pushed in will all pop back out at the same time at or before the time the last button is pushed in, forcing the player to start all over. The puzzle is solved when all buttons are pushed in flush with the body of the toy.
Claims16
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, wherein said latching mechanism unlatches 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 unlatches any latched push buttons upon the occurrence of an event unknown to the user, said event relating to user operation of said toy,
- wherein the outer surface of said toy is substantially symmetrical in shape with respect to a spatial center of said toy, and
- wherein said latching mechanism is implemented using a rotor at the spatial center of said toy, the rotor having magnets of one polarity in the direction of each push button, there being a magnet of the opposite polarity on the inner side of each said button.
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, wherein said latching mechanism unlatches 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 unlatches any latched push buttons upon the occurrence of an event unknown to the user, said event relating to user operation of said toy,
- wherein the outer surface of said toy is substantially symmetrical in shape with respect to a spatial center of said toy, and
- wherein said latching mechanism is implemented using a rotor at the spatial center of said toy, the rotor having magnets of one polarity in the direction of each push button, there being a magnet of the opposite polarity on the inner side of each said button.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.