Tile tray
AssigneeCompound Fun LLC
InventorRaymond F. Wehrs, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This disclosure relates to a tile tray configured to facilitate manipulation of tiles. More specifically, the disclosed tile tray includes at least one cell including a bottom, at least one side abutting the bottom and extending upward therefrom, a node extending upward from the bottom and having a flat top surface, and a channel between the node and the at least one side. A tile positioned atop the top surface of the node may be manipulated by pressing a portion of the tile into the channel, thereby raising the opposite portion of the tile, the node serving as a fulcrum. The portion pressed into the channel may be moved along the channel, thereby rotating the tile, or the raised opposite portion may be grasped by a user to flip or move the tile.
Claims15
A tile tray comprising:
- at least one cell including
- a bottom,
- at least one side abutting the bottom, the at least one side extending upward from the bottom and having a height measured from the bottom to a top of the at least one side,
- a node extending upward from the bottom, the node including a top surface and having a height measured from the bottom to the top surface, and
- a channel between the node and the at least one side;
- and
- at least one tile having a height and an equal number of sides as the at least one cell;
- wherein the height of the at least one side is greater than the height of the node;
- and
- wherein the height of the tile added to the height of the node is substantially equal to the height of the at least one side.
A tile tray system comprising:
- at least two tile trays, each tile tray including
- at least one cell including
- a bottom,
- at least one side abutting the bottom, the at least one side extending upward from the bottom and having a height measured from the bottom to a top of the at least one side,
- a node extending upwards from the bottom and having a top surface substantially parallel to the bottom and substantially perpendicular to the at least one side, and having a height measured from the bottom to the top surface, and
- a channel between the node and the at least one side;
- at least one connector for securing one of the at least two tile trays to another of the at least two tile trays;
- and
- at least one tile having a height and an equal number of sides as the at least one cell;
- wherein the height of the at least one side is greater than the height of the node;
- and
- wherein the height of the tile added to the height of the node is substantially equal to the height of the at least one side.
A method of manipulating a tile, comprising:
- providing a cell including
- a bottom,
- at least one side abutting the bottom, the at least one side extending upward from the bottom,
- a node extending upward from the bottom and having a top surface substantially parallel to the bottom, and
- a channel between the node and the at least one side;
- providing a tile atop the top surface;
- and
- moving a first portion of the tile into the channel, thereby raising an opposite second portion of the tile, the node serving as a fulcrum for the tile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.