Three dimensional logical toy
The invention relates to three dimensional logical toy formed by the surrounding solid and internally arranged movable, but non-removable sectional bodies and central control body or bodies, The limiting surfarces of the sectional bodies are marked with letters, numbers or other symbols and in given case with colours representing the symbols. The three dimensional logical toy is aimed at ordering the symbols to each other according to a fixed method, or at reproducing a fixed order following its optional upsetting by movement of the sectional bodies.
Such logical toys are known, which consist of solids arranged within each other, and these in given case are provided with symbols ordered to each other. Shortcoming of the known solutions is, that all symbols of the elementary bodies can not be ordered to all symbols of another similar body. This means that unrealizable symbol connections will always remain. This phenomenon is due to the fact, that movement of the elementary bodies in relation to each other can be realized always with certain restrictions.
Typical example is the spatial logical toy named as "magic cube" described in the Hungarian patent specification No. 170 062. Here 27 small elementary cubes form a large cube built up from three parts, each consisting of 9 elementary cubes. The layers can be moved in three main directions, but only simultaneously on each occasion. There are stationary cubes among the elementary cubes (such are the cubes arranged in the centre of the faces of the large cube( and there are those arranged along an edge or in a corner. Owing to the construction, there is no possibility for shifting all elementary cubes to any optional place ot the large cube.
The invention is aimed at the further development of the spatial logical toy, where the sectional bodies can be shifted to any place of the surrounding solid, and this way the number of variations is considerably increased.
The invention is based on the recognition, that by utilization of the elementary bodies having space curve limited surface, such spatial logical toy is realizable, the movable sectional bodies of which can be shifted into any place of the surrounding solid by planned movement. The invention idea includes the fact, that the movable elementary bodies with space curve surface are formed by such sectional bodies which complement each other as cylindrical or spherical bodies.
In accordance with the objective, the three dimensional logical toy according to the invention - formed by surrounding solid and non-removable but mobile sectional bodies and rotatable central control body
or bodies arranged within the surrounding solid, the limiting surfaces of the sectional bodies are marked with letters, numbers, or other symbols and in given case with colours representing the symbols, the three dimensional logical toy aimed at ordering the symbols to each other according to a fixed method, or at reproducing a fixed order following its optional upsetting by movement of the sectional bodies - is formed in such a way, that the rαtatable .central control body and the pertaining movable sectional bodies complement each other as a body of rotation, several such bodies of rotation are non-removably implanted into the surrounding solid, the surrounding solid is provided with one or several holes allowing the manipulation of the bodies of rotation formed by the rotatable central control body and movable sectional bodies, the mobile sectional bodies are essentially of the same size arranged along the inner limiting surface as on control track of the surrounding solid, and bodies having at least two convex surfaces suitable for the simultaneous rotation along the limiting surfaces in contact with the rotatable central control body, while the rotatable central control bodies have concave surfaces matching the convex surfaces of the movable sectional bodies.
Further criterion of the three dimensional logical toy according to the invention is that the body of rotation formed by the rotatable central control body and movable sectional bodies has straight cylindrical shape. The solid surrounding the cylindrical bodies of rotation is a cap pulled over the ends of the bodies of rotation, provided with extensions serving as axis of rotation for the cylindrical bodies of rotation, and the surrounding solid forms
a continuous body at both ends of the cylindrical bodies of rotation preventing the removal of the movable sectional bodies and rotatable central control body.
The rotatable central control bodies have polyconic star-shaped cross section and circular arcs are between the points of the star forming the generatrices of the concave cylindrical jackets. The movable cylindrical segment shaped sectional bodies are congruent with each other, while their number conforms to the number of the concave cylinder jackets of the control bodies. The body of rotation formed by the rotatable central control body and movable sectional bodies is spherical.
The rotatable central control body is surrounded by six concave calottes machined into the limiting faces of an imaginary cube, while the movable sectional bodies are convex lenticular bodies fitting the concave calottes, each formed by two convex calottes. The rotatable central control bodies and movable sectional bodies are arranged along and/or above each other in the surrounding solid, forming bodies of rotation allowing their movement. In the interest of shifting besides rotation of the sectional bodies, the number of sectional bodies is less by one than possible.
The invention is described in detail by way of example with the aid of drawing, in which:
Figure 1.: One of the possible constructions of the logical toy, Figure 2.: Another construction showing the front view of the elementary bodies arranged in two layers,
Figure 3. : Banded formation of the surrounding solid according to a third construction, Figure 4. : Variation of the same construction with bisected control body and bisected cylindrical segment,
Figure 5. : Further possible construction.
In Figure 1 the rotatable central control body 1 has polyconic star-shaped cross section with circular arcs between the points of the star, said circular arcs form the generatrices of the concave cylindrical jackets. The rotatable central control body 1 in this case is such roll, the constituents of which are arranged along as many concave cylinder jackets as the number of star points forming the cross section of the rotatable central control body 1.
The rotatable central control body 1 is complemented as so-called elementary roll by as many cylindrical segment shaped movable sectional bodies 2 as the number of concave cylinder jackets of the rotatable central control body 1. The cylindrical segments are convex bodies, the constituents of which are arranged along convex cylindrical jackets, while τheir generatrices are formed by circular arcs with the same raius as that of the generatrix of the rotatable central control body 1.
Figure 1 shows that several pieces of the cylindrical segments and rotatable central control bodies 1 can be set adjacent to each other. As a result, the circles forming the generatrices of the adjacent elementary roll. In order to do this, the rotatable central control bodies 1 shall be rotatable along the longitudinal geometrical axis.
In case of such formation of the rolls forming the elementary bodies, any of the cylinder segments can be shifted to the optional places of the adjacent elementary rolls. Thus if the cylindrical segments are marked with some sort of information - in the form of colour, text, diagram, group of numbers, etc.
- then these informations can be set into a fixed order, or the other"say round, the order can be reconstructed following the upsetting of an order brought about earlier.
The adjacent elementary rolls - as shown in Figure 1.
- are provided with surrounding solids 3, which as caps are pulled over the ends of the elementary rolls, and are provided with extensions 3b, which penetrate the longitudinal holes la of the rotatable central control body 1 and serve as the axis of rotation for the elementary rolls. Since the surrounding solid 3 forms a continuous body at both ends of the elementary rolls, thus following the assembly, the cylindrical segment shaped movable sectional bodies and rotatable central control body 1 - in other words the elementary rolls formed by them - become non-removable from the surrounding solids 3. Figure 2 shows, that the elementary rolls containing the rotatable central control body 1 can be arranged not only in a single, but in two or several layers as well. In any case they have to be set to each other as to be accessible for manipulation.
Figure 3 shows such case, where the surrounding solid 3 is a casing provided with band 3a in the central part, while the band 3a is fastened together with the caps receiving the ends of the elementary rolls. The rotatable central control bodies 1 are
similar to those shown in Figure 1, but the cylindrical segment shaped movable sectional bodies 2 are bisected. In this case the logical toy can be further complicated if one of the halved cylindrical segments is missing, because this way additional variation is possible not only by rotations, but also by shifting to the place of the missing cylindrical segment.
The facilitated version of the latter toy is shown in Figure 4., where not only the cylindrical segment shaped movable sectional bodies, but the rotatable central control bodies 1 too are halved in vertical sense. In this case both halves of the rotatable central control bodies 1 - the height of which is identical with that of the cylinder segments - become separately rotatable around their longitudinal axis, while in case of Figure 3 the rotatable control bodies 1 being formed from a single piece can be rotated in their totality similarly to Figure 1.
Theoretically it is possible to provide the surrounding solid 3 shown in Figure 3 only with the middle band 3a without caps at the ends of the elementary rolls. In this case naturally halving of the cylindrical segments 2 and rotatable central control bodies 1 in vertical sense would not be justified.
The other main form of the toy is formed by such elementary bodies which are shaped as sphere instead of roll. Role of the rotatable central control bodies - as shown in Figure 5 - is represented by an imaginary cube when six concave calottes are recessed into the limiting faces. Corners of the cube are truncated in such a way, that the corners are formed by spherical triangle shaped convex calottes. Their radius is
identical with that of the concave calottes. Similarly six convey lenticular bodies - filling in the role of the movable sectional b - are fitted to the rotatable central control bodies 1, said lenticular body being formed by two convex calottes. The radii of the calottes forming the lenticular bodies are the same as those of the concave calottes of the rotatable central control body 1. This way the combination of the rotatable central control body 1 and six lenticular bodies results in sphere as elementary body.
Similarly to the earlier mentioned construction, in this case the lenticular bodies are the information carriers. The adjacent elementary spheres intersect each other through their contacting lenticular bodies as the cylindrical segments in the former example. As a result any lenticular body of any elementary sphere arranged side by side may be the part of any other elementary sphere, thus it can be shifted into any position during the play.
The elementary spheres are arranged suitably in a single layer, though it is possible to form two layers above each other, similarly to the case shown in Figure 2. In this case too each elementary sphere must be accessible for the purpose of manipulation. The elementary spheres may be encompassed in a suitably formed casing, that fills in the role of the surrounding solid 3, said casing provided suitably with circular holes 4 along its limiting surfaces allowing manipulation. Diameter of the holes 4 is preferably somewhat smaller than the diameter of the lenticular bodies of the elementary spheres.
The logical toy according to the invention is aimed at ordering the symbols to each other according fo fixed method by rotation of the information carrier cylinder segments, or lenticular bodies.
Such alternative of any construction is also conceivable, where one or several of the concave cylinder jackets or concave calottes of the rotatable central control body 1 are provided with movable sectional body 2 of fixed position. E.g. made from a single piece, or glued in without the possibility of removal.