U.S. patent application number 11/062621 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-25 for jigsaw puzzle.
Invention is credited to Arlinsky, David, David, Eli, Marantz, Jacob.
Application Number | 20050184459 11/062621 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34864031 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050184459 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Marantz, Jacob ; et
al. |
August 25, 2005 |
Jigsaw puzzle
Abstract
A jigsaw puzzle including a puzzle board, a plurality of puzzle
pieces for removably placing on the puzzle board in a predetermined
configuration, and control circuitry for automatically effecting a
mechanical action visually discernible by a puzzle solver on
successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle. Exemplary
mechanical actions include rotating a clock's hands, a vehicle's
wheels, and the like.
Inventors: |
Marantz, Jacob; (Cooper
City, FL) ; Arlinsky, David; (Attlit, IL) ;
David, Eli; (Doar Na Misgav, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NATH & ASSOCIATES PLLC
Sixth Floor
1030 Fifteenth Street, N.W.
Washington
DC
20005
US
|
Family ID: |
34864031 |
Appl. No.: |
11/062621 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60546217 |
Feb 23, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
273/157R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 9/10 20130101; A63F
2009/1066 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/157.00R |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/10 |
Claims
1. A jigsaw puzzle comprising a puzzle board, a plurality of puzzle
pieces for removably placing on said puzzle board in a
predetermined configuration, and control circuitry for
automatically effecting a mechanical action visually discernible by
a puzzle solver on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw
puzzle.
2. The puzzle according to claim 1 wherein said control circuitry
includes an electric motor for rotating an element mounted on a
puzzle piece of said plurality of puzzle pieces for effecting a
mechanical action visually discernible by a puzzle solver on
successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.
3. The puzzle according to claim 1 wherein said control circuitry
includes a one shot timer for automatically switching off said
control circuitry a predetermined time after successful assembly of
the entire jigsaw puzzle.
4. The puzzle according to claim 1 wherein said control circuitry
illuminates at least one light emitting device on successful
assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.
5. The puzzle according to claim 4 wherein a light emitting device
backlights a non-opaque puzzle piece.
6. The puzzle according to claim 1 wherein said control circuitry
includes a playback mechanism for playing back a pre-recorded
soundtrack on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention pertains to jigsaw puzzles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many kinds of jigsaw puzzles for young children have been
developed with the intention of maintaining a child's interest
after its completion.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,996 to Janiszewski illustrates and
describes a jigsaw puzzle with a manual driving means for rotating
puzzle pieces after the jigsaw puzzle has been completed.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,748 to Bevan et al. illustrates and
describes a voice puzzle game for enunciating words, sounds or
phrases on correctly placing a puzzle piece in its intended
pocket.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,480 to Fabricant et al. illustrates and
describes a combination puzzle and pull toy requiring a child to
select puzzle pieces and place them in the correct order in an
upright rectangular frame to form a pull toy depicting an ice cream
truck, a passenger car, and the like.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,669 to Iwakichi illustrates and
describes a toy aqua plane including a number of reconfigurable
parts including a removable tank member in the form of a puzzle
toy.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,102 to Cooper illustrates and describes
a jigsaw puzzle with a manual driving means for moving portions of
puzzle pieces in various mechanical manners after the jigsaw puzzle
has been completed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Generally speaking, the present invention is for a jigsaw
puzzle including a puzzle board, a plurality of puzzle pieces for
placing on the puzzle board in a predetermined configuration, and
control circuitry for automatically effecting a mechanical action
visually discernible by a puzzle solver on successful assembly of
the entire jigsaw puzzle. Exemplary mechanical actions include
rotating a clock's hands, a vehicle's wheels, and the like. The
movable elements effecting the mechanical actions may reside on the
puzzle pieces themselves. Assembly of an entire jigsaw puzzle may
lead to other puzzle solver discernible actions, for example,
illumination of lights, enunciation of sounds, words, and the
like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] In order to understand the invention, and to see how it can
be carried out in practice, preferred embodiments will now be
described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise
numbered, and in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a combined pictorial representation and block
diagram of a jigsaw puzzle of a working clock for showing the time
of day;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a combined pictorial representation and block
diagram of a jigsaw puzzle of an animated scene of a steam
locomotive; and
[0012] FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation of a transmission
system of the jigsaw puzzle of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a jigsaw puzzle 10 of a working clock for
showing the time of day. The jigsaw puzzle 10 includes a puzzle
board 11 with twelve discrete puzzle pockets 12 each having a
bottom wall 13 and a circumferential side wall 14 for snugly
receiving twelve puzzle pieces 16 for each hour of the day, and an
electrical clock mechanism 17 with an hour hand 18 and a minute
hand 19. The jigsaw puzzle 10 is under the control of control
circuitry 21 including a battery 22, a manual ON/OFF switch 23, and
a micro-switch array 24 of twelve normally open (NO) micro-switches
26 in series for selectively energizing the clock mechanism 17. The
micro-switches 26 are deployed on the bottom walls 13 such that
correct placement of a puzzle piece 16 in its corresponding puzzle
pocket 12 closes its associated micro-switch 26. The control
circuitry 21 energizes the clock mechanism 17 to start showing the
time on successful assembly of all twelve puzzle pieces 16 in their
respective puzzle pockets 12.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a jigsaw puzzle 30 depicting an animated scene
of a steam locomotive traveling along a pair of tracks on a sunny
day The jigsaw puzzle 30 is under the control of control circuitry
31 including a battery 32, a micro-switch array 33 including nine
normally open (NO) micro-switches 34, an electric motor 36 for
driving a transmission system 41 (see FIG. 3), six light emitting
devices 37 for backlighting non-opaque puzzle pieces, a playback
mechanism 38 for playing back a pre-recorded soundtrack, and a one
shot timer 39 for automatically switching off the control circuitry
31 a predetermined time after successful assembly of the entire
jigsaw puzzle 30.
[0015] FIG. 3 shows that removal of a rear cover (not shown) of the
jigsaw puzzle 30 reveals a transmission system 41 including four
drive wheels 42 having sockets 43 for frictionally receiving
spindles 44 extending from the undersides of a front train wheel
puzzle piece 46, a rear train wheel puzzle piece 47, an engine
driver puzzle piece 48 and a sun puzzle piece 49. The front train
wheel puzzle piece 46 has a rotatably mounted spindle 44A for
rotating a trailing train wheel for driving a leading train wheel
linked thereto on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle
30. Similarly, the rear train wheel puzzle piece 47 has a rotatably
mounted spindle 44B for rotating a trailing train wheel for driving
a leading train wheel linked thereto on successful assembly of the
entire jigsaw puzzle 30. The engine driver puzzle piece 48 has a
rotatably mounted spindle 44C for waving a train driver's hand 51
on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle 30. The sun
puzzle piece 49 has a fixedly mounted spindle 44D for rotating the
entire sun puzzle piece 49 on successful assembly of the entire
jigsaw puzzle 30.
[0016] Thus, on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle 30,
the control circuitry 31 rotates the train wheels on the front
train wheel puzzle piece 46, the rear train wheel puzzle piece 47,
rotates and backlights the sun puzzle piece 49, waves the train
driver's hand 51, backlights three interlocking cloud puzzle pieces
52, and a traffic light puzzle piece 53, and plays back a
pre-recorded soundtrack.
[0017] While the invention has been described with respect to a
limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many
variations, modifications, and other applications of the invention
can be made within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *