U.S. patent application number 16/649251 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-24 for a piece of three-dimensional maze and freely-constructible 3d maze.
The applicant listed for this patent is AT idea Corporation. Invention is credited to Akihiko TANAKA.
Application Number | 20200298099 16/649251 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004905351 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-24 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200298099 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TANAKA; Akihiko |
September 24, 2020 |
A PIECE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAZE AND FREELY-CONSTRUCTIBLE 3D
MAZE
Abstract
A piece of three-dimensional maze, wherein at least two of six
faces of a cube have opening faces such that a path connecting the
opening faces of two faces is defined by flat plate of the
cube.
Inventors: |
TANAKA; Akihiko; (Obama-shi,
Fukui, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AT idea Corporation |
Obama-shi, Fukui |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004905351 |
Appl. No.: |
16/649251 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
September 20, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2018/034900 |
371 Date: |
March 20, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 7/044 20130101;
A63F 2250/50 20130101; A63F 7/042 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63F 7/04 20060101
A63F007/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 21, 2017 |
JP |
2017-197241 |
Mar 8, 2018 |
JP |
2018-060800 |
Claims
1-9. (canceled)
10. A U-shaped piece used for creating a three-dimensional maze,
comprising: a first flat plate; a second flat plate connecting to
the first flat plate at right angles; and a third flat plate
connecting to the second flat plate at right angles on the side
opposite to the first flat plate so as to face the first flat
plate, wherein the three flat plates forms a continuous opening on
continuous three opening faces of a cube, the cube having the three
flat plates and the three opening faces, the continuous three
opening faces directing to different three directions, and defining
a path through the opening, wherein two ridgelines between the
opening faces of two adjacent opening faces of the cube, each
ridgeline does not exist in the opening faces of the three opening
faces so that the path is opened outward.
11. A corner piece used for creating a three-dimensional maze,
comprising: a first flat plate; a second flat plate connecting to
the first flat plate at right angles; a third flat plate connecting
to the second flat plate at right angles on the side opposite to
the first flat plate so as to face the first flat plate; and a
fourth flat plate connecting to each of the first, second, and
third flat plates at right angles on a side perpendicular to the
first, second, and third flat plates, wherein the four flat plates
forms a continuous opening on continuous two adjacent opening faces
of a cube, the cube having the four flat plates and the two opening
faces, and defining a path through the opening, wherein a ridgeline
between the two adjacent opening faces of the cube does not exist
so that the path is opened outward.
12. A freely-constructible three-dimensional maze constructed by
using at least one kind selected from the U-shaped piece according
to claim 10 and the corner piece used for creating a
three-dimensional maze, comprising: a first flat plate; a second
flat plate connecting to the first flat plate at right angles; a
third flat plate connecting to the second flat plate at right
angles on the side opposite to the first flat plate so as to face
the first flat plate; and a fourth flat plate connecting to each of
the first, second, and third flat plates at right angles on a side
perpendicular to the first, second, and third flat plates, wherein
the four flat plates forms a continuous opening on continuous two
adjacent opening faces of a cube, the cube having the four flat
plates and the two opening faces, and defining a path through the
opening, wherein a ridgeline between the two adjacent opening faces
of the cube does not exist so that the path is opened outward.
13. A freely-constructible three-dimensional maze constructed by
using at least one kind selected from the U-shaped piece used for
creating a three-dimensional maze, comprising: a first flat plate;
a second flat plate connecting to the first flat plate at right
angles; and a third flat plate connecting to the second flat plate
at right angles on the side opposite to the first flat plate so as
to face the first flat plate, wherein the three flat plates forms a
continuous opening on continuous three opening faces of a cube, the
cube having the three flat plates and the three opening faces, the
continuous three opening faces directing to different three
directions, and defining a path through the opening, wherein two
ridgelines between the opening faces of two adjacent opening faces
of the cube, each ridgeline does not exist in the opening faces of
the three opening faces so that the path is opened outward and the
corner piece according to claim 11.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a piece for forming a
three-dimensional maze in combination, and a freely-constructible
three-dimensional maze constructed by using the pieces.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0002] Many of mazes on the market are constituted by
two-dimensional planes and, for example, many of the mazes are
played by changing an inclination of a maze plate to roll a ball
etc. placed thereon.
[0003] Additionally, in proposed three-dimensional mazes, cubic
pieces provided with ball paths are arranged or stacked so that a
ball is moved between adjacent pieces e.g., as shown in Japanese
Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-619 (Patent Document 1),
Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application Publication No.
H01-135988 (Patent Document 2), and Japanese Laid-open Utility
Model Application Publication No. S62-61279 (Patent Document
3).
SUMMARY
[0004] However, in the three-dimensional mazes described in Patent
Documents 1 to 3, paths are formed by piercing holes in cubes,
which takes time and costs, and are difficult to form for mold
molding due to bending and intersecting of paths in the pieces, and
therefore, the pieces of three-dimensional maze were not easily
mass-produced.
[0005] It is therefore one non-limiting and exemplary embodiment
provides a piece of three-dimensional maze that is easy to
create.
[0006] In one general aspect, the techniques disclosed here
feature: a piece of three-dimensional maze, wherein at least two of
six faces of a cube have opening faces such that a path connecting
the opening faces of two faces is defined by flat plates of the
cube.
[0007] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to the present
invention can relatively easily be formed since the path connecting
the opening faces of two faces to each other is defined by flat
plates of a cube.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0008] The present disclosure will become readily understood from
the following description of non-limiting and exemplary embodiments
thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
like parts are designated by like reference numeral and in
which:
[0009] FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a
2.times.2.times.2 three-dimensional maze made up only of eight
corner pieces each having a path bent at a right angle.
[0010] FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view showing the
three-dimensional maze housed in a box.
[0011] FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a
2.times.2.times.2 three-dimensional maze made up only of eight
U-shaped pieces. FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view showing
the three-dimensional maze housed in the box.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of
connection of paths between the U-shaped piece and the corner
piece.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of
connection of paths using the U-shaped pieces, a straight piece,
and the corner piece.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of a route
passing through all pieces of a 3.times.3.times.3 three-dimensional
maze.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of 15 straight and
corner pieces arranged on two left and lower faces of FIG. 5.
[0016] FIG. 7A is a schematic perspective view in which all the
pieces of FIG. 5 are replaced only with U-shaped pieces. FIG. 7B is
a schematic perspective view showing a state of the pieces of FIG.
7A housed in the box made up of three faces.
[0017] FIG. 8A is a schematic perspective view showing a
3.times.3.times.3 three-dimensional maze in which 12 corner and
straight pieces are added to the configuration of FIG. 7A. FIG. 8B
is a schematic perspective view showing a 3.times.3.times.3
three-dimensional maze made up of 27 pieces of FIG. 8A housed in
the box.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a
3.times.3.times.3 three-dimensional maze made up of opaque pieces
of three-dimensional maze provided with peepholes on faces without
an opening face.
[0019] A piece of three-dimensional maze according to a first
aspect, at least two of six faces of a cube have opening faces such
that a path connecting the opening faces of two faces is defined by
flat plate of the cube.
[0020] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to a second
aspect, in the first aspect, at least two adjacent faces of the six
faces of the cube may have opening faces continuous over the two
faces.
[0021] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to a third
aspect, in the first or second aspect, the flat plates of the cube
constituting the path may have a thickness equal to or less than
1/3 of the length of one side of the cube.
[0022] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to a fourth
aspect, in any one of the first to third aspect, the flat plates of
the cube constituting the path may include a curved surface.
[0023] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to a fifth
aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspect, the piece may be
a corner piece in which two adjacent faces of the six faces of the
cube have opening faces continuous over the two faces such that a
path connecting the opening faces of the two faces to each other is
defined by the flat plate of the cube.
[0024] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to a sixth
aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspect, the piece may be a
U-shaped piece in which three faces continuous along one direction
among the six faces of the cube have opening faces continuous over
the three faces such that a path connecting the opening faces of
the three faces to each other is defined by the flat plates of the
cube.
[0025] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to a seventh
aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspect, eight vertices of
the cube may be maintained.
[0026] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to an eighth
aspect, in any one of the first to seventh aspect, the flat plates
of the cube defining the path may have openings.
[0027] A three-dimensional maze according to a ninth aspect
constructed by using the piece of three-dimensional maze according
to the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect.
[0028] Pieces of three-dimensional maze and a three-dimensional
maze according to an embodiment will now be described with
reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings,
substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference
numerals.
First Embodiment
[0029] FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a
2.times.2.times.2 three-dimensional maze made up only of eight
corner pieces 2 each having a path bent at a right angle. FIG. 1B
is a schematic perspective view showing the three-dimensional maze
10 housed in a box 17b. FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of
a 2.times.2.times.2 three-dimensional maze made up only of eight
U-shaped pieces 4. FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view showing
the three-dimensional maze 10a housed in the box 17b. FIG. 3 is a
schematic perspective view showing an example of connection of
paths between the U-shaped piece 4 and the corner piece 2. FIG. 4
is a schematic perspective view showing an example of connection of
paths using the U-shaped pieces 4, a straight piece 3, and the
corner piece 2.
[0030] In the pieces of three-dimensional maze 2, 3, 4 according to
the first embodiment, at least two of six faces of a cube have
opening faces on the at least two of six faces. Therefore, the
opening faces are supported by flat plates of the cube. A path
connecting the two opening faces is defined by flat plates of the
cube. Furthermore, the flat plates of the cube constituting the
path have a thickness equal to or less than 1/3 of the length of
one side of the cube.
[0031] The pieces of three-dimensional maze 2, 3, 4 can relatively
easily be formed since the path connecting the opening faces of two
faces is defined by the plates of the cube.
[0032] The flat plate of the cube constituting the path only needs
to be able to define a ball path, and the flat plate constituting
the path may be a flat face or a curved surface or may be a flat
face partially having a curved surface. As a result, the piece of
three-dimensional maze can easily be formed. The flat plate may be
a polygonal face or an uneven face. The flat plate may have a slope
along a direction of the path. The flat plate may have a
substantially constant thickness. The flat plate of the cube only
needs to be able to define a path, has a thickness equal to or less
than 1/3 of one side of the cube, for example, and preferably has a
thickness capable of maintaining a certain strength, for example, a
thickness of 1 mm or more, more preferably 3 mm or more. As a
result, when the pieces of three-dimensional maze are stacked, the
faces thereof come into contact with each other at portions having
the thickness, so that the faces of the pieces can be prevented
from fitting in each other. For example, the flat plate of the cube
can be made of resin, metal, wood, cardboard, etc. For uniform
formation, the flat plate is preferably made of resin. The flat
plate of the cube may be transparent or opaque. Furthermore, as
shown in FIG. 9, a peephole 8 may be disposed in the face of the
cube.
[0033] Preferably, two adjacent faces have opening faces continuous
over the two faces. In this case, a side serving as a ridgeline
between the two faces does not exist, and the continuous opening
faces are opened outward, resulting in a structure easily formed by
mold molding. Examples of the piece of three-dimensional maze with
two adjacent faces having continuous opening faces include the
corner piece 2 and the U-shaped piece 4 described later.
[0034] In this piece of three-dimensional maze, among the eight
vertices and the 12 sides of the cube, a discontinuous side may be
included; however, the eight vertices are preferably maintained.
When the pieces of three-dimensional maze are stacked up, the
pieces of three-dimensional maze maintaining the eight vertices of
the cube produce an effect of stabilizing the three-dimensional
maze. For example, a straight piece, a corner piece, and a U-shaped
piece described later maintain eight vertices and are therefore
stable when stacked.
[0035] The corner piece 2, the U-shaped piece 4, and the straight
piece 3 are specific examples of the pieces of three-dimensional
maze 2, 3, 4 and will hereinafter be described.
<Corner Piece>
[0036] FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a
2.times.2.times.2 three-dimensional maze 10 made up only of the
eight corner pieces 2 each having a path bent at a right angle.
FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view showing the
three-dimensional maze 10 housed in a box 17b.
[0037] The corner piece 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
1A and 1B. In the corner piece 2, two faces adjacent to each other
among the six faces of the cube have opening faces 9a, 9b
continuous over the two faces. Entrances 12a, 12b connecting the
two opening faces 9a, 9b to each other are defined by flat plates
of the cube. In the corner piece 2, the two faces form the opening
faces 9a, 9b continuous over the two faces without a side serving
as a ridgeline between the two faces and the opening faces 9a, 9b
are opened outward. Therefore, mold molding can easily be
performed. Although the corner piece 2 has one discontinuous side
among the eight vertices and 12 sides of the cube, the eight
vertices of the cube are maintained. Since the eight vertices are
maintained, the piece is stable when stacked up to form a
three-dimensional maze.
[0038] A ball 16 enters the corner piece 2 via one opening face 9a
of the opening faces and exits the corner piece 2 via the other
opening face 9b in a right-angle direction. Therefore, in the
corner piece 2, the ball path (9a->9b) bends at a right angle
(right-angle path). When the opening face 9a of another piece comes
into contact with the opening face 9b on one side of the
right-angle path of the corner piece 2, the right-angle path forms
a portion of a continuous path. By combining the eight corner
pieces 2 such that the paths thereof are made continuous, the
three-dimensional maze 10 is configured to have a route 11 in which
the paths of the corner pieces 2 are made continuous. The
combination of the corner pieces 2 of FIG. 1 is an example and is
not limited thereto.
<U-Shaped Piece>
[0039] FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a
2.times.2.times.2 three-dimensional maze 10a made up only of the
eight U-shaped pieces 4. FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view
showing the three-dimensional maze 10a housed in the box 17b.
[0040] The U-shaped piece 4 will be described with reference to
FIGS. 2A and 2B. In the U-shaped piece 4, three faces continuous
along one direction among the six faces of the cube form opening
faces 9a, 9b, 9c continuous over the three faces. Entrances 12a,
12b, 12c connecting the three opening faces 9a, 9b, 9c to each
other are defined by flat plates of the cube. In the U-shaped piece
4, the three faces form the opening faces 9a, 9b, 9c continuous
over the three faces without two sides each serving as a ridgeline
between two adjacent faces and the opening faces 9a, 9b, 9c are
opened outward. Therefore, mold molding can easily be performed.
Although the U-shaped piece 4 has two discontinuous sides among the
eight vertices and 12 sides of the cube, the eight vertices of the
cube are maintained. Since the eight vertices are maintained, the
piece is stable when stacked up to form a three-dimensional maze.
The U-shaped piece 4 is based on the fact that the shape of three
continuous faces other than the opening faces is a U-shape when
viewed in the one direction. Both end portions of the three
continuous faces defining the path are also referred to as legs.
Since the U-shaped piece has the three opening faces 9a, 9b, 9c as
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4(a) described later, the ball path has the
three entrances 12a, 12b, 12c.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 4(b), depending on arranging the U-shaped
piece 4, one of the three entrances 12a, 12b, 12c can be sealed at
the lower face 17 so as to allow the piece to function as if it
were a straight piece or a corner piece. Therefore, one of the
three entrances may be sealed with a face of another piece or a
face of the box.
[0042] Since the U-shaped piece 4 has three entrances, it is
required to consider the arrangement of the piece more than when
the straight piece 3 or the corner piece 2 is used, which is
suitable for a brain training.
<Straight Piece>
[0043] FIG. 4(c) is a schematic view showing a path of the straight
piece 3. In the straight piece 3, two opposite faces of the cube
are the opening faces 9a, 9b. The entrances 12a, 12b connecting the
two opening faces 9a, 9b to each other are defined by flat plates
of the cube. In the straight piece 3, the two faces are the opening
faces 9a, 9b. Among the eight vertices and the 12 sides of the
cube, the straight piece 3 has no discontinuous side and maintains
the eight vertices of the cube and is therefore stable when stacked
up to form a three-dimensional maze. In this straight piece 3, the
path from the entrance 12a to the entrance 12b is straight, and the
three-dimensional maze cannot be made up only of the straight
pieces 3. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(c), a
three-dimensional route can be formed by connecting the entrance
12b of the straight piece 3 to the entrance 12a of the corner piece
2 so that the path is bent at a right angle and lead to the
entrance 12b by the corner piece 2.
<Other Pieces>
[0044] As described later, a three-dimensional maze may be formed
by using a cubic piece composed of six faces all closed and having
no opening face or a blind-end piece composed of one face that is
an opening face and the other five faces having no opening face.
These cubic and blind-end pieces are not primary constituent
members of the three-dimensional maze in that the pieces do not
form a route.
<Connection of Paths>
[0045] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of
connection of paths between the U-shaped piece 4 and the corner
piece 2. FIG. 4(a) is a schematic perspective view showing the
entrances 12a, 12b, 12c of the U-shaped piece 4, FIG. 4(b) is a
schematic perspective view showing connection of the paths
according to arrangement of the two U-shaped pieces, and FIG. 4(C)
is a schematic perspective view showing connection of paths from
the straight piece 3 to the corner piece 2.
[0046] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4(a), the U-shaped piece 4 has the
three entrances 12a, 12b, 12c, and in FIG. 3, the path of the
corner piece 2 is connected to the entrance 12b to form a
route.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the U-shaped piece 4 can be arranged
to seal one of the three entrances. For example, in the U-shaped
piece 4 on the lower side of FIG. 4(b), a leg lower face of a
U-shaped portion is closed, so that the path of the entrances 12a,
12b is straight as in the straight piece. in the U-shaped piece 4
on the upper side of FIG. 4(b), one face of the U-shaped portion is
closed, so that the path of the entrances 12c, 12b has a right
angle as in the corner piece. As shown in FIG. 4(c), the straight
path formed by the straight piece 3 can be bent at a right angle by
the corner piece 2. In FIG. 7, arrangement of the U-shaped pieces
and a route of a maze are shown by using 15 U-shaped pieces.
[0048] As described above, the paths of the pieces can
appropriately be connected to provide a route for forming a
three-dimensional maze.
<3.times.3.times.3 Three-Dimensional Maze>
[0049] A 3.times.3.times.3 three-dimensional maze is made up of 27
pieces, and 1000 or more different routes are available from the
start piece to the goal piece, including pieces that the routes do
not pass through. FIG. 5 is an example of a route 11 passing
through all the 27 pieces from the start to the goal, and FIGS. 6,
7, and 8 show examples of piece arrangement according to the route
11. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the 15 corner and
straight pieces 2 and 3 arranged on two left and lower faces 17 of
FIG. 5.
[0050] FIG. 7A is a schematic perspective view in which all the
corner and straight pieces 2 and 3 of FIG. 5 are replaced with the
U-shaped pieces 4. FIG. 7B is a schematic perspective view showing
a state of the 15 pieces of FIG. 7A housed in the box 17b made up
of three faces. FIGS. 7A and 7B show that the U-shaped piece 4
serves as a substitute for the corner piece 2 and the straight
piece 3 by using the face 17 of the box or the face of the adjacent
piece. The brain is trained by simply considering how to arrange
the U-shaped pieces 4. FIG. 8A is a schematic perspective view
showing arrangement of a total of 27 pieces when 12 corner and
straight pieces 2 and 3 are added to the configuration of FIG. 7A.
FIG. 8B is a schematic perspective view showing a 3.times.3.times.3
three-dimensional maze 20b made up of 27 pieces of FIG. 8A housed
in the box 17b. When the three-dimensional maze is used, the ball
16 is put into the piece at a start portion; a box 17a is used as a
lid; and the box 17b and the box 17a are fixed by a band before the
maze is rotated and used with both hands.
<Branch Point>
[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, a route passing through all the 27
pieces without a branch point forms a relatively easy maze. Since
the U-shaped piece 4 has three entrances, a branch portion can be
formed in the maze to increase difficulty. A two-dimensional maze
commonly has branch portions and blind ends, and a
three-dimensional maze having branch portions and blind ends is
more interesting and greatly increased in difficulty. Additionally,
in each of the corner pieces 2, the straight pieces 3, and the
U-shaped pieces 4, a branch portion may be increased by disposing
an opening allowing passage of a ball in a flat plate of a cube
constituting a path. In this case, a frame surrounding the opening
of the flat plate of the cube is retained. As a result, even if the
number of openings is increased, the vertices of the cube can be
maintained, and the stability can be kept.
<Peephole>
[0052] FIG. 9(a) is a schematic perspective view showing the
straight piece 3 provided with the peepholes 8 on faces without an
opening face, and FIG. 9(b) is a schematic perspective view showing
the corner piece 2 provided with the peepholes 8 on faces without
an opening face, FIG. 9(c) is a schematic perspective view of a
3.times.3.times.3 three-dimensional maze 20c made up of the pieces
1 of pieces of three-dimensional maze 1 provided with the peepholes
8 on faces without an opening face, and FIG. 9(d) is a schematic
perspective view showing a box 7 and a lid 15 for storing the
three-dimensional maze 20c.
[0053] In an example shown in FIG. 9, the 3.times.3.times.3
three-dimensional maze 20c is formed by using the straight pieces 3
and the corner piece 2 made of an opaque material and is housed in
the box 7. An example of the route of the ball 16 is the same as
FIG. 6, for example. This three-dimensional maze 20c is made up of
a total of 27 pieces, and as shown in FIG. 6, the route 11 is long
so that the position of the ball 16 in the route 11 may become
unclear. Therefore, the peepholes 8 not hindering the movement of
the ball 16 are disposed on wall surfaces of the corner pieces 2
and the straight pieces 3 to clarify the location of the ball 16.
The peepholes 8 may freely be formed in terms of shape, size, and
number as long as the position of the ball 16 can be observed.
Alternatively, transparent and opaque pieces may be mixed to form a
three-dimensional maze. If the box 7 is opaque, multiple holes may
be disposed on the faces of the box 7 so that the peepholes 8 can
be seen. When neither the peepholes 8 nor the holes on the faces of
the box exist, the ball is not visible so that the difficulty of
the three-dimensional maze increases.
[0054] The peepholes may be increased in diameter to form an
opening allowing passage of the ball.
[0055] Although the three-dimensional maze may have any size, the
maze with each side of about 60 mm is easy to use when played with
both hands, for example. In the case of the 3.times.3.times.3
three-dimensional maze, one side of one piece is about 20 mm. To
prevent adjacent pieces from fitting in each other, the thickness
of each face of one piece of three-dimensional maze is preferably 1
mm or more, more preferably 3 mm or more. Additionally, the piece
of three-dimensional maze becomes stable when four corners at least
in contact with the center of one side of the cube are large. When
the faces of the straight piece have the thickness of 3 mm, the
inner cavity is 14 mm in width, and a ball having a diameter of
about 13 mm can be rolled. In the case of a 4.times.4.times.4 maze,
the piece is 15 mm on each side. If the thickness of each face of
the piece of three-dimensional maze is 3 mm, the cubic inner cavity
is 9 mm in width, and a ball having a diameter of about 8 mm can be
rolled.
[0056] The 3.times.3.times.3 three-dimensional maze has 27 passage
portions, and the 4.times.4.times.4 three-dimensional maze has 64
passage portions. In this case, when a large three-dimensional maze
is created, it is not necessary to arrange the pieces of
three-dimensional maze having paths at all locations. For example,
a space may be filled in some locations with a regular hexahedron
piece having six closed faces or a box-shaped blind-end piece made
up of five faces with one face removed. Additionally, a transparent
piece, an opaque piece, and a colored piece may be mixed. This can
make the maze visually enjoyable.
[0057] Furthermore, the three-dimensional maze may be played by
causing the ball to make a round trip between two entrances.
Alternatively, in a 4.times.4.times.4 or more three-dimensional
maze having an increased maze space, a goal may be disposed inside
the three-dimensional maze so that the maze is solved by making a
round trip. Furthermore, according to the piece of
three-dimensional maze, a three-dimensional maze can freely be
constructed, which allows a player to conceive various ways by
himself/herself.
<Mold Molding>
[0058] The pieces of three-dimensional maze have a path defined by
plates of a cube such that the path is made wide for a ball, and
particularly, the corner piece 2 and the U-shaped piece 4 have the
path opened outward, so that the pieces are easily formed by mold
molding. If path surfaces are sloped and opened outward and outside
surfaces are also sloped, the pieces have a structure easily formed
by mold molding and can be mass-produced. In this case, a side
length of a piece of 20 mm on each side is reduced by about 0.5 mm
in some positions; however, this does not affect when the maze is
created by the pieces or is played.
[0059] The pieces of three-dimensional maze and the
freely-constructible three-dimensional maze using the pieces
provide the following effects.
[0060] (A) The three-dimensional maze can be solved by guiding the
ball from an entrance to an exit by rotating the entire
three-dimensional maze, for example, and can be created by
connecting the paths of the pieces of three-dimensional maze from
an entrance to an exit. In this case, the route of the ball is
three-dimensionally imaged in the brain at the time of both
creating and solving the three-dimensional maze, so that the brain
is trained.
[0061] (B) Since the multiple types of the pieces of
three-dimensional maze are provided, the pieces are enjoyably
selected when a route of the of the three-dimensional maze is
created.
[0062] (C) Since the ball path is formed by flat plates of a cube
in each of the pieces of three-dimensional maze, a relatively large
ball can be put in the path.
[0063] (D) Since the ball path is formed by open faces of a regular
hexahedron rather than by drilling a hole in a cubic piece, the
pieces of three-dimensional maze are easily formed by mold
molding.
[0064] (E) Since the ball path is formed by flat plates of a cube
in each of the pieces of three-dimensional maze, less material is
required, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.
[0065] The present disclosure includes appropriately combining any
embodiments and/or examples out of the various embodiments and/or
examples described above, and the effects of the respective
embodiments and/or examples can be produced.
[0066] The piece of three-dimensional maze according to the present
invention can relatively easily be formed since the path connecting
the opening faces of two faces to each other is defined by flat
plates of a cube.
EXPLANATIONS OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS
[0067] 1 piece of three-dimensional maze [0068] 2 corner piece
[0069] 3 straight pieces [0070] 4 U-shaped piece [0071] 7 box
[0072] 8 peephole [0073] 9a, 9b, 9c opening face [0074] 10, 10a,
20, 20a, 20b, 20c three-dimensional maze [0075] 11 route [0076]
12a, 12b, 12c entrance [0077] 15 lid [0078] 16 ball [0079] 17 face
[0080] 17a box (upper portion) [0081] 17b box (lower portion)
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