ES2993056T3 - Modular game - Google Patents

Abstract

The modular game is made up of a series of pieces, each piece having at least three pairs of faces arranged in different planes. Each pair of faces is formed by a first face having a projection projecting outwards from the piece, and a second face symmetrically opposite the first face and having a cavity whose shape is complementary to the shape of the projection on the first face, to allow the coupling of several pieces together so that they are arranged aligned on at least three different axes. The game facilitates the understanding of vector space, as well as basic algebraic rules, to provide training for future students.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Modular game

This description refers to modular games consisting of pieces that can be fitted together to compose multiple structures in space.

BACKGROUND

Construction games are known, which consist of multiple pieces configured to fit together in order to form various figures in two or three dimensions. These types of games develop various skills in children, as well as the coordination of body parts, senses such as sight and touch, and especially the imagination. WO 2009/008691 A1 describes a modular game according to the preamble of claim 1.

DESCRIPTION

A new modular game is proposed that goes beyond the construction of figures in space, which facilitates the understanding of vector space, as well as basic algebraic rules, to provide training for future students.

The present modular game consists of a series of pieces that can be fitted together. Each of the pieces of the modular game can be three-dimensionally symmetrical, for example, inscribable in a sphere. Each piece has at least three pairs of faces arranged in different planes, for example, six faces in a cube-shaped configuration, although many other geometric shapes are possible. The faces of each piece of the modular game can be flat, for example, or they can be curved, constituting, for example, sphere-shaped pieces, or have another configuration. The pieces of the present modular game can be hollow or solid, or partially hollow, as desired. Other shapes and configurations are also possible as long as they are solid pieces, whether completely or partially hollow.

Each pair of faces of each piece of the present modular game is formed by a first face that has a projection which projects outwards from the piece, and a second face symmetrically opposite to the first face, which has a cavity whose shape is complementary to the shape of the projection on the first face. This configuration of projections and cavities allows several pieces to be coupled together by inserting the projection of one piece into the cavity of another different piece. Once the pieces are coupled together, they are arranged aligned on at least three different axes in space. The shape of the projection and the shape of the corresponding cavity correspond to the letter X on the first pair of faces, to the letter Y on a second pair of faces, and to the letter Z on a third pair of faces.

The cavities formed in the faces of the game pieces may have more or less depth as desired. Thus, for example, the cavity of at least one of the faces of the piece may extend along at least part of a dimension of the piece, for example, along all or part of the width, height, length, or diameter of the piece, depending on the particular geometry of the piece. It is envisaged that a cavity in the piece may be formed by defining a slot or female track adapted for the insertion of a corresponding male projection of another face of another piece. The formation of slots as a particular case of cavities in the pieces allows the coupling of pieces with each other by carrying out a movement between them until the pieces fit together completely, forming a compact and stable structure of various pieces in three dimensions without empty spaces, that is, without discontinuity. In some cases it is envisaged that the slot may have at least one internal projection. This inner projection may be suitably configured to hold temporarily coupled parts in position, with the possibility of releasing them from each other when desired. For this purpose, it may be advantageous for the projection to have a suitable coupling surface, such as a curved one, or formed by two inclined planes, for example, for easy disengagement of the parts.

In accordance with the invention, each pair of faces in a part has a first face with a projection and a second face with a cavity, the projection and cavity of which have a complementary shape corresponding to the letter X in a first pair, to the letter Y in a second pair, and to the letter Z in a third pair. This configuration allows several parts to be coupled together arranged in alignment on at least three different axes x, y, z in space, as indicated above. In any case, the faces of each pair of faces may be arranged opposite each other in the part.

With the configuration described, three letters protrude from three of the faces of each piece, that is, one letter X, Y, Z for each face, and on the other three faces of the piece, either opposite or adjacent to each other, cavities are formed with shapes corresponding to said letters X, Y, Z. Each letter is therefore repeated twice on each piece, once protruding from it as a projection and once entering it as a cavity or slot. In the preferred, but not the only, case in which the letters are X, Y and Z, as indicated above, a face of a piece can be coupled to a corresponding face of another piece, thus constituting a matrix of pieces for different playful and demonstrative applications of the directions of vector space.

In the modular game described, faces of different pieces, whose projection and cavity have the same shape to fit one into the other and couple several pieces together aligned on at least three axes, can have the same characteristic of color, or relief, or texture. That is, each face on which there is a unique letter can be assigned the same color, relief, or texture, for example, although other finishes are possible to differentiate faces with different projection and cavity shapes. In the previous example, a first color can be applied to the face that has the projection with the letter X and to the face that has the cavity with the letter X, a second color for the face that has the projection with the letter Y and for the face that has the cavity with the letter Y, and a third color for the face that has the projection with the letter Z and for the face that has the cavity with the letter Z. As indicated, as an alternative to color, relief, texture, other finishes, etc. can be used.

It is also envisaged that at least one face of the part has one or more holes for inserting other different parts. These holes may be formed, for example, in the centre of each face of the part and, in particular, in an area of at least one of the projections, such as a central area.

With the described configuration it is possible to create a series of games for carrying out activities for composing parts of a model or original arrangement games, according to the directions corresponding to three axes x, y, z in space. This arrangement allows a numerical and numerical-algebraic visualization in three-dimensional space that advantageously facilitates the understanding of the vector space defined by the specific three-dimensional orientation on three axes x, y, z in space and a magnitude determined by the number of parts coupled together along the same axis.

Other objects, advantages and features of embodiments of the present modular game will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description, or may be derived by practicing this description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Below, various non-limiting examples of this modular game will be described, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first example of a piece of the present modular game, from a point of view where three sides of the piece are shown with respective projections;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the piece of the first example of Figure 1, from another point of view where three other faces of the piece are shown with respective complementary cavities;

Figure 3 is a perspective view, from the point of view of Figure 1, of the present modular game with several pieces of the first example of Figures 1 and 2 coupled together forming a vector structure in space; Figure 4 is a perspective view, from the point of view of Figure 2, of the modular game of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second example of a piece of the present modular game, from a point of view where three faces of the piece with respective projections are shown;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the piece in Figure 5, from another point of view where faces of the piece of the second example are shown with respective complementary slots;

Figure 7 is a perspective view, from the point of view of Figure 5, of the present modular game with several pieces of the second example of Figures 5 and 6 coupled together forming a vector structure in space; Figure 8 is a perspective view, from the point of view of Figure 6, of the example of the modular game of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a third example of a piece of the present modular game, from a point of view where projections are shown;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the piece of the third example of Figure 9, from another point of view where respective complementary cavities are shown;

Figure 11 is a perspective view, from the point of view of Figure 9, of the present modular game with several pieces of the third example of Figures 9 and 10 coupled together forming a vector structure in space; and Figure 12 is a perspective view, from the point of view of Figure 10, of the modular game of Figure 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Three non-limiting examples of the present modular set are shown in Figures 1-12 of the drawings. In all examples, the part has been designated as a whole by the reference number 100. Many other examples of parts 100 of shapes and configurations other than those described below are possible.

In all of the examples shown in Figures 1-12, each piece 100 may be hollow, solid, or partially hollow. In the first and second examples shown in Figures 1-8, the part 100 has a cubic geometry, with six flat faces 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, three of which, 110, 120, 130, have respective projections 111, 121, 131 with different shapes, which project outwards, and the other three opposite faces 140, 150, 160, have respective grooves 141, 151, 161 complementary to the shape of the projections 111, 121, 131. Thus, the projections 111, 121, 131 of a part 100 are intended to engage in grooves 141, 151, 161 of another part 100. Notwithstanding the described position of the projections 111, 121, 131 and the cavities 141, 151, 161 on pairs of opposite faces 110-140, 120-150, 130-160 of the part 100, both the projections 111, 121, 131 and the cavities 141, 151, 161 may be formed on adjacent faces 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160. In the third example of Figures 9-12, the part 100 presents a substantially spherical geometry with projections 111, 121, 131 and respective grooves 141, 151, 161 of complementary shape. This third example can be considered a particular case of pieces with infinite faces or defined by curved surfaces.

In the examples described and shown in Figures 1-12, faces of different pieces, whose projection 111, 121, 131 and cavity 141, 151, 161 have the same shape to fit into each other in order to couple several pieces 100 together may have the same color, or relief, or texture characteristic.

Also, in the examples of Figures 1-12, each projection 111, 121, 131 and/or each cavity 141, 151, 161 of the piece 100 presents, in a substantially central part thereof, a hole 170 to receive the projection of other pieces different from the pieces 100. For example, if the structure to be built with the pieces 100 is in the form of a tree, these other types of pieces can be in the form of leaves, insects, etc.

In the first example illustrated in Figures 1-4 of the drawings, three adjacent faces 110, 120, 130 of the workpiece 100 have respective projections 111, 121, 131 which are in the shape of letters X, Y, Z, respectively, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. The projections 111, 121, 131 project outward from the respective faces 110, 120, 130 by a certain distance. Correspondingly, and as shown in Figures 2 and 4 of the drawings, the other three opposite adjacent faces 140, 150, 160 of the piece 100 have respective cavities 141, 151, 161 complementary in shape to the projections 111, 121, 131, respectively, formed within said respective faces 140, 150, 160 of the piece 100.

The configuration of projections 111, 121, 131 and cavities 141, 151, 161 in a complementary manner allows several pieces 100 to be coupled together so that they are arranged aligned in at least three different axes in the x, y, z space, as shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the first example. In other words, in each piece or cube 100 there are six faces 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 with projections 111, 121, 131 and cavities 141, 151, 161 with corresponding shapes according to a nomenclature X, -X, Y, -Y, Z, -Z, in the first example shown in Figures 1-4 of the drawings. According to said nomenclature, X is the X-shaped projection 111 of face 110, -X is the X-shaped cavity 141 of face 140, Y is the Y-shaped projection 121 of face 120, -Y is the Y-shaped cavity 151 of face 150, Z is the Z-shaped projection 131 of face 130, and -Z is the Z-shaped cavity 161 of face 160, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. Thus, the pieces 100 of the first example can only be coupled to each other through the pairs of faces 110-140, 120-150 and 130-160 according to the cited nomenclature X-X, Y-Y, Z-Z.

Therefore, the essence of the parts 100 of the first example shown in Figures 1-4 is the arrangement of projections 111, 121, 131 in the form of three letters X, Y, Z projecting from three adjacent corresponding faces 110, 120, 130 of the part 100, one letter X, Y, Z for each face 110, 120, 130. These projections 111, 121, 131 in the form of letters X, Y, Z are intended to be inserted into corresponding cavities 141, 151, 161 formed in faces 140, 150, 160 of another different part 100. Each letter X, Y, Z is therefore repeated twice in the same piece 100, once protruding from it, like a projection 111, 121, 131, and once entering it, like a cavity 141, 151, 161. In this way, it is possible to couple different pieces 100 with each other aligned on three different axes x, y, z in space, constituting a matrix of pieces 100 for different playful and demonstrative applications of the vector space, defined by orientations and modules.

In said first example illustrated in Figures 1-4, each face 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 on which there is a single letter X, Y, Z may be assigned a color. Thus, a first color may be applied to the face 110 having the projection 111 with the letter X and the same color to the face having the cavity 141 with the letter X, a second color may be applied to the face 120 having the projection 121 with the letter Y and the same color to the face 150 having the cavity 151 with the letter Y, and a third color may be applied to the face 130 having the projection 131 with the letter Z and the same color to the face 160 having the cavity 161 with the letter Z.

In a second example shown in Figures 5-8 of the drawings, the projections 111, 121, 131 are of shapes other than letters, and have lateral notches 190 that are curved or configured by two inclined planes, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, to receive a corresponding projection 180; 180' which will be described later with reference to Figure 6. In this second example, the cavities are configured as slots 141, 151, 161, two of which 141, 161 are formed in respective edges of corresponding faces 140, 160 of the piece 100, and the third slot 151 is formed in a central part of the corresponding face 150, as shown in Figure 6. The shape of the slots 141, 151, 161 is such that it allows receiving respective projections 111, 121, 131 of another piece 100, moving inside it until the pieces 100 are coupled to each other. In order to releasably lock two different pieces 100 in position, at least the lateral slots 141, 161 include an inner projection 180; 180', as indicated above and as shown in Figure 6. In particular, and in accordance with the example described in Figure 6, one lateral slot 141 has an inner shoulder 180 in the form of a triangular prism with two inclined planes 181, 182, and the other lateral slot 161 has an inner shoulder 180' in the form of a semi-cylinder with a curved surface 183. This configuration of the inner shoulders 180 and 180' is complementary to the corresponding notches 190 formed in the shoulders 111, 121, 131, as indicated above with reference to Figure 5. This configuration of shoulders 111, 121, 131 with notches 190 and lateral slots 141, 161 with inner shoulders 180 and 180' facilitates releasable coupling between parts 100.

In a third example shown in Figures 9-12, the part 100 has a substantially spherical geometry with projections 111, 121, 131 and opposite cavities 141, 151, 161 of complementary shape which are in the form of letters X, Y, Z. The projections 111, 121, 131 of one part 100 project outward from the sphere a certain distance to fit within the cavities 141, 151, 161 of another part 100, as shown in Figures 11 and 12 of the drawings.

With the described configuration it is possible to create a series of games for carrying out activities of composition of pieces of a model or of original arrangement games, strictly according to three axes x, y, z in space, facilitating the understanding of the vector space through the orientation determined by said axes x, y, z in space and the magnitude determined by the number of pieces 100 coupled together along the same axis x, y, z.

In one example of a game, each player has a plurality of pieces 100 at the start of the game, for example seven. The game may continue until all players complete their rounds. The game may be played by teams if the number of players is even. If a face 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 of one piece 100 cannot be mated to another face 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 of another piece 100, the player looks to see if there is another piece 100 with a face 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 of the same color or with a ridge 111, 121, 131 or a pocket 141, 151, 161 of the same shape as that of the piece 100 to which it is to be connected. If there is not one, the player passes the turn. The objective is to build a structure using all 100 pieces while avoiding being blocked or eliminated by another player, so that the first player to run out of 100 pieces wins.

Although only particular examples of the invention have been described herein, the person skilled in the art will understand that other alternative embodiments and/or uses, as well as obvious modifications and equivalent elements, are possible. Furthermore, the present description covers all possible combinations of the specific examples that have been described. The scope of this description should not be limited to specific examples, but should be determined solely by a proper reading of the appended claims.

Claims (15)

1. Modular game consisting of a series of pieces (100), each piece (100) having at least three pairs of faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) arranged in different planes, each pair of faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) being formed by a first face (110, 120, 130) having a projection (111, 121, 131) projecting outwards from the piece (100), and a second face (140, 150, 160) symmetrically opposite to the first face (110, 120, 130) and having a cavity (141, 151, 161) whose shape is complementary to the shape of the projection (111, 121, 131). of the first face (110, 120, 130), to allow the coupling of several pieces (100) together so that they are arranged aligned on at least three different axes (x, y, z), characterized in that the projection (111, 121, 131) of the first face (110, 120, 130) and the cavity (141, 151, 161) of the second face (140, 150, 160) have a complementary shape corresponding to the letter X on a first pair of faces (110-140), to the letter Y on a second pair of faces (120-150), and to the letter Z on a third pair of faces (130-160). 2. Game according to claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the projection (111, 121, 131) and the corresponding cavity (141, 151, 161) of each pair of faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) is different between the pairs of faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160). 3. Game according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cavity (141, 151, 161) of at least one of the faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) extends along at least part of a dimension of the piece (100), defining a slot (141, 151, 161). 4. Game according to claim 3, characterized in that said slot (141, 151, 161) extends along the entire said dimension of the piece (100). 5. Game according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said slot (141, 151, 161) has at least one internal projection (180) suitable for retaining in position a corresponding projection (180') of another piece (100) inserted therein. 6. Game according to claim 5, characterized in that said projection (180, 180') protrudes from the inside of the slot (141, 151, 161) according to a concave surface. 7. Game according to claim 5, characterized in that said projection (180, 180') protrudes from the inside of the slot (141, 151, 161) according to two inclined planes. 8. Game according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the pieces (100) are three-dimensionally symmetrical. 9. Game according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that at least some of the faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) of the piece (100) are formed by flat surfaces. 10. Game according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that at least some of the faces (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) of the piece (100) are formed by curved surfaces. 11. Game according to claim 10, characterized in that the pieces (100) are cubic or spherical. 12. Game according to any of claims 1-11, characterized in that the pieces are hollow. 13. Game according to any of claims 1-11, characterized in that the pieces are solid. 14. Game according to any of claims 1-13, characterized in that faces of different pieces, whose projection (111, 121, 131) and cavity (141, 151, 161) have the same shape to fit into each other and thus couple several pieces (100) together arranged aligned on at least three axes (x, y, z), have the same color, or relief, or texture characteristic. 15. Game according to any of claims 1-14, characterized in that at least one face (110-140, 120-150, 130-160) of the piece (100) has one or more holes (170) for inserting other pieces (100).