RU2844598C1 - Game constructor - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: toys.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to construction play sets intended for use as games, puzzles, developing spatial thinking, logic. In the game constructor consisting of a set of parts containing a plurality of identical rhombic dodecahedrons, wherein part of the rhombic dodecahedrons is connected to each other to form at least one basic unit and several intermediate units, the basic unit is designed for laying intermediate units and/or single rhombic dodecahedrons on top of it. Base unit and the intermediate units are formed from several rhombic dodecahedrons connected to each other such that each rhombic dodecahedron in said units is connected by part of its faces with mating faces of adjacent rhombic dodecahedrons with the formation between them of symmetrical protrusions and recesses intended for tight placement of parts therein and to ensure the connection of parts to each other according to the tenon-slot principle, which prevents their horizontal displacement relative to each other, wherein the number of rhombic dodecahedrons in the intermediate blocks is less than in the basic block.

EFFECT: simplification of game constructor, expanding the types of figures that can be created from separate units of the game constructor due to the possibility of creating spatial complex figures, in which superior units may not have a support in the form of units located below, ensuring the assembled figures proper stability and reliability; enlarging the range of game construction sets.

6 cl, 10 dwg

Description

The invention relates to construction play sets intended for use as games and puzzles that develop spatial thinking and logic.

A game constructor is known from Russian Patent No. 2690645 for an invention, containing blocks formed from an upper surface and lateral sides, the lower edge of which forms the base of the block, wherein the upper surface is made flat and has one or more projections or is rounded, and the projection is made in the form of a square with hemispheres on the lateral sides and a size that ensures its connection with the base of the blocks. The base of the block can be made in the form of a square or rectangle, one side of which is a multiple of the other. The projection can be located symmetrically to the base.

The disadvantage of the game constructor, known from the Russian Federation patent No. 2690645, is the limited number of figures that can be assembled from such a constructor, namely: it is possible to assemble only such figures, during the formation of which the upper blocks must always rest with their entire lower surface on the lower blocks, i.e. it is impossible to create spatial complex figures.

From US Patent Application No. 4,238,905A for the invention, sculptural objects are known that include a plurality of identical geometric solid units, each of which has a plurality of faces of at least two different polygonal shapes and which in combination are capable of arbitrary assembly into densely packed spatial structures in which there are no overlapping edges or gaps between adjacent units, wherein mutually opposite, identically configured faces of each unit respectively have first and second magnetic means of a fixed oppositely oriented magnetic polarity, the magnetic poles of said first magnetic means of one unit and the magnetic poles of the second magnetic means of the other unit, thus interacting magnetically in selected pairs to connect said units together in a predetermined manner and in a densely packed structure, each said unit is a truncated regular octahedron, and said magnetic means are rod magnets, one located on each face of the polyhedron, said rod magnets in polar square polygonal faces have their north and south poles oriented along a circumferential line dividing pairs of opposite sides of said polar square faces, magnets located in the equatorial square faces having their north and south poles oriented along a line bisecting pairs of opposite corners of said equatorial square faces in a circumferential direction, and magnets located in the hexagonal faces having their north and south poles oriented along lines bisecting pairs of opposite corners of said hexagonal faces and passing through points lying in a circumferential direction parallel to latitudinal circles. In US Patent Application No. 4,238,905A, sculptural objects can be created from various shapes, including rhombic dodecahedrons, ensuring their dense packing on top of each other without the presence of gaps between adjacent units.

The disadvantage of the solution known from US Patent Application No. 4238905A is its complexity, due to the presence of magnetic means for fastening the figures together, which makes it necessary to observe the polarity of the magnets when assembling them. In addition, it is known that over time, magnetic properties tend to weaken, which will lead to the impossibility of assembling a sculptural object from individual units containing magnetic means for fastening. Also, the presence of magnetic means for fastening individual units limits the variety of sculptural objects that can be created from such units, since it is difficult to create spatially complex sculptural objects in which some units do not have support in the form of a lower unit.

The technical solution known from US patent application No. 4238905A was chosen as a prototype.

The technical problem solved by the proposed invention consists of creating a game constructor that is stable, has a simple design, and provides the ability to create spatial complex figures in which the higher units may not have support in the form of lower units.

The technical result achieved by the invention consists in simplifying the game constructor, expanding the types of figures that can be created from individual units of the game constructor by providing the possibility of creating spatial complex figures in which the higher units may not have support in the form of lower units, ensuring the proper stability and reliability of the assembled figures. The technical result also consists in expanding the arsenal of game constructors.

The technical result is achieved due to the fact that in a game constructor consisting of a set of parts containing a plurality of identical rhombic dodecahedrons, wherein some of the rhombic dodecahedrons are connected to each other to form at least one base block and several intermediate blocks, the base block is intended for laying intermediate blocks and/or single rhombic dodecahedrons on top of it, the base block and intermediate blocks are formed from several rhombic dodecahedrons connected to each other so that each rhombic dodecahedron in the said blocks is connected by part of its faces to the corresponding faces of adjacent rhombic dodecahedrons to form symmetrical protrusions and recesses between them intended for tight placement of parts in them and for ensuring the connection of parts to each other according to the tenon-groove principle, preventing their horizontal displacement relative to each other, the projections of the base and intermediate blocks in the plan are figures close to rectangular, intermediate blocks are intended for their placement at the joints of the parts located below, rhombic dodecahedrons in the base and intermediate blocks are arranged in one row relative to the horizontal plane, part of the intermediate blocks are formed from rhombic dodecahedrons arranged sequentially, with one end of such an intermediate block located on the parts located below and secured by the parts installed above, the other end of such an intermediate block is left free, the number of rhombic dodecahedrons in the intermediate blocks is from 2 to 6, with the base and intermediate blocks being made whole.

The game constructor contains several basic blocks, connected to each other using the tongue and groove principle and located in one row relative to the horizontal plane to form a basic platform.

The game constructor contains a second base platform formed from base blocks intended for their placement on top of the first base platform at the joints of the base blocks between themselves.

The base blocks in the base platform are connected to each other, for example, by means of pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected.

The base blocks of the upper and lower base platforms are connected to each other.

The base blocks of the upper and lower base platforms are connected to each other by means of pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected.

The rhombic dodecahedron (rhombic dodecahedron) is a twelve-sided polyhedron with 12 identical rhombus-shaped faces, with the ratio of the major diagonal to the minor diagonal equal to , and 14 vertices: 6 of which are the vertices of tetrahedral pyramids with apex angles equal to 70.5 degrees, and 8 are trihedral pyramids with apex angles equal to 109.5 degrees.

The claimed invention is explained by figures.

Fig. 1 shows a geometric unit – a rhombic dodecahedron: general view.

Fig. 2 shows a geometric unit – a rhombic dodecahedron: horizontal view.

Fig. 3 shows a geometric unit – a rhombic dodecahedron: top view.

Fig. 4 shows the basic block: general view.

Fig. 5 shows the base block: horizontal view.

Fig. 6 shows the base block: top view.

Fig. 7 shows an intermediate block.

Fig. 8 shows an intermediate block of a different shape.

Fig. 9 shows a variant of connecting geometric units of the base and/or intermediate blocks by means of a pin.

Fig. 10 shows a figure assembled as a result of implementing the claimed invention.

Positions on figures:

1 – geometric unit – rhombic dodecahedron;

2 – base block;

3 – intermediate block;

4 – pins;

5 – through holes in the faces of geometric units.

Implementation of the invention.

The claimed game constructor consists of a set of parts containing a plurality of identical rhombic dodecahedrons 1, wherein some of the rhombic dodecahedrons are connected to each other to form at least one base 2 and several intermediate 3 blocks, the base block 2 is intended for placing intermediate blocks 3 and/or single rhombic dodecahedrons 1 on top of it; the base block 2 and the intermediate blocks 3 are formed from several rhombic dodecahedrons 1, connected to each other so that each rhombic dodecahedron 1 in the said blocks is connected by some of its faces to the corresponding faces of adjacent rhombic dodecahedrons to form symmetrical protrusions and recesses between them, intended for tight placement of parts in them and for ensuring the connection of the parts to each other according to the tongue-and-groove principle, preventing their horizontal displacement relative to each other; the projections of the base 2 and intermediate 3 blocks in the plan are figures close to rectangular, the intermediate blocks 3 are intended for their placement at the joints of the parts located below, the rhombic dodecahedrons in the base 2 and intermediate 3 blocks are located in one row relative to the horizontal plane; part of the intermediate blocks 3 are formed from rhombic dodecahedrons located sequentially, wherein one end of such intermediate block 3 is located on the parts located below and secured by the parts installed above, the other end of such intermediate block 3 is left free; the number of rhombic dodecahedrons in the intermediate blocks is from 2 to 6, wherein the base 2 and intermediate 3 blocks are made whole.

The number of rhombic dodecahedrons in the intermediate blocks is from 2 to 6. This is the optimal number of rhombic dodecahedrons that can be used to make intermediate blocks for a play set intended primarily for children. Intermediate blocks with such a number of rhombic dodecahedrons can be combined in any way in any quantity, creating a variety of designs.

The projections of the base and intermediate blocks in the plan are figures close to rectangular. This form is the most stable and reliable, as well as the most expedient from the point of view of the possibility of their joining together.

Some of the parts are intended for their placement at the joints of the parts located below. This ensures not only the assembly of the entire structure as a whole, but also the fastening of the lower rows of the structure parts. The structure assembled in this way will be stable and reliable, since horizontal displacement of the parts relative to each other is excluded, and their falling out of the structure is also excluded. In the vertical direction, the stability of the structure is ensured by the weight of the parts.

The parts can be connected to each other by means of detachable connections, for example, pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected.

The pins and the shape of the holes can be made in any convenient way. For example, it is possible to use pins with conical projections on the ends, which after installation in through holes in the faces of the parts to be connected will interact with the inner surfaces of the faces (rest against them), thus preventing accidental disconnection of the parts to be connected. Also, the pins and holes can have a shape that ensures subsequent disconnection of the parts to be connected, for this purpose one end of the pin can have a smooth surface, and the other end of the pin can be equipped with a conical projection - a limiter, while the said end of the pin is equipped with a longitudinal cutout, ensuring the possibility of reducing the distance between the cut parts when they are squeezed.

Part of the intermediate blocks is formed from rhombic dodecahedrons arranged sequentially. This form of part of the intermediate blocks is appropriate when creating complex spatial figures in which part of the rhombic dodecahedrons forming such a block will not rest on the parts located below. The stability of such a part will be ensured by arranging its other end (the other part of the rhombic dodecahedrons) on the parts located below and fixing this end with the parts installed above.

The rhombic dodecahedrons in the base and intermediate blocks are arranged in one row relative to the horizontal plane. The creation of intermediate blocks with a large number of rows seems inappropriate, since it will either lead to a limitation of the types of structures that can be assembled, or to an increase in the number of initial parts.

The game constructor may contain several basic blocks, connected to each other using the tongue and groove principle and arranged in one row relative to the horizontal plane to form a basic platform. This will provide the ability to create structures over a larger area.

The play constructor may contain a second base platform formed from base blocks intended for their placement on top of the first base platform at the joints of the base blocks. This will ensure the proper reliability and strength of the most loaded part of the structure, especially in cases of a large area.

The base blocks in the base platform can be connected to each other, for example, by means of pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected.

The rhombic dodecahedrons of the upper and lower base platforms can be connected to each other, for example, by means of pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected.

The invention (as well as the prototype) uses the property of regular rhombic dodecahedrons, which consists in the fact that regular rhombic dodecahedrons of the same volume can completely fill a certain area of three-dimensional space without gaps or overlaps. If rhombic dodecahedrons are connected by faces of the same name at tetrahedral vertices standing vertically on a plane, then the resulting surface will have depressions with a geometry completely corresponding to the shape of a tetrahedral vertex of the same rhombic dodecahedron. The installation of rhombic dodecahedrons in these depressions with corresponding vertices will be dense (without gaps or overlaps), and the geometry of the surface formed by them will completely coincide with the geometry of the surface of the previous layer. This property corresponds to the translational properties of the crystal lattices of solids.

The basic block contains at least nine rhombic dodecahedrons connected to each other in a square or rectangle. All rhombic dodecahedrons in the basic block are located in one row relative to the horizontal plane. The basic blocks form a basic rigid platform of any area dimensions. To increase the stability and reliability of the structure, a second basic platform is used, forming the second row (layer) relative to the horizontal plane. In the first row (layer), the basic blocks are laid out on the plane close to each other, forming an assembly platform of the required size, and the basic blocks of the second row (layer) are placed on the joints of the basic blocks of the first layer, tightly (without gaps and overlaps) connecting them to each other by compression and / or under the action of gravity.

This connection ensures the connection of the base blocks with each other without additional gluing, and also ensures the stability of the entire structure. Assembly of parts by this method of fastening is possible both in the plane (in the horizontal direction) and in space layer by layer. Depending on the size of the final structure, there can be more than two base platforms, with each base platform located above being placed on the lower platform at the joints of the base blocks.

Other parts of the constructor are laid out and connected to each other in a similar manner – intermediate blocks, single rhombic dodecahedrons.

The production of individual base and intermediate blocks is possible in various ways - gluing individual elements, casting a solid block, 3D printing, etc. It is possible to connect individual rhombic dodecahedrons together using pins to form base and intermediate blocks.

The parts of the claimed construction set can be made from any materials commonly used in similar games, such as wood, plastic, cardboard, metal, etc.

When making a structure on any convenient surface, first form a base platform from several base blocks (in the case of a volumetric structure) or use a single base block for a small-sized structure.

Next, depending on the type of the chosen figure, all the parts are laid out sequentially in the desired combination. In this case, the protrusions of the parts located above are placed in the recesses of the row of parts located below.

For greater durability of the structure, to prevent its destruction, for example, when falling, the parts can be connected to each other with pins.

The parts can also be glued together, for example using double-sided tape or Velcro (textile fastener), in which case the structure can be disassembled later.

If it is necessary to assemble a non-separable structure, the parts can be connected to each other using glue or permanent pin connections.

The tongue-and-groove interaction of all parts (base and intermediate blocks, single rhombic dodecahedrons) is ensured by the same principle: each rhombic dodecahedron interacts with part of its faces with the corresponding faces of neighboring rhombic dodecahedrons, forming symmetrical protrusions and recesses between them. Moreover, such interaction can logically be called a connection, since such interaction eliminates horizontal displacement of parts relative to each other, i.e. the parts are connected to each other and hold each other.

By combining a part of the rhombic dodecahedrons into the base and intermediate blocks, the strength and stability of the created structure is ensured. The combination in one game constructor of various initial parts containing a different number of rhombic dodecahedrons, combined into intermediate blocks of various configurations, provides the possibility of expanding the types of figures that can be created from individual units of the game constructor while ensuring the proper strength and stability of the entire structure. At the same time, the expansion of the variety of figures in comparison with the prototype is ensured not by complicating the initial parts, but exclusively by their connections with each other. That is, the claimed game constructor is not more complex in use and manufacture in comparison with the closest analogue.

It should be noted that higher stability than in the prototype, in the claimed constructor will be ensured both without fastening the parts (the base block, intermediate blocks and single rhombic dodecahedrons to each other) and without their additional connection to each other due to the presence of intermediate and base blocks and laying intermediate blocks and single rhombic dodecahedrons at the joints of the parts located below. In the claimed constructor, the unconditional connection of rhombic dodecahedrons to each other must be ensured only in the base and intermediate blocks.

The simplicity of the design and assembly process compared to the prototype is ensured by eliminating magnets.

Thus, the claimed invention ensures the achievement of a technical result consisting in simplifying the game constructor, expanding the types of figures that can be created from individual units of the game constructor by providing the possibility of creating spatial complex figures in which the higher units may not have support in the form of lower units, ensuring the proper stability and reliability of the assembled figures.

It also provides for the expansion of the arsenal of game constructors.

Claims (6)

1. A game constructor consisting of a set of parts containing a plurality of identical rhombic dodecahedrons, wherein some of the rhombic dodecahedrons are connected to each other to form at least one base block and several intermediate blocks, the base block is intended for laying intermediate blocks and/or single rhombic dodecahedrons on top of it, the base block and intermediate blocks are formed from several rhombic dodecahedrons connected to each other so that each rhombic dodecahedron in the said blocks is connected by part of its faces to the corresponding faces of adjacent rhombic dodecahedrons to form symmetrical protrusions and recesses between them intended for tight placement of parts in them and for ensuring the connection of parts to each other according to the tenon-groove principle, preventing their horizontal displacement relative to each other, the projections of the base and intermediate blocks in plan are figures close to rectangular, the intermediate blocks are intended for their laying at the joints of the parts located below, the rhombic dodecahedrons in the base and intermediate blocks are arranged in one row relative to the horizontal plane, part of the intermediate blocks are formed from rhombic dodecahedrons arranged sequentially, with one end of such an intermediate block located on the parts located below and secured by the parts installed above, the other end of such an intermediate block is left free, the number of rhombic dodecahedrons in the intermediate blocks is from 2 to 6, with the base and intermediate blocks being made whole. 2. The constructor according to item 1, characterized in that the play constructor contains several basic blocks connected to each other using the tongue and groove principle and located in one row relative to the horizontal plane to form a basic platform. 3. The constructor according to paragraph 1, characterized in that it contains a second base platform formed from base blocks intended for their placement on top of the first base platform at the joints of the base blocks between themselves. 4. The constructor according to item 1, characterized in that the base blocks in the base platform are connected to each other, for example, by means of pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected. 5. The constructor according to item 1, characterized in that the base blocks of the upper and lower base platforms are connected to each other. 6. The constructor according to item 1, characterized in that the base blocks of the upper and lower base platforms are connected to each other by means of pins installed in through holes in the faces of the parts being connected.