TITLE STABLE AND REVERSIBLE PUZZLE

Technical Field

The present invention refers to the technical field relative to the games of skill and education and in particular it refers to reconstruction games as puzzles.

State of the Art

Are commonly known puzzle with blocks in cardboard, plasticized cardboard or similar and with represented drawings and figures of various kind. Thus, in these games, at the end of the reconstruction, different problems come up.

The first one is relative to the transportation. To conserve the puzzle from accidental breaking during the moving from one room to another, it is necessary to stick it permanently to a supporting base, recurring this way to irreversible and permanent glues.

The big inconvenient, in this case, is that the gluing process on a supporting surface is not an easy operation. It is indeed necessary to lift the puzzle partially and place it back on the supporting surface, facing this way a high risk of breaking. It is easy to imagine the displeasure of the user in the case the puzzle breaks, given that for the completion of the work, few months may be requested.

A second problem to handle is how, eventually, display the puzzle protecting it from the possibility of break it completely. It is the case in which, for example, we want to display it with a frame on a wall, or in a display window.

Similarly to what is been said, also in this case it is required to place it on the supporting surface

constituting the base of the frame. It is not strictly- necessary to recur to glues if the dimensions of the frame are appropriate, but it is surely suggested. Also in this case, similarly to what has been said, this operation implies high risks of breaking.

Thus, the necessity to bind in an irreversible manner a puzzle to a surface, both to make it movable and to conserve it while exposing it, implies not only the risk of destruction and time lost but also to the not repeatability and reuse of the same game for many times. Each disjunction attempt, indeed, would damage it in an irreversible manner making it unusable.

Naturally the problem is bigger if are teaching model games. In this case it would be very useful to be able to fit the puzzle in a stable manner and in the same time to be able to remove it in a way that it can be reused many times.

Disclosure of invention

Thus, the aim of the present invention is to make a puzzle that resolves all the above mentioned inconvenient .

In particular it is the aim of the present invention to make a puzzle that can be easily moved without being forced to use permanent glueing means . These and other aims are obtained from the present puzzle that comprises a plurality of blocks (2) , where each one retracts a part of a predetermined drawing, and is shaped according to profiles to be recomposed on a base surface (3) and characterized by the fact that said base surface and said blocks comprise means (4, 24) to fit reciprocally in a removable way said blocks on said base surface and/or a block reciprocally on another.

In this way, the undertaken hooking means allow a

stable and safe, but not permanent, blockage of the blocks on the surface. Moreover, each block can be then realized with fixing in systems that block and couple it to the other blocks, according to the different constructive solutions .

Advantageously said means comprise hooking means (4) comprising a plurality of pins (5) or similar, distributed on the surface base (3) , and at least a hole

(6) obtained on each block (2) and able to be inserted in a removable way on at least one of said pins, realizing this way the removable type of hooking for each block on the surface base.

This is a hooking solution that is very simple, efficient and economical in its realization. Moreover the hole (6) is obtained on the opposite face of where is found the drawing and has a height d lower than the global height of the section of the same block in a way to avoid any interruption in the drawing.

Alternatively the hooking means comprise a plurality of holes (105) distributed on the surface base and at least a pin (106) obtained on each block on the opposite face of the drawing and able to be inserted in a removable way in at least one of said holes, realising this way the removable hooking of the blocks on the surface base.

The possible realizations of a coupling between a surface base and a block are various and many of these are also versatile and cheap.

Advantageously the hooking means comprise one of the following hooking typologies.

- Magnetic attraction between said surface base and said blocks.

- Strap type Velcro coupling.

- Electrostatic type of attraction.

- A -

- replaceable adhesives.

— Coupling by means of pins and/or fitting buttons or clips.

The surface base can then be realized in various shapes according to the tastes and needs. In particular, the surface base is a plane surface (18) . It can be constructively realized as folding, according to predetermined folding lines and/or rounding.

Alternatively the surface base is a spheric surface. Advantageously the sphere is made by at least two portions independent to each other and connectable in a removable way.

In particular the portions are respectively two polar caps (8,9) and two lateral sections (10,11) connectable to each other by means of pins that are connectable to fitting holes or similar.

In order to make the "globe" stable, once it has been constructed, it has been thought to comprise on its surface a pin (15) or similar and to lean it on a support (14), called support (14) being supplied with a specific groove (16) able to receive the pin.

In this manner it is realized both a supporting base for the sphere and a datum of positioning on it.

In combination to the above mentioned hooking means (24) or also independently to them, there can be also fitting means that respectively comprise:

- At least a profile projecting (21, 22, 240, 220) from the perimeter of the block, said profile having a height section lower than the overall height section of the block;

- At least a complementary site (23, 230) obtained on the opposite part of the drawing and having a section height lower than the overall section height of the block, said complementary site being able to

get connected to the projection of a corresponding block to be connected.

In this manner the connection realized between the blocks is continuous , without any interruption in the drawing, and does not require any particular shaping of the same blocks .

In order to guarantee a stable and safe connection the coupling of the projection to the respective site of a corresponding block happen with interference. Moreover, according to one of the different possible solutions, the protruding profile is a pin (22) joint to a leg (21) while the complementary site is a hole (23) .

Brief description of drawings Further features and advantages of this stable and reversible puzzle, according to the invention, will be clearer with the description of one of its pattern realization that follows, made to illustrate but not limit, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which: - Figure 1 represents in a perspective view the puzzle and, schematically, the hooking details of the blocks.

- figure 2 represents in a perspective view a constructive solution to realize a surface base with a spheric shape. - figure 3 represents in a perspective view a surface base with a plane shape.

- figure 4 and 5 represent constructive solutions to make the connection of a block to another.

Brief description of Drawings

As schematically indicated in figure 1 and figure 4, the puzzle 1 comprises a plurality of blocks 2, each one shaped according to a predetermined profile and

retracting a part of the entire drawing. The blocks must be then recomposed on a surface base 3 ( in the specific case of figure 1 a sphere ) in order to realize the complete drawing. According to the present invention, thus, there are means (4, 24) that allow to fix reciprocally in a removable way the blocks on the surface base and/or also a block reciprocally on another. In particular, the above mentioned means comprise hooking means 4 so that it is possible to fix reciprocally in a removable way each block on the surface base. Moreover, in combination to them or also without necessarily the presence of said hooking means, are obtained on each block fitting means 24 that allow to couple a block to another, still in a removable way but, as it will be described, surely in a more efficient way respect to the prior art (look in particular figure 4) .

Only to illustrate, and thus not to restrict the present invention, the surface base can be constituted by a sphere, or rather a globe. Naturally any other surface base geometry, both plane and tridimensional, can easily be realized without having to move apart from the inventive concept of the present invention.

Thus, according to a first configuration of the invention (as represented in figure 1), the hooking means

4 comprise a plurality of pins 5 or similar distributed on the surface base and relative holes 6 obtained on each block 2. In particular, each block has at least one hole

6 obtained on the side that will lean on the surface base 3, and therefore on the opposite part of the drawing. In this way the continuity of the same drawing will not be affected.

Preferably (look at figure 1 - detail A) the hole 6 has a height that is lower than the total height d of the

section constituting the same block, in such a way to avoid any interruption on the drawing. Without moving apart from the present inventive concept, nothing would avoid to realize blocks with two or more hooking holes. Another preferred configuration of the invention, on the other hand, comprises an inverted solution respect the preceding one, or rather with the surface base supplied with a plurality of holes 105 and pins 106 obtained on the block still on the opposite site of the drawing.

A third configuration comprises a coupling through ferromagnetism attraction. In this case, then, both the blocks and the surface base will be constituted by and/or supplied with common magnet. Without being to specific, other equivalent coupling solutions between the base and the blocks can be realized. For example it could be possible a coupling by means of wool-bearing materials that apply a grip on pieces of velcro, using this way the functioning principle of the common straps. For example the blocks could be covered with Velcro and the surface base could be realized in a wool-bearing material, creating this way the strap effect.

In an equivalent manner it could be realized also a sucker coupling system, that is by applying a sucker to the block or to the surface base.

Also the coupling by means of electrostatic iteration, repositioning adhesives or pins and/or buttons are possible and to be considered entirely equivalent, without having to move apart for this reason from the present inventive concept. In particular, in the case of the button's solution, are used pressure or fitting buttons as clips.

At this point it is clear the advantage of this

invention. In all the described configurations it is, indeed, possible to reconstruct a puzzle directly on the surface base 3. In particular, according to the first and second configuration, the pins enter into the respective holes realizing this way a removable coupling between the block and the surface base and thus reversible.

According to the third configuration, on the other hand, it is used the attraction strength of the magnets or equivalently the grip of material as Velcro. In all the configurations, anyway, the puzzle is easily movable and moreover is reusable for an undefined number of times.

Getting into the details of the realization of the surface base according to a sphere (look at figure 2), it can be made of two portions 7 independent to each other and connectable in a removable way. In particular the sphere results to be respectively made of two polar caps (8,9) and two lateral sections (10,11) equal to each other. The coupling can happen by means of simple pins 12 that are inserted into corresponding fitting holes 13. In particular, on the contacting edges of the components of the sphere are distributed pins and holes in correspondence to each other, through which it is assured the joint of the parts. Any selection of the number and distribution of both the holes and the pins, is equivalent .

The sphere leans on a support 14 with a shape, for example, of a truncated cone. A pin 15 placed on the sphere and a groove 16, obtained on the support, constitute the references for the right assembly and fitting. Indeed, the principal aim of the pin is that, in case the sphere represents a globe, it is a reference in order to give to the earth the right inclination

around the terrestrial axis.

Naturally in the case of the blocks to apply and couple on a globe, these will be realized concave and with a curvature equivalent to the sphere's. As described in figure 3, another realization of the surface base 2 is the one according to a plane 18 made in a pliable and/or rolling material, as cardboard or plastic. Holes and an equivalent number of pins are distributed on it as already described. Only to illustrate, figure 3 represents the case of the block with pins 106 and the surface base supplied with holes 105, but also the inverted solution could have been easily used without moving apart from the present inventive concept. The block's solutions are many. Indeed, independently from the hooking means 4 already described, each block, as already mentioned, can be ulteriorly supplied with fitting means 24 that allow the reciprocal coupling of at least two complementary blocks in an innovative manner (look at figure 4 and figure 5) . For this aim on the block is fixed a leg 21 that terminates with a pin 22 and comprises a further hole 23 obtained on the opposite side of the drawing.

This way, independently from the surface base, it is possible to connect a block to another in a firm way without having to rely on just a common joint 25. This way is possible to lift the entire drawing while preserving its integrity.

According to other fitting configurations (look at figure 5) between a block and another, is possible to have a projecting profile (240,220) opportunely shaped. In particular the two portions 240 and 220 constituting in the unit the projecting profile and that result to be projecting respect to the perimeter of the same block,

has a height section di lower that the global height section of the block. Each block has also a complementary site 230 obtained on the opposite face of the drawing and tracing out the shape of the projecting profile of a corresponding block to be joint to it. Also in this case the site has a section height di lower than the global section height of the block in a way to avoid the creation of interruption of the drawing.

Thus, according to these new constructive solutions of the blocks, it is not anymore necessary to have traditional geometries that force the realization of the same blocks according to excessively shaped profiles (for example the traditional fitting 25 of figure 4), but it could easily be realized with much more rounded profiles. The above description of a specific shape is able to show the invention from the conceptive point of view, in a way that others, by using the art, can modify and/or adapt in different applications this specific shape without any further research and without going apart from the inventive concept, and, therefore, it is intended that these adaptations and transformations will be considered as equivalent to this specific realization. The means and materials to make the many described functions can be of various nature without exiting the area of the invention. it is intended that the expressions or the terminology used have a simple descriptive aim and therefore not limiting.