TWO-DIMENSIONAL PUZZLE WITH MATCHING AID

Description

AREA OF INVENTION

[0001] The invention is in the field of board games and relates to a puzzle that makes it easier to find the position of individual puzzle pieces. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

[0002] A puzzle is a mechanical game of patience, more precisely a jigsaw puzzle, in which the individual puzzle pieces are assembled to form a whole. The English word for this is... jigsaw puzzle ("Fretsaw Puzzle"), because the first games were made with a fretsaw. More precisely, the first jigsaw puzzle was created in England in 1766 by the engraver and map dealer John Spilsbury (1739-1769). He glued a map of Great Britain onto a small wooden board and sawed it along the borders of the different counties. The players then had to try to complete the map.

[0003] Today, puzzles are among the most popular forms of play, as they can be played alone, in pairs, or in small groups and can be paused at any time. The toy industry received a further boost from the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns. Market leader Ravensburger reported selling more than 32 million puzzles in 2020 alone, representing an increase of more than 10% compared to the previous year.

[0004] As popular as jigsaw puzzles are, the frustration threshold at which one gives up decreases with increasing difficulty, as fitting further puzzle pieces into the existing image becomes too difficult or even impossible. This typically occurs when the border and perhaps some prominent sections of the image are assembled, and the remaining puzzle pieces are so similar in color or background that any further matching requires a tedious trial-and-error process. RELEVANT STATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[0005] DE 20 2013 009963 U1 (FEHRENTZ) relates to a puzzle with a plurality of individual pieces (2) cut from a carrier material (4) which can be assembled to form a picture, characterized in that the carrier material (4) has a grain (5) on at least one surface (1', 1") formed by the use of a natural material. However, the relevant content of the puzzle consists exclusively of the fact that it has a frame.

[0006] FR 2385420 A1 (BOHBOT) relates to an "entertainment device" based on a surface bearing a pattern or image that is broken down into interlocking pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle. On the other side is another image. These pieces can be turned over so that they can be reassembled into a different pattern or image. The reverse sides of the images may be colored differently and bear markings or symbols corresponding to their position. After assembly by one player, a second player uses a transparent frame divided by a numbered grid to create an image from the given information. The document is not particularly relevant.

[0007] US 2005 0167913 A1 (MUCCI) concerns a puzzle that has both color codes and numbers on the back. Puzzle pieces of the same color belong to the same areas of the puzzle; otherwise, the pieces are numbered, but no coordinate system is established.

[0008] EP 12 93 236 B1 (HAUSEMANN) relates to a puzzle with several puzzle elements (2; 4), each of which is to be placed in a specific position in an arrangement (1), wherein at least some of the puzzle elements (2; 4) have a marking (3, 5) containing a code that refers to the position of the puzzle element (2; 4) in the arrangement (1), characterized in that the code in the marking (2; 4) is hidden in such a way that it only becomes recognizable when a specific action is performed. A coordinate system is not present.

[0009] Japanese patent JP 6755232 B2 (KOYO) proposes printing QR codes on the back of puzzle pieces. If the player wants to know where a specific puzzle piece should be positioned, they must scan the QR code and receive an unspecified positional indication. This method is extremely complex, both in production and application. Furthermore, this alternative lacks a clear positioning system, as the puzzle does not have a coordinate system.

[0010] JP 09299610 A1 relates to a puzzle in which all pieces bear coordinate information on their backs, so that each piece can be located in a coordinate system. It is not disclosed that the puzzle has an edge which also contains the coordinate information.

[0011] WO2004004851 A2 relates to a puzzle in which the pieces can be assembled to form different images. In one embodiment, the puzzle has a set of pieces that can be connected together in one arrangement to form a first image, and can be connected together in a second, different arrangement to form a second image on the back of the pieces. Alternative embodiments can be arranged in three or more different arrangements, which may be of different shapes. TASK TO BE SOLVED

[0012] Based on JP 09299610 A1, it can be observed that precisely applying exactly one letter as the Y-coordinate and exactly one number as the X-coordinate proves to be extremely difficult in practice from a manufacturing perspective, as deviations of several millimeters in the horizontal and vertical directions can occur during printing on the front and back, as well as during the subsequent die-cutting of the puzzle pieces. For this reason, a missing puzzle piece cannot easily be replaced with the "same" piece from a puzzle with the same motif. There is a high probability that the puzzle piece will fit in terms of shape, but will not integrate correctly into the overall image. The same applies to the motif on the back. The coordinate information for the puzzle piece in question may be missing, incomplete, or ambiguous.Therefore, it is impossible for all puzzle pieces of a production process to have exactly the coordinates on the back that are needed to correctly classify the individual puzzle pieces in the coordinate system.

[0013] The object of the present invention was therefore to make it easier to find and assign puzzle pieces in such a jigsaw puzzle without diminishing the fun of the game, while at the same time providing a solution that is easy and reliable to implement in terms of manufacturing technology and thus eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention relates to a two-dimensional puzzle with matching aid, consisting of a large number of irregularly shaped puzzle pieces, each of which has at least one recess and / or at least one protrusion, so that when assembled they can be arranged in rows and columns to form a predetermined motif, such as e.g.a picture, a photograph, or a geometric pattern, characterized by the fact that the puzzle has a coordinate system along the X and Y axes of the rectangle formed by the puzzle pieces, creating rows and columns, and the puzzle pieces have markings on their backs that assign them their corresponding positions in the coordinate system spanned by the X and Y axes, with the X-coordinate marking appearing multiple times across each complete row and the Y-coordinate marking appearing multiple times across each complete column, and either the X-coordinate markings in the respective complete rows or the Y-coordinate markings in the respective complete columns being printed in a font size such that the corresponding marking appears approximately 10 to 50 times on the back of each puzzle piece, thereby filling the entire available area.

[0015] The aim of the game is to arrange and assemble the puzzle pieces to create the given image. The puzzle pieces are arranged in rows parallel to the x-axis and in columns parallel to the y-axis. A "complete row" refers to all puzzle pieces that have the same y-coordinate but consecutively different x-coordinates (for example, Y1 combined with A1, A2, A3 ... A40). Similarly, a "complete column" refers to all puzzle pieces that have the same x-coordinate but consecutively different y-coordinates (for example, X1 combined with A1, B1, C1 ... Y1).

[0016] In a first preferred embodiment, either the X-coordinates are indicated in the respective complete rows or the Y-coordinates are indicated in the respective complete columns in a font size such that the corresponding indication appears on the back of each puzzle piece approximately 10 to approximately 50 times, thereby filling the entire available area.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment, the respective complementary coordinate is indicated in the respective complete rows or columns in such a way that the corresponding indication is present on the back of each puzzle piece approximately 2 to approximately 8 times and in particular approximately 3 to approximately 5 times, thereby filling only a part of the available area.

[0018] Furthermore, it is preferred that the font size and / or weight of one coordinate specification and the font size and / or weight of the other coordinate specification differ by a factor of 1.5 to 5. For example, the same or different fonts can be used in font sizes 10 and 16 points.

[0019] Furthermore, it is advantageous to combine two or all three of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0020] The proposed embodiment solves the problem in a simple yet comprehensive manner. Compared to the prior art, printing coordinates on the back of the puzzle pieces is significantly simpler than, for example, assigning QR codes, especially when the puzzles contain 1000 or more pieces. Locating a piece is also possible immediately without any additional technical aids. The enjoyment of the game is not diminished, as the puzzle pieces are usually pre-sorted with the picture side facing up, and the player only needs to turn over individual pieces when truly stuck. Furthermore, the provision of a coordinate system allows for quick and reliable positioning. At the same time, the method of printing letters and numbers on the back is simpler and more reliable from a manufacturing perspective.

[0021] The embodiment according to the invention also does not distract the player from normal gameplay. During pre-sorting, the player fleetingly perceives a pattern filling the back of the individual puzzle pieces. Only when the player consciously turns a puzzle piece from the picture side to the back during the game can they immediately recognize the coordinate information by looking at this back side.

[0022] Puzzles consist of pieces that are generally of similar or identical size but irregularly shaped. They have at least one notch and / or at least one protrusion that fit together so that the pieces can be assembled to create a pattern or, more commonly, a picture according to a template. Puzzles contain different types of pieces: those with one or two flat edges that form the border, and those with one, two, three, or four notches and one, two, three, or four protrusions. The total number of notches and protrusions on pieces that are not part of the border is generally four, ensuring an optimal fit between the pieces.

[0023] Essential to the proposed solution is that the puzzle has a coordinate system, as this is the only way to ensure the puzzle pieces can be reliably matched. Several implementations are possible. One option is for the puzzle to be placed in a pre-defined frame, either included with the puzzle or sold separately. This is a popular option because it's easy and safe to set aside a partially completed puzzle and continue playing later without the pieces falling apart. In this case, the coordinate system can simply be printed directly onto the frame.

[0024] For puzzles with a larger number of pieces, the version with a fixed frame is rather rare. Here, the solution can be to print the coordinate grid onto separate strips made of, for example, paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, or other material, which the player can then place along the edge of the puzzle to create a coordinate system.

[0025] The present solution is suitable for all two-dimensional puzzles, preferably rectangular in shape, which allows for the specification of coordinates. Puzzles are considered two-dimensional if the pieces only need to be arranged in two dimensions. This also includes puzzles where the pieces themselves not only have a length and width (corresponding to the X and Y axes), but also a significant height and may even have a relief, so that the finished puzzle appears three-dimensional.

[0026] Puzzles typically have between 100 and 5,000 pieces. However, the invention is also applicable to larger puzzles with up to 48,000 pieces. The applicability of variant 1 (frame) decreases with the number of puzzle pieces, while the applicability of variant 2 (strips) increases with the number of puzzle pieces. In principle, the solution could also be applied to 3-dimensional puzzles, although expressing it in a corresponding coordinate system would, of course, be considerably more complex.

[0027] It has proven particularly simple and therefore advantageous to specify the coordinates on the x-axis with numbers and on the y-axis with letters, or vice versa. Accordingly, each puzzle piece contains its corresponding coordinate on its back in the form of a letter and a number.

[0028] The Figure 1 and 2The images show, like an X-ray, patterns of a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle with coordinates printed on the back of the puzzle pieces. Each row of puzzle pieces is printed across its entire available surface in multiple sequences with the letter that positions that piece along the X-axis. The same applies to the columns, where the numbers that position the puzzle pieces along the Y-coordinate are also repeated multiple times on each piece. The size and font weight of the letters for the X-coordinate and the numbers for the Y-coordinate are different, making it easy to distinguish between them. Of course, the reverse is also possible.

Claims

1. Two-dimensional puzzle with matching aid, consisting of a plurality of irregularly shaped puzzle pieces, each of which has at least one recess and / or at least one protrusion, so that when assembled, they can be arranged in rows and columns to form a predetermined motif, and (a) the puzzle has a coordinate system along the X and Y axes of the rectangle formed by the puzzle pieces, so that rows and columns are formed, and (b) the puzzle pieces have an indication on their reverse side that assigns them their corresponding place in the coordinate system spanned by the X and Y axes, whereby (i) the indication of the X coordinate is considered multiple times for each complete row and the indication of the Y coordinate is considered multiple times for each complete column, and (ii) either the X-coordinate information in the respective complete rows or the Y-coordinate information in the respective complete columns is printed in a font size such that the corresponding information is present on the back of each puzzle piece approximately 10 to approximately 50 times, thereby filling the entire available area.

2. Puzzle according to claim 1, characterized in that the font size and / or font weight of one coordinate specification and the font size and / or font weight of the other coordinate specification differ by a factor of 1.5 to 5.

3. Puzzle according to at least one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the puzzle pieces each have their corresponding coordinate on the back in the form of a letter and a number.

4. Puzzle according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the coordinate division is printed on a frame into which the puzzle pieces must be inserted.

5. Puzzle according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coordinate grid is printed on separate strips which are attached to the sides of the puzzle so that they form a coordinate system.

6. Puzzle according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the puzzles contain between 100 and 5,000 puzzle pieces.

7. Puzzle according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it has a rectangular shape.