Toy

Abstract

To provide a toy capable of improving a game property.SOLUTION: The toy is provided with a plurality of kinds of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E having a long columnar shape and an octagonal cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. A length of each side of a cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E is equal to a length of a side opposed across a center line along the longitudinal direction, and is different from a length of an adjacent side by M times (M is an integer of 1 or more and 4 or less) a preset unit length, and a length of a longest side of a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and is different from a longest side of another cross section by a length corresponding to four times the unit length. 1E.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to toys. [Background technology]

[0002] A wooden toy has been proposed in which the pieces are stacked in multiple tiers, each tier consisting of three parallel-arranged rectangular parallelepiped pieces, with the three rectangular parallelepiped pieces in each tier having different weights and at least one of the rectangular parallelepiped pieces having two faces with different coefficients of friction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This toy is used in a table game in which players remove rectangular parallelepiped pieces one by one with one hand from a tower made up of multiple stacked rectangular parallelepiped pieces, competing to see how many of them can be stacked to the top tier without causing the tower to fall over. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3228636 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, there is a demand for a toy with improved gameplay in the so-called stacking type toy described in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a toy that can enhance the playability of the game. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the toy according to the present invention comprises: The system is provided with multiple types of blocks that are long and columnar and have a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction that is a 2N-polygon (N is an integer of 3 or more), The length of each side of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the multiple types of blocks is equal to the length of the side facing each other across the central axis along the longitudinal direction, and differs from the length of adjacent sides by M times a predetermined unit length (M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N), and the length of the longest side of the cross section differs from the longest side of the cross section of at least one other block by a length equivalent to N times the unit length. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the length of each side of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the multiple types of blocks is equal to the length of the side facing each other across the central axis along the longitudinal direction, and differs from the length of adjacent sides by M times a predetermined unit length (M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N). Furthermore, the length of the longest side of the cross section differs from the longest side of the cross section of at least one other block by a length equivalent to N times the unit length. This allows the ease of removing a block to vary depending on the block's position or the type of blocks that are side by side in the same layer when multiple types of blocks are stacked, thereby prompting the player to consider how to stack or remove multiple types of blocks. This further enhances the gameplay of the toy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which blocks are stacked on a base of a toy according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a block according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a base according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the base according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] (A) is a perspective view of the base according to the embodiment, (B) is a side view of the base according to the embodiment, and (C) is a side view of the base according to the embodiment seen from another direction. [Figure 6]FIG. 2A is a plan view of the base according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the base according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2A is a plan view of the base according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the base according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a perspective view showing how a block is removed from a state in which blocks are stacked on a base of the toy according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a removed block is placed on the top layer of blocks stacked on a base of the toy according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a wedge-shaped member of a base is removed in a state in which blocks are stacked on the base of the toy according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The toy according to this embodiment includes multiple types of blocks that are long and columnar, and each block has a 2N-polygon (N is an integer of 3 or greater) in cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The length of each side of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the multiple types of blocks is equal to the length of the side facing each other across the central axis along the longitudinal direction, differs from the length of adjacent sides by M times a predetermined unit length (M is an integer of 1 to N), and differs from the longest side of the cross section of at least one other block by a length equivalent to N times the unit length.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the toy according to this embodiment includes multiple types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, a base 2A on which the multiple types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are placed, a base 31 on which the base 2A is placed, and a support member 32. The blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are made of wood, for example, and, as shown in FIG. 2, are long octagonal prisms with an octagonal cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the length of each side of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1B, and 1E is equal to the length of the side facing each other across the central axis along the longitudinal direction, and differs from the length of the adjacent side by a predetermined unit length M times (M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N). The blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E may be made of resin, metal, ceramic, or the like. The lengths of four pairs of sides W1, W2, W3, and W4 of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are set to five different lengths, for example, as shown in Table 1. Furthermore, there are multiple blocks of each of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, for example, ten of each.

[0011] [Table 1]

[0012] Table 2 shows the difference in length between adjacent sides of each of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E. In Table 2, "ΔW12" indicates the difference between length W1 and length W2, "ΔW23" indicates the difference between length W2 and length W3, "ΔW34" indicates the difference between length W3 and length W4, and "ΔW41" indicates the difference between length W4 and length W1. As shown in Table 2, the length of each of the five types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E differs from the length of adjacent sides by M times a predetermined unit length (M is an integer between 1 and N). Furthermore, from the perspective of enhancing gameplay, it is preferable to set the aforementioned unit length to a small difference so that the player perceives the lengths W1, W2, W3, and W4 of each cross-sectional side as the same length at first glance. It is therefore preferable to set the aforementioned unit length to 0.2 mm or less. For example, as shown in Table 2, it is set to 0.12 mm.

[0013] [Table 2]

[0014] Furthermore, the ratio of the length W4 of the shortest cross-section to the length W1 of the longest cross-section is preferably 97% or more. Furthermore, the length W1 of the longest cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E differs from the longest cross-section of at least one of the other blocks by a length equivalent to four times the unit length. For example, in the example shown in Table 1, the length W1 of the longest cross-section of block 1A is longer than the length W1 of the longest cross-section of block 1B by 0.48 mm, which is four times the unit length of 0.12 mm. The length W1 of the longest cross-section of block 1E is shorter than the length W1 of the longest cross-section of block 1D by 0.48 mm, which is four times the unit length of 0.12 mm. The length W1 of the longest side of the cross section of block 1B (1C, 1D) is longer than the length W1 of the longest side of the cross section of block 1C (1D, 1E) by 0.48 mm, which corresponds to four times the unit length of 0.12 mm, and is shorter than the longest side W1 of the cross section of block 1A (1B, 1C) by 0.48 mm, which corresponds to four times the unit length of 0.12 mm.

[0015] The longitudinal length L1 of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E is set to approximately 2.4 times the length equivalent to the product of the number of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E present in the same layer when multiple blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are stacked side by side along their short sides and the lengths W1, W2, W3, and W4 of the cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E. For example, when five blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E shown in Table 1 are stacked side by side along their short sides, the longitudinal length L1 of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E is set to approximately 210 mm.

[0016] Note that type identification information (such as a type number) that identifies the type of each block 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E may be written on each block. For example, an identification number may be written on each of the longitudinally opposing faces 1c of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E. In this case, the player can recognize the position of each block 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E based on the orientation of the identification number, and can strategically consider how to stack and pull out blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0017] The base 2A is made of wood, for example. As shown in FIG. 3(A), it has a flat shape with one surface 2Aa in the thickness direction being a flat surface and four intersecting, generally isosceles triangular surfaces 2Ab1, 2Ab2, 2Ab3, and 2Ab4 in a plan view. That is, the base 2A has a flat rectangular plate-like portion and a generally quadrangular pyramidal portion continuing from one surface in the thickness direction. Note that, like the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, the base 2A may be formed from resin, metal, ceramic, or the like. Near the apex of each of the four surfaces 2Ab1, 2Ab2, 2Ab3, and 2Ab4 of the base 2A, a curved portion 2Ac is formed, curving toward the opposite side of the surface 2Aa in the thickness direction. Furthermore, the lengths L21 and L22 of the two perpendicular sides of the base 2A when viewed from the thickness direction are equal. As shown in FIG. 3(B), the thicknesses H11, H12, H13, and H14 of the four corners of the base 2A are equal when viewed in the thickness direction, and the thickness H12 of the portion where the curved portion 2Ac is formed is greater than the thickness H41 of the four corners. In this case, the center of gravity of the base 2A is located approximately in the center when viewed in the thickness direction. As a result, when the base 2A is placed on the base 31 with the curved portion 2Ac pointing vertically downward and the base 2A is not supported by the support member 32, the base 2A can swing relative to the base 31, with the curved portion 2Ac as a fulcrum. This requires the player to consider how to stack the various types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E on the base 2A so that they maintain balance when the base 2A is placed on the base 31 without being supported by the support member 32, thereby enhancing the game's appeal.

[0018] Note that thicknesses H11, H12, H13, and H14 of the four corners of the base 2A when viewed in the thickness direction may be different from one another. In this case, the center of gravity of the base 2A will be shifted from approximately the center when viewed in the thickness direction. For example, if thicknesses H11 and H12 are thicker than thicknesses H13 and H14, the center of gravity of the base 2A will be shifted toward the -Y direction from approximately the center when viewed in the thickness direction. Furthermore, if thickness H11 is thicker than H12 and H14 and thicknesses H12 and H14 are thicker than thickness H13, the center of gravity of the base 2A will be shifted toward the corner of thickness H11 from approximately the center when viewed in the thickness direction. In this case, the player needs to consider how to stack the blocks so that the center of gravity of the multiple types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E placed on the base 2A and the center of gravity of the base 2A itself are opposite each other across approximately the center of the base 2A when viewed from the thickness direction of the base 2A, and so that when the base 2A is placed on the base base 31 without being supported by the support member 32, the balance is maintained between the multiple types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E placed on the base 2A and the base 2A, which can make the game more enjoyable.

[0019] 4, the base 2B may have a flat shape, with one surface 2Ba in the thickness direction being a flat surface, and the other surface 2Bb1 parallel to the surface 2Ba and a surface 2Bb2 intersecting the surface 2Bb1. In other words, the base 2B may have a shape having a flat rectangular plate-like portion and a substantially quadrangular pyramidal portion continuing from one surface in the thickness direction. Between the two surfaces 2Bb1 and 2Bb2 of the base 2E, a curved portion 2Ec is formed. The curved portion 2Ec extends along two opposing sides of the center of the base 2B when viewed from the thickness direction, and smoothly curves from the edge of the surface 2Bb1 to the end surface of the surface 2Bb2. ​​Here, the thicknesses H21 and H22 of two adjacent corners of the base 2B when viewed from the thickness direction are equal, with the thickness H21 being thicker than the thickness H22. As a result, when the base 2B is placed with the curved portion 2Bc facing vertically downward, it swings around the curved portion 2Bc as a fulcrum. As a result, when the base 2B is placed on the base base 31 without being supported by the support member 32, the player must consider how to stack the various types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E placed on the base 2B so that they maintain balance, further enhancing the playability of the game. In addition, when viewed from the thickness direction of the base 2B, the lengths L221 and L222 of the two sides that are perpendicular to each other are equal.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the base 2C may have a flat shape, with one surface 2Ca in the thickness direction being a flat surface, and four surfaces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, and 2Cb4 that are generally triangular in plan view and have different inclination angles relative to the surface 2Ca formed on the other surface. Near the apex of each of the four surfaces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, and 2Cb4, a curved portion 2Cc is formed that curves toward the side opposite the surface 2Ca in the thickness direction. Here, as shown in FIGS. 5(B) and 5(C), if the inclination angles of the four surfaces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, and 2Cb4 of the base 2C relative to the surface 2Ca are θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4, respectively, the angles are set so that the relationship θ1 > θ2 > θ3 > θ4 holds, for example. As a result, when the base 2C is placed on the base 31 with the curved portion 2Cc facing vertically downward and is not supported by the support member 32, the base 2C can swing relative to the base 31 with the curved portion 2Cc as a fulcrum. Note that the magnitude relationships between the inclination angles θ1, θ2, θ3, θ4 of the four faces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, 2Cb4 of the base 2C relative to the face 2Ca are not limited to the magnitude relationships described above.

[0021] 6(A), the base base 31 has a rectangular plate shape and is formed with four grooves 31a extending from the periphery toward the center on one side in the thickness direction, i.e., the +Z direction side. Also, on the +Z direction side of the base base 31, a groove 31b is formed extending from one groove 31a along one side of an area AP, which is rectangular in plan view and faces the bases 2A and 2B when the bases 2A and 2B are placed on the base base 31. The groove 31b extends from one groove 31a to the outer periphery along one side of the area AP. The support member 32 is slidably fitted into the groove 31a along the groove 31a, and can take two positions within the groove 31a: a first position where the support member 32 abuts against the base base 31 side of the bases 2A and 2B, i.e., the -Z direction side, to support the bases 2A and 2B when the bases 2A and 2B are placed on the base base 31, and a second position where the support member 32 is spaced apart from the bases 2A and 2B. As shown in FIG. 6(B), the support member 32 has an overall wedge-like shape and is fitted into the groove 31a with the inclined surface 32a facing the +Z direction. When the support member 32 is placed in the first position, the inclined surface abuts against the bases 2A and 2B, supporting the bases 2A and 2B. The support member 32 is fitted into each of the four grooves 31a, as shown in FIG. 6(A), for example. The toy according to this embodiment also includes a rectangular parallelepiped support member 33 that is fitted into the groove 31b of the base 31, as shown in FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B), for example. In this case, the toy is used in a state in which the support member 33 is fitted into the groove 31b, and one support member 32 is fitted into one groove 31a that faces the groove 31b across the center, as shown in FIG. 6(A), for example.

[0022] 5A and 5B is placed on the base 31, the support member 32 may be configured to include four types of support members 32, each having an inclined surface 32a that comes into surface contact with four surfaces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, and 2Cb4 that have different inclination angles relative to the surface 2Ca. For example, the inclination angles of the inclined surfaces 32a of the support members 32 relative to the surface that comes into surface contact with the bottom of the groove 31b may be set to angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4, respectively. In this case, when the base 2C is placed on the base 31, if the support members 32 whose inclined surfaces 32a have inclination angles of θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are not fitted into the grooves 31b facing the four surfaces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, and 2Cb4 of the base 2C, the inclined surfaces 32a will not come into surface contact with the surfaces 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, and 2Cb4 of the base 2C, and the position of the base 2C will become unstable. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the positions of the grooves 31a into which the four types of support members 32 whose inclined surfaces 32a have different inclination angles are fitted so that the base 2C maintains a horizontal state relative to the base 31, thereby further enhancing the playability of the game.

[0023] When playing with the toy according to this embodiment, first, the support members 32 are inserted into the grooves 31a of the base 31 and set in the first position, and then the base 2A is placed on the base 31. Here, the base 2A is supported by the four support members 32. Next, a tower consisting of multiple tiers of blocks is created by stacking multiple groups of blocks on the base 2A, each group consisting of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E arranged side by side in contact with each other along their short sides. For example, in the case of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E set to the cross-sectional dimensions shown in Table 1, a 10-tier tower is created by stacking 10 groups of blocks, each group consisting of five blocks arbitrarily selected from the 50 blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E arranged side by side along their short sides. Here, the longitudinal angles of the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E that belong to adjacent groups in the vertical direction of the tower are 90 degrees. That is, when stacking a group of blocks consisting of five parallel blocks, the longitudinal direction of the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E belonging to the group is changed by 90 degrees. Furthermore, since the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E is octagonal, the vertical thickness of each of the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1B, and 1E will differ depending on whether the block 1A, 1B, 1C, 1B, and 1E is stacked with its cross section facing vertically downward or its cross section facing vertically downward. Once a tower consisting of multiple block groups has been built in this way, the game begins.

[0024] Players decide their turn, and each player removes one of the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, or 1E from the tower with one hand. For example, as indicated by arrow AR1 in Figure 8, a player removes block 1E, which is part of a block group located in the second row from the top. If the vertical thickness of at least three blocks belonging to the same block group as the block being removed is thinner than the vertical thickness of the block being removed, the block being removed will be difficult to remove because it supports a block group located vertically above the block group to which it belongs, making it more likely that the tower will collapse when it is removed. On the other hand, if the vertical thickness of at least two blocks belonging to the same block group as the block being removed is thicker than the vertical thickness of the block being removed, the block being removed will be easier to remove because at least two blocks other than the block being removed will support a block group located vertically above the block group to which it belongs, making it less likely that the tower will collapse when it is removed.

[0025] Then, the player places one of the removed blocks 1E on top of the tower, as shown by arrow AR2 in FIG. 9. The next player then similarly removes one of the blocks 1A (1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) from the tower with one hand and places the removed block 1A (1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) on top of the tower. Multiple players then take turns repeating this process until the tower reaches a certain height. After that, one of the players pulls out one of the support members 32 that he or she has selected, as shown by arrow AR3 in FIG. 10. If the tower collapses at this time, that player loses.

[0026] Alternatively, the player may select either base 2A or 2B depending on the number that appears when the player rolls the dice. This requires the player to change the way the multiple types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are stacked and the way the support members to be removed after stacking are selected depending on the selected base, further enhancing the enjoyment of the game.

[0027] As described above, in the toy according to this embodiment, the lengths W1, W2, W3, and W4 of the sides of the cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the five types of blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are equal to the lengths of the sides facing each other across the central axis along the longitudinal direction, and differ from the lengths of adjacent sides by a predetermined unit length M times (M is an integer between 1 and N). Furthermore, the length of the longest side of the cross section differs from the longest side of the cross section of at least one other block by a length equivalent to N times the unit length. This allows the player to consider how to stack or remove multiple types of blocks, further enhancing the gameplay of the toy.

[0028] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiments. For example, the number of types of blocks may be six or more. Furthermore, the number of blocks of the same type is not limited to ten but may be nine or less, or eleven or more. Furthermore, the shapes of bases 2A and 2B when viewed in the thickness direction are not limited to squares. For example, the shapes of bases 2A and 2B when viewed in the thickness direction may be rectangular. That is, base 2A may have two mutually perpendicular sides with different lengths L11 and L12, and base 2B may have two mutually perpendicular sides with different lengths L211 and L212. Alternatively, the shapes of bases 2A and 2B when viewed in the thickness direction may be polygonal, circular, or elliptical.

[0029] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. The present invention includes any combination of the embodiments and modifications, and any combination to which appropriate modifications have been made. [Industrial Applicability]

[0030] The present invention is suitable for use as a so-called stacking toy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2Aa, 2Ab1, 2Ab2, 2Ab3, 2Ab4, 2Ba, 2Bb1, 2Bb2, 2Ca, 2Cb1, 2Cb2, 2Cb3, 2Cb4: surfaces, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E: blocks, 2A, 2B, 2C: bases, 2Cc, 2Dc, 2Ec: curved portions, 31: bases, 31a, 31b: grooves, 32, 33: support members

Claims

1. The block is provided with a plurality of types of long, columnar blocks each having a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of a 2N-polygon (N is an integer of 3 or more), The length of each side of a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of types of blocks is equal to the length of the side opposing each other across a central axis along the longitudinal direction, and differs from the length of adjacent sides by M times a predetermined unit length (M is an integer of 1 to N), and the length of the longest side of the cross section differs from the longest side of the cross section of at least one other block by a length equivalent to N times the unit length. toy.

2. The ratio of the length of the shortest side of the cross section to the length of the longest side of the cross section is 97% or more. The toy of claim 1.

3. The unit length is 0.2 mm or less.

3. The toy according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Further provided is a base on which the plurality of types of blocks are placed, The base has a flat shape, and at least a part of one surface in the thickness direction is inclined with respect to the other surface.

3. The toy according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Further provided is a base on which the plurality of types of blocks are placed, The base has a flat shape, one surface in the thickness direction is a flat surface, and the other surface has a plurality of surfaces intersecting each other.

3. The toy according to claim 1 or 2.

6. a base base having a plate shape and at least one groove extending from a periphery toward a center on one surface side in a thickness direction, the base being placed on the one surface side; The support member is further provided with a support member that is slidably fitted into the at least one groove along the at least one groove, and that can take a first position in the at least one groove where the support abuts against the base body side of the base and supports the base when the base is placed on the base body, and a second position that is spaced apart from the base.

3. The toy according to claim 1 or 2.

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