3D Maze

Abstract

This invention provides a three-dimensional maze made from a transparent sheet, which can be created inexpensively because it does not use molds, and is easy to create because it utilizes three-dimensional passages created by rotating and stacking passages on both sides that have multiple passages, resulting in an upper and lower uneven structure. [Solution] This is a three-dimensional maze characterized by consisting of a container, connecting passages made from transparent plates, and a spherical toy (sphere 2). The connecting passages made from transparent plates are created by bending a flat plate to create parallel front and back passages 1 through which spheres with an uneven structure pass on both sides of the flat plate. The front and back passages are made to fit the size of the container surface that houses them, and a rotated front and back passage is superimposed on top of the front and back passage to create a three-dimensional passage 5 through which the upper and lower passages intersect. Multiple three-dimensional passages are created by sequentially rotating and superimposing the front and back passages, and holes are provided to connect the multiple three-dimensional passages and partitions are provided to stop the movement of the spheres in the passages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transparent three-dimensional maze made of a transparent plate.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, there is a 3x3x3 self-assemblable transparent three-dimensional maze using 27 U-shaped pieces. A three-dimensional maze is created by combining linear passages, T-shaped passages, and right-angled passages that can be made with U-shaped pieces. Also, in Patent Document 2, at the branch part of the three-dimensional maze, pieces having three-way branches in the xyz directions, pieces having four-way branches, pieces having five-way branches, and pieces having six-way branches are provided. In Patent Document 3, a maze is proposed in which passages are created with U-shaped parts and L-shaped parts formed by bending a square having a passage width made on a transparent flat plate as one side, but the manufacturing method is not constant and it is difficult to create a 4x4x4 maze. The present invention aims to solve the above problems.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The 3x3x3 "self-assemblable three-dimensional maze" of Patent Document 1 can create more than 100 mazes by assembling 27 U-shaped pieces, but a mold is required to create uniform pieces. Also, in Document 2, a mold is required for three-way branches in the xyz directions and branches from four to six directions. It would be good if a three-dimensional maze could be created at a low cost without using a mold. Also, for a 4x4x4 maze, since there are many branches passing through 64 compartments, even in Patent Document 3, the passage creation itself is complicated and difficult. This invention aims to solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A three-dimensional maze playground consisting of pathways and spheres made from transparent containers and transparent plates, The aforementioned passage is created by making parallel passages with a recessed structure on both sides of a transparent plate. To fit the shape and size of the transparent container that houses the aforementioned passages, one of the aforementioned passages is rotated and superimposed on top of the other, creating multiple upper and lower passages that intersect and connect, forming a three-dimensional passage. Holes are provided to connect these multiple three-dimensional passages, and partitions are provided to stop or change the direction of the movement of the spheres in the three-dimensional passage as needed. A three-dimensional maze characterized by the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] Because it does not use molds, mazes can be created inexpensively, and it is easy to create mazes by utilizing three-dimensional passages that are created by rotating and stacking passages on both sides that have multiple passages, resulting in an uneven structure with upper and lower sections. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing the present invention, with its front and back passages having three passages each, stacked in three layers across a three-sided box. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the three-dimensional passageway created between the lower and middle sections, and between the middle and upper sections, of the front and back passageways with three passageways, depicted in a 3x3x3 grid. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a three-dimensional maze created by adding five connecting holes and one partition in Figure 1, depicted on a 3x3x3 grid. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a box with three sides, where the front and back sides, each with three aisles, are stacked in three layers in a crisscross pattern. [Figure 5] A plan view of the unfolded diagram of the front and back passages, which have three aisles in three rows, as shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6]A perspective view showing the four passages on the front and back of the present invention stacked in four intersecting layers on a three-sided box. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the three-dimensional passages created between the first and second front-and-back passages and between the second and third front-and-back passages in a 4x4x4 grid. [Figure 8] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional maze created by stacking four intersecting passages, each with four passages on the front and back sides, and then adding holes and partitions to this passage, which is then depicted on a 4x4x4 grid. [Figure 9] This is a plan view of the unfolded diagram of the front and back passages from the first to the fourth level of the maze shown in Figure 8 of this invention. [Figure 10] A perspective view in which the middle section of Figure 1 is replaced with a front-and-back passageway with four passages. [Figure 11] A schematic plan view (c) shows a hexagonal structure with six passages on the front and back sides, designed to fit into a hexagonal prism storage container, fitted into the hexagonal prism (a), and then a second set of front and back passages rotated 60 degrees (b) and superimposed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The embodiments of this invention will be described below. A three-dimensional maze made from transparent containers and transparent plates, consisting of pathways and spherical play equipment. (i) The passages in the transparent plate are made by creating parallel front and back passages 1 on the front and back of the transparent plate through which spheres with an uneven structure pass. The front and back passages 1 are shaped and sized to fit the surface of the container that houses them, and another front and back passage, rotated, is superimposed on the first front and back passage to create an upper and lower passage that intersects and connects. (b) The upper and lower passages intersect and connect to form a three-dimensional passage 5, and multiple three-dimensional passages 5 are created by sequentially rotating and overlapping the front and back passages 1, and holes 6 are provided for connecting each of the multiple three-dimensional passages 5. (h) Furthermore, partitions 7 were provided to stop or change the direction of the movement of the balls in the front and back passages 1 as needed. (ii) The surface of the storage container is also used as a passageway surface. The present invention has the structure described above. In Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, a three-dimensional passage 5 is created between the front and back passages 1 with a square concavo-convex structure by stacking the front and back passages 1 rotated 90 degrees on top of each other in an intersecting stack. An example of a cube container with the front and back passage 1a having three passages stacked in a three-stage intersecting stack is shown in FIG. 1, and an example of Embodiment 2 with the front and back passage 1b having four passages stacked in a four-stage intersecting stack is shown in FIG. 6. The three-dimensional passage 5 created in FIGS. 1 and 6 is surrounded by the walls of the box 3 on three surrounding sides and becomes a closed space. The flow line of the ball 2 in the three-dimensional maze 10 of Embodiment 1, where the three-dimensional passage 5 is connected by holes 6 obtained by cutting out the parts where the balls pass through the wall surface and bottom surface of the front and back passage 1 and a partition 7 is also provided, is shown in the 3x3x3 lattice diagram of FIG. 3, and the flow line of the ball 2 in the three-dimensional maze 10 of Embodiment 2 is shown in the 4x4x4 lattice diagram of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 of Embodiment 3 shows a three-dimensional passage in which the middle stage of the front and back passage 1a having three passages in FIG. 1 of Embodiment 1 is replaced with the front and back passage 1b having four passages. Embodiment 4 describes a three-dimensional passage created by making the front and back passage 1 hexagonal to be housed in a hexagonal prism container and overlapping the front and back passage 1 after rotating it by 60 degrees. Although there is no figure, Embodiment 5 is a passage created by rotating and overlapping the front and back passage 1 to be housed in an octagonal prism or cylindrical container. In order to utilize the three-dimensional passage 5 formed by the upper and lower spaces created by rotating and stacking the front and back passages 1 on each other, maze creation becomes easier than the maze creation in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 3. In this invention, in Embodiments 1 to 3, two three-sided boxes 3 each consisting of three sides are used for ease of storage and maze symmetry. When using this invention, the user can hold the storage box with both hands and rotate it so that the ball 2 reciprocates between the start or goal 9.

[0009] Describe the partition 7 for stopping the flow line of the ball. For example, it can be installed by folding a rectangular passage width in half and adhering it to the passage with the passage height, but this is time-consuming. When partitioning the passage by cutting and bending the wall of passage 1 on the front and back of the part contacting the wall of the container at a right angle, the cut section will not form a hole 6 because there is the wall of the container on the back, but when cutting the other parts in a U shape, attention should be paid because the partition 7 and the hole 6 for passing the ball 2 will be created simultaneously. For example, when moving the ball 2 from one passage to the other at the center of the passages arranged in two rows, the passage can also be partitioned by making a cut in one section through which the ball 2 passes on the central wall of the passages arranged in two rows and bending it 90 degrees to the passage side like a door, and the cut part can be used as the connecting hole 6 through which the ball passes. At this time, the rectangular passage width described above can be folded in half and adhered to the passage to be used as the partition 7, and the hole 6 may be created by removing the central wall. In the development diagrams of FIGS. 5 and 9, the partition 7 is used by cutting the wall of the passage in a U shape and bending it to the passage side. Even without the partition 7, the ball 2 can reciprocate between the start or goal 9 through the hole 6 connecting the three-dimensional passages 5, but there are many attack passages and the difficulty of game clearance will decrease.

Embodiment

[0010] In this embodiment, three parallel front-to-back passages 1a with three protrusions and indentations are stacked in a cross pattern. A rectangle with the inner sides of a three-sided box forming a regular cube container as its shorter sides is bent six times at right angles by a series of parallel lines with a width of one-third the length of the shorter sides, creating the three parallel front-to-back passages 1a. The side and bottom surfaces of the continuous front-to-back passages 1 consist of seven faces, forming a square that can be placed in the three-sided box 3, with a height of one-third the length of one side of the three-sided box 3. On both sides of the front-to-back passages 1 in Figure 1, the center of the concave part 1d of the passage through which a ball rolls becomes a convex part 1c. When the three layers of front-to-back passages 1 in Figure 1 are stacked in a cross pattern, the flat surface of the convex part 1c of the lower front-to-back passage and the flat surface of the concave part 1d of the middle layer, and the flat surface of the convex part 1c of the middle layer and the flat surface of the concave part 1d of the upper layer, touch each other on a plane, providing stability. Furthermore, a three-dimensional passage 5a is created between the front-to-back passage 1 of the lower section and the front-to-back passage 1 of the middle section as shown in Figure 2, and a three-dimensional passage 5b is created between the front-to-back passage 1 of the middle section and the front-to-back passage 1 of the upper section. Adding the three faces of the box 3 and the passages created in the lower and upper sections, Figure 3 shows the movement of the sphere 2 in an example of a three-dimensional maze with five holes 6 and one partition 7 connecting each passage. A perspective view is shown in Figure 4, and a net view is shown in Figure 5. The X marks in Figure 5 indicate the provided holes 6, the base of the U-shaped part of the partition 7 is the bent part 7b, and the U-shaped part is the partition part 7a of the passage. Without the one partition 7, the maze would be too simple. [Examples]

[0011] In this embodiment, four layers of intersecting stacks of four parallel indentations and protrusions 1b on the front and back are created by bending a rectangle, with the inner sides of a cubic container and a three-sided box as its shorter sides, eight times at right angles using continuous parallel lines that are one-quarter the width of the shorter sides and parallel to the shorter sides, to create the four parallel indentations and protrusions 1b on the front and back. The side and bottom surfaces of the parallel indentations and protrusions 1b consist of nine faces, forming a square that can be placed in the three-sided box 3, with a height that is one-quarter the length of one side of the three-sided box 3. Figure 6 shows the intersecting stacks of four indentations and protrusions 1b, each with two indentations 1 on the front and back. Figure 7 shows a three-dimensional passage 5c created by cross-stacking two front-to-back passages 1 in the bottom row and the second from the bottom row, and a three-dimensional passage 5d created by cross-stacking two parallel front-to-back passages 1 in the second and third from the bottom row. Other passages created by cross-stacking, such as the third and fourth front-to-back passages 1b in the bottom row, and passages created by the three box faces and the bottom and upper rows are omitted from the illustration. Figure 8 shows the movement of a sphere 2 in an example of a three-dimensional maze using holes 6 and partitions 7 that connect each passage. Its unfolded view is shown in Figure 9. Since the continuous front-to-back passages 1b create a three-dimensional passage 5 in the upper and lower spaces, the number of connecting holes 6 is small. The partitions 7 create blind ends, making the maze easier to get lost in. In Figure 6, the bottom left of the first row is used as the start or goal 9, but if the top right of the first row is used as the start or goal 9, a different three-dimensional maze 10 will be created. Note that the grid diagrams in Figures 7 and 8 are represented as rectangular prisms because the lines would overlap in a regular cube. [Examples]

[0012] In Figure 1, the middle section of the front-to-back passage 1a with three passages is replaced with a front-to-back passage 1b with four passages, as shown in Figure 10, which is designated as Example 3. If the front-to-back passage 1b with four passages is the same size and height as the front-to-back passage 1a with three passages, it can be stored in a regular cube container. Because the number of passages increases, it becomes a more difficult maze than Example 1.

[0013] In this embodiment, the directions of the parallel front and back passages 1 are aligned in the same direction, but the front and back of the continuous front and back passages 1 in each tier may be reversed or the direction of each tier may be changed. Also, if necessary, transparent plates may be inserted between each tier to provide holes 6 or partitions 7. [Examples]

[0014] In Figure 11, to fit into a hexagonal storage container, a front and back passage 1 with six passages is created in a hexagon. The first front and back passage 1 is fitted into the hexagon (a), the second front and back passage 1 is rotated 60 degrees (b), and when they are superimposed (c), the horizontal passage 11a in the recess of the first one and the horizontal passage 11b in the convex part of the second one, which has been rotated 60 degrees, intersect at passage 11c, creating a three-dimensional passage 5 above and below. By rotating multiple layers of front and back passages 1 by 60 degrees each, a three-dimensional maze 10 can be created by providing connecting holes 6 or partitions 7 at each layer of the three-dimensional passage 5. [Examples]

[0015] The storage container can be an octagonal prism or a cylinder. The front and back passages 1 can be made into an octagon or a circle. If the front and back passages 1 are an octagon, rotate them 45 degrees. If the container is a cylinder, overlap them at an angle where the interlocking passages do not fit together and the sphere passes through the three-dimensional passages. By rotating and overlapping the front and back passages 1 in multiple layers, three-dimensional passages 5 can be created. Holes 6 and partitions 7 can be provided to connect each of the three-dimensional passages 5 to create a three-dimensional maze 10.

[0016] The parallel pathways on the front and back of the flat plate, through which spheres with a concave and concave structure pass, do not have to be straight; they can be curved or meandering pathways. When two pathways with different widths and curvatures are superimposed, it is sufficient that the two pathways 1 can create a three-dimensional pathway 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0017] 1. Front and back passages 1a A front and back passage with three passages 1b A front and back passage with four passages. 1c The protruding part of the passage on both sides 1d Recess of the passage on the front and back 2 balls 3 3-sided box 4 lattice 4a 3x3x3 grid 4b 4x4x4 grid 5 Three-dimensional passageway 5a A three-dimensional walkway between the lower and middle levels, with the front and back walkways having three passages each, stacked in a crisscross pattern. 5b A three-dimensional walkway between the middle and upper levels, with the front and back walkways having three passages each, stacked in a crisscross pattern. 5c A three-dimensional walkway between the bottom and second layers of a cross-stack of front and back walkways with four passages each. 5d A three-dimensional passage between the second and third from the bottom, where the front and back passages, each with four passages, are intersected. 6 holes 7 compartments 7a Partition 7b Fold in the divider 8. Unfolded diagram 8a Unfolded diagram of the lower section of a double-sided structure with three passages. 8b Unfolded diagram of the middle section of a front and back structure with three passages. 8c Unfolded diagram of the upper section of a double-sided structure with three passages. 8d Bottom unfolded diagram of a front and back with four passages 8e Second to last unfolded diagram of a front and back with four passages. 8f Unfolded diagram of the third from the bottom of the front and back with four aisles. 8g Top unfolded diagram of a double-sided structure with four passages. 9. Start or finish 10 3D maze 10a A three-dimensional maze with three intersecting passages on both sides, each with three passages. 10b A three-dimensional maze with four intersecting passages on both sides, each with four passages. 11a A recessed passage with six passages on the front and back sides, forming a hexagon. 11b is a convex passage obtained by rotating the passage of 11a by 60 degrees. 11c: The passage where passages 11a and 11b intersect.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional maze playground consisting of pathways and spheres made from transparent containers and transparent plates, The aforementioned passage is The parallel pathways on the front and back of the transparent plate, with their uneven structures created on both sides, The transparent container that houses the aforementioned front and back passages will have a shape and size that fits it, Multiple intersecting upper and lower passages are created as three-dimensional passages by superimposing another front-and-back passage, which has been rotated, onto the aforementioned front-and-back passage. The aforementioned multiple three-dimensional passages are provided with holes connecting them. A three-dimensional maze characterized by the following features.

2. A three-dimensional maze according to claim 1, wherein partitions are provided in the front and back passages to stop or change the direction of the movement of the spheres.

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