Mechanically Linked Puzzle Book Pages with Interlocking Latches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current puzzle games lack a cohesive, mechanically interactive experience with multiple puzzles linked together, leading to inconsistency and limited accessibility due to high production costs and limited availability of high-end puzzle boxes.
Innovation Solution
A linked sequence of mechanically encoded puzzle pages where each page is interconnected, requiring the player to solve puzzles to disengage a latching mechanism, allowing progression to the next page, constructed using 3D modeling and laser-cut materials like wood, metal, or plastic, enabling mass production while maintaining a 2D layer construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high-end puzzle boxes with intricate mechanical locking systems are produced, then the quality and craftsmanship are improved, but the production cost increases and availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The puzzle book is divided into multiple individual pages, each containing a separate puzzle with its own locking mechanism. This segmentation allows each page to be manufactured independently using standardized components, reducing overall production complexity and cost while maintaining high quality individual puzzle experiences
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs universal locking mechanisms and standardized components that can be used across all puzzle pages. This multi-functionality allows the same mechanical principles to be applied repeatedly throughout the book, reducing manufacturing variability and enabling more efficient production processes
2Reliability
If multiple puzzles are linked together in a single structure, then the consistency and engagement are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The book is segmented into discrete pages that can be manufactured and assembled independently. Each page contains a complete puzzle experience with its own locking mechanism, allowing for consistent quality control while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The puzzle pages are designed to nest together in a book structure, with each page containing locked compartments and mechanisms that fit within the overall book format. This nesting approach creates a cohesive multi-puzzle experience while organizing complexity within a compact, manageable form factor
3Adaptability or versatility
If hand-crafted puzzles with unique solutions are made, then the intrigue and challenge are improved, but the production volume is limited and accessibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the puzzle experience into separate page modules, each can be manufactured using standardized processes while maintaining unique puzzle designs. This segmentation enables mass production of individual pages that can be assembled into complete puzzle books, significantly increasing production volume while preserving the intrigue of unique solutions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses standardized locking mechanisms and structural components that can be replicated across multiple pages and production runs. This copying of proven mechanical elements allows for high-volume production while the puzzle designs themselves maintain uniqueness and intrigue through varied configurations and solutions
Data Source
AI summary
A linked sequence of mechanically encoded puzzle pages is disclosed. Each page is comprised of multiple planar layers interconnected to implement the puzzle design of the page. The puzzle of each page must be solved to disengage a latching mechanism enabling the player to turn the page and begin solving the puzzle in the next page. Similarly for the next page, and each succeeding page until the last page, solution to the puzzle by the player will disengage a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism holds the active page being solved by the player to the next page. In the implementation of the invention described in this disclosure the latching mechanism comprises a hooking piece protruding in a perpendicular direction from the planar front surface of the next page, where the hooking piece fits into an opening on the planar back surface of the active page and a blocking piece on the active page is aligned between the hook portion and the exit to the opening, thereby preventing the hooking piece on the next page from disengaging from the active page.