Game or puzzle

Oct. 23, 1934.

1,978,107

H. HOFFMANN

GAME OR PUZZLE

Filed Feb. 23, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1

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Oct. 23, 1934.

1,978,107

H. HOFFMANN

GAME OR PUZZLE

Filed Feb. 23, 1933

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Filed Feb. 23, 1933

1,978,107

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Patented Oct. 23, 1934

1,978,107

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,978,107 GAME OR PUZZLE Henry Hoffmann, St. Louis, Mo. Application February 23, 1933, Serial No. 657,953 5 Claims. (Cl. 273—153)

This invention relates to games or puzzles of the matched pattern type,

One object of the invention is to provide in a game or puzzle of this kind a board or ground 6 upon which is delineated a base pattern, scheme or puzzle lay-out to be matched or reconstructed, and a plurality of “men” or play pieces for correctly laying over the base pattern, each “man” or piece bearing digits, figures, letters, characters, ¹⁰ indicia or markings corresponding or answering to or indicating that portion of the base pattern immediately underlying the said “man” or play piece as correctly placed, whereby through the correct placing of the play pieces upon the un15 derlying pattern, side by side, end to end or end to side, the said base pattern or puzzle lay-out Will be reproduced or represented or reconstructed upon the combined upper surfaces of the said “men” or play pieces.

*9 Another object is to provide in such game or puzzle, means for varying, shifting or changing the base or puzzle pattern so as to constantly provide and present new problems or puzzles in the _ way of new base patterns for working out or solv25 fng through the superimposed “men” or play pieces. .

Another object is to provide in combination a board for supporting a base pattern or puzzle lay-out, and a plurality of equal, elongated, rec30 tilinear puzzle blocks of a length, substantially twice their transverse, dimension, each block bearing upon its co-equal sides the same figures, digits, letters or characters but differently posisioned or arranged, the different blocks however 35 carrying distinctive sets of such figures, letters or characters, so that by turning the blocks with the desired sides uppermost, and positioning them upon the board side by side, end to end, or end to side, a continuous and uniform base pattern 40 may be formed at their combined upper surfaces, an apertured cover plate for laying over the base pattern so formed, the same serving to reveal through its apertures the said figures, letters or characters on the blocks, while at the same time 45 concealing at its webs or solid portions the joints of the contiguous blocks, and a plurality of flat, rectilinear “men” or play pieces Of a length and width slightly less than the length and transverse dimension of the said blocks, so as to pro50 vide a clearance between them in placing them upon the board, the said play pieces bearing upon their, upper faces digits, indicia,, figures or characters corresponding or answering to or indicating the digits, figures, letters, characters or in55 dicia of the said blocks, whereby by properly placing or positioning the play pieces upon the apertured cover plate over the underlying pattern formed by the blocks, that entire pattern may be reconstructed or represented and shown upon the upper faces of the said play pieces. 60

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this specification, and wherein

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembly 65 comprising one form of my invention, one corner thereof being broken away , to show the formation and arrangement of the elements. A play piece is shown spaced above the assembly as in process of locating thereon. 70

Figure 2 is a plan view of the base or game board.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the base board as loaded with a plurality of puzzle blocks set up to form a puzzle pattern. 75

Figure 4 is a plan view of the assembly of Figure 3, with an apertured cover plate placed thereover for concealing the joints of the puzzle blocks forming the puzzle pattern, while revealing the figures thereon, the marginal retaining frame 80 being also shown.

Figure 5 is a detail of a fragment of the apertured cover plate.

Figure 6 is a detail of a fragment of one form of retaining frame. 85

Figure 7 is a view showing, in plan the figures of a, sample four-sided puzzle block, showing the same figures or digits as variously arranged at the four sides.

Figure 8 is a plan view of several of the blocks 90 as arranged in juxtaposition at sides and ends in the making up of a puzzle pattern as formed upon the game board.

Figure 9 is a similar plan view of several of the play pieces as similarly arranged in juxtapo- 95 sition at their sides and ends, upon the apertured cover plate over the blocks, in the working out of the puzzle pattern as formed upon the upper surfaces of the combined blocks.

Figure 10 includes perspective views of the 100 four sides of one of the blocks as provided with additional medial markings as means for regulating the complication of the puzzle lay-out or pattern.

Figure 11 is a detail of the modified form of iqs block for forming the underlying puzzle pattern.

Figure 12 is a detail view in perspective of the two sides of a simpler, flat form of puzzle block, for use in lieu of the four-sided blocks.

In carrying out this invention, I provide a suit- no

1,978,107 vided, equal in number to the number of the blocks 4 or 4α used in the making up of the puzzle pattern or lay-out, all of uniform and co-equal dimensions, the same being preferably flat and rectilinear and similar in length and width to 80 the length and transverse dimension of the blocks 4 or 4α. In other words, the length of each play piece is twice its width and only slightly less than the length of the said blocks for the sake of clearance. These play pieces are printed or otherwise 85 marked upon one or both of their two fiat sides with figures, digits, characters or indicia corresponding or answering to or indicating the figures, digits, characters or markings carried upon the several blocks combined as aforesaid to make up 90 the puzzle lay-out or pattern. For these men or play pieces only one arrangement of the digits bi' characters is required, as it is immaterial ; in the .working out of the puzzle whether they are turned vertically, horizontally or up-side 95 down.

In the use or operation of the game or puzzle as thus far described, a plurality of the blocks 4 or 4α are provided to the required number, and .. each is individually differentiated by means of 100 pairs of figures, digits or any characters desired imprinted medially at the ends of the rectilinear sides of the blocks as already pointed out, and a corresponding number of the play pieces are then provided and printed upon their sides with fig- 105 ures, digits or other characters to correspond to or indicate or suggest the corresponding blocks as laid out on the board to form the puzzle layout, there being thus, a separate “man” or play piece answering to each separate block and to 110 that block alone. There are no duplicate blocks, and consequently of course, no duplicate “men”. In making up or marking the blocks, it is found in practice that pairs of numbers are the more , ... convenient method,.in simulation of the method 115 of marking dominoes except that figures are used in lieu of dots. Thus the blocks may be marked 0_0' 0—1; 0—2; 0—3; 0—4; 0—5; 0—6; 1—1;

1—2; 1—3; 1—4; 1—5; 1—6; 2—2; 2—3; 2—4;

2—5; 2—6; up to 6—6; etc., or as desired. Com- 120 plete sets, of blocks within a certain range or scheme of marking, are best suited to the requirements of the game.

With a puzzle “lay-out” spread upon the board in manner already pointed out and covered with 125 the cover plate which conceals the joints of the blocks, the working or solving of the puzzle then consists in taking the play pieces and placing each upon the cover plate immediately over the .....

underlying and corresponding blocks so as to re- 130 produce or represent upon the upper surfaces of the combined play pieces the underlying puzzle pattern or lay-out. carried on the upper surfaces of the blocks.. And in this process regard must , be had both to the correct directional positioning 135 'of the “men” or play pieces, to correspond with the lines of extension of the underlaying blocks and also to the correct ending of the “men” to correspond with the “ending” of the blocks and so that the figures or marking upon the ends 140 of the play pieces will register in point of value with the corresponding figures or marking upon the ends of the blocks, thereby correctly working out and completing the underlying puzzle layout. As before suggested, in the placing of the 145 men in the. solving, of a puzzle it does not matter how the digits or figures read, whether upright or otherwise. The player may easily verify the correctness of his solution by merely lifting off the apertured cover plate with the play pieces able rectangular board 1, having raised margins 2 and a retaining frame 3 adapted to fit over the raised margins. A plurality of elongated, rectangular blocks are provided, the same being either 5 square in cross section and of a length exactly double their transverse dimension as shown at 4, or else merely fiat as shown at 4α. These blocks are all uniform and co-equal in size so as to be mutually interchangeable. At medial points 10 upon each end of each of the elongated, rectangular sides of each block are printed or otherwise shown certain figures, digits, letters, characters, indicia, or any desired pattern or config- ' uration, such as the figures “3-7” as shown, on 15 the sample block represented in the drawings, the figure “3” being shown at one end and the figure “7” at the other end. It will be noted that each of the sides of each individual block carries the same figures but differently arranged and· 20 positioned thereupon; that is to say, in the square blocks 4 the figures or digits upon two· of the sides are arranged to read normally with the block turned horizontally, but are reversed in order, while upon the other two sides the same figures 25 or digits are arranged to read normally with the block turned up endwise to the player, or vertically, but are likewise reversed in order on these twb sides. Tn the flat blocks 4α however, the variety of arrangement is necessarily reduced by half, so 30 that the digits can be shown as increasing or decreasing in value from left to right on one side, and from top to bottom on the other side. It will now be noted that by virtue of the different possible positions of the puzzle blocks, in which they 33 may be rectilinearly arranged, a plurality of blocks may be readily laid upon the board side by side, end to end or end to side and turned so. as to present at their combined upper surfaces a continuous, uniform and normal positioning for 40 reading or interpreting the figures, digits, characters or other markings thereon, in either of two directions perpendicular to each other, as horizontally or up and down.^: And except for the joints or breaks visible between adjacent or con45 tiguous blocks, it would be impossible for an observer to know, without calculation or trial, to just which of any two contiguous blocks, any certain figure, digit, character or the like belonged or upon which block it was printed or shown.

In other words, except for such visible joints, the observer would be unable to mentally distinguish or separate the blocks, or individually. identify them. Thus'by arranging a complete pattern or puzzle layout by positioning a plurality of the 55 puzzle blocks upon the board in the manner described, and as represented in Figure 1, and by then providing some means for covering or concealing the said joints, between the .blocks, it is apparent that the puzzle pattern will be complete 60 and effective. For this purpose, a cover plate 10 is provided to fit down within the raised margins 2 of the board 1, the same being pierced with apertures 11 regularly, spaced apart in two. perpendicular directions paralleling its . rectilinear 65 margins and so that the apertures will fall directly over the figures, digits or characters carried upon the blocks, while the intervening connecting webs or solid portions 12 of this plate fall upon the joints of the blocks and serve to effectually 70 cover and conceal the same from view. A retaining frame.3 may then be set down over the raised margins of the board for conveniently holding the assembly together and even making it foolproof-by addition .of, a locking device not shown.

A plurality of “men” or play pieces 13 are pro1,978,107 3 undisturbed thereupon and comparing the arrangement of the play pieces with the arrangement of the blocks as thus uncovered. New :, puzzle patterns may be formed at will by mixing '5 up the blocks 4 of 4α and rearranging them into new puzzle patterns in manner described. The puzzle may be solved solely thru a method of repeated trials in the placing of the “men” or through some system of checking upon a 10 schematic table of figures, all the possible locations or positions in which each “man” may be arranged.

If desired means may be provided for simplifying the puzzle lay-outs of the blocks 4 as for 15 children. One way of doing this consists in placing differentiating markings medially upon the four sides of these blocks, as shown at 14 in Figure 10. For instance by turning upward the faces showing the circles and triangles in reverse 20 order, a “two-way” puzzle is provided, the smaller digits being always at the left hand or at top of the blocks in the lay-out. This puzzle may be solved with relative ease thru the corresponding logical facing of the men.

Adding to a certain number of the blocks thus turned, other blocks with those sides turned up which are marked with either the circles alone or the triangles alone, makes the “three-way” puzzle, which is of course somewhat more difficult, 20 as such markings indicate that there are blocks in the puzzle lay-out whereon the larger digits are at the left hand or on top, the reverse of the previous arrangement. And of course by ignoring these markings entirely and laying the 35 puzzle blocks indiscriminately, the most complex form of puzzle lay-out is provided for solving, as all logical rules of guidance are thrown aside.

In lieu of the blocks 4 or 4α, a flat rectilinear block 4b as shown in Figure 11, may be used, the 40' same being cut out or circularly recessed at its ends, as shown at 15, and then rotatively mounting numbered discs 16 within these recesses. By rotating these discs, it is apparent the digits on , , such blocks may be turned to read normally 45 either horizontally or vertically of the block.

As shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, the board 1 may carry a quantity of blank blocks for use as “fill, ins”. These blanks may be used or omitted, as desired. They are useful in devising various SO forms and outlines of puzzle lay-outs.

While I have herein described a certain specific manner and method of constructing and assembling the elements of my invention, it is understood that I may vary from the same in minor ⁵⁵ details, not departing from the spirit of my invention, so as best to construct a practical device for the purpose intended, as defined in the appended claims.