GB2094644A - Liquid filled puzzle - Google Patents

Abstract

The puzzle includes a hollow container (1) with at least one transparent wall (2), a liquid (3) substantially filling the container (1) and at least one angular or rounded ring-like frame (11), slidably fitted in the container (1) between two facing walls thereof for movement towards and away from a remaining wall or walls (6) of the container (1), having a channel (8) providing communication between the outside and the inside of the frame, and a plurality of movable members (9) small enough to pass through a passage (10) defined between the channel (8) and an adjacent facing wall of the container (1) from the outside to the inside of the frame, and vice versa, on movement of the container. The liquid (3) provides a damping action on movement of the or each frame (11) and/or movable members (9). A post (7) may be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Puzzle toy This invention relates to a puzzle toy.

Many different varieties of puzzle toys have been proposed in which movable members such as balls are guided from one area to another in a container by manipulation of the container by a user who views the movement of the movable members through a transparent wall of the container. In general the movable members move through air in the container, under the action of gravity. This tends to make movement of the members rapid, jerky and difficult to control which whilst adding to the difficulty of completing the task set by the puzzle, also tends to produce irritation in the user and ultimately discarding of the toy. There is thus a need for a genorally improved puzzletoywhich affords less rapid, and therefore possibly more controllable, movement of the movable members.

According to the present invention there is provided a puzzle toy including a hollow container with at least one transparent wall, a liquid substantially filling the container, at least one angular or rounded ring-like frame slideably fitted in the container between two facing walls thereof for movement towards and away from a remaining wall or walls of the container, which frame has a lateral groove providing communication between the outside and the inside of the frame within the container, and a plurality of movable members of a size small enough to pass along the passage defined between the groove and the facing wall of the container from the outside to the inside of the frame, and vice versa, on movement of the container by a user, the liquid providing a damping action on movement of the frame and/or movable members.

The container may be disc-like in shape, preferably completely made frorn transparent material such as Perspex (Registered Trade Mark) or other suitable plastics material. The liquid advantageously is colourless and preferably is water with or without viscosity modifying additives.

Conveniently the frame is rectangular in shape and preferably three such frames are employed, loosely mounted one within the other for lateral movement relative to one another within the container. Advantageously he or at least one frame is mounted to swing about a fixed stop within the container. Preferably this stop is located at the centre of the disc-like shaped container. The or each frame conveniently is made from plastics material and preferably has one sliding face different in colour from the other sliding face.

The movable members conveniently are of disclike or ball-like shape, preferably made from plastics material.

For a better understanding ofthe present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure lisa plan view from above of a puzzle toy made according to one embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 is an end view taken in the direction A of Figure 1.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the puzzle toy of the invention includes a hollow container generally referenced 1, with at least one transparent wall 2. Conveniently as shown in Figures 1 and 2 this container is disc-like in shape and preferably made from plastics material such as Perspex (Registered Trade Mark). Thus preferably all walls of the container are transparent.

The container 1 contains a liquid 3 which substantially fills the container. Preferably this liquid is a colourless liquid such as water, with or without viscosity modifying additives or colouring agents.

The container 1 houses at least one angular or rounded ring-like frame 4 preferably of rectangular shape as shown in Figure 1. More than one such frame 4 can be provided such as tlne th ree frames 4 provided in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1.

The frames 4 are slidably fitted in the container 1 between two facing walls 2 and 5 thereof, for lateral movement towards and away from the remaining wall or walls 6 of the container.

The three frames 4 illustrated are loosely mounted one within the other for lateral movement relative to one another in the direction of the remaining wall or walls 6. Preferably the or at least one frame 4 is mounted to swing about a fixed stop 7 within the container 1. This stop 7 conveniently is located at the centre of the disc-like shape container 1.

The or each frame 4 has a lateral groove 8 in one side thereof providing communication between the outside and the inside of the frame 4. A plurality of movable members 9 are also contained in the container 1 in the liquid 3. These members 9 conveniently are of disc-like or ball-like shape of a size small enough to pass along the passage 10 defined between the groove 8 and the facing wall 5 of the container, from the outside to the inside of the frame 4, and vice versa, on movement of the container by a user. The object of the puzzle is thus to get all the movable members 9 from outside the frame or frames 4 into the frame or the innermost frame 4 and vice versa. The liquid 3 thus provides a damping action on movement of the frame 4 and/or members 9 thereby introducing a further factor in addition to gravity governing movement of the frame 4 and members 9.The presence of the fixed stop 7 and the provision of, for example, only one lateral groove 8 in each frame 4, which lateral grooves may not be in alignment between the three frames 4, introduces further variables affecting the ease or difficulty of completion of the puzzle.

Conveniently the frame or frames 4 and the movable members 9 are made from plastics material of any desired colour or colours. Advantageously the frame or frames 4 may be made from two different colour materials so as to provide one colour on the surface 11 nearest to the wall 2 and another colour on the surface 12 containing the groove 8 and near est to the wall 5. If desired the movable members 9 may be made from a material contrasting in colour to that used forthe surface 11 oftheframes4for visual clarity.

The container 1 may be made in any convenient manner and assembled with the frames 4, movable members 9 and liquid 3 in any suitable way. Conveniently the container 1 is in the form of two similar disc-like dishes set edge to edge and sealed together in a convenient manner such as by edge to edge welding with or without the inclusion of an inner edge ring. Conveniently the liquid 3 is filled into the container 1 via an opening in the wall 6 thereof which is subsequently sealed.

Claims (15)

1. A puzzle toy including a hollow container with at least one transparent wall, a liquid substantially filling the container, at least one angular or rounded ring-like frame slidably fitted in the container between two facing walls thereof for movement towards and away from a remaining wall orwalls of the container, which frame has a lateral groove providing communication between the outside and the inside of the frame within the container, and a pluralits of movable members of a size small enough to pass along the passage defined between the groove and the adjacent facing wall of the container from the outside to the inside of the frame, and vice versa, on movement of the container by a user, the liquid providing a damping action on movement of the frame andlor movable members.

2. A puzzle toy according to claim 1, wherein the container is disc-like in shape with the two facing walls being substantially circular in plan and interconnected at their edges by the remaining wall.

3. A puzzle toy according to claim 2, wherein the container walls are completely made from transparent material.

4. A puzzle toy according to claim 3, wherein the transparent material is plastics material.

5. A puzzle toy according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid is colourless.

6. A puzzle toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid is water with or without vis cosity modifying additives.

7. A puzzle toy according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the frame is rectangular in shape.

8. A puzzle toy according to claim 7, having three such rectangular shape frames loosely mounted one within the other for lateral movement relative to one another within the container.

9. A puzzle toy according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the or at least one frame is mounted to swing about a fixed stop within the container.

10. A puzzle toy according to claim 9 when appended to claim 2, wherein the fixed stop is located at the centre of the disc-like shaped con tainer.

11. Apuzzletoyaccording toclaim orclaim 10, wherein the or each frame is made from plastics material.

12. A puzzle toy according to claim 11, wherein the or each frame has one sliding face different in colour from the other sliding face.

13. A puzzle toy according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the movable members are of disc-like or ball-like shape.

14. Apuzzle toy according to claim 13, wherein the movable members are made of plastics material.

15. A puzzle toy substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.