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 Title: |
US4872682:
Cube puzzle with moving faces
[ Derwent Title ]
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| Country: |
US United States of America
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| Inventor: |
Kuchimanchi, Ravi; College Park, MD 20742
Thakur, Madhukar N.; Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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| Assignee: |
None
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| Published / Filed: |
1989-10-10
/ 1987-11-17
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| Application Number: |
US1987000108163
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
A63F 9/08;
IPC-7:
A63F 9/08;
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| ECLA Code: |
A63F9/08D1; K63F9/08D3R;
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| U.S. Class: |
Current:
273/153.S;
Original:
273/153.S;
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| Field of Search: |
273/153 S
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| Priority Number: |
| 1987-11-17 |
US1987000108163 |
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| Abstract: |
A puzzle cube with movable sliders provides games with different levels of difficulty. At least one of the surfaces of the cubelets forming an exterior surface part of the base cube is not provided with a slider, thus defining at least one blank. This allows during the game the moving of anyone of the sliders adjacent a blank, on the same side of the base cube, to be moved into the blank. Each slider can be numbered, or given an orientation such as by an arrow thereon, or all the sliders for each side of the base cube can be given a respective different color, either by being so manufactured or by means of stickers placeable on the sliders. The respective parts of the base club can also be colored and/or numbered, for instance the bands along the intersections of the exterior surfaces (faces) of the base cube, these bands extending peripherally as a frame around the collection of sliders on each face of the base cube. The engagement of the sliders with the cubelets can be designed to prevent a slider from being able to slide out of a channel, that is, for holding it on the cubelet, during rotation of one of the planes of cubelets of the base cube.
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| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Johnston, III, Wm. D. ;
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| Primary / Asst. Examiners: |
Oechsle, Anton O.;
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| Maintenance Status: |
E3 Expired Check current status
CC Certificate of Correction issued
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
Show legal status actions
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| Family: |
None
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First Claim:
Show all 20 claims |
We claim:
1. A puzzle cube, comprising
- an array of cubelets extending in three dimensions to define a base cube with plural faces by respective facelets of said cubelet facelet wherein respective ones of said cubelets define respective sets of planes, the planes of any one of said sets of planes being orthogonal to the planes of each other one of said sets, each said facelet comprising a pair of orthogonal continuous channel segments defined by respective parts of the facelet which extend continuously from respective edges of each facelet to a central area of the facelet, the respective channel segments intersecting in a limited area at the center of each said facelet, said channel segments of all the respective facelets thereby defining a substantially continuous channel network for each said face of said base cube,
- internal support means for supporting said cubelets in the form of said base cube, and for allowing the respective cubelets associated with any one of said planes to be rotated as a unit about a respective axis perpendicular to the respective set of planes,
- sliders associated with at most all but one of said facelets of said cubelets of said base cube, said sliders having respective engaging parts on the backs thereof for being secured in said channels of the respective facelet and for holding the respective facelet from only its back in said channel segments so that the entire front of the slider is exposed to an operator and constrained to move substantially smoothly therein and for moving between adjacent facelets via said channel network, each said facelet not having one of said sliders associated therewith being exposed in the respective face of said base cube,
- wherein each occurrence of an exposed facelet can be effectively moved around the respective face of said base cube by sliding any one of the next respective sliders along any respective one of said channel segments of said channel network on the same face of the base cube, each said occurence of an exposed facelet can be effectively rotated onto a different one of said faces of said base cube by rotation of at least one respective one of said planes of one of said orthogonal sets thereof with respect to each other of said planes of the same set, and said cubelets with said channel segments of said channel networks, said sliders with said engaging parts, and the number of said sliders are provided so that each said slider is capable of non-rotational, linear motion along each of two directions in each said face, said two directions of linear motion across each said facelet being defined by respective ones of said channel segments.
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| Background / Summary: |
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| Drawing Descriptions: |
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| Description: |
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| Forward References: |
Show 13 U.S. patent(s) that reference this one
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