WO1988005681A1

WO1988005681A1 - Combinable toy set of elements with playing board

Info

Publication number: WO1988005681A1
Application number: PCT/HU1988/000005
Authority: WO
Inventors: Valéria HIDVÉGI
Original assignee: Hidvegi Valeria
Priority date: 1987-02-05
Filing date: 1988-02-03
Publication date: 1988-08-11
Also published as: ATE81989T1; DE3875724D1; JPH02502068A; AU1221888A; CA1303641C; EP0344186B1; DE3875724T2; EP0344186A1; HUT50654A

Abstract

Combinable toy-set for forming pictorial compositions, that comprises a playing board and flat prismatic elements that can be placed on the playing board and fitted together, wherein the form of the elements can be triangular, square or rectangular or can take shapes defined by linear or circular boundary lines, in which the elements can be fitted in a square which has a side length equal to a basic size or in a rectangle corresponding to the half of the square or in a further square with side which is one and a half times as long as the basic size, or in case of triangular form at least one side of the triangle is equal to the basic size and the triangle is right-angled, isosceles or equilateral and the angles of any of the triangles are 30° or a multiple thereof, and in the medium portion of the playing board a pattern is provided which has a minimum size in any direction four times of the basic size and the pattern is composed of forms corresponding to the form of the elements, and the playing board comprises blank area around the pattern which is at least six times as wide as the basic size when measured at least in three directions. The presence of the pattern assists the player in creating compositions of certain complexity.

Description

COMBINABLE TOY SET OF ELEMENTS WITH PLAYING BOARD

The invention relates to a combinable toy set which compris es a playing board and flat prismatic elements that can be plac ed on the playing board and fitted together. According to thei shapes the elements can be triangles, geometric forms defined b linear or circular boundary lines, furthermore squares and rect angles.

A number of types of toy sets are known from which figure can be set. In one of such toys, which corresponds to my earlie invention commercially available under the trade name 'Piky-toy' produced by Piky S.A. France, all of the elements are squares of the same size and respective patterns are made on the upper fa¬ ces of the square elements. Such toys can be used for fitting closed surface areas only which imposes limitations on the num¬ ber of pictures that can be created thereby. One of these limi- tations lies e.g. in that any blank space required between mo¬ tives in the picture to be created must be fitted by square e- lements which bear no pattern. The predetermined size of the square elements imposes a limitation primarily in case of creat¬ ing curved contour lines. Further types of such toys are the various kinds of mosaic toys. The use of conventional rhomboidal or triangular elements limits the forming of fine details. For obtaining a finer pic¬ ture resolution very small elements should be used which re¬ quire, however, long time for creating more complex figurative compositions, and the younger generation which has the largest interest to such toys have neither patience nor talent for such time-consuming activities. From quite young ages onwards child¬ ren are nevertheless eager to create aesthetically pleasing, dy¬ namic and expressive pictorial compositions. This eagerness for creating figures with appropriately fine details cannot be sa¬ tisfied by any toy which would allow the accomplishment of such creations in acceptable period of time.

The object of the invention is to provide a toy set of the kind, defined which enables the formation of finely structured, co positions within shorter periods of time and by using compa¬ ratively small number of elements.

The invention is based on the recognition that by choosing elements with suitable form and size related to a predetermined basic size, the time required for forming comositions can be re¬ duced if a pattern is provided- in the middle part of a playing board as if it were constituted by these elements and if suffi¬ cient blank place is provided around the pattern for the player to continue the composition with the- elements. According to the invention a cαmbiπable toy-set has been provided for forming pictorial compositions, that comprises a playing board and flat prismatic elements that can be placed on the playing board and fitted together, wherein the form of the elements can be triangular, square or rectangular or can take shapes defined by. linear or circular boundary lines, in which the elements can be fitted in a square which has a side length equal to a basic size or in a rectangle corresponding to the half of the square or in a further square with side which is one and a half times as long as the basic size, or in case of triaπ- gular form at least one side of the triangle is equal to the ba¬ sic size and the triangle is right-angled, isosceles or equila¬ teral and the angles of any of the triangles are 30° or a multiple thereof, and in the medium portion of the playing board a pattern is provided which has a minimum size in any direction four times of the basic size and the pattern is' composed of forms corresponding to the form of the elements, and the playing board comprises blank area around the pattern which is at least six times as wide as the basic size when measured at least in three directions. It is preferable if the combinable toy-set has elements with different colors, and each element is single-colored.

The utilization of the space on the playing board will be preferable if the blank area on the playing board is at least six times as wide in all- directions as the basic size, It is preferable if means e.g magnetic means are provided on the elements by which their position can be releasably fixed on the playing board. The work of creating compositions is facilitated if sampl means being provided that comprise figures that include the pat tern and can be constituted by the elements, the size of th sample means should preferably correspond to that of the playin board. The sample means can consist of a plurality of sheets an at least an end sheet thereof. comprises a pattern and furthe sheets of the sample means define apertures corresponding to th contour line of the pattern on the end sheet, whereby the pat tern becomes visible through any of the apertures. In that case the sample means comprises foldable sheets.

The composition will look nicer if the pattern is swelling out of the plane of the playing board with a height correspond¬ ing substantially to the thickness of the elements.

The toy-set should¹ comprise triangular elements, square or rectangular elements, as well as elements with geometric forms defined by linear or circular boundary lines. Preferably, the toy-set comprises at least eight different types of these ele¬ ments.

The toy-set according to the invention enables indeed the formation of pleasing pictorial compositions even if it uses on¬ ly a few number of elements, it improves children's sense to proportions, creativity and develops their taste to forms, and owing to the. presence of the pattern, the time required for cre¬ ating nice compositions is reduced. The toy-set according to the invention will now be described in connection with preferable embodiments thereof, in which re¬ ference will be made to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing:

Fig.1 a to h show the elements used in the toy-set; Fig. 2 shows stylized open motives formed by the elements;

Fig. 3 shows examples for the connection of triangular ele¬ ments; Fig. 4 shows a square with curved motives in the inner part; Fig. 5 shows the connection of the elements in case of a li- on compositon;

Fig. 6 shows a foldable sample means;

Figs. 7 to 16 show various patterns and animal figures comp- risiπg these patterns; Fig. 17 shows a playing board with a hexagonal pattern; and Figs. 18 to 22 show different animal figures with the pat¬ tern of Fig. 17. Fig. 1 shows the elements ^"usable in the set according to the invention. Fig. la. shows a square with side A which has a cir¬ cular opening in the^ middle, the center point of the circle is located in the point of intersection of the diagonal lines of the square and the diameter thereof is equal to the half of the side length i. e. to A/2. The form of element shown in Fig. lb is defined also by a square with side length A, but a quarter of a circle is missing from a corner region of the square and the center of this circular arc falls on the associated corner, and the radius of the arc is equal to the half of the side-length. The third element shown in Fig. lc can also be drawn in a similar square with sides A and it consists of a quarter of an annular ring. The center of the annular ring is in a corner of the square and the radius of the smaller quarter arc that forms the inner boundary of the ring is equal to the half of the side length, while that of the larger quarter arc is equal to the side length. The fourth element shown in Fig. Id can be obtained from the third one by deleting the inner boundary thereof defin¬ ed by the smaller circular arc section and by adding the remain¬ ing portion of the square that has a side length A to' the an- nular ring. This fourth element can also be fitted in the square which has the side length A.

Figs, lg and Ih show the seventh and eighth elements as a pair of symmetrical right-angled triangles which are congruent and their two acute angles are 30° and 60°, while the length of the longer side is A and that of the shorter one is A/2. Both of these elements can be fitted in a rectangle with sidp lengths of A and A/2, respectively. The fifth element shown in Fig., le is defined by such a rectangle. The sixth element shown in Fig. If can also be fitted in this rectangle and this element is defined by the longer side of the rectangle and by a half circle with a radius of A/2 which has a center located at the midpoint of the longer side. The ninth element shown in Fig. li is similar to the seco element of Fig. lb and, its form can be defined as a square wi side length of 1.5 A and from a corner region thereof a quart of a circle with radius A as shown in Fig. Id is missing. T tenth element shown in Fig. lj is an isosceles triangle wi side length A and the sides thereof close an angle of 120°. Fi nally, the eleventh element shown in Fig. Ik is an equilatera triangle with sides A. The set has a twelfth element not show in the drawing which is a square with sides A. The elements of the set according to the invention are pre ferably flat, since their basic feature is determined by th form of their surface. The elements can be implemented by paint ed wooden or plastic plates or by metal or cardboard plates, an it is preferable if respective magnet pieces are either fixed o or embedded in their rear surfaces to facilitate thereby th releasable but stable arrangement of the associated element on playing board that can be made e.g. by a painted metal plate The use of magnets can be replaced by any other means which i capable of providing releasable positioning e.g. a self-adhesiv rear surface or a napped surface provided at a portion of th rear side which can be used like a tear-lock. The respectiv elements can be single-colored, however, the toy set might comp rise elements with identical form but differing color or color shade. The basic size A has outstanding significance in determinin the form of the elements, since this basic size ensures the per fect and versatile engagement thereof. The harmoniously matchin system of circular arcs and triangles enables the setting of large number of patterns truly imitating natural forms even b using a toy set with very limited number of elements. In cont rast to conventional mosaic-like toy sets the one designed ac cording to the invention enables the setting of characteristic, lively and aesthetically pleasing configurations which can hav closed or open shapes as well. Fig. 2 shows a stylized flower configuration which has a middle part closed by a waving curved line constituted by the semicircular elements and an adjoining open ornamentation of a tulip pattern. The differently hatched lines in the interior of the configuration intends to imitate the effect of colors. It can thus be visualized that by appropriate use of colors very lively forms can be set even within a configuration. At the edges of the otherwise closed configuration the harmony of the mutually matching circular arcs will be apparent for the viewer. The outer half ring is constituted by two elements as shown in Fig. lc in which the semi-circular element of Fig.- If is nicely fitted. Fig. 2 shows examples for the connection of triangular elements to the arced ones.

Fig. 3 shows the variations of the mutual connection of the four types of triangular elements and this exemplifies how a planar surface can be wholly set by such elements. The angles closed by the elements at such connections vary according to di- screte steps of 30 and we can find examples there for any of the angles 30°, 60°, 90°, 12o°, 150° and 180°.

Fig. 4 shows the role of circles and arcs in a framing rect¬ angular form. Owing to the use of inner curves the otherwise dull square form turns to be lively and pleasing. If the ele- ments filling the area designated by the hatched line have color different from the color in the remaining area, then the inner form gets accentuated from the background by which it ttfέns to be interesting. .-ξj ^'"' _..

Fig. 5.shows. a lion set with veέy fine details. In tfie left half of the lion the thin lines designate the contour lines of the respective elements. The different parts of the lion -shape exemplifies the partial and the full covering of a surface area. The thin broken range of the tail is enabled by the connection of the triangular elements. The design of the head and mane gives examples for the use of the closed and open arcs. The in¬ terior of the body is a closed area. This area can be filled with single-colored elements, however, if the illustrated curved details are made by elements of suitable color and shade, then the colors can emphasize the liveliness and dynamic properties of the composition.

In addition to showing the various ways of filling a playing surface the examples of Figs. 2 to 5 have illustrated how highly structured and detailed forms can be set on a small^' area with comparatively small number and type of elements. The height the lion figure is not higher than 20th of the basic size A a the width thereof including the tail is only 12th of this size either.

The combinable toy-set according to the invention comprise one or more blank playing board provided in the center regio with a specific pattern. The pattern is used in the middle o the playing board in order to offer the children assistance i forming more complex pictorial compositions which, without suc assistance, would either represent a too difficult task for th child or require too much time or patience. The presence of th pattern develops children's ability for pattern recognition an for making various combinations. The pattern (or patterns) can be made by conventional print ing technique with such a scale and form as if it (they) woul be formed by the separate elements of the toy-set. The use o patterns can be peferable that swell out of the plane of. th playing board just to the extent of the thickness of the ele ments. The considerations described and illustrated in connec tion with Figs. 1 to 5 are true both for the pre-printed pat terns and for the compositions formed by the elements around th patterns, since the so-obtained pictures are all built of th elements shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 shows a blank playing board with a schematically il lustrated pattern in the middle which can be fitted in a square The side of the square is- the sixth of the basic size A. Th lines indicated within the pattern designate surface areas sepa rated by regions of differing color or shade. Fig. 8 shows a ca formed on the playing board of Fig. 7 around the pattern. Th pattern takes the central part of the body of the cat, and it i perfectly blended therein so that the contour lines thereof ca hardly be distinguished from the adjacent environment. The con tour line of the pattern has been drawn in Fig. 8 for the pur pose of better identification only.

Fig. 6 shows the perspective view of a foldable booklet con sisting of six sheets only. In the middle of the first and th last page hexagonal patterns are printed, while in the four me¬ dium sheets respective apertures are provided conforming to .the contour lines of the patterns. If the booklet is opened at any of the medium pages, then the pattern appears which is covered by the aperture of the upper sheet. The booklet can be used as a model for setting the playing boards of _. the toy-set, since the apertured pages illustrate the printed pictures which embody i- deπtical patterns. On the medium pages of the booklet of Fig. 6 a dog, a hen, a cat and an orπameπtical compositions can be seen.

Figs. 9. and 10. show a playing board with an other kind of pattern and a lion in Fig. 10 built around the pattern. The pat¬ tern is hardly recognizable in the lion's body.

Figs. 11 to 16 show various embodiments of the patterns and respective animal figures embodying such patterns. The form of the fox, the bear and the dog is really impressive and they are full of fine details. Of course, In an actual color form includ- iπg several shades of colors the animal figures are much nicer than what the enclosed black and white drawing can Illustrate. In the examples shown in Figs. 7 to 16 -only one picture was il¬ lustrated around each pattern. Fig. 17 shows a hexagonal pattern and Figs. 18 to 22 show animal figures which can be set on the same playing board around the same ^"pattern. In all of these examples the pattern is organically integrated in the body of the animals, the distinction visible in the drawing are due to the fact that for the sake of illustration the contour lines of the pattern were shown with dashed lines.

The examples shown in the drawing have well demonstrated that the number of patterns can be fairly high and each pattern can be integrated in a number of compositions. The use of the toy-set can be facilitated first by various pre-printed samples, whereby the toy-set can offer even younger children the aesthe¬ tic pleasures of creating complex compositions. For older child¬ ren, however, the creation of figures other than the ones shown in the samples can cause pleasure and develop imaginative abili¬ ty as well as creativity.

The use of the elements shown in Fig. 1 enables in compara- -?-

tively small areas the formation of finely detailed figures wit dynamic contqur lines. Let us e.g. observe the silhouette of th ram shown in Fig. 18 from which even the curly character of it hair can be seen. The harmonious fitting of the linear and curv ed line sections as well as the large freedom of forming variou profiles follow from the shape of the basic elements and fro their predetermined geometrical proportions relative to the ba sic size. The blank space on the playing board between the pat tern and the edges of the board can be fairly small and thi property can directly be derived from these principles. For th creation of many interesting pictures it is sufficient alread if the width of the blank area is about the six times of th basic size A. The use of wider blank areas enhances, of course, the number of possible variations.

Claims

. Claims :

1. Co binable toy-set ^"for forming pictorial compositions, comprising a playing board and flat prismatic elements that can be placed on the playing board and fitted together, wherein the form of the elements can be triangular, square or rectangular or can take shapes defined by linear or circular boundary lines, characterized in that said elements can be fitted in a square which has a side length equal to a basic size (A) or in a rect¬ angle corresponding to the half of said square or in a further square with side being one and a half times as long as said ba- sic size (A), or in case of^~ triangular form at least one side of the triangle is equal to said basic size (A) and the triangle is right-angled, isosceles or equilateral and the angles of any of said triangles being 30° or a multiple thereof, and in the medi¬ um portion of said playing board a pattern is provided which has a minimum size in any direction four times of said basic size and the pattern is composed of forms corresponding to the form of said elements, and said playing board comprises blank area around said pattern which is at least six times as wide as said basic size when measured at least in three directions.

2. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 1, characteri¬ zed by comprising elements with different colors, and each of said elements have respective single-colored flat surface.

3. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 1, character¬ ized in that the blank area on the playing board is at least six times as wide in all directions as said basic size (A).

4. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 1, character- ized in that means are provided on the elements for releasably fixing the position thereof on the playing board.

5. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 1, character- ized by comprising sample means comprising figures that i clude said pattern and can be formed by said elements, said sa ple means has size corresponding to that of said playing board.

6. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 5, character ized in that said sample means comprising a plurality of sheet and at least an end sheet thereof comprises a pattern and fur ther sheets of said means define apertures corresponding to th contour line of said pattern on said end sheet, whereby sai pattern becomes visible through any of said apertures.

7. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 6, character ized in that said sample means comprises foldable sheets.

8. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 1, character ized in that said pattern is swelling out of the plane of th playing board with a height corresponding substantially to th thickness of the elements.

9. The combinable toy-set as claimed in claim 1, character ized by comprising at least eight different types of said ele ments.