US20050184459A1 - Jigsaw puzzle - Google Patents

Abstract

A jigsaw puzzle including a puzzle board, a plurality of puzzle pieces for removably placing on the puzzle board in a predetermined configuration, and control circuitry for automatically effecting a mechanical action visually discernible by a puzzle solver on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle. Exemplary mechanical actions include rotating a clock's hands, a vehicle's wheels, and the like.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The invention pertains to jigsaw puzzles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Many kinds of jigsaw puzzles for young children have been developed with the intention of maintaining a child's interest after its completion.
• U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,996 to Janiszewski illustrates and describes a jigsaw puzzle with a manual driving means for rotating puzzle pieces after the jigsaw puzzle has been completed.
• U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,748 to Bevan et al. illustrates and describes a voice puzzle game for enunciating words, sounds or phrases on correctly placing a puzzle piece in its intended pocket.
• U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,480 to Fabricant et al. illustrates and describes a combination puzzle and pull toy requiring a child to select puzzle pieces and place them in the correct order in an upright rectangular frame to form a pull toy depicting an ice cream truck, a passenger car, and the like.
• U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,669 to Iwakichi illustrates and describes a toy aqua plane including a number of reconfigurable parts including a removable tank member in the form of a puzzle toy.
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,102 to Cooper illustrates and describes a jigsaw puzzle with a manual driving means for moving portions of puzzle pieces in various mechanical manners after the jigsaw puzzle has been completed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Generally speaking, the present invention is for a jigsaw puzzle including a puzzle board, a plurality of puzzle pieces for placing on the puzzle board in a predetermined configuration, and control circuitry for automatically effecting a mechanical action visually discernible by a puzzle solver on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle. Exemplary mechanical actions include rotating a clock's hands, a vehicle's wheels, and the like. The movable elements effecting the mechanical actions may reside on the puzzle pieces themselves. Assembly of an entire jigsaw puzzle may lead to other puzzle solver discernible actions, for example, illumination of lights, enunciation of sounds, words, and the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• In order to understand the invention, and to see how it can be carried out in practice, preferred embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise numbered, and in which:
• FIG. 1 is a combined pictorial representation and block diagram of a jigsaw puzzle of a working clock for showing the time of day;
• FIG. 2 is a combined pictorial representation and block diagram of a jigsaw puzzle of an animated scene of a steam locomotive; and
• FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation of a transmission system of the jigsaw puzzle ofFIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• FIG. 1 shows ajigsaw puzzle10 of a working clock for showing the time of day. Thejigsaw puzzle10 includes apuzzle board11 with twelvediscrete puzzle pockets12 each having abottom wall13 and acircumferential side wall14 for snugly receiving twelvepuzzle pieces16 for each hour of the day, and anelectrical clock mechanism17 with anhour hand18 and aminute hand19. Thejigsaw puzzle10 is under the control ofcontrol circuitry21 including abattery22, a manual ON/OFF switch23, and amicro-switch array24 of twelve normally open (NO) micro-switches26 in series for selectively energizing theclock mechanism17. The micro-switches26 are deployed on thebottom walls13 such that correct placement of apuzzle piece16 in itscorresponding puzzle pocket12 closes its associatedmicro-switch26. Thecontrol circuitry21 energizes theclock mechanism17 to start showing the time on successful assembly of all twelvepuzzle pieces16 in theirrespective puzzle pockets12.
• FIG. 2 shows ajigsaw puzzle30 depicting an animated scene of a steam locomotive traveling along a pair of tracks on a sunny day Thejigsaw puzzle30 is under the control ofcontrol circuitry31 including abattery32, amicro-switch array33 including nine normally open (NO) micro-switches34, anelectric motor36 for driving a transmission system41 (seeFIG. 3), sixlight emitting devices37 for backlighting non-opaque puzzle pieces, aplayback mechanism38 for playing back a pre-recorded soundtrack, and a oneshot timer39 for automatically switching off the control circuitry31 a predetermined time after successful assembly of theentire jigsaw puzzle30.
• FIG. 3 shows that removal of a rear cover (not shown) of thejigsaw puzzle30 reveals atransmission system41 including fourdrive wheels42 havingsockets43 for frictionally receiving spindles44 extending from the undersides of a front trainwheel puzzle piece46, a rear trainwheel puzzle piece47, an enginedriver puzzle piece48 and asun puzzle piece49. The front trainwheel puzzle piece46 has a rotatably mountedspindle44A for rotating a trailing train wheel for driving a leading train wheel linked thereto on successful assembly of theentire jigsaw puzzle30. Similarly, the rear trainwheel puzzle piece47 has a rotatably mountedspindle44B for rotating a trailing train wheel for driving a leading train wheel linked thereto on successful assembly of theentire jigsaw puzzle30. The enginedriver puzzle piece48 has a rotatably mountedspindle44C for waving a train driver'shand51 on successful assembly of theentire jigsaw puzzle30. Thesun puzzle piece49 has a fixedly mountedspindle44D for rotating the entiresun puzzle piece49 on successful assembly of theentire jigsaw puzzle30.
• Thus, on successful assembly of theentire jigsaw puzzle30, thecontrol circuitry31 rotates the train wheels on the front trainwheel puzzle piece46, the rear trainwheel puzzle piece47, rotates and backlights thesun puzzle piece49, waves the train driver'shand51, backlights three interlockingcloud puzzle pieces52, and a trafficlight puzzle piece53, and plays back a pre-recorded soundtrack.
• While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the invention can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (6)

1. A jigsaw puzzle comprising a puzzle board, a plurality of puzzle pieces for removably placing on said puzzle board in a predetermined configuration, and control circuitry for automatically effecting a mechanical action visually discernible by a puzzle solver on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.

2. The puzzle according toclaim 1 wherein said control circuitry includes an electric motor for rotating an element mounted on a puzzle piece of said plurality of puzzle pieces for effecting a mechanical action visually discernible by a puzzle solver on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.

3. The puzzle according toclaim 1 wherein said control circuitry includes a one shot timer for automatically switching off said control circuitry a predetermined time after successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.

4. The puzzle according toclaim 1 wherein said control circuitry illuminates at least one light emitting device on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.

5. The puzzle according toclaim 4 wherein a light emitting device backlights a non-opaque puzzle piece.

6. The puzzle according toclaim 1 wherein said control circuitry includes a playback mechanism for playing back a pre-recorded soundtrack on successful assembly of the entire jigsaw puzzle.

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