Folding picture puzzle with decoding lenses and encoded images

• US 6,523,826 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jose R. Matos
• Original Assignee: Jose R. Matos
• Inventors: Matos, Jose R.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US09/613,221
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 273/157.R, 273/155, 359/463
• US Class Current: 273/155
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/063 Optical elements other than lenses used for producing refraction, e.g. prisms
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0613 Puzzles or games based on the use of optical filters or elements, e.g. coloured filters, polaroid filters, transparent sheets with opaque parts optical, colour or shadow toys A63H33/22
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/088 Puzzles with elements that are connected by straps, strings or hinges, e.g. Rubik's Magic

Abstract

The present invention is a picture puzzle comprising one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions which can form one or more assembled decoded images. The picture puzzle can also include one or more image portions that are not encoded. By proper placement and sizing of one or more apertures in the puzzle, it can be made into a fold-through picture puzzle, fold-through picture puzzle book or a fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle or object. A wide range of puzzle constructions can be made according to the invention. Assembled decoded images can be formed from a first combination decoding lens/encoded image portion paired with either a second combination decoding lens/encoded image portion or an image portion that is not encoded.

Claims

1. A folding picture puzzle comprising:

a foldable sheet having upper and lower surfaces divided by plural fold-lines into a plurality of puzzle sections; and

at least three combination decoding lens/encoded image portions disposed on one or both of said surfaces;

wherein, when viewed from a first angle, one or more assembled first decoded images are formed when said puzzle is folded along one or more of said fold-lines into a first folded-orientation and one or more of said one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions is placed edge-to-edge alongside another of said combination decoding lens/encoded image portions or alongside an image portion that is not encoded and when viewed from a different second angle a different decoded image is formed; and

wherein

a first one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprises at least a first source image and a second source image;

a second one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprises at least said first source image and a third source image;

a third one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprises one or more of said first source image, said second source image, said third source image, and a fourth source image; and

said first and second combination decoding lens/encoded image portions together form a first assembled decoded image when viewed from a first angle and an unassembled decoded image when viewed from a second angle.

2. The puzzle of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cooperating image portions that are not encoded, wherein one or more assembled images are formed when said puzzle is folded along one or more of said fold-lines.

3. The puzzle of claim 1 further comprising at least one aperture, wherein said puzzle is one of a fold-through picture puzzle, a fold-through book and a fold-through 3-dimensional puzzle.

4. The puzzle of claim 3, wherein said puzzle has four faces and at least one of said faces comprises an assembled decoded image.

5. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein a majority of said puzzle sections each includes a respective combination decoding lens/encoded image portion.

6. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plural combination decoding lens/encoded image portions forms an assembled image with another image portion on the puzzle which is not encoded.

7. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein said puzzle comprises one or more of:

at least four puzzle sections;

four to one hundred puzzle sections;

at least two fold-lines; and

at least one cut-line.

8. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein the shape of said sheet is selected from the group consisting of a cross, letter of the alphabet, pentagon, a circle, a square, an octagon, a triangle, a hexagon, a rectangle, an ellipse, a heptagon, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a multi-pointed star having three to twenty points, a letter of the alphabet, a multi-sided polygon having nine to twenty sides and combinations thereof.

9. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein said sheet is made from a material selected from the group consisting of polymer, paper, plastic or rubber film or laminate, laminated paper, cloth, screen, mesh, paperboard, cardboard, and combinations thereof.

10. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet each bears one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions.

11. The puzzle of claim 10, wherein at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet bears one or more image portions that are not encoded.

12. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein two or more of the one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions have different orientations and dispositions.

13. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein the decoding lens of the one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions is independently selected at each occurrence from the group consisting of lenses that can filter out color from an image, add color to an image, distort an image, filter out light, permit passage of selected light waves, selectively view portions of, form an assembled image of spaced-apart image portions of an image and combinations thereof.

14. The puzzle of claim 13, wherein the lens is independently at each occurrence one of a fresnel, colored, color filtering, light filtering, lenticular, spheric, aspheric, paraboloid, hyperboloid, concave-convex, concave-concave, convex-convex, grating, diffracting, refracting, prismatic, diffusing, focusing, magnifying, and reducing lens and a combination thereof.

15. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein one or more parts of the puzzle are edible or made from a comestible material.

16. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein two or more of said folding picture puzzles, which are the same or different, are included within a book, magazine, packet, newspaper, pamphlet, brochure, leaflet, flyer, booklet, or pad.

17. A folding picture puzzle comprising at least one puzzle section bearing at least three combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprising at least two source images, wherein an assembled first decoded image is viewable at a first viewing angle and a different second decoded image is viewable at a different second viewing angle when said puzzle is folded to form a first folded-orientation;

and wherein

a first one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprises at least a first source image and a second source image;

a second one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprises at least said first source image and a third source image;

a third one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions comprises one or more of said first source image, said second source image, said third source image, and a fourth source image; and

said first and second combination decoding lens/encoded image portions together form a first assembled decoded image when viewed from a first angle and an unassembled decoded image when viewed from a second angle.

18. The puzzle of claim 17, wherein a first of said one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions forms an assembled image with one or both of an unencoded image portion and a second of said one or more combination decoding lens/encoded image portions.

19. The puzzle of claim 17 further comprising one or more images that are not encoded.

20. A folding picture puzzle comprising plural puzzle sections bearing a combination decoding lens/encoded image portion comprising at least two source images, wherein an assembled decoded image is viewable at a first viewing angle and an unassembled decoded image is viewable at a different second viewing angle when said puzzle is folded to form a first folded-orientation;

and a different assembled decoded image is viewable at a first viewing angle and a different unassembled decoded image is viewable at a different second viewing angle when said puzzle is folded to form a second folded-orientation.

21. The folding picture puzzle of claim 20 further comprising plural unencoded puzzle sections bearing unencoded images.

22. The folding picture puzzle of claim 21, wherein at least one of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions can form an assembled image with at least one of the unencoded puzzle sections.

23. The folding picture puzzle of claim 20, wherein two or more of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions have different orientations and/or dispositions.

24. The folding picture puzzle of claim 23, wherein the puzzle comprises a foldable substrate bearing the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions.

25. The folding picture puzzle of claim 24, wherein the foldable substrate is a sheet having upper and lower surfaces.

26. The folding picture puzzle of claim 20, wherein two or more of the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions have different orientations and/or dispositions.

27. The folding picture puzzle of claim 26, wherein the puzzle comprises a foldable substrate bearing the combination decoding lens/encoded image portions.

28. The folding picture puzzle of claim 27, wherein the foldable substrate is a sheet having upper and lower surfaces.

29. A picture puzzle comprising plural puzzle sections bearing a combination decoding lens/encoded image portion comprising at least two source images, wherein an assembled first decoded image is viewable at a first viewing angle and an unassembled second decoded image is viewable at a different second viewing angle when said puzzle sections are placed in a first puzzle-solving arrangement;

and an assembled third decoded image is viewable at a third viewing angle and an unassembled fourth decoded image is viewable at a different fourth viewing angle when said puzzle sections are placed in a second puzzle-solving arrangement.