Musical puzzle using sliding tiles

• US 4,796,891 A
• Filed: 02/02/1987
• Issued: 01/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Industrial Design Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Industrial Design Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Milner, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/009,961
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 273/153 S, 273/237, 273/238, 273/1 E, 273/1 GC, 434/340, 434/341
• US Class Current: 273/153.00S
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/1066 completing a circuit if solved correctly
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2477 Tone generators, oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/186 Spring
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00119 Board games concerning music, theatre, cinema, or art
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0612 Electronic puzzles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0807 requiring vacant positions or gap migration, e.g. two-dimensional sliding puzzles
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments

Abstract

A puzzle of the type having an array of movable tiles enclosed and supported by a frame structure includes circuitry for producing sound to identify each of the tiles. Each tile is formed with contact terminals formed on a surface that confronts a support surface of the frame. The support surface defines a number of predetermined locations at which the tiles can be positioned, each location being provided with contact terminals connected to the sound-producing circuitry. Each of the tiles is equipped with spring biasing so that when a tile is properly positioned at one of the predetermined locations and depressed, the contact terminals of the tile and the location are brought together. Each tile is provided with some electrical characteristic that causes a tone to be produced, identifying the tile.

Claims

1. A puzzle, comprising:

a rectangular array of title members enclosed in a frame structure, each of the title members having an electrical property;

tone-generating means housed in the frame structure; and

means for selectively placing the electrical property of one or more of the title members in circuit with the tone-generating means to produce a sound having a characteristic determined by the electrical property carried by the title member that identifies such tile member and distinguishes it from other of the tile members.

2. The puzzle of claim 1, each of the tile members being formed and configured to be visually indistinguishable from the other of the tile members.

3. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein the electrical property is resistance.

4. The puzzle of claim 3, the frame structure including a support surface to support the tile members for movement thereon, the support surface defining a number of predetermined locations at which respective ones of the tile members can be positioned, the placing means including contact terminals formed on the support surface at least one of the predetermined locations and coupled to the tone-generating means, each of the tile members having electrical contacts for removable engagement with the contact terminals and electrically coupled to the electrical property of the tile member.

5. The puzzle of claim 1, each of the tile members being finger-depressible to cause the electrical property associated with such tile member in circuit with the tone-generating means.

6. The puzzle of claim 1, wherein the electrical property for each tile member is a plurality of electrical contacts predetermined ones of which being electrically shorted together to form a coded pattern.

7. The puzzle of claim 6, wherein the tonegenerating means includes means for decoding the coded pattern of each of the tile members when placed in circuit therewith.

8. A sound-producing puzzle, comprising:

a frame structure;

a plurality of movable elements supportable by the frame structure and operable to be placed at a number of predetermined locations relative to the frame structure;

sound-generating means operably associated with each of the predetermined locations for producing a sound that identifies selected ones of the plurality of movable elements and distinguishes each selected one from other of the selected ones when located in any one of the predetermined locations.

9. The puzzle of claim 8, the movable elements being supported by the frame structure for movement in a plane.

10. The puzzle of claim 9, wherein each of the movable elements is formed and configured to be substantially visually indistinguishable from one another.

11. The puzzle of claim 8, wherein each of the movable elements includes an electrical property different from that of at least certain of the other movable elements and including means for removably placing the electrical property in circuit with the sound-generating means for producing a tone having a pitch determined at least in part by the electrical property.

12. The puzzle of claim 11, wherein the tonegenerating means includes an astable multivibrator.

13. The puzzle of claim 12, wherein the electrical property is a resistance.

14. A puzzle of the type having a plurality of elements locatable on a frame structure along predetermined paths to a number of predetermined positions, the improvement comprising:

each of the plurality of elements having first circuit means for providing the element with a predetermined electrical property that identifies the element and distinguishes it from other of the plurality of elements;

sound-generating means housed in the frame for producing sound;

second circuit means associated with at least certain of the predetermined positions and coupled to the sound-generating means; and

each of the plurality of elements having means operable by a user to place the first and second means in electrical communication with one another when any one of the elements is moved to any of the predetermined positions, the sound produced by the sound-generating means having a characteristic determined by the electrical property.

15. The improvement of claim 14, wherein the sound produced by the sound-generating means is a tone.

16. The improvement of claim 14, wherein the sound produced by the sound-generating means is speech.

17. The improvement of claim 14, wherein the sound produced is a duck quack.

18. A puzzle, comprising:

a frame structure;

a plurality of elements supported by the frame structure, each element being movable along predetermined paths to a number of different predetermined locations relative to the frame structure, each of the plurality of elements having circuit means for providing such element with an electrical characteristic, the electrical characteristic of each of certain of the plurality of elements being different from the other of the certain of the plurality of elements;

sound-generating means; and

means associated with at least two of the number of locations for coupling the electrical characteristic associated with a one of the elements in circuit with the sound-generating means when the one element is moved to the one location;

whereby, the sound-generating means is operable to produce sound having a property determined by the electrical characteristic associated with the one element in circuit.