Puzzle with story board

The present invention provides a combination puzzle and associated information, such as a story. The present invention includes a story board on which a story or other information is presented. Puzzle pieces are assembled on the story board over the story or other information. Once assembled, the puzzle pieces pictorially depict some aspect relating to the story or other information.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to the field of puzzles, and particularly to the 
field of jigsaw puzzles. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Puzzles are often used as entertainment devices. For instance, jigsaw 
puzzles have been used for centuries to entertain and amuse players. 
Typically, the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle are fitted together to form a 
pictorial reproduction of a landscape scene or other object. These puzzles 
are normally used strictly as entertainment devices. 
A few puzzles have been created for use as instructional systems as well. 
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,512 discloses an interactive book puzzle 
instructional entertainment system. This system includes a story book with 
puzzle pieces. The player is able to fit puzzle pieces together in 
accordance with the story in the book. 
Another puzzle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,507. This patent 
discloses an instructional child's story and picture book. A book is used 
having pages with a story on one side and a puzzle on another page or side 
of the page. Interlocking pieces are included which when fitted together 
form an image relating to the story on the opposing page. The puzzle may 
include a cavity for fitting the puzzle pieces together. The bottom 
surface of this cavity may include some prints or words to assist the 
player in placing the pieces in the cavity for less advanced players. 
The known prior art puzzles seldom use a backing layer on which the pieces 
of a puzzle are fitted together. The only known use of a backing layer on 
which text or prints are used is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,507. 
This use is only to assist small children or less skilled players in 
placing the pieces together on the backing layer. The only known uses of 
using a puzzle to depict a story, as described above, use a puzzle in a 
physically separate location than the story itself. There are no presently 
known puzzles which incorporate a story into the backing layer of the 
puzzle itself. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an entertaining and useful puzzle. The 
puzzle is associated with a story or other information which is 
pictorially depicted by the assembled puzzle pieces. The present invention 
uniquely provides the story on a story board. The puzzle pieces are then 
assembled directly over the story on the story board. 
The puzzle of the present invention includes a story board. In the 
preferred embodiment, the story board has a raised border around the edges 
of the front side This border creates a recessed portion on the story 
board. A story or other information is formed on this recessed portion of 
the story board. This story or information can include text, graphics or 
combinations of the two. Puzzle pieces, such as jigsaw puzzle pieces are 
assembled within this recessed portion. Once assembled, the puzzle pieces 
pictorially depict some aspect relating to the story or information. Thus, 
the player or assembler of the puzzle not only is entertained by the 
assembly of the puzzle pieces, but also is entertained, informed, educated 
and/or inspired by the underlying information on the story board and the 
connection of the puzzle and information. 
The present invention has widespread application in many areas. For 
instance, the story board could include short stories, poetry, nurserty 
rhymes and inspirational messages. The assembled puzzle pieces would 
depict some aspect of the story on the story board. Also, the puzzle of 
the present invention could include a series of such stories and puzzles 
to form a more complete story. The story board could include clues, hints 
or riddles with the assembled puzzle pieces providing the solution or 
additional clues. 
Other applications include putting information, such as an athletes 
statistics on the story board. The assembled puzzle pieces would then 
depict the athlete. An entire team roster could be depicted on the story 
board with the team photograph forming the puzzle. 
The present invention includes many other variations and applications. 
These aspects of the present invention are described in greater detail in 
the detailed description of a preferred embodiment and in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The present invention provides a jigsaw puzzle combined with a story. It is 
to be expressly understood that the detailed description provided herein 
is for explanatory purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of 
the inventive concept. Other embodiments and variations are considered to 
be within the scope of the invention as claimed. 
One preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 
1-4. Puzzle 10 includes story board 20 and puzzle pieces 100. Story board 
20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes front side 22 and rear side 24. 
Raised border 30 having width "d" is formed around the edges of front side 
22 of story board 20. Width "d" can be of any chosen dimension but in the 
preferred embodiment is about five percent of the total width of puzzle 
10. Border 30 forms a frame on front side 22 of story board 20 to create 
recessed portion 40 on story board 20. 
A story 42 is formed in recessed portion 40 of story board 20. This story 
can be text or graphics or a combination of both. The story can be of an 
inspirational, educational, informative or entertaining nature. Puzzle 
pieces 100, shown in FIG. 3, are configured to be assembled within 
recessed portion 40. Once properly assembled, as shown in FIG. 4, puzzle 
pieces 100 form a pictorial or graphical representation of the story that 
was created within recessed portion 40. This representation can be 
directly representative of the moral or point of the story, of the main 
character, of the main point of action or other high points of the story. 
A series of these puzzles could be produced as well to present an entire 
story. 
The person utilizing this product is thus entertained or informed doubly by 
this invention. The story and pictorial representation can be designed not 
only to inspire or amuse the person, but can also be used to increase the 
cognitive skills of the person. The puzzle not only increases the 
dexterity and cognitive skills of the person by assembling the puzzle, but 
also the interaction between the story and the pictorial representation of 
the puzzle can be used to increase these cognitive skills. 
The puzzle and story can be created at different levels of interest of the 
story and skill of assembly of the puzzle pieces. For instance, a story at 
the nursery rhyme level could be used with large simple puzzle pieces for 
small children. A more advanced story could be created with more difficult 
puzzle pieces for more advanced players. 
Other applications for the present invention include the use of a mystery 
story having clues. One or more clues could be included on story board 20. 
The solution to the mystery is provided by the assembly of puzzle pieces 
100. A plurality of these puzzles could be created with each single puzzle 
providing clues. For instance, the story board could provide a hint, 
riddle or clue with the assembled puzzle pieces forming another hint or 
clue. A series of these puzzles could be created to tell a complete story 
or solve a mystery. 
The story board could also utilize humor. The story would be a joke, riddle 
or humorous anecdote. The assembled puzzle pieces would present the punch 
line of the story. 
Another application for the present invention is for commercial 
advertisement. The story on story board 40 includes a commercial 
advertisement for an establishment, such as a restaurant. The assembled 
puzzle pieces could create another advertisement or a prize from the 
establishment. This particular application could be formed from relatively 
inexpensive and non-durable paper stock since it would essentially be a 
"throw-away" promotional piece. 
The story board could also be used to provide statistics on a professional 
athlete, similar to a baseball card. The assembled puzzle pieces would 
show the athlete in action. Another application is to list the player 
roster of an athletic team. The assembled puzzle pieces would then show 
the team photograph. 
Also, the story board could include the school song of a university. The 
assembled puzzle pieces would then show the school logo or mascot. Other 
applications could include popular movies or television programming. The 
story could relate to stories, characters or action themes of the movie or 
s television programming. The assembled puzzle pieces would depict 
characters on the movie or television programming. Similarly, the story 
could represent the lyrics to popular music. The assembled puzzle pieces 
would depict the musical act performing the lyrics. 
The present invention could be used in an educational nature as well. 
Educational or inspirational facts could be presented on the story board. 
The assembled puzzle pieces would then depict the event being described. 
The present invention has many other applications beyond these presently 
set forth in the descriptive embodiment. Essentially, the present 
invention provides a combination of a graphical or informative 
representation in the form of a puzzle relating to information formed on 
the story board of the puzzle. These descriptive embodiments are not mean 
to limit the scope of the present inventive concepts. The present 
invention provides a useful and entertaining product which has not 
previously been available publicly.