Two dimensional puzzle

A two dimensional puzzle is disclosed which includes a plurality of interlocking movable pieces carrying indicia and disposed on a planar board. The pieces remain interlocked while being moved independently in at least two directions across the board. The arrangement is such that the pieces can be moved only in sets including a predetermined number of pieces. By successive movements of different sets of pieces any single piece of any set can be positioned at any point on the board. By moving one piece of a set into position other pieces in the set will be moved out of position so as to impart puzzle characteristics to the invention. The puzzle is solved by moving the pieces across the board to satisfy predetermined indicia patterns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Puzzles which challenge the intellectual capacity of a user are of rapidly 
growing interest and popularity. Most notable among these are the three 
dimensional puzzles such as the several varieties of puzzles in the form 
of regular solids (the cubic puzzles, for example) which have been 
developed and marketed. 
Planar or two dimensional puzzles have the potential of presenting a like 
challenge in their solution and are also gaining in interest and 
popularity. In puzzles of this type a planar board is provided and pieces 
carrying indicia such as colors, numbers or symbols are moved on the 
board. The solution to the puzzle lies in moving the pieces to provide a 
predetermined indicia pattern. Puzzles of this type have the advantage of 
a certain degree of familiarity to the user in that they resemble in form 
the well known board games. By arranging the shape of the movable pieces, 
their relative positions on the board and the movements which may be made, 
the solution to these puzzles can present challenges of various degrees of 
complexity. 
Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide a two 
dimensional puzzle including a planar board and a plurality of pieces 
carrying indicia and movable on the board, whereby the solution to the 
puzzle lies in moving the pieces to satisfy predetermined indicia 
patterns. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention contemplates a two dimensional puzzle including a plurality 
of interlocking movable pieces carrying indicia and disposed on a planar 
board. The movable pieces are in the shape of a regular polygon and the 
shape of the board is varied to accommodate movement of the pieces. The 
pieces remain interlocked while being moved on the board. As the number of 
sides of the regular polygon pieces increases, the number of possible 
directions of the movement of the pieces increases. In general, the number 
of directions of movement corresponds to the number of non-parallel sides 
(or pairs of non-parallel sides) of the movable pieces. The pieces are 
movable in sets including a predetermined number of pieces. By successive 
movements of different sets any single piece of any set can be positioned 
on the board. The puzzle is solved by moving the pieces on the board to 
satisfy predetermined indicia patterns. Puzzles are possible wherein the 
movable pieces are of more than one shape and planar boards can be linked 
to create larger and more difficult puzzles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-17 the puzzle includes square 
shaped movable pieces 10 of three different colors. There are sixteen 
square shaped pieces 10 of each color (forty-eight total pieces) arranged 
on a planar board 12. Board 12 is defined by a large center square 14, 
with four large squares 16, 18, 20, 22 of the same size as square 14 and 
having a side common therewith. Each of the squares 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 is 
large enough to hold sixteen movable pieces 10, with the pieces shown 
disposed on squares 14, 18 and 20. For purposes of example the pieces on 
square 14 may be yellow, the pieces on square 18 red; and the pieces on 
square 20 blue, as shown in the Figure. 
Movable pieces 10 are interlocked by a tongue 24 and groove 26 arrangement 
on each of the pieces as shown in FIG. 2. This allows pieces 10 to remain 
interlocked while being moved independently in the two mutually 
perpendicular directions across board 12 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 
and as will hereinafter be more fully explained. 
Pieces 10 are movable only in sets of eight. As shown in FIG. 3, this is 
accomplished by a generally U-shaped retaining member 28 which retains 
each straight line set of eight pieces 10 between its sides 28A and 28B. 
By successive movements of different sets of eight pieces 10, any single 
piece 10 of any set can be positioned at any point on board 12. By moving 
one piece into position, other pieces in the set will be moved out of 
position. This gives the invention its puzzle characteristics. The puzzle 
is solved by moving pieces 10 across playing board 12 to satisfy specific 
color patterns. 
As shown in FIG. 4, where "T" signifies tongue and "G" signifies groove, 
the edges of board 12, i.e. the edges of squares 16, 18, 20 and 22, which 
are not common with the edges of square 14, carry tongues and grooves and 
are compatible with the tongue and groove arrangement of movable pieces 
10. 
Board 12 may be of a suitable plastic material. Members 28 which retain 
movable pieces 10 in straight lines sets of eight may likewise be of 
plastic. 
There are four retaining members 28 for moving sets of pieces 10 in one 
direction and four retaining members 28 for moving sets of pieces 10 in a 
direction perpendicular to the one direction as shown in FIG. 5. Board 12 
is constructed so that the four retaining members in the one direction 
overlay the four retaining members in the perpendicular direction (FIG. 
5). This allows each upper and lower set of retaining members 28 to move 
independently. Members 28 which move across board 12 are also made of a 
suitable plastic material. 
As retaining members 28 move in the directions shown by the arrows in FIG. 
1, pieces 10 will move in straight line sets of eight. Pieces 10 which are 
positioned on the outer four squares 16, 18, 20 and 22 of board 12 are 
held in place by rails 30 which are rigidly secured to the board and which 
interlock with grooves 32 at the bottom of pieces 10 (see FIG. 2) as shown 
in FIG. 6. Rails 30 are required only for the four outer squares 16, 18, 
20 and 22 and will hold pieces 10 in place if board 12 is tilted as will 
now be understood with reference to FIG. 6. 
Thus, with pieces 10 arranged as shown, for example, in FIG. 7, there are 
no adjacent pieces to hold an isolated set of eight pieces by the 
aforenoted tongue and groove arrangement. Hence rails 30 are necessary to 
secure the movable pieces in the arrangement shown in the Figure and in 
similar arrangements. 
It will be understood that central square 14 does not require rails 30 and, 
indeed, their existence thereon would make movement of retaining members 
28 in perpendicular directions impossible. 
It is to be noted that while it is impossible to isolate sets of movable 
pieces 10 on central square 14, it is possible to isolate said pieces on 
outer squares 16, 18, 20 and 22 (FIG. 7). Hence, any single movable piece 
10 of any set of eight can be positioned at any point on the board by 
succesive movements of the sets of pieces in mutally perpendicular 
directions. There are eight movable pieces to a set, as defined by 
retaining members 28, but in moving the pieces across the board each set 
includes a different combination of pieces. 
In constructing the puzzle of the invention, planar board 12 is arranged to 
have rails 30 on outer squares 16, 18, 20 and 22 and extending inwardly of 
the squares as shown in FIG. 8, and tongue and groove edges as heretofore 
described. Board 12 is made with one edge, such as on square 18, missing 
to enable movable pieces 10 to be inserted onto the board (FIG. 8). 
Forty-eight movable pieces are made with tongue and groove edges to be 
compatible with rails 30 as heretofore described. Colored decals are 
applied to three groups of sixteen pieces each i.e., a different color 
decal for each group. With further reference to FIG. 8, four of eight 
retaining members 28 (lower) are disposed in parallel between rails 30 on 
a square such as 20. Sixteen movable pieces 10 are positioned by sliding 
adjacent pieces into place on the rails over the retaining members on 
square 20 of the board, while observing the correct tongue and groove 
orientation (FIG. 9). The remaining four retaining members 28 (upper) 
overlay the lower four retaining members 28 between respective rails 30 as 
indicated in FIG. 10. This allows the remaining thirty-two movable pieces 
10 to be placed in position by sliding them onto rails 30 and interlocking 
the tongue and groove edges of the pieces with the edge of board 12 as 
also indicated in FIG. 10. 
As pieces 10 fill retaining members 28, the ends of the retaining members 
are pushed completely into board 12 and the missing edge 18A of the board 
is suitably secured. All retaining members 28 and movable pieces 10 are 
now in working positions and pieces 10 are held in place on the board by 
the described tongue and groove arrangement and rails 30 as shown in FIG. 
11. The retaining members are free to slide between the rails and carry 
the sets of eight movable pieces 10 with them. 
In view of the aforenoted description of the invention, the puzzle is 
solved by moving straight line retained sets of eight movable pieces 10 in 
two mutually perpendicular directions as aforenoted. By successive moves, 
any piece 10 can be positioned at any point on board 12. The movable 
pieces will move within different sets of eight pieces with each move of a 
different retaining member 28 until a desired position of the pieces is 
reached to solve the puzzle. 
The solution to the puzzle can be, for example, any predetermined color 
pattern of movable pieces on the planar board that the user chooses. The 
movable pieces are moved across the board until the color pattern is 
achieved. In moving some pieces into position, other pieces will be moved 
out of position. Since the pieces must be moved simultaneous in a set, 
this makes the solution of the puzzle a challenging effort. Examples of 
puzzle solutions are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, wherein groups of eight or 
sixteen pieces 10 are colored red, blue and yellow as indicated. The 
solutions are achieved by moving the pieces from an original position on 
board 12 which is shown in FIG. 12 and wherein all of the pieces on any 
one square are of the same color. 
A variation of the described color indicia carried by pieces 10 is now 
evident. Thus, each color set of pieces 10 can be numbered with 
consecutive integers 1, 2, 3, - - - 16 as shown in FIG. 15. Each piece 10 
of each color set (yellow on square 14, red on square 18, and blue on 
square 20) is thus given a unique position on board 12 by virtue of its 
number sequence as well as by its color designation. In this manner the 
difficulty of the puzzle's solution is increased, as may be desirable. 
It will now be understood with reference to the invention as heretofore 
described that puzzles of similar shape, structure and solution can be 
developed. 
The number of movable pieces as well as the shape of the planar board can 
vary. As long as one direction of movement of the pieces is perpendicular 
to the other direction of movement and the central portion of the board is 
always completely filled with movable pieces, any square or rectangular 
shaped board using square shaped pieces will satisfy the described 
purposes. If a square shaped board is used the number of movable pieces on 
the board squares can vary as best illustrated in FIG. 16. A rectangular 
shaped playing board 12A can also be used and the number of square shaped 
movable pices 10 can also vary as best illustrated in FIG. 17. 
It will be understood that puzzles of analogous structure and solution can 
be made by using, for example, the geometrical characteristics of an 
equilateral triangle. In this event, the planar board, designated as 12B 
in FIG. 18, is shaped so that three arms of four rows each intersect to 
form a symmetrical six arm cross. The movable pieces designated as 10A are 
equilateral triangles which either point "up" or point "down". The "up" 
pieces carry tongues (T) and the "down" pieces carry grooves (G) as shown 
in FIGS. 19 and 20 respectively. These pieces remain in either "up" or 
"down" orientation wherever they are moved on the board, which is in three 
directions corresponding to the directions of the arms as shown by the 
arrows (FIG. 18). 
There are three levels of retaining members 28C which pass over each other, 
with each level having four members as shown in FIG. 21. Each retaining 
member 28C contains seventeen or nineteen triangular shaped pieces 10A, as 
the case may be, which make up a straight line set as shown in FIG. 22. 
Each set has "up" and "down" pieces as aforenoted. The pieces are moved in 
seventeen or nineteen piece sets in three directions. By successive moves 
each triangular shaped movable piece 10A can be positioned at any point on 
board 12B. The puzzle is solved by moving the pieces 10A across board 12B 
and using any predetermined color pattern as a solution. There are four 
colors used in the puzzle (i.e., yellow, red, blue and brown) with the 
colors in a pattern on the arms of the cross as shown in FIG. 18. The 
exchanges of positions of two colors, three colors, and four colors are 
the most obvious color pattern solutions to the puzzle as illustrated in 
FIG. 18 and as will now be understood. 
Other puzzles can be made using triangular shaped movable pieces by 
varying, in a similar way to that described for the square shaped pieces, 
the shape of the board and the number of triangular shaped pieces used as 
will also be understood. 
Numbering of the pieces of each color set, similar to the numbering of the 
square shaped pieces, will make the solution to the puzzle more difficult 
as may be desired. 
Similar puzzles are possible using other regular polygon shaped movable 
pieces and varying the shape of the playing board to accommodate these 
pieces. As the number of sides of the regular polygon pieces increases, 
the number of possible directions of movement of said pieces increases. 
For example, the square shaped piece has been shown to move in two 
perpendicular directions (FIG. 1). A triangular piece can be moved in 
three directions as shown by the arrows in FIG. 18. In general, the number 
of directions that the pieces move is equal to the number of non-parallel 
sides (or pairs of sides) of the movable pieces. 
Puzzles are also possible which make use of more than one shape of movable 
pieces. One example shown in FIG. 23 makes use of the hexagon 10B and 
triangle 10C in a puzzle configuration with three directions of movement 
as shown by the arrows, as will be understood from the aforegoing. In FIG. 
23 the planar board is formed by three intersecting arms forming an 
assymetrical six arm cross. 
Planar boards can be linked in sets to create larger and more difficult 
puzzles. Examples for the square shaped piece puzzles are the most obvious 
as shown in FIG. 24 wherein four boards 12 carrying movable pieces 10 are 
so linked. Similar linked sets of boards are possible for all puzzles 
using different shaped pieces. 
The movable pieces can be labeled by use of colors and numbers, as 
previously described or by any other indicia which makes their correct 
position on the board unique. For the square shaped piece puzzle, for 
example, each set of sixteen pieces could be covered by a different 
design, picture or symbol which would give the pieces different labels and 
thus a unique correct position and a unique puzzle solution.