Abstract:
A three dimensional puzzle assembly  12  is formed of a plurality of puzzle pieces  18 . The puzzle pieces  18  have tabs  28  that are received in recesses  30 . The tabs  28  and recesses  30  have cooperating engagement features  32, 34  that prevent adjacent puzzle pieces from being displaced in a direction normal to an exterior surface of the puzzle pieces. The puzzle assembly  12  defines a guide  24  in which a lock  20  may be attached. A bayonet connector  88, 90  may be used to attach a liner  14  to the lock through a hole  52  in the puzzle assembly. A retainer  54  on the liner  14  may pass through the hole  52  and engage the lock  20.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/167,656 filed Apr. 8, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/184,885 filed Jun. 8, 2009. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Three dimensional jigsaw puzzles and containers incorporating three dimensional jigsaw puzzles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Jigsaw puzzles are generally flat with edges of adjacent puzzle pieces cut in such a way as to allow the puzzle pieces to fit together to form a picture. The puzzle pieces are normally assembled on a planar supporting surface and are not subject to displacement normal to the surface of the puzzle. Three dimensional puzzles add the element of a shape to the puzzle. Free standing three dimensional puzzles connect adjacent pieces using traditional tab and recess cuts. Traditional tab and recess cuts are not designed to withstand forces normal to the surface of the puzzle. 
     Containers can be used to hold items or liquids. Containers such as cups have long been decorated with graphic designs to facilitate use as promotional items. It is thought that there is a potential demand for promotional items that foster concepts such as cooperation, fitting a team together or building something. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect of applicant&#39;s disclosure, a container is disclosed that includes a liner in which a liquid may be retained. The liner is placed within a free-standing three dimensional puzzle that is made up of a plurality of puzzle pieces. The liner and assembled puzzle pieces are connected by a lock that may comprise a handle of the container. 
     According to another aspect of the disclosure, a puzzle assembly is disclosed that has interfitting tabs and recesses that cooperate to form a self-supporting three dimensional puzzle. The tabs have lips that engage ledges on the recesses to resist displacement of adjacent puzzle pieces. 
     According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a container is provided that includes a liner, a plurality of puzzle pieces, and means for connecting adjacent puzzle pieces together about the liner as shown and described. 
     In addition to the above aspects of the applicant&#39;s disclosure, additional aspects are disclosed that add further novel aspects to the disclosure. One additional aspect relates to providing engagement features that cooperate to inhibit displacement of adjacent puzzle pieces in a direction normal to the exterior surfaces of the puzzle pieces. Another aspect relates to providing a puzzle assembly that defines a guide into which the lock slides to lock the puzzle assembly together. A retainer may be provided on the liner that extends through a hole in the puzzle assembly to the lock to selectively prevent the lock from sliding relative to the guide. In one version of the disclosure, the liner may be connected to the puzzle assembly with a twist-lock or bayonet type connection. 
     Other aspects of applicant&#39;s disclosure that may be provided if desired relate to a puzzle assembly that includes top puzzle pieces and bottom puzzle pieces. The bottom puzzle pieces may have a base wall and a peripheral wall. The top and bottom puzzle pieces may each have a beveled tab or recess that facilitates assembly of the top puzzle pieces to the bottom puzzle pieces. 
     The above described aspects and other aspects of applicants disclosure will be better understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the attached drawings and the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a partially exploded perspective view of the container in which the liner is partially disposed within the fully assembled puzzle assembly and the handle removed; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the container; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the top sub-assembly of the puzzle assembly; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the tab and recess engagement of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a partially exploded perspective view of the container illustrating how the lock slides relative to the guides and the liner is connected by a twist-lock or bayonet type connector; 
         FIG. 6  is a partially exploded perspective view of a single puzzle piece that includes the hole in which the retainer on the liner passes through to connect with the lock; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the container showing the hole in the puzzle piece in which the retainer on the liner passes through to connect with the lock; 
         FIG. 8  is a partially exploded perspective view from the bottom of the exterior puzzle assembly in which the top sub-assembly is fully assembled, the bottom sub-assembly is fully assembled, and the top and bottom sub-assemblies are separated; 
         FIG. 9A  is a perspective view of adjacent top puzzle pieces illustrating the hook and notch connecting features disassembled; 
         FIG. 9B  is a perspective view of adjacent top puzzle pieces illustrating the hook and notch connecting features connected; 
         FIG. 10A  is a perspective view of adjacent bottom puzzle pieces illustrating the hook and notch connecting features disassembled; 
         FIG. 10B  is a perspective view of adjacent bottom puzzle pieces illustrating the hook and notch connecting features connected; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the liner and exterior puzzle assembly side-by-side illustrating the first and second parts of the twist-lock or bayonet connector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As required, detailed embodiments are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary and may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , a container  10  and a self-supporting puzzle assembly  12  are shown. The container  10  is shown with a liner  14  that defines an interior space  16  that may be disposed within a plurality of puzzle pieces  18  assembled together to form the self-supporting puzzle assembly  12  about the liner  14 . A lock  20 , which in this embodiment includes a handle  22  but is not necessary, that may be slid into a guide  24  defined by the puzzle assembly  12  to connect the puzzle assembly  12  to the liner  14 . 
     The puzzle pieces  18 , liner  14  and lock  20 , in this embodiment, are injection molded parts using materials such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), SAN (styrene acrylonitrile resin), or acrylic (acrylic fiber or acrylic resin). However, any thermosetting plastic known in the art may be used. As well, the components in the container  10  may be made from many different materials including thermoplastics, plastics, polymers, rubbers, glass, wood, plaster, metals, steel, aluminum, foam, soap or paper products such as paperboard, pasteboard, corrugated fiberboard or other similar compressible medium, or any combination of the above. 
     Components within container  10 , specifically with respect to the puzzle pieces  18 , may be a colored or non-colored opaque, colored or non-colored translucent or transparent material. Surfaces of all of the components may be painted with graphic designs or marked with indicia. 
     While all of the puzzle pieces  18  have an exterior surface  26 , only some of the puzzle pieces  18  have a tab  28 , and only some of the puzzle pieces  18  define a recess  30  that receives one of the tabs  28  when assembled. However, each puzzle piece  18  has at least one tab  28  or at least one recess  30 . Tabs and recesses are also known to those in the puzzle art as knobs, chads, “innies”, “outies”, C-cuts, S-cuts, and more. 
     Each tab  28  is provided with a first engagement feature  32 . Each recess  30  defines a second engagement feature  34 . The first engagement feature  32  of one puzzle piece  18  connects to the second engagement feature  34  of an adjacent puzzle piece  18  to inhibit displacement normal to the exterior surface  26  of the adjacent puzzle pieces  18 . The first engagement feature  32  has a first lip  36  on a first edge  38  and a second lip  40  on a second edge  42 . The second engagement feature  34  has a first ledge  44  on a third edge  46  and a second ledge  48  on a fourth edge  50 . The first engagement feature  32  connects with the second engagement feature  34  such that the first ledge  44  receives the first lip  36  and the second ledge  48  receives the second lip  40 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , the container  10  is shown with the liner  14  partially disposed within the puzzle assembly  12 . The puzzle assembly  12  defines a guide  24 . The lock  20 , which in this example has a handle  22 , slides into the guide  24  when assembled. The liner  14  may then be twisted and locked in position by a twist-lock or bayonet connector (to be described in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 11 ). 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , at least one of the puzzle pieces  18  defines a hole  52 . The liner  14  has a retainer  54  that extends through the hole  52  and connects to the lock  20  to prevent the lock from sliding relative to the guide  24  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     With reference to  FIG. 8 , the puzzle assembly  12  has a bottom sub-assembly  56  having a plurality of bottom puzzle pieces  58  and a top sub-assembly  60  having a plurality of top puzzle pieces  62 . The bottom puzzle pieces  58  each have a base wall  64 , a peripheral wall  66  and a bottom edge  68 . The base walls  64  extend inwardly from the peripheral walls  66  such that each edge  68  of each base wall  64  is juxtaposed along the edge  68  of an adjacent base wall  64  to create a substantially uninterrupted base surface  70 . A substantially uninterrupted base surface  70  means that the bottom puzzle pieces  58  are abutted along their edges  68 . The edges need not necessarily have perfect line to line contact. The bottom puzzle pieces  58  and top puzzle pieces  62  respectively connect around a periphery using corresponding tabs  28  and recesses  30 . 
     The bottom sub-assembly  56  has bottom puzzle pieces  58  each having a top edge  72  that either has at least one beveled tab  74  or defines at least one beveled recess  76 . The top sub-assembly  60  has top puzzle pieces  62  each having a bottom edge  78  that either has at least one beveled tab  74  or defines at least one beveled recess  76 . Beveled tabs  74  and beveled recesses  76  do not have lips  36 ,  40  or ledges  44 ,  48  as previously described with tabs  28  or recesses  30  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). The top sub-assembly  60  is connected to the bottom sub-assembly  56  such that the top sub-assembly bottom edge  78  beveled tabs  74  and beveled recesses  76  connect with corresponding bottom sub-assembly top edge  72  beveled tabs  74  and beveled recesses  76  to create a complete self-supporting exterior puzzle assembly (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
     With reference to  FIGS. 9A and 9B , one of the bottom puzzle pieces  58  has at least one first hook  80 , and an adjacent bottom puzzle piece  58  has at least one first notch  82 . The bottom puzzle pieces connect around a periphery using corresponding tabs and recesses (as shown in  FIG. 8 ), such that the last two adjacent bottom puzzle pieces  58  connect using the first hook  80  and the first notch  82 .  FIG. 9A  shows two adjacent bottom puzzle pieces  58  apart and  FIG. 9B  shows two adjacent bottom puzzle pieces  58  connected. 
     Similarly, referring to  FIG. 10 , one of the top puzzle pieces  62  has a second hook  84 , and an adjacent top puzzle piece  62  has a second notch  86 . The top puzzle pieces connect around a periphery using corresponding tabs and recesses (as shown in  FIG. 8 ), such that the last two adjacent top puzzle pieces  62  connect using the second hook  84  and the second notch  86 .  FIG. 10A  shows two adjacent top puzzle pieces  62  apart and  FIG. 10B  shows two adjacent top puzzle pieces  62  connected. 
     With reference to  FIG. 11  the puzzle assembly  12  and the liner  14  are shown side-by-side. The liner  14  has a first part of a bayonet connector  88 , and the puzzle assembly  12  has a second part of a bayonet connector  90 . The first part of the bayonet connector  88  is coupled with the second part of the bayonet connector  90  to connect the liner to the puzzle assembly. The first part of the bayonet connector  88  slides down into the second part of the bayonet connector  90  and then twisted into position when assembled. A bayonet connector, as shown in this embodiment, is a fastening mechanism consisting of a male side with one or more pins, and a female receptor with matching L slots, however it is to be understood that a twist-lock fastener or threaded fastener may be used as an alternative to the bayonet connector. 
     While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the disclosed concept. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosure.