GB2224944A - A puzzle - Google Patents

Abstract

A puzzle comprises a support 1, pins 2 mounted in the support, free for longitudinal movement, a ring 3 at the outer end of each pin, the rings, with the exception of that connected to a last pin, each encircling an adjacent pin to connect the pins together, and an endless elongate loop member 4 looped or loopable around a first said pin 2a, the loop member being insertable through the rings and the rings and the pins being insertable through the loop member, the puzzle being to remove the loop member 4 from the pins 2 and/or to engage the loop member 4 with the first pin 2a. <IMAGE>

Description

A PUZZLE This invention relates to a puzzle.

The invention has as its object to provide a puzzle which can be of simple and robust construction, which requires both ingenuity and manipulative skills to solve and which, according to a preferred embodiment, is suitable for production as an executive toy.

The present invention provides a puzzle comprising a support, a plurality of aligned pins extending outwardly of the support, each pin having a ring at the outer end thereof which, except in the case of a last pin, encircles an adJacent pin to connect said pins together, and an endless elongate loop member looped or loopabie around a first said pin, the loop member being insertable through said rings, said rings and said pins being insertable through said loop member1 and the puzzle being to remove the loop member from said pins and/or to engage the loop member with said first pin.

Said support may be an elongate block or strip of wood, metal, plastics or other suitable material. Said pins may each be captive in an aperture in said support so as to be movable longitudinally relative to the support.

Said pins may comprise split pins each having a said ring engaged with a loop at one end thereof and having the other split end thereof inserted through a said aperture in said support and secured by opening or bending the split end. Alternatively, said pins may each comprise an eye or loop at one end thereof and means such as an enlarged head, a friction washer or other scouring means at the other end thereof.

Although the puzzle of the present invention can comprise any required member of pins from two upwards, it becomes more difficult to solve the larger the number of pins. Thus, to provide the puzzle with the required degree of difficulty whilst at the same time keeping the size of the puzzle within manageable proportions, the puzzle preferably comprises from three to nine pins, and even more preferably from five to seven pins, e.g. six pins.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which illustrates one embodiment of a puzzle according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawing it will be seen that the puzzle illustrated therein comprises a support 1 for a plurality of aligned pins 2 each of which has a ring 3 at the outer end thereof and an endless elongate loop member 4 looped around a first pin 2a.

The support 1 may be a strip or block of wood, metal, plastics or other suitable material.

The pins 2 each extend through an aperture 5 in the support 1 so that each of the pins 2 is free for longitudinal movement relative to the support 1. A head 6 or other suitable means secures each of the pins 2 to the support 1. At its other end each of the pins 2 has an eye or loop 7 with which a said ring 3 is engaged. As will be seen from the drawing, with the exception of the ring 3a attached to the last pin 2b, the ring 3 of each of the pins 2 encircles the adJacent pin 2 beneath the ring 3 thereon so that it cannot be disengaged from the adjacent pin 2 and so that all of the pins 2 are connected by the rings 3.

The loop member 4 is shown looped around the first pin 2a and is such that it can be inserted through any of the rings 3 or any of the rings 3 or pins 2 can be inserted through the loop member 4. The object of the puzzle is to disengage the loop membei 4 fro:n the pins 2 The pins 2, rings 3 and/or loop member 4 may be formed from suitable metal1 plastics or other materials.

If the puzzle is intended as an executive toy then the support 1 will preferably be formed from a polished wood or metal, acrylic plastics material, chrome plated or stainless steel, or other material having an attractive surface finish whilst the pins 2, rings 3 and loop member 4 may be of chrome plated or stainless steel, polished brass, anodised aluminium or other suiable material having a required surface finish.

Claims (4)

1. A puzzle comprising a support, a plurality of aligned pins extending outwardly of the support, each pin having a ring at the outer end thereof which, except in the case of a last pin, encircles an adjacent pin to connect said pins together, and an endless elongate loop member looped or loopable around a first said pin, the loop member being insertable through said rings and said rings and said pins being insertable through said loop member, the puzzle being to remove the loop member from said pins and/or to engage the loop member with said first pin.

2. A puzzle according to cla. > al 1, wherein each said pin is captive in an aperture in said support so as to be movable longitudinally relative to said support.

3. A puzzle according to claim 1 or 2, which comprises from three to nine said pins.

4. A puzzle according to claim 3, comprising six said pins.

A A puzzle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompany diagrammatic drawn2.