Plane Jigsaw Puzzle
A plane jigsaw puzzle has multiple plastic pieces with concavo-convex structures on side edges, where the plastic puzzle pieces are matched and connected to concavo-convex structures. A chamfer angle is set at the edge between pieces, and the height of the chamfer angle to the edge interface of the two adjacent pieces is from 5% to 50%. The contact area of the two opposite adjacent pieces is 95% to 50% of the contact area of the corresponding edges.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a jigsaw, and more particularly to a plane jigsaw puzzle that is made of plastic and may be firmly pieced by itself.
2. Description of Related Art
Jigsaw puzzles are playthings that consist of pieces that each piece has recessed or protruding engaging members formed thereon to engage adjacent pieces together. A conventional jigsaw puzzle has pieces made of paper. Because of the paper material characteristics and manufacturing processes, a contacting area between adjacent pieces is insufficient to provide firm and stable connection therebetween. Therefore, the conventional jigsaw puzzle employs a flat frame having a bottom supporting board to hold the completely pieced jigsaw puzzle. However, the additional frame increases a cost of the jigsaw and disadvantages storing or carrying the jigsaw puzzle. Furthermore, the configurations and color tones of the frames and jigsaw puzzle assembled from the pieces are distinct and hard to match each other for harmonious visual effect. Another conventional jigsaw puzzle made of plastic is sufficient rigid and firm to connect adjacent pieces together. However, sides of adjacent plastic pieces fully contact each other to provide a flat and smooth drawing instead of a pieced drawing with obvious piece boundaries as shown by a conventional paper jigsaw puzzle. Therefore, a visual effect of the plastic jigsaw puzzle is not classical. Because plastic is harder and less deformable when compared to paper, higher manufacturing precision of the jigsaw puzzle is needed for successfully piecing the jigsaw puzzle. Furthermore, piecing the plastic jigsaw puzzle easily clips and injures a user's fingers inadvertently so using the plastic jigsaw puzzle is not safe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe main objective of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a plane jigsaw puzzle that has advantages of self-connection, lower manufacturing precision requirement, beautiful appearances and is made of safe plastic.
The present invention is achieved according the following technologies.
A plane jigsaw puzzle in accordance with the present invention comprises a jigsaw formed by assembling multiple plastic-made pieces together and adjacent plastic-made pieces connected together through protruding and notched engaging members formed therebetween and engaging each other. The plane jigsaw puzzle is characterized in that each plastic-made piece has a front surface and a chamfer edge formed adjacent the top surface and having a height being 5% to 50% of a height of a contacting area between adjacent plastic-made pieces. The contacting area of the two opposite adjacent pieces is 95% to 50% of the contacting area of the corresponding edges. To achieve great fastening effects, the contacting area of the two opposite adjacent pieces is 60% to 80% of the contacting area of the corresponding edges. A best contacting area rate is 75%. The plane jigsaw puzzle increases a contacting area between adjacent pieces, improves the connection of the pieces and is assembled without additional fastening devices. The plane jigsaw puzzle has the chamfer edge being a rounded chamfer edge to provide classical visual effect. The assembled plane jigsaw puzzle has similar feel of a conventional jigsaw puzzle. Furthermore, an user may identify obverse and reverse sides of the pieces by the rounded chamfer edges, especially when the pieces are translucent. The rounded chamfer edges also decrease deckle edges of the plastic-made pieces during manufacturing processes and therefore increase the safety of using the plane jigsaw puzzle. When the plane jigsaw puzzle is assembled, rounded chamfer edges allow more deformation and larger operational space between adjacent pieces and lowers the manufacturing precision requirement of the pieces.
The plane jigsaw puzzle further comprises an outer frame mounted around the jigsaw and assembled from multiple frame segments, wherein adjacent frame segments are connected through protruding and notched engaging members formed therebetween and engaging each other to form the outer frame.
In the plane jigsaw puzzle, each frame segment of the outer frame has an inside edge and at least one protruding or notched engaging member formed on the inside edge respectively engaging at least one protruding or notched engaging member that is formed on an adjacent piece of the jigsaw for improving the structures and harmonize the configurations of the plane jigsaw puzzle. In the plane jigsaw puzzle, each frame segment has two sides and two sets of at least one protruding or notched engaging member formed respectively on the sides and respectively engaging the sets of adjacent frame segments.
In the plane jigsaw puzzle, each frame segment of the outer frame has a decoration bar covering the at least one protruding or notched engaging members on the inside edge of the frame segment and covering the at least one protruding or notched engaging member of an adjacent piece that respectively engages that of the frame segment for beautiful purposes.
In the plane jigsaw puzzle, the outer frame further has a fastener connecting the frame segments together to prevent inadvertent deformation and facilitate suspending the plan jigsaw puzzle. In the plane jigsaw puzzle, the fastener has multiple mounting slots and reinforcing bars, the mounting slots are defined respectively in bottoms of the frame segments and each reinforcing bars are mounted in and through more than one of the mounting slots to connect the frame segments together. The reinforcing bars may be made of plastic or metal.
In the plane jigsaw puzzle, the outer frame has an anti-skid texture formed on a top surface and an outer surface of the outer frame to facilitate handholding or moving the plane jigsaw puzzle.
The present invention increases contacting areas between adjacent pieces so that the pieces may be connected together by themselves and will not inadvertently disassemble when moving. Furthermore, the outer frame with the fastener is mounted around the jigsaw of the pieces for aesthetic purposes and facilitates moving. The outer frame assembled from the frame segments facilitates carrying the plane jigsaw puzzle, matches the jigsaw and having decoration bars to make the plane jigsaw puzzle beautiful.
The following descriptions are accompanied with the aforementioned attached drawings to explain the present invention.
With reference to
Therefore, the present invention provides a plane jigsaw puzzle and the following examples are presented to explain such plane jigsaw puzzle.
First EmbodimentWith reference to
With further reference to
With further reference to
With reference to
The present invention is not limited by the aforementioned two embodiments, any configurations increasing the contacting area between adjacent pieces to fasten the plane jigsaw puzzle are included in the scope of the present invention to be protected.
Claims
1. A plane jigsaw puzzle comprising a jigsaw formed by assembling multiple plastic-made pieces together and adjacent plastic-made pieces connected together through protruding and notched engaging members formed therebetween and engaging each other, the plane jigsaw puzzle characterized in that: each plastic-made piece has a front surface and a chamfer edge formed adjacent the top surface and having a height being 5% to 50% of a height of a contacting area between adjacent plastic-made pieces.
2. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chamfer edge is a rounded chamfer edge.
3. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an outer frame mounted around the jigsaw and assembled from multiple frame segments, wherein adjacent frame segments are connected through protruding and notched engaging members formed therebetween and engaging each other to form the outer frame.
4. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 3, wherein each frame segment of the outer frame has an inside edge and at least one protruding or notched engaging member formed on the inside edge respectively engaging at least one protruding or notched engaging member that is formed on an adjacent piece of the jigsaw.
5. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 4, wherein each frame segment has two sides and two sets of at least one protruding or notched engaging member formed respectively on the sides and respectively engaging the sets of the at least one protruding or notched engaging member of adjacent frame segments.
6. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 5, wherein each frame segment of the outer frame has a decoration bar covering the at least one protruding or notched engaging members on the inside edge of the frame segment and covering the at least one protruding or notched engaging member of an adjacent piece that respectively engages that of the frame segment.
7. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 3 or 4 or 5 or 6, wherein the outer frame further has a fastener connecting the frame segments together.
8. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fastener has multiple mounting slots and reinforcing bars, the mounting slots are defined respectively in bottoms of the frame segments and each reinforcing bar is mounted in and through more than one of the mounting slots to connect the frame segments together.
9. The plane jigsaw puzzle as claimed in claim 3 or 4 or 5 or 6, wherein the outer frame has an anti-skid texture formed on a top surface and an outer surface of the outer frame.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 23, 2008
Publication Date: Aug 11, 2011
Inventors: Ziyi Chuang (Taipei County), Shihhung Chuang (Hong Kong)
Application Number: 12/865,751
International Classification: A63F 9/08 (20060101);