Abstract: A maze toy is formed of a base, a movable element, and a housing. The base is of a three-dimensional construction and is formed of a plurality of two-dimensional planes such that at least two adjoining planes of the periphery of the base form jointly a layout area which is provided with a plurality of separation portions forming a three-dimensional and intricate track in which the movable element travels. The housing is used to seal off the layout area. The base is formed of at least two pivoted subbases and a rotating mechanism for turning the two subbases so as to enable the maze toy to have a plurality of changeable tracks.

Abstract: Composing an image with fragments. The fragments of an image are downloaded from a server. The fragments are displayed in an initial configuration within the image. One of the fragments located at one of the positions within the image is then selected. The selected fragment is then moved to a second position within the image which has defined characteristics. The selected fragment is then visually altered to conform to the defined characteristics of the second position. The visual alteration may include altering the size or the aspect ratio or both of the fragments to conform to the defined characteristics of the respective positions, such as a positions within a grid, or altering the size or orientation or both of the fragments to conform to the defined characteristics of their respective positions, such as C-shaped fragments arranged radially around a center of the image. After the appearance of the selected fragment is altered, a new configuration of the image fragments may be displayed.

Abstract: A rotating cube game or puzzle which is displayed on a computer display screen in three dimensions and is manipulated in three dimensions to expose the respective faces during play of the game or solving of the puzzle. The game or puzzle is preferably implemented on the cube in such a manner that there is continuity among the respective edges. For example, individual crossword puzzle entries are designed to wrap around the edges as desired. The letters for the sides of the cube facing the user are drawn by reading the letters stored in the appropriate three of six total two-dimensional arrays (one array for each face of the cube), and the arrays are manipulated as the cube rotates so that the right and top sides of the cube facing the user will be displayed correctly. Entries in the arrays may be spun 90 or 180 degrees, as appropriate, and then drawn in each block at the correct perspective angle.

Abstract: An electronic puzzle device, including: (a) an array of indicators, each of the indicators capable of alternately indicating a first state or a second state, the array having an axis, which may or may not be physically indicated, dividing the array into a first portion and a second portion, and the array being capable of being folded along the axis such that each of the indicators in the first portion is corresponding to one of the indicators in the second portion; (b) a selection input for choosing or detecting a direction of the fold along said axis; and (c) a changer for changing the state of each of the indicators in the second portion depending upon the state of corresponding indicators in the first portion.

Abstract: A computer implemented electronic game provides a game portion which includes a puzzle completion game. In one instance, the puzzle is a word phrase. The first area displays regions for each letter in the phrase. A payline of an electronic slot machine display is associated with one of a plurality of letter indicia, with a bonus value associated with each of the letter indicia. After a simulated slot machine reel spin, if the slot machine portion shows a winning combination, any letters associated with the winning paylines which match uncovered letters of the phrase will be revealed in the phrase region and a bonus value is implemented equal to the product of the bonus points associated with that letter times the number of occurrence of that letter in the phrase times the number of coins bet on the particular payline.

Abstract: Composing an image from fragments of the image. The fragments of the image and a playing grid (used to define the fragments) are downloaded from a server. The positions of the fragments are shuffled within the grid. The appearance of each fragment is altered to conform to characteristics of the fragment's position or cell within the grid. After displaying an initial configuration of the fragments, one or more fragments are selected and moved to new positions or cells within the grid. In one embodiment, a single fragment is selected and moved to a new cell. In another embodiment, a fragment in one cell is selected. A new cell having another fragment is also selected. The two fragments are swapped between their respective positions or cells. After moving or swapping any fragments, the appearance of a moved or swapped fragment is altered to conform to characteristics (such as the size, shape, and aspect ratio) of the fragment's new position or cell within the grid.

Abstract: This invention is a multi-stable mechanical device. It is a bundle of rods surrounded by elastic, which when manipulated can be made to change from one stable close-packed state to another, causing a sudden rearrangement of the rods within the bundle, and producing a snapping noise or click which can be heard and felt with the fingers, and interesting visual effects due to the rearrangement of the rods. Possible applications of this invention are amusement devices, puzzles, science education, toys, executive pacifiers, hand exercisers, and physics and materials science demonstrations.

Abstract: A multi-layer maze assembly that includes a steel maze ball; a top cover member having a magnetic ball storage hole, a ball storage magnet positioned adjacent to the magnetic ball storage hole, a ball insertion opening, two securing apertures, and first, second and third maze level maps; a first maze level member including first interconnected maze channels, two securing apertures, and a first maze ball pass through aperture; a second maze level member including second interconnected maze channels, two securing apertures, and a second maze ball pass through aperture that is sized to allow passage therethrough of the steel maze ball; a third maze level member including third interconnected maze channels, two securing apertures, and a third maze ball pass through aperture; and two maze assembly securing screws of each of sufficient length to pass through aligned securing apertures of the top cover member, the first maze level member, the second maze level member, and the third maze level member; the ball insert

Abstract: A repositionable puzzle having a base, at least one removable piece having a first surface having a fastener adapted to releasably engage the base and a second surface having indicia. A panel is attached to the base. The panel has clue and answer indicia thereon. The at least one removable piece is moved on the base from a position adjacent to the answer indicia on the panel to a position adjacent to the corresponding clue indicia on the panel to complete the puzzle. A method of playing a puzzle game on a repositionable puzzle having a base, at least one removable piece having a first surface having a fastener adapted to releasably engage the base and a second surface having indicia, a panel attached to the base having clue and answer indicia thereon, the method includes the step moving the at least one removable piece on the base from a position adjacent to the answer indicia on the panel to a position adjacent to the clue indicia on the panel to complete the puzzle.

Abstract: A game set which comprises a set of two-dimensional or three-dimensional game pieces of the same size and geometrical configuration and a method of playing with this game set, with or without a computer. In preferred embodiment, each game piece has a square-shaped playing surface. Each of the four sides of each playing surface of each game piece has a selected visible indicia. The criteria determining how the indicia are to be arranged on the sides are mathematically selected so as to permit the use of the game as a mathematical puzzle that may be played by one player, played competitively by two players, or for other purposes of entertainment or intellectual simulation. In many of the games, the game pieces are arranged in a mutually abutting side-by-side relationship, whereby the indicia on each of the sides may match and align with the indicia on respective abutting sides of other game pieces of the set, and with the top surfaces of the abutting game pieces forming a square.

Abstract: A puzzle toy including an arrangement of puzzle elements attached to hand engagement structures for locating the puzzle elements with respect to the hands in an unsolved puzzle orientation, such that upon placing the hands in a predetermined orientation a puzzle solution is achieved.

Abstract: A personalized accessory for ornamenting or otherwise accessorizing a person's clothing includes at least a first interlocking member and a second interlocking member. The first and second interlocking members are oriented so as to overlapped with respect to each other and are permanent affixed to one another. The personal accessory further includes a finding attached to at least one of the first and second interlocking members which serves as a means for mechanical attaching the personal accessory to a person or to a person's clothing.

Abstract: A game device includes a plurality of game blocks, at least two playing cards, and at least two hollow game boxes. The game blocks are grouped into at least three sets by shapes and sizes so that each of the game blocks belonging to a particular set has a cross section different from those of the game blocks belonging to the other sets. Each set is further grouped into at least two subsets by a predetermined printed matter thereon. Each of the playing cards has at least three rows and at least two columns of patterns. Each pattern is a combination of the cross section of the set and at least one print of the subset. Each of the game boxes includes an upright front wall formed with an elongated slot to permit insertion of a selected one of the playing cards thereinto, and an upper game board which defines at least three rows and at least two columns of openings respectively corresponding to in cross section and superimposed upon the patterns of the playing card.

Abstract: A method of playing a game that has a puzzle and a conforming device. The puzzle includes ciphertext indicia and a number of designated spaces corresponding with the ciphertext for displaying a developing solution. The ciphertext is a message encrypted according to some substitutional and/or transpositional encipherment scheme. At each stage of solving, the ciphertext and developing solution show what has been correctly solved and what remains to be solved. The conforming device verifies the correctness of correct guesses and corrects incorrect guesses without prejudicing future guesses. There are manifold types of messages, encipherment schemes, developing solutions and conforming devices. Some puzzles and conforming devices are made by a computerized method. The game can be played by one player or several players in competition. It can be played using a game board or other apparatus or by using a computer with an interactive computer program. To solve a puzzle, a puzzle solver first forms a guess-pair.

Abstract: A toy maze comprising a container with a ball having a plurality of passage levels with vertically extending wall segments forming passageways. Each level is separated by a tray having a plurality of apertures, some of which are trap-holes with a mechanism for limiting the movement of the ball to only one direction.In a preferred embodiment of the toy maze of the present invention, the mechanism for limiting the movement of the ball to only one direction comprises at least one flexible flap which flexes to permit the ball to pass through an aperture from one level to the next level and resiliently blocks reverse movement of the ball.

Abstract: Apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises a lightweight puzzle game holder, easily held by a game player in one hand, and puzzle game sheets replaceably held in the holder. The holder comprises base and cover components. The cover is hinged to the base and opens and closes to permit loading of a replaceable puzzle game sheet, the latter containing a collection of multiple puzzle games printed on a writable medium such as paper. The cover contains a window dimensioned to frame a single puzzle game in the collection for viewing and solving by a game player. In solving the base player writes on the game. The base contains a platen opposite the cover window, the platen forming a hard backing surface facilitating writing by a game player. In one embodiment, the holder contains a storage compartment beneath the platen, for storing e.g. a pencil sharpener, pencils, etc.

Abstract: In this invention two similar bearings or balls are contained within a sealed tubular capsule. The capsule is comprised of a fully transparent material of a singular rigid substance. The capsule is composed of a lengthier playing field and two shorter storage compartments or traps. Each trap is situated at opposite ends of the playing field and accessed by each ball via an orifice of particular configuration. The configuration is such that the slope of the capsule wall leading out of the trap is at a greater angle to the longitudinal axis than the slope of the capsule wall leading into the trap is to the longitudinal axis. The objective of the game is to get a ball into each trap.

Abstract: A mathematical puzzle including a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is removably couplable to the first portion. As such, the first portion and second portion define an interior space when coupled. Further provided is a puzzle mechanism with a puzzle preferably comprising an algebraic equation. Upon the solving of the puzzle, the puzzle mechanism is adapted to allow the separation of the first portion and the second portion thus releasing a prize situated within the interior space.

Abstract: A two-dimensional cyclic game for creating and implementing puzzles and the like includes a two-dimensional playing field of either planar or curved configurations, a plurality of fixed sites defined on the playing field, and a plurality of game objects occupying the fixed sites. The game objects are movable only in groups. The groups are repositionable through performance of a series of consecutive moves to restore the game objects on the sites to a desired pattern. Also, in each of the moves, the game objects in a selected one of the groups are cyclically moved simultaneously in a given direction through translation or rotation along an endless cyclic path. In each cyclic translational move, the game objects of the selected one group are moved such that one of the game objects of the selected group located adjacent to a first portion of the playing field border is moved off the field at the first portion thereof and back onto the playing field at a second portion of the playing field border.

Abstract: A computer-generated jigsaw puzzle game including a method of generating a jigsaw puzzle game on an electronic display and controlling the play of the game in response to play operations. The method includes the steps of displaying a jigsaw puzzle comprising a plurality of puzzle pieces on the electronic display, where each puzzle piece comprises a video image region on the display. A plurality of video image blocks is sequentially displayed in the video image region of each puzzle piece to generate a moving video image in the video image region of each puzzle piece. Pieces of the puzzle are moved on the display in response to play operations to solve the jigsaw puzzle.

Abstract: An amusement device according to the invention offering numerous possibilities for mapping data with results, for example, drawings, mathematical functions, names and the like depicted on visible surfaces (6, 16, 24, 25, 34, 35) which are adjacent and rotatably or revolvingly movable. The device includes a base unit (2) with a visible surface (6), carrying several rotating elements (10, 13, 17, 19, 21, 23), two of which have visible surfaces. Angular locating means (41-46) are arranged on the surfaces for displaying the data and results and for matching pairwise. Fixed ratio kinematic connections, especially gears, transmit rotations between rotating elements and manual driving means (8, 11, 14).

Abstract: Methods of disclosing a target pattern for identification. The methods are based on the principle of sequentially and non-lexicographically revealing, constructing and/or resolving a target pattern to players to permit the players to identify the target pattern. One such method includes the steps of masking the target pattern to make it imperceptible to the player, repetitively unmasking portions of the target pattern according predetermined unmasking steps, and continuing to unmask the target pattern until a completion criterion is met. Target patterns may consist of still images, audio segments, or motion video sequences depicting items and environments known to the players in their unmasked formats.

Abstract: A maze game comprising a plurality of movable maze pieces, a maze board, a housing, having a polygonal shape and containing said maze board, and a top, having slots, restricting maze pieces movements. The maze pieces of substantially elongated shape, arc located in the top's slots, extending both inside the housing, being received by the maze board's passages, and outside to be controlled by the maze handler. When moved in the direction allowed by the slot where it is contained, the maze piece either move along the passage of the maze board, or, if the direction of the slot doesn't coincide with the passage, move the maze board, if other maze pieces allow such a movement. The object of the maze is to place the maze pieces from one predetermined position to another.

Abstract: A strategy game with the flavor of Tic Tac Toe embodied in both two dimensional(planar) and three dimensional (cubic) configurations. Each consists of a lattice type matrix forming a plurality of interconnected adjacent open cubes. The playing members are spherical and player differentiated by color. These player balls are inserted into the matrix alternately by the players and scoring is achieved by ball patterns; e.g., three in a row or nine in a single plane. The uniqueness in this game is the ability of the player balls to move from one cube to another in the matrix by the players forcing one ball against another. This capability dramatically increases scoring and blocking opportunities.

Abstract: A puzzle device which includes an array of indicators, each of the indicators capable of alternately indicating a first state or a second state, the array being formed into a three-dimensional shape; a mechanism for selecting one of the array of indicators; and a mechanism for changing, upon the selection of one of the array of indicators, the state of at least one of the other of the indicators based on a pre-determined pattern.

Abstract: A word scramble game for two or more players utilizing a plurality of cards wherein each card has imprinted a plurality of words with a scrambled version of the word's letters next to each word. One of the players selects and presents the selected scrambled version of the word to the other player or players who then attempt to unscramble the letters to form the correct word within the given time limit. Points are awarded to the player who is the first to form a word. A player wins when his or her score reaches a pre-determined value.

Abstract: A puzzle device which includes an array of indicators, each of the indicators capable of alternately indicating a first state or a second state; means for selecting one of the array of indicators; and means for changing, upon the selection of one of the array of indicators, the state of at least one of the other of the indicators based on a pre-determined geometrical pattern.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to crossword puzzle type games, and more particularly to an improved crossword puzzle game and method of creating an improved crossword puzzle type game wherein additional indicia is provided on the crossword puzzle answer grid to assist the game player in determining the correct answer to the ordinary written clues provided. The additional clues provided on the answer grid preferably take the form of added indicia within one or more of the squares that form the answer grid. For example, the added indicia may be in the form of different color squares, squares including designs therein, and any other suitable indicia. A key is provided such that a player can determine the meaning of each type of added indicia. The indicia can give a player clues to assist the player in completing the puzzle. For example, one type of indicia may indicate that a vowel is to be placed in a square, while another type of indicia may indicate that a consonant is to be placed in a square.

Abstract: A puzzle having a substantially spherical housing comprising a plurality of lights disposed over the surface thereof, a plurality of switches operable by a user, and a control device operatively connected to the switches and to the lights for switching on and off the lights in response to operation of a respective switch.

Abstract: A paper folding game includes a sheet of paper divided into twelves squares by a number of folding lines and arranged in a three by four matrix. Four groups of patterns are printed on the upper surfaces and the bottom surfaces of the squares. Six cut lines are arranged in the paper sheet so as to allow the paper sheet to be folded to a cubical shape. The four groups each includes six patterns that may be folded to the six outer surfaces of a cube.

Abstract: A cubicle maze puzzle including a transparent cubicle main portion having an upper end and a lower end. The main portion has transparent walls formed therein. The walls define a plurality of chambers within the main portion. The walls have a plurality of apertures formed therein defining a tortuous path from an entrance point in the upper end to an exit point in the lower end. The device includes a ball that is dimensioned for receipt within the entrance point of the transparent cubicle main portion for traveling though the tortuous path defined by the plurality of apertures to be ejected outwardly through the exit point.

Abstract: An intellectual knockdown maze including a plane seat board, several long and short side blocks with different lengths and four groups of L-shaped component blocks. The seat board is disposed with longitudinal and transverse partitioning lines which intersect each other at multiple intersections disposed with insertion holes. Each of the side block and L-shaped component block is formed with an insertion tenon on lower side for inserting into the insertion hole so as to locate the side blocks and component blocks on the seat board. The side blocks serve to form side walls of the maze and the component blocks serve to form partitioning walls of the maze. The lengths of the long and short side blocks are such that two long side blocks are arranged side by side along entire length of one side of the seat board to form a side wall of the maze, while a long side block and a short side block are arranged side by side along one side of the seat board to leave an entrance or an exit notch thereon.

Abstract: A card game which comprises a set of cards of the same size and geometrical configuration, each having a square playing surface. Each of the four sides of each card has a selected visible indicia. The criteria determining how the indicia are to be arranged on the sides of the cards are mathematically selected so as to permit the use of the game as a mathematical puzzle that may be played by one player, played competitively by two players, or for other purposes of entertainment or intellectual stimulation. In many of the games the cards or other playing pieces are arranged in a mutually abutting side-by-side relationship whereby the indicia on each of the sides may match and align with the indicia on respective abutting sides of other cards of the set, and with the top surfaces of the abutting cards forming a square.

Abstract: A toy bomb device includes a disarming apparatus installed in a simulated bomb device body. The bomb device is armed to start a timer which times a preset time period in which a player has to properly operate the disarming apparatus to disarm the bomb device before the bomb detonates at the end of the time period. The disarming apparatus may take the form of a spring biased member having a pin extending therefrom that must be seated on a holding land to disarm the bomb. The bomb may be included as part of a board game where disarming the bomb is required at various stages during the game.

Abstract: A maze puzzle is disclosed employing a concealed maze pattern on one member and a second member movable with respect to the first member and including a pin or follower which engages the maze pattern. A plurality of switches are located in various positions in the maze pattern and are operated as a pin passes each point. A sound generator producing an appropriate audible signal provides an audible message to the player. A similar generator provides a power for visual indicators such as a liquid crystal display or light emitting diode. A key member is either concealed or locked within the puzzle until a certain level of successful performance of the puzzle is achieved. The key may be used to open a secret compartment in the puzzle.

Abstract: A game device has a flat, circular bottom wall with a plurality of ball-receiving wells formed in it and a transparent dome-shaped cover that captures a plurality of balls within the device. Some of the wells have a number shape, and each of those wells are color coded. The game is played by inverting the device and restoring it to its upright position or by shaking it until all of the balls have entered into the wells. The number of balls within a well are counted and multiplied by the number of the well into which they have fallen to arrive at a total for that well. Depending upon the color of the well, the total is either added to or subtracted from an earlier total and the process is repeated to arrive at an arithmetic sum. A pair of wells are also formed in the shape of a multiply sign and a divide sign and the arithmetic sum is multiplied by the number of balls in the multiply sign-shaped well and that number is divided by the number of balls in the divide sign-shaped well.

Abstract: A game apparatus including a puzzle and a conforming device. The puzzle includes ciphertext indicia and a number of designated spaces corresponding with the ciphertext for displaying a developing solution. The ciphertext is a message encrypted according to some substitutional and/or transpositional encipherment scheme. At each stage of solving, the ciphertext and developing solution show what has been correctly solved and what remains to be solved. The conforming device verifies the correctness of correct guesses and corrects incorrect guesses without prejudicing future guesses. There are manifold types of messages, encipherment schemes, developing solutions and conforming devices. Some puzzles and conforming devices are made by a computerized method. The game can be played by one player or several players in competition. It can be played using a game board or other apparatus or by using a computer with an interactive computer program. To solve a puzzle, a puzzle solver first forms a guess-pair.

Abstract: Methods of disclosing a target pattern for identification. The methods are based on the principle of sequentially and non-lexicographically revealing, constructing and/or resolving a target pattern to players to permit the players to identify the target pattern. One such method includes the steps of masking the target pattern to make it imperceptible to the player, repetitively unmasking portions of the target pattern according predetermined unmasking steps, and continuing to unmask the target pattern until a completion criterion is met. Target patterns may consist of still images, audio segments, or motion video sequences depicting items and environments known to the players in their unmasked formats.

Abstract: An inner bar and a sleeve thereon, slidable and rotatably mounted on the bar. Maze grooves are formed in the bar and a follower rides in the grooves. The follower is a pin, or a ball, as desired, and in the case of the ball, it is captured, or free moving, in different forms. In one form the bar is made up of sections which can be pre-positioned selectively to form different overall patterns of grooves. In one form, the parts of the device are of different colors.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic game comprising a LCD game in which various elements of the game may be controlled by a player having to locate balls in recesses in the manner of a traditional rolling ball game. The game comprises a LCD 1, control means for generating the LCD image and for controlling a game thereon, a graphic display surrounding the LCD and including recesses 3 in which metal balls 4 may be received. The recesses include electrical contacts which are bridged by a ball when received therein to generate a signal whereby the ball rolling and electronic components may interface.

Abstract: An interactive computer game uses a digital computer system with a display and an interactive means for communicating user input to the computer system. The system displays on the display an array of elements in rows and columns, each of the elements having a feature distinguishable by a player of the game. In addition, at least one element can be moved by the user via the interactive means. This element can be added at one end of a row or a column of the array thereby shifting this row or column by one element and removing another element from an opposite end of the row or column. When a row or a column is formed in which the elements have a predetermined pattern of features, that row or column is erased from the display. If, within a given time interval, a player is unable to build such a row or a column which has a predetermined pattern of features, the system adds a new row or column of elements to the display.

Abstract: A puzzle device which includes an array of indicators, each of the indicators capable of alternately indicating a first state or a second state; means for selecting one of the array of indicators; and means for changing, upon the selection of one of the array of indicators, the state of at least one of the other of the indicators based on a pre-determined pattern.

Abstract: An electronic video game requires the player to match the location of information on a video screen with the correct location of a pushbutton in a corresponding array. Initially, the video screen produces a display showing nine object character icons located in nine different locations in a tic-tac-toe arrangement. The display is flashed on for a few seconds and then discontinued. Next, the video screen displays one of the characters in a clue box and challenges the player to correctly match the clue character with its previous location on an array of nine pushbuttons laid out in the same tic-tac-toe fashion. The player then chooses one pushbutton corresponding to where the player believed the character had appeared in the original video display.

Abstract: The present invention is a word game to be played by two or more persons, in which the object of the game is to assemble solutions to word transformation puzzles. The game of the present invention requires the use of a computer (or processor), a display, and a keyboard (or other input device). At the beginning of the game and at various times during the game, the processor must find a solution to a word transformation puzzle or determine that one does not exist. Efficient solution of puzzles by the processor is accomplished by creating two minimum-length search trees, each tree having a number of nodes that contain words generated via a predetermined relationship with respect to one another. The first tree is based on the first Doublet word (the source), while the second tree is based on the second Doublet word (the destination). An intersection of the two search trees is discovered by repeatedly comparing at least one word of the first search tree with at least one word of the second search tree.

Abstract: A game apparatus includes a housing enclosing a cavity in which is mounted support member, such as a golf tee, and an object, such as a golf ball. The diameter of the golf ball is greater than the maximum distance between the golf tee and a sidewall of the housing. Moreover, selected walls or portions of the housing may be formed of transparent material to limit a game player view of the cavity.

Abstract: A three-dimensional puzzle which consists of several mutually permanently connected puzzle bodies which result in a regular tetrahedron in the assembled state. All puzzle elements consist of truncated pyramids of different sizes which are disk-like. All puzzle elements are combined to a chain, in which each puzzle element is connected with the next-larger one along an edge in such a manner that they can be folded about these edges with respect to one another. In this chain, the individual puzzle elements are arranged such that they form a band which winds helically about an imaginary vertical center axis.

Abstract: A game apparatus including a puzzle and a conforming means. The puzzle includes ciphertext indicia and a number of designated spaces corresponding with the ciphertext for displaying a developing solution. The ciphertext is a message encrypted according to some substitutional and/or transpositional encipherment scheme. At each stage of solving, the ciphertext and developing solution show what has been correctly solved and what remains to be solved. The conforming means verifies the correctness of correct guesses and corrects incorrect guesses without prejudicing future guesses. Manifold types of messages, encipherment schemes, developing solutions and conforming means are disclosed, as well as a computerized method of making some puzzles and conforming means. The game can be played by one player or several players in competition. To solve a puzzle, a puzzle solver first forms a guess-pair. Typically, a guess-pair is a plain character and a cipher character that could be the plain character's substitute.

Abstract: A timing and talking game toy includes: a board casing have a plurality of baffles and lanes irregularly formed in the casing for running a ball in the lanes as guided or limited by the baffles from a starting point to a finishing point, a plurality of lamps juxtapositionally mounted on the board which are all lit up when starting the running of the ball and are subsequently switched off with respect to a lapse of time counted by a timing circuit of a central processing unit (CPU) and a talking integrated circuit controlled by the CPU for a voice speaking, indicating the status for running the ball to the finishing point corresponding to the number of the lamps being switched off within a pre-determined time period for interesting the game player.

Abstract: A transparent prize presenting game having a puzzle or challenge to be solved or completed. The game is capable of presenting a paper prize, such as paper money, stock certificates and the like, thereby motivating a player to solve and complete the puzzle or challenge. The game has a transparent container. The paper prize is removably disposed in the container, so that access thereto without successfully completing the puzzle or challenge is prevented. The puzzle or challenge is disposed in the container. Arrangements are provided that permit access to the paper prize only upon the successful completion of the puzzle or challenge. In this fashion, the user is provided with the motivation of the paper prize to successfully complete the puzzle or challenge.

Abstract: This puzzle game system utilizes a movable base frame 12 which defines within its body a cut-out template 26 which defines a crossed word pattern. The cut-out template 26 defines at least two intersecting word files 28, with each word file 28 being oriented at an angle to each other word file with which it intersects. A plurality of movable elements 14 which are size and shape to be received within the word files 28 are provided. Each element 14 has a display surface 18 for at least one symbol 16. To play the game, one edge of one word file 28 within base frame 12 is oriented cross-wise in front of the player and a plurality of symbol bearing movable elements 14 are provided which are at least sufficient to solve the puzzle. As a next step, base frame 12 is turned to orient one edge of a different word file 28 cross-wise in front of the player, and the puzzle is again solved. This process is continued until the base frame 12 has been solved in each of its edge orientations.