Polyhedral and sperical cubic puzzles

摘要

This invention introduces several new Polyhedral Puzzles based on variations and extensions to the 2x2x2 cube. Spherical and shell analogue puzzles are also disclosed. These puzzles are of "Rubik's" Cube and "Pyraminx" tetrahedron class (Rubik's Cube is a registered trademark of Ideal Toy Corporation, "Pyraminx" is a registered trademark of Tomy Corporation). Main features and examples of the puzzles are briefly described. Each of the puzzles is comprised of component pieces which are joined and held together by an appropriate mechanism to form a desired overall shape. Each surface of a puzzle is to be assigned a unique color or picture. The mechanism of motion makes it possible to rotate the individual component pieces of a puzzle in groups in planes and around axes emanating from the center of the puzzle. Various possible rotations (twists and turns) result in mixing up the surface configurations. The object and the challenge is to restore the various surfaces of a puzzle into their original form, or to perform twists and turns that would result in alternate interesting designs. The mechanisms of rotation include new operational mechanisms as well as improvements and extensions to existing mechanisms. The invention yields a variety of challenges.