Patent Application
20060134372
The present invention relates to a fragment and a work formed by assembling a plurality of fragments, more particularly to a fragment capable of being bent and matingly coupled with the other, thereby assembling the fragments to form a work.
Conventionally, a thing (e.g., stone, timber, cast iron, etc.) can be used as a material for sculpture. Moreover, a work can be formed by assembling a plurality of fragments. Such is disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 345,118 (hereinafter called the Patent) as shown in
As stated above, the work is formed by assembling a plurality of folded paper fragments 30 in which the fragments 30 are prefabricated. The prior fragment 30 is made of paper. In detail, a paper sheet of suitable size is selected. Next, fold the sheet along its central transverse line. Next, fold the sheet again along its central longitudinal line. Next, fold a portion of the sheet projected from one side to the other side so as to form a substantially triangular, three dimensional member which is adapted to assemble with one or more the same members to form a work having a desired shape.
While the above paper work is aesthetic, its forming process is very tedious and time consuming since the fragments 30 are required to fold prior to assembly. Moreover, the paper work is susceptible to moisture, resulting in damage. In addition, mass production is impossible since respective fragments 30 are folded prior to assembly. In other words, the production time is adversely prolonged. As a result, the manufacturing cost is increased significantly in consideration of high pay today. Additionally, one formed fragment 30 may be different from any other ones since skills of all involved workers are not the same. This in turn can degrade quality of the formed work, thereby lowering the desire of buying it by mass consumers.
The Patent is further characterized as follows. A fragment is formed by injection molding. The fragment consists of two identical triangular sheaths with a connecting piece and a cavity formed therebetween for enabling the fragment to put on one or more other fragments so as to form a work having a desired shape. Such fragments can be produced in mass scale by an automatic machine, resulting in a simplification of the manufacturing processes, a shortening of the manufacturing time, and a reduction in the manufacturing cost.
However, injection molding is the only best method as conceived by the Patent. This inevitably prohibits the Patent from utilizing any other cheaper and/or quicker processes in manufacturing the fragments. Also, one fragment is permitted to assemble with another identical one only, resulting in a limitation of the assembly variation. Moreover, the sheaths are coupled together by a connecting piece. As such, the fragment is useless if the connecting piece is broken. Thus, it is desirable to provide a novel fragment not only having the advantages of the Patent but also being capable of overcoming the above drawbacks thereof.
After considerable research and experimentation, a fragment and a work formed by assembling the fragments according to the present invention has been devised so as to overcome the above drawbacks of the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fragment comprising a body; a plurality of projections formed along a peripheral edge of the body; and a plurality of cavities each formed between the projection and the body, wherein each of the cavities is adapted to matingly couple to a cavity of another identical fragment for engaging one projection with the body or the other projection, thereby assembling the fragments.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a work formed by assembling a plurality of fragments each comprising a body; a plurality of projections formed along a peripheral edge of the body; and a plurality of cavities each formed between the projection and the body, wherein each of the cavities is adapted to matingly couple to a cavity of another identical fragment for engaging one projection with the body or the other projection, thereby forming the work by means of an assembly of the fragments.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting unit on the body of one of the fragments of the work such that a dazzling effect can be seen on the work when the light-emitting unit emits light.
It is a further object of the present invention to print a portion of a picture to be seen on the work on one of the fragments in advance so as to re-form the picture of the work by assembling the fragments.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
In the invention, the body 10 is substantially rectangular. The projections 12 are formed at four corners of the body 10. The projections 12 at both ends of either diagonal of the body 10 are identical in shape. A free end of any projection 12 of the body 10 is not only proximate and facing the same of an adjacent one at one side but also distal and opposing the same of another adjacent one at the other side.
In the invention, the fragment 1 is formed of a flexible and pliable material. For example, the fragment 1 is of plastic and formed by injection molding. Alternatively, the fragment 1 is formed of a flexible and pliable metal or alloy. For example, the fragment 1 is formed by casting, cutting, punching, or the like. In view of above, the fragment 1 can be quickly produced in mass scale, modularly by one of a plurality of processes. Further, its material is not limited to plastic. This is an improvement of the prior fragment 30 (see
Referring to
In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the work 2 is further adapted to couple to a base 3. A control circuit 30 is mounted proximate one end of the work 2 coupled to the base 3. The control circuit 30 is enclosed by the work 2 and is comprised of a plurality of electronic elements 300 and at least one light-emitting element 302. The electronic elements 300 are adapted to convert power supplied from an external source into an operating voltage of the light-emitting element 302. Light emitted by the light-emitting elements 302 is thus controlled. Within the base 3 there are further provided a power supply 32 including a power cord 320 having one end coupled to the control circuit 30 and the other end coupled to a plug 322. In response to plugging the power cord 320 into a wall outlet, external current can be taken to the control circuit 30 via the power cord 320. The current is then converted into an operating voltage of the light-emitting elements 302 by the control circuit 30. There is further provided a switch 34 interconnected the power cord 320 and the control circuit 30 for enabling a user to turn on or off the external current supplied to the control circuit 30. Finally, a dazzling effect can be seen on the work 2 when the light-emitting elements 302 emit light.
Referring to
Referring to
In any of the above embodiments, a portion of a picture to be seen on the work 2 can be printed on one of a plurality of fragments 1 of the work 2 in advance. As such, the picture of the work 2 can be re-formed by assembling the fragments 1 rather than re-forming a random meaningless one. In view of this, it is contemplated that the fragments 1 can be used as a jigsaw puzzle or the like. While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.
