Patent Application
20220395997
The invention relates to a method for producing a puzzle including a plurality of puzzle pieces which, in an assembled state, form an image, as well as a separating device for separating the puzzle pieces during the manufacturing process.
Puzzles are known products in which a motif such as, for example, a photo, a drawing, or designed graphics is processed into a puzzle. The motif is frequently selected by the manufacturer of the puzzle to then produce a plurality of puzzles having identical motifs. In the meantime, it is also possible that the customer uses a personal motif and uploads it as part of his/her order, for example via a website or an app.
The production of such a puzzle is typically carried out by printing or laminating an image onto a carrier material or carrier plate such as, for example, cardboard, wood, plastic, foamed material and the like and subsequently punching the carrier plate to produce the individual puzzle pieces of the puzzle. After punching, the puzzle pieces have to be separated Since the puzzle pieces are kept together by the positive connections by means of which they are subsequently reassembled by the user. In addition, it may occur that no complete separation of the puzzle pieces from each other is achieved by punching and that they are still materially connected to each other by thin portions.
According to prior art, the separation of the puzzle pieces is either carried out manually or by machine, the puzzle to be separated being placed on, for example, a conveyer belt and the individual puzzle pieces breaking off or being broken up by rotating rods at the end of the conveyer belt. In this way, a chaotic, loose heap of puzzle pieces is produced, it no longer being discernible here whether actually all puzzle pieces found their way from the separation into a storage container in which the puzzle is sold to the user. Accordingly, there is frequently the problem that individual puzzle pieces are missing and that the puzzle can therefore no longer be completely assembled.
In addition, there is the problem in the known method and devices for separating puzzle pieces that a lot of dust is produced which is difficult to suck off and that there is the risk that puzzle pieces which are not completely separated are damaged while being indiscriminately broken up so that the image present on the puzzle is damaged and the puzzle pieces become useless.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method and a device which render a better separation of puzzles possible to solve the abovementioned problems of prior art and, in particular, render a targeted and defined separation of the puzzle pieces possible so that the puzzle pieces can be further processed in a controlled and aimed manner.
This object is solved by a method having the features of claim 1 as well as a device having the features of claim 11. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
For solving the object, the invention proposes a method for producing a puzzle including a plurality of puzzle pieces which, in an assembled state, form the puzzle, wherein, in the method, an image is laminated or printed onto a carrier plate so that the image defines an image plane on the carrier plate, and the puzzle pieces are punched out of the printed or laminated carrier plate. Alternatively, the order may also be reversed so that first a carrier plate laminated or otherwise suitable for printing is punched and the image is then printed onto the punched carrier plate. Here, an image is understood to be any representation suitable for a puzzle, and, as a carrier material for the carrier plate, a wide variety of materials such as cardboard, plastic, wood, and the like is eligible. The same applies to printing or laminating. In addition, punching is understood to describe any type of separation of the puzzle pieces and not only the specific process of punching. In particular, a separation may also be carried out by sawing, cutting, laser cutting, or the like. According to the invention, the puzzle pieces are detached and separated from the punched carrier plate in a predetermined way by a controlled movement of at least one puzzle piece transverse to the image plane so that the puzzle pieces are arranged in a defined manner after separation.
The controlled movement may, in particular, be performed perpendicular to the puzzle plane defined by a main surface having the largest dimensions of the puzzle or the carrier plate or perpendicular to the image plane.
One or a plurality of puzzle pieces may be simultaneously and/or successively detached from the punched carrier plate to ensure, on the one hand, an efficient separation in the shortest possible time and, on the other hand, nevertheless a defined separation. Specifically, up to half of the puzzle pieces of the puzzle may be simultaneously detached from the punched carrier plate, or all puzzle pieces may be simultaneously separated.
For the puzzle to be separated, a plurality of sub-segments may be defined, each sub-segment comprising specific puzzle pieces, and at least one puzzle piece may be simultaneously detached from the punched carrier plate in all sub-segments, respectively. Alternatively, all puzzle pieces of one or more sub-segments may be simultaneously detached from the punched carrier plate, wherein, particularly in case of a detached sub-segment, a further separation of the puzzle pieces of the sub-segment may be performed according to the present method or another method.
The puzzle pieces of a sub-segment may also be defined by at least one characteristic of the puzzle pieces selected from a number of characteristics including the association with one or more rows of the puzzle, the association with part of one or more rows of the puzzle, the association with one or more columns of the puzzle, the association with part of one or more columns of the puzzle, the association with an arbitrary local area of the puzzle, one or more primary colours or colour components of the puzzle pieces, edge pieces of the puzzle, the number of recesses or projections of the puzzle pieces and combinations thereof.
In order to avoid displacement or tilting of one or more adjacent puzzle pieces during the process of detaching one or more puzzle pieces one or more adjacent puzzle pieces or all puzzle pieces adjacent to the puzzle piece to be detached or all puzzle pieces adjacent to the puzzle piece to be detached which have a common section line may be fixed during the movement of the puzzle piece to be detached.
The controlled movement for detaching the at least one puzzle piece may be a linear translational movement, particularly a pushing or pulling movement.
The detachment of the puzzle pieces may, in particular, be performed so that the detached puzzle pieces are disposed in a common plane which is, in particular, parallelly offset relative to the image plane of the unmoved puzzle pieces after the detachment from the punched carrier plate. In this way, a simple and defined access to the separated puzzle pieces is possible after separation for convenient further processing.
Following the controlled movement for detaching the at least one puzzle piece, the at least one puzzle piece may be placed or stacked in a storage container. In particular, the puzzle pieces of a sub-segment may be placed in a common storage container in case of a segment-wise separation of the puzzle pieces.
According to a further aspect of the invention for which protection is sought independent of and in combination with the method, a device for separating puzzle pieces of a puzzle including a plurality of puzzle pieces is proposed. The device comprises an accommodation element for the puzzle of puzzle pieces connected to each other and at least one moving element, the at least one moving element being movable relative to the accommodation element so that at least one contact element comes into contact with at least one puzzle piece and the puzzle piece is moved transverse to the accommodation element by the contact element so that the at least one puzzle piece is detached from the puzzle. Here, the accommodation element defines a support surface parallel to the image plane of the puzzle or the puzzle plane so that the movement for detaching the puzzle element is transverse and particularly perpendicular to the image plane of the puzzle.
According to one embodiment, the moving element may be a plate having a plurality of projections and cavities on one side or a main surface of the plate having the largest dimensions. In particular, the number of the projections and cavities maybe up to half of the number of the puzzle pieces to be separated, respectively. In this embodiment, the projections are the contact elements. The accommodation element is also formed as a plate with projections and cavities complementary to the moving element, the projections being a support for the puzzle to be separated so that, when the puzzle to be separated is disposed on the accommodation element and the moving element is moved in the direction of the accommodation element, one or more puzzle pieces are pushed into the complementary cavity of the accommodation element by each projection of the moving element. In this way, in particular, all puzzle pieces of a puzzle can, be separated from each other with a single movement for separation.
Each cavity or each projection of the accommodation element or of the moving element may correspond to at least one puzzle piece and/or one sub-segment of a plurality of puzzle pieces of the puzzle to be separated.
According to another embodiment, the moving element may be a movable pushing and/or pulling element, particularly a die and/or a suction element.
In this embodiment, the contact element may be formed by a pushing surface of a pushing element, particularly the die surface of a die, or the coupling surface of a pulling element, particularly the suction nozzle of a suction element.
The device may comprise a plurality of moving and contact elements which are simultaneously movable so that a plurality of puzzle pieces can be simultaneously detached from the puzzle to be separated. In particular, the moving and contact elements may be arranged in a moving element support so that one or more moving and contact elements which are simultaneously movable are disposed in a portion of the moving element support, respectively, each portion potentially corresponding to a sub-segment of the puzzle to be separated so that the puzzle pieces can be detached individually and successively within a sub-segment of the puzzle.
However, the device may include a moving and contact element for each puzzle piece or each sub-segment of the puzzle to be separated, respectively.
The contact elements may be formed and/or arranged in a moving element support so that the contact elements almost completely cover the surface of the puzzle to be separated. Here, the contact elements may, at least in part, laterally abut against each other. For avoiding jams or wear, the contact elements may be elastically deformable at their peripheral portion.
Since the puzzle to be separated may include puzzle pieces of a wide variety of designs and the arrangement of the puzzle pieces in the punched carrier plate may change due to wear the moving and/or contact elements may be arranged in a moving element support so that the moving and/or contact elements are slidable transverse to the direction of the movement during the detachment of a puzzle piece from the puzzle to be separated in at least one, preferably in two directions extending transverse to each other within the moving element support so as to render adjustments possible.
The contact elements may have differing contact surfaces adapted to the size of the allocated puzzle piece or sub-segment or the allocated puzzle pieces or sub-segments of the puzzle to be separated.
The device may further include fixation means serving to fix the puzzle pieces disposed adjacent to a puzzle piece to be detached which are not to be detached. The fixation means may, in particular, include a clamping ring or frame by means of which the puzzle piece or the puzzle pieces to be fixed can be clamped against the accommodation element.
At least one moving and/or contact element may be formed in the device so that it has a fixing position in which it can fix one or more puzzle pieces laterally and/or in the direction of the movement during the detachment.
The accommodation element may include a support plate for supporting a puzzle to be separated, the support plate, being capable of providing for a support surface. Furthermore, the support plate may have at least one, preferably a plurality of holes through which the at least one moving and/or contact element or a detached puzzle piece can be moved, wherein, in particular, a moving and/or contact element may be allocated to each hole.
In particular, the at least one moving and/or contact element may be movable transverse to the direction of the movement during the detachment of a puzzle piece from the puzzle to be separated relative to the puzzle to be separated in at least one, preferably in two directions extending transverse to each other together with a moving element support in which it is supported to move the various puzzle pieces to the respective moving and/or contact element. In the same way, also, the accommodation element may be movable relative to the puzzle.
Conversely, the device may also comprise puzzle moving means by means of which the puzzle to be separated or parts of a remaining puzzle are movable relative to a moving element support and/or to the accommodation element, particularly slidable on the accommodation element.
The device may further include puzzle part take-up means for taking up an individual or a plurality of detached puzzle pieces. The puzzle part take-up means may include a gripping or suction device for at least one puzzle piece or preferably all puzzle pieces. In addition, a receiving container, particularly a cylindrical receiving container having a diameter adapted to the puzzle pieces or a receiving container having grid or perforated walls may be provided. The dimensions or the diameter of the receiving container may be adapted to the puzzle pieces so that the puzzle pieces cannot twist or tilt in the receiving container so that a stack can be formed in the receiving container. The dimensions of the receiving space in the receiving container may, preferably, be adjustable by a movable piston. The grid or perforated walls of the receiving container render sucking off dust generated during the separation of the puzzle pieces possible.
The device may further include operating means for operating the moving element or the moving elements which preferably include one or more operating elements allocated to the moving elements which are, in particular, disposed at fixedly predetermined positions in a direction transverse to the direction of the movement during the detachment of a puzzle piece.
In the accompanying drawings, the following is shown in a purely schematic form.
Further advantages, characteristics and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments. However, the invention is not limited to these embodiments.
Since, as illustrated in
In
In
Furthermore, a moving element support 12 in which at least one, preferably a plurality of moving elements in the form of dies 13 are arranged is provided in the device according to
When a puzzle 1 to be separated is placed on the perforated plate 11 the die 13 can be moved in the direction toward the perforated plate 11 and thereby push the puzzle piece 3 out of the puzzle 1 with the die foot 15 so that the puzzle piece 3 falls down through the hole 17. Of course also the reverse arrangement and moving direction are conceivable so that a die pushes the puzzle piece 3 out in the upward direction.
Under the hole 17, a hopper 20 as well as a receiving container 18 are arranged into which the detached puzzle piece 3 falls. If the hopper 20 and the receiving container 18 are dimensioned so that they only have a diameter or a maximum dimension in a direction parallel to the puzzle plane which is slightly larger than the puzzle pieces 3 to be detached the puzzle pieces 3 will not tilt or skew when falling down, and the puzzle pieces 3 can be accumulated in a stack in the receiving container 18. This can be further supported by the receiving space of the receiving container 18 or the height of fall of the puzzle pieces 3 being adjustable by a piston 19 movable in the receiving container 18 so that the height of fall is as small as possible so that there is no possibility for the puzzle piece 3 to tilt or skew.
For preventing the adjacent puzzle pieces 3 from tilting or shifting when a puzzle piece 3 is pushed out by the die foot 15 of a die 13 the moving element support 12 includes the fixing ring 16 by means of which the adjacent to puzzle pieces 3 are fixed while the puzzle pieces 3 are detached.
The separation of the puzzle pieces 3 of the puzzle 1 to be separated can, in this device according to
For example, in case of a puzzle including 1000 puzzle pieces 3, a perforated plate 11 having 40 holes 17 as well as a moving element support 12 including 40 dies 13 may be provided so that 40 puzzle pieces 3 can be simultaneously detached and transferred into associated receiving containers 18 in one process of movement for detaching puzzle' pieces 3 from the puzzle 1 to be separated. After the separation of the first 40 puzzle pieces 3, the puzzle 1 is shifted relative to the 40 dies 13 and the 40 holes 17, for example along a row or a column of the puzzle 1, so that the respectively adjacent puzzle pieces 3 can be detached. By 25 subsequent separation movements of the dies 13 and a corresponding grid-like shift of the puzzle 1 relative to the dies 13 and the holes 17, therefore, all puzzle pieces 3 of the puzzle 1 can be separated. It is self-evident that the description of 40 dies and 40 holes of the perforated plate 11 is only an example, and for a person skilled in the art it is a matter of course that the basic principle can be adapted to various numbers of dies 13, holes 17, and puzzle pieces 3 of a puzzle 1. In
In the embodiment shown in
Furthermore, the dies 13 include a pushing plate 22 via which the die 13 can be operated on the end of the shaft 14 opposite to the die foot 15, respectively.
In order to allow for an adaptation of the die to variations in the puzzle 1 to be separated the dies 13 may be adjustable in directions parallel to the puzzle plane or the image plane of the puzzle 1 as indicated by the double-headed arrows in
In order to minimise mutual wear in case of a full-surface provision of the contact surfaces 8 of the die feet 15 and to prevent the dies 13 from jamming the die feet 15 may, according to the embodiment of
It can further be gathered from
Similar to the dies 13, the operating elements 27 are movable in a direction transverse to the puzzle plane or the image plane of the puzzle 1 so that the operating elements 27 can push the pushing plates 22 of the dies 13 and these are moved correspondingly. The operating elements 27 are arranged at fixedly predetermined positions in the operating means 26 according to a fixed grid structure. In contrast, the dies 13 of the moving element support 12 including their die feet 15 and the positioning of the shafts 14 in the moving element support 12 are adapted to the design of the puzzle pieces 3 of the puzzle 1 to be separated. Accordingly, the device according to
Although the present invention was described in detail based on the embodiments, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but that rather modifications are possible in a way in which individual features are omitted or different combinations of features can be realised without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In particular, the present disclosure includes all combinations of the individual features shown in the various embodiments so that individual features described only in connection with one embodiment or not explicitly illustrated combinations of individual features can also be deployed in other embodiments.
