Jigsaw puzzles with revealable regions.
The following paragraphs are not an admission that anything discussed in them is prior art or part of the knowledge of persons skilled in the art.
Jigsaw puzzles are typically made of interlocking cardboard pieces that are assembled to form a complete image. Once assembled, jigsaw puzzles may have limited function as decoration, or be disassembled for reassembly. Such puzzles do not offer an element of surprise when completed as the image is typically revealed on the packaging itself. Furthermore, there is rarely an educational component to the jigsaw puzzle, beyond any information printed directly on the image. Finally, being static images, typical jigsaw puzzles lack the ability to demonstrate changes over time.
What is provided is a puzzle kit in which the puzzle pieces are assembled to form a first image with at least one revealable region which conceals a second image to be revealed by the revealable region. The revealable region may consist of a scratch-off material where it may be modified through scratching, or it may consist of a sticker removable through peeling. The revealable region may also consist of an area that has been chemically treated to change appearance when a liquid such as water or special marker is applied to the area, or under specific lighting, temperature or pressure conditions. When revealed, the second image may contain an indicia which may be matched with an information source to provide further information corresponding to the indicia found on the second image. The indicia may be a part of the second image or the entirety of the second image itself. With the information being provided on a separate information source, there may be an educational aspect to the puzzle kit, while the image assembled from puzzle pieces remains primarily a visual image without the distraction of text being printed directly on the image. The information source may be physical print, an audio player, or a software application. Furthermore, the revealable regions add an element of surprise to the kit, by allowing the user to manually reveal information or imagery not present when the puzzle is first assembled. When fully revealed, the completed image may appear completely different from the image when first assembled, meaning that elements normally revealed by the packaging of standard jigsaw puzzles are hidden until fully revealed.
Also provided is a method of playing with the puzzle kit described above, involving the steps of assembling a plurality of puzzle pieces to form a first image having at least one revealable region, modifying the revealable region to reveal a second image having an indicia; and matching the indicia to an information source containing information or instruction corresponding to the indicia, and optionally taking additional steps based on the instruction provided, such as modifying additional revealable regions based on a sequence provided by the information source.
In another aspect, indicators are provided on top of at least one revealable region which may be used to correlate to an information source to provide further information on the object, or instruction as to the order or method in which to modify any remaining revealable regions. A related method of playing a puzzle game having a revealable region with an indicator thereon is also provided.
These and other aspects of the device and method are set out in the claims, which are incorporated here by reference.
Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, in which like reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in which:
Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described here without departing from what is covered by the claims.
Provided is a puzzle kit having a plurality of puzzle pieces which may be assembled to form a first image. The puzzle pieces may be formed of cardboard, foam or other materials used in jigsaw puzzles. On the first image are various revealable regions that reveal secondary images when modified. During manufacturing, an image is first printed onto a cardboard or foam material. This printed image comprises a combination of an image which is viewable by the user upon completion of the puzzle (i.e., a first image), as well as at least one hidden image that is initially covered by a revealable region (i.e., a second image). The revealable region covering the second image may then be created through printing of a scratch-off surface directly onto the puzzle, or through a separate piece of scratchable material or sticker which is bonded to the puzzle. Alternatively, the revealable region may also be applied through chemical treatment, such that the region changes appearance under certain circumstances, such as when a liquid such as water or a special marker is applied to the area (for example, when printed using invisible or security ink), or under certain pressure, temperature or lighting conditions through application of a glow in the dark material. Preferably, for ease of manufacturing, the application of the revealable region to the puzzle occurs before the puzzle is die-cut into pieces, as otherwise the revealable region may also need to be cut separately. A close-up of puzzle pieces 220 and 222 having a revealable region 224 is shown in
The secondary images revealed by modifying the revealable regions may contain indicia which can then be matched with the corresponding indicia provided on an information source. The indicia may include any items which can be uniquely identified by a user as being associated with the information source, such as, for example, a number, letter, symbol, a landmark, or an image, such as an image of an object or a fictional or non-fictional character. The indicia may also be only a part of the second image, or the entirety of the second image itself. Once the indicia from the secondary images have been matched with the indicia from the information source, additional content from the information source is available to the user. It is through this combination of a revealable region with an information source that additional layers of surprise, education and interactivity is provided to the user, beyond what typical jigsaw puzzles are able to provide.
The information source may be any medium that is capable of displaying recorded information to a user. The information source may comprise a physical sheet or card with printed text which may be provided in any format or size, or may be an electronic device such as an audio player with pre-recorded audio information linked to the indicia found in the secondary image(s). The information source may also be provided on a software application for use on a user device (e.g., a computer, smartphone or tablet) through physical media such as a CD or USB drive, or provided electronically, such as through a link to a web address for download. The software may be programmed to reveal information based on user input corresponding to the data from the secondary images. For example, the software application may work with a portable user device (e.g., a smartphone) to have the camera of the device scan the indicia revealed by the revealable region to send a signal to the processing unit of the device, which then displays the information (which may be in the form of written or audio/visual information) on the screen of the portable user device. The software may be programmed to recognize various specific forms of indicia such as alphanumeric characters, shapes, symbols, or a QR™ code. Alternatively, for devices without a camera, the software may simply employ use of on-screen buttons (pressable using touchscreen or an input such as mouse or keyboard) that correlate to the indicia found in the second images. A software application would also be able to provide functionality not available through an audio player or a physical card, such as direct access to Internet links with more detailed descriptions relating to each of the subject matter revealed in the completed puzzle. Information provided electronically may also be updated periodically. The information source may also be printed directly on and formed as part of the second image or the first image (e.g., as part of a legend), although in some cases this may detract from the overall aesthetics of the completed puzzle. The information source may also be a physical object representing or corresponding to the indicia which has printed information on it.
The combination of a revealable region revealing indicia that is used to correspond to an indicia within an information source has a number of advantages and applications not present in existing puzzle kits. The following are a few specific examples of these applications.
As an example, shown in
In use, once the jigsaw puzzle has been assembled, the user may then modify the revealable regions 24, 26 and 28 one by one to reveal each of the landmarks. After each landmark is revealed, the user may refer to the information source for more information about each landmark. This may be done in chronological order of time of events, or dates of buildings built, which may be directed by the information source as shown in
In another embodiment, instead of hidden landmarks, the revealable regions may be used to conceal the location of specific events in history, for example battles in World War II, as shown in
Alternatively, in a variation of this embodiment, as shown in
In yet another embodiment such as that shown in
In an alternative version of this embodiment, the revealable regions may have specific designs such that they blend into the first image. For example, the revealable regions may be colored such that they appear as part of background of the first image (e.g., the color of the sky). Until the revealable regions are modified, the first image resembles a city as of an early date. As each of the revealable regions are modified, additional buildings are revealed over time. Similar to the embodiments described above, the information source may provide direction as to the order in which to modify the revealable regions so as to give the user a developmental history of the city over time. Where the revealable regions blend into the background, in this or other embodiments, the information source may provide direction as to the location of the revealable regions.
The same concept of changes over time may be applied to other embodiments, for example, ones involving a map, where the first image presents a map of a region as of one point in time. Almost the entire first image of the puzzle can be made modifiable, and when fully modified, a second image showing the same region as of another point in history is revealed, with information relating to each of the regions being presented through an information source. Through this process, the user is able to learn about both geography as well as history at the same time. The same embodiment may be used with not only real life geographical regions, but also fictional regions such as those presented in fictional stories, such as films or fantasy novels.
The provided puzzle kit is not limited to historical or educational uses. The use of revealable regions and an information source may also be used to add an element of surprise or mystery.
In another embodiment, a “find the object” type of game may be played using the disclosed puzzle kit. In this embodiment, as shown in
In a similar embodiment, a mystery puzzle kit is provided where the information source provides fictional information or clues to solving a puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle pieces may be assembled to form a first image of a crime scene with revealable regions each hiding an indicia such as a particular event, action or figure. When revealed, each indicia is then matched with the indicia on the information source which provides a clue to solving the mystery (for example, the identity of a murder suspect). In this play mode, one of the goals may be to correctly identify the suspect based on the clues provided before all clues have been revealed on the jigsaw puzzle. This embodiment may also allow for multi-player cooperation as each of the users take turns modifying the revealable regions and receiving clues to solve the mystery.
In embodiments where clues are used to reveal a solution to a puzzle, there may be additional incorrect solution objects that are revealed when a user incorrectly makes a wrong guess about the solution. For example, if the user makes an incorrect guess at a solution and modifies a corresponding revealable region, an object may be revealed that indicates either that the user has lost the game, or that the user made an error and should try again.
Also provided is a method of playing a puzzle game using the puzzle kits provided and described above, where a user assembles a plurality of puzzle pieces to form a first image with at least one revealable region. The revealable region is then modified to reveal a second image containing an indicia. The indicia may then be used to match the indicia found on an information source, such as a physical object, an audio player or a software application which provides additional information or instruction corresponding to the unique indicia.
In yet another embodiment, an indicator may be printed on top of the revealable regions themselves. Similar to the indicia the indicator may include any items which can be uniquely identified by a user as being associated with the information source, such as, for example, a number, letter, symbol, a landmark, or an image, such as an image of an object or a fictional or non-fictional character. The indicator may be used with the information source to provide the user with instructions as to the order or method in which to modify the revealable regions, for example objects vs background, or outline vs the entirety of the object, or the direction in which to modify the revealable region. This may be used in, for example, the mystery puzzle kit described above, where it may be important to have a correct sequence for scratching and revealing clues. However, unlike the indicia, the indicator will be apparent to the user prior to the modification of the revealable region.
The use of an indicator on top of the revealable region may also form an instructional art kit. As shown in
Where the revealable regions of a puzzle kit are scratchable, the scratchable region need not be uniformly scratchable, and may be manufactured to only cover portions or an outline of an object. Also, where the revealable regions are scratchable, the puzzle kit may also include a scratching apparatus which resembles a tool such as a crayon, pencil or paintbrush, to give the user an experience similar to coloring or drawing. In accordance instructions provided by an information source, the user may scratch along the outline of an object to first “draw” the object, and then scratch the center of the object to “color” the object.
The indicator on top of the revealable regions may also be used in another embodiment where a narrative is provided on the information source. For example, the information source may provide a story in which each paragraph of the story ends with instruction as to which part of the puzzle to reveal based on a series of indicators which are printed on top of the revealable regions. For example, after a fictional character is introduced in the story, the information source may include an indicator to direct the user to scratch the region having the same indicator on the completed puzzle, which would reveal the hidden character in the second image. This can be done repeatedly as the user goes through the story, and at the end, a completed image showing all of the characters of the story is provided.
Indicators to dictate a sequence may also be used as part of a connect-the-dot system to add an additional layer of interactivity for the user.
Alternatively, the information source may refer to a series of actions or fictional events that occur to change the first image into the second image. For example, the first image may be of a present-day city, whereby through a series of fictional events as provided on the information source (which through indicia direct the user to scratch various parts of the city), the second image reveals a past, future or fictional version of the same city.
Similarly, a related method of playing a puzzle game is provided, where a user assembles a plurality of puzzle pieces to form a first image with at least one revealable region having an indicator thereon. The revealable region is then modified to reveal a second image in accordance with instructions or information from an information source based on the indicator on the reveable region. As described above, the information source may direct any method or sequence in modifying the revealable region, such as the order or method in which to modify the revealable region, for example objects vs background, or outline and then the entirety of the object, or the general direction of modification of the revealable region.
Other variations on the methods described may be made without departure from the scope of the claims. For example, game play can also be further enhanced with the use of game cards, dice, or electronic app functions which are used to correspond to the indicia revealed by the revealable regions.
In the claims, the word “comprising” is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being present. The indefinite articles “a” and “an” before a claim feature do not exclude more than one of the feature being present. Each one of the individual features described here may be used in one or more embodiments and is not, by virtue only of being described here, to be construed as essential to all embodiments as defined by the claims.