JP7837564B2 - Puzzle pieces and sliding puzzle tools - Google Patents

Description

Refer to the certificate for applying the provisions for exceptions to the loss of novelty of an invention, as per Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act.

This invention relates to puzzle pieces bearing Braille characters, and a sliding puzzle tool using these puzzle pieces.

It is said that visually impaired individuals, like sighted individuals, have a strong desire to play games, and therefore, various gaming devices specifically designed for the visually impaired have been proposed.

Patent Document 1 proposes a Go game set for the visually impaired that allows for easy identification of white and black stones on the board, and that never moves to another location even when touched or when the hand moves parallel to the board.

Patent Document 2 proposes a shogi game set for the visually impaired that allows for easy identification of the type of piece, whether it is friendly or enemy, and its front or back side, and that the pieces never move to other locations even when touched or when the hand moves parallel to the board.

Patent Document 3 proposes a game board in which the game pieces are placed, and which has multiple holes for inserting the pieces, making it usable in transit and by visually impaired individuals.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-253498 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-253499 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-358185

However, the aforementioned game equipment requires players to touch the board with their fingers each time the opponent changes the game state. Furthermore, players need to learn the rules beforehand, making it difficult to play casually. Additionally, since the equipment is not designed for play against sighted individuals, the number of participants is limited, making it difficult for visually impaired individuals, who tend to be isolated from society, to expand their social circle through the game.

While it's often assumed that visually impaired people can read Braille, the reality is that only about 10% of visually impaired individuals can actually read Braille. This is partly because many visually impaired people develop their visual impairment later in life, and for them, learning Braille, which relies on tactile sensation, takes time. However, the aforementioned game equipment is solely for entertainment purposes. Therefore, it cannot be expected to provide any learning effect, such as enabling users to read Braille.

This invention addresses these problems and provides a slide puzzle tool that is easy to start using, allows for the expansion of communication through games, and also offers the potential learning benefit of enabling Braille literacy.

The invention for solving the above problems is a puzzle piece for use in a sliding puzzle, comprising: a plate portion that can be housed in one of the puzzle areas composed of multiple sub-sections and can move vertically and horizontally within the puzzle area by sliding; a braille display protrusion for displaying braille; and a character display portion for displaying characters or numbers corresponding to braille. The braille display portion is provided protruding from the plate portion and has a direction confirmation portion for confirming the direction in which the braille is displayed, and the character display portion is represented by being raised in a convex shape from the plate portion.

This configuration allows visually impaired individuals to easily determine the direction of the Braille display, as the Braille section includes a direction-checking unit. Furthermore, since the character display unit shows characters or numbers corresponding to the Braille, visually impaired individuals who cannot read Braille can learn to read it naturally and enjoyably through the game.

Preferably, the direction confirmation section is a notch provided in the raised portion of the Braille markings.

With this configuration, the direction confirmation section is a notch provided in the raised Braille display, allowing visually impaired individuals to easily confirm the direction in which the Braille is displayed by touching the raised Braille display with their finger.

Preferably, the braille display area has multiple corners, and the notch is a portion where one of the multiple corners has been cut out.

According to this configuration, the notch is a section where one of several corners has been cut out, making it easier for visually impaired individuals to determine the direction in which the Braille is displayed.

Preferably, Braille is composed of real dots represented by raised circles and imaginary dots represented by concave circles.

According to this configuration, Braille is composed of real dots represented by raised circles and imaginary dots represented by concave circles, thus clearly indicating the positional relationship between real and imaginary dots.

Preferably, Braille is composed of real dots represented by raised circles and imaginary dots represented by raised rectangles.

According to this configuration, Braille is composed of real dots represented by raised circles and imaginary dots represented by raised rectangles, thus clearly indicating the positional relationship between real and imaginary dots.

Preferably, the system includes a correct/incorrect determination unit that can recognize that the arrangement matches a predetermined pattern when the same number of puzzle pieces as the number of sub-sections placed in the puzzle area are arranged in a predetermined pattern.

This configuration allows for easy verification of whether the puzzle pieces are arranged in a pre-defined pattern by checking (tracing with a finger) the correct/incorrect judgment unit.

Preferably, the correct/incorrect determination unit has linear projections that protrude linearly from the plate portion. When the same number of puzzle pieces as the number of small sections arranged in the puzzle area are arranged in a predetermined pattern, the linear projections form a continuous line.

With this configuration, when the same number of puzzle pieces as the number of small sections placed in the puzzle area are arranged in a predetermined pattern, the linear protrusions form a continuous line. Therefore, visually impaired individuals can easily recognize the end of the game by touching the linear protrusions with their fingers and confirming that a continuous line has been formed.

Another embodiment of the invention for solving the above problems is a sliding puzzle tool comprising: a puzzle area composed of multiple sub-sections; the same number of puzzle pieces as the multiple sub-sections; and a waiting area connected to the puzzle area where at least two puzzle pieces can be kept waiting. The invention is characterized by the ability to arrange the puzzle pieces in a predetermined pattern by repeatedly sliding them vertically and horizontally, utilizing the empty spaces in the sub-sections created when the puzzle pieces are placed in the waiting area.

This design allows both visually impaired and sighted individuals to enjoy the slide puzzle, as the puzzle pieces have Braille and corresponding letters or numbers raised on the plate. For example, visually impaired and sighted individuals can compete to complete the game in the shortest time, fostering communication between them through the game.

Preferably, the waiting area has a direction-changing section that allows the puzzle pieces, which are arranged in random directions, to be rotated to be positioned in a predetermined direction.

This configuration allows the waiting area to rotate randomly placed puzzle pieces, enabling them to be positioned in a predetermined direction. Therefore, the sliding puzzle game can be started without aligning the puzzle pieces. Because the placement of the puzzle pieces is simple, there is no hesitation in playing the sliding puzzle.

This is a perspective view of the puzzle pieces. This is a perspective view of the puzzle piece in variation 1. This is a perspective view of the puzzle piece in variation 2. (a) is a plan view illustrating the state of the slide puzzle tool in Embodiment 1 before the game starts. (b) is a plan view illustrating the state during the game. (c) is a plan view illustrating the state at the end of the game. (a) is a plan view illustrating the state of the slide puzzle tool in Embodiment 2 before the game begins. (b) is a plan view illustrating the state during the game. (c) is a plan view illustrating the state at the end of the game. This is a plan view illustrating the orientation of the puzzle pieces as they move through the passageway. (a) to (d) are perspective views illustrating the process from the state before the game starts to the end of the game for Modification 1 of the slide puzzle tool in Embodiment 2. (a) to (c) are plan views illustrating the process from the state before the game starts to the end of the game for a modified example 2 of the slide puzzle tool in Embodiment 2. This is a diagram illustrating misinterpretations of Braille.

The following details the puzzle piece 10 and the sliding puzzle tool 1 using this puzzle piece 10, with reference to the diagram.

As shown in Figure 1, the puzzle piece 10 comprises a plate portion 15, a braille display portion 20, a character display portion 30, and a linear display portion 60. The plate portion 15 is a plate with almost the same shape as the small section R11 (see Figure 4), which will be described later.

The braille display protrusion 20 is a roughly rectangular, plate-like portion that protrudes from the plate portion 15. A notch 40 (direction confirmation section) is provided at one of the four corners of the rectangle. Braille 50 corresponding to the numbers 1 through 9 are displayed on the surface. In this embodiment, the braille 50 can be confirmed in a normal-sighted state when the notch 40 is located at the lower right corner, but this is not the only position. The notch 40 may be provided at any of the corners: lower left, upper right, or upper left. However, the notch 40 must be provided at the same position for all puzzle pieces 10. Visually impaired individuals can recognize the direction in which the braille 50 is displayed by touching the position of the notch 40 with their fingers.

Braille 50 is a writing system for the visually impaired, based on a 3x2 dot arrangement. Visually impaired individuals can recognize characters and other symbols by the position of the raised circular dots 51. Specifically, characters are represented by a combination of areas where dots are placed (real dots 51) and areas where dots are not placed (imaginary dots 52).

Figure 9 shows real points as black circles CB and imaginary points as white circles CW. If the positional reference is unclear, visually impaired individuals may mistake the position of the real point (black circle CB) shown in Figure 9(a) for the position of the real point (black circle CB) in Figure 9(b) or Figure 9(c).

In this embodiment 1, the puzzle piece 10 is designed so that the position of the actual dots 51 can be determined by using the braille display protrusions 20, which are provided protruding from the plate portion 15, as a reference. Therefore, the possibility of misidentifying the position of the actual dots 51 is extremely low.

The linear projection 60 is a linear portion that protrudes from the plate portion 15 and is in contact with at least one side of the rectangular plate portion 15. When the puzzle pieces 10 are arranged in a predetermined pattern, the linear projection 60 is positioned to form a continuous line. In other words, it corresponds to the correct/incorrect determination unit for recognizing whether the puzzle pieces 10 have been placed in the predetermined pattern. Furthermore, a guide groove 61 is provided in the center of the linear projection 60. The guide groove 61 acts as a guide, instructing the user on the direction in which they trace the linear projection 60 with their finger.

The character display section 30 displays characters or numbers corresponding to the Braille 50, raised in a convex shape from the plate section 15. This allows sighted individuals to understand the meaning of the Braille 50. As a result, both visually impaired and sighted individuals can simultaneously enjoy the game using this puzzle piece 10.

Most people with visual impairments tend to think they can recognize Braille, but in reality, only about 10% of visually impaired people are Braille literate. Many cases of visual impairment are acquired due to various causes, and as people get older, it takes time to learn Braille, which is felt by touch. However, those who acquire visual impairment can at least imagine the shape of letters and other characters. Therefore, it is highly likely that they can recognize letters and other characters by tracing them with their fingers. By displaying Braille alongside corresponding text, those who acquire visual impairment can learn Braille efficiently and enjoyably.

The puzzle piece 10 in this embodiment is merely illustrative and can be modified without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Modifications 1 and 2 of the puzzle piece are described below.

<Variation 1>
Figure 2 shows the puzzle piece 110 of the modified example 1. The braille 50 displayed on the braille display raised portion 20 consists of real points 51a represented by raised circles and imaginary points 52a represented by concave circles. Compared to the case where the imaginary points are simply flat surfaces with no variation, the positions where the real points are placed become easier to recognize.

Furthermore, the correct/incorrect determination unit, which recognizes whether the puzzle pieces 110 have been arranged in a predetermined pattern, consists of a continuous braille display projection 120 and a continuous number display unit 123.

The continuous braille display protrusion 120 is a roughly rectangular, plate-like portion that protrudes from the plate portion 15. Similar to the braille display protrusion 20, a notch 140 is provided at one of its four corners. Furthermore, the braille 150, which combines a real dot 121 represented by a convex circle and an imaginary dot 122 represented by a concave circle, represents a number.

The continuous number display unit 123 displays numbers corresponding to the continuous braille display protrusions 120, projecting from the plate unit 15. The numbers displayed on the continuous braille display protrusions 120 and the continuous number display unit 123 form a sequence of numbers when the puzzle pieces 110 are arranged in a predetermined pattern. In other words, the continuous number display unit 123 and the continuous braille display protrusions 120 constitute the correct/incorrect determination unit.

<Example 2>
The puzzle piece 210 of Modification 2 shown in Figure 3 has almost the same configuration as the puzzle piece 110 of Modification 1, so the differences will be explained. In puzzle piece 210, the imaginary dots 52b and 222 are convex rectangles. Also, the continuous braille display convex part 220 and the continuous digit display part 223 constitute the correct/incorrect determination part. The other parts are almost the same as Modification 1.

Referring to Figures 4(a) to 4(c), Embodiment 1 of the slide puzzle tool 1 using the puzzle pieces 10 described above will be explained.

As shown in Figure 4(a), the sliding puzzle tool 1 comprises a frame 70 defining the puzzle area R1 and the waiting area R2, and nine puzzle pieces 10. The puzzle area R1 and the waiting area R2 are located on the same plane, lower than the outer area R3. That is, each area is defined by a recess from the outer area R3. The puzzle area R1 has nine small square compartments R11, each arranged in a 3x3 grid. The nine puzzle pieces 10 are placed in each of the small compartments R11. In this embodiment 1, the small compartments R11 are arranged in a 3x3 grid, but the number of rows and columns can be multiple. That is, it could be 2x2, or 3x3 or more. Furthermore, the number of rows and columns do not need to be equal.

The waiting area R2 is an area where puzzle pieces 10 can be temporarily placed. In this embodiment, it is composed of two small sections R11, but it is not limited to this. It may be composed of three small sections R11, or even four or more small sections R11, as long as there is enough space to slide the puzzle pieces 10 and arrange them in a pre-determined pattern. Furthermore, the installation position of the waiting area R2 is not limited to this embodiment. The installation position can be arbitrary as long as it is adjacent to the puzzle area R1.

This section describes the procedure for rearranging randomly placed puzzle pieces 10 into a predetermined pattern, that is, the procedure for playing a slide puzzle game using the slide puzzle tool 1.

Puzzle pieces 10, aligned to a normal viewing position, are randomly placed in the puzzle area R1. Visually impaired individuals can use the notches 40 as a clue to confirm the normal viewing position. The normal viewing position is when the notch 40 is located in the lower right corner of the four corners.

Move puzzle piece 10 and place it in the waiting area R2. Using the empty space EP created by the movement of puzzle piece 10, sequentially move the puzzle piece 10 to position the other puzzle pieces 10 in their respective locations (see Figure 4(b)). Then, move the puzzle piece 10 that was waiting in the waiting area R2 to the puzzle area R1. By repeating this process, the pieces can work together to reproduce the intended pattern.

Whether the arrangement is in the intended pattern can be confirmed by the linear protrusion 60. When the linear protrusion 60 is traced and confirmed to be a single continuous line, the arrangement is considered to be in the intended pattern. As shown in Figure 4(c), in this embodiment, the pre-intended pattern is one in which the numbers are arranged in ascending order from 1, starting from the upper left and moving to the right, then folding back.

Embodiment 2 of the slide puzzle will now be described. Since Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 share some common configurations, the differences will be primarily described. Furthermore, the same reference numerals will be used for components identical to those in Embodiment 1, while different components will be assigned reference numerals in the 200s.

As shown in Figure 5(a), the sliding puzzle tool 201 comprises a frame 270 that defines the puzzle area R1 and the waiting area R202, and nine puzzle pieces 10.

The waiting area R202 has a passage section R221 and a direction-changing section R222. The passage section R221 is a passage for moving the puzzle piece 10 outside the puzzle area R1 and for keeping the puzzle piece 10 in a waiting position. One end connects to a small section R11 located in the first row, first column, and the other end connects to a small section R11 located in the first row, third column.

As shown in Figure 6, the passage section R221 is an annular passage defined by the outer boundary 225 and the inner boundary 226. By moving the puzzle piece 10 along the passage section R221 while keeping it in contact with the outer boundary 225 and the inner boundary 226, it can be moved while maintaining a unique orientation.

A direction-changing section R222 is provided near the apex of the passage section R221. The direction-changing section R222 is a region where the direction of the puzzle piece 10 can be changed by rotating it. Furthermore, the direction-changing section R222 is shaped to accommodate the puzzle piece 10, while ensuring that other puzzle pieces 10 can pass through the passage section R221 while the puzzle piece 10 is accommodated.

This section describes the procedure for rearranging the 10 puzzle pieces to reproduce the expected pattern.

Puzzle pieces 10 are randomly placed in the puzzle area R1. At this time, it is not necessary to align each puzzle piece 10 with the direction of normal viewing. That is, the puzzle pieces 10 are placed in the direction of normal viewing, in a direction rotated 90 degrees clockwise relative to the direction of normal viewing, in a direction rotated 180 degrees, and in a direction rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

To rotate puzzle piece 10 90 degrees clockwise, move puzzle piece 10 via passage section R221 to direction-changing section R222, rotate it 90 degrees clockwise in the direction-changing section R222, and then move it back to its original position in sub-section R11. Alternatively, rotate puzzle piece 10 90 degrees counterclockwise after moving it to direction-changing section R222, and then move it back to a different sub-section R11 via passage section 221.

If you want to rotate puzzle piece 10 90 degrees in the opposite direction, you can follow almost the same procedure as described above, so the explanation will be omitted.

To rotate puzzle piece 10 by 180 degrees, move it through the passage section R221 to a different sub-section R11 than its original position (see Figure 6). Alternatively, move it to the direction-changing section R222, rotate it 180 degrees in the direction-changing section R222, and then move it back to the original sub-section R11.

After aligning all puzzle pieces 10 to face forward, at least two puzzle pieces 10 are placed in the waiting area R202. Using the empty spaces EP created by the movement of the puzzle pieces 10, the remaining puzzle pieces 10 are sequentially moved to their designated positions. Then, the puzzle pieces 10 that were waiting in the waiting area R202 are moved to the puzzle area R1.

Whether the arrangement is in the intended pattern can be confirmed by the linear protrusion 60. When the linear protrusion 60 is traced and confirmed to be a single continuous line, the arrangement is considered to be in the intended pattern. As shown in Figure 5(c), in this embodiment, the pre-intended pattern is one in which the numbers are arranged in ascending order from 1, starting from the upper left and moving to the right, then folding back.

This embodiment is merely illustrative, and can, of course, be modified within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. For example, the slide puzzle tool 301 shown in Figures 7(a) to 7(d) uses pre-determined patterns as verses from the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets) anthology. Furthermore, instead of puzzle pieces 10, puzzle pieces 110 from Modified Example 1 are used. In this case, whether or not the puzzle pieces 110 have been placed in the pre-determined pattern is determined by whether the numbers displayed on the continuous braille display protrusions 120 and the continuous number display section 123 are consecutive. That is, the continuous number display section 123 and the continuous braille display protrusions 120 constitute the correct/incorrect determination unit.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(c), a hint section 390 may be provided to give hints for a predetermined pattern, as shown in the slide puzzle tool 302. The hint section 390 is represented in both Braille and Braille-corresponding characters.

The slide puzzle device of this invention can be enjoyed not only by visually impaired individuals but also by sighted individuals. Because this puzzle game facilitates communication between visually impaired and sighted individuals, it has great industrial potential.

1, 201, 301, 302: Slide puzzle tools 10, 110, 210: Puzzle pieces 15: Plate section 20: Braille display raised section 30: Character display section 40: Notches 50, 150: Braille 51, 51a, 51b: Real dots 52, 52a, 52b: Imaginary dots 60: Linear raised section EP: Empty space R1: Puzzle area R11: Small section R2, R202: Waiting area R221: Passageway section R222: Direction change section

Claims (2)

A puzzle area composed of multiple sub-sections,
Multiple sub-sections and the same number of puzzle pieces,
The system includes a waiting area connected to the aforementioned puzzle area, which can hold at least two puzzle pieces,
The puzzle piece has a plate portion that can be housed in one of the puzzle areas composed of multiple sub-sections and can move vertically and horizontally within the puzzle area by sliding, a braille display protrusion for displaying braille, and a character display portion for displaying characters or numbers corresponding to the braille,
The aforementioned braille display protrusion is provided protruding from the plate portion and has a direction confirmation portion for confirming the direction in which the braille is displayed, and the character display portion is represented by being raised in a convex shape from the plate portion.
By repeatedly sliding the puzzle pieces vertically and horizontally, utilizing the empty spaces in the small compartments that arise when the puzzle pieces are placed in the waiting area, the puzzle pieces can be arranged in a predetermined pattern.
The puzzle pieces further have a correct/incorrect determination unit that can recognize that the arrangement is a pre-determined pattern when it is arranged in a pre-determined pattern.
The correct/incorrect determination unit has linear projections that protrude linearly from the plate portion, and when the same number of puzzle pieces as the small sections arranged in the puzzle area are arranged in a predetermined pattern, the linear projections form a continuous line, characterized in that the slide puzzle tool. The sliding puzzle tool according to claim 1 , characterized in that the waiting area has a direction-changing section that allows the puzzle pieces, which are arranged in random directions, to be arranged in a predetermined direction by rotating them.