Multifaced 3-D Puzzle Building Blocks

Abstract

Our invention provides an improved set of multi-faced building blocks with the following characteristics: 1) softer edges designed to increase friction of the blocks during the construction process; 2) faces that allow mounting different tiles with variety of designs which provide hints guiding construction of solutions, allowing player to complete puzzles; and 3) mountable tiles that code each face of the building block in order to increase the number of visible solutions within one set of blocks, making the puzzle more versatile. Our invention lets players create and code their own new unique solutions using the mountable tiles. Our invention also allows the player to recognize and track each new solution using the design elements depicted on the mountable tiles. The proposed invention can develop spatial reasoning skills of players and can be used for education or entertainment.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . An improved set of multi-faced building blocks wherein at least one of the faces of each block is provided with at least one mounting mechanism; and at least one mountable coding tile (MCT) with a bottom side which is adapted to receive and be connected to at least one mountable mechanism; and at least one of the edges of each building block has at least one friction edge (FE) attached. 
     
     
         2 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , which is shaped as a polyhedron that is comprised of at least two fused rectangular prisms, wherein at least one face of at least one rectangular prism is in common with at least one face of another rectangular prism to create the block, wherein rectangular prisms are fused in order to avoid breakage during the construction of the geometric structures, the puzzle. 
     
     
         3 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1  with each face of a block in a shape of a polygon, such as square, rectangle, or a polygon that is a composition of at least two rectangles. 
     
     
         4 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein the block is made of at least one type of material such as plastic, wood, metal, clay, glass, or any moldable material. 
     
     
         5 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein the block is made of at least one color or design element. 
     
     
         6 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein at least one mountable coding tile and at least one mountable mechanism are held together by frictional, magnetic, or geometric locking. 
     
     
         7 . A mounting mechanism, in  claim 6 , wherein the concave recess area and corresponding convex part are complementary to each other and allow connecting the pieces by geometric, magnetic, or frictional locking. 
     
     
         8 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of at least one edge of the block has an attached friction edge (FE), wherein the FE is at least as tall as the thickness of the mountable coding tile mounted on at least one mountable mechanism on at least a part of at least one face of the block to provide friction with a flat surface used during the construction; wherein the FE is the part of the building block that makes contact with any planer surface (such as table, desk, or play surface) on which the block is placed. 
     
     
         9 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , where at least one friction edge separates at least two neighboring mountable coding tiles each mounted to at least one mountable mechanism located on at least one face of the block. 
     
     
         10 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein a friction edge attached to an outer edge of a square-shaped face of a building block has a shape of a lateral surface area of a hollow truncated rectangular pyramid with the height of the truncated pyramid at least as tall as the thickness of the mountable tile, wherein the smaller base located in the cross section of the truncated rectangular pyramid is the square-shaped face of the building block. 
     
     
         11 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein a friction edge is attached to an outer edge of polygonal faces of a building block, wherein the shape of the friction edges are lateral surfaces of connected truncated square pyramids with smaller bases comprising the polygonal face of the building block, wherein the heights of these truncated pyramids are at least as tall as the thickness of the mountable tile. 
     
     
         12 . A multi-faced building block in  claim 1 , wherein each face of a building block permits mounting at least one MCT using a mounting mechanism. 
     
     
         13 . A mountable coding tile, in  claim 1  that contains at least one design element, wherein the design element is located on the top of the tile, wherein the design element is used to create a pattern to guide the construction of a given geometric structure. 
     
     
         14 . A mountable coding tile in  claim 1 , shaped as a polygon, or a circle, wherein the tile is no larger than the corresponding portion of the surface of the multi-faced building block. 
     
     
         15 . A mountable coding tile, in  claim 1  wherein a bottom includes a mountable mechanism, recess area that is adapted to receive at least one convex part of a mountable mechanism. 
     
     
         16 . A building set including at least two multi-faced building blocks in  claim 1  that allow constructing of 3-D geometric structures. 
     
     
         17 . A building set including at least two multi-faced building blocks in  claim 1  that allow constructing a puzzle in a shape of a cube. 
     
     
         18 . A set of multi-faced building blocks in  claim 1  that contains at least one recognizable pattern/picture/design (solution) created by at least two MCTs on at least a portion of the geometric structure created by at least two multi-faced building blocks. 
     
     
         19 . A building set of seven multi-faces building blocks in  claim 1 , wherein the building blocks are in the shape of all possible variations of three fused unit-cubes and all possible variations of four fused unit cubes, wherein each cube is connected with a neighboring cube only by one face, wherein the multi-faces building blocks are irregular (do not look like prisms/boxed); wherein the seven blocks put together construct a 3by 3by 3 cube. 
     
     
         20 . A set of multi-faced building blocks in  claim 18  that contains at least one recognizable pattern/picture/design (cube solution) created by at least two MCTs on at least one face of the cube created by at least two multi-faced building blocks. 
     
     
         21 . A set of multi-faces building blocks in  claim 18 , wherein all of the building blocks' faces that can possibly be part of a face of the 3by 3by 3 cube are covered with a set of MCTs with K (where K is 1 or larger) color/design elements depicted on a square-unit portion of each polygonal MCT; wherein there are 10 times K unique cube solutions as a result of a construction of a cube. 
     
     
         22 . A set of multi-faces building blocks in  claim 18 , wherein all of the building blocks' faces that can possibly be part of a face of the 3by 3by 3 cube are covered with a set of MCTs with K (where K is 1 or larger) colors/designs/elements per each square tile; wherein there are 10 times K unique cube solutions as a result of a construction of a 3by 3by 3 cube.