Amusement devices: toys – Foldable – collapsible – or having pivoted portion – Sheet material folded to form object
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-01
2001-05-08
Muir, D. Neal (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Foldable, collapsible, or having pivoted portion
Sheet material folded to form object
C472S072000, C004S111100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227935
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to image invertible objects and methods of making the same.
2. Related Art
Optical illusions rely on the ability of the brain to trick the eyes into recognizing unfamiliar shapes or patterns as something with which they are familiar. When a pattern is perceived by our eyes, the brain will first attempt to recognize it as something familiar by supplying or substituting any information missing from the pattern which would make it familiar, before trying to resolve unfamiliar images. For example, in “The Cheshire Cat & Other Eye-Popping Experiments on How We see the World,” by Paul Doherty, Don Rathjen and the Exploratorium Teacher Institute, an optical illusion is described that takes advantage of this pattern-recognition ability, as well as another phenomena—that the eye-brain system is used to seeing nearby objects whiz by, whereas distant objects appear to follow at a slower pace. In the “Far Out Corners” experiment, a stationary cluster of three-sided partial cubes is illuminated from below, and made to appear is if they are moving when a viewer walks past the arrangement. Because solid cubes are objects with which our brains are familiar, the brain supplies the rest of the cube shape, even thought the partial cubes only have three sides. Therefore, because the brain incorrectly perceives the inside corner of the partial cube as the outside corner of a solid cube, the brain perceives the farthest corner of the partial cube as being the closest. In order to maintain this misconception, the brain perceives a rapid rotation of the cube as the viewer moves past the object.
Other types of optical illusion are described in “Gathering for Gardner II”, by Jerry Andrus. The illusion of a “convex hour” is described, in which a two-dimensional outline of a house is created on paper, then cut out, folded and taped together to form a portion of a three-dimensional house. When viewed with one eye, the house appears inverted, thus, the term “convex house.”
In another illusion, a two-dimensional image of the side of the bus is created on paper. The bus has two wheels located on its side. A two-dimensional image of a third wheel is placed away from the image of the bus. A separate two-dimensional image of the truck top is positioned along the perimeter of a portion of the bus, at approximately an angle of 45 degrees. Viewed at an angle, the tire located away from the perimeter of the bus is made to appear as if it is on the surface of the bus, overlapping one of the tires that is drawn thereon.
There are therefore provided three-dimensional image invertible objects having a high contrast, multicolored, and patterned surface that appear inverted when viewed with one eye, as well as methods of making the same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a three-dimensional object having a three-dimensional image when viewed by two eyes of a human subject, the three-dimensional image of the object appearing inverted when viewed by a single eye of the subject at a selected angle, the object comprising at least one sheet having at least two selected edges, a contoured outer edge and a surface on which a two-dimensional pattern is formed, at least two of the selected edges of the sheet being attached to each other at an angle of greater than about 25 degrees such that a composite three-dimensional object having at least three interior surfaces and a contoured edge is formed therefrom. The three-dimensional object can further include indicium extending along a portion or all of intersection and fold lines that result when such objects are formed. The interior surfaces can further include patterns, indicia, features and protruding edges. A plurality of the three-dimensional objects can also be connected together in any manner, such as, for example, in series, as a diorama, or in a shadow box, etc.
Further in accordance with the invention, there is provided a method of creating an inverted image of a three-dimensional object, the method comprising: providing at least one sheet having a first surface, a contoured edge, and at least two selected edges, forming a patterned two-dimensional image on the first surface, forming a first composite three-dimensional object from the at least one sheet by attaching at least two of the selected edges at an angle of greater than about 25 degrees such that the composite comprises at least three interior surfaces and a contoured outer edge, and holding and moving the composite three-dimensional object in a line of sight of a single eye of a human subject at an angular disposition such that the three-dimensional image of the object is aligned in a perspective or isometric view along the line of sight of the single eye.
The method further includes imparting movement to the three-dimensional objects in order to create the appearance of animation objects, especially when such three-dimensional objects are connected.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For purposes of clarity, not every component is labeled in every figure.
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Gathering for Gardner II “Hyper House” and Missing Wheel by Jerry Andrus© 1994.
The Exploratorium Science Snackbook Series, “The Cheshire Cat & Other Eye-Popping Experiments on How We See the World,” Paul Doherty, Don Rathien, Exploratorium Teacher Insitute.
Paraskevas Andrew J.
Smith Cheri
Magic Eye, Inc.
Muir D. Neal
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C.
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