Puzzle game having members arrangeable into preselected sequence

Claim 1

Apparatus for playing a game or puzzle, said apparatus comprising a container defining a row of fixed compartments arranged side-by-side and a track providing interconnecting means between the ends of said row of fixed compartments; an oscillatable slide arranged in the container and defining a movable row of compartments arranged side-by-side, the two rows of compartments being located adjacent and substantially parallel to each other; a plurality of members of at least two identifiable kinds, there being at least one member of each kind; the number of compartments in said slide being at least one more than the number of said fixed compartments, each compartment of each row being of a size such as to accommodate only one of said members and each compartment in each row having an open end adjacent the compartments of the other row to permit entry to or exit from each compartment of a member, the slide being arranged for oscillation between two extreme positions in each of which the open end of a respective end compartment of the slide is positioned to communicate with said track in the container and the open ends of the remaining compartments of the slide are in alignment with the open ends of the fixed compartments; indicator means to indicate at least one pre-selected sequence into which the members are to be arranged in one or other row of compartments or in the track, the interior of at least part of the container being visible from outside the container to enable the sequence of members to be observed; and means operative to permit the sequence of the members to be changed from an initial sequence through one or more intermediate sequences into a final sequence corresponding to the pre-selected sequence indicated by the indicator means, the members being movable between the fixed compartments and the compartments in the slide and through the track by tilting of the container and by oscillation of the slide between its two extreme positions and the sequence being changed by operation of the sequence-changing means.