Message #1984

From: David Vanderschel <DvdS@Austin.RR.com>
Subject: Re: [MC4D] Dioctipoid
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:12:59 -0600

I notice in the UK patent application for this puzzle
that the inventor is apparently trying to claim
coverage for an electronic simulation. I have my
doubts about whether that can hold up - since, at the
abstract level, we are just talking about tiles on the
surface of a sphere and permutations of them. (I
grant that there may be patentable matter at the
physical embodiment level for achieving a practical
implementation; but the figures depicting its
construction, which I looked at only briefly, were
hardly surprising.) However, all I can find is the
patent application, so I don’t know if the inventor
prevailed on the simulation aspect. Does anyone have
any insight on this issue?

Regards,
David V.

—– Original Message —–
From: "Eduard" <baumann@mcnet.ch>
To: <4D_Cubing@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2011 6:01 PM
Subject: [MC4D] Dioctipoid

> Dioctipoid is a very pleasent rotational mechanical
> puzzle equivalent to a face turning
> octahedron. Dioctipoid is written on the edge
> elements as an ambigramm so the edge elements are
> not oriented. The ambigramm is not necessary because
> these elements cannot return home with the wrong
> orientation. By coloring the face turning octahedron
> normally we have oriented corners, oriented edges
> and monocolored sides which are hence partially
> anonymous and not oriented. I propose to add to
> colored point in the corner of the triangular
> sticker of each side element which is the same as
> the color of the neighbouring side element on the
> other octahedron side. So the side elements become
> unique and oriented.

> The facesides in the 4D FT 24cell are also not
> unique and not oriented.