EP0476955A1 - Constructional toy - Google Patents
Constructional toy Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0476955A1 EP0476955A1 EP91308444A EP91308444A EP0476955A1 EP 0476955 A1 EP0476955 A1 EP 0476955A1 EP 91308444 A EP91308444 A EP 91308444A EP 91308444 A EP91308444 A EP 91308444A EP 0476955 A1 EP0476955 A1 EP 0476955A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- securing means
- bores
- toy construction
- construction kit
- directions
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
- A63H33/00—Other toys
- A63H33/04—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
- A63H33/10—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled by means of additional non-adhesive elements
Definitions
- This invention relates to a toy construction kit of the type having a plurality of small components capable of assembly into a larger structure.
- a toy construction kit comprising a plurality of modular units adapted for securement relative to one another with elongated securing means through bores thereof, the securing means affording less frictional contact area with the modular members than a securing means of same cross section as said bores.
- the securing means have spaced areas of frictional contact with said bores.
- said securing means are co-operable with each other to form composite securing means of greater length.
- the modular units are preferably adapted for securement relative to at least one further unit in any one of three directions, these directions being defined by bores in the modular unit, which may be through-bores or blind bores.
- the directions are preferably orthogonally arranged with respect to each other.
- the directions may conveniently be along or parallel to the three major axes of a cuboid modular unit to enable a compact structural solid to be assembled.
- the elongated securing means may be rods, pegs, dowels etc., and are adapted to give a friction fit in said bores.
- the securing means are conveniently sized at two standard bore lengths to enable two secured units to lie adjacent one to the other.
- one securing means may join any number of modular units together, the number of units depending on the length of the securing means.
- the securing means are preferably rods of unit length.
- the co-operable parts are at either end of each rod and could consist of a protrusion in the end of one rod co-operable with a recess in the end of another but are preferably identical each comprising at least two members each with grooves or recesses which push-fit together with those of a second rod to form an interlocking joint, in this manner composite rods may be made up of two or more rods.
- a preferred means to reduce friction is to minimise the contact between the rod surface and the bore interior preferably by providing discontinuous or point contact about a cross-section of the bore whilst substantially continuous contact is maintained along a length of bore to aid sliding of rod in bore.
- any interlocking joint engaged with a bore preferably exhibits minimal contact between its contacting surfaces and bore surface.
- the units and securing rods are preferably made from wood or synthetic polymeric material such as a thermoplastic material.
- a preferred thermoplastic material is a medium impact food approved polymer, such as acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene.
- the thermoplastic material may contain an additive to improve slip characteristics if so desired. Such an additive could be a silicone-based compound.
- a modular building unit 1 is a cuboid and has each opposite pair of faces interconnected by through-bores 6 extending between said faces.
- One opposite pair of faces i.e. major faces 5 has through-holes 6 arranged in three rows and two columns.
- Other opposite pairs of faces i.e. the end faces 7 and side faces 8 have two and one through bores respectively, located between rows and columns of the three x two array of the major faces 5.
- the three x two array is convenient but any m x n array would be possible where m represents a number of rows and n a number of columns.
- other pairs of opposite faces 7 and 8 would have (m-1) and (n-1) through-bores respectively.
- Figure 1 shows the end faces 7 having one through-bore 9 and the side faces 7 having two through bores 10.
- the modular unit 1 is made up of two components 2 and 3 which are secured together to form a structurally bonded joint 4.
- Each component 2 and 3 is formed by injection moulding a synthetic polymer material, preferably acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene.
- the through-bores 9 and 10 are formed as open channels during the moulding of components 2 and 3 and form enclosed through-bores when the components 2 and 3 are welded together.
- the through-bores 6 are formed during the moulding of components 2 and 3.
- through-bores may be formed by drilling through a pre-formed solid member 1.
- securing means 12 are shown engaged in modular unit 1.
- the securing means 12 are pegs which are frictionally engaged within the through-bores 6,9 and 10,
- the pegs 12 are push-fitted into each through-bore and have engaging surfaces 13 which abut an inner surface of the bore, said engaging surfaces 13 running preferably continuously along a length of peg 12.
- the peg 12 is adapted for securement to further pegs at either end.
- Each peg end is provided with extending formations 16 which are capable of interlocking with identical extending formations on a second peg end.
- the peg 12 comprises two identical elongate members 15 united by a web 14.
- the members 15 each show two narrow engaging surfaces 13 which run along their length continuously, giving four such surfaces in all.
- this shape also gives an advantageous reduction in material over a solid peg.
- a further reduction in material may be achieved by removal of material from the web 14 to leave slots 20.
- the interlocking formations 16 are extensions of members 15 beyond the web 14 these extensions 16 forming with the web a slot 17 whose end face 18 is preferably flat. When two pegs 12 are brought together their extensions 16 may be pushed together until the flat ends 18 abut each other, forming a stop to movement. Each extension 16 abuts at its inner face 19 the web 14 forming a friction fit.
- the joint also has four engaging surfaces 13 and although their area is increased interface friction between the engaging surfaces 13 and the bore is still at a relatively low level to ensure the peg and joint may pass through a bore.
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- Toys (AREA)
- Reverberation, Karaoke And Other Acoustics (AREA)
- Acyclic And Carbocyclic Compounds In Medicinal Compositions (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to a toy construction kit of the type having a plurality of small components capable of assembly into a larger structure.
- It is known to have a building kit in which modular units having bores may be assembled together via connecting means, such as rods, which engage in said bores. However the connecting means may not provide a strong enough link between modular units or else if a strong link is provided it may require great force to assemble the components into structures or dismantle them again.
- Also it is desirable to provide as many options to users as is possible whilst minimising the variety of components in the kit, to that end it would be advantageous if connecting means could be fitted together without any need for further securement.
- According to this invention there is provided a toy construction kit comprising a plurality of modular units adapted for securement relative to one another with elongated securing means through bores thereof, the securing means affording less frictional contact area with the modular members than a securing means of same cross section as said bores.
- Preferably the securing means have spaced areas of frictional contact with said bores.
- Preferably said securing means are co-operable with each other to form composite securing means of greater length.
- The modular units are preferably adapted for securement relative to at least one further unit in any one of three directions, these directions being defined by bores in the modular unit, which may be through-bores or blind bores. The directions are preferably orthogonally arranged with respect to each other. The directions may conveniently be along or parallel to the three major axes of a cuboid modular unit to enable a compact structural solid to be assembled.
- The elongated securing means may be rods, pegs, dowels etc., and are adapted to give a friction fit in said bores. For securement of modular units provided with equally sized blind bores the securing means are conveniently sized at two standard bore lengths to enable two secured units to lie adjacent one to the other. However it is advantageous to provide securing means of greater length to enable units to be secured apart from each other, e.g. in a space-frame. Where modular units have through-bores one securing means may join any number of modular units together, the number of units depending on the length of the securing means. To ensure flexibility of use while small securing means are the most common in the building kit it is advantageous to achieve a greater length where required by fitting together co-operable parts of the securing means. The securing means are preferably rods of unit length. Conveniently the co-operable parts are at either end of each rod and could consist of a protrusion in the end of one rod co-operable with a recess in the end of another but are preferably identical each comprising at least two members each with grooves or recesses which push-fit together with those of a second rod to form an interlocking joint, in this manner composite rods may be made up of two or more rods.
- To allow a smooth movement of rod in bore it is advantageous to reduce friction between a rod surface and a bore interior. A preferred means to reduce friction is to minimise the contact between the rod surface and the bore interior preferably by providing discontinuous or point contact about a cross-section of the bore whilst substantially continuous contact is maintained along a length of bore to aid sliding of rod in bore. In addition any interlocking joint engaged with a bore preferably exhibits minimal contact between its contacting surfaces and bore surface.
- The units and securing rods are preferably made from wood or synthetic polymeric material such as a thermoplastic material. A preferred thermoplastic material is a medium impact food approved polymer, such as acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene. The thermoplastic material may contain an additive to improve slip characteristics if so desired. Such an additive could be a silicone-based compound.
- The invention will now be further described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:-
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a modular unit according to one embodiment of the invention with securing means fitted therein;
- Figure 2 is a side elevation of the modular member of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is a side elevation of the securing means of Figure 1;
- Figure 4 is a section on line AA of Figure 3;
- Figure 5 is a section on line BB of Figure 3;
- Figure 6 is a section showing a second securing means.
- Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings a modular building unit 1 is a cuboid and has each opposite pair of faces interconnected by through-
bores 6 extending between said faces. One opposite pair of faces i.e.major faces 5 has through-holes 6 arranged in three rows and two columns. Other opposite pairs of faces i.e. the end faces 7 and side faces 8 have two and one through bores respectively, located between rows and columns of the three x two array of themajor faces 5. The three x two array is convenient but any m x n array would be possible where m represents a number of rows and n a number of columns. Then other pairs of opposite faces 7 and 8 would have (m-1) and (n-1) through-bores respectively. - Figure 1 shows the end faces 7 having one through-
bore 9 and the side faces 7 having two throughbores 10. - The modular unit 1 is made up of two
components joint 4. Eachcomponent - The through-
bores components components bores 6 are formed during the moulding ofcomponents - In Figure 1 securing means 12 are shown engaged in modular unit 1. The
securing means 12 are pegs which are frictionally engaged within the through-bores pegs 12 are push-fitted into each through-bore and have engagingsurfaces 13 which abut an inner surface of the bore, saidengaging surfaces 13 running preferably continuously along a length ofpeg 12. - The
peg 12 is adapted for securement to further pegs at either end. Each peg end is provided with extendingformations 16 which are capable of interlocking with identical extending formations on a second peg end. - The
peg 12 comprises two identicalelongate members 15 united by aweb 14. Themembers 15 each show two narrowengaging surfaces 13 which run along their length continuously, giving four such surfaces in all. In addition to promoting ease of sliding of thepeg 12 in a bore this shape also gives an advantageous reduction in material over a solid peg. A further reduction in material may be achieved by removal of material from theweb 14 to leaveslots 20. Theinterlocking formations 16 are extensions ofmembers 15 beyond theweb 14 theseextensions 16 forming with the web aslot 17 whoseend face 18 is preferably flat. When twopegs 12 are brought together theirextensions 16 may be pushed together until the flat ends 18 abut each other, forming a stop to movement. Eachextension 16 abuts at itsinner face 19 theweb 14 forming a friction fit. - An interlocking joint so formed is shown schematically in Figure 6. The joint also has four
engaging surfaces 13 and although their area is increased interface friction between theengaging surfaces 13 and the bore is still at a relatively low level to ensure the peg and joint may pass through a bore.
Claims (10)
- A toy construction kit comprising a plurality of modular units (1) adapted for securement relative to one another with elongated securing means (12) through bores (10) thereof, characterised in that the securing means affords less frictional contact area with the modular units than a securing means of same cross section as said bores.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the securing means (12) have spaced areas (13) for frictional contact with said bores (10).
- A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said securing means (12) are cooperable with each other to form composite securing means of greater length.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the modular units (1) are adapted for securement relative to at least one further unit (1) in any one of three directions, which directions are defined by bores (10) of the modular unit.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, having though-bores.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, having blind bores.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 4, 5 or 6, characterised in that the directions are orthogonally arranged with respect to each other.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the directions are along or parallel to the three major axes of a cuboid modular unit.
- A toy construction kit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the securing means are rods (12) having longitudinal circumferentially spaced bore contacting surfaces (13).
- A toy construction kit as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 9, characterised in that ends (16) of securing means (12) are adapted for mutual interengagement.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB909020491A GB9020491D0 (en) | 1990-09-19 | 1990-09-19 | Constructional toy |
GB9020491 | 1990-09-19 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0476955A1 true EP0476955A1 (en) | 1992-03-25 |
EP0476955B1 EP0476955B1 (en) | 1995-04-12 |
Family
ID=10682462
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP91308444A Expired - Lifetime EP0476955B1 (en) | 1990-09-19 | 1991-09-16 | Constructional toy |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0476955B1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE120975T1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69108826D1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB9020491D0 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1993010873A1 (en) * | 1991-11-25 | 1993-06-10 | Paul Thomas Maddock | Toy building blocks |
WO1997045183A1 (en) * | 1996-05-31 | 1997-12-04 | Eric Clever | Genderless construction system |
US5993282A (en) * | 1996-09-20 | 1999-11-30 | Ernst; Max | Toy cube set |
US6899588B1 (en) | 1997-08-13 | 2005-05-31 | Eric Clever | Hermaphroditic (genderless) construction system |
GB2528572A (en) * | 2014-07-17 | 2016-01-27 | John Clark | Constructional kits |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1142471A (en) * | 1915-04-14 | 1915-06-08 | Harrie C White | Pin for children's building-blocks. |
DE514637C (en) * | 1931-01-10 | Johann Korbuly | A modular element consisting of a round wooden stick | |
DE2823440A1 (en) * | 1978-05-29 | 1979-12-13 | Schmidt Troschke Geb Troschke | Play frame with plug-in sections - has rods with slotted ends forced into holes in connector blocks |
GB2108857A (en) * | 1981-11-07 | 1983-05-25 | Derek David Sudlow | Building toy system |
-
1990
- 1990-09-19 GB GB909020491A patent/GB9020491D0/en active Pending
-
1991
- 1991-09-16 EP EP91308444A patent/EP0476955B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1991-09-16 DE DE69108826T patent/DE69108826D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1991-09-16 AT AT91308444T patent/ATE120975T1/en active
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE514637C (en) * | 1931-01-10 | Johann Korbuly | A modular element consisting of a round wooden stick | |
US1142471A (en) * | 1915-04-14 | 1915-06-08 | Harrie C White | Pin for children's building-blocks. |
DE2823440A1 (en) * | 1978-05-29 | 1979-12-13 | Schmidt Troschke Geb Troschke | Play frame with plug-in sections - has rods with slotted ends forced into holes in connector blocks |
GB2108857A (en) * | 1981-11-07 | 1983-05-25 | Derek David Sudlow | Building toy system |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1993010873A1 (en) * | 1991-11-25 | 1993-06-10 | Paul Thomas Maddock | Toy building blocks |
WO1997045183A1 (en) * | 1996-05-31 | 1997-12-04 | Eric Clever | Genderless construction system |
EP0958018A1 (en) * | 1996-05-31 | 1999-11-24 | CLEVER, Eric Conrad | Genderless construction system |
EP0958018A4 (en) * | 1996-05-31 | 2002-08-28 | Eric Conrad Clever | Genderless construction system |
US5993282A (en) * | 1996-09-20 | 1999-11-30 | Ernst; Max | Toy cube set |
US6899588B1 (en) | 1997-08-13 | 2005-05-31 | Eric Clever | Hermaphroditic (genderless) construction system |
US7198537B1 (en) | 1997-08-13 | 2007-04-03 | Eric Clever | Genderless construction system |
GB2528572A (en) * | 2014-07-17 | 2016-01-27 | John Clark | Constructional kits |
GB2528572B (en) * | 2014-07-17 | 2019-02-20 | Clark John | Constructional kits |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE69108826D1 (en) | 1995-05-18 |
EP0476955B1 (en) | 1995-04-12 |
ATE120975T1 (en) | 1995-04-15 |
GB9020491D0 (en) | 1990-10-31 |
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