US3805441A

US3805441A - Strut members and connector rings with imperforate pierceable walls

Info

Publication number: US3805441A
Application number: US00218309A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Seubert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-01-08
Filing date: 1972-01-17
Publication date: 1974-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-23

Abstract

A construction kit embodying both elongate struts and ring shaped connectors enabling the construction of various designs and model structures. The connector rings are of a pliable material permitting the elongate struts to be conveniently inserted therein with the strut being subsequently positionable with respect to its angular relationship with the connector. Connector rings may be used in a combined manner for achieving further connector flexibility.

Description

United States Paten n91" Seubert STRUT MEMBERS AND CONNECTOR RINGS WITH IMPERFORATE PIERCEABLE WALLS [76] Inventor: Frederick J. Seubert, Rt. 3, Box

480, Eugene, Oreg. 92405 [22] Filed: Jan. 17, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 218,309

Related U.S.'Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 105,054, Jan. 8,

1971, abandoned.

[52] 11.8. C1. 46/29, 35/18 A, [51] int. Cl A63h 33/10 [58] Field of Search 46/29, 31; 35/18 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,996,832 8/1961 Rubin 46/26 x 2,765,580 10/1956 HEI'ISChafK 46/29 x 2,052,457 8/1936 French 451 Apr. 23, 1974 3,455,049 7/1969 Dyer et a1. 46/29 X 3,224,136 12/1965 Moryl 3,432,960 3/1969 Bombaci 46/29 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 344,665 3/1960 Switzerland 46/29 832,736 7/1938 France 49/29 Primary Examiner-F. Barry Shay Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Eugene D. Farley [57] ABSTRACT A construction kit embodying both elongate struts and ring shaped connectors enabling; the construction of various designs and model structures. The connector rings are of a pliable material permitting the elongate struts to be conveniently inserted therein with the strut being subsequently positionable with respect to its angular relationship with the connector. Connector rings may be used in a combined manner for achieving further connector flexibility.

3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures STRUT .MEMBERS AND CONNECTOR RINGS WITH IMPERFORATE PIERCEABLE WALLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending U. S. patent application Ser. No. 105,054 filed Jan. 8, 1971, now abandoned.

' The present invention relates generally to a construction kit comprising elongate structural members with flexible ring shaped connectors provided to enable the user to construct a wide variety of three dimensional designs or model structures. Well-known in the art are construction kits having wooden strut components with the connectors therefor being in the form of multiapertured wooden discs with construction restricted to definite angular relationships between adjacent struts.

Further, thenumber of struts joined by the connectors- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention is embodiedwithin a construction kit having pliable connector rings permitting the joining of the kits strut members'in most any desired angular relationship. Accordingly, a wide variety of small scale structures and designs may be assembled.

Geometric designs, scalemodels as well as geodesic,

structures may be readily assembled from the instant kit. Each elongate strut member is securely retained in place by engagement at its endswith the kits connectors resulting in a rigid structure when completed without the undesirable use of glue or other adhesive. Accordingly, the inserted ends of the kits strut members may be repeatedly engaged with a connector as many times and at various angles as is necessary to achieve the current design or structure being assembled. The nature of the material used for the ring-like connectors lends itself to-being easily penetrated or pierced by the strut ends with the same being retained by the gripping action of the penetrated connector material. Further, the inserted strut may thereafter be angularly adjusted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connector. Pointing of the strut ends facilitates connector-strut engagement with an awl component of the kit being included for use in forming of a pilot opening in the connector.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a construction kit capable of serving educational as well as recreational purposes. Students throughout a wide range of ages find the kit highly convenient for the forming of both geometric and geodesic forms for school projects as well as for their own enjoyment. Still others find the present construction kit useful in that it provides an outlet for the exercise of creative talents by reason of the many structural forms possible with the kit components.

An-additionally important object of low original cost wherein the components are of a reusable nature permitting repeated disassembly of structures formed and the re-assembly into other structures. Along this line it is to be noted that no special tools or equipment, cement or bonding agent is necessary as the connectors being of plastic stock exert a firm gripping action on the struts of the kit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing:

FIG, 1 is a view ofa fragmentary portion ofa geodesic structure constructed from the present kit,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2 2 of FIG. 1 showing a typical arrangement of ring shaped connectors and struts,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational. view of a connector ring,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a connector ring receiving strut ends and illustrating the versatile capability of the connector,

. FIG. 5 shows an awl component of the kit,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of connector and strut,

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a pair of ring connectors one of which is collapsed for retention within an outer ring connector, 7

FIG. 8 is an elevationalview of joined connector rings, and l FIG. 9 is a view of a modified strut end segment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With continuing reference to the above drawing wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarlyidentified in the following specification, the referencenumeral 10 indicates connector ring components of the kit. Included within the kit are a quantity of elongate struts indicated at 11 each being of a uniform length for each kit. Typically, kits marketed comprise from200 to 400 pieces with a uniform strut length of a kit ranging from 2 up to 6 inches. For the sake of convenience and low production costs the struts may be in the form of colored, double tapered wooden members widely marketed for various culinary purposes. Obviously other suitable materials may be used for the struts with the only requirement being a degree of rigidity. Further, if desired, the shapes and sizes of struts could be varied as the connector 10 is capable of receiving various cross-sectional shapes and sizes.

With particular attention to FIGS. 2 through 4, wherein details of the connector rings 10 are disclosed, each ring comprises a flexible, pierceable, annularly walled member surrounding and defining the axial bore of the ring, said member being formed from a flexible resinous plastic such as a soft vinyl with one suitable embodiment of a connector having an outside diameter of one-half inch and a wall thickness of approximately one sixteenth of an inch. The vinyl material used may be of the type commonly referred to as soft vinyl in the trade as of the type used in the manufacture of flexible tubing. The width (axial dimension) of the sleeve may also be varied with a suitable width being approximately three eighths of an inch with ring width somewhat dependent upon the cross sectional area of the inserted strut end. The extremely pliable nature of the connector is such that slight deformation of the connector will occur upon piercing insertion of the strut end as best viewed in FIG. 4. With continuing reference to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the struts position may be other than normal to the axis A of the connector ring and similarly may project outwardly and downwardly in other than a true radial relationship to said axis of the connector. As is readily apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, in the connector shown therein the circumference of the bore, that is, the internal circumference of the wall, exceeds six times the diameter of the strut ends, thereby enabling at least six struts to be inserted into the connector in about the same transverse plane.

A modified form of the kit may include struts of uniform length which may have blunted ends as seen on modified struts 12 in FIG. 6. For ease of strutconnector engagement an awl 13 (FIG. 5) is provided for conveniently piercing the annular wall to form pilot openings in the connector. In cases where the strut components are blunt ended, obviously a pilot hole is required. The connectors may also be varied, with a modified form indicated at 14 in FIG. 6. The modified form of the connector ring is of greater diameter than the connector first described and formed from a somewhat less flexible resinous plastic. With attention again to the struts 12 the same may be flexible wood members permitting, if desired, some curvature in the integrated strut members.

In FIG. 7, I disclose one form of engagement between connector ring and strut wherein the strut projects outwardly through the flexible connector ring wall. The greater the flexibility of the ring material the greater the angularity possible between the strut and the wall of the ring.

In FIG. 8, a pair of connectors are joined one within the other, as permitted by the flexible nature of the rings. The inner ring is collapsed by fingertip pressure for insertion into the outer ring with the inner ring held in place by biased frictional engagement with the outer ring by reason of the inner rings inherent tendency to return to its annular configuration. Struts may thereafter be inserted in the outer ring or the exposed portion of the inner, collapsed ring.

In use, a structure or design is progressively assembled with a single connector initially supporting inserted strut ends. The number of struts inserted and the angular relationship of same to one another and the connector will be determined, of course, by the geometric design or three dimensional structure being built. Each strut, subsequent to initial engagement with a connector, may be swung in an arcuate manner about its connector attachment point thereby allowing for corrections to be made during assembly without requiring removal and re-insertion of a strut. If necessary, the latter may be readily accomplished as the strut is readily separable from its connector ring.

If desired the blunt ended struts may be provided withan annular recess or groove as at 12A in FIG. 9 which groove serves to receive the surrounding perforated wall of the connector ring. The groove provides a more secure connection between the ring 14 and the end segment of the modified strut l2.

While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is desired to be secured under a Letters Patent is:

l. A construction kit from which three dimensional model structures may be assembled, said kit comprising,

a. elongate strut members each having end segments for passage in a radial manner through an annular wall of a connector ring, and

b. connector rings for interconnecting said multiple strut members in desired angular relationship, each of said connector rings being of a flexible synthetic resinous material and having a flexible, imperforate, annular wall surrounding and defining an axial bore whose circumference exceeds six times the diameter of said strut end segments, said wall being pierceable to provide openings therethrough for grippingly receiving strut end segments, the flexible nature of the annular wall permitting distortion of circumferentially spaced apart wall areas so that when said wall is so pierced and said strut ends are received in such pierced openings, each strut member may be swung in an arcuate manner about its ring attachment point to alter angular relationship of said strut member to the ring and to other strut members,

c. at least some of said strut member end segments having means for facilitating connector-strut member engagement when a pilot opening in the connector is used, and for making an opening in said wall when a pilot opening is not used.

2. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said strut members have pointed end segments facilitating wall penetration.

ings in the connector rings.

Claims

1. A construction kit from which three dimensional model structures may be assembled, said kit comprising, a. elongate strut members each having end segments for passage in a radial manner through an annular wall of a connector ring, and b. connector rings for interconnecting said multiple strut members in desired angular relationship, each of said connector rings being of a flexible synthetic resinous material and having a flexible, imperforate, annular wall surrounding and defining an axial bore whose circumference exceeds six times the diameter of said strut end segments, said wall being pierceable to provide openings therethrough for grippingly receiving strut end segments, the flexible nature of the annular wall permitting distortion of circumferentially spaced apart wall areas so that when said wall is so pierced and said strut ends are received in such pIerced openings, each strut member may be swung in an arcuate manner about its ring attachment point to alter angular relationship of said strut member to the ring and to other strut members, c. at least some of said strut member end segments having means for facilitating connector-strut member engagement when a pilot opening in the connector is used, and for making an opening in said wall when a pilot opening is not used.

3. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 additionally including a pointed tool for forming pilot openings in the connector rings.