WO2008051046A1

WO2008051046A1 - Assembly toy block set

Info

Publication number: WO2008051046A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/005310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Boung Jae Lee; Gyeong Seok Lee
Original assignee: Boung Jae Lee; Gyeong Seok Lee
Priority date: 2006-10-26
Filing date: 2007-10-26
Publication date: 2008-05-02
Also published as: KR20080037363A; KR100879263B1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an assembly-type toy block set for education. The assembly-type toy block set includes square plate members. A first plate member is configured such that respective female fitting portions are formed on four sides thereof. A second plate member is configured such that respective female fitting portions are formed on three sides thereof and one male fitting portion is formed on a remaining side thereof. A third plate member is configured such that respective female fitting portions are formed on two sides thereof and respective male fitting portions are formed on two remaining sides thereof. A fourth square plate member is configured such that one female fitting portion is formed on one side thereof and respective male fitting portions are formed on three remaining sides thereof. A fifth square plate member is configured such that respective male fitting portions are formed on four sides thereof.

Description

Description ASSEMBLY TOY BLOCK SET

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an assembly-type toy block set for education. More particularly, the present invention has been invented to stimulate children to develop their creativity by allowing hexahedral blocks to be formed through the sequential folding of pieces, which constitute five square plate members, and allowing the blocks to be assembled in various shapes, and to improve the development of intelligence of children by allowing various patterns, such as various pictures or alphabetic characters, to be drawn on the outer surfaces of the blocks, and enabling children to directly participate in a creation process ranging from an assembly step to a step of finally completing a three-dimensional structure, and, in addition, to encourage intellectual curiosity in the children, as well as achieve a visual effect by printing alphabetic characters, numbers and the like on the outer surfaces of the square plate members, and, at the same time, develop and improve the ability to understand and use the shape of an object. Background Art

[2] As children grow up, they acquire knowledge through various methods of study in nursery schools, public schools, private institutes and the like. Toddlers and children under age 7, who are in a developmental stage preceding study at such institutions, chiefly acquire a learning effect through play under the protection of their parents or guardians.

[3] Accordingly, adults stimulate the interest of toddlers or children, who are in a developmental stage preceding study, through various kinds of play, and also encourage the toddlers and children to engage in various kinds of play which can create a learning effect. For example, representative forms of play include picture drawing, puzzles, model assembly using toys, paper model assembly, and block building.

[4] The above-described paper model assembly is described below. Generally, a two- dimensional model or a three-dimensional model is manufactured through a process of folding pieces of two-dimensional paper in a predetermined order. In this case, paper- folding techniques may be used. In this process, children's interest can be attracted, the children can feel a sense of accomplishment upon completion of a model themselves, and the children's intelligence can be improved.

[5] Furthermore, blocks for children are manufactured so as to satisfy children's desires for play and, at the same time, achieve a learning effect. Accordingly, various assembly-type blocks have been developed because the assembly-type blocks are preferred in the interest of children's education.

[6] However, conventional assembly-type blocks attract children's interest and, at the same time, develop the children's intelligence by allowing the children to assemble and disassemble them in a fitting manner, but the children's interest is easily lost because the work is simple and repetitive. Particularly, in the case where the assembly-type blocks are paper models, they merely attract children's interest only until the completion step.

[7] That is, most completed paper models or blocks function as toys only for a short time after assembly. From that time, they no longer attract children's interest. Accordingly, most completed paper models are generally discarded after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

[8] Accordingly, toys, which can realize various kinds of play, such as picture drawing and writing on the outer surface of a completed structure, which can help the children feel a sense of accomplishment in a process of assembling various types of three- dimensional structures, such as blocks, and, at the same time, can increase their learning capacity, and which, in addition, are inexpensive and not dangerous to children, are required. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[9] Accordingly, the present invention has been researched and developed to solve the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an assembly-type three-dimensional structure, which enables a three-dimensional structure to be formed by allowing children to manufacture blocks using a plurality of plate members and connect the blocks, and enables the children to decorate it by allowing the children to directly draw pictures or write, thus not only realizing two kinds of play activity, that is, model assembly and drawing, but also thus enabling learning of various types of alphabetic characters or pictures, which are printed on the square plate members, while assembling the square plate members. Technical Solution

[10] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an assembly-type toy block set for education, including five kinds of square plate member, which is configured by varying the number of coupling protrusions of male fitting portions and the number of coupling slits of female fitting portions, each of the square plate member comprising male fitting portions and female fitting portions, which have a trapezoidal shape and extend a predetermined length outwards from four sides of a square plate member, coupling protrusions, which are formed inside the male fitting portion in a state in which folding lines are formed along four respective sides of the square plate member, and female fitting portions, which have respective coupling slits, which are formed such that the coupling protrusions of the male fitting portion are tightly fitted thereinto,

[11] wherein, of the square plate members, a first plate member is configured such that respective female fitting portions are formed on four sides thereof, a second plate member is configured such that respective female fitting portions are formed on three sides thereof and one male fitting portion is formed on a remaining side thereof, a third plate member is configured such that respective female fitting portions are formed on two sides thereof and respective male fitting portions are formed on two remaining sides thereof, a fourth square plate member is configured such that one female fitting portion is formed on one side thereof and respective male fitting portions are formed on three remaining sides thereof, and a fifth square plate member is configured such that respective male fitting portions are formed on four sides thereof, so that the five kinds of square plate member, which are configured by varying the number of male fitting portions and the number of female fitting portions, constitute a set of square plate members.

Advantageous Effects

[12] As described above, the assembly-type three-dimensional structure using cubes according to the present invention can help children develop their brains and feel a sense of accomplishment in a process of manufacturing various types of three- dimensional structures through the assembly of blocks.

[13] Furthermore, the assembly-type toy block set can realize two kinds of play activity, that is, model assembly and drawing, by allowing pictures to be drawn on the outer surface of a completed structure, can achieve a visual effect by allowing various patterns and colors to be printed on the front surfaces of square plate members, and can improve the children's ability to learn and the children's imagination by allowing both alphabetic characters and pictures to be printed so that the children can easily learn numbers and the names of objects. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing five kinds of pieces, which are a set of square plate members, according to the present invention;

[15] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a development view of a cube;

[16] FIG. 3 is a sequential view showing a process of assembling a block according to the present invention;

[17] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing the coupling of square plate members; and

[18] FIG. 5 is a coupling view showing an embodiment of the present invention. [19] *Description of reference numerals of principle elements*

[20] 1: square plate member 2: folding line

[21] 3: male fitting portion

[22] 4: female fitting portion

[23] 5: coupling protrusion 6: coupling slit

Mode for the Invention

[24] The present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings below.

[25] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing five kinds of pieces, which are a set of square plate members, according to the present invention.

[26] Each of the square plate members 1 includes one or more male fitting portions 3 and one or more female fitting portions 4, which have a trapezoidal shape and extend a predetermined length outwards from the four sides thereof.

[27] Folding lines 2 are formed on four respective sides of the square plate members 1.

The trapezoidal male and female fitting portions 3 and 4, which protrude outwards, are formed so that restoring force is applied thereto when folding is conducted along the folding lines 2.

[28] Furthermore, coupling protrusions 5 are formed inside the male fitting portions 3.

The female fitting portions 4, which are provided with coupling slits 6 having a predetermined shape, are formed to correspond to the coupling protrusions 5 of the male fitting portions 3 so that the coupling protrusions 5 are fitted thereinto.

[29] The coupling slits 6 of the respective female fitting portions 4 are cut with a blade.

In this case, the coupling slits 6 are cut to have a size in which the coupling protrusions 5 of the male fitting portions 3 are tightly fitted thereinto, rather than being cut to be completely separated from the female fitting portions 4.

[30] Five kinds of square plate member 1, which differ from each other, are provided using the coupling protrusions 5 of the male fitting portion 3 and the coupling slits 6 of the female fitting portion 4, while varying the number of coupling protrusions 5 and the number of coupling slits 6.

[31] Accordingly, of the square plate members 1, a first plate member 1 is configured such that respective female fitting portions 4 are formed on four sides thereof, a second plate member 1 is configured such that respective female fitting portions 4 are formed on three sides thereof and one male fitting portion 3 is formed on a remaining side thereof, a third plate member 1 is configured such that respective female fitting portions 4 are formed on two sides thereof and respective male fitting portions 3 are formed on two remaining sides thereof, a fourth square plate member 1 is configured such that one female fitting portion 4 is formed on one side thereof and respective male fitting portions 3 are formed on three remaining sides thereof, and a fifth square plate member 1 is configured such that respective male fitting portions 3 are formed on four sides thereof. The five kinds of square plate member 1, which are configured by varying the number of male fitting portions 3 and the number of female fitting portions 4, constitute a set of square plate members 1.

[32] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a development view of a cube.

[33] Various development views are used to manufacture the cube. In this case, the most typical development view is a cube development view. The cube development view is formed such that a total of six square plate members 1 are provided by selecting a square plate member 1 from among a set of square plate members 1, including five square plate members 1, and the coupling protrusions 5 of male fitting portions 3, which are formed on the respective boundaries of the sides of the square plate members 1, are folded along the folding lines 2 thereof and are tightly fitted into the respective coupling slits 6 of the female fitting portions 4.

[34] FIG. 3 is a sequential view showing a process of assembling a block according to the present invention.

[35] A coupling protrusion 5, which is formed on one side of one square plate member 1, is fitted into the coupling slit of another square plate member 1 and, subsequently, the coupling protrusion 5 or coupling slit 6 of a further square plate member 1 is coupled thereto in a fitting manner.

[36] In this case, when assembling the cube, the cube is configured such that one or more coupling protrusions 5 of the male fitting portions 3, which are formed on respective sides thereof, protrude outwards, and are fitted into the coupling slits 6 of other cubes.

[37] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing the coupling of square plate members.

[38] A coupling protrusion 5, which is formed on a male fitting portion 3, is tightly fitted into the coupling slits 6 of a female fitting portion 4. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the coupling protrusion 5a of a male fitting portion 3 is fitted into the coupling slit 6 of a square plate member 1, on one side of which a female fitting portion 4 is formed. In this case, in order to manufacture a tight cube such that movement thereof is prevented, the coupling protrusion 5, which is formed on the male fitting portion 3 of the square plate member 1, is fitted into the coupling slits 6 of the female fitting portion 4, and, subsequently, the connection of another square plate member 1 is made in the state in which restoring force is applied to the male fitting portion 3 and the female fitting portion 4 by folding them in the direction opposite a folding line 2. Accordingly, when the square plate members 1 are coupled in a fitting manner, the male fitting portions 3 and the female fitting portions 4 come into close contact with each other and are supported so as not to be released, so that, when other plate members are sequentially coupled thereto in a fitting manner, they are supported so as not to be moved. As shown in FIG. 4, which is partially enlarged, when the coupling protrusion 5 is fitted into the coupling slit 6 of the square plate member 1, the male and female fitting portions 3 and 4 are located parallel to the coupling protrusion 5.

[39] FIG. 5 is a coupling view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[40] The coupling of another cube is made in a manner in which coupling protrusions 5 are connected with coupling slits 6 by assembling a plurality of cubes, and thus three- dimensional structures having various shapes can be realized.

[41] Two kinds of play activity, that is, model assembly and drawing, can be realized because alphabetic characters or pictures can be directly drawn on, or stickers can be attached to the outer surface of a structure, which is completed by coupling the cubes. Furthermore, various patterns and colors are printed on the front surfaces of the square plate members, so that a visual effect can be achieved, and the children's ability to learn and the children's imagination can also be improved by allowing both alphabetic characters and pictures to be printed so that the children can easily learn numbers and the names of things.

[42] Various types of material, such as paper, corrugated cardboard, polyethylene, or polypropylene, may be used for the above-described square plate members 1.

Claims

[1] An assembly-type toy block set for education, comprising: five kinds of square plate member (1), which is configured by varying a number of coupling protrusions (5) of male fitting portions (3) and a number of coupling slits (6) of female fitting portions (4), each of the square plate member comprising male fitting portions (3) and female fitting portions (4), which have a trapezoidal shape and extend a predetermined length outwards from four sides of a square plate member (1), coupling protrusions (5), which are formed inside the male fitting portion (3) in a state in which folding lines (2) are formed along four respective sides of the square plate member, and female fitting portions (4), which have respective coupling slits (6), which are formed such that the coupling protrusions (5) of the male fitting portion (3) are tightly fitted thereinto, wherein, of the square plate members (1), a first plate member (1) is configured such that respective female fitting portions (4) are formed on four sides thereof, a second plate member (1) is configured such that respective female fitting portions (4) are formed on three sides thereof and one male fitting portion (3) is formed on a remaining side thereof, a third plate member (1) is configured such that respective female fitting portions (4) are formed on two sides thereof and respective male fitting portions (3) are formed on two remaining sides thereof, a fourth square plate member (1) is configured such that one female fitting portion (4) is formed on one side thereof and respective male fitting portions (3) are formed on three remaining sides thereof, and a fifth square plate member (1) is configured such that respective male fitting portions (3) are formed on four sides thereof, so that the five kinds of square plate member (1), which are configured by varying the number of male fitting portions (3) and the number of female fitting portions (4), constitute a set of square plate members (1).

[2] The assembly-type toy block set according to claim 1, wherein a total of six square plate members (1), which are provided by selecting a square plate member from among the set of square plate members (1), including five square plate members, are assembled into one cube, wherein the coupling protrusions (5) of the male fitting portions (3), which are formed on the respective boundaries of sides of the square plate members (1), are folded along folding lines (2) thereof and are tightly fitted into the respective coupling slits (6) of the female fitting portions (4).

[3] The assembly-type toy block set according to claim 2, wherein, when the cube is assembled, one or more coupling protrusions (5) of the male fitting portions (3), which are formed on respective sides thereof, are formed to protrude outwards, and are fitted into coupling slits (6) of another cube, thus manufacturing a three- dimensional structure. [4] The assembly-type toy block set according to claim 2, wherein alphabetic characters, pictures or the like are directly drawn on, or stickers are attached to a blank on an outer surface of the cube. [5] The assembly-type toy block set according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein surfaces of the cube can be printed to have a brick appearance. [6] The assembly-type toy block set according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cube comprises regular triangular plate members. [7] The assembly-type toy block set according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cube is made of paper, corrugated cardboard, polyethylene, or polypropylene material.