EP0069141B1 - Assembly set - Google Patents

Assembly set Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0069141B1
EP0069141B1 EP82900353A EP82900353A EP0069141B1 EP 0069141 B1 EP0069141 B1 EP 0069141B1 EP 82900353 A EP82900353 A EP 82900353A EP 82900353 A EP82900353 A EP 82900353A EP 0069141 B1 EP0069141 B1 EP 0069141B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
trunk
assembly
units
width
set according
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.)
Expired
Application number
EP82900353A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0069141A1 (en
Inventor
Ole Gram
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
OLE GRAM AS
Original Assignee
OLE GRAM AS
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by OLE GRAM AS filed Critical OLE GRAM AS
Priority to AT82900353T priority Critical patent/ATE15864T1/de
Publication of EP0069141A1 publication Critical patent/EP0069141A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0069141B1 publication Critical patent/EP0069141B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • A63H33/06—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements
    • A63H33/08—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails
    • A63H33/084—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails with grooves

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an assembly set, particularly suited as a toy, comprising a plurality of substantially geometrically identical assembly units, each having a base plane which is a double cross with an elongate rectangular trunk on each side of which are attached two side branches.
  • Assembly units for toys, decorations, hobby use and other uses are known in various embodiments. But only in a few cases such units can be assembled exclusively with exactlv identical units in any number to form a coherent and continuous (flat) surface.
  • FR-A-2 006 187 an assembly set of identical units is disclosed.
  • the base plane of each unit is a square with one hole in the middle of the unit and with two side branches on each side of the square. But even if there were no holes, a plurality of these units will not be able to form a coherent and continuous surface.
  • From US-A-3 660 928 a set of building units is known including five basic inter-related units.
  • the base plane of one of these units is a double cross with an elongated, rectangular trunk on each side of which two side branches are attached. A plurality of identical units of this type cannot be combined to form a coherent and continuous surface.
  • the assembly set according to the invention is characterized in that the width of the trunk is one fifth of the length of the elongate rectangular trunk, in that the side branches are square shaped with a side length equal to the width of the trunk, and in that the side branches are positioned on the trunk at a spacing substantially equal to the width of the trunk and at a distance from the ends of the trunk equal to the width of the trunk.
  • the four side branches, the two end parts of the trunk measured up to the side branches hereafter called end pieces, and the middle part of the trunk between the side branches hereafter called the middle part, are congruent and for all practical purposes of the same size and shape as the spacing between the side branches. Either of the two spacings on each assembly unit will, therefore, each be able to accept a side branch or end piece of a similar assembly unit when the assembly units are placed with their bases either parallel or perpendicular to each other.
  • a particularly expedient embodiment of the assembly unit of the invention consists of an assembly unit which has its height, which is the distance between the two parallels base planes, equal to the width of the trunk.
  • the side branches, the end pieces, the middle part and the spacings are for all practical purposes identical and of a cubical shape. This will highly stabilize the assembled structure, particularly when it is three-dimensional, and will significantly improve the use of the assembly set.
  • the units may suitably be made of a resilient material.
  • a thermoplastic such as polyethylene.
  • the cubes which make up the side branches, the end pieces and the middle parts can be slightly larger than the spacings, in order to create a tension to improve the stability of the assembly.
  • it is possible to produce the units hollow for example by a process of blow molding or by fusion of two identical parts molding.
  • Particularly well suited is the method of blow molding which leaves the surface of the unit whole, because the units then can float even after being submerged in water. This will expand the uses of the assembly set to, for example, playing in the bathtub and on the beach.
  • the units In order to improve the resilient cohesion of the units, it is possible to manufacture the units in such a way that the walls of the side branches, the end pieces and the middle parts, which are meant to be connected, bulge outwards in such a way that the units have their largest cross-sectional area midway between the base planes. It is also possible to produce the units in such a way that the walls of the side branches, the end pieces and the middle parts, which are meant to be connected, have protrusions or patterns, for example ridges which are parallel with one or both of the sides of the walls, or small barbed undercuttings that would improve the adhesion without making disassembly excessively difficult.
  • the assembly unit may also be made of less resilient materials such as wood, tile, brick or concrete.
  • the cubical shapes which make up the end pieces, the side branches, and the middle parts can suitably be made somewhat smaller than the openings.
  • means to keep the units tight to each other in the narrow slits between the walls of the assembled units may, for example, be flat pieces of cardboard, plastic foam, plastic film or similar materials, with the shape of a square having the length of each side equal to the width of the trunk.
  • the means may be glue or cement.
  • the described assembly set of the invention provides many variations of assembled patterns and structures, particularly if a large amount of units in different colors are available.
  • the assembly set may include further assembly units of shapes different from that of the principal unit, suitably of the same height as the principal unit and including protrusions and spacings of the same size and format as those of the principal unit.
  • the invention therefore, also relates to a set of assembly units in which these complementary units occur among the originally described principal units, the latter units constituting a significant amount of the units, for example in relation to area, amount or consequence.
  • the drawing illustrates assembly units for an assembly set according to the invention.
  • Figure 1 shows the base plane of a single assembly unit 1 for an assembly set according to the invention.
  • a horizontally placed trunk 2 has four identical side branches 3 which are also identical to the two end pieces 4 of the trunk and the middle part 5 of the trunk.
  • the side branches 3 have been placed at a distance which is equal to the width of the trunk 2 from the nearest end 6 of the trunk 2.
  • the width of the trunk 2 is one-fifth of the length of the trunk 2.
  • Figure 2 shows in perspective a particularly suitable embodiment of the unit 1, where the height of the unit is equal to the width of the trunk. Because of this relation the side branches 3, the end pieces 4 and the middle part 5 and the two openings 7 are all of the same cubical shape and size. This is also shown in Figure 3 which shows the unit 1 from the side. Whereas Figure 3 shows the ideal shape Figure 4, which likewise shows the unit 1 from the side, shows an example of the slightly bulging walls 8 which are meant to increase the resilient cohesion between the units 1 when the walls 8 are placed in the openings 7.
  • FIG. 4 further illustrates that the unit 1 may be composed of two identical half parts 9 and 10.
  • Figure 5 shows two identical units 1 that have been assembled at right angles to each other, for example, as the beginning of a larger three-dimensional structure.
  • Figure 6 shows the most common way of combining the units 1 into a coherent continuous plane. Also shown are examples of complementary units 11 and 12 belonging to the set of assembly units, in the shape of an F and a T respectively.
  • Such complementary units can also for all practical purposes be viewed as being in the shape of a number of connected cubes, with the length of a side of a cube equal to the width of the module, which in turn is the width of the trunk.
  • Figure 7 is shown another type of assembly of the units 1 creating a coherent plane.
  • the units in the rows marked 13 are attached to each other, and the units in the row marked 14 are attached to each other, but the two rows 13 and 14 are not attached to each other but only placed close to each other.
  • units for the assembly set may be produced from other materials such as metal and plastic foam, and by other methods than those already mentioned. For example, by injection molding or thermo-forming.
  • the units may also have shapes that depart somewhat from the shown ideal shape, and the units may possibly lack one of the walls of the base planes, in which case they are more easily produced by thermo-forming.
  • the complementary units may be of shapes completely different from the shown complementary units, for example provided with heads and arms.
  • the units may also be used for other purposes than the mentioned. Besides being used as a toy, the units of two different colors may suitably be used for various types of games, for example "tick-tack-toe".
  • the advantage of using the units in board games is that the units can be used both as the board and the ponds.
  • the units may also be decorated and have glued-on pictures so that they can be used as puzzles.
  • decorations the units can, in different combinations, be used both in stores and in the home, for example, for Christmas decorations and mobiles.
  • the units may be made of altogether different materials and be used for tiles, lawn tiles, shelves and brackets and so on.
  • the units may also be used for educational purposes, ranging from models of atoms to educational means for development of the sense of space, creativity, sense of combination and sense of color. Planes of assembled units may also be used for the purpose of insulation.
  • combinations of different assembly toys can be made which mutually increase the value of each other.
  • the structure made of the combined assembly sets may be able to float on water because of the special properties of the assembly set units of the invention.

Landscapes

  • Toys (AREA)
  • Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
EP82900353A 1981-01-13 1982-01-12 Assembly set Expired EP0069141B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT82900353T ATE15864T1 (de) 1981-01-13 1982-01-12 Bauelementensatz.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DK11781A DK11781A (da) 1981-01-13 1981-01-13 Byggeelement isaer til legetoej
DK117/81 1981-01-13

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0069141A1 EP0069141A1 (en) 1983-01-12
EP0069141B1 true EP0069141B1 (en) 1985-10-02

Family

ID=8089939

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82900353A Expired EP0069141B1 (en) 1981-01-13 1982-01-12 Assembly set

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0069141B1 (ko)
JP (1) JPS58500101A (ko)
DE (1) DE3266586D1 (ko)
DK (1) DK11781A (ko)
NO (1) NO823089L (ko)
WO (1) WO1982002341A1 (ko)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4932812A (en) * 1987-03-26 1990-06-12 Schaaf Cecil F Intermeshable construction unit
WO1994015688A1 (en) * 1993-01-08 1994-07-21 Q.P.I. Consumer Products Corporation Interlockable foam tiles for use by children
US5605332A (en) * 1996-01-19 1997-02-25 Pixel Products Unlimited Pixelated puzzle
FR2774923A1 (fr) * 1998-02-18 1999-08-20 Aje Sarl Cube universel pour jeu de construction

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE670756C (de) * 1936-08-22 1939-01-24 Heinz Ihle Spielbaustein
DE727517C (de) * 1937-02-25 1942-11-05 Kurt Schiffler Plattenfoermiges Bauspielelement
DE805135C (de) * 1948-10-02 1951-05-07 Carl Carlberg Bauspiel aus Holz
GB1207290A (en) * 1968-04-13 1970-09-30 Giocattoli Di Botta Felice Ant Improvement in and relating to constructional toys
US3660928A (en) * 1970-08-28 1972-05-09 Jorge Picazo Michel Modular building blocks with interfitting grooved surfaces
AT350944B (de) * 1975-09-10 1979-06-25 Mueller Hermann Spielzeugbaukasten

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK11781A (da) 1982-07-14
JPH0453555B2 (ko) 1992-08-26
NO823089L (no) 1982-09-13
WO1982002341A1 (en) 1982-07-22
JPS58500101A (ja) 1983-01-20
EP0069141A1 (en) 1983-01-12
DE3266586D1 (en) 1985-11-07

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