EP0109181A1 - Système de construction de jouet/modèle - Google Patents

Système de construction de jouet/modèle Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0109181A1
EP0109181A1 EP83306154A EP83306154A EP0109181A1 EP 0109181 A1 EP0109181 A1 EP 0109181A1 EP 83306154 A EP83306154 A EP 83306154A EP 83306154 A EP83306154 A EP 83306154A EP 0109181 A1 EP0109181 A1 EP 0109181A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
unit
lugs
projections
type
spigot
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
Application number
EP83306154A
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German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0109181B1 (fr
Inventor
John A. Inskip
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.)
Brannelly David George
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to AT83306154T priority Critical patent/ATE55916T1/de
Publication of EP0109181A1 publication Critical patent/EP0109181A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0109181B1 publication Critical patent/EP0109181B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime 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
    • A63H33/065—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements using elastic deformation

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a building toy or model system particularly having modular units and to such units.
  • the aim is to provide a system that has greater flexibility or other advantage, at least in certain circumstances, over well-known and popular systems relying on interference fitting relative to studs in faces of modular members.
  • building is restricted by requirements at least partially to superpose studded and receiving faces of the modular members.
  • Those faces are generally simply the opposite faces of standard or basic modular members of the system.
  • such systems often further lead to provision of an overly large number of special-purpose pieces.
  • modular members can be provided, even where, as is preferred, the projections are within the thickness of such members, and walls, skins, frames can be built up without undue and/or clumsy thickness.
  • modular members hereof may be in the form of peripheral frames with optional covers, thus enabling construction of skeletal forms or covered shells.
  • modular members have edge projection formations of two types each to interfit with the other type on another modular member.
  • edge projection formations afford a choice of relative angular positions of interengaged members.
  • edge projection formations afford a choice of hinged and non-hinged interengagement of modular members.
  • Basic modular members have straight edges with said projections, preferably with at least one of each type on different edges thereof. Rectangular, specifically square, and triangular elements will be described, but should not be taken as limiting, either to equal- length sides or to all-straight-sided shapes of members.
  • preferred embodiments hereof have projections of one type, called male, in the form of lugs with sideways, spigot-like protrusions; and projections of the other type, called female, in the form of lugs with grooves capable of accommodating male spigot-like protrusions.
  • the spigot-like protrusions of each set should all be aligned together.
  • the lugs of each set corresponding to a side of a modular member to be staggered and alternating as to their heights relative to the thickness of the member, basically to opposite sides of the axis of hinging, but always with their spigot-like protrusions or grooves at the same medial- thickness of the member. Then, each of intercalating sets of lugs will have its lugs engaged from both sides.
  • preferred embodiments hereof also have projections of one type, called male, in the form of lugs with thickenings or ribs; and projections of the other type, called female, in the form of lugs with recesses or grooves.
  • the lugs of each type should be staggered and alternating as to their positions in the thickness of the modular member, but now the lugs of the two types will register in position along a side of the member and be capable of being pushed together with lugs of one'type sliding over lugs of the other in alternating sequence for security of engagement via interengagement of the thickening or ribs and the recesses or grooves.
  • Both of hinging and non-hinging interengagement are readily provided for by appropriate positioning, in sets, of male lugs with sideways spigots extended as ribs on the lugs; and female lugs with spaced grooves from each side and capable of accommodating either of a said spigot or a said rib like extension. Gaps between such ribs and such grooves as lands can assure lateral location.
  • a half female or male type projection will usually be located at one end of each side of our modular members.
  • the spacing of the grooves/spigots on their respective projections from the sides of the modular members are readily set so as to assist interengagement of modular members at angles other than 90 0 or 180 0 .
  • the ends of at least the female type projections may be chamfered to further assist interengagement.
  • the modular members may further comprise decorative or distinguishing means removably attachable thereto.
  • the distinguishing means may in one embodiment comprise the aforesaid covers each being a substantially planar member adapted to engage and fill-in a recess or the like in the modular member.
  • the planar member which serves as an in-fill member may in a further embodiment comprise a skirt portion depending from one surface of the planar member, the skirt portion being adapted to interengage and interfit the recess, or a hole through the modular member as for a frame-like modular member.
  • the skirt portion is preferably spaced from a peripheral portion of the planar member, so as to permit the peripheral portion to overlie the one or more sides of the modular member.
  • the skirt portion is preferably adapted to friction-fit recess or the like of the planar member.
  • the recess or the like has preferably the same dimensions as the skirt portion so that the recess or the like may positively interengage and interfit with the skirt portion.
  • the planar member may be identifiable by sight, preferably colour and/or pattern, and/or by touch, preferably texture.
  • the modular member may be formed by moulding, for example injection moulding, a synthetic polymeric material, such as a general purpose polystyrene, polypropylene or reinforced nylon.
  • a synthetic polymeric material such as a general purpose polystyrene, polypropylene or reinforced nylon.
  • a building system module of resilient plastics material has a generally open square body 10 having sides 11 of much less width and depth than their length. On each side 11 are a series of lug-like projections for interengagement with complementary lug-like projections of other modules.
  • the male type comprises a pair of rod-like-spigots 15 extending generally parallel to the module sides in opposite directions from a lug 16.
  • the spigot formations 15 extend partially above the top or bottom surface 17 of the associated lug 16 depending on the orientation of the module. As shown, such extensions are alternately above top and bottom surfaces from one lug to the next.
  • the female type projection comprises a lug 20 having a pair of grooves 21 in top or bottom surfaces thereof for accommodating the spigots of the male type projections. Again, as shown, the grooves 21 alternate in being in top and bottom surfaces from one lug to the next.
  • each side is a one-sided or half projection for both male and female sets of projections.
  • the sets of male projections have their spigots 18 all in alignment, effectively to define an axis of rotation that is at one half of the thickness of the module along associates sides and positioned spaced both from free ends and from bottom of the lugs.
  • the sets of female grooves are aligned and positioned for the same purpose when mated intercalatingly with a male set for hinged interconnection.
  • each lug 16 will engage grooves 21 of two flanking lugs 20 from opposite sides and the same clearly applies to the grooved lugs 20 and flanking spigoted lugs 16, so that a secure hinged interengagement is achieved.
  • each of the spigots 15 over the top or bottom surface of lugs 16 is also such as to be accommodated by the grooves 21 in the lugs 20, and the widths of the lugs as well as the spaces on each lug between ends of its spigot or groove formations permit of the lugs 16 and 20 being interconnected in superposition (see Figure 7) giving a substantially rigid, no hinged interconnection with the modules concerned essentially coplanar.
  • Engagement of modules is achieved by pushing complementary projections together in the desired orientation of the modules until the spigots 15 are in the grooves 21.
  • the resilience of the module material allows some deformation of the projections to facilitate this.
  • chamfered ends 25 of the female type projections can facilitate the push engagement of the modules-.
  • a single further module is secured to the previously coupled modules in a hinged relationship.
  • the connexion so formed between the additional modules is substantially co-planar and rigid or non-hinged, and the four relatively secured modules are in cruciform relation.
  • Figure 1 represents a development, from a module where similarly lugged sides were disposed oppositely, but no particular disadvantages in use is seen in the latter as an alternative or additional option to what is shown. However, for manufacture, that shown will need no relative inversion of the lug formations of the same type.
  • Figure 8 shows a triangular module 40 with two female and one male side otherwise the same as for Figure 1. It will, of course be useful also to provide a triangular module with two male and one female side.
  • a substantially planar in-fill member 50 is shown in Figure 9 having a skirt 52 depending therefrom and spaced from a peripheral portion 54 thereof.
  • the in-fill member is adapted to engage and interfit a central recess 70 in a module and serves to distinguish modules relative to each other.
  • the skirt is adapted to friction fit the recess, whilst the peripheral portion 54 can overlie the sides of the module. It will be evident that similar provision may be made for the triangular module.
  • modules of any geometric shape with at least one straight side normally a plurality such as rectangles and other polygons, are included within the scope of the invention.
EP83306154A 1982-10-15 1983-10-12 Système de construction de jouet/modèle Expired - Lifetime EP0109181B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT83306154T ATE55916T1 (de) 1982-10-15 1983-10-12 Spielzeug/modell-bausystem.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8229559 1982-10-15
GB8229559 1982-10-15

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0109181A1 true EP0109181A1 (fr) 1984-05-23
EP0109181B1 EP0109181B1 (fr) 1990-08-29

Family

ID=10533635

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP83306154A Expired - Lifetime EP0109181B1 (fr) 1982-10-15 1983-10-12 Système de construction de jouet/modèle

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0109181B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE55916T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE3381846D1 (fr)

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4606732A (en) * 1984-06-15 1986-08-19 Ronald Lyman Interlocking toy building blocks with interconnecting, releasable hinges
GB2205085A (en) * 1987-05-29 1988-11-30 David Graham Clive Negal Panels for demountable structures
US4902259A (en) * 1983-03-30 1990-02-20 Novation Design Ltd. Connectable polygonal construction modules
US5104345A (en) * 1990-03-09 1992-04-14 Lyman Ronald L Toy construction set formed from plural building blocks
US5259803A (en) * 1991-04-09 1993-11-09 Lyman Ronald L Toy construction set featuring gears and radiant connectors
US5501626A (en) * 1994-10-20 1996-03-26 Harvey; Edward H. Polygonal element for constructing polyhedral structures in the form of a flexible peripheral frame
WO1998030808A1 (fr) * 1997-01-06 1998-07-16 Eric Parein Connexion charniere
US5895306A (en) * 1996-01-10 1999-04-20 Seven Towns Limited Polygonal puzzle kit capable of three-dimensional construction, such as toy construction
US6142848A (en) * 1992-08-28 2000-11-07 Geo Australia Pty. Limited Educational toy components
WO2002047781A1 (fr) * 2000-12-15 2002-06-20 Harald Berns Element de construction en matiere plastique servant a construire des corps creux a stabilite dimensionnelle
US7118442B2 (en) * 2002-05-30 2006-10-10 Universite Laval Construction members for three-dimensional assemblies
GB2502546A (en) * 2012-05-30 2013-12-04 Cedarberg Ltd A modular construction set
EP2918321A1 (fr) * 2014-03-14 2015-09-16 Michael James Acerra Système de construction utilisant un connecteur avec des doigts de contact

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1108410A (fr) * 1954-07-06 1956-01-12 Cube pour jeux d'enfants pouvant être utilisé comme boîte, plus spécialement dans la confiserie
US2776521A (en) * 1954-10-27 1957-01-08 Elmer L Zimmerman Construction toy
DE1953944A1 (de) * 1968-10-29 1970-05-06 Unilever Nv Zahnpasten
DE1603624A1 (de) * 1967-12-23 1971-11-25 Fritz Steiner Bauspielzeug mit plattenfoermigen Bauelementen
DE2356930A1 (de) * 1973-11-14 1975-05-15 August Mayr Bauelementensatz fuer spielzwecke
GB1442602A (en) * 1972-12-20 1976-07-14 Moulded Plastics Birmingham Lt Constructional apparatus for recreational and/or educational and display purposes
US4055019A (en) * 1972-02-03 1977-10-25 Edward Henry Harvey Constructional toy and element therefor

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1108410A (fr) * 1954-07-06 1956-01-12 Cube pour jeux d'enfants pouvant être utilisé comme boîte, plus spécialement dans la confiserie
US2776521A (en) * 1954-10-27 1957-01-08 Elmer L Zimmerman Construction toy
DE1603624A1 (de) * 1967-12-23 1971-11-25 Fritz Steiner Bauspielzeug mit plattenfoermigen Bauelementen
DE1953944A1 (de) * 1968-10-29 1970-05-06 Unilever Nv Zahnpasten
US4055019A (en) * 1972-02-03 1977-10-25 Edward Henry Harvey Constructional toy and element therefor
GB1442602A (en) * 1972-12-20 1976-07-14 Moulded Plastics Birmingham Lt Constructional apparatus for recreational and/or educational and display purposes
DE2356930A1 (de) * 1973-11-14 1975-05-15 August Mayr Bauelementensatz fuer spielzwecke

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4902259A (en) * 1983-03-30 1990-02-20 Novation Design Ltd. Connectable polygonal construction modules
US4606732A (en) * 1984-06-15 1986-08-19 Ronald Lyman Interlocking toy building blocks with interconnecting, releasable hinges
AU593549B2 (en) * 1984-06-15 1990-02-15 Fantasy Toys, Inc. Interlocking toy building blocks with interconnecting, releasable hinges
GB2205085A (en) * 1987-05-29 1988-11-30 David Graham Clive Negal Panels for demountable structures
US5104345A (en) * 1990-03-09 1992-04-14 Lyman Ronald L Toy construction set formed from plural building blocks
US5259803A (en) * 1991-04-09 1993-11-09 Lyman Ronald L Toy construction set featuring gears and radiant connectors
US6142848A (en) * 1992-08-28 2000-11-07 Geo Australia Pty. Limited Educational toy components
US5501626A (en) * 1994-10-20 1996-03-26 Harvey; Edward H. Polygonal element for constructing polyhedral structures in the form of a flexible peripheral frame
US5895306A (en) * 1996-01-10 1999-04-20 Seven Towns Limited Polygonal puzzle kit capable of three-dimensional construction, such as toy construction
WO1998030808A1 (fr) * 1997-01-06 1998-07-16 Eric Parein Connexion charniere
US6301747B1 (en) 1997-01-06 2001-10-16 Eric Parein Resilient hinge connection and CD holder box or photograph frame utilizing the same
WO2002047781A1 (fr) * 2000-12-15 2002-06-20 Harald Berns Element de construction en matiere plastique servant a construire des corps creux a stabilite dimensionnelle
US7118442B2 (en) * 2002-05-30 2006-10-10 Universite Laval Construction members for three-dimensional assemblies
GB2502546A (en) * 2012-05-30 2013-12-04 Cedarberg Ltd A modular construction set
EP2918321A1 (fr) * 2014-03-14 2015-09-16 Michael James Acerra Système de construction utilisant un connecteur avec des doigts de contact

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0109181B1 (fr) 1990-08-29
DE3381846D1 (de) 1990-10-04
ATE55916T1 (de) 1990-09-15

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