EP3383514B1 - Kit of construction elements - Google Patents
Kit of construction elements Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3383514B1 EP3383514B1 EP16843270.6A EP16843270A EP3383514B1 EP 3383514 B1 EP3383514 B1 EP 3383514B1 EP 16843270 A EP16843270 A EP 16843270A EP 3383514 B1 EP3383514 B1 EP 3383514B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- elements
- construction elements
- construction
- binding
- kit
- 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.)
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Classifications
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- 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
- A63H33/102—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled by means of additional non-adhesive elements using elastic deformation
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- 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
- A63H33/105—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled by means of additional non-adhesive elements with grooves, e.g. dovetails
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22C—FOUNDRY MOULDING
- B22C9/00—Moulds or cores; Moulding processes
- B22C9/02—Sand moulds or like moulds for shaped castings
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22C—FOUNDRY MOULDING
- B22C9/00—Moulds or cores; Moulding processes
- B22C9/08—Features with respect to supply of molten metal, e.g. ingates, circular gates, skim gates
- B22C9/082—Sprues, pouring cups
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22C—FOUNDRY MOULDING
- B22C9/00—Moulds or cores; Moulding processes
- B22C9/12—Treating moulds or cores, e.g. drying, hardening
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D15/00—Casting using a mould or core of which a part significant to the process is of high thermal conductivity, e.g. chill casting; Moulds or accessories specially adapted therefor
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D15/00—Casting using a mould or core of which a part significant to the process is of high thermal conductivity, e.g. chill casting; Moulds or accessories specially adapted therefor
- B22D15/04—Machines or apparatus for chill casting
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D21/00—Casting non-ferrous metals or metallic compounds so far as their metallurgical properties are of importance for the casting procedure; Selection of compositions therefor
- B22D21/002—Castings of light metals
- B22D21/007—Castings of light metals with low melting point, e.g. Al 659 degrees C, Mg 650 degrees C
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D25/00—Special casting characterised by the nature of the product
- B22D25/02—Special casting characterised by the nature of the product by its peculiarity of shape; of works of art
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
- B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
- B22D27/00—Treating the metal in the mould while it is molten or ductile ; Pressure or vacuum casting
- B22D27/04—Influencing the temperature of the metal, e.g. by heating or cooling the mould
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- 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
- A63H33/106—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled by means of additional non-adhesive elements with rotation, e.g. of bayonet type
Definitions
- the invention relates to a kit of construction elements.
- the construction element toys comprise a plurality of construction elements which can be put together (e.g. construction cubes) or can be engaged with each other (e.g. LEGO) without using any additional binding element. From those construction elements which are attached to each other by surface-fitting, a non-stable assembly can be formed, whereas with construction elements provided with integrated binding elements, only planar surfaces of limited size can be formed. Other construction element tools are also known, wherein openings are formed on the surface of the construction elements for receiving additional close-fitting binding elements (e.g. MySQL, Java). In these construction element toys, however, the construction elements are not defined by planar surfaces, thus by using such construction elements one cannot form continuous, joint planar surfaces.
- construction elements are not defined by planar surfaces, thus by using such construction elements one cannot form continuous, joint planar surfaces.
- Document GB 614245 A discloses a constructional toy outfit including a plurality of construction elements and a plurality of rod-like binding elements for connecting the construction elements, wherein the construction elements are in the form of square-based rectangles, and along at least one edge of each construction element a groove is formed for receiving a binding element.
- Each binding element is formed to fit into a groove along at least a part of its entire length, and the grooves of the construction elements and the binding elements are sized so that during use the construction elements are substantially in contact along their connecting surfaces.
- kit of construction elements including a plurality of construction elements and a plurality of rod-like binding elements for connecting said construction elements, wherein the construction elements are in the form of square-based rectangles, and wherein on at least one of the faces of each construction element perpendicular to the base thereof at least one groove is formed in parallel to its base, and along at least one edge of each construction element a groove is formed for receiving a binding element, wherein each binding element is formed to fit into a groove along at least a part of its entire length and further provided with securing members formed to engage with complementary securing members of said groove by form-fitting or force-fitting, and wherein the grooves of the construction elements and the binding elements are sized so that during use the construction elements are substantially in contact along their connecting surfaces.
- At least one longitudinal notch is formed in said grooves as securing member, and at least one longitudinal rib is formed on the binding elements as securing member, each rib being adapted to fit into a notch.
- at least one protrusion is formed in the grooves as securing member, and wherein the binding elements comprise at least one notch for receiving a protrusion.
- the construction elements are formed as square-based rectangles, wherein the height of the construction elements is a multiple of the edge length of the base.
- the construction elements and the binding elements are made of plastic.
- image fields are provided on the faces of the construction elements for presenting logical information.
- At least one construction element is formed of two or more cubes arranged on each other and held together by a central shaft having studs, and wherein the individual cubes can be rotated independently of each other around said central shaft.
- the construction elements may have a hollow core and may comprise an opening on at least one of their faces.
- kit of construction elements further includes a plurality of additional terminal elements, one of the faces of which is entirely flat, whereas the opposite face of said terminal elements comprises at least one binding element adapted for fitting to the construction elements, said binding elements being formed integrally to said terminal elements.
- the additional binding element is shaped by longitudinally halving a binding element, said additional binding element being arranged on one of the faces of the additional terminal element so as to fit into the groove of an adjacent construction element when they are attached.
- Figure 1 illustrates the general form of a construction element 10 of a kit of construction elements according to the present invention, said construction element having a form of a square-based rectangle, along the edges of which edge grooves 12 are formed.
- the lateral grooves 11 extend in parallel to the edges of the base, and preferably they are arranged at an equal distance from each other and from the base.
- the cross-section of the edge grooves 12 is a quarter circle, and in this case the cross-section of the lateral grooves 11 is a semicircle.
- the cross-sections of the edge grooves and the lateral grooves may have other shapes.
- rod-like binding elements 20 are provided, the preferred embodiments of which are shown in Figure 2 .
- the binding elements 20 have the same diameter, but their length may be different according to the available side lengths of the square-based construction elements 10. It is preferred that the length of the binding elements 20 is shorter than the side length of a particular construction element by the diameter of a binding element. Accordingly, during use further binding elements 20 can be inserted into the transversal grooves at the two ends of the binding elements 20 when they have already been inserted into the respective grooves of the construction elements 10.
- the construction elements 10, their grooves 11, 12 and the binding elements 20 are dimensioned so that during use the construction elements 10 are substantially in contact with each other along their connecting surfaces. Accordingly, the diameter of the binding elements 20 is substantially equal to the diameter of the grooves extending along the edges and on the lateral surfaces of the construction elements 10.
- the lateral grooves 11 of semicircle cross-section formed on their contacting faces together form a hole having the shape of a full circle, thereby being capable of receiving a binding element 20.
- a hole having the shape of a full circle is formed when four construction elements 10 are joined along their edges, or when two construction elements 10 joined along their edges are combined with a further construction element 10 attached to former ones by one of its face.
- the binding elements 20 may have a hollow core as shown, for example, in Figures 11 and 12 illustrating the binding elements of Figure 2d and 2j , wherein a through-hole is formed along their longitudinal axis.
- the assembled set of construction elements can be made even more stable by inserting a stiffening rod into the aligned binding elements 20, on the one hand, and due to the absence of material within the through-hole, the binding elements are lighter in weight and due to their capability of light transmission, they are also more spectacular, on the other hand.
- the outer surface of the binding elements 20 may have different colors so that different sub-groups of the construction elements can be visually distinguished from each other more easily.
- the majority of the construction elements 10 are formed to have at least one lateral groove 11 on each of four lateral faces thereof perpendicular to their base.
- the kit of construction elements may also contain construction elements 10 in which not all of the lateral faces perpendicular to the base comprise a lateral groove 11.
- a construction element 10 which comprises no lateral groove on its one, two or three lateral faces can be used only as a marginal construction element.
- the binding elements 20 may be provided with securing members 21 or 22 which can be attached by form-fitting to respective, complementarily shaped securing members 14, or 15, 16 of other construction elements 10.
- Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a possible way of binding.
- the securing members 21 are provided on the outer surface of the binding element 20 in the form of longitudinal ribs which fit into the complementarily shaped securing members 14 formed in the respective longitudinal grooves of the lateral groves 11, 12 of the construction element 10.
- four longitudinal ribs are preferably arranged at equal distance from each other as shown, for example, in Figures 2a, 2c, 2d and 2e , and accordingly, an associated notch 14 is formed in the grooves 11, 12 of the construction elements 10 at every quarter circle position.
- a binding element 20 is capable of connecting two adjacent construction elements 10 only if at least two of the four ribs formed on its surface fit into the respective notches of the attached construction elements, wherein said two notches belong to two adjacent construction elements 10 which contact each other along their edges or faces.
- two lateral grooves 11 of semicircle cross-section formed on a lateral face together form a through-hole of full circle cross-section.
- Each of the four longitudinal ribs of the binding element 20 inserted into the thus obtained through-hole engages with a respective notch of the opposite construction element 10, as it is shown in Figure 4 .
- the securing members 21 formed as ribs on the surface of the binding elements 20 extend along the entire length of a binding element 20, and similarly, the grooves 14 formed in the lateral and edge grooves also extend up to the extremities of a construction element 10.
- neither the ribs 21, nor the grooves 14 extend up to the extremities of the binding elements 20 and the construction elements 10, but they terminate at a certain distance a from the extremities, as illustrated in Figure 2c and Figure 9 . In this way the overprojection of an inserted binding element 20 beyond the extremities of the associated construction elements 10 can be eliminated, which primarily helps in easily assembling the construction elements.
- stability of the assembled construction elements 10 may also be enhanced by forming longitudinal notches 22 between the ribs 21, said notches serving as securing members on the surface of the binding elements 20. These notches are preferably arranged at an equal distance from the adjacent ribs.
- longitudinal protrusions 15, 16 extending towards the binding elements 20 are formed in the lateral grooves 11, 12 of the construction elements 10, as shown in Figure 5 .
- the lateral grooves 11 are preferably formed with three protrusions from which two protrusions 15 are formed as a longitudinal flange of the groove, whereas a third protrusion 16 is arranged in the center of the groove 11, at an equal distance from the other two end protrusions 15.
- the binding elements 20 have only one design within a particular kit, said design being available for use in any combination of the construction elements. Accordingly, the notches 22 are dimensioned so that a single notch 22 is capable of receiving two protrusions 15 at the same time or only one protrusion 16.
- the thickness of a protrusion 16 is therefore twice of the thickness of a protrusion 15.
- Figure 6 illustrates another possible solution, wherein the construction elements 10 have no such a central protrusion 16 at all.
- the insertion of a binding element 20 between the adjacent construction elements is not necessary until a complete through-hole of a full circle cross-section is formed therefrom (although in case of form-fitting connections, it is always possible).
- the binding elements 20 may be inserted between the construction elements 10 by snapping or, when the ribs 21 and the notches 14 extend up to the extremities of the binding elements and the construction elements 10, respectively, it may be done also by sliding.
- the construction elements 10 and the binding elements 20 are made of a material that allows slight flexible deformation thereof, i.e. typically an elastic plastic material.
- Figure 11 shows a particular combination of the construction elements 10 and the binding elements 20 of the kit of construction elements, wherein the construction elements can be connected to each other by means of the binding elements 20 not only vertically, but also in a lateral direction.
- the construction elements have a rectangular form having a square base, wherein the height of the construction elements 10 is equal to the length of the edges of the square base or a multiple of the length of the edges of the square base. Accordingly, in such a kit the binding elements 20 are available with various lengths.
- Figure 10 shows a combination of square-based construction elements 10, wherein the height of the construction elements 10 may be equal to the length of an edge of the base, or even the double or the triple thereof. Accordingly, the binding elements 20 are also available with three different lengths.
- the lateral grooves 11, which are formed on the lateral faces perpendicular to the base, are spaced apart at a distance which corresponds to the length of an edge of the base.
- an image field may also be provided for presenting logical information.
- the logical information may include color information, figure or information represented in alphanumeric form.
- Figure 12 shows a combination of construction elements in an assembled form wherein various numbers are displayed on the faces of the construction elements. In this embodiment attaching the construction elements to one another should be carried out by taking the numbers into view according to predefined logical rules.
- the square-based rectangular construction elements 10 are not formed as one piece, rather they comprise multiple individual cubes defined by edges 11.
- the individual cubes are attached to each other by means of a central shaft 17 in such a way that the individual cubes can be independently rotated relative to each other around said central shaft 17.
- This embodiment allows for the construction elements 10, for example, to be attached to each other on the basis of various colour-figure combinations or alphanumeric information, according to even more complicated logical rules.
- Figure 13 illustrates such a square-based construction element 10 containing a triplet of cubes.
- the shaft 17 coupling the cubes comprises a disc 18 for each cube, said discs being accommodated in a respective hole within each cube.
- the terminal cubes may be made from two halves, said halves being joined after insertion of the shaft 17 into the cubes by means of gluing or other form-fitting engagement.
- the intermediate cubes it may be enough to provide them with a through-hole for receiving the shaft 17.
- the rectangular construction elements allow assembling any spatial configurations in which the adjacent construction elements provide continuous, joint planar surfaces. These planar surfaces allow, for example, to display visual information on the faces of the construction elements for logical tasks.
- the kit of construction elements according to the invention may also be used as a logical toy in itself, i.e. without presenting visual information, as long as it contains a plurality of construction elements of different sizes and/or shapes.
- Another advantage of the invention is that when it is used as a logical toy, the way of building a specific configuration is not restricted by the three-dimensional design of the construction elements, which is due to the fact that the construction elements are functionally arranged symmetrically with respect to the binding elements.
- three-dimensional logical toys if a toy includes a plurality of pieces, it is necessary that the construction elements are compatible and conform in terms of their size and connectivity. If a construction element comprises a binding element on one of its faces and a receiving part on its opposite face, then the use of the logical toy is also restricted by its three-dimensional design, which is an undesired effect. However, in case the player is allowed to decide on which face of a three-dimensional body is used as a receiving part or an intruding part, then the factor which limits the use of the logical toy can be eliminated.
- kit of construction elements according to the present invention is available not only for use as a toy, but it may be advantageously applied also in the field of the construction industry.
- the material of the construction elements and the binding elements, as well as their dimensions are selected so that they are adapted for building either indoor or outdoor constructions.
- the form-fitting or force-fitting engagement between the construction elements and the binding elements they are preferably made of materials which allow a rather precise shaping. These materials include, among others, the industrial plastics, such as HD polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, plexiglass, etc.
- a preferred embodiment of the kit of construction elements according to the present invention contains hollow construction elements with an aperture on at least one of its faces, wherein the internal cavity of the construction elements may be filled out with a specific material.
- the construction elements when used as building wall elements, they may be filled out with a heat insulating material, whereas in case of their use as a retaining wall, they may be filled out with soil or any other packing material, such as gravel or break-stone.
- the hollow construction elements have apertures on each of their faces, and in this case the construction elements may be filled out, for example, with a translucent material for decoration or functional purposes, or they may be left event empty for the same reasons.
- the kit of construction elements is supplemented with thin terminal elements 50, one of the faces 51 of which is entirely flat, whereas on the opposite face 52 thereof, there is at least one binding element 53 integrally formed from the material of the terminal element 50, said binding element 53 being adapted to fit to the construction elements 10.
- the binding element 53 has a shape produced by longitudinally halving an above-mentioned binding element 20 and arranging it at an appropriate position of the terminal element 50 so that it can fit to a respective lateral groove 11 of a construction element 10 and thereby the opposite faces of a terminal element 50 and an associated construction element 10 substantially abut against each other.
- the use of the terminal elements 50 allows making entirely flat wall surfaces.
- the construction elements are disassembled to panels and the three-dimensional bodies of the construction elements can be assembled from the separate panels by means of known fastening techniques, preferably by snap-fitting.
- the construction elements of the kit are preferably made of a material that is rigid enough for being used as a wall element while also being flexible enough to allow snapping said panels together.
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Description
- The invention relates to a kit of construction elements.
- In general, the construction element toys comprise a plurality of construction elements which can be put together (e.g. construction cubes) or can be engaged with each other (e.g. LEGO) without using any additional binding element. From those construction elements which are attached to each other by surface-fitting, a non-stable assembly can be formed, whereas with construction elements provided with integrated binding elements, only planar surfaces of limited size can be formed. Other construction element tools are also known, wherein openings are formed on the surface of the construction elements for receiving additional close-fitting binding elements (e.g. Babylon, Java). In these construction element toys, however, the construction elements are not defined by planar surfaces, thus by using such construction elements one cannot form continuous, joint planar surfaces.
- Document
GB 614245 A - It is an object of the present invention to eliminate some deficiencies of the known kits of construction elements, and to provide a kit, by means of which larger continuous, joint planar surfaces can be formed.
- The above object is achieved by providing a kit of construction elements including a plurality of construction elements and a plurality of rod-like binding elements for connecting said construction elements, wherein the construction elements are in the form of square-based rectangles, and wherein on at least one of the faces of each construction element perpendicular to the base thereof at least one groove is formed in parallel to its base, and along at least one edge of each construction element a groove is formed for receiving a binding element, wherein each binding element is formed to fit into a groove along at least a part of its entire length and further provided with securing members formed to engage with complementary securing members of said groove by form-fitting or force-fitting, and wherein the grooves of the construction elements and the binding elements are sized so that during use the construction elements are substantially in contact along their connecting surfaces.
- Preferably, at least one longitudinal notch is formed in said grooves as securing member, and at least one longitudinal rib is formed on the binding elements as securing member, each rib being adapted to fit into a notch. Preferably, at least one protrusion is formed in the grooves as securing member, and wherein the binding elements comprise at least one notch for receiving a protrusion. Preferably, the construction elements are formed as square-based rectangles, wherein the height of the construction elements is a multiple of the edge length of the base. Preferably, the construction elements and the binding elements are made of plastic. Preferably, image fields are provided on the faces of the construction elements for presenting logical information. It is preferred that at least one construction element is formed of two or more cubes arranged on each other and held together by a central shaft having studs, and wherein the individual cubes can be rotated independently of each other around said central shaft. The construction elements may have a hollow core and may comprise an opening on at least one of their faces.
- A preferred embodiment of the kit of construction elements further includes a plurality of additional terminal elements, one of the faces of which is entirely flat, whereas the opposite face of said terminal elements comprises at least one binding element adapted for fitting to the construction elements, said binding elements being formed integrally to said terminal elements.
- Preferably, the additional binding element is shaped by longitudinally halving a binding element, said additional binding element being arranged on one of the faces of the additional terminal element so as to fit into the groove of an adjacent construction element when they are attached.
- The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which
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Figure 1a is an axonometric view of the general form of the construction element, -
Figure 1b is an enlarged view of the part "A" ofFigure 1a , showing edge grooves of a construction element meeting at a corner thereof, -
Figure 1c is a top plan view of a generic construction element shown inFigure 1a , -
Figure 1d is an enlarged view of the part "B" ofFigure 1c , showing a top plan view of a lateral groove of a construction element, -
Figure 2a is a side view of a generic binding element provided with longitudinally extending ribs, -
Figure 2b is a side view of a generic binding element having a frictional surface, -
Figure 2c is a side view of a binding element provided with longitudinal ribs not extending up to the ends of the binding element, -
Figure 2d is a side view of a binding element having a through-hole, -
Figure 2e is a side view of a binding element provided with full-length ribs and notches, -
Figure 2f is a side view of a binding element provided with notches but having no ribs, -
Figure 2g to 2l are top plan views of the binding elements shown in the side views ofFigure 2a to 2f , respectively, -
Figure 3a is an exploded view of three construction elements and a binding element connecting them through ribs, -
Figure 3b is an enlarged view of the part "A" ofFigure 3a , -
Figure 4a is an exploded view of two construction elements and a binding element connecting them through ribs, -
Figure 4b is an enlarged view of the part "A" ofFigure 4a , -
Figure 5a is an exploded view of two construction elements and a binding element connecting them through ribs, wherein the lateral grooves of the construction elements comprise end protrusions and a central protrusion, -
Figure 5b is an enlarged view of the part "A" ofFigure 5a , -
Figure 5c illustrates the cross-section of the arrangement shown inFigure 5a in connected state, -
Figure 5d is an enlarged view of the part "C" ofFigure 5c , -
Figure 6a illustrates the arrangement shown inFigure 5a , wherein the lateral grooves comprise only end protrusions, -
Figure 6b illustrates the cross-section of the arrangement ofFigure 6a in a connected state, -
Figure 7a is an exploded view of four construction elements and a binding element connecting them through ribs and notches, -
Figure 7b illustrates the cross-section of the arrangement shown inFigure 7a in a connected state, -
Figure 8a is an exploded view of three construction elements and a binding element connecting them only through its notches, -
Figure 8b illustrates the cross-section of the arrangement ofFigure 8a in a connected state, -
Figure 9 is an exploded view of a binding element shown inFigure 2c and a construction element to be attached thereto, -
Figure 10 is an axonometric view of an arrangement including three square-based construction elements of different heights and two binding elements of respective lengths, -
Figure 11 is an axonometric view of an arrangement including a plurality of construction elements of different heights, each having a generally shaped or square base, and associated binding elements, -
Figure 12 is an axonometric view of an arrangement including three-part, square-based construction elements presenting numbers on their outer surfaces, -
Figure 13a illustrates a three-part, square-based construction element comprising cubes which can be rotated around a shaft, -
Figure 13b is a longitudinal sectional view of the construction element and its internal shaft shown inFigure 13a , wherein the cubes are in the same position, and -
Figures 14a and 14b are schematic axonometric views of an additional terminal element and a sectional view illustrating the connection between a terminal element and a construction element. -
Figure 1 illustrates the general form of aconstruction element 10 of a kit of construction elements according to the present invention, said construction element having a form of a square-based rectangle, along the edges of whichedge grooves 12 are formed. On at least one of the lateral faces of theconstruction element 10 orthogonal to its base, there is at least onelateral groove 11 formed. Thelateral grooves 11 extend in parallel to the edges of the base, and preferably they are arranged at an equal distance from each other and from the base. Preferably, the cross-section of theedge grooves 12 is a quarter circle, and in this case the cross-section of thelateral grooves 11 is a semicircle. Obviously, the cross-sections of the edge grooves and the lateral grooves may have other shapes. - For connection the
construction elements 10, rod-likebinding elements 20 are provided, the preferred embodiments of which are shown inFigure 2 . Within one kit of construction elements, thebinding elements 20 have the same diameter, but their length may be different according to the available side lengths of the square-basedconstruction elements 10. It is preferred that the length of thebinding elements 20 is shorter than the side length of a particular construction element by the diameter of a binding element. Accordingly, during use further bindingelements 20 can be inserted into the transversal grooves at the two ends of thebinding elements 20 when they have already been inserted into the respective grooves of theconstruction elements 10. - The
construction elements 10, theirgrooves binding elements 20 are dimensioned so that during use theconstruction elements 10 are substantially in contact with each other along their connecting surfaces. Accordingly, the diameter of thebinding elements 20 is substantially equal to the diameter of the grooves extending along the edges and on the lateral surfaces of theconstruction elements 10. When twoconstruction elements 10 are placed adjacent to each other, thelateral grooves 11 of semicircle cross-section formed on their contacting faces together form a hole having the shape of a full circle, thereby being capable of receiving abinding element 20. Similarly, a hole having the shape of a full circle is formed when fourconstruction elements 10 are joined along their edges, or when twoconstruction elements 10 joined along their edges are combined with afurther construction element 10 attached to former ones by one of its face. - The
binding elements 20 may have a hollow core as shown, for example, inFigures 11 and 12 illustrating the binding elements ofFigure 2d and 2j , wherein a through-hole is formed along their longitudinal axis. In this case the assembled set of construction elements can be made even more stable by inserting a stiffening rod into the alignedbinding elements 20, on the one hand, and due to the absence of material within the through-hole, the binding elements are lighter in weight and due to their capability of light transmission, they are also more spectacular, on the other hand. - The outer surface of the
binding elements 20 may have different colors so that different sub-groups of the construction elements can be visually distinguished from each other more easily. - Preferably, the majority of the
construction elements 10 are formed to have at least onelateral groove 11 on each of four lateral faces thereof perpendicular to their base. Alternatively, the kit of construction elements may also containconstruction elements 10 in which not all of the lateral faces perpendicular to the base comprise alateral groove 11. Aconstruction element 10 which comprises no lateral groove on its one, two or three lateral faces can be used only as a marginal construction element. Optionally, thebinding elements 20 may be provided with securingmembers members other construction elements 10. -
Figures 3 and4 illustrate a possible way of binding. In this case the securingmembers 21 are provided on the outer surface of thebinding element 20 in the form of longitudinal ribs which fit into the complementarily shaped securingmembers 14 formed in the respective longitudinal grooves of thelateral groves construction element 10. On the bindingelement 20, four longitudinal ribs are preferably arranged at equal distance from each other as shown, for example, inFigures 2a, 2c, 2d and 2e , and accordingly, an associatednotch 14 is formed in thegrooves construction elements 10 at every quarter circle position. - In this embodiment a
binding element 20 is capable of connecting twoadjacent construction elements 10 only if at least two of the four ribs formed on its surface fit into the respective notches of the attached construction elements, wherein said two notches belong to twoadjacent construction elements 10 which contact each other along their edges or faces. - In a typical way of interconnecting
construction elements 10, twolateral grooves 11 of semicircle cross-section formed on a lateral face together form a through-hole of full circle cross-section. Each of the four longitudinal ribs of thebinding element 20 inserted into the thus obtained through-hole engages with a respective notch of theopposite construction element 10, as it is shown inFigure 4 . - In another typical way of interconnection, instead of two
construction elements 10, even threeconstruction elements 10 may be connected to each other through a singlebinding element 20. In this case twolateral grooves 12 of twoconstruction elements 10, each lateral groove having a quarter circle cross-section, and a semi circlelateral groove 11 of athird construction element 10 together form a through-hole of full circle cross-section. In this arrangement two ribs of thebinding element 20 inserted in the through-hole engages with two respective notches of thethird construction element 10, while the other two ribs engages with a respective groove of the first and thesecond construction elements 10, as it is illustrated inFigure 3 . - As shown in
Figures 2a, 2d and 2e , the securingmembers 21 formed as ribs on the surface of thebinding elements 20 extend along the entire length of abinding element 20, and similarly, thegrooves 14 formed in the lateral and edge grooves also extend up to the extremities of aconstruction element 10. In another preferred embodiment, however, neither theribs 21, nor thegrooves 14 extend up to the extremities of thebinding elements 20 and theconstruction elements 10, but they terminate at a certain distance a from the extremities, as illustrated inFigure 2c andFigure 9 . In this way the overprojection of an inserted bindingelement 20 beyond the extremities of the associatedconstruction elements 10 can be eliminated, which primarily helps in easily assembling the construction elements. - Additionally, stability of the assembled
construction elements 10 may also be enhanced by forminglongitudinal notches 22 between theribs 21, said notches serving as securing members on the surface of thebinding elements 20. These notches are preferably arranged at an equal distance from the adjacent ribs. As the counter-parts of said notches,longitudinal protrusions binding elements 20 are formed in thelateral grooves construction elements 10, as shown inFigure 5 . In case oflateral grooves 12 having a quarter circle cross-section, typically there are twoprotrusions 15 provided, each serving as a longitudinal flange of the lateral groove. Thelateral grooves 11 are preferably formed with three protrusions from which twoprotrusions 15 are formed as a longitudinal flange of the groove, whereas athird protrusion 16 is arranged in the center of thegroove 11, at an equal distance from the other twoend protrusions 15. For the sake of the easy use, thebinding elements 20 have only one design within a particular kit, said design being available for use in any combination of the construction elements. Accordingly, thenotches 22 are dimensioned so that asingle notch 22 is capable of receiving twoprotrusions 15 at the same time or only oneprotrusion 16. The thickness of aprotrusion 16 is therefore twice of the thickness of aprotrusion 15.Figure 6 illustrates another possible solution, wherein theconstruction elements 10 have no such acentral protrusion 16 at all. - In another preferred embodiment, as shown in
Figure 8 , there areonly protrusions lateral grooves only notches 22 on thebinding elements 20, while nogrooves 14 andribs 21 are formed at all. Instead of the above mentioned securingmembers members - During assembling the
construction elements 10, the insertion of abinding element 20 between the adjacent construction elements is not necessary until a complete through-hole of a full circle cross-section is formed therefrom (although in case of form-fitting connections, it is always possible). Thebinding elements 20 may be inserted between theconstruction elements 10 by snapping or, when theribs 21 and thenotches 14 extend up to the extremities of the binding elements and theconstruction elements 10, respectively, it may be done also by sliding. - Preferably, the
construction elements 10 and thebinding elements 20 are made of a material that allows slight flexible deformation thereof, i.e. typically an elastic plastic material. -
Figure 11 shows a particular combination of theconstruction elements 10 and thebinding elements 20 of the kit of construction elements, wherein the construction elements can be connected to each other by means of thebinding elements 20 not only vertically, but also in a lateral direction. - It is particularly preferred that the construction elements have a rectangular form having a square base, wherein the height of the
construction elements 10 is equal to the length of the edges of the square base or a multiple of the length of the edges of the square base. Accordingly, in such a kit thebinding elements 20 are available with various lengths.Figure 10 shows a combination of square-basedconstruction elements 10, wherein the height of theconstruction elements 10 may be equal to the length of an edge of the base, or even the double or the triple thereof. Accordingly, thebinding elements 20 are also available with three different lengths. - In this case the
lateral grooves 11, which are formed on the lateral faces perpendicular to the base, are spaced apart at a distance which corresponds to the length of an edge of the base. - On the surface of the
construction elements 10, an image field may also be provided for presenting logical information. The logical information may include color information, figure or information represented in alphanumeric form.Figure 12 shows a combination of construction elements in an assembled form wherein various numbers are displayed on the faces of the construction elements. In this embodiment attaching the construction elements to one another should be carried out by taking the numbers into view according to predefined logical rules. - In a further embodiment, the square-based
rectangular construction elements 10 are not formed as one piece, rather they comprise multiple individual cubes defined by edges 11. The individual cubes are attached to each other by means of acentral shaft 17 in such a way that the individual cubes can be independently rotated relative to each other around saidcentral shaft 17. This embodiment allows for theconstruction elements 10, for example, to be attached to each other on the basis of various colour-figure combinations or alphanumeric information, according to even more complicated logical rules.Figure 13 illustrates such a square-basedconstruction element 10 containing a triplet of cubes. Theshaft 17 coupling the cubes comprises adisc 18 for each cube, said discs being accommodated in a respective hole within each cube. Instead of discs, other shapes, like a sphere, may also be used as securing members. Alternatively, said securing members may even be omitted within the intermediate cubes since it is enough to use them in the cubes accommodating the two ends of the shaft. In this specific embodiment, at least the terminal cubes may be made from two halves, said halves being joined after insertion of theshaft 17 into the cubes by means of gluing or other form-fitting engagement. For the intermediate cubes, it may be enough to provide them with a through-hole for receiving theshaft 17. - One of the advantages of the invention is that unlike the conventional construction toys, the rectangular construction elements allow assembling any spatial configurations in which the adjacent construction elements provide continuous, joint planar surfaces. These planar surfaces allow, for example, to display visual information on the faces of the construction elements for logical tasks. However, the kit of construction elements according to the invention may also be used as a logical toy in itself, i.e. without presenting visual information, as long as it contains a plurality of construction elements of different sizes and/or shapes.
- Another advantage of the invention is that when it is used as a logical toy, the way of building a specific configuration is not restricted by the three-dimensional design of the construction elements, which is due to the fact that the construction elements are functionally arranged symmetrically with respect to the binding elements. With three-dimensional logical toys, if a toy includes a plurality of pieces, it is necessary that the construction elements are compatible and conform in terms of their size and connectivity. If a construction element comprises a binding element on one of its faces and a receiving part on its opposite face, then the use of the logical toy is also restricted by its three-dimensional design, which is an undesired effect. However, in case the player is allowed to decide on which face of a three-dimensional body is used as a receiving part or an intruding part, then the factor which limits the use of the logical toy can be eliminated.
- The kit of construction elements according to the present invention is available not only for use as a toy, but it may be advantageously applied also in the field of the construction industry. In this application field the material of the construction elements and the binding elements, as well as their dimensions are selected so that they are adapted for building either indoor or outdoor constructions. Because of the form-fitting or force-fitting engagement between the construction elements and the binding elements they are preferably made of materials which allow a rather precise shaping. These materials include, among others, the industrial plastics, such as HD polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, plexiglass, etc.
- In case of an application in the construction industry, a preferred embodiment of the kit of construction elements according to the present invention contains hollow construction elements with an aperture on at least one of its faces, wherein the internal cavity of the construction elements may be filled out with a specific material. For example, when the construction elements are used as building wall elements, they may be filled out with a heat insulating material, whereas in case of their use as a retaining wall, they may be filled out with soil or any other packing material, such as gravel or break-stone. In a further embodiment, the hollow construction elements have apertures on each of their faces, and in this case the construction elements may be filled out, for example, with a translucent material for decoration or functional purposes, or they may be left event empty for the same reasons.
- As shown in
Figures 14a and 14b , in a particularly preferred embodiment of the kit of construction elements according to the present invention, which may be primarily applied in the field of construction industry, the kit of construction elements is supplemented with thinterminal elements 50, one of thefaces 51 of which is entirely flat, whereas on theopposite face 52 thereof, there is at least one bindingelement 53 integrally formed from the material of theterminal element 50, said bindingelement 53 being adapted to fit to theconstruction elements 10. Preferably, the bindingelement 53 has a shape produced by longitudinally halving an above-mentionedbinding element 20 and arranging it at an appropriate position of theterminal element 50 so that it can fit to a respectivelateral groove 11 of aconstruction element 10 and thereby the opposite faces of aterminal element 50 and an associatedconstruction element 10 substantially abut against each other. The use of theterminal elements 50 allows making entirely flat wall surfaces. - Still considering the construction industrial application, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the kit of construction elements according to the present invention, the construction elements are disassembled to panels and the three-dimensional bodies of the construction elements can be assembled from the separate panels by means of known fastening techniques, preferably by snap-fitting. In this case the construction elements of the kit are preferably made of a material that is rigid enough for being used as a wall element while also being flexible enough to allow snapping said panels together.
Claims (10)
- A kit of construction elements including a plurality of construction elements (10) and a plurality of rod-like binding elements (20) for connecting said construction elements, wherein the construction elements (10) are in the form of square-based rectangles, and along at least one edge of each construction element a groove (12) is formed for receiving a binding element (20),
wherein each binding element (20) is formed to fit into a groove (11, 12) along at least a part of its entire length, and
wherein the grooves (11, 12) of the construction elements (10) and the binding elements (20) are sized so that during use the construction elements (10) are substantially in contact along their connecting surfaces,
characterized by that
on at least one of the faces of each construction element perpendicular to the base thereof at least one groove (11) is formed in parallel to its base, and
each binding element (20) is further provided with securing members (21, 22) formed to engage with complementary securing members (14, 15, 16) of said groove (11, 12) by form-fitting or force-fitting. - The kit of construction elements according to claim 1, wherein at least one longitudinal notch (14) is formed in said grooves (11, 12) as securing member, and wherein at least one longitudinal rib (21) is formed on the binding elements (20) as securing member, each rib (21) being adapted to fit into a notch (14).
- The kit of construction elements according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one protrusion (15, 16) is formed in the grooves (11, 12) as securing member, and wherein the binding elements (20) comprise at least one notch (22) for receiving a protrusion.
- The kit of construction elements according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the height of the construction elements (10) is a multiple of the edge length of the base.
- The kit of construction elements according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the construction elements (10) and the binding elements (20) are made of plastic.
- The kit of construction elements according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein image fields are provided on the faces of the construction elements (10) for presenting logical information.
- The kit of construction elements according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein at least one construction element (10) is formed of two or more cubes arranged on each other and held together by a central shaft (17) having studs, and wherein the individual cubes can be rotated independently of each other around said central shaft (17).
- The kit of construction elements according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the construction elements (10) have a hollow core and comprise an opening on at least one of their faces.
- The kit of construction elements according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the kit further includes a plurality of additional terminal elements (50), one of the faces (51) of which is entirely flat, whereas the opposite face (52) of said terminal elements comprises at least one binding element (53) adapted for fitting to the construction elements (10), said binding elements (53) being formed integrally to said terminal elements (50).
- The kit of construction elements according to claim 9, wherein the additional binding element (53) is shaped by longitudinally halving a binding element (20), said additional binding element being arranged on one of the faces (52) of the additional terminal element (50) so as to fit into the groove (11) of an adjacent construction element (10) when they are attached.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
HU1500230 | 2015-11-30 | ||
PCT/HU2016/050060 WO2017093774A1 (en) | 2015-11-30 | 2016-11-29 | Kit of construction elements |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3383514A1 EP3383514A1 (en) | 2018-10-10 |
EP3383514B1 true EP3383514B1 (en) | 2020-01-08 |
Family
ID=58796426
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP16843270.6A Active EP3383514B1 (en) | 2015-11-30 | 2016-11-29 | Kit of construction elements |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20180345162A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3383514B1 (en) |
HU (1) | HU4788U (en) |
WO (1) | WO2017093774A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USD949979S1 (en) * | 2019-11-15 | 2022-04-26 | South Dakota Board Of Regents | Connector device for promoting building skills |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB593321A (en) * | 1945-06-14 | 1947-10-14 | Horace Hems | Improvements in toy buildings |
FR722599A (en) * | 1931-08-19 | 1932-03-22 | Construction boxes | |
GB614245A (en) * | 1946-05-06 | 1948-12-13 | William Kenworthy | Improvements in or relating to constructional toys |
US2869692A (en) * | 1954-07-23 | 1959-01-20 | Thomas G Hassett | Interlocking building assembly |
DE7625293U1 (en) * | 1976-08-12 | 1978-02-02 | Fischer, Artur, Dr.H.C., 7244 Waldachtal | LARGE PANEL ASSEMBLED FROM SEVERAL PANELS |
GB2478591A (en) * | 2010-03-12 | 2011-09-14 | Gideon Cube-Sherman | Articulated sub-units |
KR101417884B1 (en) * | 2013-12-06 | 2014-07-15 | 김용철 | Magnetic block toys |
-
2016
- 2016-11-28 HU HUU1600283U patent/HU4788U/en unknown
- 2016-11-29 US US15/779,601 patent/US20180345162A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2016-11-29 EP EP16843270.6A patent/EP3383514B1/en active Active
- 2016-11-29 WO PCT/HU2016/050060 patent/WO2017093774A1/en active Application Filing
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
None * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
HU4788U (en) | 2017-10-30 |
WO2017093774A1 (en) | 2017-06-08 |
EP3383514A1 (en) | 2018-10-10 |
US20180345162A1 (en) | 2018-12-06 |
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