GB1566598A - Building set - Google Patents

Description

(54) TOY BUILDING SET (71) I, VERNER PANTON, a Danish subject of 108, Rebgasse, 4102 Binningen, Switzerland, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention concerns toy building sets of the type comprising flat straight sided building units having spaced complementary male and female connector parts disposed so that the units can be connected together to form a multi-sided body.

The object of the invention is to provide a toy building set of the type mentioned above wherein the building units can be connected together in a relatively simple and robust manner to construct a body of smooth external appearance.

To this end in accordance with the invention a toy building set of the type mentioned is arranged so that the units are each in the form of a frame or panel the peripheral parts of which are of angle section with the connector parts in the form of plates edge attached to said peripheral parts to lie between the two arms of the angle section.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : - Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a building unit of a toy building set according to the invention; Figs 2-6 show various stages in the securing together of building units according to Fig. 1 to form a cube: Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a second form of building unit of a toy building set according to the invention; Figs. -8-11 show various phases in the construction of a cube from the building units according to Fig. 7; Fig. 12 shows two cubes fastened together; Fig. 13 shows the cube according to Fig.

11 with plate type covers; Fig. 14 is a three-dimensional model constructed from cubes according to Fig.

11; Fig. 15 shows two cubes joined together, and constructed from building units according to Fig. 1; Figs. 16, 16a is a perspective view of fastening means for fastening cubes to each other; Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a cube assembled from building units according to Fig. 1, the open sides being closed with a second form of plate type covers; Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a threedimensional model assembled from cubes; Fig. 19 is a view in the direction of the arrow XIX in Fig. 18; Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a further model assembled from cubes; Fig. 21 is a view in the direction of the arrow XXI in Fig. 20; and Figs. 22-27 show, in perspective view, various models assembled from cubes.

The building unit 1 shown in Fig. 1 is formed as a four-sided square frame. The sides are numbered 2 to 5 and are of rightangle section with the arms of the section forming flats 6,7 at right angles to each other. The flats 7 have surfaces 8 so that when units 1 are coupled together to form a cube the surfaces 8 form the outer surface at the periphery of the cube.

The flats 6 have surfaces 9 so that when the units 1 are coupled together to form a cube, the surfaces 9 form inner surfaces at the periphery of the cube. On each of the sides 2 to 5 two spaced male connector parts 10 are provided and a female connector part 11. The connector parts 10 are formed by plates 17 which are edgeattached to and lie normal to the flats 6 and 7. The connector parts 11 are formed from two plates 12 and 13 which are edgeattached to and lie normal to the flats 6 and 7. The space between the plates 12 and 13 is slightly smaller than the thickness of the plate 17 so that, on connecting two building units 1 together, the two plates 12 and 13 are flexibly displaced by the plate 17 engaging therebetween, and connection between the connector parts 10 and 11 ensures a simple and robust connection of the two building units 1 to each other.No further building parts are necessary to connect the assembly building units firmly to each other.

The plates 12, 13 and 17 serve not only for coupling the individual building units to each other, but also strengthen the sides 2 to 5.

As Fig. 1 shows, the connector parts 10 and 11 are spaced apart by a distance substantially greater than the thickness of the plates 12, 13, 17 so that only a few connector parts are necessary. The distance 14 of a connector part 10 from a related corner 15 of the frame formed by the sides 2 to 5 is greater than the distance 16 of a connector part 11 from that corner 15 by a distance approximating to the thickness of a plate 17.

As a result of this distance arrangement of the connector parts from the corner 15 and in consequence of their distribution along each side 2 to 5 each building unit can be so coupled with adjacent units so that building units are fastened together in alignment with each other with the connector parts concealed. The building units 1 can only be connected together in on relationship and thus it is not possible for the building units to be wrongly assembled.

Small children can assemble units 1 into a cube without difficulty.

In the Fig. 2 to 6 the building of a cube from six units 1 is illustrated. As can be seen from Fig. 6, in the completed cube the connector parts are no longer visible. The flats 7, 6 have edges 59 and 19 and bevels 19, 20.

As Fig. 1 shows, the plates 17, 12, 13 extend into the bevels 20, 21 and lie in cavities 22 and 23 in the flats 6 and 7.

The cavities 22 and 23 reach right into the bevels 20 and 21. The width of the cavities 23 in which the connector parts 11 lie corresponds to the distance between the plates 12, 13. The cavities 22 in which the connector parts 10 lie have the same width as the cavities 23, however, the connector part 10 is one half the widht of the cavity 22.

Also the middle connector part of each frame side lies in a cavity 22, the width of which, however, corresponds only to twice the thickness of the connector part 10. This middle connector part lies, also, with its side 24 facing the connector part 11 of the equivalent edge on the corresponding boundary surface of the cavity 22. When the two building units 1 are coupled together, the connector parts of one building unit lie in the cavities 22 and 23 of the other building unit. By this means an additional guarantee of the position of the assembled units 1 is obtained. Also, by corresponding formation of the cavities 23 and 22, it can be ensured that the connector parts 10 and 11, with plates in the cavities 22 and 23, grip the respective other building units, and by this means lead to an additional strengthening of the coupling.

The cubes formed from the assembled units 1 can, jby means plastics U-shaped fasteners 25 (Fig. 15, 16) be connected together. The fasteners 25 are engaged with the frame parts 26 and 27 of the neighbouring cubes 28 and 29. The open space between the two side limbs 30 and 31 of the fastener 25 corresponds to the width of the two frame parts 26 and 27. The bottom 32, 33 of the fastener 25 is formed flat, so that the fastener 25 lies flat on the two frame parts 26 and 27. The clamps 25 are mounted on to the two frame parts 26 and 27, so that the bottom 32, 33 lies quite flat upon the side 34 of the two frame parts 26 and 27 which faces the cube inner space.

The side limbs 30 and 31 of the fastener 25 are so formed that they lie against the side surfaces 35 and 36 of the frame parts 26 and 27. The free ends 37 and 38 of limbs 30, 31 respectively are bent to form lips which lie adjacent to the opposite outer side 39 when the fastener 25 is on the inner side 34 of the two frame parts 26 and 27. The free ends 37 and 38 extend over the whole width of the fastener 25, and project a little above the limbs 30 and 31, so that, after location of the fastener, they are hardly to be seen at the outer side of the cube 28, 29 and thus, practically, do not interfere with it. The fasteners 25 not only hold together the individual cubes, but also strengthen the holding of the individual building components 1 to each other.

In Fig. 16a a second type of fastener 25b is illustrated of H-shaped section which comprises two equally long limbs 30 and 31b parallel to each other, which are connected by a centrally positioned web 33b lying at right angles thereto. The web 33b and the two limbs 30b and 31b are of equal width. The open space between the two limbs 30b and 31b corresponds to the width of the two neighbouring cube frame parts arranged side-by-side. The two surfaces 32b and 32b' of the web 33h are formed flat, so that the fastener 25b lies quite flat with these sides surfaces on the two frame parts of the cube.The fastener 25b is, as Fig. 16a shows, formed symmetrically, so that care must~be taken, when putting on the fastener, that it is placed in exactly the right position. The fastener 25b is produced from a resiliently deformable material, and is preferably of a synthetic plastics material. In comparison with the fastener shown in Fig. 16, the fastener 25b has appreciably longer limbs and thus can, especially by small children, be easily gripped and placed in position. In order to increase the gripping capacity, the two limbs 30b and 31b are provided on their outer faces with a profiling, advantageously with several flutes 64 running parallel to the narrow dimension of the visible, generally rectangular limb.

For the assembly of the fastener, the limbs are pressed together towards each other at one end. By this means the fastening at the other end of the limbs is opened up and can readily be engaged with two adjacent frame parts. After the release of the limbs, these spring back and resiliently bear on the corresponding side surfaces of the frame parts. In order to remove the fastener the limbs extending outwardly from the frame parts need only to be pressed together until the limbs at the other end lift off from the side surfaces of the frame parts, and the fastener can easily be removed.

In order to arrive at additional security in the position of the fastener, the free ends 37b, 37b', and 38b, 38b' of the two limbs 30b and 31b are lipped. With these free ends the limbs grip the corresponding frame parts and secure the fastener 25b against displacement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the limbs.

According to the required stability and shape of the form assembled from the cube in regard to the type of shape of the building components, according to Fig. 1, up to five fasteners 25 can be arranged on each cube edge.

In order to ensure an exactly defined position for the clamp, this is secured against movement of the frame parts in a lengthways direction. As security against movement, the flats 6 and 7 are provided on their outside surfaces 8 and 9 with spaced ribs 40 which run transversely of the edges, the spacing corresponding to the width of the fastener 25. In the corner areas of the building unit 1 a thickened zones 41 are formed having a flat surface.

As Fig. 1 shows, the ribs 40 and the zones 41 on the face 9 of the flat 6 merge with corresponding ribs 40 and zones 41 of the face 8. The ribs and zones project a little over the edges 59, 19.

In another construction, in each frame side of the building unit 1, in addition to the zone 41, a further flat thickened zone is provided centrally of the frame side, the edge of the said further projection extending slightly over the edges 59, 19. The further zone is provided in the place of the two middle ribs 40 and has, in the lengthwise direction of the frame side, a length which corresponds to the space between the outermost edges of the two middle ribs 40. Only one rib is provided at each side of said further zone. Between the ribs 40 and the thickened zone, on each frame side, a maximum of four fasteners can be applied.

The frame opening 44 of the building unit 1 can be closed with a cover 45 (Fig.

17). The cover is formed as a plate which has, on its reverse side 46 in the region of each corners, a plate fastening plug 47 so that the cover 45 can be fastened in the cube. The plugs 47 engage the zone 41 and the height of the plugs is less than the width of the flat 6. The contour of the cover 45 is so chosen that it lies on top of the surfaces 8 of the building unit with its edges closely adjacent and parallel to the cube edge. The sides of the cover 45 are about a double material thickness shorter than the corresponding dimension of the cube edges, so that the covers can be fixed also on two sides of two cubes lying at an angle to each other and having a common border, for example, two cubes connected in staggered relationship as described in Fig. 21.The covers fixed, by way of example, on the cube sides 60 and 61 of the cubes 62 and 63 (Fig. 21) then lie with their sides facing each other uninterruptedly adjacent to each other. The outer side 48 of the covers 45 can be formed smooth, textured, by way of example, grained, or provided with patterns, pictures and the like.

In Fig. 7 a second form of building unit la is now described. With the building unit la however, the connector parts 10a and 1 1a are formed with three plates 49 and 50 arranged in spaced, parallel disposition. The space between the plates 49 and 50 is slightly larger than the thickness of the plates 49 and 50, which have the same thickness as each other. The edges of the plates 49 and 50 are attached to the flats 6a and 7a and lie in cavities 22a and 23a provided in the flats 6a and 7a. The dimensioning of plates 49, 50 and cavities 22cue, 23a are such that when the building units la are secured together, the plates 49, 50 of the one building unit can grip with their end portion into the corresponding cavities 22a, 23a of the other building unit la.Also the space 14a of the connector part 10a from the border l5a in the corner area of the building unit 1ez is larger by about the thickness of the plates 49, 50 respectively than the space 16a. These building units l'a can be positively closed with each of their sides to each side of the other building component. In Figures 8 to 11, individual phases of the assembly of a cube from the building units are illustrated.

In contradistinction to the unit 1 of Fig.

1, the building unit la has completely flat outer sides 8a, as is recognised, by way of example, from Fig. 9 to 11. As is described in Fig. 12, individual cubes 28a and 29a can likewise be joined together with fasteners 25a. As security against shifting of the fasteners, in place of the flutes 40 and the projections 41 according to Fig. 1, in the outer sides 9a of the flats 6a, cavities 51 are provided. These run crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the flat 6a over the whole width of the outer sides 9a and are arranged in spaced apart disposition. Three such cavities are actually provided on each edge of the building unit la. After the assembly of the building unit la into a cube, the cavities 51 of the adjacent building components lie at right angles to each other (Fig. 10).The fasteners 25a have a projecting rib on the underside of base 33a and the inner sides of the limbs of the fastener.

The rib is shaped to correspond with the cavity 51 and grips into this with the superimposed fasteners. By this means the fastener is protected against shifting in the lengthways direction of the actual frame parts. The fasteners 25a are likewise fixed with flexible stays on the frame parts 26a and 27a of the neighbouring cube 28a, 29a lying adjacent to each other, (Fig. 12).

The two limbs of the fastener 25a are shorter than with the fastener shown in Fig. 16. The free ends of the limbs are not bent, but lie, over their whole length and width, quite fiat on the side surfaces of the frame parts 26a, 27a.

In Fig. 13 a second form of a cover 45a is shown, with which the frame opening 44a can be closed. The cover 45a is formed as a square plate and has on its inner side 46a connecting lues 47a which run parallel to the adjacent edges of the cover 45a and also perpendicular to the inner side of the plate 46a. They are also symmetrically arranged on the cover 45a. As Fig. 13 shows, the connecting lugs 47 lie in closely spaced disposition relative to the related edges of the cover and are of equal lengths.

Each connecting lug 47a has a central projecting rib 52, which runs over the whole width of the connecting lug. When the cover 45a is put on the building component la, these ribs 52 engage the cavity 51 on the inner side of the frame la. The height of the connecting lug 47a and the height of the shank of the fastener 25a are, at the most, half as big as the width of the flat 6a. By this means the fastener 25cur can be arranged with its rib on the middle cavity 51 of the pertinent edge of the building unit la, without the ribs of the connecting lug 45pea gripping into the same cavity as the fastener limbs thereby hindering each other.

The building units can be formed with plates instead of from frames so as to be in the nature of a panel. They can also, by way of example, have hexagonal or rectangular outlines, so that forms other than cubes can be assembled with the building components. As the building components according to the Fig. 1 and 7 actually are formed like each other, the manufacture of these building components is simple and cheap.

Low-rise objects can be assembled from the cubes made from the individual building units, as are described in Fig. 20, 21, 23 and 24, and high-rise objects are assembled, as described in Fig. 14, 18, 19, 22 and 25 to 27. As a result of the use of the fasteners 25, 25a, objects already assembled can be altered, without their having to be fully dismantled and freshly built up. It is also possible to build up objects by building on further cubes or by taking off individual cubes-after loosening the corresponding fasteners-to reduce in the desired way (Fig. 22). A considerable advantage of the building set according to the invention lies in the fact that from an assembled object, one or more cubes can be taken off, without the adioining cube having to be removed.

Assembled objects thus lend themselves to the building of new objects simply by the taking away of single cubes and without dismantling of the whole object. The use of the building units 1 according to Fig. 1 has the advantage that the cubes can be arranged staggered to each other and connected with each other, as is illustrated in Fig. 18 and 19 by reference to cubes 53 to 55. The cubes can thus be so staggered from one another according to the disposition of the ribs 40 and the thickened zones 41, that the mountings 56 bounded by the ribs 40 and zones 41 for the fasteners 25 (Fig. 1) of the frame parts, lying against one another, are in alignment, so that the fasteners 25 can be inserted into these mountings. With the building units according to Fig. 1, the possibilities of variations in the assembly of the cubes are considerably enlarged.

Therefore, with a small number of cubes, larger objects can be assembled, the cubes can also be assembled in such a way that the cubes, by way of example, lie on a plane with a space 57 between them, which corresponds to the inner measurement of a cube lying on top. (Fig. 20 and 21).

Animals (Fig. 23 to 25), sculptures (Fig.

22 and 26) fortresses (Fig. 27) houses and the like can be assembled with the cubes.

By corresponding construction of the outer side of the covers and by corresponding colouring the possibilities of variations in the building up of the objects is considerably increased. The building components are formed in such an advantageous way, that they can be made in plastics by injection moulding. The building units and the cubes assembled from these units can also be provided with radiussed borders or corners in order to avoid danger of injury during play.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A toy building set comprising flat straight sided building units having spaced complementary male and female connector parts disposed so that the units can be connected together to form a multi-sided body, in which the units are each in the form of a frame or panel the peripheral parts of which are of angle section with the connector parts in the form of plates edge attached to said peripheral parts to lie between the two arms of the angle section.

2. A set as claimed in claim 1 in which the male connector part is a single plate and the female connector part is two plates spaced apart and parallel with said single plate.

3. A set as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which, at each corner of each unit where the straight sides of the units join, there is one male connector part on one side and one female connector part on the other side of said corner.

4. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which the units are bevelled so that when the units are connected together the bevels on the units come together to give a mitred appearance.

5. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least some of the units are each formed as a frame and the set includes covers which can be removably applied to the frames to close the frame openings.

6. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which the set includes fasteners for fastening together two or more multisided bodies formed by connecting together said units.

7. A set as claimed in claim 6 in which the units have parallel ribs with which said fasteners can co-operate to prevent movement of said fasteners.

8. A set as claimed in claim 6 in which said fasteners are of H-shaped section.

9. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which the plates forming the connector parts lie in recesses.

10. A multi-sided body formed from a set as claimed in any preceding claim.

11. A body as claimed in claim 10 in which the connector parts are not visible.

12. A building unit for toy building set substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 or 7 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A toy building set including units as described in Figs. 1 or 7 of the accompanying drawings and fasteners as shown in Figs. 16 or 16s of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (13)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. side of the covers and by corresponding colouring the possibilities of variations in the building up of the objects is considerably increased. The building components are formed in such an advantageous way, that they can be made in plastics by injection moulding. The building units and the cubes assembled from these units can also be provided with radiussed borders or corners in order to avoid danger of injury during play. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A toy building set comprising flat straight sided building units having spaced complementary male and female connector parts disposed so that the units can be connected together to form a multi-sided body, in which the units are each in the form of a frame or panel the peripheral parts of which are of angle section with the connector parts in the form of plates edge attached to said peripheral parts to lie between the two arms of the angle section.

2. A set as claimed in claim 1 in which the male connector part is a single plate and the female connector part is two plates spaced apart and parallel with said single plate.

3. A set as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which, at each corner of each unit where the straight sides of the units join, there is one male connector part on one side and one female connector part on the other side of said corner.

4. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which the units are bevelled so that when the units are connected together the bevels on the units come together to give a mitred appearance.

5. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least some of the units are each formed as a frame and the set includes covers which can be removably applied to the frames to close the frame openings.

6. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which the set includes fasteners for fastening together two or more multisided bodies formed by connecting together said units.

7. A set as claimed in claim 6 in which the units have parallel ribs with which said fasteners can co-operate to prevent movement of said fasteners.

8. A set as claimed in claim 6 in which said fasteners are of H-shaped section.

9. A set as claimed in any preceding claim in which the plates forming the connector parts lie in recesses.

10. A multi-sided body formed from a set as claimed in any preceding claim.

11. A body as claimed in claim 10 in which the connector parts are not visible.

12. A building unit for toy building set substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 or 7 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A toy building set including units as described in Figs. 1 or 7 of the accompanying drawings and fasteners as shown in Figs. 16 or 16s of the accompanying drawings.