GB2453928A

GB2453928A - Construction toy including connectable flat tiles in a variety of shapes with convex and/or concave side walls

Info

Publication number: GB2453928A
Application number: GB0720015A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rabah Aggar; Smail Aggar
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-10-15
Filing date: 2007-10-15
Publication date: 2009-04-29
Also published as: GB0720015D0

Abstract

A construction toy is disclosed which includes a series of flat tiles 10 in a number of different colours and shapes to include a polygon having one or more concave and/or one or more convex side walls 14. The side walls are complementary to each other so that the surface of the patterns or mosaics formed when the tiles are joined is coherent. The side walls of the tiles are provided with a plurality of transverse through holes 13 from which the tiles are connected to each other by a pin (70,Fig.9) or rod element to form an unlimited number of two dimensional designs or patterns. The shape of the tiles may be varied to include a petal (Fig.5), a circle (Fig.6) and an oval.

Description

CONSTRUCTION TOY

The present invention relates to assembly toy formed of tiles which can be joined to ech other by connecting element means to provide with designs, patterns and mosaics especially for young children.

Various types of assembly tiles or blocks are known. These tiles or blocks are all formed of limited basic shapes such as a rectangle, triangle or a square to create two or three dimensional shapes and structures.

Examples of such known construction sets are those in patent specification US 3,604,146 and GB 592,477 in which the construction sets are formed with a triangular, square and rectangular blocks or panels having holes along their peripheral side walls so that blocks or panels may be interconnected by dowel pins or screws inserted in corresponding holes in the adjoining blocks or panels. These blocks or panels are used to plovide with a number of different structures or shapes. The side walls of theses structures and shapes are always straight resulting in a lack of creativity and lack of interest especially when used by young children.

The present invention provides with an improvement in assembi onstructioh toy tiles, especially for young children, having shapes and features which are.not present in the prior art to provide with a wide variety of shapes, patterns and mosaics having curved convex and br concave side walls resjilting in a more creative desirable and 3ttractive shapes in order to entertain and progressively stimulate the ingenuity of children and develop their initiative and imagination.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to acoomplish these objections by providing a construction toy kit which is so simple that its appeal to a child will be instant.

There is provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention an assembly toy comprising a plurality of generally planar tiles provided in a variety of different shapes and colours, which can be connected to each other by connecting rod or pin elements.

The tiles have a plurality of shapes to include a polygon having one or more concave and/or one or more convex side walls, a peal being formed of two concave arcs, a circle, a crescent and an oval shape; each said tile is provided with a horizontally disposed regular top flat surface and a plurality of upstanding side walls arranged at the periphery of said regular top fiat surface; each said tile include a plurality of horizontally spaced transverse through holes formed into the said upstanding side walls.

The connecting element means consists of connecting rods or pins having one end configured to frictionally and removably engage the transverse hole in a first tile and having a second end to frictionally and removably engage the transverse hole of a second tile so that tiles can be removably linked to each other.

The concave and convex upstanding side walls of the tiles of the present invention are complementary to each other, so that surface of the patterns or mosaics created by using the tiles of the present invention are coherent, therefore showing no gaps between the connected tiles.

Other objects, advantageous and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description accompanying the following drawings; in which: Fig.lto 6 show a top perspective view of the preferred embodiments taking part in the construction toy set of the present invention.

Fig.7 and Fig.8 shows a perspective bottom view of two tiles according to the present invention.

Fig.9 shows a front view of a pin elerrent used to link two tiles to each other.

Fig.10 shows a through hole of the tiles at an enlarged scale.

Figs 11, 12, and 13 shows small examples at a reduced scale of designs that can be created by using the tile set of the present invention'.

Refernng to the drawings, Fig.1 to fig.6, the preferred embodiments of the toy tile set of the present invention are explained as follows: The construction toy comprises tiles 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 of respectively Figs ito 6 formed of different complementary shapes provided in a variety of different colours.

The tiles are provided of suitable plastic material and are shaj,ed as hollow fiat trays which have an open lower end and closed upper end as shown in Figs7 and 8. The tiles 10. 20. 30. 40, 50, and 60 are provided with two horizontally opposed top and bottom surfaces and with upstanding side walls 14 abutting the periphery of the top and bottom surfaces. The tiles may be not hollow and can be provided as blocks.

The tiles 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 include a plurality of transverse holes 13 formed into the upstanding sidewalls thereof.The holes 13 of the' tiles are recessed by cylindrical ring 15 in the external side of the tiles as shown in Figs 6 and 10.

Fig 9 shows a front view of a connecting pin element 70 used to join two tiles together. The pin 70 having one end 71 configured to frictionally and removably engage the transverse hole 13 of a first tile and having a second end 71 configured to frictionally and removably engage a transverse hole 13 of a second tile so that two tiles can be joined together. The pin 70 comprIses a centre cylindrical body portion 72 which is sized to be received in the cylindrical recess 15.

The depth D of the recess 15 seen from Fig. 10 is slightly larger than half the width W of the body portion 72 so that the surface of designs created with the tiles are coherent.

The peripheral sides of the pin element 70 are formed with one or more annular grooves 73 so that a finger of a young child can grip the pins 70 and pull them easily out of the tiles, therefore making disassembly simple as the pins are frictionally fitted within the tiles.

FIG.10 shows a hole 13 of the tiles at an enlarged scale in which we can see the cylindrical recess 15 and the through hole 13.

FIG.2 shows a perspective top view of a tUe 20 formed of triangular shape having three convex side walls 12 which are complementary with the concave side walls 11 of the rest of the tiles of the present invention.

FIG.3 shows a perspective view of a tile 30 of triangular shape having two concave side walls 11 and one convex side wall 12.

FIG.4 shows a perspective top view of tile 40 of triangular shape having two convex side walls 12 and one concave side wall 11.

FIG.5 shows a perspective top view of a tile 50 with a shape of a petal being formed of two concave arcs 51 which are complementary to the convex side walls of the tiles of the present invention.

FIG.6 shows a perspective top view, partly in section, of the tile 60 having a shape of a circle. The peripheral side wall 14 shows transverse through holes 13 similar to the ones of tile 10 of FIG.1 for the same purpose.

FIG.7 shows the bottom view of the tile 30 of FIG.1. FIG.8 shows a bottom view of a tile 80 in the shape of a square having one concave and one convex upstanding side walls. The tile 80 can be provided with four convex upstanding side walls or can be formed of a combination of concave and convex upstanding side walls.

The tiles of the present invention could be formed as hollow as seen from FIG.7and 8 or could be formed as blocks which are not hollow.

The concave and convex side walls of the tiles of the present invention are all complementary to each other.

Tiles of different shapes and different colors are linked to each other by pin Connecting elements 70 in combination of different ways so that an unlimited number of two dimensional designs and patterns are created.

FIG.11.12 and 13 show three small designs, ata reduced scale, created by combining different tiles.

The tiles of the present invention are provided in a suitable plastic material or wood.

Claims

claims 1. A construction toy comprising; a plurality of generally planar tiles which can be removably linked to each other with short pins or rod connecting means to form two dimensional patterns or mosaics; each said tile is provided with a horizontally disposed regular top flat surface and a plurality of upstanding side walls arranged at the periphery of said regular top flat surface; said tiles are provided in a variety of different shapes to include a polygon having one or more convex and/or one or more concave upstanding side walls, a petal being formed of two concave arcs, a crescent, a circle, and oval shape; said tiles include a plurality of spaced transverse holes formed into the said upstanding side walls.
2. A construction toy according to claim 1 wherein, each said concave upstanding side wall of each said tile and each said convex upstanding side wall of each said tile are complementary to each other.
3. A construction toy according to claim 1 wherein, said short pins or said rod connecting means consists of two ends, one end configured to frictionally and removably engage the said transverse hole in a first tile and having a second end to frictionally and removably engage the said transverse hole of a second tile so that tiles can be removably linked to each other.
4. A construction toy accrding to claim 1 wherein, said tiles are provided in plastic or wood materials in a variety of different colours.
5. A construction toy according to claim 1 wherein, said tiles are removably linked to each other to form an unlimited number of two dimensional designs, patterns or mosaics.