TW201842954A - Toy construction set with articulating linkable elements - Google Patents

Abstract

A toy construction set that contains a plurality of interlocking pieces. Each of the interlocking pieces contains at least one linkage construct. Each linkage construct includes a pivot hub that has a first surface and an opposite second surface. Detents are formed into both surfaces of the pivot hub. Two yoke arms are coupled to each pivot hub. Protrusions extend from the interior surfaces that are sized to be received by one of the detents. Gap spaces separate the yoke arms. Each of the gap spaces is sized to receive and retain the pivot hub of another piece, wherein the pivot hubs on all the pieces are uniform in shape and size.

Description

Toy component set with articulated connectable pieces

[Cross Reference of Related Applications]

This application is a partial continuation of the international application No. PCT / US2016 / 058320, filed on October 21, 2016. It claims a US patent application filed on October 23, 2015 Equity No. 14 / 922,105 (US Patent No. 9,782,688, now issued). This application also claims the priority of Australian New Type Patent No. 2017100326 filed on March 21, 2017.

Broadly, the invention relates to toy building elements that are designed to interconnect into a chain. More specifically, the present invention relates to toy component elements that can be moved relative to other connectors once interconnected into an assembly.

Toy building blocks with interconnected plastic parts are well known in the toy industry. Most of these building blocks are designed as statically interconnected blocks. This building block is exemplified by the building blocks of the Lego® series. Yet other building blocks have components interconnected at the joint. In this way, the components can be interconnected to establish a flexible chain. Such building blocks are exemplified by US Patent No. 5,172,534, entitled Chainable Building Blocks.

The component toy design of US Patent No. 5,172,534 has been commercialized and has been sold under the trademark Klixx® for the past two decades. The Klixx® trademark is now owned by KMA Concepts, the applicant of this article.

Most of the playful value of the Klixx® series toys is that individual components are interconnected to create a flexible chain. Each element acts as a link in the chain. As such, any element can be attached to only two other parts (one behind and one before). The resulting chain can be bent and turned into various shapes, but the available shapes are limited. In addition, there is little structural integrity at the point of interconnection between toy elements. Therefore, if configured into many three-dimensional shapes, a large chain structure has a tendency to bend and collapse under the force of its own weight.

The present invention is an improvement of the toy design shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,172,534. In this improvement, the structure of the toy elements is changed in order to achieve interconnection of more than three elements. In this way, the toy construction set is not limited to building a flexible chain. Instead, toy component elements can create three-dimensional constructs in which the elements proceed from a common point in a variety of different directions. It also improves the integrity of the connections between the components, allowing large constructs to maintain their constructed form. This enables the set of toy components to be configured into numerous shapes and ensures that the components within the construction body can be adjusted as desired. The ones mentioned and claimed below are improved designs.

The invention relates to a toy component set containing a plurality of interlocking pieces. Each of the interlocking pieces contains at least one linking construct. The number of linked constructs can vary between individual pieces.

Each connection structure includes a pivot hub. The pivot hub has a first surface and an opposite second surface separated by a common side wall. The first surface and the second surface are parallel.

A detent is formed into both the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub. The detents are arranged in a radial pattern.

A first yoke arm portion is coupled to the pivot hub. A first yoke arm portion has a first inner surface and a first outer surface. The first inner surface and the first outer surface are oriented to be perpendicular to both the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub.

A first protruding portion extends from the first inner surface of the first yoke arm portion. The protrusion is sized to be received by one of the detents. Similarly, a second yoke arm portion extends from the pivot hub. The second yoke arm portion has a second inner surface and a second outer surface, wherein the second inner surface and the second outer surface are configured to be perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub. Both.

A first gap space separates the first inner surface of the first yoke arm portion from the second inner surface of the second yoke arm portion. If more than one linking structure is in the piece, additional interstitial space also exists between the linking structures. Each of these clearance spaces is sized to receive and hold the pivot hub of another piece, wherein the pivot hubs of all these pieces have the same shape and size.

The component toy system of the present invention contains various components. Different components can be implemented in many ways. However, each of these components shares a common link construct. It is the number of connected constructs that vary from part to part. For purposes of illustration and description, only a few exemplary component configurations are shown. The components shown represent some of the best modes contemplated for use in the present invention. However, the components shown are merely exemplary and should not be considered as limiting when interpreting the scope of the attached patent application.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown exemplary components forming a component toy set 10. All the components in the component toy set 10 have one or more connection structures 12. The connection structures 12 are all the same. However, different parts have different numbers of linking constructs 12 molded together.

The first component 14 in the component toy set 10 includes a single connection structure 12. The structure of the connection structure 12 is described later. The second component 16 in the component toy set 10 includes two connection structures 12. In FIG. 1, two connection constructs 12 are shown connected side-by-side. However, other orientations can also be used. Subsequent components 18 may contain any number (N) of linked constructs 12, where all linked constructs 12 are integrated into a single component. The structure of the connecting structure 12 in all parts 14, 16, 18 is the same. The only difference among the parts 14, 16, 18 is the number of linking structures 12 forming a single part.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the first component 14 is shown to contain a single connection construct 12. The connecting structure 12 has a pivot hub 20. The pivot hub 20 has two surfaces 22, 24 located on opposite sides of the pivot hub 20 and extending in parallel planes. The two parallel surfaces 22 and 24 are mirror images of each other and are interconnected by a polygonal side surface 26. The two parallel surfaces 22, 24 are spaced apart by the thickness of the pivot hub 20, which thickness corresponds to the width of the polygonal side surface 26. The circular cylindrical recess 28 is formed on both the parallel surfaces 22 and 24 and is adjacent to the center of the parallel surfaces 22 and 24. The two cylindrical recesses 28 are concentric and spaced apart by the remaining thickness of the pivot hub 20.

A plurality of radial detents 30 are also formed in each of the parallel surfaces 22, 24 around the cylindrical recess 28. The radial pawl 30 surrounds the cylindrical recess 28 in a radial pattern, wherein at least one radial pawl 30 appears every 15 to 90 degrees around the cylindrical recess 28.

Two yoke arm portions 32 extend from the pivot hub 20. The two yoke arm portions 32 extend in a parallel plane perpendicular to the surfaces 22, 24 of the pivot hub 20. The two yoke arm portions 32 are separated up to the clearance space 34. The clearance space 34 is sized to receive the pivot hub 20 of the other connection structure 12 with a slight interference fit. As such, the clearance space 34 between the two yoke arm portions 32 is equal to (or only slightly smaller than) the width of the pivot hub 20.

Each yoke arm portion 32 has an inner flat surface 36 and an opposite outer flat surface 38. The inner flat surface 36 faces the gap space 34. The outer flat surface 38 faces away from the gap space 34. The flat surfaces 38 from the inner flat surface 36 and the outer flat surface from the two yoke arm portions 32 are parallel. Two inner cylinder extensions 40 extend from the two inner flat surfaces 36 of the yoke arm portion 32 into the gap space 34. Similarly, two outer cylinder extensions 42 extend away from the gap space 34 from the two outer flat surfaces 38 of the yoke arm portion 32. Both the inner cylinder extension 40 and the outer cylinder extension 42 are sized to be received in the cylinder recesses 28 of the other of the connecting structures 12.

Further, the extended protrusion 44 extends from the inner flat surface 36 of the yoke arm portion 32 into the clearance space 34. The elongated protrusion 44 extends radially from the inner cylinder extension 40. The elongated protrusion 44 is sized to be received by a radial pawl 30 in the other of the connecting structures 12.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that when the two connection structures 12A and 12B are joined together, the second component 16 is formed. When the two connection structures 12A, 12B are joined together, the second gap space 46 is established between the yoke arm portions 32 of the different connection structures 12A, 12B. The gap space 46 between the connection structures 12A, 12B is the same as the gap space 34 between the yoke arm portions 32 of any single connection structure. According to this, a part containing two connected constructs 12A, 12B will create three interstitial spaces. Each of the clearance spaces 34, 46 is sized to engage the pivot hub 20 of another component. If the component has (N) number of connected constructs 12, the same component will have (N + 1) number of gap spaces.

7 and FIG. 8 in combination with the previous illustration, it can be seen that the connection structure 12 between any two components can be mechanically interconnected. The connection structure 12 is interconnected by pivoting the hub 20 of the connection structure 12 of the first component through the clearance spaces 34, 46 between the yoke arm portions 32 on the other component. After contact, there is a slight interference fit. As such, the two yoke arm portions 32 on one component must be slightly extended to allow the pivot hub 20 of the other component to pass. When the pivot hub 20 enters one of the clearance spaces 34, 46, the inner cylinder extension 40 or the outer cylinder extension 42 of a component is buckled into the cylinder recess 28 of the pivot hub 20 of different components.

Once the components are interconnected to form a joint connection, it realizes that the connection structure 12 of the first component is rotated relative to the connection structure 12 of the other component, and vice versa. When the connecting structure 12 of the first component rotates relative to the connecting structure 12 of the second component, the elongated protrusion 44 on the yoke arm portion 32 rotates into and out of various radial detents on the pivot hub 20 30. This resists any rotational movement and requires a threshold force to be applied between the components in order to rotate one component relative to the other. When one component is moved relative to the other, as the extended protrusion 44 moves from one radial pawl 30 to the other, it produces an audible snapping noise. It will therefore be understood that the cylindrical recess 28 is a feature on the first component that intermesh with the cylindrical extension 40 of the second component. Similarly, the radial detents 30 on the first component are interengaged with the extended protrusions 44 of the second component. This creates a strong, stable interconnection that will not itself separate or rotate, but can be easily separated or rotated by intentional manual manipulation.

Components with a linking structure 12 can be interconnected to form a long chain. At any point, a larger component with multiple connected constructs 12 may be added to the assembly. This provides the ability to expand the assembly into multiple chains extending in multiple directions. From FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, it can be seen that by combining a component having a connecting structure 12 and a component having a plurality of connecting structures 12, a complex shape and structure can be established. The interconnection of the radial detent 30 and the extended protrusion 44 prevents the joint connection between any two components from moving under the weight of the assembly. This implementation creates a larger assembly without losing stability.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the invention shown and described are exemplary only, and that those skilled in the art can make many changes to the embodiments. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

10‧‧‧ Construction Toy Set

12‧‧‧ Link Construct

12A‧‧‧ Linked Construct

12B‧‧‧ Linked Construct

14‧‧‧ Parts

16‧‧‧ Parts

18‧‧‧ parts

20‧‧‧ Pivot Wheel

22‧‧‧ surface

24‧‧‧ surface

26‧‧‧Polygonal side surface

28‧‧‧ Post recess

30‧‧‧ detent

32‧‧‧yoke arm

34‧‧‧ Clearance

36‧‧‧ surface

38‧‧‧ surface

40‧‧‧cylinder extension

42‧‧‧Column extension

44‧‧‧ protrusion

46‧‧‧ Clearance

In order to better understand the present invention, consider the following description of its exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a component toy set with various component types, wherein each of the component types share the same connection structure Figure 2 is a side view of a first component type containing a linking structure; Figure 3 is a front view of the first component type; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the first component type; Figure 5 is a system containing two links A front view of a second component type of a construction body; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second component type; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an assembly containing a different component type; and FIG. 8 is a complete component containing a different component type One front view.

Claims (18)

A component toy set includes a plurality of interlocking pieces, wherein each of the interlocking pieces includes at least one connection structure and each connection structure includes: a pivot hub having a first surface and an opposite one A second surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface are parallel; a detent formed in both the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub, wherein the detents are in a radial direction Pattern configuration; a first yoke arm portion coupled to the pivot hub, wherein the first yoke arm portion has a first inner surface and a first outer surface, wherein the first inner surface and the first The outer surface is configured to be perpendicular to the first surface of the pivot hub; a first protruding portion extending from the first inner surface of the first yoke arm portion, wherein the first protruding portion is sized to One of the detents receives; a second yoke arm portion coupled to the pivot hub, wherein the second yoke arm portion has a second inner surface and a second outer surface, wherein the second The inner surface and the second outer surface are configured to be perpendicular to the first watch of the pivot hub And a first gap space that separates the first inner surface of the first yoke arm portion from the second inner surface of the second yoke arm portion, wherein the first protruding portion extends to the first gap space And wherein the first clearance space is sized to receive and hold the pivot hub. The component toy set according to claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of interlocking pieces include different numbers of the at least one linking structure. The component toy set according to claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of interlocking pieces include a first link structure and a second link structure, the first link structure and the second link structure are Joined together into a single piece. The component toy set according to claim 3, wherein a second gap space is disposed between the first connection structure and the second connection structure, and the second gap space is sized to receive and hold the Pivot hub. The component toy set according to claim 1, further comprising pillar recesses formed concentrically into the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub. The component toy set according to claim 5, further comprising pillar extensions extending from both the first inner surface and the first outer surface of the first yoke arm portion, wherein the Iso-cylinder extensions are sized to be received by the cylinder recesses. The component toy set according to claim 6, wherein the column extensions further extend from both the second inner surface and the second outer surface of the second yoke arm portion, wherein the column extensions pass through Sized to be received by the cylinder recesses. The component toy set according to claim 1, wherein the pivot hub has a polygonal side surface separating one of the first surface and the second surface. A component toy set comprising a plurality of interlocking pieces, wherein at least some of the interlocking pieces contain at least two linking structures, wherein each of the linking structures includes: a pivot hub having a A first surface and an opposite second surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface are arranged in parallel; a first yoke arm portion coupled to the pivot hub, wherein the first yoke arm portion has A first inner surface and a first outer surface, wherein the first inner surface and the first outer surface are configured to be perpendicular to the first surface of the pivot hub; a second yoke arm portion which is coupled To the pivot hub, wherein the second yoke arm portion has a second inner surface and a second outer surface, wherein the second inner surface and the second outer surface are configured to be perpendicular to the first of the pivot hub A surface; and a first gap space that separates the first inner surface of the first yoke arm portion from the second inner surface of the second yoke arm portion, wherein the first gap space is sized to receive And holding the pivot hub. The construction toy set according to claim 9, wherein the at least two link constructs include a first link construct and a second link construct, and the first link construct and the second link construct each have A first surface that is coplanar on the pivot hub. The component toy set according to claim 10, wherein a second gap space is disposed between the first connection structure and the second connection structure, and the second gap space is sized to receive and retain the Pivot hub. The toy component set according to claim 9, further comprising detents formed in both the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub, wherein the detents are in a radial pattern Configuration. The toy component set according to claim 12, further comprising a first protruding portion extending from the first inner surface of the first yoke arm portion, wherein the protruding portion is sized to be defined by the Wait for one of the catches to receive it. The component toy set according to claim 9, further comprising pillar recesses formed concentrically into the first surface and the second surface of the pivot hub. The component toy set according to claim 14, further comprising pillar extensions extending from both the first inner surface and the first outer surface of the first yoke arm portion, wherein the Iso-cylinder extensions are sized to be received by the cylinder recesses. The component toy set according to claim 15, wherein the column extensions further extend from both the second inner surface and the second outer surface of the second yoke arm portion, wherein the column extensions are determined The size is received by these cylinder recesses. An interlocking sheet for a component toy set, the interlocking sheet includes: a first pivot hub; a second pivot hub; a first yoke arm portion coupled to the first pivot hub A second yoke arm portion coupled to the first pivot hub; a third yoke arm portion coupled to the second pivot hub; a fourth yoke arm portion coupled to the first pivot hub Two pivot hubs; a first gap space separating the first yoke arm portion from the second yoke arm portion, wherein the first gap space is sized to receive and hold the first pivot hub; a first Two clearance spaces that separate the second yoke arm portion from the third yoke arm portion, wherein the second clearance space is sized to receive and hold the first pivot hub; and a third clearance space that The third yoke arm portion is separated from the fourth yoke arm portion, and the third gap space is sized to receive and hold the first pivot hub. The interlocking piece according to claim 17, wherein the first yoke arm portion, the second yoke arm portion, the third yoke arm portion, and the fourth yoke arm portion extend in parallel in a common direction.