US1000395A - Joint for building-blocks. - Google Patents

Description

O. W. FROST. JOINT FOR BUILDING BLOCKS. APYLIUAMOH FILED DBO. 21, 1910.

. Fig. 6 is aside elevation showing the heights 'nally of the edge', the grooves in the top be- UNITED STAT-ES 'PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLESW. FROST, 0F PHILADELPHIAv` PENNSYLVANIA Joruirroa BUILDING-BLOCKS.

Specification of Application filed December 2 To all whom it ma'g/ concern:

Be it known that l, (l1-mames lV. Fnos'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Joints for Building-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for forming a temporary joint between blocks of building material of any character.

The purpose of my invention is to provide the same form of temporary union for the junction of building blocks, particularly toy blocks, in differentfpositions with respect to each other and to provide for variation in the angles between the blocks. j

A further purpose of my invention is to provide a joint lbetween adjoining blocks upon the same level which shall at the same time aline and join thereto' blocks upon .a different level.

I-have prcferredto illustrated my invention by thateform thereof -which has been found in manufacture to be most practical and suitable and which, at thev s`a`ie""ti1ne, presents the principle of my invention to great advantage.'

F'gure 1 is a. top plan view of one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the structure of Fig. 1 showing the range ot angular movement permitted.- Figs. 3 and 4 are top plan views of the structure of Figs. 1 and 2 with the parts in different positions therefrom. Fig. 5 is a top plan View of a slightly variant form. of connection.

of different sets of my connections. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of one of the blocksl which I prefer to use. Figs. S, 9 and i() are perspective views of the connecting parts preferred.

ln the drawings similar parts are referred to by corresponding numerals of reference. I prefer to use a block of the character shown at 1, 1 and 12 in Fig. 1 when toy use is made of my invention, though it is evidently applicable to ay great variety of forms of toy blocks as well as to other building blocks. In this foi-m. of block 1, I prefer to grooveV both the top and bottom longitudiing` shown at 2 in order that connection may be made both at thetop and at the bottom to laterally adjoining blocks and, in allA cases except/ the bottom block, alsao to vertically' adj oining blocks alined thereby. The grooves,

Letters' Pate nt.

1, 1910. Serial No. 598,587.

such as 2 2, preferably extend from end to end of the blocltsffr-convenience in cutting, though I .prefer to makeactual use of that portion only of the grooves in proximity to the side edges of the blocks. l also make transverse cuts 4, 5 both most desirablv through from side to side of the block. these cuts, those at 4, the more remote from the edge, are used for the purpose of stiifening the joint between blocks in the same plane but might be omitted in this use. In sucttssive i rows vertically I prefer to. break joints, placing the blockabove block 1,ipr example, with'its right hand edge-in vertical alinementwith the edge 6 of block 12. ".ln this ease the use of a clip such as 10v inthe slot 4 of block l2 is desirable to. stiil'en ,agail'lst lengthwise movement of the block above it, as this block terminates in the po- Patented Aug. 15. 1911.

sition shown by dotted line 6. Likewise the block above block 1 terminates at dotted line 62, and the slot 4 adjoining is useful for f the same purpose. In each case the other end of the block is also retained against'lon' gitudinal movement.

I make use of ties between adjoiniirr blocks, showing two forms of these ties at t `a`nd 8. The form at 7 is bent at 9 preferably tothe angle hereinafter indicated, and the tie S is straight. These ties are anchored in each block either by other ties or by clips, transverse to the ties anchored, and neferably of the form shown at 10. The ties and clips are each recessed laterally as at'11, there being preferably two such recesses in each tie and but'one in each clip. The re. cess 11 extends through to approxnnatcly.

the middle of the ties and clips, leaving` solid material in line therewith at 12 of approximately the same depth as 'the depth 4of the cut. In placing these anchoring ties or clips together, l" place them reversely so that" i the solid material 12 of one shall enter thel recess 11 of the other, forming a joint therebetween and holding each against n10-vement' with respect to the other. In Fig. 1, I show two such joints. .The one between the par. allel blocks 1 and 1 is made up of a straight tie 8 shown' as anchored by two clips 10.

The straight tie is here selected because it is desirable to maintain the- blocks 1 and 1 in alinement should it be desirable to place the eXcess1\-'e"\vidth of the groove 2, pern1itting this side movement. l

In Figs. .t and 3, blocks i and l2 are at approximately right angles to each other.

Here .l use a bent tie T, but with the bend in the tie directed oppositely in the two figures, each preferably having the square position ot. the blocks as the lim'it in one direction and having the movements away trom that limit. so as to form an obtuse angle in Fig. 2 and an acute angle in Fig. 4t. Any internualiate position can evidently he reached by this one angle of the tie. In cach case the anchorage is shown as formed in one block by the clips l0 and in the other block by a straight tie S with an additional and, under ,some circumstances, unnecessary clip l0 also spanning the tie 8. ,Straight ties 8 could be used for the corners as well as for the connection between the alined blocks. as best seen in Fig.

In Fig. t3 l have shown ties and clips of two ditierent heights. Those at the lett end have width approximately twice the depth of the groove-for the purpose of alininlg and joining other blocks Ain atier above the block shown. Evidently they will unite the blocks ot the upper tier to each other in the same manner as those below, in the same straightor angular relation, and at the saine time the ties and bonds will unite the two tiers against relative nievenient in other than in a. vertical direction. the tie and bond at the right hand end of Fig. o are shown :ef narrow enough to lie entirelyY within the grooves and are designed tor use against a plane surface, such as a. tloor, root', etc.

ln Fig. t'. show another way of proriding for the projection ot' the. tics and clips beyond the edges of the blocks in most instances and their entire inclusion within the grooves in others, by difference in the depth of the grooves upon opposite edges of theblocks, so that the same widths of ties and cli )s will project suitably from one edge ot the lock and may lic wholly within the groove along the other edge.Y It will be evident that the additional depth of the `groeve does not in any way interfere with the' use of these blocks for successive tiers where advantage is not to be taken of the extra depth, as the edge in which the deeper groove is cut may be made the lower edge and the ties and clips will enter 1t to the extent of the projection from the block below and to this extent only. The grooves 3', 4t and 5', represented in Fig. 7, should be :naproximately twice the depth of the grooves 3, 4.- and 5 in the same figure.

The bending' of the tie 7 greatly increases the angular range of possible placement of the blocks to produce other than square figures without interfering with the formation of a closed square ligure when desired, and. as the position of the bent tie in Figs. l and 3 indicates, the square corner will be more rigid because of the use of a bent tie which in the closed position takes' up the lateral play of the tie in the groove 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by 'Letters Patent is l. ln a device of the character stated, two blocks having longitudinal and transverse edge grooves horizontally in line, a

tie ittinginithe grooves of both blocks and having recesses in one side of said tie, and means fitting into the grooves of the different blocks for anchoring the tie against movement in either block,`,the tie and anchoring means extending above the said blocks for engagement with other blocks superimposed thereon.

2. In a device of the character stated, a tie bent. along a transverse lineand laterally recessed at points between the bend and each y end of thc tie, cooperating recessed members fitting with their solid portions within 4the recesses of vthe tie and their recessed portions inclosing the solidportions of the tie and blocks within which the tie and members tit.

3.111 a device of the character stated, a

plurality of blocks having longitudinal grooves in their edges in combinatlon with a bent tie of appreciably less thickness than the width of the grooves fitting into the groove on the edge of one and coperating with thel other to permit angular movement of the blocks outside or inside of Arectangular relation of the blocks with dif- .fcrent facing of the bend.

CHARLES W. FROST.

Witnesses WILLIAM STEEL JACKSON, Tiros. D. Mownvs.

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