US1009468A

US1009468A - Toy building-blocks.

Info

Publication number: US1009468A
Application number: US57735610A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank M Burrowes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1910-08-15
Filing date: 1910-08-15
Publication date: 1911-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1928-11-21

Description

F. M. BURROWES.-

TOY BUILDING BLOCKS. 111110111011 FILED 11111.15, 1910.

1,009,468. Pat en ted 110121, 1911.

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Specification of Letters Patent. 1 Paiientgfi o 21, 1911,

Application filed August 15, 1910. Serial No. 577,356.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. Bunnowns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toy Building- Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toy building blocks for building toy houses and other like constructions. Hitherto such building blocks have been commonly made so that they will rest, one upon another without any fastening, the whole being held together simply by the weight of the blocks.

The object of my invention is to construct a set of building blocks whereby a child may put together a house or any similar construction in such a way that it will hold together firmly and may be usedfor the pinposeof a play house or in the manner of a permanent toy.

A further object is to render toy constructions easy to build by making the blocks stick firmly together as the building goes on as distinguished from resting one block on another a process which requires a very steady hand. 4

The invention consists of theseveral features of construction as hereinafter de scribed and claimed.

I have illustrated my invention by means of the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is an end elevation of a toy house constructed of my improved building blocks, Fig. 2 is an end view of two courses of the roof blocks, Fig. 3 is a face view of the same, Fig.4 is an end view of two of the common blocks fitted together, Fig. 5 is a face view of the same, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the common blocks, Fig. 7 is an elevation of a modified form of the common blocks showing the manner of forming a pier or column, Fig. 8 is a side elevation of one of the wedge-shaped blocks for completing the roof courses and for other purposes, Fig. 9 is an end view of the same,

Fig. 10 is an end view of the two ridge pole.

pieces and Fig. 11 is a detailed section on the line at w of Fig. 1. The set of blocks as I prefer to make them up consist of the common oblong blocks A' shaped approximately like an ordinary brick and capable ofbeing laid up, course upon course, like brick work. Each block is secured to the block below it by a groove 0' formed on its under side and adapted to fit a corresponding tongue or rib a in the.

next block below. These tongues and grooves are made central and longitudinal of the blocks for ordinary straight work but for building up columns and piers and the like and for turning corners, certain blocks are formed with one transverse groove as shown in Fig. 1 or with two as shown'in Fig. 7.

Door frames and window frames areprovided and may be fitted in place and the blocks are joined to the casings of the win dow and door frames by ribs and grooves as shown in Fig. 11 where a ribb is formed on the casing of the window frame B which fits a groove in the end of the block. a

In forming the corners of the building, blocks are selected which have one transverse groove as well as the longitudinal groove as shown in Fig. 1.

The slope of the roof is formed by the roof courses which are terminated by wedgelocks F having grooves on the r shaped under si es and when fitted in the ends of the roof course's they form a true roof slope. The roof is made up offlat roof blocks as C made in full and half lengths. Each block has a dovetail groove 0' on its lower edge anda corresponding rib on its upper edge. As I prefer to make this joint, the rib consists of a cylindrical bead slightly oilset with a groove which enables the rib to be inserted when the parts are held at an angle. When the blocks are laid down flat they will not pull apart A roof covering may thus bebuilt up by securing the several courses together atv the edges and having the blocks of each course break joints, which will hold together and form a substantially solid iece. P To secure the covering pieces in placeon the slope of the roof, I provide ridgepole pieces which have grooves in one edge to fit the ribs of the regular roof blocks, the upper or adjacent edges being tongued and grooved so that they may be readily secured together.

As already pointed out, certain blocks 'have two transverse grooves on the bottom for building up columns as shown in Fig. 7

All the parts used have this characteristic, that they are fastened together by ribs and grooves fitting together,

A set of blocks made in this way may be used to build a great variety of constructions and each one after being built will be to a great extent permanent. It'may be used for a play house and rebuilt in other forms enabling children to exercise their skill and inventiveness to any extent.

The sets of blocks may be made with any desired number in a set and with sufiicient number of blocks large and elaborate toy buildings may be built.

I claim:

l. A set of building blocks including cooperating members having interfitting tongue and grooved portions formed to register and engage edgewise in one position of said members and prevent separation in another position thereof.

2. A set of building blocks including cooperating members having complementary connecting instrumentalities formed to register and engage edgewise in a predetermined relation of said members and to interlock to prevent separation in another relation thereof.

3. A set of building blocks including cooperating members havin tongue and grooved portions arranged in one position to permit edgewise entrance of the tongue into the groove and another position to cause the tongue to hook in the groove and prevent separation of the members. i

4. A set of building blocks including cooperating members havin a tongue and groove preventing separation of the members when in a common plane and permitting separation thereof upon angular disposition of said members.

5. A set of building blocks including cooperating members having a tongue and groove adapted to be engaged when the members are in a predetermined relation and to interlock to prevent disengagement and to form an angle or ridge upon chang ing the relation of said members.

6. A set of building blocks including a pair of ridge pole pieces, each of which is formed on its lower edge to engage roof blocks, said ridge pole pieces having a detachable engagement therebetween at their upper edges, substantially as described.

7. A set of building blocks including a I pair of ridge pole pieces, each of which is formed on its lower edge to engage roof blocks, said ridge pole pieces having a detachable engagement therebetween at their upper edges comprising interlocking tongue and groove portions, substantially as described.

8. A set of building blocks including flat rectangular roof blocks, each having a dovetail groove on one edge, one side of said groove being oflset inside of the mouth or opening of the groove, and a corresponding tongue on the other edge of each block adapted to enter said groove when the blocks are at an angle and to permit the blocks being brought to a commonplane.

9. A set of building blocks including fiat rectangular blocks made in whole and half lengths, each block having a groove on one edge and a corresponding tongue on the other edge, a pair of flat ridge pole pieces FRANK M. BURROWES.

In the presence of S. W. BATES, PERCY M. ANDREWS.