US1085460A - Constructional toy. - Google Patents

Description

W. MIGHAELIS. GONSTBUOTIONAL TOY. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913'.

, 1,035,4 0, Patented Jan. 27, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

:Eiga. I1 5.

WITNESSES w. MIGHAELIS. GONSTRUGTIONAL TOY. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1 4213.

1,085,460; Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Para-NT orrron WILLIAM mcnanms, or LONDON, ENGLAND, assienon '10 ittlnnsmnn. METALL- a LACKIEBWABENFAIBRIK VORH. GEBR'U'DEB BING A.-G.,, OF HUBEHBERG, GER- consrnocnonnn m.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented an. 27, 1914.

Application filed Ray 22, 1913. Serial No. 769,818.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Dr. WILLIAM MICHAE- us, a subject of the German Emperor, and a resident of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Constructional Toys, of which the following is a specification.

The constructional toys hitherto known for making toy machines suffer from the disadvantage that the axles and shafts employed must be of larger diameter at the places where they are rigidly connected with other parts of the construction than at the places where they are to revolve in astationary part.

As of course only bars or rods of uniform diameter throughout their length can be employed if the number of the parts to be kept in stock is not to reach an indefinite quantity, all the constructional parts have hitherto been made of soft wood, and the instructions are that the bars should be so far reduced, by rolling or pressing between two blocks, that they can easily rotate in the perforations in the blocks.v In order to fasten wheels'on the ends of these bars, some linen or tough paper is slipped over the end of the bar, and for the same object strinfiris wrapped in the middle of the bar. Fina 1y 1f opportunity ofi'ers the wood may be' swollen by moistening it. All such means are in their nature primitive and not applicable to constructional material of greater strength, for instance to metal or hard wood, and in any case exceed the admissible demands on the intelligence of children.

It has hitherto not been possible to make the separate n elements of a constructional toy in-such a way that toy machines can be made therefrom which .canbe described as actually capable of working, as the use of wooden constructional elements excludes this idea at once. Apart from this fundamental defect, the toys made from the ordinary constructional elements have an external appearance which is unlike that of the real machines. The causes of this are to be found'in the want of a suitable connecting member for the rods or bars which cannot be dispensed with as constructional elements.

. This invention has for its object to form the elements of constructional toys so as to remove all the disadvantages mentioned and enable working toy engines or machines externally like the originals to be made. Ac-

cording to the invention, the connection of the bars is made by means of separatejoint members or unction pieces and wed e members. The wedges are so formed t at the chlld easily learns how to make and release theconnection and does not require to employ any special ability.

the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 1s a s1d e elevation of a T-shaped joint member; Fig. 2 is an end elevation, and Fig. 3 1s a plan, of the same; Fig. 4 is a side elevatlon of the correspondin wedge member; Fig. 5 1s an axial longitudinal section, and F g.6 is an end elevation,

1s a plan of the finished connection, inclu mg the oint member, the wed e member and the rods or bars with whic they are associated Flgs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, are views of dlflerent forms of joint members; FlgS. 15, 16 and, 17 are respectivel a side elevatlon, end elevation, and plan, 0 a modified form of joint member; Figs. 18, 19 and 20 are respectively a side elevation, end elevatlon, and longitudinal axial section, of a wedge member of correspondin modified form; Fig. 21 is an elevation of a finished connection includin a wedge member, a rod or bar, and a T oint member having an annular flange or enlargement on each one of its three ends; Fig. 22 is a section, at right angles to the axis, of a ring member which when.fitted on a rodor bar is held secure from lateral displacement on said rod while free to revolve thereon; Fig. 23 is an axial section of the same; Fig. 24 is an elevation of a modified torm of ring member having the shape of a wheel; Fig.25 is an elevation of a fimshed connect-ion m which ring members such as shown in Figs; 22 and 23 are employed.

A T-shaped piece is provided with bores 'b and c of the same diameter in both arms. The width of the bores is such that the T- shaped giece can turn loosely and be easily displace on the cylindrical-rod d with the least possible play. The bores are enlarged at the ends to form a wedge shaped groove 6.

The wedge member 1 is .formed with a plate or head which provides-for handling. A hole g of the exact width of the bores or passages in the T-shaped piece is provided in the center of the plate so that the wedge member can also turn loosely and be easily displaced on a bar or rod. The member f has a wedge-shaped projection h, which exof the same; Fi

wedge easily slips into is curved on its inner face the contour of. this bore, grooves e in theT-shaped piece.

' hereinbefore descri shaped projection,

tendsin. the axial direction of the bore corresponding to and fits into the B sim l fittin to ether the two arts y P y ied it is easily pos sible to firmly connect the joint piece a with the rodor bar (2. :The child only requires to turn the wedge member relatively to the joint member until the wed e projection stands opposite the groove, w ereupon the the roove, when a slight pressure is applied. he wedge projection is ressed inward so far that it rests firmly on -the bar, so that both parts are now prevented" from turning and from being displaced longitudinally relative to the bar. This connection may be made at any suitable point on the bar.

The connection of the round rods or bars with other suitable joint members like those shown in Figs. 814, may be made in similar manner, and by means of these connection can be made withother rods or bars. The form illustrated in Fig. 8 enables two rods or bars to be connected at an acute angle, and the joint member provided with four bores or passages at ri ht angles to one another, as illustrated in four rods standing at right angles to one another to be connected together. Such joint members or unions are only capable of being made of strong materials.

0 course wedge pieces may be provided which have wedge-shaped projections on bothsides. Also, instead of a single wedgea ring of a larger number, for instance, four such projectlons may be provided. The manufacture of the unions or joint members is thereby simplified because their respective wedge grooves as a whole form a conical enlargement which may be made by turning or milling. Such a joint member is illustrated in Figs. 1517, and the corresponding wedge member in Figs. 18-20.

The j oint-member has at both ends of its longer bore, and at, the outer end of'its central bore, a conical enlargement m. A conical neck 0 which is divided into four wedgeshaped projections by means of fourslots, is provided on the wedge member f. In making the connection between these parts it is unnecessary to turn the wedge member into a suitable position relatively to the joint member. As, however, the pressure which must be exerted in fitting the two parts together is distributed over four wedge-shaped tongues, while in the construction first described only a single tongue had to be pressed in, it appears doubtful Whether a child would be able to exert the necessary pressure .merely with. its fingers to enable a firm connection to be made. Suitable pliers therefore are provided,

ig. 11, enables I sidewise of itself, but can still rotate.

adapted to take the parts between jaws and to press them together. Such pliers form the subject of my application, for Letters Patent Ser. N o;-80 5,969 filed December 11, 1913, constituting a division of this application.

In the modified form of joint member shown-in Fig. 21, said member 1s. provided with annularly flanged or shouldered ends y to facilitate the use of said pliers with joint members of different lengths, as more fully explained in my aforesaid divisional application, Ser. No. 805,969.

In addition to the 'rodsor bars aZ, the joint members a and the wedge members .1 and 1, rings u may be employed which are passed on to the rods (1 and secured against lateral displacement but not against rotation, as is shown in Figs. 22-25.

A groove '0 is formed. in the ring it for receiving a clamping sprin m which projects beyond the inner perip ery of the-ring (Figs. 22, 23). When the ring is pushed on to a rod d against the resistance of the sprin any further displacement is prevente but it is quite possible to easily rotate the ring on the rod. The end of the rod is enteredinto the somewhat contracted opening in the ring, formed by the inwardly projecting-spring, ring is forcibly pushed by hand onto the rod, the spring, of course, will be expanded by the rod sufliciently to permit of this movement.

' Byforming the ring as a wheel hub (Fig. 24) no further attachment of the wheel is necessary. The spring' pressure is so calculated that the wheel will not be displaced rings may also be employed for securing bodies against displacement on the rods (1. Should a joint member, for example, have to turn but not be displaced on a rod, a ring a is pushed against each of its end faces (Fig. 25). The possibility of the ring at rotating of itself does not in this case come into question. The arms of the joint be tapered and provided with axialslots. In this case the wedging is eifected by means of clamp rings provided with an inner cone. These are drawn over the arms of the joint moeimbers after their 'bores have received the r s. I a

Any suitable kinds of working machines, transmissions and thelike, and also models of working appliances, useful articles and building constructions, can be made from the constructional elements.- I

-Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed',.I declare that what I claim is:

-1. A constructional toy, more particularly for making toy machines, having three and then, as the Such members may also groups of constructional elements, to Wit:

cylindrical rods or bars, tubular joint members, and locklng members having an annular head tofit the rod or bar to which it is applied and one or more wedge-shaped prolongations adapted to enter correspondingly shaped recesses in the joint members, and formed With a concave face to fit the rod or bar to which the locking member is applied, substantially as hereinbefore set.

forth.

2. A set of toy construction members comprising in combination cylindrical rods 01' DR. WILLIAM MIGHAELIS.

. Witnesses:

OSCAR BooK, MAX PUSDENDORFF.

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