US1426376A - Toy building construction - Google Patents

Description

A. c. GILBERT. TOY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, I915- RENEWED FEB- 8| I922.

Patented Aug. 22, 192i lV/TNESS S:

HIRED C. GILBERT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGINOR TO THE A. G, GILBER COMEANY, OF. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTIGU '1'.

TOY BUILDING cons'rrwcrroiw.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 22, 1922,

Application filed April 30, 1915, Serial No. 24,974. Renewed February 8, 1922. Serial No. 535,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED C. GILBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of New Haven and. State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Building Constructions, of which the following is. a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to toy building construction intended to simulate the modern structural steel used in building sky scrap-- ers, bridges and for similar purposes. The invention relates more particularly to a box girder construction in which the girder consists of two or more sections which are connected end to end.

-The primary object of the invention is to provide improved means for interconnecting the adjacent ends of the girder sections so that a very simple joint will have the neces sary strength. Another object of the invention is to interconnect the adjacent ends of the sections in such a manner that the structure may be conveniently and readily assembled and taken apart. More specifically, my object is to provide a box girder in which two sections, each consisting of four strips or elements, may be effectively interconnected by a single bolt, or similar fastening. I 4

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations -of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed. I y

' In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a box girder, consisting of two interconnected sections,

Fig. 2 is a similar view, taken at right an les to Fig. 1, v

ig. 3 is a top plan view of the girder, and 1 Fig. 4 is' an enlarged section on line 4 -4 of Fi 1.'

Ref erring to the drawing, '10 is a light, flexible strip or bar preferably formed of thin sheet metal, portions of which are stamped out, as shown at 11, to present truss members 12 integrally connecting side members 13 extending parallel to each other at the margins of the strip. The side members 13 are provided with flanges 14 at the side edges of the strip. The median portion of the strip, including the-truss members 12 and the solid end portions15, is bent .inward out ofjthe plane" of the side mem-' bers 13, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to present,

in connection with flanges 14, parallel grooves, seats or channels 16, extending along the margins of the strip. Small bosses A 17 are preferably punched in the side mem bers of the strip to present projections near the unct1ons of the truss members, which PIOJBCtlODS simulatethe rivets used in structural steel work. It may be' stated, however, that while I have described in detail one particular form of strip which may be.

used for'making upa box girder, the character of strip employed may be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the invention.

For the purpose of connecting a plurality of strips together to form a box girder, and

of connectmg a plurality of girders togethr, the solid portions 15 at the ends of the strips are provided with perforations 18.

When a box girder is to be built up, a plu- ,ralityof strips were assembled in the man- Between the outer oppositely located strips just mentioned, two inner strips are set in to complete the box-like structure. The side flanges 14 of the inner strips fit the grooves 16 of the outer strips and space apart the outer strips, while the inner strips are pre-' vented from outward movement relatively to the box-like structure by the flanges 14 of A the outer strips. Theinner strips are also prevented from inward movement relatively to the box-like structure by the engagement of their side edges in the channels or seats of the outer strips, as shown in 3. Thus, it will be seen that when the nuts 20 of the bolts 19 are tightened, a'strong, rigid box girder section isprovided.

Assuming the box girder thus described to be the upper section shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I

this section may be interconnected with another section in order to lengthen the girder. by proceeding substantially as 1 follows: Although the method of assemblage may be greatly varied it will be assumed for purposes of. descrlption that the upper. section its assembled position.

t the girder,

parts in assembled relation.

lar form shown in the drawing, the upper ing bolt passes is complete except for its lower bolt 19, and that the lower section which is to be joined to said upper section is also complete except for its upper bolt interconnecting the two outer strips. The sections are then nested together in any appropriate, manner by the overlapping of their adjacent ends, after which a single bolt 19 may be passed through certain of the registering perforations 18 for the purpose of holding all of the. several In the particuendsof the outer strips of the lower section are slipped beneath the lower ends of the outer strips of the upper section, so as to bring their perforations 18 into registry with those of the upper strips. On the other hand, the upper ends of the inner strips of the lower section are slipped over the lower ends of the inner strips of the upper section. The fastening bolt is then passed through the perforation in the lower end of one of the outer strips of the upper section, then through the registering perforation in the underlapping outer strip of the lower section, across the box-like structure, and through the registering perforations at the other side of the structure. Then after the nut is placed on the bolt and tightened up, the whole structure will be firmly held'in The inner strips of the respective sections are not positively locked against endwise sliding movement, but it has been found that when the nut on the fastening bolt has been tightened to a sullicient extent, these strips which are not directly interconnected by the bolt are clamped so tightly by the friction of the .other strips on their flanges that said inner strips are quite securely and firmly clamped in place. It will thus be seen that by my improved construction, a girder section, consisting of four separable strips, may be se curely fastened to another similar section by means of a single bolt, or similar fastening.

The arrangement of the eight strips forming the girder illustrated is symmetrical throughout the structure, but obviously this is not anessential feature of the invention. For example, one of the outer strips of the outer section might overlap the correspond ing strip of the lower section at one side of While at the opposite side of the girder the outer strip ofthe lower section might overlap the corresponding strip of the upper section. This also applies to the inner strips, and it will be seen that two adjacent sections may readily be fitted togather and interlocked without any great care in assembling, so long'as the fastenthrough what may be termed the outermost strips of the structure, at the overlapping joint portion thereof. It will be apparent that in the completed structure, the overlapping ends of the outer strips are by. the flexible or yielding character of the comparatively thin sheet metal strips. This permits two strips which are initially of identical cross-section to be connected end to end insuch a manner that the overlapping end portions nest together and conform quite closely to each other under the pressure of thevfastening bolt or bolts; This result is due primarily, of course, to the yielding nature of the side flanges which make each strip more or less self-adjusting, and enables it to conform to and fit similar strips and other parts in a manner which would be quite impossible if the strip were so rigid as to resist bending.

Various changes in the details of the construction may be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the claims.

I do not claim herein the construction of the girder section per 'se made up of four strips with channels or seats therein, as claimed in my application, Serial No. 814,533.

What .1 claim is 1. In toy building construction, two miniature box girder or column sections, each formed of a plurality of strips of light flexible sheet metal assembled separably into a box-like structure, the ends of the strips of one section overlapping those of the other section, and means for fastening the sections detachably together where they overlap; substantially as described.

2. In a building toy,'the combination of I a miniature box girder section comprising four light flexible strips separably assembled,

a similar section formed of four light flexible strips separably assembled, the strips of the two sections being overlapped at their ends, and one or morebolts for fastening the sections detachably together.

3. In toy building construction, the combination of a miniature box girder or column -section comprising four strips, two opposite strips having longitudinal parallel inwardly facing seats engaged by the side edge pore tions of the other two strips, a second section made up of similar strips, the corresponding strips of the respective sections being overlapped at the ends, and means passing through certain strips of both sections,

where said strips overlap, for fastening the several parts detachablytogether in assembled'relation.

4. toy building construction, a box v I a single bolt passing through the overlapping portions of certain strips for interconnecting said sections; substantially as described.

5. In toy building construction, a miniature box girder or column composed of at least two endwise-connected sections, each of said sections comprising four strips of light flexible sheet metal separably assembled in box-like form, two of the strips of each section being provided with longitudinal in- 1 wardly facing seats engaged by the side por- 'tions ot'the other two strips, such other two strips being set inbetween the first or outer strips to space them apart, the correspond ing strips of the respective sections being overlapped at the ends and snugly nested together, and a single'means at the overlapping portions of the sections forholding the strips of both sections in assembled relation and for inter-connecting the respective sections.

(5. In a toy box girder, the combination of a box girder section composed ofa pair of opposing outer strips and a pair of inner strips set in between the outer strips to space them'apart, said outer strips provided with means to prevent inward and outward displacement of the inner strips, a second box girder-section similar to the first, the end portions of the strips of one section overlapping the end portions of the corresponding strips of the other section, and a single bolt passing through said sections at a point where they overlap for holding the parts in assembled relation; substantially as described.

7. In toy building construction, the combination of a box girder section formed of an outer pair of strips and an inner pair of strips, said sections having means for preventing inward and outward displacement of the inner strips, a similar section formed transversely through the overlapped strips at opposite sides-of the structure, and interconnecting the sections; substantially as described. I

8. In toy building construction, a miniature box girder or column section comprising an outer pair of, light flexible sheet metal strips and an inner pair of light flexible sheet metal strips set in between said first strips to space them apart, the outer strips having longitudinal inwardly facing seats in which the side edge portions of the inner strips are detachably engaged to prevent inward and outward displacement of said inner strips, a similar miniature box girder or column section formed of similar .outer and inner strips, the corresponding strips of the two sections bein overlapped in 'an endwise direction, an a bolt passing through the outer strips of both sections where they overlap and'traversing the boxlike structure for holding the strips of both sections in assembled relation at that portion of the structure and for inner-connecting the sections.

9. In a toy box girder, two miniature box girder sections each comprising four laterally separable strips, two of the strips of each section being set in between the other two to space them apart and such other two strips being provided with means for prevent ing outward and inward displacement of the inner spacing strips, one end portion of each of said strips overlappingthe end portion of the corresponding adjacent strip of the other section, a single fastening bolt traversing the box-like structure at the juncture of the sections and passing through the outer strips of both sections where they overlap for holding the strips of both sections in assembled relation at the juncture of the sections and detachably inter-connecting said' sections, and bolts passing through the outer strips of both sections at the remote ends of said sections for holding the strips in assembled relation at such remote ends.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on the 28th day of April, 1915.

ALFREDv C. GILBERT.

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