US20060185308A1

US20060185308A1 - Building block

Info

Publication number: US20060185308A1
Application number: US11/061,030
Authority: US
Inventors: Fu-chi Lin
Original assignee: Youth Toy Enterprise Co Ltd
Current assignee: Youth Toy Enterprise Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-02-22
Filing date: 2005-02-22
Publication date: 2006-08-24

Abstract

A building block includes three serially connected square frames, each of which has an outer frame portion and an inner cross-shaped located within the outer frame to divide a space enclosed in each square frame into four equal parts. The cross-shaped rib portion has a thickness at least twice as large as that of the outer frame portion. All the three square frames have two diagonally opposite cavities provided thereon, while one of the three square frames further has two connecting protrusions diagonally located at two sides of the two cavities, so that multiple pieces of the building blocks could be assembled together in different manners to form changeful shapes via engagement of the cavities with corresponding connecting protrusions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a building block, and more particularly to a building block that allows multiple pieces of which to be assembled or stacked in different directions and manners to show changeful shapes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,780 discloses a cubic building block formed from a plurality of connected frame portion shaving a predetermined thickness. The building block is provided at each side with a cross-shaped rib portion having a thickness smaller than that of the frame portion, so that a space enclosed in each frame portion is divided into four squared cavities. The building block is also provided in the frame portion on at least one side thereof with two diagonally opposite round connecting posts, so that the two round connecting posts respectively have a center just located at a center of a corresponding square cavity on any other side of the building block, and a diameter equal to each side of the squared cavity. When any two of the above-described building blocks are vertically or horizontally juxtaposed for two complete sides on the two building blocks to face each other, the round connecting posts on a first building block could always be aligned with the square cavities on another building block. Therefore, the two building blocks could always be effectively connected or stacked at two complete sides facing each other through engagement of the round connecting posts on one building block with corresponding square cavities on another one building block.
Since the building blocks disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,780 must be connected or stacked through full contact of two complete sides on two different building blocks, only limited connecting manners could be employed and only very limited shapes could be formed from assembling of these building blocks. The building blocks of U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,780 are therefore less attractive and less competitive in the existing commercial environments. It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a building block to overcome the drawbacks existed in the conventional building blocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved building block that includes three serially connected square frames, each of which has an outer frame portion and an inner cross-shaped located within the outer frame to divide a space enclosed in each square frame into four equal parts. The cross-shaped rib portion has a thickness at least twice as large as that of the outer frame portion. All the three square frames have two diagonally opposite cavities provided thereon, while one of the three square frames further has two connecting protrusions diagonally located at two sides of the two cavities, so that multiple pieces of the building blocks could be assembled together in different manners to form changeful shapes via engagement of the connecting protrusions with corresponding cavities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a building block according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 3 is a sectioned side view of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a third example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fifth example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a sixth example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a seventh example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an eighth example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a building block according to a second embodiment of the present invention: and
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a building block according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 1 that is a perspective view of a building block according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the building block includes three serially connected square frames, namely, a first, a second, and a third square frame 1, 2, and 3, and a regular triangle formed at each lateral side of the three serially connected square frames 1, 2, 3. The first, the second, and the third square frame 1, 2, 3 respectively have an outer frame portion and a cross-shaped rib portion 11, 21, 31 located within the outer frame portion. These cross-shaped rib portions 11, 21, 31 have a thickness at least twice as large as that of the outer frame portion. The cross-shaped rib portions 11, 21, 31 respectively divide a space enclosed in the first, the second, and the third square frame 1, 2, 3 into four equal parts. Moreover, the first, the second, and the third square frame 1, 2, 3 all are provided with two diagonally opposite cavities 13, 22, 32, while the first square frame 1 is further provided with two round connecting posts 12 diagonally located at two sides of the two cavities 13.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective and sectioned side views, respectively, showing a first example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together. As shown, two pieces of the building blocks of FIG. 1, namely, a first and a second building block A, B, could be connected together by attaching the first square frame 1 b of the second building block B to the second or the third square frame 2 a or 3 a of the first building block A, so that the round connecting posts 12 b on the first square frame 1 b of the second building block B are engaged with corresponding cavities 22 a or 32 a on the second or the third square frame 2 a or 3 a of the first building block A.
Alternatively, the first and the second building block A, B may be connected together by attaching the first square frame 1 a of the first building block A to the first square frame 1 b of the second building block B, so that the round connecting posts 12 a and 12 b are engaged with corresponding cavities 13 b and 13 a, respectively.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together. When the first and the second building block A, B are connected together in the above-described manner, a third building block C may be further connected at the first square frame thereof to the second or the third square frame 2 a or 3 a of the first building block A, so that the round connecting posts on the first square frame of the third building block C are engaged with corresponding cavities on the second or the third square frame 2 a or 3 a of the first building block A.
FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are perspective views showing a third, a fourth, and a fifth example, respectively, of assembling multiple pieces of the building blocks of FIG. 1 together in a manner similar to that used in the above-described second example. In the third example of FIG. 5, multiple pieces of the building blocks A, B, C, D are linearly connected together. In the fourth example of FIG. 6, multiple pieces of the building blocks A, B, C, D are connected together to form a triangular shape. And, in the fifth example of FIG. 7, multiple pieces of the building blocks A, B, C, F, G, H are connected together to form a polygonal shape.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a sixth example of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together. As shown, two pieces of the building blocks of FIG. 1, namely, a first and a second building block I, J, could be closely juxtaposed with the second or the third square frames of the two building blocks I, J facing toward the same direction. Since the cross-shaped rib portion on any of the first, the second, and the third square frame 1, 2, 3 of any building block of FIG. 1 is at least twice as thick as the outer frame portion, a distance between two round connecting posts would never be smaller than a total thickness of two outer frame portions of two square frames of two closely juxtaposed building blocks of FIG. 1. Therefore, it is possible for a third building block K to stack on and straddle the first and the second building blocks I, J simply by engaging the round connecting posts on the first square frame of the third building block K with corresponding cavities on the first and the second building blocks I, J, as shown in FIG. 8.
FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views showing a seventh and an eighth example, respectively, of assembling multiple pieces of the building block of FIG. 1 together in a manner similar to that used in the above-described sixth example. In the seventh example of FIG. 9, two more pieces of the building blocks L, M are separately positioned to two lateral sides of the third building block K, so that total three building blocks K, L, M of FIG. 1 are connected to and stacked on the first and the second building blocks I, J. In the eighth example of FIG. 10, four pieces of the building blocks N, O, P, Q are positioned side by side in two rows with the first square frames thereof facing toward the same direction, and a fifth building block R is centered at the four building blocks N, O, P, Q by attaching the first square frame of the fifth building block R to the first square frames of the building blocks N, O, P, Q, so that the round connecting posts on the fifth building block R are engaged with corresponding cavities on the building blocks N, 0, P, Q. In this manner, multiple pieces of the building blocks of FIG. 1 may be connected together to extend in two dimensions.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a building block according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The building block of this second embodiment is structurally similar to the first embodiment but has a different first square frame 4. As can be seen from FIG. 11, the first square frame 4 of the building block of the second embodiment includes an outer frame portion and a cross-shaped rib portion 41 located within the outer frame portion. The cross-shaped rib portion 41 has a thickness at least twice as large as that of the outer frame portion. The cross-shaped rib portion 41 divides a space enclosed in the first square frame 4 into four equal parts. Moreover, the first square frame 4 is provided with two diagonally opposite cross-shaped connecting protrusions 42 and two cavities 43 diagonally located at two sides of the two cross-shaped connecting protrusions 42.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a building block according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The building block of this third embodiment is structurally similar to the first and the second embodiment but has a different first square frame 5. As can be seen from FIG. 12, the first square frame 5 of the building block of the third embodiment includes an outer frame portion and a cross-shaped rib portion 51 located within the outer frame portion. The cross-shaped rib portion 51 has a thickness at least twice as large as that of the outer frame portion. The cross-shaped rib portion 51 divides a space enclosed in the first square frame 5 into four equal parts. Moreover, the first square frame 5 is provided with two diagonally opposite regular polygonal connecting posts 52 and two cavities 53 diagonally located at two sides of the two regular polygonal connecting posts 52.
The building blocks according to the second and the third embodiment of the present invention could be assembled and/or stacked in different manners to show different shapes just as the building blocks of the first embodiment.
In the above-mentioned first, second, and third embodiments, all the building blocks are provided on the regular triangles at two lateral sides thereof with an opening each, so as to save the material for forming the building blocks and reduce the weight of the formed building blocks.

Claims

1. A building block, comprising three serially connected square frames, namely, a first, a second, and a third square frame; each of said three square frames having an outer frame portion and a cross-shaped rib portion located within said outer frame portion to divide a space enclosed in said square frame into four equal parts, and said cross-shaped rib portion having a thickness at least twice as large as that of said outer frame portion; said first, said second, and said third square frame being provided with two diagonally opposite cavities, and said first square frame being further provided with two connecting protrusions diagonally located at two sides of said two cavities provided thereon; and each of said connecting protrusions having an outer diameter slightly smaller than an inner diameter of each said cavity, allowing multiple pieces of said building blocks to be linearly connected together and/or vertically stacked in changeful manners simply by engaging said connecting protrusions on one said building block with corresponding cavities on other said building blocks.

2. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cross-shaped rib portion having a thickness twice as large as that of said outer frame portion.

3. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting protrusions are in the shapes selected from the group consisting of round posts, cross-shaped protrusions, and regular polygonal posts.

4. The building block as claimed in claim 2, wherein said connecting protrusions are in the shapes selected from the group consisting of round posts, cross-shaped protrusions, and regular polygonal posts.

5. The building block as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an opening provided on each lateral side of said serially connected first, second, and third square frames.