US2023300A - Toy design or figure forming set - Google Patents

Description

Dec 3, W' M TOY DESIGN oN FIGURE FORMING SET Filed NOV. 19, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l `Zw-6 7 INVENTOR. f"

ATTORNEYS W. M. BARNETT TOY DESIGN ON FIGURE FORMING SET Filed NOV. 19, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Dec 3, 1935- w. M. BARNETT TOY DESIGN ON FIGURE FORMING' SET Filed.` Nov. 19, 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 A INVENTOR. //y//Ilf Wr/rfi? Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William M. Barnett, Medina, Ohio, assignor to The A. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 19, 1934, Serial No. 753,577

13 Claims.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a toy design or gure forming set including a main support, whereby a great variety of designs may be formed on the support by a small child, which designs will be self-sustaining in position on the support and re-arrangeable at the will of the child.

A further object is to provide a toy design or figure forming set wherein said great variety of designs or figures may be made up using a very few comparatively simple design or figure forming elements.

A further object is to provide a design or figure forming set including a base having parallel rib and groove effects thereon and design or iigure forming elements adapted to be interchangeably associated with the rib and groove effects, wherein the elements may be placed closely adjacent, each other for substantially unbroken design efiects in a large variety of relationships -to each other.

A further object is to provide a novel design or figure forming set adapted to be made wholly of wood or other non metallic materials and requiring no metal fasteners such as nails, pins, etc. likely to be dangerous for the child to have in his possession.

A speciiic object is to provide a toy design or iigure forming set wherein the design forming elements, when positioned by a small child, ordinarily require a force such as a blow of a mallet e. g. to fully associate the elements with the base and which elements may nevertheless be removed readily from the base by the ngers of such small child.

Another object is to provide a toy design or iigure forming set whereby a large variety of architectural compositions, for example, may be created by a child using a relatively small number of design units adapted for realistic simulation of such compositions in three dimensions.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a perspective View of one embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 2 to 6 are diagrammatic plan views oi' the design forming elements and portions of the base, the design forming elements being variously arranged;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 'F-l on Fig. 4;

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are perspective views showing the under side of the design forming elements;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a means of blocking out certain portions of the eld of the base as by paper strips and securing such strips in place;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the man- 5 ner in which cover strips as of paper may be associated with the design forming elements hereof to increase the variety of design effects obtainable With the set;

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic plan view showing a 10 modied arrangement of rib and groove eiects and an exemplary design obtainable thereon with the comparatively few design elem-ents shown;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 15 is a perspective View of the architectural design units arranged in a different manner from that shown in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is an illustrative perspective view of a suitable roof forming device for the architectural 20 units;

Figs. 17 to 20 are diagrammatic plan views of other suggested arrangements of architectural design elements; and

Fig. 2l is a perspective View of a chimney ele- 25 ment illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the base or field element of the toy is indicated at I. This has rib and groove eiects on its top side formed, as shown, by two sets of parallel slots 2 and 3, the grooves of each set being equally spaced and of equal width. Preferably the base is of wood and the rib and groove, or block and groove effects may be formed by a gang saw operating rst in one direction over the face of the board and then in a transverse direction. The base may comprise other materials such as pressed fibre board, Masonite being an example of such other materials. These are not as strong as wood and are inclined to peel, but in some cases may have an advantage because the grain runs in all directions wherefore all the grooves will be more certain to 'be of equal widthV when cut by the same gang saw. The base may also be molded from various materials, say Bakelite or fairly hard rubber.

Such base element is usually mounted in a suitable box (not shown) with the base element at one end or side of the box leaving a space for storing the design or figure forming elements, which will now be described.

A variety of elemental design forming devices are shown comprising short strips 5, and longer strips 5a, 5b etc. The strips, as shown in Figs. 1 to 7, are substantially the same width as the grooves 2 and 3 at one edge and slightly thicker at the opposite edge. The narrow edge of the strip is shown in section in Fig. '7 at 5 and the thicker edge at 5". With this arrangement the thin edge may be easily forced partly into the grooves by the fingers and, after thus positioning the strips, the child may pound the strips tightly into place using a mallet such as shown in Fig. 1 at 6. The mallet may be made entirely of wood.

By reason of the child requiring a mallet e. g. to fully position the strips and other elements to be later described, the toy is unusually fascinating for children who naturally enjoy using a harnmer. Observation of children at work with the set indicates that children derive as much enjoyment from pounding the strips into place as they would if provided with hammer and nails. The latter in the hands of small children would obviously be undesirable from the standpoint of safety of the child and safety of property.

The strips when fully seated in the grooves as by a mallet extend upwardly beyond the face of the base a suicient distance so that the child may work the strips back and forth with his fingers and unseat the strips from the grooves for rearranging the strips into other patterns. This is partly due to the resiliency of wood grain structure, the strips being preferably of wood and attractively variously colored with harmless stains or thin lacquers. The disconnected blocks or ribs 4 of the base are spaced widely enough so that with the strips positioned in adjacent grooves there will be adequate clearance for the childs ngers between the strips to enable him to readily work the strips loose from the grooves. Seven sixteenths of an inch is ample spacing for the grooves.

The strips, as well as being positionable in the manner illustrated at the right in Fig. 1, are also positionable upright as shown at the left in Fig. l and again in Fig. 11. The thin edge is also of advantage in such upright positioning of the strips. In placing the strips in upright position the child first inserts the thin corner of the strip into the groove and then upends the strip (toward the thick edge) into vertical position relative to the base, which operation requires slightly compressing the strip at the thick portion insuring that several strips thus placed vertically will remain firmly in the desired parallel positions.

It is to be noted that the lengths of the various strips 5, 5a, etc. are based on the horizontal right angular dimensions of the blocks 4 formed by the base grooves. The length of the smaller strips 5 conform substantially exactly to the dimensions of the base blocks so that with the small strips positioned with their ends in registration with the vertical corners of the base blocks other strips may be positioned in the adjacent transverse grooves contiguous to both ends of the small strips thereby permitting ladder effects for example, to be built up on the base. The lengths of the longer strips (as well as other elements to be later described) are similarly determined on the basis of the base block dimensions with, however, the addition of unit lengths corresponding to the width of the grooves determined by the number of base blocks 4 spanned by a given strip, so that any of the strips may be positioned with both ends in registration with the corners of the extreme base blocks adjacent which the end portions of the strips lie. The relationships above described are apparent in the pictorial architectural design shown in Fig. 6, wherein the larger window frames 1 are built up of H arrangements of strips 5 and 5a.

In addition to the design and figure forming strips, larger devices are provided such as the circular disc shapes 8, squares or rectangles 9, triangular shapes l] and I0' and trapezoidal shapes I l. The two exemplary triangular shapes are shown in Fig. 6, these, used in pairs, forming different gable eiects for the house thereshown.

The preferred means for securing the larger design elements or devices to the base comprises ribs I 3 on the lower sides of said elements, see Figs. 8, 9 and 10. The ribs may also be slightly wedge-shaped and thick enough so as to require a blow to fully seat the ribs in the grooves. The under surfaces I2 of the devices 8 to Il inclusive, adjacent the ribs, form abutments to engage the top faces of the base blocks to locate the top surfaces of the devices parallel with the base and to bring the side surfaces into true vertical position. The dimensions of the larger design elements or devices are preferably based on the same `design formula as the strips 5, 5a etc. Each disc element 8, for example, fully overlaps two base blocks when positioned on the base so that the vertical edges on four sides are tangent to the near walls of the grooves, this allowing the strip elements 5 etc. to be arranged on all four sides of each disc, contiguous therewith in continuous design effect. Fig. 5 shows several of the small strips and a triangular shape so arranged with relation to respective discs. Likewise the triangular shapes have their longer and shorter base line dimensions approximately the same as the number of base blocks 4 and intervening grooves which they overlap so that the strips may be positioned closely adjacent the triangular shapes on both base line sides, as well as across all three corners at the same time.

As suggested in Figs. 1 to 6, it has been found that using the few simple shapes above described a surprising number of both natural and artificial objects may be simulated. In Fig. l, for example, the composition represents a railroad locomotive with cab, wheels, cow-catcher, funnel and smoke, Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of the two triangular units and a strip 5b to represent a sailboat. Figs. 3 and 5 are illustrative of the manner in which the discs, shorter strips etc. may be used to simulate simple bird and animal shapes respectively. In Fig. 5, the composition simulates a hunter with a gun aimed at the animal, the latter being said by the child who comr posed it to be a rabbit. Fig. 4 shows the representation of the numerals 1, 2 and 3 using the strips 5 and 5a. The letters of the alphabet can also be similarly formed, (not shown). The more complicated design arrangement of Fig. 5, previously referred to, represents a house having a door, windows, roof and chimney; the small strips 5 above the chimney simulating smoke issuing therefrom.

In many instances the child is enabled to add to the desirable effects of the design by blanking out portions of the field as by a piece or strip of paper e. g. l5, Fig. 11, the strip having two or more of its margins turned downwardly as at |5a to enter the grooves, in which said margins may be secured as by means of the elements 5, for example. Also such strips of paper e. g. may be mounted on top of the design elements as shown in Fig. 12, wherein the paper strip IG has its down turned margins IBa secured between pairs of short strips 5 wedged in a manner to pinch said margins of the paper between them. This latter device by using differently colored or configured paper permits a change in dress of an object. The figure shown represents a conventional doll and the changeable paper element I6 represents a skirt.

The variety of design effects obtainable may be somewhat amplied by the provision of diagonal grooves 20 as well as horizontal and vertical grooves 2 and 3 as shown in Fig. 13. In the event of thus using four rather than two sets of grooves, the grooves of two of the sets are somewhat more widely spaced so as to reduce the likelihood of defectively formed blocks on the base and to leave finger room for the child to manipulate the design elements or devices. The design ele ments are, in this embodiment, made up on the basis of the shorter side dimensions of the triangular base blocks 2| (and the intermediate grooves in case of the longer or larger elements).

Referring now to the three dimensional design mcdication illustrated in Figs. 14 to 21, the principal design devices comprise elemental building parts so proportioned that a large variety of building forms can be erected on the base using a few of said parts but in different relationships tc each other. The composition 3B erected on the board in Fig. 14 represents a colonial type house and environs. The base la represents the grounds and preferably the base blocks 4a are oblong rather than square; (made by double spacing the saws of the gang saw e. g.), this affording adequate facility for the erection of the architectural elements. In various places on the grounds tree effects as at 3| are erected, these being, for example, iiat pieces of vwood board cut to the shape shown with trunk portion 3la adapted to lit any of the grooves of the base. Fence or border effects as at 32 are secured by any desired arrangement of strips 5, etc. earlier described. Sidewalk, porch floor etc. effects i5 are obtained by strips of cardboard or paper which may be merely laid down on the field or secured as previously described in connection with Fig. 11.

The house 30 shown in Fig. 14 is made up o-f vertical side wall elements or sections 35 (two being used on each side of the house), vertical end wall elements or sections 36, (one at each end), chimney elements 3l (two being shown) and roof members 4B and 40a. The Vertical wall sections and chimneys are preferably wood, the wall sections being suitably decorated at least on one side to simulate window and door effects and, if desired, masonry and wall finish effects such as brick, stone, clapboards etc. The chimneys are likewise decorated in `suitable masonry effects.

The board stock used to form the vertical elements, including the chimney, is preferably of a width very slightly greater than the width of the base grooves 2 and 3 so that it requires considerable pressure to seat the lower edges of the vertical elements into the grooves. The lower margins may also be slightly beveled to form a slight taper at these margins to facilitate inserting the same into the grooves.

Some of the vertical elements, not necessarily all, are based on the design formula, above demonstrated, relative to the strips 5, 5aetc. That is to say, the horizontal longer base dimensions of certain of the vertical elements (wall sections) are determined by the shorter of the rectangular dimensions of the base blocks 4a with allowances added for the base block separating grooves, the number of block and groove dimension units taken depending on the number of base blocks and grooves toV be spanned by a given wall element. As shown, the horizontal dimensions of `the side wall 'sections 3.5 are determined as above stated and the end wall sections 36 are slightly longer so as to overlap the adjacent ends of the vertical side sections. A greater variety of architectural forms may be obtained from a given number of design elements by having the base dimensions of the vertical wall sections iollow the formula above given but, in general, this produces gap effects at the corners of the buildings formed by the sections and from standpoint of producing more realistic architectural compositions is, therefore, undesirable.

Some of the side wall sections 35 may have upwardly extending projections 35a as shown in full lines in Fig. 14 and in broken lines in Fig. 19 for forming dormer window effects.

Other illustrative design units (vertical wall sections) are shown in Figs. 17, 18 and 20. The intermediate unit 36, shown in Fig. 17 is one of the end wall sections as used in the compositions shown in Figs. 14 and 16, and the steeper gable units 38 may be used adjoining this to form curb roof designs. These elements 38 may also be used together as suggested in Fig. 18 for forming conventional gable types with steeper roofs than shown in Fig. 14 e. g. Elements such as 39 Fig. 20 may be used to form low L eiects, porches etc. or as side walls for the curb roof types etc. (not shown) Recessed porch effects may be formed by setting back certain of the side wall sections (not shown) and, if desired, using paper or cardboard covering for the base blocks, somewhat in the manner shown at l5 in Fig. 11 and again at i5 Fig. 14.

The roof elements 40, 40a, etc. (see also Fig. 16) may be simply fairly stiff paper or cardboard supplied With the set in large sheets conventionally decorated as roong (shingles e. g.); sections of such sheets being cut away for the chimneys and dormer window extensions 35a as required. Instead of entirely removing the material cut to aiord clearance for, say a chimney, the paper or cardboard may be slit and bent downwardly as at 42, Fig. 16, so as to-be embraced between the chimney elements e. g. and the adjacent vertical wall sections (35, 36 etc.); this device serving to secure the roof in place when desired.

The chimney element 3l is important in the d..- sign of a variety of compositions since the appearance of a given building may be greatly varied merely by differently locating the chimneys. The lower end of the chimney has a tongue 45 (Fig. 21) the function of which is similar to the tongues I3 of the larger elements of the set previously described. The chimney must necessarily be positioned close to the end and side wall sections for realistic appearance and the tongue forms a means for so locating the chimney by engaging any of the base grooves extending transversely of the groove which supports the wall section.

It is to be understood that the architectural elements shown are illustrative only and obviously a. much greater variety of architectural forms could be obtained by amplification of the elements.

I claim:

1. In a toy of the type comprising a base, one major face of which has intersecting grooves forming substantially rectangular disconnected blocks, the combination therewith of design or figure forming elements including strips substantially the Width of the grooves adapted to frictionally engage the grooves interchangeably, strips being of a length such that the opposite ends thereof may be simultaneously positioned to substantially register with the edges of the block or blocks adjacent which the end portions of the strip extend, whereby other strips may be positioned in substantially contiguous relation to both ends of the strip positioned as aforesaid and crossing the said ends.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the design forming elements include a substantially circular disc, the diameter of which is such that opposite side edges of the disc are in substantially tangential relation to two grooves without overlying either groove, whereby said strips may engage either of said two grooves and lie contiguous to the disc.

3. In a toy design or figure forming set of the type having a base with parallel grooves thereon, the combination of substantially rigid design or gure forming devices each having means forming rigid portions thereof adapted to tightly frictionally engage the grooves interchangeably, said devices each having a portion standing above the top plane of the base a suicient distance so that a child can grasp the device and remove it by hand, said devices being positionable on the base in said grooves in various relationships to each other to form a variety of designs or gures.

4. In a toy design or figure forming set of the type having a base with an intersecting arrangement of parallel grooves of substantially uniform width, the combination therewith of design elements, each having a portion arranged to interchangeably engage the grooves with suicient tightness so as to require a force comparable to a blow of a mallet to seat the element in a selected groove, and a portion adapted to extend above the top plane of the base a sucient distance to enable removal of the device from the groove by the human iingers. Y

5. In a toy design or figure forming set of the type comprising a base having parallel rib and groove effects on its top face, and a plurality of design devices adapted to engage the grooves, the novel arrangement that the devices differ from each other in length and lateral contour and each of the devices has means to firmly frictionally engage the said effects, and, when so engaged therewith, has a relatively wider portion extending above the uppermost surface of the base a sucient distance so that a child can, with his iingers, lift the device from said engagement on the base.

6. In a toy of the type comprising a base, one major face of which has intersecting grooves forming substantially rectangular disconnected blocks, and design or figure forming elements adapted to engage the grooves, the combination that the elements are of such dimentions with respect to the dimensions of the base blocks and grooves that opposite ends of said elements may be simultaneously positioned to substantially register with the edges o'f the block or blocks adjacent which the end portions of the elrnent extend.

7. In a toy design or figure forming set of the type having a base with parallel grooves on its top side, and design or ligure forming elements adapted to frictionally engage the grooves in various relationships to each other to form a de- 5 sign in relief on the base, the combination therewith of a cover strip for concealing selected portions of the grooves, and means including said elements and grooves engaged thereby to secure the strip in fixed superposed relation to the base.

8. In an apparatus of the class comprising a base having sets of parallel grooves in its top side in intersecting arrangement, rigid design forming devices in the form of architectural Wall elements adapted to stand upright on the base in said grooves in various relationships to each other, said elements having means at the base portions thereof to rmly frictionally engage the grooves of either set and extend past a plurality of the grooves of the other set and terminate adjacent respective transverse grooves.

9. In an apparatus of the class comprising a base having intersecting grooves on its top side, the combination of a design forming device in the form of rigid architectural wall elements of substantially the same width as the grooves and adapted to be inserted edgewise into selected said grooves so that the selected groove maintains the device in upright position, another design forming device adapted to be placed in face to face contact with the aforesaid device to carry out an architectural design theme, the second mentioned device having means to frictionally engage a groove transverse to the groove engaged by the iirst mentioned device as a support.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second mentioned device represents a chimney and has a depending tongue for engagement with said transverse groove.

11. In apparatus of the class comprising a base having a plurality of raised and recessed effects on its top side in regular geometric pattern ai-, rangement, the combination of a plurality of wall members adapted to be positioned upright on the base by means of said eifects, to simulate building walls, and a separate roof simulating element adapted to overlie a plurality of the assembled devices to complete the building, and coacting means on one of the wall members and the roof element mutually abutting in intersecting vertical planes to hold the roof element in position on the building.

l2. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein portions of said roof simulating element are embraced between adjacent wall members to secure said lroof element in position.

13. In a toy design or figure forming set, a base having a substantially uniform arrangement of intersecting grooves on its top face forming isolated blocks of triangular form, and a plurality 30 of design or figure forming devices, each having means thereon adapted to engage the grooves interchangeably.

WlLLIAM M. BARNETT.

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