US3009283A

US3009283A - Toy building construction

Info

Publication number: US3009283A
Application number: US690233A
Authority: US
Inventors: Laird B Gogins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-10-15
Filing date: 1957-10-15
Publication date: 1961-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-21

Description

Nov. 21, 1961 L. B. GOGlNS TOY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1957 A z 4 z 4 I, z 4 f z z LAIRD B. GOGINS, INVENTOR.

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TOY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 15, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 LAIRD B. GOGINS, INVENTOR.

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` TOY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 15, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 LAIRD B. GOGINS, INVENTOR.

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&009183 Patented Nov. 21 1961 3,009,283 TUY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Laird B. Gogins, 320 Sth Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah Filed Oct. 15, 1957, Ser. No. 690,233 6 Claims. (CI. 46-26) This invention relates to building Construction useful as a toy for children, and is concerned, also, with a method of constructing toys from paperboard milk containers or boxes of the type commonly employed in the retail marketing of milk.

Paperboard milk containers have come into widespread use in recent years. They are ordinarily thrown away when empty, but, due to their substantially rectangular parallelepipedon configuration, they are potentially useful as 'building blocks for children. Yet, little or no use has been made of such containers for this purpose in the past, probably because they are quite light and insubstantial when empty, which makes it difficult to achieve any structural solidity in assembled formation, and also because they have outwardly projecting formations of one kind or another at at least their upper ends, which tend to inter fere with snug positioning of the containers relative to one another.

The principal object of this invention is to enable convenient and efiective utilization of emp-ty paperboard milk containers as building blocks by children in the Construction of a variety of toy buildings and other play structures. v

Another object of the invention is to provide an effective way to romote the sale of milk and cream or other beverages in paperboard containers, as against other types of containers not susceptible to use as building blocks for children. In this connection, it is contemplated that the containe's will be imprinted with a variety of architectural or other representations Component to building construction or to structures of other types.

An outstanding feature of the iuvention is the securement of juxtaposed containers or boxes of this type to one another by removable clips which engage at least one of the assembled containers by clipping on a projecting part at an end of the container and providing at least part of a frictional receiving bed or seat 'for another container.

While, from a generic standpoint, various forms of clips may be employed in the constructon process, the detailed nature of the clips in any given instance depends somewhat upon the structural characteristics of the particular containers involved. However, `a unique clip construction provides one aspect of the invention.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the prcsently preferred embodiments illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a partially constucted toy building conorming to the invention in which a ridge and gab le style of milk carton or box is utilized along with a unique type of clip;

FIG. 2, a similar perspective view drawn to a somewhat enlarged scale with -certain of the cartons or boxes removed and others shown fragmentarily to reveal details, including the manner in which the clips may be hooked together to form a rigid bridgirg or platform structure;

FIG. 3, a fragmentary elevation taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, a perspective view of one of the clips of FIGS. 1 and 2, drawn to a considerably enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings:

In the ernbodiment of FIGS. 1-4, one common type of paperboard milk container, carton, or box 10 of rectangular parallelepipedon configuration having a ridgcd and gabled top which includes a central ridge 11 and mutually opposite gables 12, respectively, interconnected by sloping su-rfaces 13, are juxtaposed relative to one another in building construction fornation. The ridge 11, it should be noted, provides the projecting part mentioned hereinbefore for engagement by an attachment clip.

While ordinary milk cartons may be utilized, it is preferred that the invention be employed in connection with special sales promotion plans by dairies, pursuant to which the cartons are specally imprinted with representations of `architectural components of building construction, for example, with the windowed wall representations 14 and structural course wall representations 15, so that the cartons will have special significance as toy 'building blocks.

The cartons 10 may be juxtaposed in various ways and in any desired number, thereby making possible the planning and building of structures of many different types. By the imprinting of suitable representations on the walls of the cartons, not only buildings, but many other items may be constructed, as is readily apparent.

A special type of clip 16 developed for the purpose is employed to secure the juxtaposed cartons 10 in assembled formation. Such clips are preferably cut and bent to formation from stiflly resilient sheet material, such as tin plate, by a suitable stamping operation in accordance with known procedures.

Each of the clips 16, see particularly FIG. 4, has an elongate spine member 17, from and along the length of which and at opposite sides of which depend clip members 18. These clip members are arranged in pairs spaced apart longitudinally of the spine member 17, the component clip members of each pair being spaced apart across the width of the spine member so as to snugly receive the ridge 11 of a carton 10 therebetween in a close friction fit.

The two pairs of clip members 18 are spaced apart so as to snugly receive the width of the spine member 17 of another clip 16 therebetween in a close fricton fit when face to face with the spine member 17 of such receiving clip. As so arranged, it is possible to utlize such clip 0 16 in cruciform formation as shown at the top of the forward left-hand carton 10 in FIG. 1, Where one of the clips 16 is clipped to a carton ridge 11 longitudinally thereof and the other clip 16 extends transversely thereof, being clipped to both the carton ridge 11 and the spine member 17 of the first clip by their reception within the transverse passage`19, FIG. 4, between the pairs of clip members 18.

Each clip 16 is also cut and bent to provide cross'

members

20 and 21, respectively, extending transversely of the spine member 17 at respectively opposite ends thereof, together with depending and upstanding finger members associated with

such cross members

20 and 21.

The depending and upstanding finger members are arranged in sets across the span of the spine member, the individual finger members of each set being spaced apart to comprehend and closely engage parts of individual containers or juxtaposed -containers in the Construction.

As here illustrated, the cross member 20 is considerably wider than the cross member 21, and its depending finger members include a pair of finger members 22 mutually spaced transversely of spine member 17 and bent back upwardly to provide respective tabs 22a facing the opposite end of the clip. The depending finger members 23 of cross piece 21 are spaced apart transversely of spine 17 and face the depending finger members 22 in cooperative opposing relationship therewith, a finger member 22 and a finger member 23 constituting Component members of a set so spaced and arranged as to comprehend juxtaposed ridges 11 of juxtaposed cartons in close friction fit (see the securement of the juxtaposed cartons at the left-hand side of the upper course in FIG. l). It should be noted in this connection that the tabs 22a of finger members 22 provide for especially effective friction gripping due to their resilient characteristics; however, their main purpose is to provide pockets 22b for the reception of depending finger members 23, respectively, of an adjoining clip member, whereby a rigid bridging or platform structure can be constructed, see especially FIG. 2.

Upstanding finger members 2 1 of cross member are spaced apart transversely of spine 17 and face the opposite end of the clip, while upstanding finger member of cross member 21 faces such finger members 24 across the span of spine 17 to complete a set of finger members whose spacing is such as to provide a friction grip type of receiving seat for the bottom 1051 of a superimposed carton 10, see FIGS. 1 and 2.

In order to enable face plates 26 to be Suspended from clips 16 in positions covering either a gable 12 or a sloping surface 13 to provide exterior wall continuity for any building construction, suitable holding formations are provided at opposite ends of each clip. Also, the face plates 26 have their upper margins indentured in dovetail formation for the purpose.

Such holding formations include a pair of inwardlynotched projections 28, for receiving the outer ends of dovetails 26a as formed along the indentured top margin of a face plate 26. Such projections 28 are thereby capable of suspending and supporting a face plate 26 when called for. Also, an outwardly-notched projection 29 extends from the outer end of cross member 21, centrally thereof, for receiving the inner ends of the dovetails 2611, and for thereby suspending and supporting a face plate at the opposite end of the clip When called for. It should be noted that the face plates 26 are advantageously cut from a wall of one of the cartons 10, themselves.

For this purpose, it is preferred to include outlines 31 of such face plates 26 in the printing of the architectural desgns 14 on lateral walls of a carton. In this way, a face plate may be cut from one of the hidden walls of a carton 10 used in the building construction (see the aperture 32 in FIG. 2 where such a plate has been cut out) 01- one or more cartons may be sacrificed entirely to provide a supply of such face plates.

It will be noted that the outer end of cross member 20 is recessed inwardly at to accommodate the notched projection 29 of an adjoining clip, see FIGS. 1 and 2, when such clips are interlocked by depending finger members 23 of one being fitted into the respective pockets 22b provided by finger members 22 and their back-folded tab extensions 22a.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it should be realized that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims, without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.

I claim:

1. Toy building Construction, comprising a plurality of boxes, each of which is of substantially rectangular parallelepipedon configuration having a top of ridge and gable formation, the ridge being capable of receiving an attachment clip, said boxes being juxtaposed relative to one another; and removable attachment clips securing said boxes together in their juxtaposed positions, each clip being clipped to the said ridge of at least one box and receiving the bottom of another box in frictional inset, attaching relationship.

2. The construction of claim 1, wherein each attachment clip comprises stifily resilient sheet material cut and bent to provide an elongate spine member having mutually opposed, relatively closely spaced, friction clip members depending from respectively opposite sides thereof to clip onto the ridge of a box and to provide transversely extending cross members at respectively opposite ends of said spine member, each of said cross members having depending and upstanding finger members arranged in sets across the span of said spine member, individual finger members of a set of depending finger members being spaced apart so as to grasp juxtaposed ridges of juxtaposed boxes in close friction fit, and the individual finger members of a set of upstanding finger members being spaced apart to provide a friction-grip type of receiving seat for the bottom of a superimposed box.

3. The Construction of claim 2, wherein another set of depending finger members extends along the spine of each attachment clip and has its individual finger members spaced apart so as to grasp one of the ridges of said juxtaposed ridges.

4. The Construction of claim 3, wherein face plates are Suspended from the attachment clips to cover respective lateral recesses occurring at the ridged and gabled tops of the juxtaposed cartons; and wherein the clips are provided with means for cngaging and securing said face plates.

5. The Construction of claim 4, wherein the means for engaging and securing the face plates include notched projections at respectively opposite ends of each attachment clip.

6. The Construction of claim 5, wherein there are a pair of inwardly-notched projections at the outer end of one cross member of each attachment clip, said projections being mutually spaced at opposite sides of the spine member, and there is a single outwardly-notched projection at the outer end of the other cross member intermediate the width thereof; and wherein each of the face plates has its upper margin indentured in dovetail formation adjacent the ends thereof and at the middle thereof for engagement with said projections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS