US3645035A - Toy building kit - Google Patents

Toy building kit Download PDF

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Publication number
US3645035A
US3645035A US880549A US3645035DA US3645035A US 3645035 A US3645035 A US 3645035A US 880549 A US880549 A US 880549A US 3645035D A US3645035D A US 3645035DA US 3645035 A US3645035 A US 3645035A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
building blocks
track member
building
kit
coupling means
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US880549A
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English (en)
Inventor
Artur Fischer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3645035A publication Critical patent/US3645035A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H18/00—Highways or trackways for toys; Propulsion by special interaction between vehicle and track
    • A63H18/02—Construction or arrangement of the trackway
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H19/00—Model railways
    • A63H19/30—Permanent way; Rails; Rail-joint connections
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H33/00—Other toys
    • A63H33/04—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
    • A63H33/06—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements
    • A63H33/08—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails
    • A63H33/082—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled without the use of additional elements provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails with dovetails
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H33/00—Other toys
    • A63H33/04—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
    • A63H33/10—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled by means of additional non-adhesive elements
    • A63H33/105—Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts to be assembled by means of additional non-adhesive elements with grooves, e.g. dovetails

Definitions

  • a toy building kit includes one or more strip-shaped track members each having an upper and a lower side.
  • a plurality of building blocks are provided some of which have male coupling means and others of which have mating female coupling means.
  • Connecting means is provided for connecting the track member or members with the building blocks in such a manner that some of the building blocks are located at the upper side and others of the buildingblocks are located at the lower side of the track member with the male and female coupling means of the blocks located at the upper and lower sides being in coupling engagement.
  • the track member then extends laterally of the thus connected building blocks.
  • the present invention relates generally to a toy building kit, and more particularly to a toy building kit with vehicle tracks.
  • toy building kits which are composed of building blocks provided with suitable coupling means, frequently undercut cooperating male and female coupling portions, so that they can be connected in order to construct various toy items, including toy vehicles.
  • suitable coupling means frequently undercut cooperating male and female coupling portions
  • toy building kit should be suitable for the erection of such tracks by utilizing the components normally provided in the known toy building kits, and in addition such other components as may be needed for providing the track construction but which must be compatible with the other components of the kit.
  • my invention resides in a toy building kit which comprises, briefly stated, at least one elongated stripshaped track member having an upper and a lower side, and a plurality of building blocks.
  • Male coupling means are provided on at least some first ones of these building blocks and mating female coupling means are provided on at least some second ones thereof.
  • Connecting means are provided for connecting the track member with at least one of the first and at least one of the second building blocks whose coupling means are in mating engagement with the building blocks being respectively located at the upper and lower sides and with the track member extending laterally of the thus connected building blocks.
  • the track member At the upper side of the track member it is possible to arrange racks provided with either male or female coupling means, and the engagement of the male and female coupling means of whatever type or configuration of building blocks are located above and below-that is at the upper and lower sides-of the track member, may be effected through apertures provided in the track member itself. In effect, therefore, the track member is clamped or retained between the building blocks located at the upper side and those located-at the lower side of the track member.
  • the track member may also be in form of two discrete'strips, which are extended parallel with one another and whose inner marginal portions which face one another may be clamped in this manner between the upper and lower building blocks. of course, the
  • the track member or track members-whetlier it be of one piece as far as its width is concerned, or whether it be of two or more stripshaped parallel sections which are discrete, may be composed of brass or aluminum sheet metal or the like. Of course, synthetic plastic is also suitable, as are other materials. If rack means is desired to be provided at the upper side of the track member, such rack means may extend over the entire length of the track member or may be in discontinuous sections.
  • the male and female coupling means are of undercut type, that is if they are undercut projections and undercut grooves in which the projections are matingly receivable, it is advantageous that the surfaces of the building blocks which will face one another when they are connected so as to constitute upper and lower building blocks located at the upper and lower sides of the track member, are provided with recesses whose depth in direction normal to the plane of these surfaceswhich normally abut one another when the coupling means are in mating connectionis such that the track member orthe discrete strips on which the track member is composed may be in part received in these recesses and clamped therein.
  • undercut coupling means of this type there is no latitude as to distance between which the facing juxtaposed surfaces of two thus-coupled building blocks can be spaced from one another. Therefore, the spacing between these surfaces-which latter will ordinarily be in abutment with one anothercannot be increased to permit the insertion of the track member or strips constituting the track member between them. If for this reason it is necessary to provide these recesses which are not required if the'coupling means isof other type, for instance in form of cylindrical bores or recesses and cylindrical pins receivable in them.
  • the recesses provided if the building blocks utilize mating male and female coupling means of the undercut type do not in any way reduce the versatility of these building blocks.
  • rack members which are provided may have only one exposed surface formedwith teeth, or they may have two or all exposed surfaces formed with rows of teeth, depending upon particular requirements.
  • Such rack members may be utilized for constructing a track of a cog-wheel railroad or the like, where a gearon the vehicle cooperateswith the teeth on the rack. When not in usein this manner, however, they can also be utilized asracks on other models.
  • the track member of electrically conductive material, particularly if it consists of two or more discrete strips.
  • This material may be metallic or it may be a conductive plastic.
  • one or more electrically conductive contact elements may be secured to the building blocks located at the upper side of the track member. In either case, a current-receiving contact of an electrically driven vehicle may be in engagement with the electrically conductive component so that the vehicle in this manner receives electrical power, with the component of course being connected to a suitable source of electrical energy.
  • FIG. 1 is a fragmentary partly sectioned perspective view showing a portion of a track erected with a toy building kit according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a detail view showing an embodiment of a building block in a toy kit according to the present invention.
  • the track member in this embodiment is in form of two discrete track member strips 1 and 2 which are transversely spaced from one another.
  • a building block 3 which is provided with a row of teeth 4 and thus can serve as a rack or the like.
  • This building block 3 has an undercut male coupling projection S which extends through the gap between the transversely spaced track member strips 1 and 2 and is matingly received in an undercut female coupling groove 6 of a building block 7 located below the track member consisting of the strips 1 and 2.
  • portions of the strips 1 and 2 are frictionally retained by clamping between the building blocks 3 and 7.
  • the contacting surface portions of the strip members 1, 2 and/or the building blocks 3 and 7 may be provided with suitably roughened texture, for instance projections, shallow ridges or the like to further enhance the retentive capability of the clamping action between the building blocks 3 and 7 upon the track member strips 1 and 2.
  • the transversely spaced wheels of a vehicle may now move along the track member strips 1 and 2 and the upper building block 3 serves as a guide rail to prevent the vehicle from leaving the track.
  • the track member strips 1 and 2 are of relatively thin construction so that it may be flexed and bent upwardly and downwardly with respect to the general plane of its upper surface to thereby permit the simulation of upgrades and downgrades. Furthermore, by so constructing the track member it is possible to twist it with respect to its own longitudinal axis to thereby obtain grooves which are banked" as is the case with actual road constructions.
  • the building blocks located below the track member do not interfere with such deflecting of the track member if they are provided only at the longitudinal juncture of sections of the track member or at a comparatively few locations between such junctures.
  • FIG. 1 shows only one upper and one lower building block 3, 7 respectively, there will be others provided and that while FIG. 1 shows only a part of one length each of the track member strips 1, 2 there will ordinarily be a plurality oi'such lengths provided.
  • FIG. 2 To permit the connection of such lengths where their longitudinal end portions must be secured to one another, I have provided in FIG. 2 a building block 3 which corresponds substantially to the one illustrated in FIG. 1. However, while the former is provided with the recesses 3a extending along its lateral peripheries and in which corresponding marginal portions of the track member strips 1 and 2 are clampingly received as shown in FIG. I, the building block 3 in FIG. 2 is provided adjacent one or both of its ends (only one shown) with a deeper recess 9 whose depth is so selected that it can accommodate the overlapping end portions of two consecutive track member strips. This recess 9 merges into the recess 8 which corresponds to the recesses 3a shown in the building block 3 ofFIG. 1.
  • Toy building kit comprising a plurality of building blocks; male coupling means provided on at least some first ones of said building blocks; mating female coupling means provided on at least some second ones of said building blocks; at least one elongated strip-shaped track member having an upper and a lower side and being provided with at least one gap dimensioned for passage of at least some of said coupling means therethrough; and connecting means for connecting said track member with at least one of said first and at least one of said second building blocks whose coupling means are in mating engagement, with said building blocks being respectively located at said upper and lower sides and with said track member extending laterally of said building blocks.
  • said track member comprises two strip sections having juxtaposable edge faces which together define said gap dimensioned for passage therethrough of said coupling means on said building blocks.
  • said one first and said one second building block having respective surfaces which abut one another at least in part when said male and female coupling means are in mating engagement; and wherein said connecting means comprises lateral surface por tions of said surfaces, and marginal portions of said strip sections located adjacent said edge faces of the latter and being frictionally retained between and in engagement with said lateral surface portions.
  • said building blocks having opposite end portions, and wherein said recesses have a depth substantially double said predetermined depth in the region of at least one of said end portions.

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  • Toys (AREA)
US880549A 1968-11-30 1969-11-28 Toy building kit Expired - Lifetime US3645035A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19681811940 DE1811940A1 (de) 1968-11-30 1968-11-30 Aus Fahrbahnabschnitten zusammensetzbare Spielzeugfahrbahnanlage

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3645035A true US3645035A (en) 1972-02-29

Family

ID=5714817

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US880549A Expired - Lifetime US3645035A (en) 1968-11-30 1969-11-28 Toy building kit

Country Status (17)

Country Link
US (1) US3645035A (de)
AT (1) AT302850B (de)
BE (1) BE742305A (de)
BR (1) BR6914539D0 (de)
CH (1) CH518110A (de)
CS (1) CS150696B2 (de)
DE (1) DE1811940A1 (de)
DK (1) DK128984B (de)
ES (1) ES177256Y (de)
FR (1) FR2024619A1 (de)
GB (1) GB1283082A (de)
IE (1) IE33842B1 (de)
IL (1) IL33452A (de)
NL (1) NL6917935A (de)
NO (1) NO123374B (de)
RO (1) RO59144A (de)
SE (1) SE342395B (de)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD379052S (en) * 1995-05-25 1997-05-06 Shakespeare Company Cutting line for a rotating line trimmer
USD379419S (en) * 1995-09-12 1997-05-27 Shakespeare Company Cutting line for a rotating line trimmer
USD379418S (en) * 1995-05-25 1997-05-27 Shakespeare Company Cutting line for a rotating line trimmer
CN102824750A (zh) * 2012-09-03 2012-12-19 上海容基贸易有限公司 一种电路玩具积木
US8371894B1 (en) 2011-12-23 2013-02-12 LaRose Industries, LLC Illuminated toy construction kit
US10092848B2 (en) * 2014-05-14 2018-10-09 Alpha Group Co., Ltd. Freely assemblable toy track

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2835209C2 (de) * 1978-08-11 1983-01-13 Helmut Darda Spielwaren- und Maschinenbau GmbH, 7712 Blumberg Bahnanlage für freilaufende Fahrspielzeuge
DE3436201A1 (de) * 1984-10-03 1986-04-10 Hesse, Kurt, 8500 Nürnberg Bauteil

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD379052S (en) * 1995-05-25 1997-05-06 Shakespeare Company Cutting line for a rotating line trimmer
USD379418S (en) * 1995-05-25 1997-05-27 Shakespeare Company Cutting line for a rotating line trimmer
USD379419S (en) * 1995-09-12 1997-05-27 Shakespeare Company Cutting line for a rotating line trimmer
US8371894B1 (en) 2011-12-23 2013-02-12 LaRose Industries, LLC Illuminated toy construction kit
CN102824750A (zh) * 2012-09-03 2012-12-19 上海容基贸易有限公司 一种电路玩具积木
CN102824750B (zh) * 2012-09-03 2015-02-18 上海容基贸易有限公司 连接组件以及具有该连接组件的电路玩具积木
US10092848B2 (en) * 2014-05-14 2018-10-09 Alpha Group Co., Ltd. Freely assemblable toy track

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IL33452A (en) 1973-04-30
IL33452A0 (en) 1970-01-29
ES177256U (es) 1972-11-16
IE33842B1 (en) 1974-11-13
BE742305A (de) 1970-05-04
CH518110A (de) 1972-01-31
ES177256Y (es) 1973-05-16
FR2024619A1 (de) 1970-08-28
CS150696B2 (de) 1973-09-04
BR6914539D0 (pt) 1973-02-01
SE342395B (de) 1972-02-07
DE1811940A1 (de) 1970-06-11
DK128984B (da) 1974-08-05
GB1283082A (en) 1972-07-26
IE33842L (en) 1970-05-30
NL6917935A (de) 1970-06-02
NO123374B (de) 1971-11-01
AT302850B (de) 1972-10-25
RO59144A (de) 1976-01-15

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