US525221A

US525221A - ton leistner

Info

Publication number: US525221A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1894-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1911-08-28

Description

(No Model.) 4 Sheets--Sheet 1. E. VON LEISTNER. TOY BUILDING BLOCK.

Patented Aug. 28, 1894.

INVENTO v M I I I z (No Model.) 4 Shets-Sheet 2'. E. VON LEISTNER. TOY BUILDING BLOCK V No. 525,221. I Patented Aug. 28, 1894.

2 INVENTO 72 WITNESSES.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. VON LEIST'NE-R. TOY BUILDING BLOUK.

No. 525,221 Patented Aug. 28, 1894.

WITNESSES:

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IN VE NT01? 1115 nonms PEIEns ca. mmou noq wusumcmn. n, c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets- Sheet 4.

E. VON LEISTNER.

TOY BUILDING BLOCK.

No. 525,221. Patented Aug. 28, 1894.

' (a b a W/TNESSES/ v INVEN'%AML UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD VON LEISTNER, or STAPLETON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF To MoRrrz STEINMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. I

TOY BUILDING-BLOCK SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,221, dated August 28, 1894.

Application filed October 9,1393. sent mental. lNomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD VON LEISTNER, a subject of theEmperor of Germany, residing at Stapleton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful lmprovements in Toy Building-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to supply children of that age when they gradually outtowers and the like can be readily constructed,

and thereby the constructive features of iron and steel structures be rendered perfectly clear and comprehensible to children of mature age. v In carrying out my invention a comparatively small number of elementary parts are employed, of which, however, according to the size of the blocks, a greater or smaller number is used. These elementary parts are all made of sheet-metal, aluminum'or brass being preferred. They are supplemented by wooden strips or blocks for forming the floors of a bridge and the supporting pillars of the same. i The elementary parts and their multiples can be increased in number and kind for advanced children, so as to enable them to build certain specific structures, such as the Brooklyn bridge, the Eiffel-tower, the Ferris-wheel,&c. For all these structures, however, the elementary parts are necessary, they being necessary for all structures produced. A number of progressive instruction books representing the difierent structures, from the simple to the more'complicated ones, are supplied, so that children can readily form trusses, arches, &c., which form the main or fundamental features of iron structures.

My invention consists therefore, of bridge or other structure building-blocks, which comprise a number of upright struts having perforations at the ends and bent-up parallel flanges at the sides, longitudinal angle-pieces having perforations at the ends, angular transverse pieces also provided with perforations near the ends and with screw thread extensions for the retaining-nuts, fiat diagonal braces or pieces for connecting the struts and longitudinal pieces, said diagonal braces or pieces having also perforated ends, and diagonal binding-rods for the transverse pieces, formed of wire and provided with hookshaped ends, so as to engage the perforations of said transverse pieces. i r

H The invention consists further of a truss formed of a number of the elementary pieces 66 described, which truss forms the foundation of all the different structures that can be made, by simply employing said elementary pieces.

vIn the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents an isometric view of a simple form of truss-bridge, built with my improved bridgebuilding-blocks. Fig. 2"is a similar view of an arch truss-bridge, constructed with my blocks. Fig. 3 is an isometric view, on a 70 larger scale, of one section of the truss, as built up from theelementary pieces of my blocks, representing the truss shown in Fig.

1. Fig.,4 is a like view of a section of the truss shown in Fig. 2, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

10 and 11 are isometric views of the difierent elementary pieces, which compose my improved b'ridge building toy-blocks, and Fig. 12, is an isometric view of one of the wooden plants or strips by which the floor of the bridge or other structureis formed.

Similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

All the elementary pieces of my bridge or other structure building toy-blocks, ,except thewooden pieces which are used as planks or supporting-pillars, are made from sheetmetal, so as to decrease the weight of the blocks and the structure made from the same, as much as possible. The elementary pieces are composed of at least two upright struts a. and b, which are made in different lengths, a longitudinal piece d, an angular transverse piece 6, a flat diagonal brace or piece f, screwnuts 6 for connecting the said pieces to the 5 ends of the angular transversepiece e, and diagonal binding-rods or braces g. The up.- right struts wand 12 are provided with perfo- I rations a, b at their ends and with bent up parallel flanges a 19 along the sides, which flanges terminate near the perforated ends. The ends a b of, the struts a, 1) project beyond their flanges. The longitudinal piece cl is provided with several perforations d in each end and with a side flange (1 and the ends d thereof also project beyond the flange (1 The transverse piece 6 is bent longitudinally into angular form and within its angle is soldered or otherwise secured, a longitudinal wire rod e which is extended beyond the angular piece e so as to form screw-threaded projecting ends 6 on which may be secured the nuts a which are provided with milled heads to permit them to be readily taken hold of with the fingers. A number of perforations e is provided in each end of the side plates .of the angularly bent piece 6. The fiat diagonal braces f are provided with a number of perforations f at each end, while the wire binding-rods or braces g are bent in the form of hooks g at each end, so as to be sprung into and engage the perforations of the angular pieces 01.

Besides the elementary pieces so far described, and as shown in Figs. 5 to 11, a number of small flat pieces of wood h which represent the planks of the bridge are used, as shown in Fig. 12.

For special structures additional blocksin imitation of pillars can be supplied, while also multiples of the different elementary pieces in diiferent lengths may be added.

In putting together a single-truss from the elementary pieces described, the longitudinal pieces 11 are first placed on the threaded projecting ends e of the transverse pieces e, the flat diagonal pieces or braces f being then placed on the same, and lastly, the upright struts a, b, the parts being then firmly connected by screwing the nuts e on said threaded ends of the transverse pieces 6, as shown in Figs. 3 and t. The diagonal binding-rods or braces g are then applied to the top and bottom transverse pieces e, by inserting the hooks into the perforationse of said pieces after which the planks h are placed on the inwardly-projecting flanges d of the longitudinal pieces 01, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. The next section of the truss is then built in the same manner, and so on until the entire bridge or other structure is completed.

In making arched trusses, the smaller struts a are preferably used, in which case also the outer perforations f at the upper ends of the diagonal pieces f are employed, and also the inner perforations at the lower ends, whereby the shortening of the lower longitudinal pieces d of the truss is obtained, so that an arched truss is obtained from these diderent sections, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 2.

In place of the angular transverse pieces and the screw-nuts screwed on the same, any other equivalent locking device, such as spring-keys and like evident devices may be used, as I do not desire to confine myself to the use of screw-nuts. Sofar I have found the screw-nuts to be the best mode of connecting the parts, as they can thereby be more firmly united, the spring-keys or similar devices producing a less rigid or slightly wabbling connection of the parts. 7

In using the term bridge, I desire to include any steel or iron structure, as this term is merely selected for the sake of convenience and brevity, it being obvious that any other structure, as for instance the Eiffel tower, Ferris-wheel, and similar structures, may be built by a number of my elementary pieces, in addition to some elementary pieces such as are required for the foundation or spiderframes of the structure.

It is obvious that a large variety of structures in imitation of metallic bridges and other iron structures can be made, whereby boys of more advanced age can be instructively occupied.

All the parts after use can be disconnected and stored within a box of comparatively small size, as a large number of parts can be placed within a small compass. A number of boxes containing a smaller or larger multiple. of the elementary pieces can be placed on the market, so that boys can progress from simple structures to more complicated structures, or-specific boxes can be made for producing a specific iron structure of special repute.

What I claim is-- 1. A set of bridge building-blocks, comprising a number of elementary pieces of sheetmetal, representing struts, longitudinals, transverse-pieces, braces and binding-rods, said struts having side flanges and perforated ends projecting beyondthe flanges, said longitudinals having side-flanges and perforated ends, and said bra'ces having perforated ends, and means for connecting the struts, longitudinals and braces to the ends of said transverse-pieces, substantially as set forth.

2. A set of bridge-building-blocks, comprising a number of elementary pieces of sheetmetal, representing struts, longitudinals,

transverse-pieces, braces and binding-rods, said transverse-pieces being angular in crosssection and provided with perforations in both of its side-plates, and said binding-rods having end-hooks adapted to bereceived in the perforations of the transverse-pieces, and means for connecting the struts, longitudinals and braces to the ends of said transversepieces, substantially as set forth.

3. A toy-truss, composed of upright struts having perforations at their ends and side flanges, longitudinals having perforated ends and side flanges, flat diagonal-braces having struts, longitudinals and flat diagonal-braces piece of sheet metal provided with perforato the ends of said transverse pieces, substantions near the ends in each plate of the same tially as set forth. and with threaded ends extendingbeyond the I 5 4. A longitudinal piece for toy-bridges or apexthereof, substantially as set forth.

other toy structures, composed of a flat main In testimony that I claim the foregoing as piece having a single side flange bent up at my invention I have signed my name in presright angles therefrom and two perforations ence of two subscribing witnesses.

in each end of the main piece, said ends extending beyond the said flange, substantially W R N LEISTNER' as set forth. I Witnesses:

-5. A transverse piece for toy-bridges or PAUL GOEPEL, other toy structures, composed of an angular I CHARLES SOHROEDER.