Classifications

• • 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
  • A63H33/084—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 grooves

Definitions

• This invention relates to an assembly unit particularly suited for a toy, which is shaped as an elongated rectangular trunk with four square side branches positioned in pairs on each side of the trunk.
• Assembly units for toys, decorations, hobby use and other uses are known in various embodiments. But only in a few cases can such units be assembled exclusively with exactly similar units in any number to become a coherent and continuous (flat) surface, and out of these assembly units even fewer can also be assembled with identical units into stable three-dimensional structures.
• the assembly unit according to this invention is characterized by the width of the trunk being one-fifth of the length of the trunk; and the side branches being positioned with a spacing corresponding to the width of the trunk; and the width of each side branch, and the respective side branches also being positioned at this distance from the ends of the trunk.
• the four side branches, the two end parts of the trunk measured up to the side branches hereafter called end pieces, and the middle part of the stem between the side branches hereafter called the middle part, are congruent and for all practical purposes of the same size and shape as the space between the side branches, hereafter called the opening. Either of the two openings on each assembly unit will, therefore, each be able to accept a side branch or end piece of a similar assembly unit when the assembly units are placed with their bases either parallel or perpendicular to each other.
• the assembly unit may also be made of less resilient materials such as wood, tile, brick or concrete.
• the cubical shapes which make up the end pieces, the side branches, and the middle parts can suitably be made somewhat smaller than the openings.
• means to keep the units tight to each other in the narrow slits between the walls of the assembled units may, for example, be flat pieces of cardboard, plastic foam, plastic film or similar materials, whith the shape of a square having the length of each side equal to the width of the trunk.
• the means may be glue or cement.
• the set of assembly units may include assembly units of shapes different from that of the unit of the invention, suitably of the same height as the unit of the invention and including protrusions and openings of the same size and format as those of the unit of the invention.
• the invention therefore, also relates to a set of assembly units in which these complementary units occur among the originally described units, the latter units constituting a significant amount of the units, for example in relation to area, amount or consequense.
• the drawing illustrates an assembly unit according to the invention.
• FIGURE 1 shows the unit from above.
• Figure 2 shows the unit in perspective.
• Figure 3 shows the unit from the side.
• Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the unit seen from the side.
• Figure 5 shows two units assembled at right angles to each other.
• Figure 6 shows a plane pattern of assembled elements seen from above.
• Figure 7 shows a different plane pattern of assembled elements seen from above.
• FIGURE 1 shows the base plane of a unit 1 according to the invention.
• horizontally placed trunk 2 has four identical side branches 3 which are also identical to the two end pieces 4 of the trunk and the middle part 5 of the trunk.
• the side branches 3 have been placed at a distance which is equal to the width of the trunk 2 from the nearest end 6 of the trunk 2.
• FIGURE 2 shows in perspective a particularly suitable embodiment of the unit 1, where the height of the unit is equal to the width of the trunk. Because of this relation the side branches 3 , the end pieces h and the middle part 5 and the two openings 7 are all of the same cubical shape and size. This is also shown in FIGURE 3 which shows the unit 1 from the side. Whereas FIGURE 3 shows the ideal shape FIGURE 4 , which likewise .shows the unit 1 from the side, shows an example of the slightly bulging walls 8 which are meant to increase the resilient cohesion between the units 1 when the walls 8 are placed in the openings 7.
• FIGURE 4 further illustrates that the unit 1 may be compose of two identical half parts 9 and 10.
• FIGURE 5 shows two identical units 1 that have been assembled at right angles to each other, for example, as the beginning of a larger three-dimensional structure.
• FIGURE 6 shows the most common assembly of the units 1 to a coherent continous plane.
• complementary units 11 and 12 belonging to the set of assembly units, in the shape of an F and a T respectively.
• Such complementary units can also for all practical purpose be viewed as being in the shape of a number of connected cubes, with the length of a side of a cube equal to the width of the module, being the width of the trunk.
• FIGURE 7 is shown another type of assembly of the units 1 creating a coherent plane.
• units may be produced from other materials such as metal and plastic foam, and by other methods than those already mentioned. For example, by injection molding or thermo-forming.
• the units may also have shapes that depart somevhat from the shown ideal shape, and the units may possibly lack one of the walls of the base planes, in which case they are more easily produced by thermo-forming.
• the complementary units may be of shapes completely different from the shown complementary units, for example provided with heads and arms.
• the units according to the invention may also be used for other purposes than, the mentioned. Besides being used as a toy, the units of two different colors may suitably be used for various types of games, for example "tick-tacktoe".
• the advantage of using the units in board games is that the units can be used both as the board and the ponds.
• the units may also be decorated and have glued-on pictures so that they can be used as puzzles.
• decorations the units can, in different combinations, be used in both stores and the home for, for example, Christmas decorations and mobiles.
• the units may be made of altogether different materials and be used for tiles, lawn tiles, shelves and brackets and so on.
• the units may also be used for educational purposes, from models of atoms to educational means for development of the sense of space, creativity, sense of combination and sense of color. Planes of assembled units may also be used for the purpose of insulation.
• combinations of different assembly toys can be made which mutually increase the value of each other.
• the structure made of the combined assembly sets may be able to float on water because of the special properties of the units of the invention.

Landscapes

• Toys (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8089939

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (4)

Citations (6)

• 1981
  • 1981-01-13 DK DK11781A patent/DK11781A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1982
  • 1982-01-12 EP EP82900353A patent/EP0069141B1/en not_active Expired
  • 1982-01-12 WO PCT/DK1982/000002 patent/WO1982002341A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1982-01-12 DE DE8282900353T patent/DE3266586D1/de not_active Expired
  • 1982-01-12 JP JP57500428A patent/JPS58500101A/ja active Granted
  • 1982-09-13 NO NO823089A patent/NO823089L/no unknown

Patent Citations (6)

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