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
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/36—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/361—Modular elements with complementary shapes, interengageable parts or the like

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a toy set comprising at least a first, second, third and fourth body, each body being substantially equally dimensioned, wherein :
• each of said bodies comprises a coupling portion applied on a base portion
• each base portion has an outer surface delimiting a substantially cylindrical shaped cavity
• said first and second bodies are provided for being stacked upon each other, wherein said coupling portion of said first body rotatably fits within said cavity of said second body
• said third and fourth bodies are provided for being stacked upon each other, wherein said coupling portion of said third body rotatably fits within said cavity of said fourth body,
• each of said bodies further comprises at least a connecting member, wherein at least one of said connecting members forms a protrusion extending outwardly from said outer surface
• said first and third bodies are provided for being assembled adjacent each other, wherein said connecting member of said first body fits within said connecting member of said third body, and
• said second and fourth bodies are provided for being assembled adjacent each other, wherein said connecting member of said second body fits within said connecting member of said fourth body.
• Such a toy set is known from US patent number 5,361 ,919.
• the bodies have the same shape and may be used as a bottle cap as well as a toy.
• the coupling portion is formed by a circular protrusion provided on the base portion having the shape of a hollow polygon, in particular a hexagon.
• the circular protrusion of one of the bodies rotatably fits into the cavity of the other body.
• Each body further comprises, on each external surface of the polygon, a detent extending from the surface or an indent provided in the surface, the detent extending from a surface of one body being provided for being fitted within an indent of a surface from another body. In this way, two bodies may be fitted adjacent each other wherein said surface with the detent from the one body is tangent to the surface with the indent from the other body.
• Figure 1 illustrates schematically a construction performed with known bodies.
• a second body 2 is stacked on a first body 1 and a third body 3 is assembled to said first body by mating a detent 5 on the first body with an indent 6 on the third body.
• a detent 5 on the first body with an indent 6 on the third body.
• the fourth body 4 on top of the third body 3 without assembling the fourth body 4 to the second body 2, care should be taken that the two tangent surfaces both comprise an indent 7, 8 so as to avoid mating of the fourth and second body. This limits the number of possible configurations of the bodies.
• the bodies have an outer surface in the shape of an hexagon, wherein detents are provided every two sides, such as disclosed in US 5,361 ,919, only three configurations of the second body are allowed, i.e. when the indents of the second body are adjacent an indent on the fourth body.
• stepwise rotation will be obstructed by one of the detents (not shown) provided on the surfaces of the second or fourth - body.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a toy set enabling to build a construction wherein a first pair of bodies are assembled adjacent each other by mating the connecting members and two further bodies may each be provided adjacent one each other on top of said pair in such a manner that a large number of configurations are possible.
• the toy set is characterised in that :
• each protrusion of said first and third bodies is only located within a space delimited, when said first and third bodies are assembled adjacent each other, by said outer surfaces of the first and third bodies and two common tangent planes, each of said common tangent planes being tangent to both of said outer surfaces of said first and third bodies, and
• each protrusion of said second and fourth bodies is only located within a space delimited, when said second and fourth bodies are assembled adjacent each other, between said outer surfaces of the second and fourth bodies and between two common tangent planes, each of said common tangent planes being tangent to both of said outer surfaces of said second and fourth bodies.
• first and third bodies for example the first and third bodies (or the second and fourth bodies)
• two further bodies for example the second and fourth bodies (or the first and third bodies)
• each protrusion is only located within the defined limited - 4 - space
• different configurations of the further bodies without mating the further bodies to each other are possible.
• the base portion of the bodies has a squared outer surface
• three configurations of one of the further bodies is allowed without having to mate the second and fourth body with each other.
• five configurations are possible.
• said outer surface is substantially polygonal at least outside said space and comprises at least three sides outside said space. This allows an at least stepwise rotation movement, in particular of at least 180 degrees without being obstructed by a protrusion.
• each connecting member comprises a male member and a female member; in each connecting member at least one of said male and female members from said protrusion extends outwardly from said outer surface; and when two of said bodies are assembled adjacent each other, said male member from one of the bodies is provided for mating within said female member of the other body and said female member of the one body is provided for mating within said male member of the other body.
• both said male and female members form said protrusion extending outwardly from said outer surface and said male-.
• and female members of one of the bodies are provided for being slidably - 5 - mated with said female and male members of another of said bodies.
• said male and female members are located on said outer surface within a segment not larger than 60 degrees of said outer surface.
• said male and female members are located on said outer surface on a segment of at least 40 degrees of said outer surface. This guarantees that the male and female member are sufficiently spaced apart from each other, so that torsion of two such bodies mated adjacent each other is limited and a tight connection is ensured.
• the present invention also relates to a body for use in a toy set and use of the body as a cap for a recipient, a recipient or a building block.
• Figure 1 illustrates in cross section a construction performed with a toy set according to the prior art.
• Figure 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, a perspective view of a body according to the invention.
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of two bodies according to Figure 2 when assembled adjacent each other. - 6 -
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of a construction performed with several bodies according to Figure 2.
• Figure 5 illustrates schematically the space wherein the protrusions are located.
• Figure 6 shows a detail of the male and female members according to a preferred embodiment.
• Figures 7 to 13 show a number of alternatives for the shape of the coupling portion of the body according to the invention.
• Figure 14 shows an alternative for the shape of the base portion of the body according to the invention.
• Figure 15 shows a coupling member for coupling two coupling portions to each other.
• Figures 16 and 17 show other accessories fitting in the coupling portions.
• Figure 18 shows, on an enlarged scale, a perspective view of a further embodiment of a body according to the invention.
• Figure 19 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a body according to the invention.
• Figure 20 illustrates several configurations of the clamping member in a body according to the invention.
• Figures 21 and 22 are side views on two embodiments of the base portion having male and female members with a stopping member.
• Figure 23 is a side view on a further embodiment of the base portion having male and female members with a stopping member.
• Figure 24 is a cross section according to line XXIV-XXIV in Figure 23.
• Figures 25 and 26 are top views on bodies according to further embodiments of the invention. - 7 -
• Figure 27 is a top view on a connection body provided for being mated between two bodies according to Figure 2.
• Figure 28 is a side view on a further body according to the invention.
• Figures 29 to 32 show a double shaped toy set or building block according to the invention.
• Figures 33 and 34 show a coupling ring mounted on a body according to the invention.
• the body 10 is formed by a base portion 11 having a substantially polygonal outer surface, in particular cylindrical, and comprising a cavity (not shown) of a substantially cylindrical shape.
• a coupling portion 12 is applied on the base portion 11 .
• the base portion is thus hollow, whereas the coupling portion may be a hollow piece or a plain piece of material.
• the coupling portion is hollow, so that upon moulding such a body in a plastic material, the overall thickness of the body is kept as low as possible. In this manner "hot spots" are avoided as much as possible.
• the coupling portion is dimensioned in such a manner that it enables a rotation movement when it is fitted within the cavity of the base portion of another body.
• the coupling portion has a substantially cylindrical shape with an external diameter 13 essentially equal to the internal diameter (not shown) of the cavity.
• the body 10 further comprises a connection member 14, 15 provided on the base portion.
• the connection member is formed by a male member 14 and a female member 15.
• the connection member could be formed by only a male member which is provided to be fitted in a corresponding female. member of another body.
• the connection member may be formed by - 8 - protrusions extending outwardly from the outer surface of the base portion, but could also form an excavation in one body provided to fit within a protrusion of another body.
• Two bodies according to the invention may thus be stacked upon each other by fitting the coupling portion of a first body into the cavity in the base portion of a second body.
• Two bodies according to the invention may also be assembled adjacent each other by engaging the connection member of a first body into the connection member of a second body, as shown in Figure 3. Such a construction is called a "brick" hereinafter.
• Figure 4 illustrates a further construction with a plurality of bodies according to the invention. It may for example be assembled as follows. A second body 17 is stacked on a first body 16 as explained hereinabove. Then, a third body 18 is assembled adjacent said first body as explained in connection with Figure 3. A fourth body 19 is then stacked on the third body 18 and optionally, a fifth body 20 may be assembled adjacent the second body 17 by engaging the male and female members of the fifth body into the female and male members of the second body. As indicated by the arrows 21 , both bricks 17, 20 and the fourth body 19 may be rotated over an angle of at least 180 degrees, since the shape of the outer surface of the respective base portions is substantially cylindrical and thanks to the absence of protruding parts in the movement.
• Figure 5 illustrates a simplified bottom view of the outer surfaces 22 of the base portion of two bodies according to Figure 3 mated adjacent each other.
• the base portion has a substantially polygonal outer surface, in particular cylindrical.
• the particular cylindrical shape is illustrated in Figure 5, but the same reasoning could be applied if the shape is different such as for example - the shape illustrated in Figure 14.
• the male and female - 9 - members have been omitted for the sake of clarity of the following explanation.
• the two circles 22 corresponding to the outer surface do not touch each other in this Figure.
• the two outer surfaces touch each other so as to provide a tighter structure when the two bodies are assembled adjacent each other.
• the hatched part of Figure 5 indicates the space within which the protrusions must be located in order to enable the described rotation movement of at least 180 degrees. This space is delimited between the outer surfaces 22 and the two common tangent planes 23 and 24. The two common tangent planes are tangent to both outer surfaces 22 of the first and second body.
• Figure 6 shows a detailed view of the male and female members of a first body when assembled with a female and a male member of a second body as illustrated in Figure 3.
• both the male members 14 and the female members 15 form protrusions extending outwardly from the outer surface 22 of the base portion.
• the male and female members are shaped in such a manner that they are to be mated to each other by sliding the male member within the female member according to a direction essentially parallel to the central axis 26 of the base portion.
• male and female members also determine the degree of tightness of the assemblage. It has been found that female members 15 which are substantially C-shaped and male members 14 having a corresponding complementary shape, as illustrated in Figure 6, contribute advantageously to the degree of tightness of the assemblage. - - 10 -
• Figures 21 to 24 show other embodiments of male and female members, wherein the female member 15 is provided with a stopping member 39 provided for avoiding or limiting sliding of two assembled bodies with respect to each other. Assembling two bodies according to these embodiments occurs by pressing them together instead of sliding them one into another. For this purpose, at least the female members should have a sufficient degree of elasticity.
• the male member could have the same length as the female members without the stopping member as illustrated in Figure 21.
• a sliding movement is hindered by the stopping members provided on each of the female members.
• a sliding movement is still allowed since the male member 14 has a shorter length than the female member, but two assembled bodies can not be disassembled by a sliding movement. The shorter length of male member 14 determines the distance of the sliding movement.
• Figure 23 and 24 show an alternative of the stopping member 39.
• the stopping member protrudes from the base portion 11 of the body , as clearly illustrated in Figure 24, in such a manner that two bodies can slide with respect to each other when a determined force is applied.
• sliding is hampered by the stopping member but is still possible when applying sufficient force, which is advantageous for assembling and disassembling the bodies.
• these stopping members are not limited to be applied on bodies according to the present invention comprising both a coupling portion and a base portion, but could also be provided on any type of bodies provided to be assembled to each other. Spacing of the male and female members also determines- the degree of rigidity of the assemblage.
• the angle ⁇ is defined as the angle formed by the central axis 27 of the two male members 14 with respect to the central axis 26 of the base portion.
• the smaller the angle ⁇ the larger the angle of rotation of the described rotation movement will be. It has been found that the angle should preferably not exceed a maximum value of 60 degrees, so as to ensure a rotation movement of more than 180 degrees. Thus a compromise must be found between an angle which is large enough for ensuring a tight connection, but not too large for enabling a rotation movement larger than 180 degrees. If it is desired to limit the rotation movement to approximately 180 degrees, then the angle ⁇ should be as large as possible, as long as the protrusions, i.e. the male and/or the female members, are located within the defined space.
• the thickness of the entire body should be kept limited.
• the thickness of the body, except in the neighbourhood of the connecting members should not exceed 2 mm and in particular 1 mm. In the neighbourhood of the male and female members, the thickness should preferably not exceed 3 mm.
• the coupling portion 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape, which is preferably hollow for keeping the thickness of the body as limited as possible.
• the coupling portions could have other shapes such as for example illustrated in Figures 7 to 13. Care should be taken that the coupling portion of a body 10 rotatably fits within the cavity 25- ( Figure 6) of the base portion of another body 10. For this reason, the - 12 - shape of the coupling portion is delimited within a virtual cylinder 28 having a diameter essentially equal to said substantially cylindrical shaped cavity.
• the coupling portion could have the shape of a polygon, in particular an octagon.
• Figure 8 illustrates a coupling portion in the shape of a toothed wheel.
• the coupling portion is formed by at least two posts preferably equally spaced apart from each other.
• the coupling portions could also for example have the shape of at least one protuberance 30 as illustrated in Figures 12 and 13.
• the cavity of the base portion could be provided with coupling means which are complementary to the one of the coupling portion, so as to provide a coupling within this cavity.
• the outer surface of the base portion may also have different shapes.
• the outer surface of the respective base portions have the shape of a polygon.
• a cylindrical shape is considered in the present description and the appended claims as a particular polygon having an endless number of sides.
• the polygon could have a determined number of sides.
• a combination of a rounded surface with a number of plane sides is also possible, such as illustrated in Figure 14, showing a possible cross sectional view of the base portion having the shape of halve a circle and halve a polygon with 16 sides. If two such bodies are located as the second 17 and fourth 19 bodies in Figure 4. The rotation movement of those two bodies will be a stepwise rotation movement, each step being equal to 22.5 degrees (360 degrees divided by 16).
• Figures 15 to 17 show examples of accessories for use in connection with the body according to the invention.
• a coupling member 31 is shown, formed by a base plate 32, at both sides of which a post 33, 34 extends.
• the posts 33, 34 are provided for fitting- within the cavity of the coupling portion and have therefore a diameter - 13 - substantially equal to the internal diameter of the coupling portion according to Figure 2.
• This coupling member enables thus to connect a coupling portion from a first body to a coupling portion of a second body.
• Figure 16 shows another example of an accessory, having the shape of a cylinder and dimensioned for fitting in the cavity of the coupling portion according to Figure 2.
• an object holder 35 On top of the cylinder, an object holder 35, may be fitted in.
• a further object holder (not shown) provided for fitting in the coupling portion could also form an accessory.
• FIG 17 Still another accessory is illustrated in Figure 17, wherein the posts 33 and 34 are provided on a same side of the base plate 32. These posts are provided for fitting in two coupling members placed or assembled adjacent each other.
• a coupling post 36 having substantially the same shape and dimension as the coupling portion of Figure 2, is applied on the other side of the base plate 32, so as to fit within the cavity of the base portion of a body 10.
• the body according to the invention may be used as a cap for a recipient, in particular a bottle, or as a recipient itself.
• the base portion forms then the cap to be fitted on the recipient.
• the coupling portion forms the cap provided to be fitted on the recipient.
• the cavity of the cap may advantageously comprise internal threads (not shown) provided for cooperating with threads of a bottle neck.
• Use of the body according to the invention as a cap for a recipient provides an added value to the recipient.
• a cover portion 37 is provided between the base portion and the coupling portion, as illustrated in Figure 2.
• the cover portion could be provided on top of the coupling portion (not shown).
• the coupling portions 12 may advantageously be provided with clamping members 38, as illustrated in Figure 2, for partially clamping the free rotation of the coupling portion in the base portion of another body.
• the clamping members could have a height which is approximately a halve of the coupling portion's height, as illustrated in Figure 18. With this embodiment, the user can choose between a clamped position whereby the coupling portion of the body is totally inserted in the base portion of another body.
• the clamping members can have the shape as illustrated in figures 2 and 18. According to another embodiment, the clamping members have an extended shape, as illustrated in Figure 19.
• Figure 20 shows several alternatives as to the height of the clamping members: they can be higher than the level of the coupling portion (Figure 20a), at the same level (Figure 20b) or lower ( Figure 20c).
• a plurality of such bricks may be assembled in different ways and still enable a rotation movement of one brick with respect to the other bodies or bricks.
• rounded wall structures may easily be formed by building a flat wall construction and rotating subsequently the bricks with respect to each other.
• existing moulds for conventional caps may easily be adapted for moulding a body according to the invention instead of a conventional cap.
• Figures 25 is a top view on an alternative embodiment of two bodies according to the invention.
• the coupling portion 12 is cylindrical.
• the base portion 11 is squared within the space as defined according to figure 5 and cylindrical outside said space.
• Figure 26 a further embodiment is shown, wherein the base portion 11 is squared both within and outside the defined space.
• the bodies according to these alternatives do not allow stepwise rotation relative to each other, but allow a large number of configurations. Nevertheless they remain compatible with the other embodiments.
• Two bodies according to Figure 2 can be mated with each other through the intermediary of one or several connection bodies according to Figure 27. This allows to form an elongated brick consisting of three or more bodies.
• Squared shaped connection bodies may be provided in connection with the bodies according to Figures 25 and 26.
• the base portion may have a corrugated shape, facilitating gripping of the body, enhancing the thermal isolation and allowing to position the bodies with respect to each other at the desired angle.
• Figures 29 to 32 show a double shaped toy set or building block according to the present invention.
• the body 50 comprises two coupling portions 52 adjacent to each other.
• the base portion forms two separate containers 51 a and 51b whereas in figure 29 only a single container 53 is formed.
• the upper border of the base portion is bend near the mid-section 54 in order t ⁇ reinforce the border and enable a positioning of a further body.
• Figures 33 and 34 show an embodiment of a toy set or building block according to the invention wherein a coupling ring 55 is applied within the base portion 11.
• the coupling ring couples two bodies through mating their base portions 11 , in order to form a closed container or a box.
• This coupling ring can be used as a support for an encryption, thus showing the upper side of the container.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Package Specialized In Special Use (AREA)

Priority Applications (9)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3891060

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Cited By (8)

Families Citing this family (32)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 1999
  • 1999-03-22 JP JP2000537624A patent/JP2002507466A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-03-22 AU AU29167/99A patent/AU747701B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-03-22 CA CA002325639A patent/CA2325639A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-03-22 CN CNB998045136A patent/CN1143712C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-03-22 DE DE69910748T patent/DE69910748T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-03-22 DK DK99910043T patent/DK1066099T3/da active
  • 1999-03-22 WO PCT/BE1999/000039 patent/WO1999048582A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-03-22 BR BR9909120-8A patent/BR9909120A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-03-22 US US09/646,966 patent/US6702642B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-03-22 IL IL13837199A patent/IL138371A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-03-22 EP EP99910043A patent/EP1066099B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-03-22 PT PT99910043T patent/PT1066099E/pt unknown
  • 1999-03-22 ES ES99910043T patent/ES2207186T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2000
  • 2000-09-13 ZA ZA200004853A patent/ZA200004853B/xx unknown

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