WO2005094182A2

WO2005094182A2 - Large toy building block and a method for its manufacture

Info

Publication number: WO2005094182A2
Application number: PCT/IL2005/000372
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dmitry Glezerman
Original assignee: Starplast Industries (1967) Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-04-04
Filing date: 2005-04-04
Publication date: 2005-10-13
Also published as: IL161276A0; WO2005094182A3

Abstract

The invention relates to large toy building blocks and a manufacturing process therefore. The invention being a hollow toy interconnecting building block (10), comprising at least one planar member (12) arranged with bend-lines and interconnecting end edges, the planar member(s) being readily assembled into a hollow substantially-rectangular shape. The block further comprising a base member (20) and a roof member (22), both members being readily attached to and firmly retained by remaining free edges of the planar member after being formed into the hollow substantially-rectangular shape. The members being provided with means (30) for the roof member to removably engage the base member of a similar building block.

Description

LARGE TOY BUILDING BLOCK AND A METHOD FOR ITS MANUFACTURE Field and Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to large toy building blocks and a manufacturing process therefore.

There are many different types of toy building blocks or bricks available on the market, the best known being LEGO® blocks sold by INTERLEGO A.G. In the US similar blocks are marketed under the trade name "Mega Bloks". These, and many similar blocks are typically made of a hard plastic, are provided with four sides, a roof section, an open base and interconnecting means allowing any number of blocks to be assembled together to form models of objects known to or imagined by children. Sets of blocks often include special shapes (windows, doors, wheels, tapered forms, human and animal shapes, helicopter blades, sloping roof sections etc) as well as thin blocks which are molded as completely solid items. All such blocks can be classified as small, because many hundreds or even thousands of blocks would be needed to build a structure of a size the child or several children can enter and play in.

Large toy building blocks can be defined as blocks which have a major face whose area is at least 100 square centimeters and preferably substantially larger. Such blocks can be readily assembled by children to form a toy house having features such as doors, windows and a roof. The large blocks can be manufactured by injection molding, but the resultant product tends to be heavy, production rate is low and the cost of an injection molding die rises to prohibitive levels for large items.

In view of these difficulties large toy building blocks are now manufactured using a soft plastic which is processed by of the blow-molding processes. Blow molding was developed for the production of plastic bottles, jerry cans and other containers. As other plastic molding processes, blow molding has some limitations, primarily it being slower than injection molding and being unsuitable for producing fine and precise details of the type seen for example in recent US Patents nos. 6,086,444, 6,450,853 Bl and D445,148. The problem of producing exact projections and recesses needed for the block's interconnecting elements has been "solved" by at least one manufacturer by producing the main hollow box part of the block by blow molding and thereafter adding a pair of injection-molded ends carrying the interconnection elements. Thus the upper and lower faces of the box become functionless while the slower molding process increases cost.

Toy wholesalers are reluctant to store sets of large building blocks due to the volume of space needed for this purpose, and most retailers will not allocate space on display shelves to such large boxes containing the blocks unless surplus shelf space happens to be available.

Objects of the Invention

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of prior art large building blocks and to provide a toy block which can be manufactured entirely by the injection molding process.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a block which can be stored and transported in compact form and which can thereafter be assembled by the manufacturer or by the retailer or by the end user.

Yet a further object of the present invention to provide a block which will save storage space.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a hollow toy interconnecting building block, comprising at least one planar member arranged with bend-lines and interconnecting end edges, said planar member(s) being readily assembled into a hollow substantially-rectangular shape, said block further comprising a base member and a roof member, both members being readily attached to and firmly retained by remaining free edges of said planar member after being formed into said hollow substantially-rectangular shape, said members being provided with means for said roof member to removably engage the base member of a similar building block. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a building wherein at least one major face of said block is formatted to form a part of a children's playhouse.

In a further embodiment the hollow block is filled with a light-weight low-cost material.

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a building block wherein said hollow substantially-rectangular shape comprises a first and a second interconnected planar member, each planar member being provided with at least one bend-line, two opposite edges of said first planar member being interconnectable with two opposite edges of said second planar member.

Furthermore, a method of assembling a block according to the present invention is specified.

Yet further embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter.

The invention further provides a method for the manufacturing of such block comprising the following steps: step 1: producing by injection molding a substantially planar rectangular component including needed bend lines and edge attachment means; step 2 interconnecting the ends of said component(s) to form a hollow substantially rectangular section; step 3 producing by injection molding a roof component having a lower and an upper face, said lower face being arranged to interlock to a first end of said hollow substantially rectangular section, and said upper face supporting a plurality of projections for attachment to a similar block; step 4 producing by injection molding a base component having a lower and an upper face, said upper face being arranged to interlock to a second end of said hollow substantially rectangular section, and said lower face supporting a plurality of recesses for attachment to a similar lower block; It will thus be realized that the due to its novel construction the block of the present invention can be manufactured at moderate cost. Assembly of the block can optionally be carried out by the manufacturer or by the retailer or by the end user, providing a significant saving in storage and transportation costs as the main component is flat and can be stacked in a compact manner - in contradistinction to blow molded components. Furthermore, the blocks, similar to furniture, can be sold at two price levels - at a lower price for end users willing to assemble the blocks themselves and at a higher level for ready-to-use blocks.

With regard to the embodiment of the invention where the walls of the block body is formed by combining two identical planar components, the half-sized component can be produced by a molding die which is smaller, much lighter and much less expensive than a large die able to produce the main component as a single molding. The control of die cost is particularly important where it is anticipated that only moderate quantities will be produced. Cycle time for the smaller molding is also lower. The large die could however be advantageous if it is intended to produce a very large quantity of blocks.

Filling of the block is optional. A filled block gives the young user a feeling of constructing a real building, and, as a real building block, it is optically obtuse. The option of filling the block is appropriate to a block sold ready assembled by the manufacturer.

Doors, windows and other components of a play house can readily be produced by adding additional cut-outs, bend lines and closure flaps as needed. Such additional features are economically produced by the injection molding process.

Short description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent by example preferred embodiments of the invention. Structural details are shown only as far as necessary for a fundamental understanding thereof. The described examples, together with the drawings, will make apparent to those skilled in the art how further forms of the invention may be realized. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the block according to the invention, the block being seen fully assembled;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the same embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the planar element seen before being formed into a hollow substantially-rectangular shape;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the block formatted to represent a brick wall;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of three connected blocks;

FIG. 6 is a non-detailed perspective view of the rectangular body being prepared using a pair of smaller planar elements;

FIG. 7 is a fragmented perspective view of the block seen in FIG. 4 including a filling;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a base member attached to the rectangular body; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a part of the drawing seen in FIG. 8.

Full Disclosure of the Invention

There is seen in FIGS. 1 & 2 a hollow toy interconnecting building block 10. The central component 12 of the block 10, which is also seen in FIG. 3 in its configuration before bending, is a substantially planar member 12a. The member 12 is arranged with bend-lines 14 and interconnecting end edges 16, 18. By interconnection of the end edges 16, 18, the planar member 12a is readily assembled into a hollow substantially-rectangular shape 12, which forms the central component of the block. The planar member 12a is suitably manufactured by injection molding of a plastic. The block 10 further comprises an attached base member 20 and a roof member 22. Both members 20, 22 are assembled without tools and firmly retained by the remaining free edges 24, 26 of the hollow substantially-rectangular shape 12. As will be seen in FIG. 8, the small cut-outs 28, also seen in FIG. 2, are disposed proximate to both bottom and top edges 24, 26 of the central component, and are part of the arrangement applicable to both the roof and base members 20, 22 so as to prevent unwanted disassembly when the block 10 is in use. Other means for preventing unwanted disassembly could be used. The roof member 22 is provided with a plurality of projections. The example seen in the drawings is an equally-spaced array of 16 cylindrical stubs 30.

The base member 20 is provided with complementary recesses 32, seen in FIG. 8, suitable for engagement to the roof member 22 of a lower block 10. When in use, some or all of the stubs 30 removably engage the base member 20 of a similar building block or blocks 10.

The area of each of the two major faces 38 is more than 100 sq. cm. and typically about

600 - 700 sq. cm, thus enabling a child to build a playhouses castles and the like (not shown) by assembling about 40 - 60 blocks.

Returning now to FIG. 3, there is seen the central component 12a of the block 10 as it appears before forming the rectangular shape 12. The component 12a is produced by injection molding, and incorporates four rounded corners 42 which adjoin the two minor faces 36.

The three bend lines 14 are formed by reducing the thickness of the molding at the line 14. End-to-end assembly is effected by inter-engaging the end edges 16, 18. Retention is provided by a plurality of end apertures 40 proximate to edge 16 allowing entry of complementary projections 44 proximate to the opposite edge 18, thus producing the hollow substantially-rectangular shape 12 seen in FIG. 2.

With reference to the rest of the figures, similar reference numerals have been used to identify similar parts.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is seen a toy building block 46 similar to that shown in FIG.l. A major face 48 of the block is formatted to form a part of a children's playhouse. In the illustrated example the formatting represents a brick wall 50. Any other desired pattern can be produced, for example a door or window, and appear either on one major surface 48 or on both.

Seen in FIG. 5 is a building block 52 wherein the roof member 22 is seen removably interconnected with two adjacent similar building blocks 52a, 52b, as is customary with prior art blocks. The large size of the block 52 of the present invention makes possible the building of structures large enough for children to play therein.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of the hollow substantially-rectangular shape 12, comprising a first and a second interconnectable planar member 12b and 12c. Each planar member 12b, 12c is provided with up to two bend-lines 14.

The two opposite edges 54, 56 of the first planar member 12b are arranged to interconnect with two opposite edges 58, 60 of the second planar member 12c, as seen in FIG. 3. Retention means, 40, 44 are seen in FIG. 3 and are provided but not seen in the simplified diagram. Edge assembly results in there being formed the hollow substantially- rectangular shape 12 seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It is desirable that the first and the second planar members 12b, 12c be identical, thus allowing the injection molding of a planar members 12b using a die which is smaller and lighter than the die needed for producing the embodiment seen in FIG. 3. The die needed for producing planar member 12b is much less expensive than a large die able to produce the main component 12a seen in FIG. 3 as a single molding. The lower die cost is the key to economical production of moderate block quantities.

Turning now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a building block 62, wherein the hollow of the block contains an inert filling preferably a light-weight low-cost filling 64. The filling 64 adds weight and gives the user more satisfaction as having more similarity to real-life building blocks.

Foam-expanded plastic is a suitable fill material. Polyurethane foam can be used, if it is desired to produce a more rigid block. Alternatively the hollow is filled by a foamed polystyrene element or elements.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a preferred arrangement 66 for firmly connecting the hollow substantially-rectangular shape 12 to the base component 20 as seen in the figure, and to the roof component 22 seen in FIG. 2 before assembly. An edge 26 of the rectangular shape 12 is seen having been pushed into a peripheral recess 68 of the base component 20. The recess 68 includes a plurality of spaced-apart teeth 70 which on assembly snap into one of the apertures 28, also seen in FIG. 3. The joint 72 seen withstands any normal use of the block, yet disassembly remains possible by inserting a screwdriver into the joint 72 and firmly pulling the two parts 12, 20 apart.

It is within the scope of the invention to provide similar or other connecting means between the base and roof components with the body of the block.

The present invention also includes a manufacturing and assembly method, comprised of the following steps:

Step 1. Producing by injection molding a substantially planar rectangular component including needed bend lines and edge attachment means.

Step 2. Interconnecting the ends of said component(s) to form a hollow substantially rectangular section.

Step 3. Producing by injection molding a roof component having a lower and an upper face, said lower face being arranged to interlock to a first end of said hollow substantially rectangular section, and said upper face supporting a plurality of projections for attachment to a similar block.

Step 4. Producing by injection molding a base component having a lower and an upper face, said upper face being arranged to interlock to a second end of said hollow substantially rectangular section, and said lower face supporting a plurality of recesses for removable attachment to a similar lower block.

Step 5. Assembling said base component securely to the free edges of said hollow substantially rectangular section.

Step 6. Optionally filling the hollow substantially-rectangular section. and

Step 7 Assembling said roof component securely to the remaining free edges of said hollow substantially rectangular section.

The scope of the described invention is intended to include all embodiments coming within the meaning of the following claims. The foregoing examples illustrate useful forms of the invention, but are not to be considered as limiting its scope, as those skilled in the art will be aware that additional variants and modifications of the invention can readily be formulated without departing from the meaning of the following claims.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A hollow toy interconnecting building block, comprising at least one planar member arranged with bend-lines and interconnecting end edges, said planar member(s) being readily assembled into a hollow substantially-rectangular shape, said block further comprising a base member and a roof member, both members being readily attached to and firmly retained by remaining free edges of said planar member after being formed into said hollow substantially-rectangular shape, said members being provided with means for said roof member to removably engage the base member of a similar building block.

2. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the area of a major face of the assembled block exceeds 100 square centimeters.

3. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one major face of said block is formatted to form a part of a children's playhouse castles and the like.

4. The building block as claimed in claim 3, wherein said formatting represents a brick wall.

5. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said roof member is arranged to be interconnectable with at least two adjacent similar building blocks.

6. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hollow substantially- rectangular shape comprises a first and a second interconnected planar member, each planar member being provided with at least one bend-line, two opposite edges of said first planar member being interconnected with two opposite edges of said second planar member.

7. The building block as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first and said second planar members are identical.

8. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow of said block contains a filling, preferably a inert light-weight low-cost filling.

9. The building block as claimed in claim 8, wherein said filling comprises elements made of a foam-expanded plastic.

10. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said planar member(s) is (are) manufactured by injection molding of a plastic.

11. A hollow toy interconnecting building block substantially as described hereinbefore and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A method for manufacturing a large toy building block consists of the following steps: step 1: producing by injection molding a substantially planar rectangular component including needed bend lines and edge attachment means; step 2 interconnecting the ends of said component(s) to form a hollow substantially rectangular section; step 3 producing by injection molding a roof component having a lower and an upper face, said lower face being arranged to interlock to a first end of said hollow substantially rectangular section, and said upper face supporting a plurality of projections for attachment to a similar block; step 4 producing by injection molding a base component having a lower and an upper face, said upper face being arranged to interlock to a second end of said hollow substantially rectangular section, and said lower face supporting a plurality of recesses for attachment to a similar lower block; step 5 assembling said base component securely to the free edges of said hollow substantially rectangular section; step 6 optionally filling the hollow substantially rectangular section; and step 7 assembling said roof component securely to the remaining free edges of said hollow substantially rectangular section.