WO2019150240A1

WO2019150240A1 - Light conducting toy building blocks

Info

Publication number: WO2019150240A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/050664
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shay Chen; Shachar LIMOR
Original assignee: Flycatcher Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2018-01-30
Filing date: 2019-01-28
Publication date: 2019-08-08

Abstract

An interconnectable toy building block, including a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface. The body portion is defined about a longitudinal axis, which extends between the upper surface and the lower surface. A bore is formed in the body portion, and is open to the upper surface and to the lower surface. A longitudinal axis of the bore is disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion. A light conducting prong is disposed within the bore, such that the top surface of the prong is disposed within the bore beneath a height of the upper surface, and the bottom surface of the prong is disposed beneath the lower surface and the prong extends outwardly from the lower surface. An upper portion of the bore is not filled by the prong.

Description

LIGHT CONDUCTING TOY BUILDING BLOCKS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/623,572, filed on January 30, 2018, which is entitled“INTERACTIVE CRAFTING

ELECTRONIC TOY SYSTEM” and is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention, in some embodiments, relates to the field of toys, and more specifically to light conducting toy building blocks, which may be interconnected.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many building toys exist in which base units, or building blocks, are connected to each other to form a larger structure. Classic examples of such toys include Lego®, Duplo®, Lincoln Logs®, K’nex®, and the like. Several such toys also include transparent or translucent building blocks.

However, the prior art building block are typically formed of a single material, and have a single color, either opaque or transparent. Such building blocks either fully block passage of light, or allow passage of light through the whole block, without separating the light in particular locations, or channels.

There is thus a need in the art for toy building blocks which facilitate distinct or separate light conduction for each connector of the building block, and which can facilitate use of illumination, or illuminated instructions, to guide a user in building a structure. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments of the invention relate to interconnecting toy building blocks, and specifically to light conducting toy building blocks, whose light conduction can be used to provide real-time instructions to a user for building a complex structure.

There is provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a first aspect of the teachings herein, an interconnectable toy building block, including:

a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, the body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between the upper surface and the lower surface; at least one bore formed in the body portion, the at least one bore being open to at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface, and having a bore longitudinal axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion; and

at least one prong disposed within the at least one bore, the at least one prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface of the at least one prong is disposed within the at least one bore beneath a height of the upper surface,

wherein at least one of the at least one prong is light conducting.

In some embodiments, a bottom portion including the bottom surface of at least one of the at least one prong extends out of the body portion below the lower surface, and is dimensioned and configured to be received in a portion of a the bore of a second the interconnectable toy building block.

In some embodiments, at least a first bore of the at least one bore is throughgoing and extends from the upper surface to the lower surface, wherein at least a first prong of the at least one prong is disposed within the first bore such that the top surface of the first prong is within the first bore and beneath a height of the upper surface, and wherein a portion of the first bore above the top surface of the first prong is dimensioned and configured to receive a bottom end of a the prong of a second the interconnectable toy building block. In some such embodiments, the first prong includes a light guiding prong, and wherein light guided through the first prong is visible from the upper surface of the interconnectable toy building block.

In some embodiments, the at least one bore includes a plurality of bores, and the at least one prong includes a corresponding plurality of prongs.

There additionally is provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a second aspect of the teachings herein, an interconnectable toy building block, including:

a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, the body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between the upper surface and the lower surface;

a bore formed in the body portion, the bore being open to the upper surface and to the lower surface, a longitudinal axis of the bore being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion; and

a light conducting prong disposed within the bore, the prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface of the prong disposed within the bore beneath a height of the upper surface, and the bottom surface of the prong disposed below the lower surface, such that a bottom portion of the prong extends outwardly from and below the lower surface, wherein an upper portion of the bore is not filled by the prong.

In some embodiments, light guided through the prong is visible when the interconnectable toy building block is viewed from above the upper surface.

In some embodiments, the bore includes a plurality of bores, and the prong includes a corresponding plurality of prongs.

In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the body portion includes a polyhedron, such that the upper surface is substantially parallel to the lower surface, and the at least one side surface includes a plurality of side surfaces each connecting the upper surface and the lower surface. In some such embodiments, at least one of the plurality of side surfaces is substantially perpendicular to the upper surface and to the lower surface. Additionally or alternatively, in some such embodiments, at least one of the plurality of side surfaces is angled with respect to the upper surface and to the lower surface.

In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the body portion includes a hemisphere, such that a single circumferential side surface connects the upper surface and the lower surface, and only one of the following is true:

the lower surface is planar, and the upper surface is convex; or

the upper surface is planar, and the lower surface is concave.

In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the body portion includes a sphere, such that the upper surface is convex, the lower surface is concave, and a single circumferential side surface connects the upper surface and the lower surface.

There is further provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a third aspect of the teachings herein, a toy structure including:

a first interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects, including a first the bore and a first the prong; and

a second interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects, including a second the bore and a second the prong,

wherein the bottom portion of the first prong is disposed within the upper portion of the second bore, such that light guided through the second prong is transmitted, within the second bore, to the first prong and is guided therethrough, such that the light is visible when the toy structure is viewed from above the upper surface of the first interconnectable toy building block.

In some embodiments, the first interconnectable toy building block has a first shape, and the second interconnectable toy building block has a second shape, different that the first shape. There is additionally provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a fourth aspect of the teachings herein, a method for building a three dimensional structure, the method including:

obtaining a first interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects described herein, including a first the bore and a first the prong;

obtaining a second interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects described herein, including a second the bore and a second the prong; and

inserting the bottom portion of the first prong into the upper portion of the second bore.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Some embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying figures. The description, together with the figures, makes apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art how some embodiments of the invention may be practiced. The figures are for the purpose of illustrative discussion and no attempt is made to show structural details of an embodiment in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention. For the sake of clarity, some objects depicted in the figures are not to scale.

In the Figures:

Figures 1 A and 1B are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a first light conducting toy building block according to an embodiment of the teachings herein;

Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C are, respectively, top, bottom, and side planar views of the light conducting toy building block of Figures 1 A and 1B;

Figure 3 is a sectional illustration of the toby building block of Figures 1A to 2C, the sectional illustration taken along section lines III-III in Figure 2A;

Figures 4A and 4B are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a second light conducting toy building block according to an embodiment of the teachings herein;

Figures 5A and 5B are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a third light conducting toy building block according to an embodiment of the teachings herein;

Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration, a bottom and side perspective view illustration, and a sectional illustration of a fourth light conducting toy building block according to an embodiment of the teachings herein, the sectional illustration taken along section lines VIC-VIC in Figure 6A;

Figures 7A and 7B are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a fifth light conducting toy building block according to an embodiment of the teachings herein;

Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C are perspective view illustrations of steps of building a three dimensional model using the building blocks of Figures 1A-7B; and

Figures 9A and 9B are perspective view illustrations of a three dimensional model of a car, when broken into individual layers and when fully constructed, respectively, the model built using the building blocks of Figures 1 A to 7B, respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The principles, uses and implementations of the teachings herein may be better understood with reference to the accompanying description and figures. Upon perusal of the description and figures present herein, one skilled in the art is able to implement the invention without undue effort or experimentation.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings and/or the Examples. The invention can be implemented with other embodiments and can be practiced or carried out in various ways. It is also understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for descriptive purpose and should not be regarded as limiting.

For purposes of this disclosure, "top", "bottom",“upper”, and“lower” are relative to one typical orientation of the toy block(s), with the bottom or lower portion being a side, or adjacent to a side, adapted to be inserted into another toy block, and the top or upper portion being a side, or adjacent to a side, adapted to receive another toy block therein.

For the purposes of this disclosure,“substantially” is defined as“at least 95% of the term being described”, or“within a 5% margin from the term being described”.

For the purposes of this disclosure, a surface is considered to be“convex” if from an exterior of a building block including the surface, and when viewed from the top of the building block, the surface appears convex. For the purposes of this disclosure, a surface is considered to be“concave” if from an exterior of a building block including the surface, and when viewed from the top of the building block, the surface appears concave.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the terms“light conducting” and“light guiding” are used interchangeably, and relate to a material or structure which receives illumination from one end and transports the light to the other end thereof, without the light significantly dissipating or being enhanced.

Reference is now made to Figures 1 A and 1B, which are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a first light conducting toy building block 100 according to an embodiment of the teachings herein, to Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C, which are, respectively, top, bottom, and side planar views of the light conducting toy building block 100 of Figures 1 A and 1B, and to Figure 3, which is a sectional illustration of the toby building block 100 of Figures 1 A to 2C.

As seen in Figures 1A to 3, light conducting toy building block 100 includes a body portion 102, which is typically formed of an opaque, colored material. Body portion 102 includes an upper surface 104, sometimes termed the nominal upper surface of block 100, side surfaces 106, and a lower surface 108, sometime termed the nominal lower surface of block 100.

Body portion 102 includes a plurality of bores 110, each of which has disposed therein a prong 112. At least one such prong 112, and in some embodiments all the prongs 112 disposed within block 100, is/are light conducting or light guiding, and may be formed of any suitable material including glass, one or more optical fibers, transparent plastic, or any other light conducting or light guiding material.

Each prong 112 includes a first end 114, extending longitudinally outwardly from lower surface 108 of body portion 102, and terminating below the nominal lower surface, and a second end 116 disposed within corresponding bore 110 below nominal upper surface 104, as seen clearly in the sectional illustration in Figure 3, such that an upper portion of the bore remains unfilled by the prong.

Toy building block 100 illustrated in Figures 1 A to 3 is a square toy block, such that side surfaces 106 thereof are all substantially identical in size, and are all substantially perpendicular to upper surface 104 and to lower surface 108. In the illustrated embodiment, toy block 100 includes four prongs 112, disposed equi distantly about the block. However, the block may include any suitable number of prongs. For example, the block may include sixteen equidistantly disposed prongs forming a 4x4 matrix, may include two prongs disposed along a central line of the block, or any other suitable number and/or arrangement of prongs.

Reference is now made to Figures 4A and 4B, which are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a second light conducting toy building block 200 according to an embodiment of the teachings herein.

Building block 200 is substantially similar to building block 100 of Figures 1A to 3, but is rectangular. As such, upper and lower surfaces 204 and 208 are connected by a first pair of side surfaces 206a along short edges thereof, and by a second pair of side surfaces 206b along long edges thereof, side surfaces 206a and 206b being substantially perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 204 and 208. Toy block 200 includes bores 210 and prongs 212 substantially as described hereinabove with respect to bores 110 and prongs 112 of block 100. In the illustrated embodiment, toy block 200 includes two prongs 212, disposed equidistantly along the long direction of the block and centered with respect to the short direction of the block. However, the block may include any suitable number of prongs in any suitable arrangement.

Reference is now made to Figures 5A and 5B, which are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a third light conducting toy building block 300 according to an embodiment of the teachings herein.

Building block 300 is substantially similar to building block 200 of Figures 4A and 4B, and includes upper and lower surfaces 304 and 308 connected by a first and second pairs of side surfaces 306a and 306b, side surfaces 306a and 306b being substantially perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 304 and 308. Toy block 300 includes bores 310 and prongs 312 substantially as described hereinabove, and specifically includes eight prongs 312, arranged in two rows of four prongs, the rows being disposed equidistantly with respect to the short edge of the block and the prongs within each row being disposed equidistantly with respect to the long edge of the block. However, the block may include any suitable number of prongs in any suitable arrangement.

Reference is now made to Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C, which are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration, a bottom and side perspective view illustration, and a sectional illustration of a fourth light conducting toy building block 400 according to an embodiment of the teachings herein, the sectional illustration taken along section lines VIC- VIC in Figure 6A.

As seen in Figures 6A to 6C, light conducting toy building block 400 includes a body portion 402, which is typically formed of an opaque, colored material. Body portion 402 has a generally square upper surface 404, sometimes termed the nominal upper surface of block 400, which includes four edges 405a, 405b, 405c, and 405d. Body portion 402 has a generally square lower surface 408, sometime termed the nominal lower surface of block 400, which includes four edges 409a, 409b, 409c, and 409d. Upper surface 404 of block 400 has an area significantly smaller than lower surface 408, such that the area of upper surface 404 is equal to approximately a quarter of the area of lower surface 408. Surfaces 404 and 408 are arranged such that one corner thereof is vertically aligned. As such, edges 405a and 405b of surface 404 are vertically aligned with edges 409a and 409b of surface 408. However, edges 405c and 405d of surface 404 are disposed above the area of surface 408, and are not vertically aligned with edges 409c and 409d.

A first pair of side surfaces 406a connect edges 405c and 405d of surface 404 to edges 409c and 409d of surface 408. Because the edges 405c and 405d are not vertically aligned with edges 409c and 409d, the side surfaces 406a are not perpendicular to surfaces 404 and 408, and span some of the gap between the surfaces 404 and 408. In the illustrated embodiment, the surfaces 406a are disposed at an obtuse angle relative to upper surface 404, and at an acute angle relative to lower surface 408.

A second pair of side surfaces 406b, connect edges 405a and 405b of upper surface 404 to edges 409a and 409b of lower surface 408, respectively. Because edges 405a and 405b are vertically aligned with edges 409a and 409b, side surfaces 406b are substantially perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 404 and 408 and to each other. However, because the side surfaces 406a are angled, the connection of side surfaces 406a with side surfaces 406b is at an angled, and as such all the side surfaces 406a and 406b are generally trapezoidal, where side surfaces 406b form right angle trapezoids.

Similarly to toy block 100 of Figures 1A to 3, body portion 402 includes a plurality of bores, each of which has disposed therein a prong, at least one of the prongs being light conducting or light guiding. In an area in which upper surface 404 is aligned with, and disposed above, lower surface 408, a bore 410a is throughgoing, and extends through the entirety of body portion 402. A prong 412a disposed in bore 410a includes a first end 414a disposed lower than lower surface 408 and a second end 416a disposed within the bore 410a, such that a portion 418a of the bore 410a is unfilled by the prong and accessible via upper surface 404, as seen clearly in Figure 6C.

In areas of the housing in which side surfaces 406a are disposed vertically above lower surface 408, bores 410b extend only partially through the body portion, such that the bore terminates lower than side surface 406a, as seen clearly in Figure 6C. A prong 412b is disposed within each bore 410b, such that a first end 414b of the prong is disposed lower than lower surface 408 and a second end 416b is disposed within the bore 410b and terminates within body portion 402, such that it is not accessible via upper surface 404 or side surface 406a, as seen clearly in Figure 6C. As such, light conducted by prongs 412b would not be visible when viewing block 400 from above, or from the side.

In the illustrated embodiment, toy block 400 includes one prongs 412a, and three prongs 412b, such that all the prongs are arranged in two rows of two prongs each, in a similar arrangement to that described hereinabove with respect to Figures 1A to 3. However, the block may include any suitable number of prongs in any suitable arrangement.

Reference is now made to Figures 7A and 7B, which are, respectively, a top and side perspective view illustration and a bottom and side perspective view illustration of a fifth light conducting toy building block 500 according to an embodiment of the teachings herein.

As seen in Figures 7A and 7B, light conducting toy building block 500 includes a body portion 502, which is typically formed of an opaque, colored material. Body portion 502 has a generally rectangular upper surface 504, sometimes termed the nominal upper surface of block 500, which includes four edges 505a, 505b, 505c, and 505d. Body portion 502 has a generally square lower surface 508, sometime termed the nominal lower surface of block 500, which includes four edges 509a, 509b, 509c, and 509d. The area of upper surface 504 is significantly smaller than the area of lower surface 508, and is equal to approximately a half of the area of lower surface 508, such that edges 505b and 505d are substantially equal in length to edges 509b and 509d, but edges 505a and 505c are approximately half the length of edges 509a and 509c. Surfaces 504 and 508 are arranged such that two comers thereof are vertically aligned, and as such edges 505a, 505b, and 505c of surface 504 are vertically aligned with edges 509a, 509b, and 509c of surface 508. However, edge 505d of surface 504 are disposed above the area of surface 508, and are not vertically aligned with edge 509d.

A first generally rectangular side surface 506b connects edges 505b and 509b, which have substantially the same length and are vertically aligned. As such, rectangular side surface 506a is generally perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 504 and 508.

A second generally rectangular side surface 506d connects edges 505d and 509d, which have substantially the same length. However, because edges 505d and 509d are not vertically aligned, side surface 506d is perpendicular to surfaces 504 and 508, and spans some of the gap between the surfaces 504 and 508. In the illustrated embodiment, the surface 506d is disposed at an obtuse angle relative to upper surface 504, and at an acute angle relative to lower surface 508. A pair of side surfaces 506a and 506c, connect edges 505a and 505c of upper surface 504 to edges 509a and 509c of lower surface 508, respectively. Because edges 505a and 505c are vertically aligned with edges 509a and 509c, side surfaces 506a and 506c are substantially perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 504 and 508, and to side surface 506b. However, because the side surface 506d is angled, the connection of side surfaces 506a and 506c with side surface 506d is at an angled. As such, side surfaces 506a and 506c form right angle trapezoids.

Similarly to toy block 100 of Figures 1A to 3, body portion 502 includes a plurality of bores, each of which has disposed therein a prong, at least one of the prongs being light conducting or light guiding. Similarly to that described above with respect to Figures 6A to 6C, block 500 includes throughgoing bores 510a which include prongs 512a, and bores 510b similar to bores 410b of Figures 6A to 6C, disposed beneath side surface 506d, which span only part of the height of the body portion 502, and include prongs 512b which are not visible when looking at the block 500 from above or from the side.

In the illustrated embodiment, toy block 500 includes two prongs 512a, and two prongs 512b, such that all the prongs are arranged in two rows of two prongs each, in a similar arrangement to that described hereinabove with respect to Figures 1A to 3. However, the block may include any suitable number of prongs in any suitable arrangement.

It will be appreciated that any toy building block, which includes at least one bore having at least one light conducting prong disposed therein is considered to be within the scope of the invention. As such, one of skill in the art may conceive of many other shapes and arrangements of such toy building blocks.

In some embodiments, a building block according to the present invention may be hemispherical, and may include a circular lower surface, a curved upper surface, and a circumferential and curved side surface. In some such embodiments, the bores may be throughgoing at all portions of the hemisphere, or may be throughgoing only at the apex of the hemisphere.

In some embodiments, a building block according to the present invention may be spherical, and may include a curved lower surface, a curved upper surface, and a circumferential and curved side surface. In some such embodiments, the bores may be throughgoing at all portions of the sphere, or may be throughgoing only at the apices of the sphere.

In some embodiments, a building block according to the present invention may be an upper end building block, such that none of the bores in the block are throughgoing and light guided through the prongs is not visible from the top or sides of the block. This arrangement of bores and prongs may exist in any shape of block, including the block shapes described hereinabove, as well as spherical and hemispherical blocks.

In some embodiments, a building block according to the present invention may have a lower surface which has a smaller surface area than an upper surface thereof, and one or more angled side surface(s) connect the surfaces. In such embodiments, in areas that the upper and lower surfaces overlaps, the bores would be throughgoing and the prongs would extend from the bottom of the block and to a height beneath the upper surface, such that a portion of the bore remains unfilled and the prong is visible from the top of the block. In areas in which the upper and lower surfaces do not overlap, partial bores would extend from the body of the block to the top surface thereof, and would not extend to the bottom surface of the block. Prongs disposed in such partial bores would not extend from the bottom of the block, and an upper end thereof would terminate within the bore beneath the height of the upper surface, while being visible from the top of the block.

In use, building blocks according to the present invention are interconnected by placement of the prongs of a first, upper block, within the bores of a second, lower block disposed directly beneath the first block. The prongs of the upper block extend into the bores of the second block until they engage the upper end of the prongs of the second block, such that light guided through the prongs of the lower block continues to be guided through the prongs of the upper block, and is visible when viewing the structure from the upper surface of the upper block.

As described in detail hereinbelow, a building block according to the present invention, or a structure of such building blocks, may be placed above one or more light sources, such that light from the light source(s) may be guided through the prongs and may be visible from the top of the building block or of the built structure. As such, light may be used to guide the user which color block, or which type of block, to place above an already placed block, as explained in detail hereinbelow.

Reference is now made to Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C, which are perspective view illustrations of steps of building a three dimensional model using building blocks according to the present invention.

Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C show a building block base plate 600 which includes apertures, or anchoring locations, 602 for anchoring building blocks thereto, and is disposed above a plurality of illumination sources or above a crafting guiding system, for example as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 16/047,107 filed on July 27, 2018, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

As seen in Figure 8A, in a first construction step, light is illuminated from the crafting guiding system through some of the apertures 602, indicating the location and colors of building blocks to be placed on base plate 600. In the illustrated embodiment, the light is purple and forms the shape of a square 604.

In Figure 8B, the user has placed building blocks according to the present invention as indicated in Figure 8A over the base plate 600 in the locations indicated by illumination square 604, to form a square of suitable building blocks 606. The instructions for construction of the next layer of the structure are then displayed by the crafting system, and are visible via the light conducting prongs within the building blocks of square 606. In the illustrated embodiment, the instructions are provided by another color of light emanating from the building blocks of square 606, instructing the user to build a layer of a second color of building block, forming a square 608 that has smaller sides than square 606 and is concentric therewith.

In Figure 8C, the user has placed building blocks of the second color over building block square 606 in the locations indicated by illumination square 608, to form a square 610 of building blocks of the second color. As such, the user has built a two-layer three- dimensional structure. It will be appreciated that the steps illustrated in Figures 8A to 8C may be repeated any number of times, and may be used to build complex structures, for example as illustrated in Figures 9 A and 9B.

Reference is now made to Figures 9A and 8B, which are perspective view illustrations of a three dimensional model of a car, when broken into individual layers and when fully constructed using the building blocks of the present invention, as described hereinabove with respect to Figures 1 A to 7B.

As seen in Figure 9A, in order to build a car, the user must build 12 layers 700 of blocks. As such, the user may benefit from a layer-by-layer instruction process, in which the user is guided, at each layer, how the next layer should look, by conduction of light through the prongs of the underlying layers, substantially as described above with respect to Figures 8A to 8C. A car constructed 702 according to such layer-by-layer instructions is illustrated in Figure 9B, disposed above a crafting system 704 as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 16/047,107 filed on July 27, 2018, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.

It will be appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification, including U.S. Patent Application No. 16/047,107 filed on July 27, 2018, are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.

Claims

1. An interconnectable toy building block, comprising:

a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, said body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between said upper surface and said lower surface;

at least one bore formed in said body portion, said at least one bore being open to at least one of said upper surface and said lower surface, and having a bore longitudinal axis which is substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said body portion; and

at least one prong disposed within said at least one bore, said at least one prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein said top surface of said at least one prong is disposed within said at least one bore beneath a height of said upper surface,

wherein at least one of said at least one prong is light conducting.

2. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1, wherein a bottom portion including said bottom surface of at least one of said at least one prong extends out of said body portion below said lower surface, and is dimensioned and configured to be received in a portion of a said bore of a second said interconnectable toy building block.

3. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least a first bore of said at least one bore is throughgoing and extends from said upper surface to said lower surface, wherein at least a first prong of said at least one prong is disposed within said first bore such that said top surface of said first prong is within said first bore and beneath a height of said upper surface, and wherein a portion of said first bore above said top surface of said first prong is dimensioned and configured to receive a bottom end of a said prong of a second said interconnectable toy building block.

4. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 3, wherein said first prong comprises a light guiding prong, and wherein light guided through said first prong is visible from said upper surface of said interconnectable toy building block.

5. The interconnectable toy block of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said at least one bore comprises a plurality of bores, and said at least one prong comprises a corresponding plurality of prongs.

6. An interconnectable toy building block, comprising:

a bore formed in said body portion, said bore being open to said upper surface and to said lower surface, a longitudinal axis of said bore being substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said body portion; and

a light conducting prong disposed within said bore, said prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface of said prong disposed within said bore beneath a height of said upper surface, and said bottom surface of said prong disposed below said lower surface, such that a bottom portion of said prong extends outwardly from and below said lower surface,

wherein an upper portion of said bore is not filled by said prong.

7. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 5, wherein light guided through said prong is visible when said interconnectable toy building block is viewed from above said upper surface.

8. The interconnectable toy block of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein said bore comprises a plurality of bores, and said prong comprises a corresponding plurality of prongs.

9. The interconnectable toy building block of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said body portion comprises a polyhedron, such that said upper surface is substantially parallel to said lower surface, and said at least one side surface comprises a plurality of side surfaces each connecting said upper surface and said lower surface.

10. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of side surfaces is substantially perpendicular to said upper surface and to said lower surface.

11. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of side surfaces is angled with respect to said upper surface and to said lower surface.

12. The interconnectable toy building block of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said body portion comprises a hemisphere, such that a single circumferential side surface connects said upper surface and said lower surface, and only one of the following is true:

said lower surface is planar, and said upper surface is convex; or

said upper surface is planar, and said lower surface is concave.

13. The interconnectable toy building block of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said body portion comprises a sphere, such that said upper surface is convex, said lower surface is concave, and a single circumferential side surface connects said upper surface and said lower surface.

14. A toy structure comprising:

a first interconnectable toy building block according to any one of claims 6 to 13, including a first said bore and a first said prong; and

a second interconnectable toy building block according to any one of claims 6 to 13, including a second said bore and a second said prong,

wherein said bottom portion of said first prong is disposed within said upper portion of said second bore, such that light guided through said second prong is transmitted, within said second bore, to said first prong and is guided therethrough, such that the light is visible when said toy structure is viewed from above said upper surface of said first interconnectable toy building block.

15. The toy structure of claim 14, wherein said first interconnectable toy building block has a first shape, and said second interconnectable toy building block has a second shape, different that said first shape.

16. A method for building a three dimensional structure, the method comprising:

obtaining a first interconnectable toy building block according to any one of claims 6 to 13, including a first said bore and a first said prong;

obtaining a second interconnectable toy building block according to any one of claims

6 to 13, including a second said bore and a second said prong; and

inserting said bottom portion of said first prong into said upper portion of said second bore.