Patent ID: 9649572
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: A63H

Claim:
1. An incrementally rotationally adjustable positioning device for a rod and connector construction toy set, which comprises at least two connectors, each of a type comprising a connector body formed of plastic material and including a cylindrical hub and at least two rod-gripping sockets, said hub having a hub axis and said rod-gripping sockets each having a socket axis intersecting with said hub axis at right angles thereto, each said socket having an inner end wall, spaced a uniform distance from said hub axis, and a pair of rod-gripping arms forming with said inner end wall a rod-gripping socket of generally U-shaped configuration adapted for a lateral snap-in connection with a rod element of said construction toy set, each of said rod-gripping arms having an internal rod-engaging rib on an inside thereof extending transversely to the socket axis and spaced a predetermined distance from the inner wall of said socket, at least one of said connectors having a transverse opening therein positioned radially outward from the hub thereof, at least one rod element, formed of plastic material, having flanged ends and annular grooves adjacent said flanged ends adapted for reception of said ribs, said rod element having a generally X-shaped cross section in an intermediate region between said annular grooves defining longitudinal grooves engageable by said ribs when said rod element is transversely disposed between a pair of rod-gripping arms, a pair of said connectors being arranged in spaced parallel relation, said rod element being disposed transversely with respect to said pair of connectors and being non-rotationally engaged and gripped in said intermediate region by a rod-gripping socket of each of said connectors, a first positioning member mounted between and confined laterally by said pair of connectors, said first positioning member comprising a tubular first end portion and a second end portion defining a rod-gripping socket, corresponding to a rod-gripping socket of said connectors, spaced from and rigidly connected to said tubular first end portion, the rod-gripping socket of said first positioning member having rod-gripping arms and said rod-gripping arms having rod-engaging ribs disposed in parallel relation to an axis of said tubular first end portion, said first positioning member being rotationally joined with said connectors, for predetermined angular rotation relative thereto, by a portion of said rod element extending between said connectors and passing through said tubular first end portion, said tubular first end portion being cylindrically contoured over a substantial portion of its external surface, and said cylindrically contoured surface portion being provided with a plurality of arcuately closely spaced positioning teeth extending in an axial direction on said contoured external surface and forming a plurality of discrete and angularly closely spaced detent notches, a second positioning member, formed of plastic material, mounted between and laterally confined by said connectors, said second positioning member comprising a body portion located between said connectors and at least one mounting stud projecting from said body portion and extending into and supported by a hub of at least one of said connectors, an anti-rotation element projecting laterally from at least one side of said body portion in spaced relation to said mounting stud and received in a transverse opening in at least one of said connectors to prevent rotation of said second positioning member relative to said connectors, said second positioning member further including at least one resilient detent finger extending from said body portion and having a free end extremity shaped for reception in said plurality of detent notches and extending into engagement with said detent notches, said detent finger being resiliently displaceable to accommodate forcible incremental rotation of said first positioning member relative to said connectors and to releasably retain said first positioning member in any of a plurality of incrementally discrete predetermined angular orientations with respect to said second positioning member and said connectors.