Patent ID: 6250986
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: A63H

Abstract:
A building element for a set of toy building elements that are capable of being interconnected in a releasable engagement, comprisinga top, a bottom and side walls;wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one groove having an entry opening of a given predominant width and a base region of a greater width;wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one tongue having an indented portion and a distal portion, with the distal portion having a predominant width that is greater than the width of the indented portion and greater than the given predominant width of the groove entry opening for interconnecting in a releasable restraining engagement with a said groove in a side wall of another said building element with the distal portion of the tongue residing in the base region of the groove;wherein the tongue is flexible and split longitudinally into two parallel sections, each of which includes part of the indented portion and part of the distal portion of the tongue so that the distal portion of the tongue can be compressed laterally in order to effect said restraining engagement by frontally pressing the tongue into the said groove in the other said building element and in order to disengage the tongue from the said groove in the other said building element by frontally pulling the building element from the other said building element;wherein adjacent the entry opening the groove is defined by a portion of the at least one side wall that is inclined inward at a restraining angle to define the base region of the groove; andwherein a portion of the tongue that initially contacts the portion of the at least one side wall at the entry opening, when the tongue is being frontally pressed into the said groove in the other said building element, is inclined outward at approximately a first angle; andwherein a portion of the tongue that is adjacent the inwardly inclined portion of the at least one side wall, when the distal portion of the tongue is engaged within the base region of the said groove in the other said building element, is inclined inward at a second angle that is less than the first angle in relation to a virtual broad surface of the at least one side wall.