Assembly-toy chassis building element

An assembly-toy chassis building element for a toy vehicle has at least one side wall that is configured for being releasably interconnected with a particular wall of another building element of the toy vehicle. Each end wall of the chassis element includes at least one groove that is compatible with tongues in other building elements in a set of compatible toy building elements so that a compatible toy building element can be interconnected to the end walls of the chassis element. A wider toy vehicle can be assembled by side-to-side coupling of two chassis elements via an intermediate building element having compatible side walls. A longer toy vehicle can be assembled by end-to-end coupling of two chassis elements via an intermediate building element having compatible end walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally pertains to building elements for assembly toys and is particularly directed to an improved chassis building element for use in assembling a toy vehicle. Assembly toys are assembled by combining various building elements of a set of compatible toy building elements, such as a set of compatible LEGO® blocks, or a set of compatible SNAPO® blocks.

An assembly-toy chassis building element may or may not be adapted to be coupled to wheels in order to assemble a toy vehicle having wheels, such as a car, a train or a trailer. Examples of other types of toy vehicles that can be assembled using a chassis building element include, but are not limited to, toy boats and toy airplanes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a combination of assembly-toy building elements for a toy vehicle, comprising: a chassis element having two side walls, two end walls and compatible coupling components disposed at opposite ends of the chassis element for enabling the chassis element to be rotatably coupled to another said chassis element; and an intermediate building element; wherein at least one end wall of the chassis element is configured to be non-rotatably connected to at least one end wall of another chassis element by end-to-end connection with the intermediate building element that is adapted to be non-rotatably connected to a said at least one end wall of each chassis element, with said end-end-connection being enabled by the at least one end wall of each chassis element and of each end wall of the intermediate element being configured with compatible tongues and grooves that can be non-rotatably interconnected with one another.

Additional features of the invention are described with reference to the detailed description of various exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIGS. 1 through 3, an exemplary embodiment of a chassis element12for a toy vehicle10includes a top side14, two side walls16on opposite sides of the chassis element12, a first coupling component18disposed at one end of the chassis element12, a second compatible coupling component20disposed at the opposite end of the chassis element12, and a plurality of protrusions22on the top side14of the chassis element12. In this exemplary embodiment the chassis element12is for a toy trailer. In other embodiments (not shown) the chassis element can be used for assembling other toy vehicles, such as, but not limited to, a toy airplane or a toy boat.

Each side wall16is configured for being releasably interconnected with a particular wall of another building element24of the toy vehicle10, as shown inFIG. 4. Each side wall16is so configured by including a tongue26and a compatible groove28. The entry portion of the groove28has a predetermined width. In some alternative embodiments, only one side wall is so configured.

The tongue26has 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 with a groove28in the particular wall of the other toy building element24that has an entry opening and a base region that have widths like those of the groove28in the side wall16of the chassis element12, so that the distal portion of the tongue26of the side wall16can reside in the base region of the groove in the particular wall of the other toy building element24.

The groove28can be interconnected with a tongue in the particular wall of another toy building element, such as the toy building element24, when the tongue in the particular wall of the other toy building element has a distal-portion-predominant width like the predominant width of the tongue26in the side wall16of the chassis element12.

The other toy building element24can be interconnected to another building element (not shown) of the toy or be configured other than as shown inFIG. 4to look like another building element of the toy, such as a fender of a car, a wing of an airplane, or an outrigger of a boat.

The first coupling component18includes a post at one end of the chassis element12; and the compatible second coupling component20includes an opening in an extended portion at the other end of the chassis element12for receiving the post so that one end of the chassis element12can be rotatably coupled by a compatible coupling component to one end of a like chassis element12′, as also shown inFIG. 4.

Preferably, the compatible coupling components18,20are so shaped and dimensioned that another toy building element (not shown) can be disposed over and thereby cover a coupled pair of coupling components18,20. In one exemplary embodiment, each of the respective end walls29of the chassis element12includes at least one groove30that is compatible with the tongues26in other building elements in a set of compatible toy building elements to enable a common square block (such as toy building element24) to be so interconnected to the end wall29as to cover the coupling components18,20and thereby hide them from view; which is desirable when wanting to build toy cars that do not look like trains or look like tow vehicles.

In another embodiment (not shown), the respective end walls29of the chassis element12includes both at least one tongue and at least one groove that is compatible with the tongues26and28in other building elements in a set of compatible toy building elements.

The protrusions22on the top side14of the chassis element12are configured for being releasably interconnected with one or more other building elements of the toy vehicle. Such other building elements of the toy vehicle are interconnected with the chassis element12by being stacked or snapped onto the protrusions22. Preferably, the protrusions22are wide and have a tapered top portion to facilitate assembly of the other building elements onto the protrusions22. In some embodiments, the protrusions22are integral to the top side14of the chassis element12. When the chassis element12is made by injection molding, the protrusions22are formed simultaneously in the same mold as the basic chassis element12. In some alternative embodiments (not shown), there are no protrusions on the top side of the chassis element.

In some embodiments, the chassis element12includes at least one axle31that is adapted for being coupled to wheels32.

In order to assemble a wider assembly-toy vehicle-chassis element36, one side wall16of the chassis element12is interconnected by an intermediate building element33with one side wall16′ of another chassis element12′, as shown inFIG. 5. Particular side walls of the intermediate building element33include tongues and grooves (not shown) that are compatible with the tongues26and grooves28in the side walls16,16′ of the chassis elements12,12′.

For assembling a wider toy vehicle36in accordance with the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, the axles31protrude from the sides of the chassis building elements12,12′ by less than one-half the width of the intermediate toy building element33that is adapted for coupling one side of the chassis element12to a side wall16′ of another chassis element12′ so that when wheels32are not engaged by the axles31on the sides of the respective chassis elements12,12′ that are to be interconnected, the one side wall16of the chassis element12can be connected to the side wall16′ of the other chassis element12′ by the intermediate building element33, to thereby assemble a wider toy vehicle.

Referring toFIG. 6, in order to assemble a longer toy vehicle42, one end wall29of one chassis element12is non-rotatably connected to the end wall29′ of another chassis element12by an intermediate building element44, which has tongues (not shown) in its end walls that are compatible with the grooves30in the end walls29,29′ of the two chassis elements12,12′, and by sliding the intermediate building element44downward in the grooves30in order to cover a coupled pair of compatible coupling components18,20′ of the respective chassis building elements12,12′.

The chassis element12described above with reference toFIGS. 1 to 6can be used to assemble a toy car, a toy train or a toy trailer.

FIGS. 7 and 8show an exemplary toy car50that is assembled by interconnecting the chassis element12with compatible building elements52,53,54,56,56′. The side walls and the end walls of the building elements52,53,54,56,56′ include tongues and grooves that are compatible with the tongues26and grooves28in the side walls16of the chassis element12. The bottoms of the building elements52,53,54,56,56′ are open so that they can be disposed onto the protrusions22of the chassis element12.

Facing end walls of the building elements52,53, which have an approximately square lateral shape, are interconnected tongue-in-groove and disposed onto protrusions22of the chassis element12, with the building element52being disposed on one end protrusions of the chassis element12.

One end wall of the building element54is interconnected tongue-in-groove to the exposed end wall of the building element52and disposed to cover one coupling component20of the chassis element12by sliding the building element54downward within both a groove in the exposed end wall of the building element52and an aligned groove30in the end wall29of the chassis element12. The approximately triangular lateral shape of the building element54provides a pointed feature at one end of the toy vehicle50. For other toy vehicles, the building element has another lateral shape.

The higher end wall of one building element56, which has a sloped-roof shape, is interconnected tongue-in-groove to the exposed end wall of the building element53and disposed onto the other end protrusion22of the chassis element12.

The higher end wall of the building element56′, which also has a sloped-roof shape, is interconnected tongue-in-groove with the lower end wall in the aforementioned building element56having a sloped-roof shape, and disposed to cover the post of the coupling component18of the chassis element12by sliding the other building element56′ downward within a groove in the lower end wall of the one sloped-roof building element56having a sloped-roof shape. The sloped-roof shape of the building elements56,56′ provides a sloped-roof feature at one end of the toy vehicle50. For other toy vehicles, the building elements56,56′ have other shapes.

The benefits specifically stated herein do not necessarily apply to every conceivable embodiment of the invention. Further, such stated benefits of the invention are only examples and should not be construed as the only benefits of the invention.

While the above description contains many specificities, these specificities are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of the preferred embodiments described herein. Other variations are possible and the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments described herein but rather by the claims and their legal equivalents. The claims require no implicit limitations. Each claim is to be construed explicitly as stated, or by its legal equivalent.