Abstract:
A housing used to combine a standard electronic prototype system and a modular block system with stackable connectors to achieve a design system that allows for safe assembly of circuits of a more complex nature than can be achieved by either system alone.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to devices used with electronic circuits that easily and quickly connect together and specifically to electronic circuits constructed by teachers, students, or people doing electronic design. It enhances the ease of assembly and testing by combining breadboarding technology with stackable reusable electronic housings. There are breadboarding assembly aids that use a mechanical connector to quickly assemble electronic components into electronic circuits. These breadboarding aids have standard spacing between connectors in order to accept integrated circuit packages and many other electronic components. There also exist a quick connecting toy and educational system that places components on modular blocks for ease of assembly. There does not exist a quick and easy link between these two systems. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention consist of a housing used to combine the breadboarding aids and modular block systems to achieve a design system that allows for safe assembly of circuits of a more complex nature than achieved by either system alone. The housing contains a standard prototype area for the construction of electronic circuits. The housing also contains connectors designed to match existing modular connection systems to the prototype area. 
   Quick connect assembly systems currently being sold consist of a box of electronic devices mounted to quick connect bases. Diagrams for hundreds of circuits are included to educate a student or entertain a child. When these circuits are assembled the builder can listen to a radio station, send a flying saucer on a mission, create and store sounds . . . just to name a few. A base that allows the insertion of any integrated circuit with space for other required components to drive that circuit does not exist in this system. 
   In the engineering and technical fields you can find different prototyping blocks that allow the insertion of most integrated circuits with standard leads for breadboarding electronic circuits. These blocks are designed to build fairly complex circuits and accept many different types of electronic components. These blocks are not designed to mate or attach themselves with the quick connect systems described above. 
   The object of this invention is to create a housing that contains a prototyping block area and a quick connect assembly area, in order to combine the features of each system into a new system with extended advantages. This will allow the power supplies, motors, power transistors, movable wheeled bases, fans, meters, and many other quick connect devices to integrate with the more complex circuit designs on a breadboarding connection block. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  shows a drawing of a housing  100  with unique stackable quick connect plugs, both male  103  and female  104 , that connect to standard breadboard type clips  105  in the same housing  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows how this housing  100  is used to connect to existing quick connect products  201 ,  202 , and  203  that use the unique stackable quick connect plugs. 
       FIG. 3  shows a housing  300  with a breadboard area  301  and the quick connect plugs  302 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention consist of an improved housing convertor module  100  that contains breadboard type clips  105 ,  111 . The breadboard clips  105 ,  111  are designed to mechanically accept, hold in place, and make electronic contact to the leads  108 ,  113  attached to electronic components similar to the capacitor  102  shown in  FIG. 1 . The breadboard clip  105  is electronically connected to the unique stackable plugs  109 ,  110  by a wire  107 . The breadboard clip  111  is electronically connected to the unique stackable plugs  103 ,  104  by a wire  112 . Using the housing convertor module  100  it is possible to quickly and efficiently connect electronic components used in electronic breadboarding to a system using stackable plug modules. 
     FIG. 2  shows a base  200  with existing stackable plug modules  201 ,  202 ,  203  and the housing convertor module  100 . In  FIG. 2  the battery holder module  201  is connected to a motor module  202  using short stackable connection module strips  203 . By adding the convertor module  100  a standard resistor  205  can be placed in series with battery  201  and module strip  203 . Since the convertor module  100  accepts electronic components directly, it is not necessary to remove the convertor module  100  to change the value of the resistor  205 . Since convertor module  100  can hold up to four (4) parts, three (3) more electronic components having two (2) leads could be placed in parallel with resistor  205  without adding or changing a stackable plug module. The convertor module  100  can be modified to hold electronic devices with more than two (2) leads.  FIG. 3  shows a standard electronic breadboard area  301  as part of a Breadboard convertor module  300 . The unique stackable plug  302  is electronically connected to the breadboard clip  312 . In a similar manner the unique stackable plugs  303 - 311  are electronically connected to breadboard clips  313 - 321  respectively. The center part of the breadboard area  301  is used to interconnect electronic components as complicated as, but not limited to, the integrated circuit  322  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   The quick connect module  100  may have a top side  420  and a bottom side  421 . 
   The top side  420  of the quick connect module  400  may have a male member  422  and the bottom side  421  of the quick connect module  400  may have the female member  423 . The male member  422  may be connected to the female member  423  via a shaft  424 . Accordingly, the male member  422  of quick connect module  400  may not be inserted into the female member  423  of the same quick connect module  400 . Instead, the male member  422  of one quick connect module  400  may be inserted into the female member  423  of a different quick connect module  400  or other component. Further, both the male member  422  and the female member  423  may conduct electricity. 
   The male member  422  may be snap-fittingly coupled with a female member  423 . The male member  422  portion of the quick connect module  400  may have a circular plate-like base  430  and a plug  431  integral therewith. The plug  431  of the male member  422  has an outwardly directed semi-circular locking projection  433  engageable with rods  452  of the female member  423  (as is described below). 
   The female member  423  portion of the quick connect module  400  may have a circular plate-like base  450  and a cylindrical socket  451  disposed on the underside of and integral with the base  450 . The base  450  may have a central bore  453  for receiving the male member  422 . Located within the central bore  453  may be two rods  452 . The rods  452  may be substantially parallel with the bottom side  421  of the quick connect module  400 . A cavity  425  may be located above the rods  452  and within the central bore  453 . A spring may be located within the female member  423  portion whereby the spring provides pressure which forces the rods  452  toward the center of the central bore  453 . While the male member  422  is inserted into the central bore  453  of the female member  423 , the outwardly directed semi-circular locking projection  433  of the male member  422  may contact the rods  452  and force the rods  452  away from the center of the central bore  453 . 
   When the outwardly directed semi-circular locking projection  433  portion of the male member  422  has been fully inserted into the female member  423 , the outwardly directed semi-circular locking projection  433  may reside within the cavity  425  of the female member  423  and the springs may force the rods  452  inward toward the center of the central bore  453 . In this position the male member  422  is removably secured within the female member  423  by the rods  452  which are secured by the springs. The male member  422  may be removed from the female member  423  by applying force to overcome the tension created by the springs in holding the rods  452  under the outwardly directed semi-circular locking projection  433 .