Abstract:
A unitary humanoid figure comprising a robust torso from which projects a head, oppositely extending arms, diverging legs, a neck, shoulders, hands having palms and backs, and feet having bridges, soles, toes, and heels. The body parts of plural figures can be interconnected in a variety of combinations and orientations. Both the projecting body parts and the part-receiving openings, spaces, pockets, etc. have close dimensional tolerances to insure that interfitting parts will easily slide into engagement with one another yet stay in place due to frictional force resisting disassembly.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    This invention pertains generally to toy figures having humanoid structural features which make such figures especially suitable for use as interfitting building blocks.  
           [0002]    Toy blocks in a wide variety of configurations approximating the shape of the human body are well known as are the many ways children play with such blocks. Block constructions and manners of play pertinent to the present invention are shown and described in these United States patents:  
           [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,648,199 issued to H. J. Sargent on Nov. 08, 1927  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,078,709 issued to C. J. Hecht on Apr. 27, 1937  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,243 issued to W. C. Rade on Oct. 12, 1954  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,966 issued to Neil Kagan on Jul. 28, 1987  
           [0007]    Each of these previously patented toy figures comprises a flat, unitary block of wood, plastic or similarly rigid material. The blocks are usually cut, molded or otherwise shaped to display a connected head and torso, the latter having identifiable arms, legs, hands and feet projecting therefrom. The front-to-back width or thickness of the block is such that, when resting on a level surface, the bottoms of the legs or feet will support and maintain individual blocks in a freestanding, upright attitude.  
           [0008]    The cited prior art patents suggest various structural means for arranging and assembling a plurality of block figures in a wide variety of entertaining and instructive configurations. The thickness of the aforementioned blocks affords a degree of stability necessesary to their being stacked one upon another; however, vertical instability is usually unavoidable after only a few blocks have been stacked thereby causing this simple block assembly to collapse. The vertical front and back surfaces of the previously known blocks are perpendicularly intersected by a horizontal surface defining the profile or outline of the figure. Thus, the head, neck, torso, and limbs are in part defined by peripheral surfaces displaying variously shaped curves, notches, cavities and projections which provide opportunities for interstitial interfitments between projecting body parts of two or more figures.  
           [0009]    Although the cited Sargent patent speaks of his blocks as being “hooked” together, careful examination reveals that only the weight of the blocks maintains them in interfering engagement with one another. The Rade patent teaches that two blocks can be assembled by pressing a projecting dovetail shaped limb of one block laterally into a dovetail shaped recess in the periphery of another block. Such locking of two blocks together requires that a child juxtapose the blocks with their dovetail elements in registration before lateral pressure is applied to interfit the blocks in flush relationship. Such an operation demands a high degree of dexterity and physical control as well as carefully sized and cut dovetail elements.  
           [0010]    Hecht provides interfitiing notches and projections adjacent the feet of his figures whereby dovetail-like joints connect two figures in end-to-end relationship. Otherwise, Hecht assembles his figures by stacking, and balancing as does Sargent.  
           [0011]    Kagan discloses figures similar to Sargent&#39;s but with the center of gravity of each lying laterally with respect to vertical plane passing through the figures head and torso. While this modification of the Sargent figures provides a variety of new configurations in which his figures can be oriented and assembled, Kagan, like Sargent essentially balances his figures one upon the other.  
           [0012]    Thus, the prior art figure combinations and assemblies mentioned heretofore have at least these constraining characteristics:  
           [0013]    1. All comprise an assemblage of balanced figures which extend upwardly from a fixed base.  
           [0014]    2. The width of the supportive base of any assembly corresponds to the front-to-back dimension of a single figure which mandates that the center of gravity of the assembly be located between rather narrow limits.  
           [0015]    3. The vertical stability of the stacked assemblies is critically dependent not only upon the accuracy acheived in sizing and shaping each figure but also upon the care with which figures are stacked upon one another.  
           [0016]    4. None shows that body parts of different figure will slide together in surface-to-surface engagement and will thereafter exhibit substantial resistance to disassembly solely due to frictional forces acting between the engaged surfaces.  
           [0017]    5. While the prior art figures are connectable when extended along a single plane, none are connectable when the figures lie in planes which are angularly displaced from one another whereby three dimensional assemblages are possible.  
           [0018]    6. None provides a block configured to connect figures oriented in spaced planes to other figures lying in planes perpendicular to such spaced planes.  
           [0019]    7. None shows body parts of two distinct figures that can be frictionally gripped and joined in abutting relationship by coacting parts by a third figure.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0020]    The general object of the present invention is to provide toy figures which can be assembled in challanging and entertaining combinations and orientations not attainable with known toy figures of a similar nature.  
           [0021]    It is an additional general object of this invention to overcome the aforelisted constraints on the construction, application and utility of toy building blocks.  
           [0022]    Yet another objective is to provide a unitary humanoid figure comprising a robust torso from which projects a head, oppositely extending arms and diverging legs. Other recognizable human-like features include a neck, shoulders, hands having palms and backs, and feet having bridges, soles, toes, and heels. The aforenoted human-like body parts of plural figures can be interconnected in a variety of combinations and orientations. To this end, both the projecting body parts and the partreceiving openings, spaces, pockets, etc. have close dimensional tolerances to insure that interfitting parts will easily slide into engagement with one another yet stay in place due to frictional force resisting disassembly. However, it is intended that the force required to slide close fitting parts together can be provided by a child.  
           [0023]    Where an assemblage of figures made in accordance with this invention is constructed by frictionally interconnecting multiple figures, it has been observed that such an assemblage exhibits a substantial and surprising degree of stability and resistance to deformation. Due to this rigidity and the myriad opportunities to connect figures without balancing them vis a vis one another, the hereinafter described figures can be joined together to form structures that are more varied and complex than those known heretofore.  
           [0024]    These and other advantageous features of this invention will become apparent and the invention will be best understood and fully appreciated by having reference to the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a toy figure according to this invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is a front elevation;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 is a top plan view;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a side elevation;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIGS. 6, 7 and  8  are elevational views of pairs of figures wherein the upper figure is balanced atop the lower figure;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 9 and 10 are elevational views of two sets of three interfitted figures;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIGS. 11 and 12 are top plan views of two assemblages of figures;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 13 is an end elevation looking along line  13 - 13  of FIG. 12; and,  
         [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 14 and 15 are fragmentary elevational views of assembled blocks depicting modifications of the block shown in FIG. 1.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0035]    The figures indicated generally by letters A through Y in the appended drawings are identically configured; accordingly, throughout the following description the same numeral will be employed to indicate corresponding body parts. The figures have symetrical right and left sides; accordingly a body part of a figure looking out of the drawing will be designated by an identifying numeral followed as appropriate by letter R or L.  
         [0036]    Preferably, the blocks are composed of a plastic material suitable for injection molding. One such material is polypropylene copolymer of a selected grade which produces defining surfaces for the figures which are relatively hard, flat and smooth. The selected plastic material should exhibit a force of friction when surfaces of two blocks of such material tend to slide relative to one another that will suffice to forestall unintended separation of interfitted figures such as those shown in the drawings in FIGS. 9 through 13. A fuller appreciation of the important role which intersurface frictional force plays in realizing the benefits of this invention will be had from a detailed description of several possible combinations and arrangements of the figures.  
         [0037]    As best shown in FIGS.  1 - 5 , figure A comprises a solid, unitary block in the form of a human-like figure of rugged proportions. The front-to-back thickness of the figure, therefore the width of the peripheral surface outlining the figure, is sufficiently wide to permit the figure to stand uprightly on its feet, head, arms and legs in a variety of vertical orientations.  
         [0038]    Turning now to a detailed description of the features of the figures depicted in the drawings, a robust torso  10  displays broad shoulders  12 R,  12 L and supports a thick neck  14  and an anvil-shaped head  16  having a flat top surface  18  and flat side surfaces  19 R,  19 L. Extending from the torso sides are muscular arms  20 R,  20 L having sloped top surfaces  22 R,  22 L. The arms terminate in hands  26 R,  26 L having back surfaces  28 R,  28 L, palm surfaces  30 R,  30 L and terminal surfaces  32 R,  32 L. Thick, outwardly diverging thighs  34 R,  34 L and depending legs  36 R,  36 L define therebetween a crotch area  40 . Feet  42 R,  42 L point laterally outwardly from their points of attachment to legs  36 R,  36 L and have identifiable bridges  44 R,  44 L; soles  46 R,  46 L; heel backs  48 R,  48 L; heel tops  49 R,  49 L; and, toes  50 R,  50 L.  
         [0039]    As best illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 5 , the rectilinear figures are defined by flat surfaces some of which intersect and others which lie in common planes or in spaced parallel planes. The horizontally spaced front and back surfaces of a figure are parallel and extend vertically when the figure is oriented in an upright position. The horizontally extending head surface  18 ; shoulder surfaces  12 R,  12 L; hand surfaces  30 R,  30 L; and foot surfaces  44 R,  44 L;  46 R,  46 L and  49 R,  49 L are normal to the figure&#39;s front and back surfaces. The vertically extending head side surfaces  19 R,  19 L; neck surfaces  14 R,  14 L; hand surfaces  32 R,  32 L; leg surfaces  37 R,  37 L; and, foot surfaces  48 R,  48 L and  50 R,  50 L are normal to the just mentioned horizontal surfaces and are also normal to the figures&#39;s front and back surfaces. The remaining surfaces which in part define the arms  26 R,  26 L, and the inner and outer surfaces of thighs  34 R,  34 L are inclined to the aforedescribed horizontal and vertical surfaces but are likewise normal to the figure&#39;s front and back surfaces. Some of the described surfaces are coplanar, namely, surface  14 R and  48 R,  14 L and  48 L,  32 R and  50 R, and  32 L and  50 L.  
         [0040]    If desired, the figures may exhibit friendly, cartoonlike features as suggested by a face depicted on the front surface of head  16 . Appropriate sports or military attire and gear could be painted on, molded into or otherwise associated with the rugged looking figures. To enhance a younger child&#39;s interest in the figures as toys and to suggest various play activities involving patterns and sorting, the figures could be numbered or made of plastic materials of various colors, for example. At an early age, children begin simply to stack blocks and later to develop skills in arranging and connecting blocks for imaginative play. Humanoid blocks, individually and collectively, stimulate children to interact with the figures and with other children. The figures may simply be laid horizontally on their major front or back surfaces or stood erectly on the undersides or soles  46 R,  46 L of their feet  42 R,  42 L.  
         [0041]    Vertical stacking of upright figures in various arrangements is illustrated in FIGS.  6 - 8  where it will be noted that the pairs of figures BC, DE and FG are not actually interconnected or interfitted, but are merely balanced one atop the other in surface-to-surface contact. Although the blocks are identically configured, they afford a substantial variety of balanced stacking orientations. In FIG. 6, the lower figure C balances on the flat rectangular top  18  of its head  16  with its feet  42 R,  42 L abutting those of Figure C. The engaging soles  46 R,  46 L of the feet of figures B and C as well as head surfaces  18  of figures B and C are made substantially flat and normal to the front and back surfaces of the figure to assure vertical alignment and stability for the balanced figures. This being the case additional figures could be stacked alternately head-to-head and feet-to-feet atop figure B.  
         [0042]    As noted earlier, the terminal hand and foot surfaces  32 R,  50 R and  32 L,  50 L are coplanar; and, these surfaces are equidistant from the vertical centerline CL of the figure. Thus, figure E, if reclined on its right side on a horizontal surface, will balance on surfaces  32 R and  50 R with its left arm  26 L and left leg  34 L extending upwardly. A reversely reclining figure D can then be balanced atop figure E with the terminal hand surface  32 L and the outer leg surface  37 L of Figure D respectively engaging the outer leg surface  37 L and the terminal hand surface  32 L of figure E. In a similar manner, alternately reversed figures could be stacked to form a balanced vertical column of several reclining figures.  
         [0043]    While figures C and E have horizontal surfaces engaging a subjacent support surface,the figures F and G of FIG. 8 are angularly displaced so that lower figure G rests on and balances on two edges, one defined by the intersection of head surfaces  18  and  19 L and another defined by the intersection of the back of hand  26 R and terminal hand surface  32 R. Figure F inclines from horizontal to a like degree as does figure G and is supported and held on figure G by the interaction of the engaged left hands  32 L of figures F and G. With the facing palm surfaces  30 L of hands  32 L engaged as shown in FIG. 8, the extending terminal hand surfaces  32 L of each figure will engage the sloped outer surface of the thigh  34 L of the other figure to prevent angular displacement of figure F relative to figure G.  
         [0044]    The previously described figures B through G illustrate some of the many balancing and stacking possibilities of the invention. Certain heretofore unattainable interfitting features of the invention will now be explained in detail.  
         [0045]    The geometry of the block&#39;s surfaces and the spatial relationships of such surfaces depicted in FIGS.  1 - 5 , provides interstices between certain body parts which afford distinct opportunities to assemble one or more blocks in interfitting relation. Among such interstices is a pair of opposed pockets or receptacles  51 R,  51 L opening laterally to the right hand and left hand sides of the figures. As best shown by figure H in FIG. 9, the pocket  51 R is principalby defined by surfaces  30 R,  37 R and  44 R while corresponding left hand surfaces define pocket  51 L. The pocket  51 L of figure H provides a receptacle for the right foot  42 R of figure I and the corresponding pocket  51 L of figure I provides a receptacle for the head  16  of figure J. FIG. 10 shows figure L having its left foot  42 L received in pocket  51 R of figure M and its right foot  42 R received in pocket  51 L of figure K. FIG. 11 shows that the right foot  42 R of figure N and the left foot  42 L of figure O are both received in pocket  5 IR of figure P and that the left foot  42 L of figure N and the right foot  42 R of figure O are both received in the pocket  51 L of figure Q.  
         [0046]    An essential feature of the figures is that the pockets  51 R,  51 L have the same, or very nearly the same dimension between facing palm surfaces  30 R,  30 L and bridge surfaces  44 R,  44 L of the feet  42 R,  42 L. It is likewise essential that other parts and interstices of the figures be made to close dimensional tolerances; for example, the length of each foot  42 R,  42 L between heel surfaces  48 R,  48 L and toe surfaces  50 R,  50 L; the space or gap  52  between heel surfaces  48 R,  48 L; the thickness of a foot  42 R,  42 L between bridge surfaces  44 R,  44 L and sole surfaces  46 R,  46 L; and, the width of head  16  between side surfaces  19 R,  19 L.  
         [0047]    Due to the close attention to the dimensions as required by this invention, the head  16  and either of feet  42 R,  42 L will have a close sliding fit between the spaced surfaces of pockets  51 R,  51 L as viewed in FIGS. 9 and 10; and, the feet  42 R,  42 L of the two figures K and M when placed sole to sole, as viewed in FIG. 10, will have the same close sliding fit between the heels  48 R,  48 L of a third figure L. The principal function of such close interfigure fits is to assure that the force of friction acting between bearing surfaces will resist unintended disassembly of interfitted figures due solely to gravity or to a child&#39;s handling of an assembled group of figures during play. However, the interfigure friction should not be so great that assembled figures cannot be pulled apart by a child old enough to play at interfitting and disassembling the figures of this invention.  
         [0048]    Another important functional aspect of this invention is made possible by a close sliding fit between assembled figures. The joined figures H, I and J are shown lying flat; however, these three figures can be assembled in numerous angular attitudes. For example, figures H could be rotated upwardly from the plane of the drawing sheet while its hand  26 L and foot  42 L continue to grasp frictionally the foot  42 R of figure I. Likewise, figures K and M can be pivoted with respect to figure L in the same direction or in opposite directions while a foot  42 L and  42 R of each of figures K and L is clasped together in space  52  between the facing heels  48 R,  48 L of figure L and the toe surfaces  50 R and  50 L of figure L press against the palm surfaces  30 R and  30 L of figures K and M, respectively. FIG. 10 shows that, the thickness of individual feet  42 R,  42 L equals half the width of the interheel gap  52 ; and, FIG. 11 shows that the thickness of a foot equals half the front-to-back thickness of a figure. These relationships of figure parts and part receiving interstices not only provide alternative ways of connecting two figures in foot-to-foot abutting relation, but also permit the connected figures and a connecting figure to be oriented, as desired, in alignment with one another, see FIG. 10, or perpendicular to one another, see FIG. 11.  
         [0049]    [0049]FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a four-figure, three dimensional assemblage in which the pockets  51 R and  51 L of horizontal figure R receive, respectively, the heads  16  of figure S and figure T. The pockets  51 R and  51 L of horizontal figure U receive, respectively, a foot, unseen, of figure S and a foot, unseen, of figure T. FIG. 13 shows that the center of this assemblage is open and that the assemblage generally resembles a flat sided tubular beam. Obviously, several additional figures could be connected with figures R, S, T and U to enlarge it in all directions and to create interesting shapes.  
         [0050]    The combination of the close dimensional tolerances throughout the structural make up of the figure, the frictionally gripping contact between surfaces of individual figures, and the availability of multiple interstices between the human-like parts of each figure provide several advantages; namely:  
         [0051]    1. The frictional gripping aspect of the invention permits interfitting parts of figures to be slipped together; permits selectable interfigure angular orientations; and, creates a high degree of resistance to separation of figures once joined.  
         [0052]    2. A first figure may be frictionally connected directly to a second figure or may be so connected by means of a third figure connected to the first and second figures.  
         [0053]    3. First and second figures may be frictionally connected by a third figure in either spaced or abutting relation.  
         [0054]    4. Two like interstices between the palms of the hands and the bridges of the feet of a first figure open to opposite sides of that figure; and, such interstices can frictionally retain therein, as desired, either the head or one foot of a second figure or one foot of said second figure and one foot of a third figure.  
         [0055]    5. The heels of the feet of a first figure define therebetween an interstices which can frictionally receive and retain one foot each of second and third figures in variable angular relation with the first figure and with one another.  
         [0056]    6. The feet of first and second figures can be held in sole to sole relation between the heels of third and fourth figures which are respectively retained in the foot to hand interstices of the first and second figure.  
         [0057]    An important advantage provided by the block figures disclosed in this invention over those disclosed in the aforecited prior patents is that myriad assemblages of figures can have most, if not all, of their constituent figures frictionally gripped and held together by two or more other constituent figures. Such multiple linkages of figures provides these practical benefits:  
         [0058]    1. Within an assemblage, figure-to-figure coherence is enhanced whereby the complete assemblage exhibits unexpected structural strength and solidarity.  
         [0059]    2. An assemblage retains its external shape and internal arrangement after strenuous manipulation by a child during play.  
         [0060]    3. Assemblages of large numbers of figures used to fabricate sizable and structurally complex animals and mechanical toys, for example, can be made by either serially interfitting individual figures or by connecting prefabricated multifigure panels, columns, beams and the like. Such opportunities for thoughtful building of complex structures challenges the creative abilities of older children and adults as well.  
         [0061]    The drawings make it clear that, as illustrated, the head  16  of a figure can not fit into the crotch area  40  of another figure. However, FIGS. 14 and 15 disclose two modified figure heads  16   a  and  16   b , which can be inserted into the crotch area  40  of any figure. To this end, head  16   a  is reshaped by providing chamfers  54 R,  54 L which connect the head top  16 c to head sides  19 R and  19 L; and, the slope of the chamfers corresponds to the slope of the inner surfaces of the thighs  34 R,  34 L. A second modification of head  16  is situated upon an elongated neck defined by sides  58 R,  58 L and is rectangular in elevation. The modified head  16   b  resides between the inwardly facing surfaces of legs  36 R,  36 L; and, the neck surfaces  58 R,  58 L engage the heel surfaces  48 R,  48 L. Vertical displacement of head  16   b  is prevented by the interfering engagement between the top  16   d  of head  16   b  and thighs  34 R,  34 L. The ability to interfit the heads of modified figures W and Y with figure A, for example, furnishes a figure builder with additional combinations and orientations beyond those previously discussed herein.  
         [0062]    To achieve the resistance to separation of assembled figures contemplated by this invention, relatively tight tolerances on figure dimensions are required, however, well-made molds, standard molding practices, and correctly chosen molding materials can provide acceptable as-molded figures.  
         [0063]    The foregoing description of the invention shown in the drawings is illustrative and explanatory only; therefore, various changes in the size, shape and materials of the described figures as well as changes in the manner of their use as toys may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will also be appreciated that there exists virtually unlimited combinations in which the toy figure blocks according to the present invention may be oriented, stacked, interfitted or otherwise employed to build desired structures. Accordingly, I do not intend to be limited to the details shown and described herein, but intent instead to cover all changes and modifications within the ambit of the the appended claims.