Patent Publication Number: US-2021170296-A1

Title: Toy building set

Description:
THE PRIOR ART 
     The present invention relates to a toy building set comprising one or more first type building elements having an integrally shaped body and at least two plane knob surfaces each being provided with at least one knob extending perpendicular from the knob surface and where the integrally shaped body further has at least two plane socket surfaces each being provided with at least one socket each extending into a socket surface, and being adapted for frictional interconnection with the knobs on the knob surface on an identical building element. 
     Such toy building sets exists in various different embodiments all providing the user the option of constructing many different constructions from building elements of various different shapes being stacked on top of each other with the knobs of one building element inserted into frictional engagement with the socket of one or more other building elements. 
     Even though these types of toy building sets provides the option of building infinitely many different and complex constructions it has always been a challenge, due to the fact that the building elements are only attached to each other by frictional engagement that long and slender constructions, such as very high and slender columns, are relatively unstable. 
     In the prior art many attempts have been made to overcome this problem by increasing the friction between the couplings knobs and the corresponding coupling sockets, or by using interlocking or snap engaging coupling knobs and sockets. Although these prior attempts have made it possible to build more slender constructions, then they have also introduced the problem that the force required for interconnecting two building elements are increase significantly. 
     THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     On this background it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a toy building set of the above mentioned kind providing the option of building more mechanically stable slender constructions, without the necessity of using significantly increased force when interconnecting the building elements. 
     According to the present invention this is achieved by a toy building set as defined in the introduction, and where the two knob surfaces extends in two mutually parallel and not coinciding planes and where the two socket surfaces also extends in two mutually parallel and not coinciding planes, and in that the distance between the mutually parallel planes comprising the two knob surfaces and the two socket surfaces respectively, are identical, and the mutual position between the two knob surfaces is the same as the corresponding mutual position between the two socket surfaces, so that it allows the knobs at a first one of the two knob surfaces to be inserted into the socket of a first one of the two sockets on an identical building element simultaneously with allowing the knobs at a second one of the two knob surfaces to be inserted into the socket of a second one of the socket surfaces of an identical building element. 
     In a preferred embodiment the body part comprises an intermediate body portion having a first side where the first one of the two knob surfaces is arranged, and a second side where the second one of the two socket surfaces is arranged, and where the second one of the two knob surfaces is arranged on the free end of a first extension extending perpendicular from the first side next to the first one of the knob surfaces, and where the first one of the two socket surfaces is arranged on the free end of a second extension extending perpendicular from the second side next to the second one of the two socket surfaces. 
     The knob surfaces and the socket surfaces may all preferably be rectangular or square. 
     In this relation the knob surfaces and the socket surfaces may advantageously have the same size. 
     Furthermore the cross section of the intermediate body and/or the extensions may in a preferred embodiment be rectangular or square. 
     In a preferred embodiment the mutually parallel planes comprising the two knob surfaces extends parallel or perpendicular to the mutually parallel planes comprising the two socket surfaces. 
     The toy building set may advantageously further comprise a number of second type building elements each having a box shaped body part comprising four rectangular side faces and at least one plane knob surface being provided with at least one knob extending perpendicular from the knob surface and one plane socket surface being provided with at least one socket each extending into the socket surface, and where the distance between the two knob surfaces of a first building element as well as the distance between the two socket surfaces of a first building element is equal to two or more times the distance between the plane socket surface and the plane knob surface of the second type building element. 
     Furthermore the toy building set may also comprise a third type building element with an integrally shaped body having only one plane socket surface and at least two plane knob surfaces each being provided with at least one knob extending perpendicular from the knob surface, and where the two knob surfaces of the third type building element extends in two mutually parallel and not coinciding planes, and in that the distance between the mutually parallel planes comprising the two knob surfaces of the third type building element is identical with the distance between the two mutually parallel and not coinciding planes of the first building element comprising the two socket surfaces respectively, and the mutual position between the two knob surfaces of the third type building element is the same as the corresponding mutual position between the two socket surfaces of the first building element, so that it allows the knobs at a first one of the two knob surfaces of the third type building element to be inserted into the socket of a first one of the two sockets of the first building element simultaneously with allowing the knobs at a second one of the two knob surfaces of the third type building element to be inserted into the socket of a second one of the socket surfaces of the first building element. 
     In this relation the toy building set may advantageously further comprise a fourth type building element with an integrally shaped body having only one plane knob surface and at least two plane socket surfaces each being provided with at least one socket least one socket extending into each socket surface, and being adapted for frictional interconnection with the knobs on the knob surface on a first building element, and where the two socket surfaces of the fourth type building element extends in two mutually parallel and not coinciding planes, and in that the distance between the mutually parallel planes comprising the two knob surfaces of the fourth type building element is identical with the distance between the two mutually parallel and not coinciding planes of the first building element comprising the two knob surfaces respectively, and the mutual position between the two socket surfaces of the third type building element is the same as the corresponding mutual position between the two knob surfaces of the first building element, so that it allows the socket at a first one of the two socket surfaces of the fourth type building element to be frictionally interconnected with the knobs of the first knob surface of the first building element simultaneously with allowing the socket at a second one of the two socket surfaces of the fourth type building element to be frictionally interconnected with the knobs of the second one of the knob surfaces of the first building element. 
     The invention also provides a computer-readable model comprising computer-readable instructions configured to cause, when processed by an apparatus for performing an additive manufacturing process, said apparatus to manufacture the toy building elements as defined above. 
    
    
     
       THE DRAWING 
       In the following one or more embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail and with reference to the drawing, where: 
         FIG. 1 : Is a perspective drawing, showing a preferred embodiment of a toy building set according to the invention comprising two building elements according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2 : Is a side view of one of the building elements shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3 : Is a bottom view of the building element shown on  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4 : Is a top view of the building element shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5 : Is a perspective drawing shown an alternative embodiment of a building element according to the invention. 
         FIG. 6 : Is a side view of a construction made from two of a second type and a fourth type of building element forming part of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7 : Is a side view of a third type of building element forming part of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8 : Is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a building element according to the invention. 
         FIG. 9 : Is a side view of a further alternative embodiment of a building element according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing of one embodiment of a toy building set according to the invention and comprising two of a first type of building elements  1  according to the invention. The first type of building elements  1  shown in  FIG. 1  are shown in more detail in  FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 , where  FIG. 2  is a side view of this first type of building element, and  FIGS. 3 and 4  are top and bottom views of the same element. 
     Alternative embodiments of a first type of building element are shown in  FIGS. 5, 8 and 9   
     The first type of building element  1  has a box shaped intermediate body portion  2  with a first side where a first one of two knob surfaces  3  are arranged having one knob  4 . The second one of the two knob surfaces  3  is arranged on the free end of the box shaped extension or finger  5  that extends from the intermediate body portion  2  from an area just beside the first knob surface  3 . 
     At the opposite second side of the intermediate body portion a one socket surface  6  with a socket  7  is arranged, and another socket surface  6  is arranged on the free end of the extension  8 . 
     Due to the fact that the extension  5 ,  8  has the same length, then it is possible to assemble two or more of this first type of building elements  1  to form a mechanically stable column as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     According to the invention the knobs  4  and sockets  7  are adapted such that assembling two building elements requires pressing the knobs into the sockets, and the knobs  4  are kept in place in the socket only by the frictional force established between the knobs  4  and the sockets  7 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of a first type of the building elements where the knob surfaces  3  has two knobs  4  and the corresponding socket surfaces  6  are adapted for insertion of the two knobs  4 . In this relation it will be apparent to the skilled person that it is possible, without departing from the present invention, to design such building elements with different number of knobs. Furthermore the skilled person will also recognize that it is possible also to have two or more extensions  5 ,  8  extending from the side of the intermediate body  2  of the building element as long as the multiple extensions are arranged in a pattern allowing interconnection of the two building elements as shown on  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 8  shows a further alternative embodiment of a first type of building element according to the invention having an intermediate body  2  forming a corner so that the two knobs surfaces and the two sockets surfaces extends in mutually perpendicular planes. In this relation it will be apparent to the skilled person that the intermediate body  2  of the first type of building element may have any shape as long as both knobs surfaces  3  and both socket surfaces  6  extends in parallel planes. 
       FIG. 9  shows an embodiment of the first type of building element, where the integrally shaped element or single body is formed by attaching two substantially similarly shaped elements  9  to each other e.g. by gluing or welding, or by using geometrically interlocking members such as a dovetail interconnection or any other interconnection that ensures that the two elements are fixed to each other to withstand pulling the two substantially similarly shaped elements apart. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  shows a third and a fourth type of building elements  10 ,  11  for a toy building set according to the invention, where the third and fourth type of building elements only has extensions  13 ,  14  with either knob or socket surfaces  15 ,  16  arranged on the free end of the extensions  13 ,  14 . 
     A toy building set according to the invention may also have various different kinds of building elements known from the prior art, such as the two second type of building elements  12  shown on  FIG. 6 . In this relation it is advantageous if the height of the extensions of the first, third and fourth type of building elements  1 ,  10 ,  11  according to the invention corresponds to the height of two or more of the second type of building elements  12  known from prior art, so that the building elements according to the invention are easy to integrate into a toy construction comprising prior art building elements. 
     In  FIG. 7  a first type of building element is shown in punctured lines attached to the third type of building element  10 , and showing that the length of the extensions  5 ,  8 ,  13 ,  14  on both the first, the third and the fourth type of building elements  1 ,  10 ,  11  are the same, so that they can all be assembled to form a stable column with the third and the fourth type of building elements  10 ,  11  forming the ends of the column. 
     The skilled person would as a matter of routine suggest producing plastic toy building elements of any of the above mentioned types by injection molding in a conventional injection molding apparatus. 
     As an aspect of the present invention, however, it would be an advantage to produce such elements by 3D printing or another additive manufacturing process due to the fact that mold cores required for producing such long and hollow building elements in an injection molding process needs to be extremely long and slender. The present disclosure further relates to a computer-readable model comprising computer-readable instructions configured to cause, when processed by an apparatus for performing an additive manufacturing process, said apparatus to manufacture a toy building element as disclosed herein. The computer-readable model may comprise geometry information indicative of at least the shape of the toy construction element. The computer-readable model may be embodied as a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure representing the computer-readable model. For example, the computer-readable medium may include a hard disk, a memory, or another suitable storage device. The additive manufacturing process may include a 3D printing process.