Abstract:
Redundant joints for a wide variety of redundant-joint structures have three-way plumbing elbows (1, 5, 6) with coupling sleeves (2) into which two-way plumbing elbows (9, 13, 14) are inserted and rotated to form an infinite variety of angles of joining edges or sides of structural assemblies bordered by cylindrical beams (15) inserted into sleeves (12) in the two-way elbows. The three-way elbows can have different angles for particular structures than employed for conventional plumbing uses. For other structures, the three-way elbows have the same or similar angles as those employed for conventional plumbing. Two-way elbows with a coupling sleeve at one end and a pipe-sized opposite extension employed for particular forms also can have different or the same angles as employed for conventional plumbing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to geometrical structures using plumbing joints and pipes that are preferably made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and available generally in standard and modified forms. 
     There are no known geometrical structures and structural methods using standard and modified forms of plumbing joints and tubular sections as structural units. There are, however, various known geometric structures using other shapes and forms of joints and tubes or rods made of different materials as building units for different types of structures. 
     Examples of different geometrical structures and methods in prior art include a modeling kit described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,131 which was granted to Hildebrandt, et al. and reissued for errors as U.S. Pat. No. Re. 33,785. The Hildebrandt, et al. patent employed nodule joints of solid rods having various polygonal cross sections. U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,222 granted to Zahn, et al. taught four-way joints of elastic tubing for a throwing toy and similar resilient devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,832 granted to Bingham described tetrahedral and other forms structured with rods joined juxtaposed in tubes at corners. U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,011 granted to Ochrymowich described tubes joined with flat connectors with appendages that are inserted into ends of the tubes for joining them together. U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,203 granted to Paksy described a toy construction outfit with tubes joined by fittings of rigid plastic. U.S. Pat. No. 814,367 granted to Given in 1906 also taught toy construction with tubes joined by angular arms. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Objectives of this invention are to: 
     Combine new and different structural assemblies of PVC or similar materials to construct useful objects; 
     Employ redundancy of joints of new and known PVC plumbing units in structural puzzles as a toy; and 
     Combine known shapes and forms of PVC plumbing units to construct useful objects. 
     This invention accomplishes the above and other objectives with redundant-joint structure having a plurality of three-way PVC plumbing elbows with coupling sleeves into which PVC plumbing pipes are inserted to form redundant joints to construct a variety of objects. The three-way elbows have different angles for particular structures than employed for conventional plumbing structure. For other structures, the three-way elbows have the same or similar angles as those employed for conventional plumbing. Two-way elbows with a coupling sleeve at one end and a pipe-sized opposite extension employed for particular forms also can have different or the same angles as employed for conventional plumbing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are described briefly as follows: 
     FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway elevation view of a three-sleeve pipe joint with axes of sleeves at 45 degrees from a reference axis; 
     FIG. 2 is a partial cutaway elevation view of a three-sleeve pipe joint with axes of sleeves at less than 45 degrees from a reference axis; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway elevation view of a three-sleeve pipe joint with axes of sleeves at an angle greater than 45 degrees from a reference axis; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway elevation view of a two-sleeve pipe joint with axes of sleeves separated 90 degrees; 
     FIG. 5 is a partial cutaway elevation view of a two-sleeve pipe joint with axes of sleeves separated less than 90 degrees; 
     FIG. 6 is a partial cutaway elevation view of a two-sleeve pipe joint with axes of sleeves separated more than 90 degrees; 
     FIG. 7 is a partial cutaway side view of a cylindrical beam; 
     FIG. 8 is a partial cutaway side view of a cylindrical beam inserted into a three-sleeve pipe joint with 45 degrees between a reference axis and sleeve axes; 
     FIG. 9 is a partial cutaway side view of a 90-degree redundant joint with a two-sleeve pipe joint leading to another redundant joint; 
     FIG. 10 is a partial cutaway side view of a cylindrical beam inserted into a three-sleeve pipe joint with less than 90 degrees between a reference axis and axes of the three sleeves; 
     FIG. 11 is a top view of a redundant joint with a three-sleeve pipe joint having 45 degrees between sleeve and reference axes and fitted with right-angle two-sleeve pipe joints and two cylindrical beams in right-handed structure; 
     FIG. 12 is a top view of a pentagonal face of a dodecahedron using five of the redundant joints illustrated in FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a top view of a redundant joint with a three-sleeve pipe joint having 45 degrees between sleeve and reference axes and fitted with right-angle two-sleeve pipe joints and two cylindrical beams in left-handed structure; 
     FIG. 14 is a top view of a square face of a cube using four of the redundant joints illustrated in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is a top view of a hexagon using six of the redundant joints illustrated in FIG. 11 as a structural assembly for construction of structural objects. 
     FIG. 16 is a perspective illustration of a bipod variation being used for a coffee table; 
     FIG. 17 is a perspective illustration of an irregular variation being used for a coffee table; and 
     FIG. 18 is a perspective illustration of a cubic variation being used for a coffee table. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference is made first to FIGS. 1-3. These are three-sleeve pipe elbows having different angles of separation of coupling sleeves from a reference axis. FIG. 1 is a 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 1 having three sleeves 2 with coupling axes 3 of the three sleeves 2 having a design angle of 45 degrees of circumferential separation from a reference axis 4. The three sleeves 2 have inside peripheries that are designed for telescopic insertion and tube-coupling relationship of either cylindrical beams or second ends of two-sleeve pipe elbows which are described and shown later. 
     The 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 1 can be described also as a three-way, 90-degree pipe elbow. However, in order to describe a symmetrical relationship of sleeves 2 with different angles of separation, three-sleeve pipe elbows are described in relationship to angles of separation of coupling axes 3 from reference axes 4 instead of from other coupling axes 3. 
     All of the components of this invention can be made of the same or of variously different materials. For most purposes, however, polyvinyl chloride, commonly known as PVC, is recommended. Standard PVC pipe elbows and pipe sections can be used for most applications. 
     In FIG. 2, a 30-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 5 has the same three sleeves 2 with coupling axes 3 having a design angle of 30 degrees of circumferential separation from a reference axis 4. The angle of separation of the coupling axes 3 from the reference axes 4 can be less than or greater than the 45 degrees shown for the 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 1 in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, angle of separation is 60 degrees for a 60-degree, three-sleeve pipe elbow 6. The coupling axes 3 and the reference axes 4 are measured in relation to centrally intersecting elbow junctions 7. 
     Reference is made here to FIGS. 4-6. These are two-sleeve pipe elbows having different angles of separation between sleeve axes. In FIG. 4, a first coupling sleeve 8 of a two-sleeve, 90-degree pipe elbow 9 has a coupling axis 10 that is 90 degrees from a second coupling axis 11 of a second coupling sleeve 12. The first coupling sleeve 8 has an inside periphery that is the same size as the inside periphery of the three sleeves 2 of the three-sleeve pipe elbows 1, 5 and 6 which are designed to receive the same size of cylindrical objects. In FIG. 5, a two-sleeve 60-degree pipe elbow 13 has 60 degrees of circumferential separation between coupling axes 10 and 11 of first coupling sleeve 8 and second coupling sleeve 12 respectively. In FIG. 6, a two-sleeve 120-degree pipe elbow 14 has 120 degrees of circumferential separation between coupling axes 10 and 11 of first coupling sleeve 8 and second coupling sleeve 12 respectively. 
     Reference is made here to FIG. 7. A cylindrical beam 15 is employed to connect two-sleeve pipe elbows 9, 13 and 14 or three-sleeve pipe elbows 1, 5 and 6. The cylindrical beam 15 can be a uniform-diameter pipe as shown. However, it functions as a beam. An outside periphery can be different between opposite ends and it need not have an inside periphery nor a uniform interior if it has an internal portion for purposes of this invention. Cylindrical describes the ends and beam describes the functional nature of the cylindrical beam 15 that joins pipe elbows 1, 5, 6, 9, 13 and 14 variously in embodiments of this invention. 
     In FIG. 8, a cylindrical beam 15 is shown inserted in a sleeve 2 of a 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 1 directly. This is a first type of redundant joints for a first type of redundant structures. 
     In FIG. 9, second coupling sleeves 12 of three separate two-sleeve 90-degree pipe elbows 9 are inserted into separate sleeves 2 of a 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 1. Cylindrical beams 15 are inserted into first sleeves 8 of the two-sleeve 90-degree pipe elbows 9. This is a second type of redundant joints for a second type of redundant structures. A fourth two-sleeve 90-degree pipe elbow 9 is fitted onto an opposite end of one of the cylindrical beams 15 to indicate connection with another redundant joint. 
     One of the two-sleeve 90-degree pipe elbows 9 is oriented to an attitude in which the first sleeve 8 and the cylindrical beam 15 inserted into it are neither parallel nor perpendicular to either sleeve 2 of the 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 1. This is achieved by rotation of the sleeve 12 in the sleeve 2. In practice, none of the second sleeves 8 will be parallel or perpendicular to sleeves 2. This circumferential orientation is employed selectively to form angles between joints for construction of structural assemblies and structural objects having redundant joints with select angles between edges and faces. 
     Reference is made here to FIGS. 11-12. A pentagonal redundant joint 16 shown in FIG. 11 has pipe elbows 9 with first sleeves 8 oriented outside of sleeves 2 by rotating second sleeves 12 inside of sleeves 2, as shown and described in relation to FIG. 9, to form angles of 108 degrees between cylindrical beams 15 that are inserted into the first sleeves 8. The cylindrical beams 15 so positioned form five sides of a pentagonal structural assembly 17 shown in FIG. 12. 
     This pentagonal structural assembly 17 can be used for a side of a dodecahedron in which cylindrical beams 15 which are shown not inserted into second sleeves 12 at one end are inserted into like pentagonal redundant joints 16 of additional pentagonal structural assemblies 17. A cylindrical beam 15 and two pentagonal redundant joints 16 are common to each pentagonal structural assembly 17 in a dodecahedron that can be so formed. 
     The first sleeves 8 of the pipe elbows 9 are shown oriented with open ends clockwise from the sleeves 2 in FIGS. 11-12. These are right-handed redundant joints. 
     Reference is made here to FIGS. 13-15. In FIG. 13, a left-handed joint 18 is shown with first sleeves 8 of the pipe elbows 9 with open ends facing counterclockwise. In FIG. 14, two each of the first sleeves 8 and cylindrical beams 15 inserted in them are oriented to 90 degrees apart for use in a square structural assembly 19 with left-handed joints 18. Remaining first sleeves 8 and cylindrical beams 15 inserted in them remain to be adjusted circumferentially to form angles as desired for use in other structural objects such as a cubical or pyramidal structure. 
     FIG. 15 illustrates a hexagonal structural assembly 20 with 60 degrees between cylindrical beams 15 that are inserted in first sleeves 8 of elbows 9. 
     The structural assembly 22 employs right-handed structural joints as described in relation to FIG. 11. 
     Consistent use of either left-handed joints as described in relation to FIG. 11 or right-handed joints as described in relation to FIG. 13 for an entire structural assembly 17, 19 and 20 or other structural assemblies and structural objects made from them is essential. 
     Analog variation of angles between cylindrical beams 15 by rotation of second sleeves 12 in sleeves 2 of elbows 1, as described in relation to FIG. 9, makes possible a wide variety of structural assemblies. Combining joints using elbows 1 with joints made with elbows having different angles of separation of coupling axes 3 from reference axes 4 such as illustrated with three-sleeve elbows 5 and 6 and two-sleeve elbows 9, 13 and 14, increases selection of structural assemblies and structural objects. 
     Representative of many furniture uses of this invention is a simple coffee table that is shown with a circular glass top 21 on three variations as shown in FIGS. 16-18. In FIG. 16, a cylindrical beam 15 is extended from each of two sleeves 2 of three 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbows 1 to form three sets of bipod legs 22. In FIG. 17, angle legs 23 are formed by two-sleeve 90-degree pipe elbows 9 at ends of horizontal cylindrical beams 15. In FIG. 18, a cubic structure 24 is formed by completing a plurality of structural assemblies 19 shown in FIG. 14 and setting the circular glass top 21 on it. 
     A new and useful redundant-joint structure and method having been described, all such modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, combinations of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims are included in this invention. 
     LIST OF COMPONENTS 
     (For Convenience Of The Examiner) 
     1. 45-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 
     2. sleeves 
     3. coupling axes 
     4. reference axis 
     5. 30-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 
     6. 60-degree three-sleeve pipe elbow 
     7. centrally intersecting elbow junctions 
     8. first coupling sleeve 
     9. two-sleeve 90-degree pipe elbow 
     10. coupling axis of first coupling sleeve 
     11. second coupling axis 
     12. second coupling sleeve 
     13. two-sleeve 60-degree pipe elbow 
     14. two-sleeve 120-degree pipe elbow 
     15. cylindrical beam 
     16. pentagonal redundant joint 
     17. pentagonal structural assembly 
     18. left-handed joint 
     19. square structural assembly 
     20. hexagonal structural assembly 
     21. glass top 
     22. bipod legs 
     23. angle legs 
     24. cubic structure