Patent ID: 6843700

Claim:
A rod and connector toy construction set, especially for young children, which comprises (a) a plurality of rods molded of plastic material, each having a rod axis, and comprising a body portion, a neck portion having one end thereof adjoining said body portion, and a rod end adjoining said neck portion at an end thereof opposite from said one end, (i) said neck portion having a transverse dimension perpendicular to said rod axis which is less than corresponding transverse dimensions of said rod end, (ii) a shoulder being formed between said rod end and said neck portion, and (b) a plurality of connector elements each comprising (i) a connector body formed of a soft and pliable plastic material and having front and back sides and a peripheral edge, (ii) said connector body having a rod-engaging socket therein extending through said connector body from one of said sides thereof to the other of said sides and defined by elements of said connector body, (iii) said socket having a gripping portion of a first predetermined width, with one end thereof opening at the peripheral edge of said connector body, for gripping the neck portion of said rods, (iv) said socket further having a rod end receiving portion adjoining a second end of said gripping portion, said rod end receiving portion being of a second predetermined width greater than said first predetermined width and forming a shoulder portion adjacent the second end of said gripping portion, (v) said socket defining a socket axis positioned in a plane between the front and back sides of said connector body and extending midway between opposite sides of said gripping portion, (vi) said gripping portion and said neck portion having complimentary contours to enable retention of a rod coaxially with said socket axis, (c) the transverse dimension of the neck portion of said rod being greater than said first predetermined width of said gripping portion, whereby said neck portion may be forced laterally into said gripping portion with a snap-in action and thereafter resiliently gripped by said connector elements with said rod axis in coaxial alignment with said socket axis, and (d) said shoulder portion formed between said neck portion and said rod end being engageable with confronting surfaces of the shoulder portion of said socket to resist axial withdrawal of said rod from said rod-engaging socket.