U.S. patent application number 10/971943 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-02 for construction toys with dimple-containing magnet.
Invention is credited to Roger, Scott Thomas.
Application Number | 20050118926 10/971943 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34622973 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050118926 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roger, Scott Thomas |
June 2, 2005 |
Construction toys with dimple-containing magnet
Abstract
A containing a dimple the face the magnet and construction toys
utilizing dimple-containing magnets and ferromagnetic spheres or
dimple-containing ferromagnetic structures and magnetic spheres and
other components.
Inventors: |
Roger, Scott Thomas;
(Ottawa, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JOHN S. PRATT
KILPATRICK STOCKTON LLP (LEE VALLEY TOOLS LTD.)
1100 PEACHTREE STREET
SUITE 2800
ATLANTA
GA
30309
US
|
Family ID: |
34622973 |
Appl. No.: |
10/971943 |
Filed: |
October 21, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60512952 |
Oct 21, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
446/137 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 33/046
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/137 |
International
Class: |
A63H 033/26 |
Claims
1. A construction toy component comprising a magnet having a
dimple.
2. The construction toy component of claim 1, further comprising a
plastic part connected to the magnet.
3. The construction toy component of claim 2, wherein the plastic
part comprises a spar.
4. The construction toy component of claim 2, further comprising a
second magnet having a dimple and connected to the component.
5. The construction toy component of claim 3, further comprising at
least another magnet having a dimple and connected to the spar.
6. A construction toy kit comprising a ferromagnetic sphere and a
magnet having a dimple encircled by a dimple rim for contact
between the sphere and the magnet at least along the dimple
rim.
7. The construction toy kit of claim 6, wherein the sphere has a
first radius and the dimple surface that is not spherical.
8. The construction toy kit of claim 7, wherein the dimple surface
is a truncated cone.
9. The construction toy kit of claim 8, further comprising a
plastic part attached to the magnet.
10. The construction toy kit of claim 9, wherein the plastic part
comprises a spar.
11. A toy comprising: (a) a plastic part connected to a
ferromagnetic part containing a dimple and (b) a ferromagnetic
sphere, wherein one of the sphere or the dimple-containing part are
magnetized.
12. A construction toy part comprising a spar having two ends and,
positioned in each end, one magnet having at least one dimple.
13. A construction toy comprising: (a) a plurality of plastic
spars, each containing at least one dimple-containing magnet, and
(b) a plurality of spheres positionable in the dimples.
14. A kit comprising: (a) a plurality of plastic parts, each
containing at least two dimple-containing magnet, (b) a plurality
of spheres positionable in contact with the magnets at the dimples,
(c) a plurality of ferromagnetic rings, (d) at least one
ferromagnetic base.
15. The kit of claim 14 wherein the at least one ferromagnetic base
comprises a plurality of disks.
16. The kit of claim 15, wherein the at least one ferromagnetic
base is a disk and at least one of the plastic parts contains at
least three dimple-containing magnets.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/512,952 filed Oct. 21, 2003 entitled
"Dimple Containing Magnet" which is incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to magnets and, in particular, to
toys and toy construction sets utilizing magnets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Magnets exhibit such interesting properties and permit such
easy "construction" of structures containing them that they have
long been used as toys and have long been incorporated in toys. The
relatively recent availability of inexpensive, extremely strong
rare earth magnets has enabled design of improved toy magnets and
toys containing magnets. Among such toys are building components
including steel spheres or spherical magnets and "spars," elongated
structures containing magnets in their ends for magnetic attachment
to other such spars or other structures such as spheres.
[0004] Contact between a sphere and a conventional flat magnet
surface is a point contact that provides essentially no lateral
stability. As a result, construction toy spars that have flat-end
magnets exhibit no lateral stability when magnetically connected to
a spherical surface, therefore often requiring additional spars for
lateral support. FIG. 1 is a side view of an end of a spar 8
holding a flat-end magnet 10 contacting a sphere 12 in such a prior
art structure that achieves one-point contact. FIG. 2 illustrates
another prior art structure in which a spar 8 holds a flat-end
magnet 14 penetrated by a small hole 16 so that contact with a
sphere 12 will be between the spherical surface and the rim 18 of
the spar magnet 14 hole 16.
[0005] However, since a magnet's performance (other factors being
equal) is a function of its geometry and volume, such magnets
penetrated by a hole sacrifice function. A through hole in the face
of a magnet results in an air path through the magnet, which
reduces its magnetic power, and a hole removes magnet material,
which also reduces magnetic power. These considerations cause it to
be desirable to use a smaller hole, but the smaller the hole (and
therefore the smaller the diameter of the rim that contacts a steel
sphere) results in reduced lateral stability and reduced strength.
In addition, a small through hole traps contaminants such as oils
and grease during the manufacturing process that are difficult to
remove by conventional means. Furthermore, if not removed, these
contaminants migrate out of the hole in the magnet during the
application of a protective coating (such as nickel plating)
resulting in poor adhesion of the protective coating, which then
flakes off. Without a protective coating a rare earth magnet will
corrode or rust, which reduces the magnet's performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A dimple in the face of a magnet, such as a magnet affixed
to a spar end, provides a strong, laterally stable magnetic
connection with a sphere, particularly if the rim or intersection
between the surface of the recess and the face of the magnet is a
circle. Such a dimple or recess, as compared to a hole through an
otherwise comparable magnet, provides greater magnetic strength by
eliminating the air path through the magnet and by avoiding
significant loss of magnetic material to the hole and is easily
cleaned of contaminants.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art flat end magnet
contacting a sphere.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a flat
end magnet with a through hole contacting a sphere.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a side view of a dimple-containing magnet of this
invention positioned near a sphere.
[0010] FIG. 4, is another view of the dimple-containing magnet of
this invention shown in FIG. 3 positioned near a larger diameter
sphere.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a side view of a construction toy spar containing
two dimple-containing magnets of this invention and a sphere of the
same radius as the dimple.
[0012] FIG. 6 is an alternative embodiment of the dimple-containing
magnet of this invention having a dimple that is not defined by a
spherical surface.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a Y-connector construction toy component of this
invention.
[0014] FIG. 8 is an X-connector construction toy component of this
invention.
[0015] FIG. 9 is an illustrative assembly of construction toy
components of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIGS. 3-6 illustrate alternative embodiments of the
dimple-containing magnet of this invention, shown mounted in
another object, which may be a toy component such as a construction
toy spar or any other component desired.
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a dimple 20 in a magnet 22 in a toy
component 24 positioned near a sphere having a radius comparable to
the radius of the dimple. FIG. 4 shows a like spar 24 and magnet 22
but having a dimple 26 with a smaller radius "r" than the radius
"R" of a sphere 28.
[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates that by forming a dimple 34 as a concave
surface 35 with a radius "r" exactly matching the radius "r" of the
surface 36 of a steel sphere 38 with which the dimple-containing
magnet is used, contact will be achieved across the entire dimple
34, providing substantial lateral support and maximizing the
magnetic connection. If, on the other hand, a dimple is defined by
a semi-spherical surface having a slightly shorter radius than the
radius of the steel sphere, then contact will occur between the two
at the rim of the magnet dimple, thereby maximizing lateral
stability. Such a dimple having a slightly shorter radius
semi-spherical surface ensures highly stable contact with spheres
of approximately the same size while not requiring exact identity
of sphere size from one sphere to another. Ring contact also
ensures minor defects (protrusions) on the sphere do not
significantly affect performance as would be the case for exactly
matching magnet dimple and sphere radii, which could result in
point contact verses ring contact. FIG. 5 further illustrates this
invention in a magnet 22 having a dimple 34 that fully occupies the
end 23 of the magnet 22, thereby providing the largest dimple area
possible for this magnet.
[0019] In FIG. 5, the radius r of the dimple is equal to the radius
r of the sphere 36, theoretically enabling contact between the
entire dimple surface 35 and the surface 38 of the sphere 36.
[0020] A somewhat exaggerated-for-clarity example of a smaller
radius dimple 26 and larger sphere 28 is illustrated in FIG. 4,
where the magnet 22 dimple 26 has a shorter radius r than the
longer radius R of the sphere 28. As may be seen in FIG. 4, a
portion of the surface 30 of the sphere 28 is received within the
dimple 26, but there is contact between the sphere surface 30 and
the magnet only at the rim 32 of the dimple 26.
[0021] Incorporation of such dimples in the ends of magnets removes
relatively little magnetic material and avoids the pole-to-pole air
path introduced by a through hole as illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0022] As will be readily appreciated by study of the figures and
consideration of the information set forth above, dimples usable to
obtain the benefits of this invention can have shapes other than
the semi-spherical shapes illustrated in the accompanying figures
and described above, although the semi-spherical shape will
typically be optimal. For instance, the dimple could have a shape
of the inside of a cone or a truncated cone like the truncated
conical shape 50 of the dimple 52 illustrated in FIG. 6. Numerous
other shapes would likewise be possible, provided that there are at
least three reasonably separated points of contact between the
sphere and the magnet. For instance, a dimple having a shell-like
series of scallops would provide a series of peripheral contacts
establishing a stable magnet to sphere connection. As should
likewise be appreciated, while most of the discussion above assumes
that the spar end will be a magnet and the sphere simple steel, the
components could be reversed by using a spherical magnet and a
ferrous metal spar or spar end.
[0023] As will also be apparent to those skilled in the art of
magnet manufacture, the dimples of this invention can be formed in
magnets or ferrous metal structures by a variety of methods
including conventional machining and metal-forming methods.
[0024] Spars or other parts containing magnets with dimples can
contain one dimple-containing magnet 22, as illustrated in FIG. 3,
two magnets 22, as illustrated in FIG. 5, three magnets 22 as
illustrated in FIG. 7 showing a Y-connector 60, four magnets 22 as
illustrated in FIG. 8 showing an X-connector 70. Other numbers of
dimple-containing magnets are also possible.
[0025] Components containing dimple-containing magnets in
accordance with this invention can be assembled in an endless
variety of ways with numerous other ferromagnetic or
ferromagnetic-containing components. For instance, such components
can be assembled as shown in FIG. 9 with spars 24 resting on disks
29 and supporting spheres 28 that in turn hold spars 25 that
contact spheres 28 at one of their ends and a ring 31 at the other
of their ends.
[0026] These and other variations of this invention are all within
the spirit and scope of this invention, the foregoing description
and accompanying drawings, and the following claims.
* * * * *