U.S. patent application number 14/214415 was filed with the patent office on 2015-09-17 for magnetic construction toy.
The applicant listed for this patent is Steven H. Balanchi. Invention is credited to Steven H. Balanchi.
Application Number | 20150258461 14/214415 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54067904 |
Filed Date | 2015-09-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150258461 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Balanchi; Steven H. |
September 17, 2015 |
Magnetic Construction Toy
Abstract
The invention relates to a magnetic construction toy connection
member that has a fist and second end where permanent magnet is
disposed within the first end of the connection member and a
ferromagnetic body is disposed in the second end. The ferromagnetic
body may be a permanent magnet or a magnetizeable body. Both ends
of the connector may be spherically shaped and form a closed
surface bounding the magnetic bodies disposed therein. The first
end may be of a truncated conical shape forming a closed surface
boundary of the permanent magnet disposed therein.
Inventors: |
Balanchi; Steven H.;
(Glendale, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Balanchi; Steven H. |
Glendale |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54067904 |
Appl. No.: |
14/214415 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/92 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 33/046
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 33/04 20060101
A63H033/04 |
Claims
1. A magnetic construction toy for coupling with a magnetic body
comprising: a) a construction member having a horizontal axis and a
first end and a second end; b) First means carried by said
construction member adjacent said first end and disposed therein in
fixed immovable relationship with said first end for
omni-directionally and magnetically coupling said first end with a
magnetic body where said first end is so proportioned and
dimensioned to form a closed surface at least in part bounding said
first means; c) second means carried by said construction member
adjacent said second end and disposed therein in fixed immovable
relationship with said second end for omni-directionally and
magnetically coupling said second end with said magnetic body where
said second end is so proportioned and dimensioned to form a closed
spherical surface bounding said second means.
2. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 1 where said
first means comprises a first permanently magnetized body.
3. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 2 where said
second means comprises a magnetizeable body.
4. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 2 where said
second means comprises a second permanently magnetized body.
5. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 1 where said
first means comprises a magnetizeable body.
6. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 5 where said
second means comprises a magnetizeable body.
7. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 4 where said
closed surface bounding said first means is spherically shaped.
8. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 7 where said
closed surface bounding said second means is dielectric.
9. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 2 where said
closed surface bounding said first means at least in part is an
axially extending truncated cone having an opening at said first
end.
10. A magnetic construction toy for coupling with like constructed
magnetic construction toys comprising a construction member having
a horizontal axis and a first end and a second end; a first
permanent magnet captively carried by said construction member
adjacent said first end and disposed therein in fixed immovable
relationship with said first end for omni-directionally and
magnetically coupling with one of said like constructed magnetic
construction toys where said first end is so proportioned and
dimensioned to form a closed surface bounding at least in part said
first permanent magnet; and a first magnetic body captively carried
by said construction member adjacent said second end and disposed
therein in fixed immovable relationship with said second end for
omni-directionally and magnetically coupling said second end with
another of said like constructed magnetic construction toys where
said second end is so proportioned and dimensioned to form a
spherical closed surface bounding said first magnetic body.
11. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 10 where said
closed surface bounding said first permanent magnet is at least in
part an axially extending truncated cone having an opening at said
first end.
12. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 10 where said
closed surface bounding said first permanent magnet is a spherical
surface.
13. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 10 where said
first magnetic body is a permanent magnet.
14. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 10 where said
first magnetic body is a magnetizeable body.
15. A magnetic construction toy for coupling with a magnetic body
comprising: a) a construction member having a horizontal axis, a
lateral diameter, and a first end and a second end; b) a first
permanent magnet carried by said construction member adjacent said
first end and disposed therein in fixed immovable relationship
within said first end for omni-directionally and magnetically
coupling said first end with a magnetic body where said first end
is so proportioned and dimensioned to form a closed spherical
surface surrounding and bounding said first permanent magnet; c) a
second permanent magnet carried by said construction member
adjacent said second end and disposed therein in fixed immovable
relationship within said second end for omni-directionally and
magnetically coupling said second end with said magnetic body where
said second end is so proportioned and dimensioned to form a closed
spherical surface surrounding and bounding said second permanent
magnet.
16. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 15 where said
closed spherical surface surrounding said first permanent magnet is
dielectric and has a diameter at least twice said lateral
diameter.
17. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 16 where said
closed spherical surface surrounding said second permanent magnet
is dielectric and has a diameter at least twice said lateral
diameter.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a magnetic construction toy
connection member that consists of a ferromagnetic body embedded in
each of the opposite ends of the connection member for magnetically
coupling with other connection members of like design.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Connecting members for magnetic construction toys typically
consist of arm like structures having a permanent magnet carried
captively at the arm extremities. The permanent magnets permitted
the connecting member to magnetically couple with a magnetic body
that was a magnitizeable body generally of spherical shape; the
spherical shape allowed an omni-directional coupling of the
connecting arm to the magnetizeable body thereby permitting a
number of geometrical structures to be formed. The magnetizeable
spherical bodies were not integrally carried by the connecting
member but were separate structural members used to construct the
geometrical figures. The magnetizeable spherical bodies presented a
safety hazard to small children who through oral exploration of the
body could accidentally ingest the spherical body causing severe
internal injury to the child. To eliminate the threat of ingesting
a magnetizeable or magnetized magnetic body of spherical shape by a
small child, it would be desirable to provide a connecting member
that so carries the magnetic body such that it is embedded and
bounded within the ends of the connecting member thereby permitting
a small child to safely erect a geometrical structure through the
magnetic coupling of its structural members.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The construction member of this invention used in one
embodiment to erect a geometrical structure has a horizontal axis
and a first end and a second end. A permanent magnet carried by the
construction member is disposed within the first end and adjacent
the first end of the construction member where the first end is so
proportioned and dimensioned to form a closed surface boundary that
encapsulates the permanent magnet. A second magnetic body is
carried by the construction member in the second end and is
disposed in the second end adjacent said second end; the second end
is so proportioned and dimensioned to form a dielectric spherical
closed surface boundary that encapsulates the second magnetic
body.
[0004] In another embodiment, the construction member has a
horizontal axis and a first and a second end. A permanent magnet
carried by the construction member is disposed adjacent the first
end of the construction member where the first end is so
proportioned and dimensioned to form a closed dielectric spherical
surface boundary that encapsulates the permanent magnet. A second
permanent magnet is carried by the construction member adjacent the
second end and is disposed within the second end; the second end is
so proportioned and dimensioned to form a dielectric spherical
closed surface boundary that encapsulates the second permanent
magnet.
[0005] In another embodiment, the construction member has a
horizontal axis and a first end and a second end. A magnitizeable
body is carried by the construction member and is disposed within
the first end and adjacent the first end where the first end is so
proportioned and dimensioned to form a dielectric spherical closed
surface boundary that encapsulates the magnitizeable body. A second
magnetizeable body is carried by the construction member adjacent
the second end and is disposed within the second end where the
second end is so proportioned and dimensioned to form a dielectric
spherical closed surface boundary that encapsulates the second
magnetizeable body.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] These and other features and advantages will become
appreciated as the same become better understood with reference to
the following specification, claims and drawings wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment illustrating
the connector member having spherically shaped ends.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment illustrating
the connector member having an truncated conical end and a
spherically shaped end.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a left side elevational view of FIG. 3;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of FIG. 3;
[0012] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines
6-6.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a top view of FIG. 2;
[0014] FIG. 8 is a left side elevational view of FIG. 7;
[0015] FIG. 9 is a right side elevational view of FIG. 7;
[0016] FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along the line
10-10;
[0017] FIG. 11 is an illustration of a geometrical toy erected with
connection members of this invention;
[0018] FIG. 12 is an illustration of a geometrical toy erected by a
sequence of the connection members of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective view an embodiment of the
magnetic construction toy 1 of this invention where two closed
spherical surfaces 2 and 3 are interconnected by construction arm
3. As can be seen in FIG. 3, magnetic construction toy 1 has a
horizontal axis 6, a first end 7 and a second end 8 where both ends
7 and 8 are integral with closed spherical surfaces 2 and 3,
respectively. Preferably the closed spherical surfaces 2 and 3 and
the construction member 4 are composed of a non-conductive material
9 which may be dielectric. As can further be seen in FIG. 6, closed
spherical surfaces 2 and 3 encapsulate ferromagnetic bodies 11 and
12. Ferromagnetic bodies 11 and 12 may consist of permanent
magnets, a permanent magnet and a magnetizeable body, or both
bodies may consist of being magnetizeable. Preferably the diameters
of closed spherical surfaces 2 and 3 are at least twice the
cross-sectional diameter of construction member 4, and that
ferromagnetic bodies 11 and 12 are permanent magnets.
Alternatively, however, ferromagnetic bodies 11 and 12 may consist
of a permanent magnet and a magnetizeable body, respectively, or
both ferromagnetic bodies 11 and 12 may be magnetizeable bodies.
Commonly known ferromagnetic materials are iron, nickel, cobalt,
chromium dioxide, and alnico which is an aluminum-nickel-cobalt
alloy whereas aluminum and copper are non-ferromagnetic materials
into which magnetism cannot be induced by a magnetized body.
[0020] Another alternative is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 7, and 10.
Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that magnetic construction toy
13 has a first end 14 and a second end 16 interconnected by
construction arm 17. First end 14 consists of a closed truncated
conical surface 18 having a distal opening 19. The base 21 of
closed conical truncated surface 18 is integral with the base of
closed cylinder shaped surface 22. Both truncated conical surface
18 and cylindrical surface 22 are co-axial with horizontal axis 23
which is more clearly shown in FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 10, which
is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 10-10 of FIG. 7, it
can be seen that magnetic construction toy 17 is radially symmetric
to horizontal axis 23. As can further be seen in FIG. 10, first end
14 radially encapsulates ferromagnetic body 24 which is a permanent
magnet. Construction arm 17 is made of a non-conducting material,
preferably plastic, that is integral with closed spherical surface
16; closed spherical surface 16 encapsulates ferromagnetic body 21
and is made of the same non-conductive material that composes
construction arm 17. In fabricating magnetic construction toys 1
and 13, the shell portions 27 and 28 and construction arm 17
preferably are formed in two sections, one section being shown as
the result of cross-section 6-6. The two sections are glued or
ultrasonically welded together after ferromagnetic bodies 11 and 12
are secured within shells 27 and 28, respectively, thereby forming
a seam and encapsulating ferromagnetic bodies 11 and 12 within
closed spherical surfaces 2 and 3.
[0021] Preferably the diameter of closed spherical surface 16 is at
least twice the cross-sectional diameter of construction arm 17 and
that ferromagnetic body 26 is a magnetizeable body which may be
magnetically induced by a permanent magnet such as permanent magnet
24 to permit magnetic coupling.
[0022] By encapsulating ferromagnetic body 26 within closed
spherical surface 16 and providing a surface at least twice the
cross-sectional area of construction arm 17, magnetic construction
toy 13 is dimensionally designed so as to immunize a small child
from orally ingesting the device.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 11, a geometrical arrangement of magnetic
construction toys 13 is illustrated. Any one or more of
construction toys 13 may be replaced by construction toys 1 in
erecting the structure. FIG. 12 further illustrates a sequence of
magnetic construction toys 1 and 13 forming a connective chain
through the magnetic coupling of ferromagnetic bodies 11, 12, 24
and 26.
[0024] While I have shown and described a magnetic construction toy
having a construction that promotes safe use for toddlers and small
children, it is understood that the invention is subject to many
modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the
claims recited herein.
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