U.S. patent application number 14/752995 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-01 for dovetailed building block.
The applicant listed for this patent is MEI-TSU LIN. Invention is credited to YU-CHIN KUO.
Application Number | 20160346707 14/752995 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57397087 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160346707 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KUO; YU-CHIN |
December 1, 2016 |
DOVETAILED BUILDING BLOCK
Abstract
A dovetailed building block includes a block body having a
regular polygonal shape having side surfaces in which dovetailed
recesses and dovetailed projections are alternately formed. To join
two building blocks in a transverse direction, one dovetailed
projection of one building block is received in and retained by one
dovetailed recess of the other building block. The building block
has a simple structure and allows for assembly in a curved form to
present unique three-dimensional configurations with versatile
variability. Each or one of the dovetailed projections of the
building block has upper and lower ends that respectively form
upper and lower inclination facets so that when two building blocks
are joined in a longitudinal direction, the upper and lower
inclination facets of the two blocks are positioned against each
other. A positioning point is formed in the dovetailed recess by
the upper inclination facet to ensure firm and stable
connection.
Inventors: |
KUO; YU-CHIN; (New Taipei
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LIN; MEI-TSU |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
57397087 |
Appl. No.: |
14/752995 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 2/24 20130101; E04B
2/08 20130101; A63H 33/08 20130101; E04B 2002/0265 20130101; E04C
1/00 20130101; A63H 33/082 20130101; E04B 2/12 20130101; E04B 2/22
20130101; E04B 2002/0217 20130101; E04B 2002/0234 20130101; E04B
2/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 33/08 20060101
A63H033/08; E04C 1/00 20060101 E04C001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 1, 2015 |
CN |
201510292331.1 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. A dovetailed building block, comprising: a block body that has
a regular hexagonal configuration having a top surface, a bottom
surface opposite to the top surface, and exactly six side surfaces
connecting the top surface and the bottom surface; each of said six
side surfaces having a flat plane; said six side surfaces being
sequentially composed of a first side surface, a second side
surface, a third side surface, a fourth side surface, a fifth side
surface and a sixth side surface; each of the first side surface,
the third side surface and the fifth side surface being
respectively provided with exactly one dovetailed recess located
right in a middle thereof without any dovetailed projection being
provided thereon; each of the second side surface, the fourth side
surface and the sixth side surface being respectively provided with
exactly one said dovetailed projection located right in a middle
thereof without any said dovetailed recess being provided thereon;
the dovetailed recesses and the dovetailed projections each having
an isosceles trapezoidal configuration corresponding to each other;
wherein one of the dovetailed projections of one of the building
blocks is receivable in and retained by one of the dovetailed
recesses of the other one of the building blocks to achieve a
three-dimensional configuration; wherein the block body further
comprises a post formed on the top surface thereof and a cavity
formed in the bottom surface thereof, the post having a surface
area receivable in and engageable with a surface area of the cavity
so as to achieve firm connection of at least two building blocks in
a transverse direction; wherein the post and the cavity are regular
hexagons.
11. The dovetailed building block according to claim 10, wherein
the dovetailed projection comprises an upper inclination facet, a
lower inclination facet, and a positioning point, the upper
inclination facet being formed on an upper end of the dovetailed
projection, the lower inclination facet being formed on a lower end
of the dovetailed projection, the upper inclination facet and the
lower inclination facet being substantially parallel, whereby when
a plurality of the building blocks is joined in a longitudinal
direction, the upper inclination facet and the lower inclination
facet of the building blocks are positioned against each other, the
dovetailed recess defining, in combination with the upper
inclination facet, at least one positioning point that achieves
firm connection of the building block in both transverse and
longitudinal directions.
12. The dovetailed building block according to claim 10, wherein
when the building blocks are stacked in a longitudinal direction,
joining of the building blocks is achievable through adjustment of
angular positions of the post and the cavity by a multiple of 60
degrees.
13. An assembly of dovetailed building blocks, comprising: a first
dovetailed building block and a second dovetailed building block;
each of the dovetailed building blocks comprising: a block body
that has a regular hexagonal configuration having a top surface, a
bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and exactly six side
surfaces connecting the top surface and the bottom surface; each of
said six side surfaces having a flat plane; said six side surfaces
being sequentially composed of a first side surface, a second side
surface, a third side surface, a fourth side surface, a fifth side
surface and a sixth side surface; each of the first side surface,
the third side surface and the fifth side surface being
respectively provided with exactly one dovetailed recess located
right in a middle thereof without any dovetailed projection being
provided thereon; each of the second side surface, the fourth side
surface and the sixth side surface being respectively provided with
exactly one said dovetailed projection located right in a middle
thereof without any said dovetailed recess being provided thereon;
the dovetailed recesses and the dovetailed projections each having
an isosceles trapezoidal configuration corresponding to each other;
wherein one of the dovetailed projections of one of the building
blocks is receivable in and retained by one of the dovetailed
recesses of the other one of the building blocks to achieve a
three-dimensional configuration; wherein the block body further
comprises a post formed on the top surface thereof and a cavity
formed in the bottom surface thereof, the post having a surface
area receivable in and engageable with a surface area of the cavity
so as to achieve firm connection of the building blocks in a
transverse direction; wherein the post and the cavity are regular
hexagons; wherein the top surface of the first dovetailed building
block is exactly the same size with the top surface of the second
dovetailed building block, however, a height defined between the
top surface and the bottom surface of the first dovetailed building
block is different from the other height defined between the top
surface and the bottom surface of the second dovetailed building
block.
14. The assembly of dovetailed building blocks according to claim
13, wherein the dovetailed projection comprises an upper
inclination facet, a lower inclination facet, and a positioning
point, the upper inclination facet being formed on an upper end of
the dovetailed projection, the lower inclination facet being formed
on a lower end of the dovetailed projection, the upper inclination
facet and the lower inclination facet being substantially parallel,
whereby when a plurality of the building blocks is joined in a
longitudinal direction, the upper inclination facet and the lower
inclination facet of the building blocks are positioned against
each other, the dovetailed recess defining, in combination with the
upper inclination facet, at least one positioning point that
achieves firm connection of the building block in both transverse
and longitudinal directions.
15. The assembly of dovetailed building blocks according to claim
13, wherein when the building blocks are stacked in a longitudinal
direction, joining of the building blocks is achievable through
adjustment of angular positions of the post and the cavity by a
multiple of 60 degrees.
Description
(a) TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a dovetailed
building block, which comprises side surfaces in which dovetailed
recesses and dovetailed projections are alternately formed so that
when multiple building blocks are joined, the angles of the side
surfaces allow the dovetailed projections of one building block to
be set in mating engagement with the dovetailed recesses of another
block for constructing a three-dimensional structure having a
curved configuration exhibiting versatile variability.
(b) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] Various toys are available in the market for users to
practice and improve coordination between hands and eyes. All these
toys have different ways of playing and may be combined through
diverse ways, making they suitable for practicing and improving the
development of creativity
[0003] Building blocks are one the toys that have the greatest
number of types. They are often in the forms of blocks of different
geometric shapes and allow for stacking in different directions.
Projections and recesses are formed on/in these building blocks to
allow them to joint to each other through mating between the
projections and the recesses. One of the most commonly known
building blocks is LEGO.RTM. blocks, of which the feature is that a
single square area is taken as a basic unit based on which
expansion is made to a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped having
an enlarged surface area or size. Projections (as well as
counterpart recesses) are formed on the cube or the rectangular
parallelepiped for jointing the blocks in a given (longitudinal)
direction. However, structural strength obtained with jointing in a
single direction may be poor and collapse or detachment may result.
The difficult for assembling a large structure is quite apparent.
And, as such, the LEGO.RTM. blocks need adjustment of directions
for 90, 180, or 270 degrees to complete the assembly of a
large-sized or curved structure. In addition, special accessories
may be necessary for such an assembly. Further, the LEGO.RTM.
blocks are designed to achieve a mating engagement between two
blocks that is generally over tight, often resulting in difficulty
in disassembling the blocks and requiring a large force to achieve
so. This may lead to damage to the blocks. It is also known that
disassembling tools are available for such disassembling
operations.
[0004] Further, the conventional building blocks need to be
assembled or disassembled piece by piece. Such a process of
assembling or disassembling is generally time and labor consuming.
Thus, further improvements are necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The preset invention provides a dovetailed building block,
wherein a plurality of such building blocks is joinable to each
other and each of the building blocks is of a regular polygonal
shape having side surfaces in which dovetailed projections and
dovetailed recesses are alternately formed and top and bottom
surfaces on which a post and a cavity having matching shapes are
respectively formed.
[0006] To join the plurality of building blocks, the side surfaces
of each of the building blocks are oriented such that one
dovetailed projection of one building block is set in mating
engagement with one dovetailed recess of the other one building
block so that the block so joined form a three-dimensional
configuration that exhibits a curve. In addition, the post and
cavity of two such building blocks are engageable with each other
in such a way as to allow the blocks to join each other in a
longitudinal direction or through rotated connection to change the
direction of assembly of additional blocks. As such, the dovetailed
building block of the present invention allows for joining through
connection in longitudinal and transverse directions, reversed
connection, and rotated connection so that a three-dimensional
configuration so formed through assembly of the blocks may present
versatile variability of the configuration and exhibits excellent
firmness and stability. Further, the dovetailed projections of the
building block comprise upper and lower inclination facets that are
formed on upper and lower ends thereof and substantially parallel
and a positioning point that is defined by the dovetailed recess in
combination with the upper inclination facet so that the building
blocks can be stacked or connected in a transverse direction,
achieving an advantage of easy assembling/disassembling and firm
connection.
[0007] In summary, the present invention provides dovetailed
building blocks that provide advantages of versatile variability of
connection, firmness and stability of connection, and easy
assembling and disassembling, and that have a simple structure and
are not easy to damage so as to effectively improve the
deficiencies of the prior art.
[0008] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief
introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these
and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention
itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the
art, the following detailed description of the invention and the
claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical
reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
[0009] Many other advantages and features of the present invention
will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making
reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets
of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment
incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by
way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a building block
according to the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing regular connection of
the building blocks of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the building blocks of
the present invention joined through regulation connection.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing rotated connection of
the building blocks of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing the building blocks of
the present invention joined through rotated connection.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing reversed connection of
the building blocks of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the building blocks of
the present invention joined through reversed connection.
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates four embodiments of the building blocks
of the present invention, which are, in sequence from top of the
drawing to the bottom, a regular hexagonal block, a regular
octagonal block, a regular decagonal block, and a regular
dodecagonal block.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating joining connection
among decagonal blocks of the present invention that have different
heights.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a building block
according to a different embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 7A is a partial enlarged view showing a building block
according to a different embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 7B is a schematic view illustrating an inclination
facet of a building block according to a different embodiment of
the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7C is a schematic view illustrating joining connection
of building blocks according to a different embodiment of the
present invention.
[0023] FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment
of the present invention taken along line A-A.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating joining connection
of building blocks according to a different embodiment of the
present invention.
[0025] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a different embodiment
of the present invention taken along line B-B.
[0026] FIG. 8B is a partial enlarged view of section B-B of a
different embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only,
and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following
description provides a convenient illustration for implementing
exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the
described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement
of the elements described without departing from the scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0028] According to the present invention, the best available
embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings to
provide better understanding of the present invention. The present
invention is a dovetailed building block, which, as shown in FIGS.
1-4A, is building block (1) having a regular hexagonal
configuration. The hexagonal configuration is a desired shape
because the hexagonal shape allows for joining connection of two
blocks with no gap therebetween. The block (1) has side surfaces
(13), in which dovetailed recesses (11) and dovetailed projections
(12) are alternately formed so that the side surfaces (13)
respectively exhibit projecting and recessing configurations. The
alternate arrangement adopted here is to have the dovetailed
recesses (11) and the dovetailed projections (12) on the side
surfaces (13) equal in number to each other. This indicates that
the present invention is applicable, to the minimum number of side
surfaces, to a quadrilateral, and the side surfaces may be selected
as desired to meet any practical requirements for the maximum
number of side surfaces. When a number of such building blocks are
joined, one of the dovetailed projections (12) of one block (1) is
set in mating engagement with one of the dovetailed recesses (11)
of another block (1) to achieve connection of the blocks (1) in a
transverse direction. The hexagonal configuration or shape provides
each side surface with an adjustment angle (A1) of 60 degrees so
that rotated connection can be achieved with such a building block
(1) for joining with an assembled structure of blocks of the
present invention to provide a three-dimensional configuration
having a desired curve (B). The building block (1) has a top
surface on which a post (14) is formed; and the building block (1)
has a bottom surface in which an open cavity (15) is formed to
correspond in shape and position to the post (14). To join a number
of such building blocks (1), the post (14) of one block may be fit
into and in retaining engagement with the cavity (15) of another
block so that the building blocks (1) may be joined in a
longitudinal direction, allowing multiple building blocks (1) to be
connected together to provide a secured and stable
three-dimensional configuration.
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 3A, six building blocks (1) are
shown connected, in a stacked manner, to form a two-level
three-dimensional configuration, in which the building block (1)
that is shown in phantom lines can be connected to the assembled
structure of the remaining blocks through mating engagement between
the post (14) and the cavity (15). In this example, the blocks of
the assembled structure and the phantom-line block are both
hexagonal so that the phantom-line block (1) can be first rotated
and then joined to the assembled structure so that the direction in
which additional building blocks joined thereto may be changed.
Since the angle of a hexagon is (N-2)*180 degrees=720 degrees, each
internal angle being 120 degrees. Considering the sum of internal
angles of a triangle, angular adjustment can proceed with 60
degrees for each step. The present invention is not limited to a
hexagonal configuration and change to any regular polygon can be
made as desired. Taking a regular octagon as an example, then
(N-2)*180 degrees=1080 degrees and each internal angle is 135
degrees. Considering the sum of internal angles of a triangle,
angular adjustment can be conducted with 45 degrees for each step.
Further taking a regular dodecagon as an example, then (N-2)*180
degrees=1800 degrees and each internal angle is 150 degrees.
Considering the sum of internal angles of a triangle, angular
adjustment can be conducted with 30 degrees for each step. These
examples are provided to illustrate that when the building blocks
(1) are joined or connected in a transverse direction for
transverse connection, change of the angular positions thereof may
be made through rotation so as to achieve versatile variability
thereof.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4A, six building blocks (1) are
shown connected, in a stacked manner, to form a two-level
three-dimensional configuration. Due to the mutual retaining
engagement achievable between the dovetailed recess (11) and the
dovetailed projection (12), a phantom-line building block (1) is
connectable to an assembled structure of blocks in a reversed
manner. FIG. 5 shows examples of the building block in the form of
a regular hexagonal block, a regular octagonal block, a regular
decagonal block, and a regular dodecagonal block, respectively, to
each of which the process of joining and stacking described above
is applicable. As shown in FIG. 6, various modifications may be
taken, wherein for example, the height of the building block (1),
the post (14) and the cavity (15), and a through bore (17) may be
changed and increased/decreased as desired for practical needs,
allowing for more diverse ways of assembling or joining. It can be
understood from the above description that the present invention
allows for normal transverse and longitudinal connection, rotated
connection, and reversed connection, which can be alternately
and/or additionally used for joining the building blocks so that
versatile variability of the building block (1) according to the
present invention may be achieved, and flexibility of assembling
the building blocks for building unique three-dimensional
structures may also be provided.
[0031] In a different embodiment according to the present
invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 7-7D, a building block (1) is
provided, which comprises a through bore (17) formed in a center
thereof and extending in an axial direction. The arrangement of the
bore (17) allows for connection to be made to a shape-corresponding
pillar-like or bar-like coupling section to achieve more
diversified ways of connection or joining between the blocks. In
addition, one or each of the dovetailed projections (12) of one
building block may be provided an upper inclination facet (121) and
a lower inclination facet (122) respectively on an upper end and a
lower end thereof in the axial direction, wherein the two
inclination facets (121, 122) are substantially parallel. In the
drawings, an angle of 60 or 90 degrees is taken as an example for
illustration, but the present invention is not limited to such
angles. With such an arrangement, when building blocks (1) are
stacked in a longitudinal direction, the upper inclination facet
(121) of a lower block is closely positionable against the lower
inclination facet (122) of an upper block so that the blocks (1)
exhibit a connected configuration.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 8-8B, in stacking the building blocks (1)
in a longitudinal direction, in addition to the inclination facets
(121, 122) of the blocks being closely positioned against each
other, the lower end of the dovetailed recess (11) of an upper
block (1) matches the upper inclination facet (121) of another
block (1) to form a positioning point (2), which prevents the
blocks (1) from separation from each other due to a force applied
thereto in a transverse direction. The positioning point (2), when
increased in number with that of the building blocks (1) involved
in an assembled structure, in combination with the upper and lower
inclination facets (121, 122) of the blocks, ensures the
accomplishment of a firm and stable structure that may be of a
unique or extraordinary configuration.
[0033] It will be understood that each of the elements described
above, or two or more together may also find a useful application
in other types of methods differing from the type described
above.
[0034] While certain novel features of this invention have been
shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is
not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be
understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and
changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in
its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without
departing in any way from the claims of the present invention.
* * * * *