U.S. patent application number 17/533105 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-17 for modular playing block system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Thomas Evans, Jonathan Mandeville, Aaron wood. Invention is credited to Thomas Evans, Jonathan Mandeville, Aaron wood.
Application Number | 20220080330 17/533105 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006048828 |
Filed Date | 2022-03-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220080330 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
wood; Aaron ; et
al. |
March 17, 2022 |
MODULAR PLAYING BLOCK SYSTEM
Abstract
A modular playing block system is provided. The block system
comprises at least one storage container. The at least one storage
container is has a hole. The block system also comprises a
plurality of connectors, wherein each of the plurality of
connectors is inserted in a hole of the plurality of holes to form
different arrangements, and each of the plurality of connectors act
as a support for the arrangements.
Inventors: |
wood; Aaron; (Vancouver,
CA) ; Mandeville; Jonathan; (Halifax, CA) ;
Evans; Thomas; (Dartmouth, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
wood; Aaron
Mandeville; Jonathan
Evans; Thomas |
Vancouver
Halifax
Dartmouth |
|
CA
CA
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000006048828 |
Appl. No.: |
17/533105 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 33/108 20130101;
A63H 33/044 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 33/10 20060101
A63H033/10; A63H 33/04 20060101 A63H033/04 |
Claims
1. A modular playing block system, comprising: at least one storage
container, wherein: the at least one storage container is removably
connected with each other, the at least one storage container is of
different size, the at least one storage container has a plurality
of holes, a plurality of connectors, wherein each of the plurality
of connectors is inserted in a hole of the plurality of holes to
form different arrangements, and each of the plurality of
connectors act as a support for the arrangements.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the support comprises cantilever,
counterbalance, post and beam.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage
container is made of wood.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage
container is of different shapes.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage
container is of different colours.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connectors is
placed inside the at least one storage container when the system is
not in use.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connectors is of
different shapes and size.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes is of
different shapes and size.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connectors is
made of wood.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes is formed
on at least one face of the at least one storage containers.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the the plurality of connectors,
the plurality of holes and at least one storage containers are
dimensioned following a grid pattern
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates primarily to building modular
structures, and more particularly to their use as toys such as
educational building blocks.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Playing with building blocks is not only fun, they are also
very basic educational tools for kids to understand easy as well as
complex things. Building blocks are the most versatile toy ever
conceived and at the same time deceptively simple too.
[0003] There are various types of building blocks which help
children in learning many new things around them which are new to
them such as, numbers, fruits, vegetables, etc. Not only being
restricted to things around us they help learning connect one thing
with another with which they are able to understand the connections
with various things, people, action etc, around them.
[0004] However, the shape and size of the building blocks that
exist conventionally are restricted, thereby making limited
arrangements from the building blocks. Further, it becomes
difficult to collect all the building blocks and keep them safely
when the game is over. In an attempt to address these shortcomings
inventor herein has come up with a novel modular block system.
SUMMARY
[0005] A modular playing block system is provided. The block system
comprises at least one storage container. The at least one storage
container has a hole. The block system also comprises a plurality
of connectors, wherein each of the plurality of connectors is
inserted in a hole of the plurality of holes to form different
arrangements, and each of the plurality of connectors act as
support for the arrangements.
[0006] It will be understood that this disclosure in not limited to
the particular systems, and methodologies described, as there can
be multiple possible embodiments of the present disclosure which
are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosure. It is also
to be understood that the terminology used in the description is
for the purpose of describing the particular versions or
embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] In the drawings:
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a modular playing block system, in
accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates an arrangement formed from modular
playing block system of FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment
of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a storage container of large size, in
accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a storage container of medium size, in
accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates a storage container of small size, in
accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of connectors of different
sizes, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] As used in the specification, the singular forms "a", "an"
and "the" may also include plural references. For example, the term
"an article" may include a plurality of articles. Those with
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the
figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not
necessarily drawn to scale. There may be additional components or
processes described in the foregoing application that are not
depicted on the described drawings. In the event such a component
or process is described, but not depicted in a drawing, the absence
of such component and process from the drawings should not be
considered as an omission of such design from the
specification.
[0015] Before describing the present invention in detail, it should
be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of
components or processes, which constitutes a modular block system.
Accordingly, the components or processes have been represented,
showing only specific details that are pertinent for an
understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the
disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with
ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description
herein. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which
can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific component
level details and functional details disclosed herein are not to be
interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and
as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to
variously employ the present invention in virtually any
appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases
used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide
an understandable description of the invention.
[0016] References to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "another
embodiment", "one example", "an example", "another example", "yet
another example", and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or
example(s) so described may include a particular feature,
structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but
that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that
particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or
limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase "in an
embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The
words "comprising", "having", "containing", and "including", and
other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and
be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these
words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or
items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, a modular playing block system 100
according to one exemplary embodiment is shown. The system 100
comprises a plurality of storage containers 102 and a plurality of
connectors 104. Although FIG. 1 shows only three storage
containers, there may be any number of storage containers used. The
plurality of storage containers 102 are removably connected to each
other. In other words, the storage containers 102 can be arranged
such that they can be joined and disjoined whenever required. The
storage containers 102 are part of the playing blocks and are used
by players during a game play. In one embodiment, the storage
containers 102 are stacked on top of each other to form different
arrangements.
[0018] In one embodiment, the plurality of storage containers 102
is made of plywood. In another embodiment, the plurality of storage
containers 102 is made of solid wood. However, the storage
containers 102 can be made of any material and is not restricted to
the one mentioned here. The material for the storage containers 102
is selected such that weight of the storage containers remains
light, thereby, making it easier for players to handle and play
with the building blocks.
[0019] The plurality of storage containers 102 is of different
sizes and shapes. For example, the plurality of storage containers
102 may be rectangular or square or any other shape. Also, the
plurality of storage containers 102 can be of different sizes. In
terms of sizes, the plurality of storage containers 102 may be
broadly categorized in 3 different sizes--i.e., small, medium and
large where the medium size storage containers are larger than the
small size and the large size storage containers are larger than
the medium and small sized storage containers.
[0020] Each of the plurality of storage containers 102 has holes
106a and 106b (collectively called 106) in it. The hole 106a and
106b have different sizes. For example, the hole 106a in larger
than size than hole 106b. The hole 106 is present on each of a face
108 of the storage container 102. For example, if the storage
container 102 is rectangular in shape, there will be 6 faces in the
storage container. Hence, in case the storage container is
rectangular in shape, the hole 106 will be present on each of the 6
faces. However, in one embodiment, the holes 106 may not be present
on all the faces of the storage containers 102.
[0021] The hole 106 may be present in the centre of a face 108 of
the storage containers 102. However, the placement of the hole 106
is not restricted to the centre and holes may be present anywhere
on the face of the storage containers 102. The hole 106 is used to
join the plurality of connectors 104 with the plurality of storage
containers 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the hole 106 can be of
different size i.e. small, medium and large. In one embodiment, the
hole 106 is of different shape. For example, some holes may be
rectangular in shape, other may be square in shape or circular in
shape, etc. However, other shapes and sizes are also possible. Any
hole 106 may be on modular grid pattern of any ratio that is set as
the base unit number.
[0022] The plurality of connectors 104 present in the playing block
system 100 are used to connect the plurality of storage containers
102 together so as to form an arrangement. In one embodiment,
similar to the storage containers, the connectors 104 are made from
a wood product. However, material is not restricted to wood
product. The material of the connector is selected so that the
connectors 104 can remain light weight and are easy to play by the
players. The connectors 104 may not be mechanically connected and
are simply using cantilevers and gravity for supporting the
plurality of storage containers 102.
[0023] In one embodiment, the outside of the storage container 102
are also modular in dimension as are the holes 106 in the storage
container. Further, the connectors 104 are modular in all
dimensions (length, width, thickness). All components to the game
are modular included the storage container 102 in all
orientations
[0024] Each of the plurality of connectors 104 is inserted in the
hole 106 present in the plurality of storage containers 102. For
example, the connectors 104 may be inserted by the players playing
with the building blocks. By doing this, the players can arrange
the storage containers 102 in any arrangement. For example, the
player can arrange the plurality of storage containers 102 and the
plurality of connectors 104 as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2,
the resultant arrangement 200 is in a form of a multi-story
building. Although arrangement shown in FIG. 2 is only for
exemplary purpose, any arrangement can be formed using the
connectors 104 and the storage containers 102.
[0025] Each of the plurality of connectors 104 act as a cantilever
and counterbalance. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality
of connectors 104 are shown as being inserted inside the storage
containers 102 via holes 106 present in the storage containers 102.
The connectors 104 act as a support for the arrangements. Also, as
shown in FIG. 2, the connectors 104 can be of different sizes.
Similar to storage containers 102, the connectors 104 can be
categorized into 3 sizes--small, medium and large. In one
embodiment, the different sized connectors may be of different
colours so that the size of the connectors can be easily identified
by the players. Similarly, the plurality of connectors 104 are of
different shapes.
[0026] The players can use connectors 104 of any size as per the
requirement of the arrangement to be formed. For example, a small
sized connector can be inserted into a hole of small size.
Similarly, a medium sized connector can be inserted into the medium
sized hole and a large sized connector can be inserted into the
large sized hole. Hence, size and shape of the connectors 104 and
the holes are not restrictive. For example, in one embodiment, the
size of the connector 104 and hole 102 is 15 mm. In another
embodiment, the size of the connector 104 and hole 102 is in
multiple of 15 mm Since the connectors 104 holes 102 are modular,
the modularity can be expressed as 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and so on.
[0027] Referring back to FIG. 1, when the player finishes playing
with the block system, the player can safely place the plurality of
connectors 104 inside the plurality of storage containers 102. For
example, FIG. 1 shows, the plurality of connectors 104 are placed
inside the containers 102.
[0028] In one embodiment, there may be only one storage container
102 and a plurality of connectors 104. In other words, to play the
game, it is not required to have the plurality of storage
containers 102 and hence the game can be played even with a single
storage container 102.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 3 now, different faces 302 of different
sized storage containers 102 are shown. The faces 302 are shown in
disassembled form which can be assembled together to form an
arrangement 300. The different faces 302 are of different sizes and
shapes. The faces have holes 106 in them so that connectors 104 can
be inserted into them. The arrangement 300 shows formation of large
sized storage container.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 4 now, different faces 402 of different
sized storage containers 102 are shown. The faces 402 are shown in
disassembled form which are assembled together to form an
arrangement 400. The arrangement 400 is same as that of arrangement
300 except that arrangement 400 forms a medium sized storage
container 402. Medium sized faces are combined to form arrangement
400.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 5 now, different faces 502 of different
sized storage containers 102 are shown. The faces are shown in
disassembled view and are assembled together to form an arrangement
500. The arrangement 500 is same as that of arrangement 300 and 400
except that arrangement 500 forms a small sized storage container
502.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 6 now, different sized connectors 104 are
shown. The different sized connectors 104 range from small sized
connectors to large size connectors. As explained above, connectors
can be of different colours. In one embodiment, the connectors 104
are of different dimensions. For example, connector 602 has
different dimension (upper face) than that of connector 604. The
connector 602 has larger face than the connector 604. Thus,
connector 602 can be used for large sized holes while connector 604
can be used for small sized holes. In one embodiment, the
connectors 602,604 may be dimensioned in a grid pattern. For
example, the connector 604 may have a cross section of 1 mm by 1 mm
(or 1:1 as expressed in ratio), whereas the connector 602 may have
cross section of 1 mm by 2 mm. Likewise, even the holes 106 may be
formed in a grid pattern on different faces. For example, similar
to the connector 604, the holes may have a cross section of 1 mm by
1 mm or 1 mm by 6 mm. The connector 602 may be inserted into the
hole with dimension 1 mm by 2 mm while connector 604 may be
inserted into the hole with dimension 1 mm by 1 mm Thus, referring
back to FIG. 1 again, connector 604 may be inserted in the hole
106b while connector 602 may be inserted in the hole 106a. However,
the size of the connectors 602 and 604 and holes may not be limited
to the one mentioned here and may have any dimension. For example,
the size of the connectors 602, 604 and holes 106a and 106b may be
1.times.3, 1.times.4, 2.times.2, 2.times.4 or 2.times.6 are used
only for explanation purposes and are not restrictive.
[0033] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *