Toy Blocks Dimensioned And Configured For Plural Connections

Abstract

The invention relates to toy building brick of rectangular cross-section 2a .times. a and any arbitrary length X .times. a. These bricks are characterized by n cube-shaped openings of the volume a .times. a .times. a between the two broad sides 2a .times. Xa. The bricks are also characterized by (n-1) webs of the cross-section a .times. a/2 remaining between these openings. The bricks are also characterized by 2 cross bars of the cross-section a .times. a/2 and the length (n + n-1/2)a, n being a whole number of at least 2.

Description

The invention relates to a toy building brick from which it is possible to construct a wide variety of different objects by fitting together identical building bricks.

Many different types of building bricks are known, from which objects can be constructed by fitting them together. The method of building with the known bricks, however, requires either a plurality of complicated connecting elements (German Gebrauchsmuster Pat. No. 1,954,832) or permits only quite simple representations of a certain group of patents (German Pat. No. 825,518 and French Pat. No. 1,183,331) or permits only partially positive connections of the separate building bricks (U.S. Pat. No. 2,147,237).

Other known building bricks also do not fit together with tight joints in the three spatial planes, so that at most it is only possible to build in two planes at right-angles. Furthermore, the construction of self-supporting space lattices is either impossible with these building bricks (See German Gebrauchsmuster Pat. No. 1,985,950) or can only be achieved by complicated additional elements.

The object of the present invention is a building brick for a universal system of playing, which fulfills the following three preliminary conditions:

1. The external dimensions of the building brick are to conform to the following ratios: the length is to be equal to twice the width and the width is to be equal to twice the thickness of the building brick, so that a maximum of possibilities of combinations are provided. By varying the length with a constant width-thickness ratio, the possible number of the combinations can be further modified;

2. Two building bricks must be able to be held together with a tight joint by a third in a positive manner in preferably two but at least one stressing direction;

3. In order to provide even more possibilities of combinations for the building brick and more especially to permit the fitting of axles which carry wheels, the openings and recesses on the building brick, which are necessary according to Point 2, in addition permit the insertion of rods of any desired legnth and of circular or square cross-section with the same thickness in at least two planes of the building brick, and all side surfaces of the building brick should be an even multiple of this thickness.

This object is achieved according to the invention with a building brick which has a rectangular cross-section 2a .times. a and an arbitrary length X .times. a, a being any arbitrary length unit, and which is characterized by:

a n cube-shaped openings of the volume a .times. a .times. a between the two broad sides 2a .times. Xa;

b. (n-1) webs of the cross-section a .times. a/2 remaining between these openings, and

c. 2 cross bars of the cross-section a .times. a/2 and the length (n + n-1/2) a, n being a whole number of at least 2 and preferably at least 3 and ideally equals 3.

The length of the building brick is preferably 4a, i.e., the brick is twice as long as it is wide and twice as wide as it is thick.

In addition to the cube-shaped openings a .times. a .times. a, also other recesses can be provided on the webs and cross bars; for example, in accordance with one constructional form of the invention, at least 2 webs on the same broad side 2a .times. Xa of the building brick are reduced to the height of the longitudinal axis of the brick. i.e., to the cross-section a/2 .times. a/2, or in accordance with another constructional form of the invention, at least between 2 webs, at least one of the 2 cross bars can be reduced to the height of the longitudinal axis of the brick, i.e., to the cross-section a/2 .times. a/2, or such recesses can be provided both on the webs and on the cross bars.

The invention is more fully explained by the drawings, in which:

FIG. 7 shows a preferred building brick 10 of the invention with the length 4a and in the normal form, i.e., without additional recesses. The brick comprises cross bars 11, 12 and webs 13, 14.

FIGS. 2 to 10 shows some possibilities of combinations of the brick of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 shows a modified building brick 16 in which recesses are provided on the two webs 17, 18, which recesses extend from the broad side 2a .times. 4a to the height of the longitudinal axis of the brick, so that these webs are reduced to the cross-section a/2 .times. a/2; The brick 16 has cross bars 19, 20;

FIGS. 12 to 15 show possible combinations with such building bricks according to FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 shows a modified brick 23 in which recesses are arranged between the webs 24, 25 on the cross bars 26, 27, which recesses extend from the broad side 2a .times. 4a of the building brick to the height of the longitudinal axis of the brick, so that the cross bars 24, 25 are reduced at this position to the cross-section a/2 .times. a/2;

FIG. 17 shows a possibility of combinations when using bricks according to FIG. 16, and

FIG. 18 shows a modified building brick 30 which has the features of the brick 16 and the brick 23.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described above and as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A set of toy building bricks of rectangular cross-section 2a by a and any arbitrary length Xa, characterized by:

a. n cube-shaped openings of the volume a by a by a opening through the two broad sides having the dimensions 2a by Xa;

b. (n-1) webs of the cross-section a by a/2, one of said webs remaining between adjacent ones of said openings, and

c. 2 cross bars of the cross-section a by a/2 and the length (n+ n-1/2) a, n being a whole number of at least 2, a plurality of said bricks being shaped and proportioned so that the ends of cross bars of two bricks of said plurality will fit into one of said openings of a third brick of said plurality to serve as connecting means therefor.

2. A set of bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that at least 2 webs on the same broad side 2a by Xa of the building brick are reduced to the height of the longitudinal axis of the building brick, i.e., to the cross-section a/2 by a/2.

3. A set of bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the two cross bars, at least between two webs, is reduced to the height of the longitudinal axis of the building brick, i.e., to the cross-section a/2 by a/2.

4. A set of bricks according to claim 1 characterized in that n has the value 3.

5. A set of toy building bricks of rectangular cross-section 2a by a and any arbitrary length Xa, comprising:

a. first and second cross bars having a cross section a by a/2 and a length Xa wherein:

Xa = (n + n-1/2)a

wherein:

a has any value.

n is an integer at least equal to 3,

b. (n-1) webs connecting facing surfaces of the first and second cross bars wherein said webs and said cross bars define cube-shaped openings of height a, width a and length a

c. n cube-shaped openings of the volume a by a by a opening through the two broad sides having the dimensions 2a by Xa.