US1182980A - Building-block. - Google Patents

Description

A.. n. CONVERSE.

BUILDING BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I7, 1916.

Patented May16, 1916.

ATHERTON D. CONVERSE, OF WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUILDING-BLOCK.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented May 16,1916;

Application filed January 17, 1916. Serial mf'raosa To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ATHnRToN D. CON- vnnsn, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Winchendon, in the county of Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toy building blocks and has for its object the provision of means for locking the various blocks together.

The invention consists inproviding the 'various blocks with one or more grooves in one or more of its faces and providing another face with a projecting tongue having resilient side flanges adapted to grip the side walls of said grooves when inserted therein.

The invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be fully understood by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims hereinafter given.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a plurality of blocks embodying the present invention locked together in the form of a building. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of a block showing its grooved face. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the same block showing the tongues secured to its opposite face. Fig. 4 represents an end view of said block, and Fig. 5 represents a sectional detail of said block and showing the clamping mem ber in section.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is a toy building block having in one face thereof a longitudinal groove 11 and two transverse grooves 12. The side walls 13 of said grooves 11 and 12 are equidistant apart and parallel. To the opposite face 14. of the block 10 are secured the clamping members 15 by means of the headed nails 16. Each clamping member consists of a top plate 17 having formed integral therewith the end portions or flanges 18 the ends of which are held by the nails 16 against the face 14 of the block 10. Preferably the end portions 18 are perpendicular to the top plate17. The top plate 17 is also provided with two resilient inclined side portions or flanges 19 extending inwardly toward the side face 14, the said flanges preferably being formed integral together, preventing their accidental separation. The side flanges 19 are shorter than the end flanges 18 and are free from contact with theface of the block to which the clamping-member 15 is secured. When the blocks are locked together the friction between the flanges 19 and the side walls 13 will be suflicient to prevent the accidental endwlse movement of one block relatively to the other.

While in Figs. 2, 3, 4., and 5 only one form of block is shown, it is obvious that the blocks may be of various shapes and have grooves 11 and 12. variously positioned 1n one or more of the faces thereof.

The clamping member 15 is readily inserted in a groove 11 or 12 and when once inserted it readily retains the two blocks together until such time as the separation thereof is desired, when such separation may be effected without difiiculty. This clamping member 15 is formed from a single piece of sheet metal and is readily struck up into the proper form for use with little .difliculty, making it very inexpensive to C011.

struct. While the member 15 is little liable to get out of commission, it is obvious that in case this should occur it may be readily replaced by another, which could not be done in the case of blocks having the tongue formed integral therewith.

It is believed that the many advantages of this invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my. invention, I claim: I

1. In a device of the class described, a clamping member consisting of a plate adapted to be secured to a toy building block and having end portions contacting with said block and inclined resilient side portions free from contact with said block, said side portions being adapted to grip upon the walls of a groove in another block when inserted therein.

2. In a device of the class described, a clamping member consisting of a plate adapted to be secured to a toy building block and having end portions contacting with said block and inclined resilient side portions formed integral with said plate and free from contact with said block, said side portions being adapted to rip upon the walls of a groove in another look when inserted therein. v

3. In a device of the class described, a clamping member consisting of a plate having at its opposite ends flanges perpendicular to said plate and adapted to be held in contact with a toy building block, said plate being also provided with s1de flanges flaring outwardly from said late and adapted to grip upon the wallsloi blockwhen inserted therein.

4. In a device of the class described, a clamping member consisting of a top plate adapted to be secured to a toy building block and having formed integral therewith end flanges perpendicular thereto and shorter side flanges flaring outwardly from said top plate and adapted to grip upon the walls of a groove inanother lock when inserted therein.

a groove in another Signed by me at Winchendon, Mass, this 5th day of January, 1916.

ATHERTON D. CONVERSE.

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