US1746839A - Toy builders - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11, 1 930. 0, MAIN ET AL TOY BUILDERS Filed March 13, 1929 MAW i/orzzeza Patented Feb; 11, 1930.

UNITED STATES PATENT ol-rlca 0134 E. MAIN AND LAFAYETTE Ii. SMELSEB, 01 OSKALOOQA, IOWA, ASSIGNOBQ TO MAIN TOY COMPANY, OF OSKALOOSA, IOWA, A. CORPORATION OF IOWA.

TOY BUILDERS Application filed March 13,

* Our invention relates to a set of toy builders composed of a plurality of different kinds of blocks or pieces, from which a large variety of figures representing human beings, dolls, animals and birds may be constructed.

The principal object of our invention is to provide an improved set of toy builders which is both interesting and instructive in character.

A further object is to provide a toy builder set composed of a body member, a number of head members and a considerable number of like limb members interchangeably usable with the body and head members, whereby a great variety of figures may be constructed to represent real or imaginary persons, animals or birds.

Still another object is to provide improved means for selectively connecting various parts of the builder set by means of ball-pin members.

:Another and further object is to provide an improved construction for a separable articulated joint between two limb members, whereby said members may be readily connected and disconnected and may be placed in a variety of selected relative positions.

More specifically, our object is to provide an improved joint connection between two members, each having at one end a ball and reduced neck and at the other end a socket to receive the ball and formed with laterally opening notches to receivethe neck and permit relative articulation of the members at desired angles, the sockets terminating in kerfs which afford a yielding gripping action of the sockets relative to the balls.

With these and other objects in view our invention consists in the construction, arrangement andcombination of the various parts of the device, whereby the ob'ects contemplated are attained, as hereina ter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a figure of a doll which ma be constructed by using our improved toy uilder set. c

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a figure of an animal whichmay be construct- 1929. Serial No. 846,702.

head member included in the set.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a bird head mem er.

Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the limb members.

Figure 8 is an end view of the same.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a ball-pin connecting member.

Figure 10 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating the method of separably connecting two of the limb members by means of a special ball and socket joint.

The various parts of our toy builder sets preferably are made of wood and they may of course be of any desired size or shape and may be painted or otherwise decorated in any suitable manner. In carrying out our invention we employ a body member 12, which preferably is generally cylindrical in shape. As here shown the body member 12 is of universal character or in other words it may be used in construction of figures representing human beings, animals or birds. It is to be understood, however, that different body members may be employed as desired for various kinds of figures or toys.

The body member 12 is formed'with a plurality of openings or bores of the same diam eter and these openings may be arranged in various positions or locations. For instance an opening or bore 14 may be provided centrallyand axially of one end of the body to serve as a means for supporting the head and a pair of openings or bores 16 may be formed at the other end of the body for the purpose of supporting leg members. Furthermore, a plurality of openings or bores 18 may be formed on diagonal lines for the purpose of attaching arm members and other openings.

20 may be formed along one side of the body for the purpose of receiving animal leg members. It is to be understood that the position of the openings or bores may be varied considerably for various purposes.

The openings or bores 14, 16, 18 and 20 are designed to receive connecting members of the type shown in Figure 9, which we have referred to as ball-pin members. Each of these connecting members includes a tapered pin portion 22 adapted to be received in one of the openings or bores and a ball member 24 preferably connected to the pin portion 22 by a reduced neck 26.

If desired the pins 22 may be pern'ianently located in the selected openings or bores by the use of glue or they may be removably mounted. In either event the ball portions 24 project a slight distance beyond the surface of the body member and are adapted to receive and support other members as hereinafter described.

A plurality of head members may be employed and we have here shown a human or doll head 28, an animal head 30, and a bird head 32.

Each of the heads is formed in its lower portion with an opening 34 to receive the ball 24 of the ball-pin connecting member which may be mounted in the upper bore 14 of the body member. It is obvious that when a head 28, or 32 is mounted on one of the ball connecting members, or otherwise as hereinafter described it may be adjusted to any desired angle relative to said member which will thus constitute the neck of the figure.

lVe have also provided a plurality of snapon limb members which may be employed for forming the arms, legs. necks and tails of various figures to be produced.

Each of the limb members has a main portion 36 of cylindrical shape formed at one end with a reduced neck 38 terminating in a ball 40.

At the other end each of the limb members is formed with a cylindrical end-opening socket 42. Each of the sockets 42 is also formed with side-opening notches 44 of somewhat less width than the diameter of the socket and communicating with the socket from both sides of the limb member. Each limb memher is further formed with a kerf 46 extending inwardly a material distance from the innor end of the socket.

The ball 40 at one end of the limb member may be separably and niovably received within the socket 42 of another limb member whereby a plurality of limb members may be connected in series.

The peculiar construction of the socket provides a resilence so that the socket will grip a ball 40'and yet permit relative movement of the two limb members so that they may be adjusted to any desired position. The frictional contact between the ball and socket of the limb members will cause the members to remain in any position to which they may be adjusted. The kerf 46 has the function of permitting a slight spreading of the socket end of the wooden limb member as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 10. It will he noted that the diameter of the ball 40 is slightly greater than the normal diameter of the socket 42.

This resilient gripping effect produced particularly by the kcrf 4G is very important in the successful use of our toy builders. It will be noted further that the side opening notches 44 are capable of receiving the neck portions 38 so that when a ball 40 is inserted 1n a socket 42, the connected limb members may be adjusted to almost any indicated angle, ranging from a slightangularity to substantially a perpendicular arrangement. This permits a wide variety of adjustment of the connected limb members in forming the desired shapes and figures.

The limb members such as 36 may be employed by connecting them to each other in the desired number and they may be connected to the body member such as 12 by associating'the socket 42 of one of the limb members with the ball 24 of a ball-pin connector suitably located on the body member.

The limb members 36 may be employed in any desired number for forming the arms, legs, tails, necks, and horns or ears, of various figures to be produced by means of our builder set.

It will be noted that the balls 24 of the ballpin connecting members, and the balls 40 of the limb members are of the same diameter so that the socketed ends of the limb members may be associated with the balls of the ballpin connecting members. In like manner, any one of the heads 28, 30, or 32 may be connected directly by means of its opening 34 with the ball of a ball-pin connecting member, as shown in Figure 1, or one or more limb members 36 may be interposed to form an elongated neck 3:. shown in Figure 2. j

The animal head 30 is formed with properly placed bores or openings 52 to receiveball-pin connecting members to represent ears or horns. It will be understood that limb members 36 may be added to these ballpm connecting members to produce elongated ears or horns.

WVe have also provided a number of feet members which preferably are composed of disks 48. Each disk is formed with an upwardly directed opening or bore 50 to receive frictionally a ball 40 of a limb member. The openings 50 preferably are located eccentrically of the disks which thus afford stable means for supporting the toy figures in upright position.

It will be obvious that a great Variety of figures may be produced with this builder set, and that the limbs of the figures may be caused to assume many different positions. In this way a great deal of interesting and amusing, as well as instructive, use may be had of a set embodying our invention. This variety of use and of position of the, parts is made possible in a large degree by the peculiar formation of the articulated joint between the respective limb members.

We claim as our invention:

1. A toy builder set comprising an elongated body member adapted to be used either in substantially upright or substantially horizontal position, a plurality of head members selectivelyusable with said body member for forming'difi'erent figures, connecting members adapted to be mounted on the body member and each including a ball-shaped portion, and a plurality of limb members adapted to be arranged in series to form limbs, tails or necks of varying length, each of said limb members being formed at one end with a ball-shaped portion and at the other end with a socket adapted to receive the ball-shaped portion of a connecting member or another limb member.

2. A toy builder set comprising an elongated body member adapted to be used either in substantially upright or substantially horizontal position, a plurality of head members selectively usable with said body member for forming different figures, connecting members adapted to be mounted on the body member and each including a ball-shaped portion, and a plurality of limb members adapted to be arranged in series to form limbs, tails or necks of varying length, each of said limb members being formed at one end with a ball-shaped portion and at the other end with a socket adapted to receive the ballshaped portion of a connecting member or another limb member, each head member be:

ing formed with an opening to receive the.

ball-shaped portion of a connecting member or a limb member.

3. A toy builder set comprising a body member, a head member, a plurality of c,onneeting members carried by the body member and each formed with a ball-shaped portion, and a plurality of limb members each formed at one end with a ball-shaped portion and at the other end with a socket adapted to frictionally and resiliently engage the ballshaped portion of another limb member or of one of said connecting members, whereby a series of said limb members may be connected to said body member and may be caused to assume various positions of relative angularity throughout the series.

4. A toy builder set comprising a bodyand at the other end with a socket, said socket being of slightly less normal diameter than the ball-shaped portions of the limb and connecting members, each limb member being relative angularity throughout the series.

5. In a toy, a member formed with a reduced neck terminating in a ball-shaped portion, and a coacting member formed with a socket of somewhat less normal diameter than said ball-shaped portion and being formed with lateral openings, thelatter member being formed with a kerf extending inwardly from said socket to permit a spreading of the socket, whereby the socket may be caused to frictionally engage said ball-shaped portion and said members may be separably and movably connected.

6. In a toy, a member formed with a reduced neck terminating in a ball-shaped portion, and a coacting member formed with a socket of somewhat less normal diameter than said ball-shaped portion and being formed with lateral openings, the latter member being formed witha kerf extending inwardlyfrom said socket to permit a spreading of the socket, whereby the socket may be caused to frictionally engage said ball-shaped portion and said members may be separably and movably connected, the lateral openings of said socket being of sutficient width to receive the reduced neck of the other member so that the members may be adjusted at substantially right angles to each other while so connected.

0. E. MAIN. L. L. SMELSER.

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