US3605322A

US3605322A - Interlocking toy blocks

Info

Publication number: US3605322A
Application number: US818353A
Authority: US
Inventors: Takashi Matsubayashi; Hirozo Matsubayashi
Original assignee: Nintendo Playing Card Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nintendo Playing Card Co Ltd
Priority date: 1968-05-13
Filing date: 1969-04-22
Publication date: 1971-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 1988-09-20

Abstract

EACH BLOCK OF THE MUTUALLY COUPABLE ASSEMBLING TOY HAS A PLATE THE PERIPHERY OF WHICH IS DEFINED BY TWO CIRCLES AND TWO OPPOSING LINES PARALLEL TO A STRAIGHT LINE JOINING THE CENTERS OF THE CIRCLES, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO LINES BEING SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE CIRCLES. THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE PLATE IS PROVIDED WITH A PLUARLITY OF CYLINDRICAL PROJECTIONS EQUALLY SPACED APART TO ONE ANOTHER AND IN TWO ROWS IN PARALLEL. THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE PLATE ARE PROVIDED WITH TWO CYLINDRICAL WALLS POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RESPECTIVE CIRCLES AND TWO OPPOSING WALLS POSITIONED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RESPECTIVE LINES AND ENDING TO THE CYLINDRICAL WALLS. PREFERABLY, ALL OF THE PLATE, PROJECTIONS, CYLINDRICAL WALLS AND PARALLEL WALLS ARE MOULDED WITH SYNTHETIC RESIN IN AN INTEGRAL FORM.

Description

Sept- 20, 7 TAKASHI MATSUBAYASHI E- 3,605,322

INTERLOCKING TOY BLOCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 22, 1969 INVENTORS TAKMHI MATsUBAYA' HI BYH' mom MATsuBAYMlH Aeew 20, 1971 TAKASHI MATSUBAYASHI ETAL 3,605,322

v IRTERLOCKING TOY BLOGKS Filed lpril 22, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTORS 1 I MEU Takashi United States Patent O "ice [15. CI. 4625 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Each block of the mutually couplable assembling toy has a plate the periphery of which is defined by two circles and two opposing lines parallel to a straight line joining the centers of the circles, the distance between the two lines being smaller than the diameter of the circles.

The upper surface of the plate is provided with a plurality of cylindrical projections equally spaced apart to one another and in two rows in parallel.

The lower surface of the plate are provided with two cylindrical walls positioned in alignment with the respective circles and two opposing walls positioned in alignment with the respective lines and ending to the cylindrical walls.

Preferably, all of the plate, projections, cylindrical walls and parallel walls are moulded with synthetic resin in an integral form.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is an improvement to the device of US. patent application No. 797,164 filed on Feb. 6, 1969 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to interlocking elongated toy blocks any two of which may be coupled by stacking one open another at any desired selected angles between their longitudinal axes.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an assembling toy of mutually couplable blocks which provides a great variety of assemblies.

Another object of the present invention is to provide couplable blocks which may be assembled by stacking one upon another at any desired selected angles other than a 90 therebetween.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide couplable blocks which are easily assembled to form a polygon such as square, hexagon, octagon, etc. and columns of such polygons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an assembling toy of mutually couplable blocks is provided, each block of which has a base plate having upper and lower surfaces. A plurality of cylindrical projections on the upper surface are equally spaced apart relative to one another and rectilinearly arranged to form two parallel longitudinal rows so that any four adjacent projections are located at the corner of a square.

Projecting from the lower surface of the base plate are two annular walls positioned at opposed ends of the block and two parallel longitudinal walls connecting the annular walls at opposed sides of the block.

The dimensions and positioned relations of the annular Walls and the projections are such that two blocks maybe assembled by stacking, with projections of one block within the walls of the other block. At least one of 3,605,322 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 the annular walls is internally and externally dimensioned to join pivotally with another block by receiving within the hollow defined by the annular wall four adjacent projections of the other block.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of a toy block according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the block shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line IIIIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of another embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of three such blocks in an assembled state thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in the drawings, the block according to the present invention is a molded body B of any suitable synthetic resin. It consists of a pair of

cylindrical portions

3, 3 at opposed ends of the block body, connected by a pair of parallel

linear walls

4, 4 at opposed sides of the block, and a plate 1 from whose lower surface these portions and walls project. A plurality of cylindrical projections 2 are spaced at an equal distance from one another and in two parallel rows protruding from the upper surface of plate 1 and the thickness of the annular wall 5 of said cylindrical portions 3 and the diameter of projections 2 being such that any of said projections 2 are in contact with the inner periphery of or in contact with the outer periphery of wall 5 of the cylindrical portions, each of

said walls

5, 5 having one or more slits 6 at positions between said front and

rear walls

4, 4. Further the lower surface of plate 1 is formed with recesses 7 to save material.

According to the present invention, the cylinder portions 3 are so dimensioned that any four or two of cylindrical projections 2 may be received within their hollows. When, as shown in FIG. 5, the left four of

cylindrical projections

2, 2, 2, 2 of middle block B are in contact with the inner periphery of wall 5 of cylinder 3 of left side block B1, both blocks may be disposed at any desired angles between their longitudinal axes with said four

cylindrical projections

2, 2, 2, 2 acting as a pivot. Therefore, if a plurality of the blocks are fitted together, disposed alternately with their lower and upper surfaces facing each other, any polygon such as square, hexagon, octagon, etc. may be assembled, and columns of such a polygon may readily be constructed by stacking those polygons.

The block B and block B2 may also be fitted to each other as shown in FIG. 5, in a manner that the lower right cylindrical projection 2 of block B is in contact with the inner periphery of cylinder 3 of block B2 and two

more projections

2, 2 adjacent thereto are simultaneously in contact with the outer periphery of cylinder 3 of block B2.

The slits provided in annular walls 5, *5 at a position between

parallel walls

4, 4 will increase the flexibility of cylinder 3, whereby much more smooth engagement of cylindrical projections 2 to cylinder 3 may be provided.

What is claimed is:

1. An elongated toy block, said block having coupling means whereby it is couplable with other similar blocks, said block having an upper side comprising a plate, said plate having upper and lower surfaces, said coupling means including a plurality of cylindrical projections on said upper surface, said projections being equally spaced apart relative to one another and rectilinearly arranged to form two parallel longitudinal rows so that any four adjacent ones of said projections are located at the corners of a square, said coupling means further including a pair of annular walls projecting from said lower surface at opposed ends of said block and a pair of parallel longitudinal walls connecting said annular Walls at opposed sides of said block, the dimensions and positional relations of said walls and projections being such that two of said blocks may be assembled one upon the other in fixed relationship with projections of one block within the walls of the other block, at least one of said annular walls being internally and externally dimensioned to pivotally join with another one of said blocks by receiving within the hollow defined by said annular wall four of said adjacent projections of said other block.

2. The elongated toy block of claim 1, the annular Walls defining at least one radial slit between the connecting longitudinal walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1960 France. 12/1947 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.