Construction building set

Details Construction building set Construction building set

1998-03-06

2001-03-13

Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)

Amusement devices: toys

Construction toy

Including abutting elements having slots or apertures...

C446S120000, C446S124000, C446S128000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06200187

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates to a construction building set with building elements having the constructive features described herein.
Today, construction building sets of this type are widely known and available, and examples thereof include the Applicant's own construction building sets marketed i.a. under the trade mark DUPLO®. This construction building set is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,875.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a construction building set whereby it is possible to build constructions wherein the couplings between said building elements are capable of resisting substantial impacts from external influences, by means of building elements having coupling means known per se.
This object is achieved with the invention since the building elements of the construction building set include building elements having a structure as specified in the claims. If a building element, e.g. in the form of an aeroplane wing, is looked upon as a lever, the fulcrum of the aeroplane wing will move away from a primary coupling area formed by the coupling skirt and the studs. The location of the fulcrum will be determined by a secondary coupling area in the form of the cooperating abutment portions. It is the only object of the cooperating abutment portions to serve as the fulcrum with a view to reducing the ratio between the lever arms, thereby reducing the separation force between the two building elements.
The cooperating abutment portion on the building element of the first type constitutes an abutment surface without coupling studs, since the coupling studs in the primary coupling area will be able to provide adequate coupling.
In practice, the preferred embodiment will be an injection-moulded plastics element and the top surface will be a plane surface with coupling studs whereas the underside, which is open since the core was withdrawn in connection with the casting operation, will have protruding columns, walls or the like to form the a butment portions of the element.
The plane coupling surface with coupling studs will preferably merge with the plane abutment surface via a straight dividing line, the coupling surface and the abutment surface together forming an obtuse angle. in a preferred embodiment, the building element of the second type will have a rectangular coupling surface and two abutment surfaces which are adjacent to each their respective one of two opposite sides of the rectangular coupling surface, and the coupling surface and the two abutment surfaces in combination will form a convex surface on a portion of the building element. This construction is particularly suitable for aeroplane wings since the same element may be used for both the left and the right wings and the coupling is able to resist torsion, bending or flexing of the wing, depending on the respective designs of the primary and the secondary coupling surfaces.
If, in addition to coupling studs and complementary coupling means, the building elements are provided with an integral screw whereby a strong coupling between the two elements may be established, an impact between the elements will cause a pulling force to be exerted on the screw. In case the elements are provided with secondary coupling areas as described above, the magnitude of the force exerted on the screw will be reduced whereby the threaded portions of the elements will not suffer any damage, even in case of powerful influences.
A convex surface is formed on the element of the first type and the obtuse angle will normally be comprised within the range of 120-170°, i.e. the inclined abutment surface will form an angle relative to the imaginary extension of the coupling surface of 10-60°.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1009469 (1911-11-01), Burrowes
patent: 3005282 (1961-10-01), Christiansen
patent: 3034254 (1962-05-01), Christiansen
patent: 3481068 (1969-12-01), Paulson
patent: 3597875 (1971-08-01), Christiansen
patent: 5061218 (1991-10-01), Garage et al.
patent: 367719A (1990-05-01), None
patent: 630302 (1949-10-01), None
patent: 9308886 (1993-05-01), None

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