Amusement devices: toys – Construction toy – Including post having plural longitudinal slots for panel or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2003-05-06
Ackun, Jacob K. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Construction toy
Including post having plural longitudinal slots for panel or...
C446S120000, C446S124000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06558222
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in toy building blocks whereby spaced-apart blocks may be interconnected by planar sheets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toy building blocks of many different configurations are, of course, very well known and popular and have always been one of the most popular toys in a wide variety of cultures. The building blocks take many different forms and some of these forms have become extremely well known in association with their respective trademarks. The blocks employ various interconnection means to permit them to be snapped, or otherwise held, together in a fixed relationship in order to build structures.
Building toys also exist which employed hinged connections between the parts and a number of building toys employ connector pieces which permit structures to be assembled from larger framing pieces.
Interconnected toy building blocks which also included interconnected planar members are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,281,856, patented Oct. 15, 1918, by G. E. Shaw, U.S. Pat. No. 1,883,214, patented Oct. 18, 1918, by E. B. Wilson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,662, patented Apr. 7, 1953, by W. O. Nelson, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,177, patented Aug. 6, 1974, by G. Wengel, all taught toy construction sets in which the elements thereof were held together by cooperation between planar members and grooves in cube-like, cylindrical or disc-like connectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,838, patented Apr. 25, 1972 by R. Hanning et al taught toy blocks which included corner pieces in the form of hollow rectangle parallelepiped blocks which had parallel-disposed, dovetail-shaped grooves, while other such toy blocks had parallel-disposed, dovetail-shaped ribs, while still others had both parallel disposed dovetail-shaped grooves and parallel disposed dovetail-shaped ribs. In addition, construction rods were provided which had dovetail-shaped projections at each end. Connection members were also provided which had such a cross-section that they were at least partly insertable into hollow spaces of the corner pieces. The construction rods were lockable by means of holding members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,143, patented Aug. 16, 1988, by A. Gat et al, disclosed various interlocking toy blocks whose interlocking was primarily by means of dovetail grooves and dovetail ribs, but which also disclosed planar portions to provide triangular or rectangular enclosures.
A particularly relevant patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,201, patented Jun. 18, 1996, by the present inventor, Paul T. Maddock. That patent provided a toy construction kit with interconnecting holding means, and included a plurality of building pieces of various configurations, including building pieces each having six faces, each one of the six faces having interconnection means which was configured for direct connection to complementary interconnection means on other building pieces. The interconnection means in at least one of the faces included an aperture defined therein which was particularly sized and shaped to receive a connector member in the kit which was either a planar, essentially rectangular cross-section elongate element or a planar, essentially rectangular cross-section tongue integral with and extending from another building piece. The other faces each had other interconnection means, including at least two of the following: A pin which was parallel to a face of the piece which was particularly sized to engage a corresponding sleeve on another piece, for hinged connection such that one piece may rotate with respect to another piece; or a sleeve parallel to a face of the piece, which was particularly sized to engage a corresponding pin on another piece, for hinged connection such that one piece may rotate with respect to another piece; or a male dovetail on a face of the piece which was particularly sized to engage a corresponding female dovetail on another piece such that one piece slidably engages with another piece; or a female dovetail on a face of the piece, which was particularly sized to engage a corresponding male dovetail on another piece such that one piece slidably engaged with another piece; or a tongue of rectangular cross-section projecting from a face of the piece which was particularly sized to engage one of the apertures. The patent also provided a row of interconnected blocks which were further interconnected by stick-like columns.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,046 patented Jul. 7, 1998 by D. J. Fanger et al provided modular construction units as L-shaped or U-shaped or open-ended rectangular parallelepiped boxes. Each of the members was provided with an array of cooperating dovetails and dovetail-shaped keyways. These elements were closely spaced so that a pair of such members could be meshed together and be locked against motion in two directions. Specially-located engaging elements along the length of the construction units or the sides of the units made therefrom allowed mated construction members to be translated relative to each other as desired, even if one construction member was mated therewith, and bridged across two facing construction members, thus exhibiting translational symmetry. They also facilitate the rotation in place of any units made from a plurality of construction members, thus exhibiting rotational symmetry. The patent also provided planar members which could be linked together by connectors to form triangular or pentagonal enclosures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,268, patented Jan. 13, 1998, by K. S. Outman provided toy construction sets in which the individual units were held together through means cooperating with holes in the toy blocks. The individual units consisted of a triangular plate, an elongated slot adjacent to an edge of the plate, and an elongated coupling sleeve.
The above-identified copending application Ser. No. 09/149,477 also disclosed toy building pieces which may be advantageously used in conjunction with a variety of differently-shaped framing pieces or connectors for building of structures, e.g., polyhedral figures, geodesic domes or many other structures. One or more faces of the building pieces had interlocking means in the form of dovetail tongues and/or dovetail grooves, and had an aperture in the surface thereof to receive a thin rectangular shape, or a cylindrical-shaped end of a framing piece of various cross-section or connectors, which were I-shaped in cross-section. Other faces of the modular element incorporated interconnection means, which included for example: especially configured angular connection pieces which can be used in conjunction with other pieces to construct polyhedral figures; other pieces which are designed for hinged connection; a dovetail tongue on one part which is adapted to engage a dovetail groove on another part; or a tongue projecting from a face to engage one of the apertures. The adapter pieces were provided to change the connection means of a piece.
Such copending application Ser. No. 09/149,477 also provided axial connecting members in the form of rectangularly-shaped panels having edges which were adapted to be inserted into receptive recesses which are provided in, or by, a plurality of interconnected blocks. It further included axial connecting members in the form of thin-walled panels, which were either planar or which included curved surfaces. It further included axial connecting members in the form of thin-walled panels having perforated openings therethrough, the thin-walled panels being either planar or including curved surfaces. It also included axial connecting members in the form of thin-walled panels having perforated openings therethrough, the thin-walled panels being either planar or including curved surfaces, in combination with a plurality of connecting members which were provided with a cylindrical projection for engagement through the perforated openings and into the central hollow cylindrical members of the modular elements.
In more specific terms, such copending application Ser. No. 09/149,477 provided a framework of primary block
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