Amusement devices: toys – Figure toy or accessory therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-17
2001-04-10
Muir, D. Neal (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Figure toy or accessory therefor
C446S490000, C446S101000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213839
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toy building set comprising a first building element with the configuration of a substantially elongate element which is flexurally flexible and has a longitudinal direction and a predetermined outer diameter transversally to the longitudinal direction, and wherein the toy building set further comprises a second element provided with one or more gripping devices of the kind that features two gripping fingers with oppositely arranged receiving surfaces, said receiving surfaces being arranged at a mutual distance that corresponds to the predetermined outer diameter of the first building element, and a predetermined gripping width whereby the first building element may be introduced into and releasably secured between the gripping fingers.
Toys of this type are known today wherein the second element may optionally be a humanlike figure, an animal or the like, and wherein the first, substantially elongate, flexurally flexible element may be in the form of a liana, a rope or the like, on which e.g. the humanlike figure may be mounted by the gripping device, in this case optionally in the form of a hand, being pressed frictionally across the surface of the first, substantially elongate, flexurally flexible element.
In the known devices the substantially elongate, flexurally flexible elements are in the form of either a flexible rubber element of even thickness or an element which is also made entirely of rubber or the like plastic material, and wherein the surface of the element is corrugated in such a manner that, upon mounting on the elongate, flexible element, the gripping device spans a number of said corrugations.
However, since it is desired on the one hand to obtain a relatively high degree of holding force and on the other hand a very high degree of flexural flexibility, it is a problem of these prior art toy building sets that it is necessary to compromise which may mean that the elements do not allow for maximum holding force upon interconnecting or adequate flexural flexibility for the elongate, flexible element.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the light of this, it is the object of the present invention to provide a toy building set that completely or partially remedies the above-mentioned drawbacks.
This is obtained with a toy building set of the kind described in the introductory part and which is characterised in that, in its longitudinal direction, the first building element consists of a number of alternately relatively flexurally flexible and relatively flexurally rigid portions, and wherein the relatively flexurally rigid portion(s) has/have a diameter that corresponds to the predetermined outer diameter, and that it extends uninterrupted in the longitudinal direction of the elongate, flexurally flexible element for a length that corresponds to or exceeds the predetermined gripping width for the receiving surfaces on the gripping fingers whereby the relatively flexurally rigid portions form coupling points for mounting the second type of building elements along the elongate, flexurally flexible element.
The elongate, flexurally flexible element thus consisting of alternately relatively flexurally rigid and flexurally flexible sections, and the flexurally rigid sections having such length which allows one of these to completely fill or cover the receiving surfaces, it is obtained that, ceteris paribus, a relatively strong holding force is obtained compared to the prior art while simultaneously enabling a very high degree of flexural flexibility of the elongate flexurally flexible element.
A preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention, where the relatively flexurally flexible portions on the elongate, flexurally flexible element have a diameter smaller than that of the predetermined outer diameter, enables the elongate flexurally flexible element to be flexed to very acute radii without yielding any resistance thereto.
According to a particularly advantageous embodiment which allows for the most expedient interconnecting of the elements, the relatively flexurally rigid portions of the elongate, flexible element are substantially circular-cylindrical with an outer diameter corresponding to the predetermined outer diameter for the elongate, flexurally flexible element, and wherein the receiving surfaces on the gripping fingers consist of substantially circular-cylindrical surfaces with a common axis of symmetry.
Particularly advantageously the elongate, flexurally flexible element has at least two relatively flexurally flexible portions arranged at a distance from each other which exceeds the diameter of the relatively flexurally rigid portions. This means that the elongate, flexible element may be flexed in very acute bends or radii without the relatively flexurally flexible portions touching each other with ensuing resistance to the flexing.
The elongate, flexible element may, in accordance with a particularly simple embodiment, consist of a flexurally flexible, elongate element which is of substantially even thickness, such as a thread, string, wire, cord or the like, on which the relatively flexurally rigid portions on the elongate, flexible element are permanently mounted, and such element is particularly simple to manufacture if the relatively flexurally rigid portions are made of a plastics material moulded permanently, e.g. in an injection moulding process, to the flexurally flexible, elongate element which is of substantially even thickness.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention that exhibits a particularly increased play value of the elongate, flexurally flexible element, the toy building set may further comprise a third type of elements provided with coupling studs, and wherein the elongate, flexurally flexible element has two extremities, each of which being provided with a coupling means which is complementary to that of the coupling means on the third type of elements, with a view to mounting of the elongate, flexurally flexible element on the third type of elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2959888 (1960-11-01), Noble
patent: 3392480 (1968-07-01), Stubbmann
patent: 3477167 (1969-11-01), Ach
patent: 4205482 (1980-06-01), Christiansen et al.
patent: 4784391 (1988-11-01), Herron
patent: 3203460 (1983-09-01), None
INTERLEGO AG
Muir D. Neal
Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch LLP
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