Patent Application
20250018311
The present invention relates to a prefabricated toy frame, and more specifically, to a prefabricated toy frame which can securely fix blocks without a separate coupling component and is formed so that a user easily makes a desired shape by being interconnected in various shapes.
Various prefabricated toys have been developed and are being marketed as a playing tool for the intellectual and creative development of preschoolers or children in lower elementary grades.
Generally, prefabricated toys consist of a plurality of blocks in shapes such as squares, rectangles, cylinders, or rods, and the square, rectangular, and cylindrical blocks have a plurality of coupling protrusions formed on a front surface thereof and concave grooves formed in a rear surface thereof so that the coupling protrusions and the concave grooves are pressed together to create various models through consecutive interconnections of the blocks.
In addition, hollow holes are formed in the rod-shaped block at predetermined intervals, so that when two rod-shaped blocks are facing each other, a fastener, such as a fastening pin or a bolt and nut, is passed through the hollow holes to create a model.
However, since the above-mentioned square, rectangular, and cylindrical blocks are coupled through the forced insertion of the coupling protrusions into the concave grooves, there is a problem in which the coupled blocks are not separated when the coupling protrusions are inserted into the concave grooves with excessive force or the coupled blocks are unintentionally separated when the coupling protrusions are loosely inserted into the concave grooves.
In addition, since the rod-shaped block has a structure in which the rod-shaped blocks are interconnected by a fastener, which is fastened through hollow holes, there is a problem in which a fastener is required at each connection part of the rod-shaped block.
Therefore, to address the aforementioned problems, the present applicant developed a prefabricated toy frame which can securely fix blocks without separate coupling components and can be interconnected in various shapes, and has submitted a patent application and obtained patent registration for the invention (Korean Patent Registered No. 10-2007717, ‘Prefabricated Toy Frame’).
The prefabricated toy frame developed by the applicant includes a body (100) having clamps (200) formed on both sides of the body in a longitudinal direction and a fastener (300) inserted into a hollow hole formed in the clamp (200) and connecting a plurality of bodies (100) in the longitudinal direction of the bodies.
However, since the prefabricated toy frame has a structure in which the fastener (300) is inserted into the hollow hole formed in the clamp (200) having the same height as the thickness of the body (100) to connect a pair of bodies (100) in the longitudinal direction, although there is an advantage in terms of a fixing force that securely couples the plurality of bodies (100) in the longitudinal direction, there is a problem in which the plurality of bodies (100) cannot be expanded in a thickness direction, that is, a vertical direction.
Therefore, in order to expand the plurality of bodies (100) in the vertical direction, since the fastener (300) is required to have a length that corresponds to the entire height of the bodies (100) to be expanded, there is problem in which the fasteners (300) with various lengths are separately manufactured. In addition, even when the fasteners (300) with various lengths are manufactured, there is a problem of difficulty in user preference.
The present applicant has proposed the present invention to address the above problems and, as a related art document related thereto, there is Korean Patent Registered No. 10-2007717 titled ‘Prefabricated Toy Frame.’
The present invention aims to address the aforementioned problems by providing a prefabricated toy frame configured to expand a plurality of bodies using coupling units with the same size in a longitudinal direction (a left-right direction) or a thickness direction (a vertical direction).
The present invention provides a prefabricated toy frame which includes a body and a clamp formed on at least one portion of the body interconnected with an opposing body, wherein the clamp includes a connection part protruding outward from one side or the other side of the body to form a hollow hole, a support part protruding upward or downward from a front end of the connection part and mounted in the hollow hole of the connection part formed in the opposing body, a plug integrally formed with the body to face the support part, protruding toward the support part, and positioned to be collinear with the support part, and a socket which is formed between the connection part and the support part and into which the plug formed in the opposing body is inserted and mounted, wherein when the body is connected with the opposing body by the clamp, a seating space, which has an inner diameter larger than a diameter of the hollow hole and communicates with the hollow hole, is formed in a connection portion of the bodies, a coupling unit is inserted into the seating space to expand the plurality of bodies in a longitudinal direction or a vertical direction, and when the coupling unit is inserted into the seating space in a direction from top to bottom or from bottom to top, seating surfaces, which suppress movement of the coupling unit, are provided on an upper side and a lower side of the seating space.
In addition, the connection part may have a free end which forms a semicircular outer circumferential surface or a semi-polygonal outer circumferential surface, and a portion at which the body and the connection part are connected may form a semicircular inner circumferential surface or a semi-polygonal inner circumferential surface to correspond to the free end of the connection part.
In addition, the support part may be inserted into the hollow hole of the connection part formed in the opposing body, may move linearly, and may be coupled with the plug formed in the opposing body.
In addition, the seating space may be defined by a first stepped member formed by cutting the connection part, a second stepped member protruding from the support part toward the plug, and a third stepped member protruding from the plug toward the support part, and the first stepped member, the second stepped member, and the third stepped member may form the seating surface.
In addition, the coupling unit may include a cover pin which expands the bodies in the longitudinal direction or covers the hollow hole formed in the body, and the cover pin having a height equal to half the thickness of the body may be inserted into the seating space.
In addition, the cover pin may include a first head covering the hollow hole, a hollow first rod extending from one side of the first head and inserted into the hollow hole, and a first hook which extends from the first rod, is inserted into the seating space, and comes into contact with the seating surface to be caught.
In addition, the coupling unit may further include a connection pin expanding the bodies in the vertical direction, wherein the connection pin includes a second head covering the hollow hole, hollow second rods extending from one side and the other side of the second head and inserted into the hollow hole, and a second hook which extends from the second rod, is inserted into the seating space, and comes into contact with the seating surface to be caught.
In addition, the second rod and the second hook provided on one side of the second head may be inserted into the hollow hole formed in any one body of the pair of bodies disposed in the vertical direction, and the second rod and the second hook provided on the other side of the second head may be inserted into the hollow hole formed in the other body.
In addition, the coupling unit may further include a fixing pin preventing separation of the cover pin or the connection pin, wherein the fixing pin includes a third head covering the hollow hole, a third rod extending from one side of the third head and inserted into the hollow hole, a third hook which extends from the third rod, is inserted into the seating space, and comes into contact with the seating surface to be caught, and a pressing piece which has an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the third rod, extends from the third rod, and is inserted into an inner space of the first rod of the connection pin or an inner space of the first rod of the cover pin to elastically press an inner surface of the second rod or an inner surface of the first rod.
In addition, the body may be manufactured in any one of block, plate, and wheel shapes.
A prefabricated toy frame according to the present invention provides a structure that connects bodies in a longitudinal direction or a vertical direction using standardized coupling units so that the bodies can be easily expanded according to a user's intentions.
In addition, since a prefabricated toy frame according to the present invention does not need coupling units having various lengths or sizes to meet the user's intentions, product manufacturing costs and selling prices can be reduced.
In addition, since a prefabricated toy frame according to the present invention provides a structure in which one or two coupling units are inserted into a portion at which a plurality of bodies are connected and coupled, the bodies can be securely connected in a longitudinal direction or a vertical direction.
In addition, a prefabricated toy frame according to the present invention has a structure in which a clamp can be applied to bodies with various shapes, thereby increasing product diversity and compatibility.
The advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will become apparent by referring to detailed embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
However, the present invention is not limited to exemplary embodiments disclosed below and can be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention thorough and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.
Hereinafter, referring to
As shown in
The body 200 is a component for a framework of a frame and may be manufactured in any form with a predetermined width and height. In addition, the body 200 may be formed of a hard material such as plastic or an elastic material such as urethane.
In addition, the body 200 may be manufactured in a block shape, a plate shape, or a wheel shape. For reference, a block-shaped body 200 is shown in
The clamp 300 may be a component that connects a plurality of bodies 200.
The clamp 300 is formed on at least one portion of the body 200 and may be coupled with a clamp 300 provided in another body 200.
The clamp 300, as shown in
A pair of connection parts 310 are provided on one portion of the body 200, and one longitudinal end of the body 200 may be integrally connected with the body 200 and the other longitudinal end thereof may protrude outward. The other longitudinal end of the connection part is a free end and forms an outer circumferential surface with an overall semicircular shape. Additionally, a portion of the body 200 at which the one longitudinal end of the connection part 310 is connected forms a semicircular inner circumferential surface.
For reference, descriptions and drawings of the embodiment of the present invention describe and show that the connection part 310 is bent in a curved shape, the free end of the connection part 310 forms a semicircular outer circumferential surface, and a portion of the body 200 at which the one longitudinal end of the connection part 310 is connected forms a semicircular inner circumferential surface, but the present invention is not limited to the descriptions and the drawings.
For example, the connection part 310 is bent at a predetermined angle, and an outer circumferential surface of the free end of the connection part 310 may have a semi-hexagonal shape or a semi-octagonal shape.
Therefore, inner circumferential surfaces of the pair of connection parts 310 and an inner circumferential surface of the body 200 form the hollow hole S1 together, and the coupling unit to be described below may be inserted through the hollow hole S1.
As above, when the other longitudinal end of the connection part 310 forms a semicircular outer circumferential surface, the portion of the body 200 at which one end of the connection part 310 is connected forms a semicircular inner circumferential surface, and the connection part 310 formed on the body 200 is interconnected with another connection part 310 formed on the opposing body 200, as the connection part 310 formed on the body 200 and another connection part 310 formed on the opposing body 200 overlap each other, a seating space S2 to be described below is formed.
For reference, a pair of clamps 300 coupled to connect the bodies 200, as shown in
Therefore, as shown in
The support part 320 is provided at each of the other longitudinal ends of the pair of connection parts 310, and the support part 320 sets a boundary of the socket 340 with the other longitudinal end of the connection part 310.
The support part 320, as shown in
In this case, the support part 320 has a coupling groove into which a coupling protrusion formed in the plug 330 may be inserted.
Meanwhile, the hollow hole S1 may have a size that allows the straight movement of the support part 320 inserted into the hollow hole S1.
As shown in
The coupling unit for expanding the plurality of bodies 200 in the longitudinal direction or the vertical direction is inserted into the seating space S2, and more specifically, a hook of the coupling unit may be positioned in the seating space S2.
In this case, when the coupling unit is inserted into the seating space in a direction from top to bottom or bottom to top, seating surfaces f, which suppress the movement of the coupling unit, are provided on an upper side and a lower side of the seating space S2, and the hook of the coupling unit comes into contact with the seating surface f.
The seating space S2, as shown in
The first stepped member 311, the second stepped member 321, and the third stepped member 331 form the seating surface f, and the seating surface f prevents the hook of the coupling unit disposed in the seating space S2 from moving in the vertical direction within the seating space S2.
In summary, as shown in
In addition, because the seating space S2 has an inner diameter larger than a diameter of the hollow hole S1, a step is formed between the hollow hole S2 and the seating space S2, and thus one surface of the step may be the seating surface f with which the hook of the coupling unit comes into contact. The seating surface f is formed by the first stepped member 311, the second stepped member 321, and the third stepped member 331.
Meanwhile, the coupling unit may include a cover pin 400 which is inserted into the connection portion between the bodies 200 to expand the bodies 200 in the longitudinal direction or to cover the hollow hole S1 formed in the body 200.
The cover pin 400 with a height equal to half the thickness of the body 200 may be inserted into the hollow hole S1 and the seating space S2.
The cover pin 400 may include a first head 410 covering the hollow hole S1, a hollow first rod 420 which extends from one side of the first head 410 and is inserted into the hollow hole S1, and a first hook 430 which extends from the first rod 420 and is inserted into the seating space S1 to come into contact with the seating surface f to be caught.
The cover pin 400 configured as above is a component which prevents the plurality of bodies 200, which are connected by the clamp 300 in the longitudinal direction, from being separated in the longitudinal direction or the vertical direction, and covers the clamp 300, which is exposed to the outside at the connection portion of the bodies 200, to enhance overall aesthetics and provide a clean appearance of the toy frame.
As shown in
The first rod 420 of the cover pin 400 may exert an elastic restoring force due to a hollow shape thereof. Therefore, the first rod 420 may be inserted into the hollow hole S1 in a forced insertion manner.
The first hook 430 protrudes outward from an end of the first rod 420 and may be inserted into the seating space S2 when the first rod 420 is inserted into the hollow hole S1. In this case, the first hook 430 comes into contact with the seating surface f formed by the first stepped member 311, the second stepped member 321, and the third stepped member 331 to maintain a caught state.
Also, the cover pin 400 may maintain a securely coupled state without being separated from the connection portion of the bodies 200 to the outside.
In addition, the cover pin 400 has a height equal to half the thickness of the body 200. Additionally, since a pair of hollow holes S1 and one seating space S2 are formed in the connection portion of the bodies 200, as shown in
Therefore, the coupling force of the plurality of bodies 200 connected in the longitudinal direction can be further increased. In addition, a coupling unit having another configuration is inserted into the hollow hole S1 and the seating space S2 formed after any one cover pin 400 of the pair of cover pins 400 is separated from the connected bodies 200, and thus the bodies 200 can be expanded in the vertical direction.
Meanwhile, the coupling unit may further include a connection pin 500 which expands the bodies 200 in the vertical direction.
The connection pin 500, as shown in
The connection pin 500 configured as above may be a component used when the plurality of bodies 200 are expanded in the vertical direction.
The connection pin 500 has the same height as the thickness of the block-shaped body 200 and structurally differs from the cover pin 400 which is provided with the second head 510 and the second hook 530 individually inserted into the hollow hole S1 and the seating space S2 of the body 200 disposed in the vertical direction.
That is, as shown in
With this configuration, one connection pin 500 may connect the two bodies 200 in the vertical direction. For reference, in
Since the second rod 520 and the second hook 530, which constitute the connection pin 500, have the same configuration as the first rod 420 and the first hook 430 of the cover pin 400, the detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted in the embodiment of the present invention.
In addition, as shown in
The fixing pin 600 is coupled to the cover pin 400 or the connection pin 500 inserted into the hollow hole S1 and the seating space S2 to increase the coupling force of the cover pin 400 or the connection pin 500 inserted into the connection portion of the bodies 200.
As shown in
The fixing pin 600 configured as above is coupled to the cover pin 400 or the connection pin 500 sequentially inserted into any one hollow hole S1 of the pair of hollow holes S1, formed at the connection portion of the body 200, and a half area of the seating space S2, such that the cover pin 400 or the connection pin 500 may be further coupled to the clamp 300 of the body 200. The fixing pin 600 is sequentially inserted into the other one hollow hole S1 of the pair of hollow holes S1 and the other half area of the seating space S2 and may be coupled to the first rod 420 of the cover pin 400 or the second rod 520 of the connection pin 500.
As shown in
Since the third head 610, the third rod 620, and the third hook 630, which constitute the fixing pin 600, are respectively configured the same as the first head 410, the first rod 420, and the first hook 430 of the cover pin 400 described above, the detailed descriptions for the configurations will be omitted in the embodiment of the present invention. The pressing piece 640 of the fixing pin 600 may be inserted into the inner space of the first rod 420 or the second rod 520 in a forced insertion manner.
For reference,
For example, as shown in
As described above, the pressing piece 640, which has the ‘┐’-shaped cross-section, is inserted into an inner space of the cover pin 400 or the connection pin 500 and may elastically press the inner surface of the first rod 420 or the inner surface of the second rod 520.
Meanwhile, a pair of plate-shaped bodies 200′ and block-shaped bodies 200 are shown in
As shown in
A wheel-shaped body 200″ and the block-shaped body 200 are shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments and should be determined by the scope of the claims set forth below as well as equivalents thereof.
The present invention can be sold by being applied in the toy industry.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2021-0162682 | Nov 2021 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2022/015801 | 10/18/2022 | WO |
