Patent Application
20050048867
The present invention relates to modular substructures for model building sets, and more particularly, to building elements suitable for constructing modular substructures for supporting model building sets.
Miniature models of towns and buildings, such as model building sets, have been around for many years. Such model building sets offer educational opportunities to children as well as providing entertainment to both children and adult enthusiasts alike. Conventional model building sets, typically include connectable modular components. One such conventional model building set is shown in
Referring now to
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a building element is provided. The building element includes a body, wherein the body is configured for cooperating with another similar building element positioned below and aligned therewith such that the building elements are connectable in a secure, removable vertical stacking configuration. The body is configured for cooperating with another similar building element positioned below and inverted with respect to the building element and aligned therewith such that the building elements are connectable in a secure, removable inverted vertical stacking configuration. The body is also configured for cooperating with a portion of another similar building element positioned above and offset therewith such that the building elements are connectable in a secure, removable vertical offset stacking configuration. The body is further configured to be interlocked with another similar building element in a secure, removable manner.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable building element adapted to be stacked in multiple-level configurations is provided. The building element is comprised of a body that includes a plurality of first connector fitting adapted to receive cooperating connector fittings of another building element. The building element also includes a plurality of second connector fittings arranged and configured for cooperating with the first connector fittings of another building element positioned below and aligned therewith for allowing a secure, removable vertical stacking configuration of a plurality of building elements. The plurality of second connector fittings are further arranged and configured for cooperating with second connector fittings of another building element positioned below and inverted with respect to the building element and aligned therewith for allowing a secure, removable inverted vertical stacking configuration of two building elements.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable building element adapted to be stacked in multiple-level configurations is provided. The building element includes a rectangular base plate having an inner surface and an outer surface, a plurality of side walls extending outwardly substantially orthogonal from the inner surface of the base plate and having outer ends, and a plurality of first connector fittings positioned around the periphery of the base plate outer surface. The first connector fittings are adapted to receive cooperating connector fittings of another building element. The building element also includes a plurality of second connector fittings positioned at the side wall outer ends. The second connector fittings are arranged and configured for cooperating with the first connector fittings of another building element positioned below and aligned therewith for allowing a secure, removable vertical stacking configuration of a plurality of building elements. The plurality of second connector fittings are further arranged and configured for cooperating with second connector fittings of another building element positioned below, inverted such that the side wall outer ends of the building elements are juxtaposed, and aligned therewith for allowing a secure, removable inverted vertical stacking configuration of two building elements.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a building element adapted to be separated into half-sections or quarter-sections is provided. The building element includes a rectangular base plate having an inner and outer surfaces and lateral bisecting planes and a plurality of side walls extending outwardly substantially orthogonal from the inner surface of the base plate. The side walls are contiguously connected and have outer ends. The building element also includes a plurality of connector fittings positioned on the base plate outer surface and the side wall outer ends. The connector fittings are adapted to be removably secured to cooperating connector fittings of another structure. The building element further includes a set of first joints positioned along the lateral bisecting planes of the base plate. The joints are configured for decoupling the base plate into separate sections. Each side wall includes a second joint configured for decoupling each side wall into separate side wall sections.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a building element adapted to be separated into half-sections or quarter-sections, is provided. The building element includes a rectangular base plate having inner and outer surfaces and lateral bisecting planes and a plurality of side walls extending outwardly substantially orthogonal from the inner planar surface of the base plate. The side walls are contiguously connected and have outer ends. The building element also includes a plurality of connector fittings positioned on the base plate outer surface and the side wall outer ends. The connector fittings are adapted to be removably secured to cooperating connector fittings of another structure. The building element further includes first means for decoupling the side walls at a location that is in substantial alignment with the bisecting planes of the building element, and second means for decoupling the base plate along its bisecting planes so that the building element may be separated into individual sections.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a modular substructure is provided. The modular substructure includes a first building element including a polygonal base having first and second opposed planar surfaces and a plurality of contiguously connected side walls extending from one of the surfaces, thereby defining a first cavity. The modular substructure also includes a second building element including a polygonal base having first and second opposed planar surfaces and a plurality of contiguously connected side walls extending from one of the surfaces, thereby defining a second cavity. A portion of each first and second building element is interconnected with the second and first building elements, respectively, such that the second planar surface of the first building element is substantially parallel to second planar surface of the second building element, at least one side wall of the first building element interfaces with at least one side wall of the second building element, and the portions of the first and second building elements occupy a portion of the second and first cavities, respectively.
In accordance with still yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of constructing an interconnected, modular substructure is provided. The method includes obtaining first, second, third, fourth, and fifth substantially identical building elements. Each building element includes a rectangular base plate having inner and outer surfaces and lateral edges, a plurality of side walls extending outwardly substantially orthogonal from the inner surface of the base plate, and a plurality of connector fittings disposed on the inner surface of the base plate and the side wall outer ends. The building elements are configured so as to be separable into half-sections and quarter-sections each having a portion of the plurality of connector fittings. The first, second, third, and fourth substantially identical building elements are arranged in abutting relationship as a 2×2 array. Each respective building element is oriented so that the side walls of the building elements extend in the same direction. The fifth building element is placed in an inverted manner with respect to the first through fourth building element in the center of the 2×2 array so that at least one connector fitting of each of the first, second, third, and fourth building element cooperatively engage with at least one connector fitting of the fifth building element in a removably secure manner.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings where like numerals correspond to like elements. The present invention is directed to a building element suitable for use in supporting model building sets. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a building element configured to be removably secured to a plurality of like or similar building elements to form a modular substructure suitable for supporting model building sets. While the building elements and the resulting modular substructures of the present invention have their primary application in supporting model building sets, it will be appreciated that the building elements and the modular substructures of the present invention may be used in other applications desiring a modular system for forming rigid substructures or foundations. Thus, the following description relating to modular substructures for use with model building sets is meant to be illustrative and not limiting the broadest scope of the inventions, as claimed. Additionally, although illustrative terms such as vertical, horizontal, upper, lower, top, bottom, left and right may be used herein, they are descriptive in nature and should not be construed as limiting.
Referring now to
As best shown in
As best shown in
In the embodiments shown in the FIGURES, the side wall flanges 70, 72, 74, and 76 are not contiguous around the perimeter of the side walls, but include gaps 80, 82, 84, 86 located at the mid-span of each side wall 50, 52, 54, and 56, respectively. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the flange sections may be contiguously formed or connected, if desired. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the side walls 50, 52, 54, and 56 may extend from the outer edges of the base plate 42 with the side wall flanges 70, 72, 74, and 76 extending inward therefrom. Alternatively, the flanges may be omitted and replaced by side walls of suitable thickness, if desired.
As was briefly described above, in accordance with aspects of the present invention, the building element 40 may be configured to be removably secured to like or similar building elements, or other components of the model building set. To be able to be removably secured to such components, the building element 40 includes a plurality of connector fittings, including male and female connector fittings, positioned on, in, or through various surfaces of the building element 40. The cooperating male and female connector fittings allow the building element 40 to be removably secured to other building elements 40 or other components of the model building set having cooperating connector fittings. In various embodiments of the present invention, the building element 40 may include a plurality of connector fitting arrangements or any combination of a plurality of connector fitting arrangements for allowing the building element to be removably secured to other structures in multiple configurations. A description of a few suitable connector fitting arrangements and the placement of the connector fittings in such arrangements will be now be described in detail.
As best shown in
While male connector fittings 100A-100C are shown on the outer surface 46 of base plate 42, male connector fittings 100A-100C could, instead, be female connector fittings provided that the component to which the outer surface of base plate is to be removably attached has the appropriate mating connector fitting thereon. Similarly, as discussed throughout the rest of this description, wherever a female connector fitting (or conversely male connector fitting) is mentioned, a male connector fitting (or conversely a female connector fitting) can be employed in its stead as long as complementary connector fittings are present on components to be removably attached thereto. Additionally, while male connector fittings 100A-100C are substantially clover leaf in shape as shown in
In the first connector fitting arrangement, a plurality of male and female connector fittings, which are disposed on the side wall flange sections and generally designated 100 and 104, respectively, as best shown in
In the vertical stacking configuration, the female connector fittings 104C do not receive cooperating connector fittings, and thus, may be omitted, if desired. However, connector fittings 104C may be used in conjunction with or operate as a part of a third connector fitting arrangement for removably securing model set components thereto, which will be described in more detail below.
In the inverse vertical stacking configuration, the female connector fittings 104D, 104E, and 104F do not receive cooperating connector fittings, and thus, may be omitted from the second connector fitting arrangement, if desired. However, connector fittings 104D, 104E, and 104F may be used in conjunction with or operate as a part of the first connector fitting arrangement, as was described in detail above.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the building element 40 may further include a third connector fitting arrangement located on the outer surface 46 of the base plate 42 to enable the building element 40 to be removably secured at its outer surface 46 to other components of the model building set, such as terrain 28 (see
The center cluster 160E includes four female connector fittings 164A-164D, while clusters 160D and 160F include two female fittings 164A and 164D and clusters 160B and 160H include two female fittings 164B and 164C. The four female connector fittings 164A-164D are located adjacent to male connector fittings 162A-162D, opposite male fittings 162B, 162D, 162A, and 162C, respectively. The two female connector fittings 164A and 164D of clusters 160D and 160F are located adjacent to male connector fittings 162A and 162D, opposite male connector fittings 162B and 162C, respectively, while the two female connector fittings 164B and 164C of clusters 160B and 160H are located adjacent to male connector fittings 162B and 162C, opposite male connector fittings 162D and 162A, respectively.
The third connector fitting arrangement further includes four substantially identical clusters 170A-170D of connector fittings centrally positioned within the four quadrants and aligned with the pairs of male connector fittings 100B and 100C of the base plate flange sections 60, 62, 64, and 66. Each cluster 170A-170D includes four male connector fittings 172A-172D (only male connector fittings of cluster 170D are numbered for ease of illustration) arranged in the shape of a square. The clusters 170A-170D further include four female connector fittings 174A-174D (only female connector fittings of cluster 170D are numbered for ease of illustration) positioned adjacent to the male connector fittings 172A-172D, opposite male fittings 172C, 172A, 172D, 172B, respectively. While the connector fitting clusters 160A-160I and 170A-170D are arranged as shown, it will be appreciated that other arrangements may be practiced with, and are contemplated to be within the scope of, the present invention.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the building elements 40 may be broken or separated into individual half-sections 200 and quarter-sections 202, as shown in
To permit the building element 40 to be separated or broken into half-sections 200 and quarter-sections 202, the building element 40 includes first and second sets of joints capable of decoupling shown as first and second score lines 210 and 212 and tabs 220, 222, 224, and 226, respectively, which will now be described in greater detail with reference to
While score lines 210 and 212 are shown and described, other methods of providing a linear area of reduced strength, such as perforations, may be employed by embodiments of the present invention. Additionally, other joints capable of decoupling may be practiced with the present invention. For example, connector fittings of the type shown herein or others known in the art may be used to removably secure the quarter-sections and half-sections together to form the building element.
In addition to first and second score lines 210 and 212, the building element 40 includes a set of second joints capable of decoupling in the form of tabs 220, 222, 224, and 226 located adjacent the gaps 80, 82, 84, and 86 formed by the inner side edges of the side wall flange sections 70, 72, 74, and 76, respectively. Since each side wall is substantially identical in constructed, only one side wall will be described in detail. Turning now to
A third slot 250 is formed through the side wall 50 and extends from the intersection of the base plate inner surface 44 and the side wall 50, aligned with the score line 210, to a position past the mid-height of the side wall 50. In the embodiment shown, the third slot 250 is centered in-between and oriented parallel with the first and second slots 210 and 212. A third score line 260, configured as a groove, is formed in the outer surface of the tab 220. The score line 260 interconnects the first and second slots 240 and 242 and runs parallel to the base plate flange 60, across the upper end of the third slot 250. As such, the tab 220 is a cantilevered structure that may be broken by bending the tab about score line 260.
To break the building element into half-sections, tabs 220 and 224 or 222 and 226 on opposite side walls, i.e., 50, 54, or 52, 56, are broken or fractured, for example, by bending the tabs 220, 224 about the score lines 260, as shown best in
As briefly described above, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the half-sections 200 and quarter-sections 202 may be utilized with other building elements 40 to construct a substantially rigid foundation truss for such applications as supporting modular model building sets. To that end, the building element 40 includes a fourth connector fitting arrangement, which will now be described in detail. Turning now to
The center cluster 280C includes four male connector fittings 282A-282D arranged in a shape of a square and located such that the score lines 210 and 212 bisect the four male connector fittings 282A-282D. As such, the fittings 282A-282D of cluster 280C are aligned directly under fittings 162B, 162A, 162D, and 162C of cluster 160E (see
The clusters 280A, 280B, 280D, and 280E also include four male connector fittings 282A-282D, which are likewise arranged in a shape of a square and located such that each cluster is bisected by one of the score lines 210 or 212. As such, the male connector fittings 282A-282D of the clusters 280A, 280B, 280D, and 280E are aligned directly under the male connector fittings 162B, 162A, 162D and 162C of clusters 160B, 160D, 160F, and 160H, respectively (see
In the embodiment shown, the female connector fittings 284 of the fourth connector fitting arrangement may double as the female connector fittings 164 since they extend through the base plate 42. Alternatively, depending on the thickness of the base plate, the female connector fittings 164 and 284 are formed separately in the outer and inner surfaces of the base plate, respectively.
It will be appreciated that in the fourth arrangement, the distance between the male connector fittings of center cluster 280C and the male connector fittings of lateral clusters 280A, 280B, 280D, 280E is equal to the distance between female fitting 104D and the pair of female fittings 104E, 104F disposed closest to the respective female fitting 104D. For example, the distance between male connector fitting 282C of center cluster 280C and the pair of male connector fittings 282A and 282C of cluster 280E is equal to the distance between female connector fittings 104D and the pair of female connector fittings 104E and 104F.
In accordance with aspects of the present invention, multiple building elements may be configured in the vertical stacking configuration, as shown best in
Next, a fifth building element 40E, oriented in an inverted manner (i.e., with its side walls facing downward) is aligned over the center of the 2×2 array, as shown in
As the building element 40E is lowered from the position shown in
Continuing to form the interlocking configuration, four half-sections 200A-200D are obtained, for example, by dividing several extra building elements 40 in the manner discussed above. After four half-sections 200A-200D are obtained, they are lowered into position with their side walls facing downward and aligned to be adjacent or juxtaposed with the outer edges 310, 312, 314, and 316, respectively, of the building element 40E, as shown in
Next, four-quarter-sections 202A-202D are obtained in a manner described above to fill the void left in the interlocked configuration. To this end, the quarter-sections 202A-202D are lowered with their side walls facing downward and aligned to be adjacent or juxtaposed with the exposed side walls of the half-sections 200A-200D, into the position shown in
It will be appreciated that another building element 40 may be attached to the top of the resulting foundation truss 300 in an offset manner for varying the height and topography of the substructure 310, as best shown in
While the building element 40 has been described above and shown herein in a box-like configuration having a base plate from which side walls extend in one direction therefrom, it will be appreciated that other configurations may be used. For example, in
While the exemplary embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as claimed. For example, while the building element is shown as a rectangular configuration, shapes other the rectangular may be used that may be tessellated with other like building elements, such as triangular or pentagonal, to name a few. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the building elements described above and illustrated herein may be connected to other, non-identical building elements.
