Patent Application
20060276100
Multi-part construction toy sets are very popular among young children, and parents as well, as they allow for a wide expression of imagination in assembling structures and devices from the individual components of the construction toy set. Typically, a construction set will include specific, illustrated instructions for the assembly of one or more specific devices. However, in many if not all cases, the users will strike out on their own, to assemble the individual components in new ways to build structures and devices that they envision.
One of the popular multi-part construction toy sets is manufactured by K'NEX Industries, Inc., Hatfield, Pa., and sold under the well known “K'NEX”]trademark. The K'NEX construction toy is comprised principally of individual rods and connector elements designed to accommodate a unique lateral snap-in assembly in a manner to enable large and complex structures of considerable strength and rigidity to be assembled. The K'NEX construction toy set is covered by and described in the Glickman U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,061,219, 5,137,486, 5,199,919 and 5,350,331, among others. The disclosures of those patents are incorporated herein by reference.
An older but nevertheless still popular form of multi-part construction toy is of the studded block style, such as marketed under the “Lego”, “Mega Bloks”, and “Duplo” trademarks. These styles of construction toys utilize hollow blocks or “bricks” of rectangular configuration provided with a plurality of cylindrical studs projecting upward from flat upper surfaces thereof. The geometry of the blocks is such that the projecting studs of one block may be inserted into, and frictionally retained by, the hollow bottom area of another block in various combinations of positions, enabling a wide variety of structures to be built on a block-on-block assembly basis. Although the construction options available using block type components is somewhat more limited than with the rod and connector system described above, the block type construction sets remain popular with children and parents because the individual components tend to be somewhat larger and are easily handled and assembled by small children.
Recognizing that both of the above described rod and connector-type construction sets and the block type construction sets have their respective advantages, the present invention seeks to provide a novel, simplified and useful approach to interfacing the two distinctly different types of construction sets, such that block components can be readily incorporated into structures made primarily of rod and connector elements of K'NEX construction sets, and rod and connector elements may likewise be easily and usefully incorporated into structures utilizing block type construction elements such as Lego, Duplo and Mega Bloks.
Preferentially, the invention seeks to provide a system in which block type assembly units may be easily incorporated into structures primarily of the rod and connector (K'NEX) type, in order to enhance and expand the building experience of individuals using primarily the rod and connector type components. In the Glickman U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,438 there is disclosed a limited form of adapter block intended to permit the joining of a K'NEX structure to a block type structure. However, the disclosed arrangement had limited capabilities and limited flexibility and thus is considered far from optimum in terms of its usefulness for the purposes intended.
As set forth in the before mentioned Glickman patents, the K'NEX type rod and connector system follows a specific geometric system, with rod elements of a progression of lengths such that a right triangle of one size is comprised of rods of a first size as the sides and a rod of the next larger length progression as the hypotenuse. This principle applies throughout the progression of rod lengths such that a rod which is a hypotenuse of one triangle may be the side of another, etc. throughout.
Currently, the K'NEX rod and connector systems are marketed in two size categories, a “standard” size, directed to both children and adults, and a larger size, directed more to younger, smaller children, which has larger and softer components, both rods and connectors. For convenience, the standard rod and connector components may hereinafter sometimes be referred to as “K'NEX” components while the larger size components, directed more specifically to small children, may be referred to as “KID K'NEX” components. Both K'NEX and KID K'NEX are registered trademarks of K'NEX Industries, Inc.
As can be appreciated, in order for a block construction system to be compatible with the K'NEX and KID K'NEX systems, the geometry of the blocks must be compatible with the geometric structure of the rod and connector set, in order to be able to be integrated therein in a meaningful way. Inasmuch as both the K'NEX and KID K'NEX construction sets have a substantial existing product base, the present invention contemplates the use of specially dimensioned blocks which, while being structurally similar to the blocks of the existing Lego, Duplo and Mega Bloks sets, will have somewhat different dimensions, in order to be fully compatible with and integratable into the standard rod and connector systems of the K'NEX and KID K'NEX sets.
As a further aspect of the invention, in order to provide a K'NEX rod and connector set that is fully compatible with the existing product base of the Lego-type blocks, for example, a new and somewhat miniaturized rod and connector system is provided, which has been sized and dimensioned in the first instance to be compatible with the large existing base of block type construction toy products.
In any of the systems described generally above, a special adapter block is provided which can be outwardly identical in its dimensions to other blocks of the system but which is provided with special recesses for the reception of adapter rod elements. In a typical block element, for example, having four pairs of upwardly projecting cylindrical studs, three separate vertical recesses, preferably but not necessarily cylindrical, are provided in spaces between the pairs of standard studs. These recesses are adapted for the reception and retention of special adapter rods that project upwardly above the top surface of the block, or alternatively downwardly below the bottom surface areas of the block as desired by the builder. The adapter rod includes an end portion which corresponds in its size, its dimensions and in its configuration to a rod end of the small, standard or large size rod and connector components, as appropriate. The end of the adapter rod is adapted for a lateral snap-fit assembly with a connector part for the rod and connector set in the usual manner. The arrangement is such that block elements and rod and connector elements may be interspersed in a wide variety of ways in a hybrid assembly, providing for greatly expanded construction possibilities for the user of a hybrid set containing both blocks and rods and connectors.
In a preferred form of the invention, each of the individual block-type building elements is encoded with an identifying indicia, such as a number or letter which is distinctive to the particular shape and size of the block. Such identifying indicia can then be referred to in the building instructions and plans associated with a toy construction set, greatly facilitating the selection of the correct size and shape of block called for by the printed instruction plan.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, and to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawing, and initially to
In the illustration of
As set forth in the before mentioned Glickman patents, the various rod elements of the construction toy set are formed at their end extremities with a cylindrical section 28, an annular groove 29, and an end flange 29a. A rod is assembled with a connector by a lateral, snap-in motion. When assembled, the transverse projections 23 of the connector sockets are received in and lockingly engaged with the annular grooves 29 of the rods, while the cylindrical portions 28 of the rods are gripped by concave grooves in the outer portions of the gripping arms 21, 22.
Interfacing of a K'NEX structure to a block system, such as shown in
In the form of the invention illustrated in
The top wall 35 of the construction block 30 is provided with eight uniformly spaced cylindrical studs 36, which project a short distance (0.116 inch) above the top wall 35 of the block. As reflected in
Centered in the spaces between the two rows of cylindrical studs 36 are three vertical cylindrical sockets 37, which extend downward from the top wall 35. In the illustrated embodiment, the cylindrical sockets 37 extend downward to a level a short distance (e.g., 0.006 inch) above the plane defined by lower edges of the side walls 31-34.
As reflected in
In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the cylindrical sockets 37 are open at both ends. This differs importantly from conventional block elements, in which downwardly projecting cylindrical elements, provided for structural purposes, are closed at the top and serve only to provide an external friction surface for engagement with studs of an underlying block assembled to the block above.
To advantage, the internal wall of the cylindrical sockets 37 are recessed at each end, as indicated at 41, 42, providing a retention detent for retaining an inserted adapter rod, to be described.
With reference particularly to
As shown in
To join the adapter block 30 with a rod and connector system, the adapter rod 43 is inserted into one of the open-ended cylindrical sockets 37, either from the top or from the bottom, as reflected in
As is evident in
In accordance with a feature of the invention, the relative dimensioning of the elements is such that an assembly of standard K'NEX components, such as shown in
In the illustration of
In as much as the existing base of such construction sets of the different styles are not dimensionally compatible, a feature of the invention is to redimension the block elements to be compatible with the existing base of standard K'NEX rod and connector elements, on the one hand, and to redimension rod and connector elements, on the other hand, to provide a new size of rod and K'NEX components that are fully compatible with the existing base of block type construction sets.
In the form of the invention intended for use with the existing base of standard K'NEX components, an eight stud adapter block 30 is designed to have an overall length of slightly less than 2.089 inches, for example about 2.082 inches, and a width of slightly less than 1.045 inches, for example about 1.038 inches. The block length is intended to correspond to the 2.089 center-to-center distance between a pair of connector elements joined by a rod 26 of intermediate length, as shown in
In the illustrated form of the invention, the stem portion 44 of the adapter rod has a diameter to closely fit within the cylinder 37, preferably about 0.324 inch, while the outer diameter of the detent flange 53 is somewhat larger, preferably about 0.349 inch. The contours of the detent flange 53 are rounded, as shown in
In a standard K'NEX rod and connector set, an intermediate rod 26 will have an overall length of about 1.293 inch, and the connectors 20, regardless of the number of rod-engaging sockets provided therein, will have a standard distance from the inner wall 24 of the socket to the center axis of the connector of about 0.398 inch. Accordingly, the center-to-center distance between two connectors joined by an intermediate rod 26 of length 1.293 inch, will be 2.089 inch, approximately equal to the length of the block 30. Thus, two connectors 20 thus assembled can be joined with two adapter rods 43 mounted in corresponding cylindrical sockets 37 of two blocks 30 placed end-to-end, as shown in
Whereas adapter rods 43 shown in
In a standard K'NEX set, there are connector elements that can be joined together in a manner providing rod-engaging sockets extending in two right angularly related planes, see Glickman U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,331,
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a vertically stacked assembly of two blocks 30, as shown in
Thus, in the arrangement illustrated in
With reference now to
In accordance with the invention, the distance from side walls 31, 33 of the blocks 30 to the center lines of sockets 37 is the same as the distance from the end walls 32, 34 to the end-most sockets 37 of a block. Additionally, the distance between adjacent sockets 37 of adjacent blocks 30 is the same, whether the blocks are placed end-to-end or side-to-side. This distance also equals the space between the end-most sockets 37 of the blocks 30. This arrangement provides for a uniform spacing of sockets both transversely and longitudinally in a panel-like structure 80. By making this spacing correspond with the length of the various rod elements, when joined with connectors at each end, it is possible to make assemblies of panels and rods wherein the rods have a rectilinear orientation on the panel-like structure 80. In
As previously described, in the K'NEX system, when a rod of one size serves as a side of a right triangle, the rod of the next larger size can form a hypotenuse. Thus, in the illustration of
Also shown in
It will be evident that the arrangement of the invention provides for an exceptionally versatile arrangement for combining block-type construction toy elements with rod and connector elements to form a wide variety of hybrid structures, which can be both simplified and highly complex, according to the desires of the builder.
In the preceding description of features of the invention, it was contemplated that the rod and connector elements will derive from a standard existing size of K'NEX products, with the specialized adapter blocks dimensioned specially to correspond.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide a rod and connector system according to the principles of the standard K'NEX system, which can interface with the extensive, already existing base of Lego and Mega Bloks products for example. To this end, the rods and connectors are specially dimensioned to conform to the dimensional characteristics of existing block sets. In addition, special adapter blocks and adapter rods are provided which enable interfacing of rods and connectors to blocks in exactly the same manner as illustrated in
For interfacing with an existing Lego system, the principles are identical to those previously described, and the appearance of the components is basically identical to that shown in
A typical eight stud Lego block, for example, will have length and width dimensions of approximately 1.252 inch and 0.622 inch respectively. The eight cylindrical studs will be uniformly spaced at 0.315 inch center-to-center, a diameter of 0.1925 inch and a height of 0.70 inch. The adapter block will include three cylindrical sockets 37 which are open at the top and bottom and advantageously are provided with detent recesses 41, 42. The cylindrical sockets are spaced apart center-to-center at 0.315, which is the same spacing as between adjacent studs 36. The sockets 37 are adapted to receive the adapter rods 43, which are identical in principle to those used with the previously described standard K'NEX set, but are redimensioned to a somewhat smaller size for the somewhat smaller standard size of the Lego block. The sockets 37, for example, will have an inside diameter of 0.196 inch, and the diameter of the stem portion 44 of the adapter rod advantageously is about 0.195 inch.
All of the components of the K'NEX set are “downsized to enable assemblies, such as shown in
In the embodiment of the invention shown in
In the illustrated KID K'NEX system, there are a series of rods 50, 51, 52 of progressively graduated lengths, cooperating with connector elements 53, 54, 55 to form the illustrative structure of
In the KID K'NEX system, the connector elements advantageously are formed of a soft and pliable plastic material, and grip the rods only by their end flanges 56 and neck portions 57 but do not grip the body of the rod beyond the neck portion thereof. The connector elements are formed with various numbers of rod-engaging sockets 58, from as many as eight to as few as one. Typically, the sockets are spaced angularly by 45 degrees, or a multiple thereof. All of the connector elements, regardless of the number of sockets 58 provided therein, have a standard distance from the center axis thereof to an inner end wall surface of a rod-receiving socket. For standard size components, this distance is approximately 0.670 inch.
In the structure illustrated in
In principle, the adapter blocks are functionally similar to the blocks 30 previously described, being formed with eight cylindrical studs 62, uniformly spaced apart lengthwise and widthwise at center-to-center distances of 0.885 inch. The studs 62 can have a height of about 0.200 inch. In the illustrated example, the studs are open at the top, whereas the smaller studs of the blocks 30 previously described typically are closed. The stud diameter in the illustrated example of
In the form of the invention shown in
Special adapter rods 70 (
As reflected in
A hybrid construction toy kit incorporating the principles illustrated in
In a complete system, all or most of the blocks may be constructed in the manner of the adapter block 61, including the open-ended cylindrical sockets 68, such that any block is capable of receiving an adapter pin. If desired, however, the block inventory may be made up of blocks of standard configuration and special adapter blocks of the type shown in
To particular advantage, the various block elements utilized in connection with the present invention, as well as for block-type construction sets generally, are marked a permanent indicia to identify the characteristics of the block. Each different type of block is provided with a separate characterizing indicia, such as a number of letter. Construction diagrams for assembling structures using such blocks can identify the blocks by such characterizing indicia, making it easy and virtually foolproof for the builder to select the proper block from a mixed inventory, without having to compare the shape and size of the block visually with the illustration of the plan. By way of example, in the block shown in
Preferably, the adapter rods, in any of the described alternatives, are separate from and removably inserted into the adapter blocks. However, it is also conceptually consistent with certain aspects of the invention to form adapter blocks with one or more adapter rods integrally molded as a fixed element of the block.
In any of its embodiments, the system of the invention serves to greatly enlarge the usability and attractiveness of construction toy sets. For the existing base of standard K'NEX rod and connector sets, building blocks and adapter blocks and rods can be provided to enable free interfacing from one construction style to the other. The user has virtually endless possibilities for making hybrid constructions involving block elements in conjunction with rod and connector features.
For the existing base of Lego, Mega Bloks and Duplo construction sets, rod and connector sets are scaled and dimensioned for compatibility with the existing blocks and are provided with adapter blocks and adapter rods to allow the user to interface between rod and connector structure and block structure, on a simple and facile basis.
For existing K'NEX sets, both of the standard type and the KID K'NEX type, block sets can be included or provided, in each case including both adapter blocks and adapter rods as described herein. The block sets are dimensioned for compatibility with the existing K'NEX and KID K'NEX sets and provide the user with a high degree of freedom in the assemblies of a limitless variety of hybrid structures. It is also contemplated, of course, that the builder may choose to make structures entirely of the block type or entirely of the rod and connector type, as well as hybrid structures.
In all versions of the invention, whether adapting to the existing base of block-type construction sets or to the existing base of K'NEX and KID K'NEX sets, the design of the adapter blocks is such as to accommodate the joining of rod and connector structures with block structures on a basis accommodating both transverse and longitudinal orientation of the rods, and also diagonal (45 degree) orientation of the rods. The arrangement is such that right triangular structures, which are fundamental to the K'NEX construction sets, can be readily constructed on a base of block-type building units. In this connection, the block-type building units can be of virtually any size and shape, as long as the spacing of the studs and adapter recesses is consistent with the principles of the invention.
It should be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.
