Patent Application
20120252307
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a light-emitting building block, and in particular to the light-emitting building block having a light member and an electricity connection unit received therein and when multiple building blocks are connected to each other, the electricity connection units are connected to transfer power to the light members.
2. The Prior Arts
Although modern toys or video games provide more vivid entertainment than traditional toys, some traditional toys, such as building blocks, still attract many parents and children. Playing the building blocks can improve hand-eye coordination of young children. Moreover, the building blocks can be assembled and connected in many ways, which is fun. Children and adults both can use bricks in various shapes to create anything and everything, such as vehicles, buildings, and even robots. Therefore, the building block is still one of most popular toys across all ages.
Although the conventional building blocks provide entertainment and stimulate creativity, the building blocks can be improved to attract more children to play. One of schemes to attract attention of the children is to provide a light-emitting building block. The improved building blocks can illuminate when they are connected to each other and still has a structure not too complicated.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a light-emitting building block having a light member and an electricity connection unit received therein. When the building blocks are connected to each other, the electricity connection units form a circuit to supply power to the light members, thereby enhancing entertainment.
In order to achieve the objective, a building block according to the present invention comprises a hollow and light transmittable brick. The brick has at least two studs extended from a top of the brick and at least two tubes corresponding to the studs defined in a bottom of the brick. At least two electricity connection units corresponding to the studs are disposed in the brick and each electricity connection unit has a positive conducting member and a negative conducting member. The positive conducting member has a first positive contact and a second positive contact respectively located at two ends thereof, and the negative conducting member respectively has a first negative contact and a second negative contact located at two ends thereof. The first positive contact and the first negative contact are disposed in the studs, and the second positive contact and the second negative contact are disposed in the tubes. At least one light member is disposed in the brick and electrically connected with the electricity connection units.
When the bricks are connected to each other by inserting the studs of one brick into the tubes of another brick, the first positive and negative contacts in the studs are in contact with the second positive and negative contacts in the tubes so as to form a circuit. When one of the bricks is electrically connected to a power supply or a power supply is built in the brick, all of the light members in the connected bricks are turned on, which increase the visual attraction.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a power supply base for supplying power to the building blocks.
The hollow power supply base has at least one stud corresponding to the tube of the brick disposed on a top thereof. The stud of the power supply base has a positive electrode piece and a negative electrode piece. When the power supply base is engaged with the brick, the positive electrode piece and the negative electrode piece are electrically connected with the second positive contact and the second negative contact disposed in the tube of the brick, respectively. The positive electrode piece and the negative electrode piece are electrically connected with at least one battery so as to provide power to the light member in the brick.
The electric power of the battery disposed in the power supply base is transferred to the electricity connection units through the positive and negative electrode pieces so as to illuminate the light members in the bricks.
The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
With reference to the drawings and in particular to
As shown in
the positive conducting member 21 has a first positive contact 211 and a second positive contact 212 disposed on two ends thereof, respectively. According to the first embodiment, the positive conducting member 21 is a thin rod and is axially disposed in the rod 20. The first positive contact 211 of the positive conducting member 21 is a flat plate and located on a top the rod 20. The second positive contact 212 is shaped in a spiral and protruded out of a bottom of the rod 20 and located in the tube 12.
the negative conducting member 22 has a first negative contact 221 and a second negative contact 222 disposed on two ends thereof, respectively. According to the first embodiment, the negative conducting member 22 is an elongated strip and the first negative contact 221 is shaped in a ring-shaped bowl having a central hole. The ring-shaped bowl of the first negative contact 221 includes an inner wall, an outer wall and a bottom between the inner and outer walls. The inner wall of the first negative contact 221 defines the central hole of the ring-shaped bowl, and is corresponding to and sleeved on the upper end of the rod 20. The outer wall of the first negative contact 221 is corresponding to and contacted with an inside of the stud 11. Because the outer wall of the first negative contact 221 is engaged with the inside of the stud 11 and the inner wall of the first negative contact 221 is sleeved on the upper end of the rod 20, the upper end of the rod 20 is fixed. The second negative contact 222 of the negative conducting member 22 is a flexible bent strip and located in the tube 12 and close to the inner periphery of the tube 12.
the brick 10 has at least one light member located therein and the light member is electrically connected with the positive and negative conducting members 21, 22. According to the first embodiment, the light member includes a Light Emitting Diode 31 (LED) which is connected to a circuit board 32. The circuit board 32 has more than one set of wires 33 connected to the positive and negative conducting members 21, 22 of the electricity connection units. As shown in
The positive conducting members 21, the negative conducting members 22 and the LEDs 31 can also be connected by another ways described hereinafter.
As shown in
As shown in
In order to provide the power to the light members, the brick 10 includes at least one battery (not shown in the drawing) received therein and the battery may be mounted to the circuit board 32. The brick 10 further includes a switch 34 to control the connection between the Light Emitting Diode 31 and the battery. The switch 34 may be disposed at an underside of the circuit board 32 and located corresponding to one of the tubes 12 in the bottom of the brick 10. Therefore, the user can operate the switch 34 through the tube 12.
In addition to using the battery disposed in the brick 10 to supply power, the power supply may be disposed outside of the brick 10. According to another embodiment, the brick 10 connects with a power supply base 40 having a structure corresponding to the tubes 12 and the electricity connection units of the brick 10. Referring to
Referring to
When the bricks 10 and 10′ are connected to each other, the studs 11 of one brick are engaged with the tubes 12 of another brick and the electricity connection units of the bricks 10 and 10′ are electrically connected. The light members can be turned on to provide the interlocking bricks 10 with the visual attraction.
The positive conducting member 51 and the negative conducting member 52 of the brick 10 according to the second embodiment are connected to a hollow rod 50. The positive conducting member 51 includes a top contact pin 511, a bottom contact pin 512 and a spring 513 disposed between the top and bottom contact pins 512, 513. Each of the top and bottom contact pins 511, 512 includes a first end and a second end. The first ends of the top and bottom contact pins 511, 512 are projected out of two ends of the rod 50 to form the first and second positive contacts, respectively. The spring 513 is compressed between the second ends of the top and bottom contact pins 511, 512 and therefore the top and bottom contact pins 511, 512 are movable by compressing the spring 513. Moreover, the top and bottom contact pins 511, 512 and the spring 513 forms a circuit to be electrically connected with the LED 31.
The negative conducting member 52 includes a first negative contact 521 disposed at a first end thereof. The first negative contact 521 is a conical coil and the diameter of the first negative contact 521 is gradually reduced from top to bottom thereof. The top contact pin 511 is disposed inside of the first negative contact 521. A second end of the negative conducting member 52 is bent to form a flexible second negative contact 522 which is connected with the LED 31 on the circuit board 32 to form a circuit.
The connections of the positive and negative conducting members 51, 52 and the LEDs 31 are the same as those disclosed in
The same as the first embodiment, when the bricks 10 according to the second embodiment are connected to each other, the tubes 12 of the brick are engaged with the studs 11 of another brick and the bottom contact pin 512 and the second negative contact 522 of the brick are respectively connected with the top contact pin 511 and the first negative contact 521 of another brick. Therefore, the circuit is formed to turn on the LEDs 31.
The bricks 10 can be rectangular cubes or another shapes of cubes and the number of the studs can also be adjusted. As shown in
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.
