Patent Application
20090263209
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a connector for toy structures and educational instruments, particularly for assembling plastic and metal components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art of toy structures wherein various pieces are provided for the child to assemble, typically all the pieces of a set are assembled with similar material. However, of all materials, metal is typically the best adapted for providing thin pieces of a long expanse. Plastic, however, is typically preferable for smaller pieces, such as connectors, as it is flexible and easy to manipulate safely by children.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a plastic connector which is adaptable for use with larger metal pieces, particularly expansive pieces, in a toy construction set.
This and other objects are attained by providing a plastic connector with a flat base which can be screwed to the side of a first metal construction piece, and further includes a passageway of square or rectangular cross section for receiving a plastic construction piece.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, one sees the connector 10, an embodiment of the present invention. Connector 10 is typically an integral molded piece of plastic, but those skilled in the art will recognize a range of equivalents after review of this disclosure. Connector 10 includes a circular base 12 in a planar configuration with opposed apertures 14, 16 inwardly adjacent from the periphery 18 of circular base 12. Apertures 14, 16 receive threaded fasteners or similar generally cylindrical fasteners 98 (see
Connector 10 further includes a square or rectangular channel 20 bounded by walls 22, 24, 26, 28, with wall 26 being formed by a portion of circular base 12. Apertures 30, 32 (obscured from view in
Lateral supports 50, 52 extend from circular base 12 to sidewall 24. Similarly, lateral supports 54, 56 extend from circular base 12 to sidewall 28 thereby stabilizing the sidewalls and connector 10 as a whole.
To use connector 10, the user typically places connector 10 against metal construction piece 100 and secures the connector 10 to the construction piece by passing threaded fasteners 98 through apertures 14, 16 and corresponding apertures 102 in metal construction piece 100. Threaded fastener 98 is then captured by a complementary threaded fastener (obscured from view). The user then passes construction piece 200 through channel 20 and passing pegs 202, 204 through apertures 30-36 and the corresponding apertures formed in construction piece 200. Other similar variations are possible.
Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.
