Patent Application
20190240591
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A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection by the author thereof. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure for the purposes of referencing as patent prior art, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
One or more embodiments of the invention generally relate to toy sets. More particularly, certain embodiments of the invention relate to building block toys assembled by the means of additional non-adhesive elements such as construction toy sets. The non-adhesive elements are held together by means of elastic deformation, which may be described as a clip or snap mechanism.
The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. Children, and even some adults, are intrigued and challenged with play sets which include elements utilized to form three-dimensional objects which may accomplish a playful utilitarian function. Various children's toys may be designed to teach the assembly of geometric shapes into three-dimensional objects. A toy construction set may provide a broad variety of differently configured connectors for tubular elements may expand the horizon of imagination of children playing with this toy construction set. Typical interlocking block systems may be available playsets having rectangular blocks which may engage each other in layers to form various desired shapes and structures.
The following is an example of a specific aspect in the prior art that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. By way of educational background, another aspect of the prior art generally useful to be aware of is that a typical playset block may include an array of studs protruding from a top side and array of receptacles, defined along a bottom side, sized to snugly receive the studs of other blocks in a mating fashion. There may be numerous types of toy construction sets, building blocks and interlocking accessories. There may also varied designs that may join and attach components and structures together for such toys. The blocks may permit interlocking engagement between blocks in adjacent layers, but may not provide, for example, for side-by-side engagement between blocks within any particular layer. There may be inherit problems with the tubular, blocks and ball, girder and snap/clip, and other construction sets. Generally, the construction sets may not relate to identifiable building construction elements common in homes, buildings, and other structures. One may expect that the failure to manufacture, via a 3D printing technology, construction set elements may not foster an overall engineering management experience involving design, manufacturing and construction of a project.
In view of the foregoing, it is clear that these traditional techniques are not perfect and leave room for more optimal approaches.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.
It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials, manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications, described herein, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a reference to “a step” or “a means” is a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub-steps and subservient means. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
All words of approximation as used in the present disclosure and claims should be construed to mean “approximate,” rather than “perfect,” and may accordingly be employed as a meaningful modifier to any other word, specified parameter, quantity, quality, or concept. Words of approximation, include, yet are not limited to terms such as “substantial”, “nearly”, “almost”, “about”, “generally”, “largely”, “essentially”, “closely approximate”, etc.
As will be established in some detail below, it is well settled law, as early as 1939, that words of approximation are not indefinite in the claims even when such limits are not defined or specified in the specification.
For example, see Ex parte Mallory, 52 USPQ 297, 297 (Pat. Off. Bd. App. 1941) where the court said “The examiner has held that most of the claims are inaccurate because apparently the laminar film will not be entirely eliminated. The claims specify that the film is “substantially” eliminated and for the intended purpose, it is believed that the slight portion of the film which may remain is negligible. We are of the view, therefore, that the claims may be regarded as sufficiently accurate.”
Note that claims need only “reasonably apprise those skilled in the art” as to their scope to satisfy the definiteness requirement. See Energy Absorption Sys., Inc. v. Roadway Safety Servs., Inc., Civ. App. 96-1264, slip op. at 10 (Fed. Cir. Jul. 3, 1997) (unpublished) Hybridtech v. Monoclonal Antibodies, Inc., 802 F.2d 1367, 1385, 231 USPQ 81, 94 (Fed. Cir. 1986), cert. denied, 480 U.S. 947 (1987). In addition, the use of modifiers in the claim, like “generally” and “substantial,” does not by itself render the claims indefinite. See Seattle Box Co. v. Industrial Crating & Packing, Inc., 731 F.2d 818, 828-29, 221 USPQ 568, 575-76 (Fed. Cir. 1984).
Moreover, the ordinary and customary meaning of terms like “substantially” includes “reasonably close to: nearly, almost, about”, connoting a term of approximation. See In re Frye, Appeal No. 2009-006013, 94 USPQ2d 1072, 1077, 2010 WL 889747 (B.P.A.I. 2010) Depending on its usage, the word “substantially” can denote either language of approximation or language of magnitude. Deering Precision Instruments, L.L.C. v. Vector Distribution Sys., Inc., 347 F.3d 1314, 1323 (Fed. Cir. 2003) (recognizing the “dual ordinary meaning of th[e] term [“substantially”] as connoting a term of approximation or a term of magnitude”). Here, when referring to the “substantially halfway” limitation, the Specification uses the word “approximately” as a substitute for the word “substantially” (Fact 4). (Fact 4). The ordinary meaning of “substantially halfway” is thus reasonably close to or nearly at the midpoint between the forwardmost point of the upper or outsole and the rearwardmost point of the upper or outsole.
Similarly, the term ‘substantially’ is well recognized in case law to have the dual ordinary meaning of connoting a term of approximation or a term of magnitude. See Dana Corp. v. American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc., Civ. App. 04-1116, 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18265, *13-14 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 27, 2004) (unpublished). The term “substantially” is commonly used by claim drafters to indicate approximation. See Cordis Corp. v. Medtronic AVE Inc., 339 F.3d 1352, 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2003) (“The patents do not set out any numerical standard by which to determine whether the thickness of the wall surface is ‘substantially uniform.’ The term ‘substantially,’ as used in this context, denotes approximation. Thus, the walls must be of largely or approximately uniform thickness.”); see also Deering Precision Instruments, LLC v. Vector Distribution Sys., Inc., 347 F.3d 1314, 1322 (Fed. Cir. 2003); Epcon Gas Sys., Inc. v. Bauer Compressors, Inc., 279 F.3d 1022, 1031 (Fed. Cir. 2002). We find that the term “substantially” was used in just such a manner in the claims of the patents-in-suit: “substantially uniform wall thickness” denotes a wall thickness with approximate uniformity.
It should also be noted that such words of approximation as contemplated in the foregoing clearly limits the scope of claims such as saying ‘generally parallel’ such that the adverb ‘generally’ does not broaden the meaning of parallel. Accordingly, it is well settled that such words of approximation as contemplated in the foregoing (e.g., like the phrase ‘generally parallel’) envisions some amount of deviation from perfection (e.g., not exactly parallel), and that such words of approximation as contemplated in the foregoing are descriptive terms commonly used in patent claims to avoid a strict numerical boundary to the specified parameter. To the extent that the plain language of the claims relying on such words of approximation as contemplated in the foregoing are clear and uncontradicted by anything in the written description herein or the figures thereof, it is improper to rely upon the present written description, the figures, or the prosecution history to add limitations to any of the claim of the present invention with respect to such words of approximation as contemplated in the foregoing. That is, under such circumstances, relying on the written description and prosecution history to reject the ordinary and customary meanings of the words themselves is impermissible. See, for example, Liquid Dynamics Corp. v. Vaughan Co., 355 F.3d 1361, 69 USPQ2d 1595, 1600-01 (Fed. Cir. 2004). The plain language of phrase 2 requires a “substantial helical flow.” The term “substantial” is a meaningful modifier implying “approximate,” rather than “perfect.” In Cordis Corp. v. Medtronic AVE, Inc., 339 F.3d 1352, 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2003), the district court imposed a precise numeric constraint on the term “substantially uniform thickness.” We noted that the proper interpretation of this term was “of largely or approximately uniform thickness” unless something in the prosecution history imposed the “clear and unmistakable disclaimer” needed for narrowing beyond this simple-language interpretation. Id. In Anchor Wall Systems v. Rockwood Retaining Walls, Inc., 340 F.3d 1298, 1311 (Fed. Cir. 2003)” Id. at 1311. Similarly, the plain language of claim 1 requires neither a perfectly helical flow nor a flow that returns precisely to the center after one rotation (a limitation that arises only as a logical consequence of requiring a perfectly helical flow).
The reader should appreciate that case law generally recognizes a dual ordinary meaning of such words of approximation, as contemplated in the foregoing, as connoting a term of approximation or a term of magnitude; e.g., see Deering Precision Instruments, L.L.C. v. Vector Distrib. Sys., Inc., 347 F.3d 1314, 68 USPQ2d 1716, 1721 (Fed. Cir. 2003), cert. denied, 124 S. Ct. 1426 (2004) where the court was asked to construe the meaning of the term “substantially” in a patent claim. Also see Epcon, 279 F.3d at 1031 (“The phrase ‘substantially constant’ denotes language of approximation, while the phrase ‘substantially below’ signifies language of magnitude, i.e., not insubstantial.”). Also, see, e.g., Epcon Gas Sys., Inc. v. Bauer Compressors, Inc., 279 F.3d 1022 (Fed. Cir. 2002) (construing the terms “substantially constant” and “substantially below”); Zodiac Pool Care, Inc. v. Hoffinger Indus., Inc., 206 F.3d 1408 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (construing the term “substantially inward”); York Prods., Inc. v. Cent. Tractor Farm & Family Ctr., 99 F.3d 1568 (Fed. Cir. 1996) (construing the term “substantially the entire height thereof”); Tex. Instruments Inc. v. Cypress Semiconductor Corp., 90 F.3d 1558 (Fed. Cir. 1996) (construing the term “substantially in the common plane”). In conducting their analysis, the court instructed to begin with the ordinary meaning of the claim terms to one of ordinary skill in the art. Prima Tek, 318 F.3d at 1148. Reference to dictionaries and our cases indicates that the term “substantially” has numerous ordinary meanings. As the district court stated, “substantially” can mean “significantly” or “considerably.” The term “substantially” can also mean “largely” or “essentially.” Webster's New 20th Century Dictionary 1817 (1983).
Words of approximation, as contemplated in the foregoing, may also be used in phrases establishing approximate ranges or limits, where the end points are inclusive and approximate, not perfect; e.g., see AK Steel Corp. v. Sollac, 344 F.3d 1234, 68 USPQ2d 1280, 1285 (Fed. Cir. 2003) where it where the court said [W]e conclude that the ordinary meaning of the phrase “up to about 10%” includes the “about 10%” endpoint. As pointed out by AK Steel, when an object of the preposition “up to” is nonnumeric, the most natural meaning is to exclude the object (e.g., painting the wall up to the door). On the other hand, as pointed out by Sollac, when the object is a numerical limit, the normal meaning is to include that upper numerical limit (e.g., counting up to ten, seating capacity for up to seven passengers). Because we have here a numerical limit—“about 10%”—the ordinary meaning is that that endpoint is included.
In the present specification and claims, a goal of employment of such words of approximation, as contemplated in the foregoing, is to avoid a strict numerical boundary to the modified specified parameter, as sanctioned by Pall Corp. v. Micron Separations, Inc., 66 F.3d 1211, 1217, 36 USPQ2d 1225, 1229 (Fed. Cir. 1995) where it states “It is well established that when the term “substantially” serves reasonably to describe the subject matter so that its scope would be understood by persons in the field of the invention, and to distinguish the claimed subject matter from the prior art, it is not indefinite.” Likewise see Verve LLC v. Crane Cams Inc., 311 F.3d 1116, 65 USPQ2d 1051, 1054 (Fed. Cir. 2002). Expressions such as “substantially” are used in patent documents when warranted by the nature of the invention, in order to accommodate the minor variations that may be appropriate to secure the invention. Such usage may well satisfy the charge to “particularly point out and distinctly claim” the invention, 35 U.S.C. § 112, and indeed may be necessary in order to provide the inventor with the benefit of his invention. In Andrew Corp. v. Gabriel Elecs. Inc., 847 F.2d 819, 821-22, 6 USPQ2d 2010, 2013 (Fed. Cir. 1988) the court explained that usages such as “substantially equal” and “closely approximate” may serve to describe the invention with precision appropriate to the technology and without intruding on the prior art. The court again explained in Ecolab Inc. v. Envirochem, Inc., 264 F.3d 1358, 1367, 60 USPQ2d 1173, 1179 (Fed. Cir. 2001) that “like the term ‘about,’ the term ‘substantially’ is a descriptive term commonly used in patent claims to ‘avoid a strict numerical boundary to the specified parameter, see Ecolab Inc. v. Envirochem Inc., 264 F.3d 1358, 60 USPQ2d 1173, 1179 (Fed. Cir. 2001) where the court found that the use of the term “substantially” to modify the term “uniform” does not render this phrase so unclear such that there is no means by which to ascertain the claim scope.
Similarly, other courts have noted that like the term “about,” the term “substantially” is a descriptive term commonly used in patent claims to “avoid a strict numerical boundary to the specified parameter.”; e.g., see Pall Corp. v. Micron Seps., 66 F.3d 1211, 1217, 36 USPQ2d 1225, 1229 (Fed. Cir. 1995); see, e.g., Andrew Corp. v. Gabriel Elecs. Inc., 847 F.2d 819, 821-22, 6 USPQ2d 2010, 2013 (Fed. Cir. 1988) (noting that terms such as “approach each other,” “close to,” “substantially equal,” and “closely approximate” are ubiquitously used in patent claims and that such usages, when serving reasonably to describe the claimed subject matter to those of skill in the field of the invention, and to distinguish the claimed subject matter from the prior art, have been accepted in patent examination and upheld by the courts). In this case, “substantially” avoids the strict 100% nonuniformity boundary.
Indeed, the foregoing sanctioning of such words of approximation, as contemplated in the foregoing, has been established as early as 1939, see Ex parte Mallory, 52 USPQ 297, 297 (Pat. Off. Bd. App. 1941) where, for example, the court said “the claims specify that the film is “substantially” eliminated and for the intended purpose, it is believed that the slight portion of the film which may remain is negligible. We are of the view, therefore, that the claims may be regarded as sufficiently accurate.” Similarly, In re Hutchison, 104 F.2d 829, 42 USPQ 90, 93 (C.C.P.A. 1939) the court said “It is realized that “substantial distance” is a relative and somewhat indefinite term, or phrase, but terms and phrases of this character are not uncommon in patents in cases where, according to the art involved, the meaning can be determined with reasonable clearness.”
Hence, for at least the forgoing reason, Applicants submit that it is improper for any examiner to hold as indefinite any claims of the present patent that employ any words of approximation.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Preferred methods, techniques, devices, and materials are described, although any methods, techniques, devices, or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
References to a “device,” an “apparatus,” a “system,” etc., in the preamble of a claim should be construed broadly to mean “any structure meeting the claim terms” exempt for any specific structure(s)/type(s) that has/(have) been explicitly disavowed or excluded or admitted/implied as prior art in the present specification or incapable of enabling an object/aspect/goal of the invention. Furthermore, where the present specification discloses an object, aspect, function, goal, result, or advantage of the invention that a specific prior art structure and/or method step is similarly capable of performing yet in a very different way, the present invention disclosure is intended to and shall also implicitly include and cover additional corresponding alternative embodiments that are otherwise identical to that explicitly disclosed except that they exclude such prior art structure(s)/step(s), and shall accordingly be deemed as providing sufficient disclosure to support a corresponding negative limitation in a claim claiming such alternative embodiment(s), which exclude such very different prior art structure(s)/step(s) way(s).
From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the art, and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.
Although Claims have been formulated in this Application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any Claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention.
Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. The Applicants hereby give notice that new Claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present Application or of any further Application derived therefrom.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “embodiments of the invention,” etc., may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every possible embodiment of the invention necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment,” “an embodiment,” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may. Moreover, any use of phrases like “embodiments” in connection with “the invention” are never meant to characterize that all embodiments of the invention must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic, and should instead be understood to mean “at least some embodiments of the invention” include the stated particular feature, structure, or characteristic.
References to “user”, or any similar term, as used herein, may mean a human or non-human user thereof. Moreover, “user”, or any similar term, as used herein, unless expressly stipulated otherwise, is contemplated to mean users at any stage of the usage process, to include, without limitation, direct user(s), intermediate user(s), indirect user(s), and end user(s). The meaning of “user”, or any similar term, as used herein, should not be otherwise inferred or induced by any pattern(s) of description, embodiments, examples, or referenced prior-art that may (or may not) be provided in the present patent.
References to “end user”, or any similar term, as used herein, are generally intended to mean late stage user(s) as opposed to early stage user(s). Hence, it is contemplated that there may be a multiplicity of different types of “end user” near the end stage of the usage process. Where applicable, especially with respect to distribution channels of embodiments of the invention comprising consumed retail products/services thereof (as opposed to sellers/vendors or Original Equipment Manufacturers), examples of an “end user” may include, without limitation, a “consumer”, “buyer”, “customer”, “purchaser”, “shopper”, “enjoyer”, “viewer”, or individual person or non-human thing benefiting in any way, directly or indirectly, from use of or interaction, with some aspect of the present invention.
In some situations, some embodiments of the present invention may provide beneficial usage to more than one stage or type of usage in the foregoing usage process. In such cases where multiple embodiments targeting various stages of the usage process are described, references to “end user”, or any similar term, as used therein, are generally intended to not include the user that is the furthest removed, in the foregoing usage process, from the final user therein of an embodiment of the present invention.
Where applicable, especially with respect to retail distribution channels of embodiments of the invention, intermediate user(s) may include, without limitation, any individual person or non-human thing benefiting in any way, directly or indirectly, from use of, or interaction with, some aspect of the present invention with respect to selling, vending, Original Equipment Manufacturing, marketing, merchandising, distributing, service providing, and the like thereof.
References to “person”, “individual”, “human”, “a party”, “animal”, “creature”, or any similar term, as used herein, even if the context or particular embodiment implies living user, maker, or participant, it should be understood that such characterizations are sole by way of example, and not limitation, in that it is contemplated that any such usage, making, or participation by a living entity in connection with making, using, and/or participating, in any way, with embodiments of the present invention may be substituted by such similar performed by a suitably configured non-living entity, to include, without limitation, automated machines, robots, humanoids, computational systems, information processing systems, artificially intelligent systems, and the like. It is further contemplated that those skilled in the art will readily recognize the practical situations where such living makers, users, and/or participants with embodiments of the present invention may be in whole, or in part, replaced with such non-living makers, users, and/or participants with embodiments of the present invention. Likewise, when those skilled in the art identify such practical situations where such living makers, users, and/or participants with embodiments of the present invention may be in whole, or in part, replaced with such non-living makers, it will be readily apparent in light of the teachings of the present invention how to adapt the described embodiments to be suitable for such non-living makers, users, and/or participants with embodiments of the present invention. Thus, the invention is thus to also cover all such modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of such adaptations and modifications, at least in part, for such non-living entities.
Headings provided herein are for convenience and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.
It is understood that the use of specific component, device and/or parameter names are for example only and not meant to imply any limitations on the invention. The invention may thus be implemented with different nomenclature/terminology utilized to describe the mechanisms/units/structures/components/devices/parameters herein, without limitation. Each term utilized herein is to be given its broadest interpretation given the context in which that term is utilized.
Terminology. The following paragraphs provide definitions and/or context for terms found in this disclosure (including the appended claims):
“Comprising” And “contain” and variations of them—Such terms are open-ended and mean “including but not limited to”. When employed in the appended claims, this term does not foreclose additional structure or steps. Consider a claim that recites: “A memory controller comprising a system cache . . . ” Such a claim does not foreclose the memory controller from including additional components (e.g., a memory channel unit, a switch).
“Configured To.” Various units, circuits, or other components may be described or claimed as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” or “operable for” is used to connote structure by indicating that the mechanisms/units/circuits/components include structure (e.g., circuitry and/or mechanisms) that performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the mechanisms/unit/circuit/component can be said to be configured to (or be operable) for perform(ing) the task even when the specified mechanisms/unit/circuit/component is not currently operational (e.g., is not on). The mechanisms/units/circuits/components used with the “configured to” or “operable for” language include hardware—for example, mechanisms, structures, electronics, circuits, memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation, etc. Reciting that a mechanism/unit/circuit/component is “configured to” or “operable for” perform(ing) one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. sctn.112, sixth paragraph, for that mechanism/unit/circuit/component. “Configured to” may also include adapting a manufacturing process to fabricate devices or components that are adapted to implement or perform one or more tasks.
“Based On.” As used herein, this term is used to describe one or more factors that affect a determination. This term does not foreclose additional factors that may affect a determination. That is, a determination may be solely based on those factors or based, at least in part, on those factors. Consider the phrase “determine A based on B.” While B may be a factor that affects the determination of A, such a phrase does not foreclose the determination of A from also being based on C. In other instances, A may be determined based solely on B.
The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
All terms of exemplary language (e.g., including, without limitation, “such as”, “like”, “for example”, “for instance”, “similar to”, etc.) are not exclusive of any other, potentially, unrelated, types of examples; thus, implicitly mean “by way of example, and not limitation . . . ”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing conditions, concentrations, dimensions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending at least upon a specific analytical technique.
The term “comprising,” which is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is a term of art used in claim language which means that the named claim elements are essential, but other claim elements may be added and still form a construct within the scope of the claim.
As used herein, the phase “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim. When the phrase “consists of” (or variations thereof) appears in a clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following the preamble, it limits only the element set forth in that clause; other elements are not excluded from the claim as a whole. As used herein, the phase “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” limits the scope of a claim to the specified elements or method steps, plus those that do not materially affect the basis and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter (see Norian Corp. v Stryker Corp., 363 F.3d 1321, 1331-32, 70 USPQ2d 1508, Fed. Cir. 2004). Moreover, for any claim of the present invention which claims an embodiment “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” a certain set of elements of any herein described embodiment it shall be understood as obvious by those skilled in the art that the present invention also covers all possible varying scope variants of any described embodiment(s) that are each exclusively (i.e., “consisting essentially of”) functional subsets or functional combination thereof such that each of these plurality of exclusive varying scope variants each consists essentially of any functional subset(s) and/or functional combination(s) of any set of elements of any described embodiment(s) to the exclusion of any others not set forth therein. That is, it is contemplated that it will be obvious to those skilled how to create a multiplicity of alternate embodiments of the present invention that simply consisting essentially of a certain functional combination of elements of any described embodiment(s) to the exclusion of any others not set forth therein, and the invention thus covers all such exclusive embodiments as if they were each described herein.
With respect to the terms “comprising,” “consisting of,” and “consisting essentially of,” where one of these three terms is used herein, the disclosed and claimed subject matter may include the use of either of the other two terms. Thus, in some embodiments not otherwise explicitly recited, any instance of “comprising” may be replaced by “consisting of” or, alternatively, by “consisting essentially of”, and thus, for the purposes of claim support and construction for “consisting of” format claims, such replacements operate to create yet other alternative embodiments “consisting essentially of” only the elements recited in the original “comprising” embodiment to the exclusion of all other elements.
Moreover, any claim limitation phrased in functional limitation terms covered by 35 USC § 112(6) (post AIA 112(f)) which has a preamble invoking the closed terms “consisting of,” or “consisting essentially of,” should be understood to mean that the corresponding structure(s) disclosed herein define the exact metes and bounds of what the so claimed invention embodiment(s) consists of, or consisting essentially of, to the exclusion of any other elements which do not materially affect the intended purpose of the so claimed embodiment(s).
Devices or system modules that are in at least general communication with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices or system modules that are in at least general communication with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries. Moreover, it is understood that any system components described or named in any embodiment or claimed herein may be grouped or sub-grouped (and accordingly implicitly renamed) in any combination or sub-combination as those skilled in the art can imagine as suitable for the particular application, and still be within the scope and spirit of the claimed embodiments of the present invention. For an example of what this means, if the invention was a controller of a motor and a valve and the embodiments and claims articulated those components as being separately grouped and connected, applying the foregoing would mean that such an invention and claims would also implicitly cover the valve being grouped inside the motor and the controller being a remote controller with no direct physical connection to the motor or internalized valve, as such the claimed invention is contemplated to cover all ways of grouping and/or adding of intermediate components or systems that still substantially achieve the intended result of the invention.
A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components is described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present invention.
As is well known to those skilled in the art many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal manufacture of a commercial implementation any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.
It is to be understood that any exact measurements/dimensions or particular construction materials indicated herein are solely provided as examples of suitable configurations and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Depending on the needs of the particular application, those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of the following teachings, a multiplicity of suitable alternative implementation details.
Some embodiments of the present invention and variations thereof, relate to toy construction sets. In one embodiment of the present invention, the toy construction set is educational and embodies aspects of real world activities including, but not limited to: Design, Manufacturing, Construction, and Project Management. In addition, a construction set expansion may be attainable by, but not limited to: developing complementary structural attachments; expanding into other civil engineering structures, such as, bridges; and incorporating elements from plate and shell structural theory.
In some embodiments, design activities may include, but not limited to, visualizing an end structure, which may include drafting, to pick out the necessary connections and framing members, learning the underlining beam and column structural theory and relating the connections and members to real world construction, and creating uncommon structures, such as but not limited to, cantilever designs. Manufacturing activities may include, but not limited to, creating connectors and framing members with three-dimensional (3D) printing technology equipment, modifying three-dimensional (3D) printing variables to optimize printing time or product quality, mass producing connectors and framing members. Construction activities may include, but not limited to, building toy structures by the obvious insertion of framing members into the appropriate connectors, modeling the sequential building steps to identify potential construction problems or delays, and building mega structures with the toy construction set. Management activities may include, but not limited to, learning project management by linking the time required to complete the activities (design, manufacturing, and construction) required to build the desired structure and learning about finance by cost estimating various structural designs. In an embodiment, the basic element of the invention is the modeling of the key structural members (e.g. structural framework) of a structure (building, warehouse, office, etc.). The structural members may include columns, beams, and their connections. In addition, the 3D modeling of all the key structural components and the ability of an individual to manufacture the components is unique. And, the invention may be utilized to illustrate project (engineering) management including design, manufacturing, and construction (STEM focus).
The three-dimensional (3D) printing process of providing a construction toy set may comprise of transforming a solid three-dimensional object to a digital model. One form of three-dimensional (3D) printing process may be achieved by using an additive process, where successive layers of material are added to a surface in different shapes to create connectors, framing members, etc. for a construction toy set. A template image may be created using, but not limited to, a Computer-Aided Design program (CAD) and then saving this template image into a file. The file is then converted into a set of instructions/language that the three-dimensional (3D) printer understands. The three-dimensional (3D) printer may then use a Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software that may read the file, modifying three-dimensional (3D) printing variables to optimize printing time or product quality, and send electronic signals to control extruders and motors of the three-dimensional (3D) printer, to mass produce connectors and framing members of the toy set. For example, a 3D online program called Tinkercad can be used in the design process of a construction toy set. An stl file from Tinkercad can then be exported, converted into a gcode file and then read into a 3D printer to produce a 3D part. The stl to gcode conversion program also specifies various printing parameters, which may be altered by a user. 3D printing materials may include such as, but not limited to, PLA (polylactide), ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), etc. Connectors are configured to eliminate the need for internal supports in the 3D printing process.
In some embodiments, the 3D printing files may be sold separately via a web based commercial site or may be sold as a set (e.g. multiple components). The 3D printed parts may be sold separately or may be sold as a set (e.g. could be multiple sets with different number of parts). In further embodiments, a subscription user group of people with 3D printers may be created. A link or highlighting the use of Jenga commercial blocks for the framing members of the invention including the invention as the structural framing basis for additional 3D printing items, such as roofing, siding, windows, doors, etc. Develop new 3D printing connections which may allow the use of wooden dowels as framing members. For example, about ⅜″ wooden dowels may be readily available from a hardware store such as Home Depot and may be cut to any length. The new connections may combine the current block framing members with round wood dowels. Alternatively, a whole new set of connectors and framing members may be created, using wood dowels as the framing members. The set may be expanded to cover additional engineering structures, such as suspension bridges, dome structures (plate and shell structural theory), wood-based construction (trusses), etc. And, mass producing the components with accompanying sale.
In additional embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, a Basic Vertical (BV) space frame connector may connect two framing members in a longitudinal direction; a Column Roof (CR) space frame connector may connect two framing members, where one framing member is in a global longitudinal direction and one framing member is at an offset angle from the global longitudinal direction; a Roof Peak (RP) space frame connector may connect two framing members where both members deviate from a global longitudinal direction of approximately 1 degree to 179 degrees; a Basic Horizontal (BH) space frame connector may connect at least two framing members in the longitudinal direction; a Basic Extended (BX) space frame connector may connect at least two framing members in the longitudinal direction; a Base Plate (BP) space frame connector may connect at least one framing member in a longitudinal direction; an Integration (IC) space frame connector may connect at least one framing member, and is integrated into other connectors; an I Beam (TB) framing member; a C Section (CS) framing member; an Open Box (OB) framing member; and a Solid Box (SB) framing member.
In other embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, connectors and framing members manufactured utilizing three-dimensional (3D) printing technology or alternative high-volume manufacturing processes and/or connectors and framing made of plastic or available three-dimensional (3D) printing technology materials and colors. The Solid Box framing member maybe manufactured from plastic materials or wood.
In further embodiments, a Basic Vertical (BV) space frame (rectangular prism) connector having approximately six or more sides including a proximate top side, a proximate bottom side, at least two proximate short sides, and at least two proximate long sides; with the proximate top side made up of four beams, each beam having a proximate square cross section; with the proximate bottom side made up of at least four beams, each beam having a proximate square cross section; with the cross section of each top side beam equal to the cross section of each bottom side beam; with each short side having at least two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each short side column equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam; with each long side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each long side column equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam.
In some other embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, substantially stress reducing rectangular stiffeners connecting each beam to its respective intersecting column; with approximately four or more stiffeners at each proximate short side and more or less four stiffeners at each proximate long side; with the angle between the beam and stiffener generally equal to the angle between the column and stiffener; with no intersection between stiffeners; with the cross sectional dimensions of each stiffener approximately equal to the cross sectional dimensions of a top side or bottom side beam; with the stiffeners generally reducing stress concentrations, improving fatigue life, and enhancing the three-dimensional (3D) printing of the rectangular prism. In addition, the position of the stiffeners eliminates the need for removeable internal 3D supports. Roughly four or more framing member stops; with each member stop located at the proximate mid-height of each short side column; with each member stop being a wedge defined by approximately two isosceles triangles and three rectangular faces; with the two isosceles triangles of the wedge generally pointed into the interior of the connector, thereby providing a landing stop for inserted framing members; with the rectangular face mainly forming the base of the connected two isosceles triangles, attached to the interior face of each short side column; with the height of a roughly isosceles triangle considerably equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam; with the width of the wedge equal to the width of the attached column. More or less Eight deformation positioners; with each positioner located mid-length and on the interior face of each top side and bottom side beam; with the positioner being proximately one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of the attached beam; with the positioner elastically deforming the beams of the connector, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. More or less eight locking positioners; with the locking positioners located roughly above and below the member stops on the inside face of each column on the two short sides of the rectangular space frame; with the locking positioner being proximately one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the attached column; with the longitudinal length of the cut cylinder appreciably equal to the width of the attached column; with the locking positioners generally providing retention, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. Locking Positioners in combination with the deformation positioners provide a multipoint mechanism for keeping inserted beams and columns in place. A Column Roof (CR) space frame connector for joining with structural elements having a proximately lower longitudinal connector with a longitudinally angled upper framing member connector. A proximate lower longitudinal space frame (rectangular prism) connector; with more or less six sides including a proximate top side, a proximate bottom side, proximate two short sides, and proximate two long sides; with the top side made up of four beams, each beam having a square cross section; with the bottom side made up of a four beams, each beam having a square cross section; with the cross section of each top side beam equal to the cross section of each bottom side beam; with each short side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each short side column equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam; with each long side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each long side column equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam.
In some embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, more or less eight stress reducing rectangular stiffeners; with two stiffeners at each short side and two stiffeners at each long side of the rectangular prism; with the stiffeners connecting a proximate long side or proximate short side column to a proximate top side beam; with the angle between the beam and stiffener roughly equal to the angle between the column and stiffener; with no intersection between stiffeners; with the cross sectional dimensions of each stiffener equal to the cross sectional dimensions of a top side beam; with the stiffeners reducing stress concentrations, increase strength, improve fatigue life, and enhance the three-dimensional (3D) printing of the rectangular prism. In addition, the position of the stiffeners eliminates the need for removeable internal 3D supports. More or less four framing member stops; with each member stop being a wedge defined by roughly two isosceles triangles and three rectangular faces; with the two isosceles triangles of the wedge pointed into the interior of the connector, thereby providing a landing stop for a bottom inserted framing member; with the rectangular face forming the base of the connected two isosceles triangles, attached to the interior face of each short side column; with the height of a isosceles triangle equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam; with the width of the wedge equal to the width of the attached column; with each member stop located at each short side column with a height equal to the height of the column plus one half of the width of the rectangular base that connects the two isosceles triangles of the wedge. More or less four deformation positioners; with each positioner roughly located mid-length and on the interior face of each bottom side beam; with the positioner being roughly one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of the attached beam; with the positioner elastically deforming the beams of the connector, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. More or less four locking positioners; with the locking positioners proximately located below the member stops on the inside face of each column on the two short sides of the rectangular space frame; with the locking positioner being proximately one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the attached column; with the longitudinal length of the cut cylinder proximately equal to the width of the attached column; with the locking positioners providing retention, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. Locking Positioners in combination with the deformation positioners provide a multipoint mechanism for keeping inserted beams and columns in place. A generally longitudinally angled upper framing member (rectangular prism) connector; with more or less six sides, a proximate top side, a proximate bottom side, two proximate short sides, and two proximate long sides; with the top side made up of four beams, each beam having a square cross section; with the bottom side made up of a four beams, each beam having a generally square cross section; with the cross section of each top side beam equal to the cross section of each bottom side beam; with each short side having proximately two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each short side column roughly equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column roughly equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam; with each long side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each long side column roughly equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column roughly equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam.
In other embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, structural elements with more or less two columns and a beam, generally connecting the lower longitudinal connector to the angled longitudinal connector; with the lower longitudinal connector and the upper longitudinally angled connector joined at a line where the exterior faces of their respective short sides first intersect, supplemented with an angled full short side length beam; with two columns located on the opposite short side, extending vertically and then at an angle joining the corners of the lower longitudinal connector and the upper longitudinally angled connector. A Roof Peak (RP) space frame connector may comprise of two connectors with one connector rotated at a positive longitudinal angle and the other connector rotated at an equal negative angle, with both connectors joined at a line where the exterior faces of the top side beams on the short side of the respective connectors intersect, and both connectors are held in place with a roof peak frame. The Roof Peak (RP) connector may incorporate a roof peak frame that may allow an attachment of two (2) roof beam connectors. The roof peak frame, for the most part, provides rigidity and stability to the attached components. More or less two angled longitudinal connectors where each connector is constructed per above; with the exception that the member stops extruding from the top side beams at the column locations where the connectors intersect are omitted and the member stops at the opposite short sides are topped with rectangular boxes (as opposed to extruding half wedges). A roof peak frame that supports the two longitudinally angled and joined connectors; with the roof peak frame composed of more or less two triangular frames, approximately two crossed beams perpendicular to and connecting the triangular frames, and a wedged beam that joins the two crossed beams to the two angled connectors. Two or more triangular frames; with each frame composed of about three beams; with one beam orientated in the horizontal direction, forming the base for the other two framing beams resulting in an isosceles triangle; with the horizontal beam integrated into the lower bottom corner of the attached angled connectors; with the two framing beams forming the isosceles triangle integrated into the top side and bottom side beams associated with the long sides of the angled connectors. Two or more crossed beams and an attached wedge beam; with the upper portion of the two crossed beams attached at the apex of the two triangular frames; with the proximately lower portion of the two crossed beams attached to a wedge beam that is then connected at the intersection of the two angled connectors.
In other embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, a Basic Horizontal (BH) space frame (rectangular prism) connector; with proximately six sides, a bottom side, a top side, two short sides, and two long sides; with the bottom side made up of four beams, the two beams on the short side have a square cross section and the two beams on the long side are rectangular with a height equal to twice the height of a beam on the short side; with the top side made up of four beams, the two beams on the short side have a square cross section and the two beams on the long side are rectangular with a height equal to twice the height of a beam on the short side; with each short side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the cross section of each column equal to the cross section of the bottom side beam located on the short side; with each long side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the cross section of each column equal to the cross section of the bottom side beam located on the short side. Stress reducing stiffeners and wedges; with the stiffeners and wedges that may reduce stress concentrations, improving fatigue life, and enhancing the three-dimensional (3D) printing of the rectangular prism. More or less four stiffeners on the bottom side of the connector; with each stiffener connecting a pair of beams at the corners of the connector; with equal angles between each stiffener and intersected beam; with four stiffeners at each long side, connecting each beam to its respective attached column; with the angle between the beam and stiffener equal to the angle between the column and stiffener; with no intersection between stiffeners; with the cross sectional dimensions of each stiffener equal to the cross section of the bottom side beam located on the short side of the connector. In addition, the position of the stiffeners eliminates the need for removeable internal 3D supports. More or less four corner wedges (right triangular prisms) on the top side of the connector; with each wedge attached to the inside face of intersecting corner beams; with the maximum depth of each wedge is located at the intersection of the corner beams and the maximum depth of each wedge is equal to the depth of the short side beam; with equal angles between each beam and wedge; with no intersection between wedges. four framing member stops in total; with each member stop located at the mid length of each long side beam; with each member stop being a wedge defined by proximately two isosceles triangles and three rectangular faces; with the two isosceles triangles of the wedge pointed into the interior of the connector, thereby providing a landing stop for inserted framing members; with the rectangular face forming the base of the connected two isosceles triangles, attached to the interior face of each top side and bottom side long side beam; with the height of a isosceles triangle equal to the depth of a short side beam; with the width of the wedge equal to the width of the attached beam; with the two top side member stops clipped at a small angle, thereby slightly reducing the width of the member stops and improving 3D printing performance. eight deformation positioners; with each deformation positioner located mid-length and on the interior face of each short side beam or column; with the deformation positioner being one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of the attached member; with the deformation positioner elastically, deforming connector members when a framing member is inserted into the connector. More or less eight locking positioners; with the locking positioners located before and after the member stops on the long side beams of the connector; with the locking positioners attached to the interior surface of the long side beams that have a depth roughly equal to the depth of a short side beam; with the locking positioner being one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the attached beam; with the longitudinal length of the cut cylinder roughly equal to the width of the attached beam; with the locking positioners providing retention, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. Deformation positioners are provided to generally exert sufficient force (via deformation) to keep inserted beams and columns in place and may permit ease of extraction. Locking Positioners in combination with the deformation positioners provide a multipoint mechanism for keeping inserted beams and columns in place.
In other embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, a Basic Extended (BX) space frame (rectangular prism) connector; with approximately six sides, a bottom side, a top side, two short sides, and two long sides; with the bottom side made up of four beams, the two beams on the short side have a square cross section and the two beams on the long side are rectangular with a height equal to twice the height of a beam on the short side; with the top side made up of four beams, the two beams on the short side have a square cross section and the two beams on the long side are rectangular with a height equal to twice the height of a beam on the short side; with each short side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the cross section of each column equal to the cross section of the bottom side beam located on the short side; with each long side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the cross section of each column equal to the cross section of the bottom side beam located on the short side. Stress reducing stiffeners and wedges; with the stiffeners and wedges reducing stress concentrations, improving fatigue life, and enhancing the 3D printing of the rectangular prism. More or less four stiffeners on the bottom side of the connector; with each stiffener connecting a pair of beams at the corners of the connector; with equal angles between each stiffener and intersected beam; with stiffeners at the each corner of the two long sides, connecting each beam to its respective attached column; with the angle between the beam and stiffener equal to the angle between the column and stiffener; with crossed stiffeners connecting the beams of each long side; with no intersection between the corner or crossed stiffeners; with the cross sectional dimensions of each stiffener equal to the cross section of the bottom side beam located on the short side of the connector. In addition, the position of the stiffeners eliminates the need for removeable internal 3D supports. Approximately four corner wedges (right triangular prisms) on the top side of the connector; with each wedge attached to the inside face of intersecting corner beams; with the maximum depth of each wedge is located at the intersection of the corner beams and the maximum depth of each wedge is roughly equal to the depth of the short side beam; with equal angles between each beam and wedge; with no intersection between wedges. Two or more parallel sets of four framing member stops; with each set located an equal plus and minus distance from a plane at the mid-length of the two long sides; with each member stop being a wedge defined by two isosceles triangles and three rectangular faces; with the two isosceles triangles of the wedge pointed into the interior of the connector, thereby providing a landing stop for inserted framing members; with the rectangular face forming the base of the connected two isosceles triangles, attached to the interior face of each top side and bottom side long side beam; with the height of a isosceles triangle roughly equal to the depth of a short side beam; with the width of the wedge equal to the width of the attached beam; with the four top side member stops clipped at a small angle, thereby slightly reducing the width of the member stops and improving 3D printing performance. More or less eight deformation positioners; with each positioner located mid-length and on the interior face of each short side beam or column; with the positioner being approximately one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of the attached member; with the positioner elastically, deforming connector members when a framing member is inserted into the connector. eight locking positioners; with the locking positioners located before and after and not in-between the member stops on the long side beams of the connector; with the locking positioners attached to the interior surface of the long side beams that have a depth roughly equal to the depth of a short side beam; with the locking positioner being one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the attached beam; with the longitudinal length of the cut cylinder equal to the width of the attached beam; with the locking positioners providing retention, when a framing member is inserted into the connector.
In other embodiments, a toy construction set may include, but not limited to, a Base Plate (BP) space frame (roughly five (5) sided rectangular prism) connector; with a top side, two short sides, two long sides and an attached base plate; with the top side made up of approximately four beams, each beam having a square cross section; with each short side having two columns, which intersect the top side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each short side column equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column equal to the depth of a top side square beam; with each long side having two columns, which intersect the top side and bottom side beams and make up the corners of the rectangular prism; with the width of each long side column roughly equal to twice its depth, and the depth of the column roughly equal to the depth of a top side square beam; with the columns of the connector attached to a rectangular base plate. Stress reducing rectangular stiffeners connecting each beam to its respective intersecting column; with two or more stiffeners at each short side and two or more stiffeners at each long side; with the angle between the beam and stiffener roughly equal to the angle between the column and stiffener; with no intersection between stiffeners; with the cross sectional dimensions of each stiffener roughly equal to the cross sectional dimensions of a top side beam; with the stiffeners reducing stress concentrations, generally improving fatigue life, and enhancing the 3D printing of the rectangular prism. In addition, the position of the stiffeners eliminates the need for removeable internal 3D supports. More or less four deformation positioners; with each positioner located mid-length and on the interior face of each top side beam; with the positioner being one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of the attached beam; with the positioner elastically deforming the beams of the connector, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. An Integration Connector (IC) which is a generally rectangular space frame composed of a proximate C shaped bottom plate, a proximate C shaped top plate, and two attached rectangular frames; with the C shaped bottom plate composed of two rectangular legs attached to a rectangular plate that forms the back section of the C shaped bottom plate; with the width of a proximate C Section plate leg is twice its thickness; with the C shaped top plate composed of two tapered rectangular legs attached to a rectangular plate that forms the back section of the C shaped top plate; with the two interior faces of the top plate C legs tapered where the width of the top face of the C legs are maintained at approximately twice its thickness; with each proximate rectangular frame attached to the C legs side of the top and bottom plates; with each rectangular frame made up of two beams and two columns; with the width of the column roughly equal to twice the thickness of the column and the thickness of the column roughly equal to the thickness or width of the beam; with framing members inserted into the open C side of the connector; with the back side of the C shaped connector manufactured and integrally attached to other construction set connectors. Two or more stress reducing rectangular stiffeners per rectangular frame; with a stiffener connecting a proximate rectangular frame column to the top rectangular frame beam; with a stiffener connecting a proximate rectangular frame column to the bottom rectangular frame beam; with the stiffeners attached to the proximate back side columns of the rectangular frames; with no intersection between stiffeners; with the cross sectional dimensions of each stiffener equal to the cross sectional dimensions of a proximate rectangular frame beam; with the stiffeners reducing stress concentrations, improving fatigue life, and enhancing 3D printing. More or less four deformation positioners; with proximately two positioners strategically located on the interior face of each front-end rectangular frame column; with each positioner being approximately one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of the attached column.
In some other embodiments, in use, an Integration Connector (IC) may be attached to a Basic Vertical (BV) connector; with a plane thru the bottom face of a proximate C shaped bottom plate of an Integration Connector (IC) at the same elevation as the exterior face without any stiffeners of a Basic Vertical (BV) connector; with the Integration Connector (IC) aligned with a plane originating at the centroid of the Basic Vertical (BV) connector and parallel to the short side of the Basic Vertical Connector, when attached to the long side(s) of the Basic Vertical (BV) connector; with the Integration Connector aligned with a plane originating at the centroid of the Basic Vertical (BV) connector and parallel to the long side of the Basic Vertical Connector, when attached to the short side(s) of the Basic Vertical (BV) connector; with attachment combinations including: BV-L (Integration Connector attached to the long side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-S (Integration Connector attached to the short side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-LS (Integration Connector attached to the long side and short side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-LL (Integration Connector attached to each long side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-SS (Integration Connector attached to each short side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-LLS (Integration Connector attached to the short side and each long side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-LSS (Integration Connector attached to the long side and each short side of a Basic Vertical connector), BV-LLSS (Integration Connector attached to each short side and each long side of a Basic Vertical connector).
In some other embodiments, in use, an Integration Connector IC may be attached to a Column Roof (CR) connector; with a plane thru the bottom face of a proximate C shaped bottom plate of an Integration Connector at roughly the same elevation as the exterior face without any stiffeners or member stops of the lower longitudinal connector of the Column Roof connector; with the Integration Connector (IC) aligned with a plane originating at a considerably centroid of the lower longitudinal connector of the Column Roof CR connector and parallel to the short side of the Column Roof (CR), when attached to the long side(s) of the Column Roof (CR) connector; with the Integration Connector (IC) aligned with a plane originating at the proximate centroid of the lower longitudinal connector of the Column Roof (CR) connector and parallel to the long side of the Column Roof (CR), when attached to the short side(s) of the Column Roof (CR) connector; with attachment combinations including: CR-S (Integration Connector attached to the short side of a Column Roof (CR)), CR-L-(R) (Integration Connector attached to the right long side of a Column Roof (CR)), CR-L-(L) (Integration Connector attached to the left long side of a Column Roof CR), CR-SL-(R) (Integration Connector attached to the short side and right long side of a Column Roof (CR)), CR-SL-(L) (Integration Connector attached to the short side and left long side of a Column Roof (CR)), CR-SLL (Integration Connector attached to the short side and each long side of a Column Roof (CR)).
In some other embodiments, in use, an Integration Connector (IC) may be attached to a Roof Peak (RP) connector; with a plane thru the bottom face of a proximate C shaped bottom plate of an Integration Connector at the same elevation as the bottom face of the horizontal beams of the Roof Peak frame; with the Integration Connector aligned with a plane originating at the centroid roof peak frame and parallel to the short side of the Roof Peak (RP) connector, when attached to the long side(s) of the Roof Peak (RP) connector; with attachment combinations including: RP-L (Integration Connector attached to the long side of a Roof Peak (RP)), RP-LL (Integration Connector attached to each long side of a Roof Peak (RP)).
In some other embodiments, in use, an Integration Connector (IC) may be attached to a Basic Horizontal (BH) connector; with a plane thru the bottom face of a proximate C shaped bottom plate of an Integration Connector at roughly the same elevation as the exterior long side face without wedges of a Basic Horizontal (BH) connector; with the Integration Connector aligned with a plane originating at the centroid of the Basic Horizontal (BH) connector and parallel to the short side of the Basic Horizontal (BH) connector, when attached to the long side(s) of the Basic Horizontal (BH) connector; with attachment combinations including: BH-L (Integration Connector attached to the long side of a Basic Horizontal connector), BH-LL (Integration Connector attached to each long side of a Basic Horizontal connector).
In some other embodiments, in use, an Integration Connector (IC) may be attached to a Basic Extended (BX) connector; with a plane thru a proximately bottom face of the C shaped bottom plate of an Integration Connector at roughly the same elevation as the exterior long side face without wedges of a Basic Extended connector; with the Integration Connector aligned with a plane originating at the proximate centroid of the Basic Extended (BX) connector and parallel to the short side of the Basic Extended (BX) connector, when attached to the long side(s) of the Basic Extended BX connector; with attachment combinations including: BX-L (Integration Connector attached to the long side of a Basic Extended BX connector), BX-LL (Integration Connector attached to each long side of a Basic Extended BX connector).
In some embodiments, framing members; with dimensions that generally allow for insertion into any construction set connector; with an I Beam (IB) framing member composed of proximately two flanges and a centered web; with a proximate C Section (CS) framing member composed of around two flanges and an offset web, thereby effectively forming a letter C; an Open Box (OB) framing member composed of approximately two flanges and two webs, basically forming a box; and a Solid Box (SB) framing member composed of more or less six sides, forming a substantially solid rectangular prism.
In some embodiments, a toy construction set based on beam and column structural theory with all construction set elements being three-dimensional (3D) printable is provided. The toy construction set includes key connections and framing members associated with the structural framework of, but not limited to, homes, offices, and other buildings. Moreover, the building process illustrates the overall engineering management of a building project including, but not limited to, design, manufacturing, and construction.
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
In some embodiments, Stiffeners 12 are provided to generally reduce stress concentrations, increase strength and fatigue life of the connector. In addition, the position of the stiffeners eliminates the need for removeable internal 3D supports.
In other embodiments, each Member Stop 13 may provide resting points to inserted beams and columns where each Member Stop 13 may include a wedge defined by roughly two isosceles triangles and three rectangular faces. The two isosceles triangles of the wedge may be pointed into the interior of the connector, thereby providing a landing stop for a bottom inserted framing member. The rectangular face may form the base of the connected two isosceles triangles, attached to the interior face of each short side column; with the height of the isosceles triangle roughly equal to the depth of a top side or bottom side beam; with the width of the wedge roughly equal to the width of the attached column; with each Member Stop 13 located at each short side column with a height equal to the height of the column plus one half of the width of the rectangular base that connects the two isosceles triangles of the wedge.
In additional embodiments, Deformation Positioners 14 are provided to generally exert sufficient force (via deformation) to keep inserted beams and columns in place and may permit ease of extraction. Each Deformation Positioner 14 generally located approximately mid-length and on the interior face of each short side beam or column. The Deformation Positioner 14 being one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated in the longest direction of an attached member; with the Deformation Positioner 14 elastically deforming connector members when a framing member is inserted into the connector.
In further embodiments, the Locking Positioners 15 are located before and after the Member Stops 13 on the long side beams of the connector; with the Locking Positioners 15 attached to the interior surface of the long side beams that have a depth roughly equal to the depth of a short side beam; with the Locking Positioners 15 being one half of a longitudinally cut cylinder orientated perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the attached beam; with the longitudinal length of the cut cylinder roughly equal to the width of the attached beam; with the Locking Positioners 15 providing retention, when a framing member is inserted into the connector. Additionally, Locking Positioners 15 in combination with the Deformation Positioners 14 may provide a multipoint mechanism for keeping inserted beams and columns in place.
The toy construction set 100 is generally based on beam and column structural theory with all construction set elements being three-dimensional (3D) printable. For instance, the toy construction set 100 includes key connections and framing members associated with the structural framework of, but not limited to, homes, offices, and other buildings. Moreover, the building process may illustrate the overall engineering management of a building project including, but not limited to, design, manufacturing, and construction. In use, for example, inserting and removing the various framing members into the connections is significantly straight forward as follows: Generally lining up a framing member such that the framing member contacts the interior faces of the open sided of a connector. Inserting the framing member into the connector until the framing member is in contact with the member stops of the connector, or connector frame or stiffeners in the case of an Integration Connector (IC), or a base plate in the case of a Base Plate (BP) connector. To broadly remove a framing member, hold the connector and pull the framing member out of the connector.
Those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of and in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, that any of the foregoing steps may be suitably replaced, reordered, removed and additional steps may be inserted depending upon the needs of the particular application. Moreover, the prescribed method steps of the foregoing embodiments, for example, a three-dimensional (3D) printing of the toy construction set 100, may be implemented using any physical and/or hardware system that those skilled in the art will readily know is suitable in light of the foregoing teachings. For any method steps described in the present application that can be carried out on a computing machine, a typical computer system can, when appropriately configured or designed, serve as a computer system in which three-dimensional (3D) printing may be embodied. Thus, the present invention is not limited to any particular tangible means of implementation.
All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
It is noted that according to USA law 35 USC § 112 (1), all claims must be supported by sufficient disclosure in the present patent specification, and any material known to those skilled in the art need not be explicitly disclosed. However, 35 USC § 112 (6) requires that structures corresponding to functional limitations interpreted under 35 USC § 112 (6) must be explicitly disclosed in the patent specification. Moreover, the USPTO's Examination policy of initially treating and searching prior art under the broadest interpretation of a “mean for” or “steps for” claim limitation implies that the broadest initial search on 35 USC § 112(6) (post AIA 112(f)) functional limitation would have to be conducted to support a legally valid Examination on that USPTO policy for broadest interpretation of “mean for” claims. Accordingly, the USPTO will have discovered a multiplicity of prior art documents including disclosure of specific structures and elements which are suitable to act as corresponding structures to satisfy all functional limitations in the below claims that are interpreted under 35 USC § 112(6) (post MA 112(f)) when such corresponding structures are not explicitly disclosed in the foregoing patent specification. Therefore, for any invention element(s)/structure(s) corresponding to functional claim limitation(s), in the below claims interpreted under 35 USC § 112(6) (post AIA 112(f)), which is/are not explicitly disclosed in the foregoing patent specification, yet do exist in the patent and/or non-patent documents found during the course of USPTO searching, Applicant(s) incorporate all such functionally corresponding structures and related enabling material herein by reference for the purpose of providing explicit structures that implement the functional means claimed. Applicant(s) request(s) that fact finders during any claims construction proceedings and/or examination of patent allowability properly identify and incorporate only the portions of each of these documents discovered during the broadest interpretation search of 35 USC § 112(6) (post AIA 112(f)) limitation, which exist in at least one of the patent and/or non-patent documents found during the course of normal USPTO searching and or supplied to the USPTO during prosecution. Applicant(s) also incorporate by reference the bibliographic citation information to identify all such documents comprising functionally corresponding structures and related enabling material as listed in any PTO Form-892 or likewise any information disclosure statements (IDS) entered into the present patent application by the USPTO or Applicant(s) or any 3rd parties. Applicant(s) also reserve its right to later amend the present application to explicitly include citations to such documents and/or explicitly include the functionally corresponding structures which were incorporate by reference above.
Thus, for any invention element(s)/structure(s) corresponding to functional claim limitation(s), in the below claims, that are interpreted under 35 USC § 112(6) (post AIA 112(f)), which is/are not explicitly disclosed in the foregoing patent specification, Applicant(s) have explicitly prescribed which documents and material to include the otherwise missing disclosure, and have prescribed exactly which portions of such patent and/or non-patent documents should be incorporated by such reference for the purpose of satisfying the disclosure requirements of 35 USC § 112 (6). Applicant(s) note that all the identified documents above which are incorporated by reference to satisfy 35 USC § 112 (6) necessarily have a filing and/or publication date prior to that of the instant application, and thus are valid prior documents to incorporated by reference in the instant application.
Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention, other equivalent or alternative methods of implementing toy construction sets according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various aspects of the invention have been described above by way of illustration, and the specific embodiments disclosed are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. The particular implementation of the toy construction sets may vary depending upon the particular context or application. By way of example, and not limitation, the toy construction sets described in the foregoing were principally directed to building implementations; however, similar techniques may instead be applied to toy vehicles, containers, etc, which implementations of the present invention are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims. It is to be further understood that not all of the disclosed embodiments in the foregoing specification will necessarily satisfy or achieve each of the objects, advantages, or improvements described in the foregoing specification.
Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. That is, the Abstract is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify any key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims.
The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
The present Utility patent application claims priority benefit of the [U.S. provisional application for patent Ser. No. 62/626,557, filed on Feb. 5, 2018 under 35 U.S.C. 119(e). The contents of this related provisional application are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes to the extent that such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith or limiting hereof.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62626557 | Feb 2018 | US |
