1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method and an apparatus which holds structural members used in the construction of model buildings, towers, bridges and other structures during assembly. More particularly, it is concerned with a system which facilitates construction of three-dimensional model structures by holding the structural members in alignment during alignment, assembly and bonding by using a perforated base which removably receives retainers in recesses in the base.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Educators have found that students enjoy learning about science and technology by hands-on experience. One area where such learning techniques have enjoyed considerable success is in the construction of model structures. Allowing students to design, construct and test the performance of model structures such as buildings, towers, bridges and the like promote creativity, problem-solving, and understanding of physics and mathematics. Such structures are often constructed in the course of competitions, such as the SCIENCE OLYMPIAD® competition, which further promotes student interest and set forth design and testing parameters.
Such model structures are typically constructed from structural members which must be cut and joined together. Some of the materials used for the structural members are of wood such as balsa or basswood strips, but the model structures may also be fabricated from synthetic resin strips such as straws, and also metal rods which are joined by soldering, brazing or the like. The structural members must be measured, cut to size, and joined, and in that regard they must be held in place while glue or other adhesive is applied, or other fusing or joining in the case of synthetic resin or metal members is performed. Construction on tabletop surfaces using a person's hands to hold the materials is difficult and time consuming. One system which has been used for wood construction is a foam board where the board receives push pins which straddle the wood members to hold them in place during gluing and drying. Further, the foam boards are slidably carried in a storage carrier, such as a Pitsco™ Construction Caddy™, whereby the foam board may be removed while the glue dries and another foam board is substituted.
The model structural members, and the resulting structures, are somewhat fragile. As opposed to full sized construction, even modest applications of force by hand are sufficient to snap or bend many structural members. Thus, a system used for holding the components in position should avoid penetration of the members which further weakens them, and the use of large clamps or vises as are typically used in construction of full-sized structures is entirely unsuitable for use in the rather delicate model structures. However, there has arisen a need for an improved system for holding structural members of model structures during construction which promotes greater consistency in construction and design without the application of excess forces such as those applied by most vises and clamps.
This need has largely been met by the method and apparatus for retaining model structural members of the present invention. Substantial advantages afforded by the present invention include the provision of a base member which assists in visually aligning the members prior to assembly, which provides compressive force to the members during assembly notwithstanding slight deviations in the cut length of the member, which permits assembly of an entire model structure in three dimensions without the necessity of removing and remounting the model structure to the base member, which holds members at predetermined angles for uniformity and consistency in construction, and provides substantial flexibility in regard to the type of structure to be constructed, permitting curved as well as linear members to be employed while still providing compressive strength. In the case of wooden structural members which must be soaked in water to permit bending, the present invention enables the wooden members to be readily retained in their desired curvature during drying without yielding to the resilient force of the bended wood, thereby helping to ensure that the completed structure retains the desired configuration.
Broadly speaking, the present invention includes several components which, when integrated, greatly facilitate the construction of model structures. The components include a perforated base member having a plurality of commonly sized recesses which are preferably spaced at regular intervals to removably receive retainers therein. The retainers include a peg preferably sized for snug receipt into a selected recess and a flange normally positioned upwardly from the peg for clamping a structural member onto the base member. Preferably, at least one lobe for abutting the structural member is positioned between the peg and the flange and includes an engagement surface eccentrically positioned in relation to the peg such that the distance between the peg and the engagement surface varies depending upon a position on the engagement surface. The peg defines a pivot axis whereby upon rotation of the retainer, the engagement surface may be brought into engagement with the structural member and apply a variable biasing force thereagainst depending on the amount of turning of the retainer. This biasing force assists in the adhesion and alignment of the structural members during assembly.
In addition, the present invention includes at least one clip which provides edges at predetermined angles and retaining arms sized complemental to the structural members for holding the structural members against the edges. The edges may be configured to be linear or arcuate, as desired. For example, a clip may be triangular with two 45° corners and a 90° corner to hold three structural members, or triangular with a 30° corner, a 60° corner, and a 90° corner. Students constructing different models may thereby experiment and compare in regard to which presents the strongest structure with the structural members aligned as designed, rather than at a substantial variance from the design angles. Such clips may, alternatively, have an arcuate surface as might be used, for example, in a chord of an arch bridge, with the curvature of the structural member being conformable along the edge of an arcuate portion of the clip. These components work in complementary relationship to one another, whereby multiple retainers and clips can be used on structural members and assembled on the base member, with the snug fitting relationship of the peg of the retainer and the recess in the base serving to both hold down the structural member and also maintain a biasing force by the retainer laterally against the structural member. Further, the provision of the clips permits a structure to be assembled and bonded in three dimensions, as the clips hold the members together not only on the base member but also during drying and when turned or elevated above the base member. While the base member most preferably has all of the recesses at regularly spaced intervals in essentially a grid-like pattern in order to facilitate measurement and alignment, it is to be understood that some recesses may also be provided at irregularly spaced intervals in order to provide additional flexibility in regard to design and construction of the structures. However, the eccentric relationship between the peg and the engagment member's eccentric surface not only accommodates slight deviations in the cut structural members, but also provides flexibility in regard to positioning the structural members at irregular angles or intervals with respect to the spacing of the recesses.
The present invention is preferably constructed of synthetic resin components as described above for use with wooden or synthetic resin structural members. Beneficially, the synthetic resin retainers However, the components can also be of metal or other heat resistant materials which exhibit resiliency in the event that it is desired for use in holding metal structural members which are soldered or brazed together.
The method of the present invention differs from the conventional method of using pins which pierce foam board in that the structural members are firmly held in position on the base member. The method broadly includes the steps of providing a base member with a plurality of recesses at regularly spaced intervals and a plurality of retainers having pegs complementally sized with the recesses for movable and removable receipt in the recesses, positioning at least one and preferably a plurality of model structural members on the base member, and holding the at least one model structural member on the base member by inserting the peg into a recess with the flange in clamping engagement with the structural member. Preferably, the method includes holding a plurality of structural members in engagement with one another by respective retainers. More preferably, the method includes providing retainers with lobes which by virtue of the eccentric relationship between the peg and their engagement surfaces, such that by turning the retainer around the peg, the engagement surface is brought into engagement with the structural member. Most preferably thereby applying a biasing force to push two adjacent structural members together during bonding. Other aspects of the method include employing clips with preselected angular edges and holding the structural members along the edges of the clips by resilient arms, rotating the structure on the base member to add additional structural components thereto, and employing the retainers to hold the structural members in arcuate, substantially non-linear relationships.
As a result, the present invention provides a gentle, yet firm system for holding model structural members in position during assembly, and retains them in the desired position during curing or solidification of the bonding material not only when the parts are lying flat against the base member, but also permits continued assembly even when some of the joints between structural members are not fully cured. The present invention is useful in connection with a range of different materials for model structures and greatly facilitates alignment of the structural members during assembly. Further benefits and features of the invention hereof will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art with reference to the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment which follows.
Referring now to the drawings, an apparatus 20 for retaining model structural members 22 broadly includes a base member 24 and retainers 26 removably mounted thereto. In addition, the apparatus 20 may also include clips 28 for removably coupling to the model structural members 22 for retaining the model structural members 22 in a desired orientation during bonding whereby, upon curing, the completed model structure 30 such as the model bridge 32 shown in
In greater detail, the base member 24 is preferably a perforated planar member 34 and having a plurality of recesses 36. Most preferably, the recesses 36 are holes extending through the thickness of the planar member 34 as illustrated in
The retainers 26 are shown in detail in
The clips 28 are configured to attaching to the model structural members 22 and holding them in position during bonding of model structural members 22 to one another during construction of the model structures 30. Each of the clips 28 includes a frame 58 and at least one arm 60 connected to the frame 58. The arm 60 is resilient and yieldable and includes an shoulder 62 which extends outwardly from the frame 58 and a finger 64 separated from the frame 58 by a space 66 corresponding to the thickness of the model structural members with which it is used. Preferably, the frame 58 includes a plurality of edges 68, 70 and 72, each of the edges having a corresponding one of the arms 60 located substantially midway along the corresponding edge between angles between the edges, as shown in
In use, the user preferably, at least initially, slides the base member 24 into the carrier 38 and may, if desired, temporarily affix it thereto using adhesive tape or the like to resist sliding. After the model structural members 22 are cut from strips or rods of the starting material, they may initially be laid out on the base member and aligned using the recesses 36 as a visual guide. For example, when the starting material is strips of balsa or basswood, the user cuts them to desired lengths and can arrange them on the base member using the recesses for initial alignment purposes. One or more of the model structural members 22 can be placed on the base member 24 and aligned using the recesses 36 as a measuring and alignment guide. Adhesive such as glue may be applied where two or more model structural members 22 touch one another. One or more retainers 26 are then used to hold the model structural members 22 in their desired position, with their respective pegs placed in the desired recesses 36 and the flange 48 holding the model structural member 22 down. The engagement surface 54 of the lobe 50 is brought into abutment with the model structural members 22 held by the flange 48 by turning the handle. Because the engagement surface 54 is eccentrically positioned relative to the peg 46, turning the handle 52 causes the retainer 26 to pivot around the peg 46 and moves the engagement surface 54 toward or away from the adjacent model structural member 22. Thus, the model structural member 22, once engaged by the engagement surface 54, can be pushed along the top surface of the base member 24 and into contact with another model structural member 22. By using an appropriate recess 36 and the eccentricity of the engagement surface 54, a biasing force can be applied to the model structural member 22 to ensure good adhesion at a joint where adhesive is applied and maintained by the friction fit while the adhesive bond is cured. In addition, as shown in
The user may also employ the clips 28 to hold the connected model structural members 22 in alignment during curing of the bond. By laying the model structural edges along an edge of the clip 28, a desired, predetermined angular relationship between two connected model structural members can be maintained. The user then snaps the arm 60 of the clip over a desired model structural member 22, which then is aligned along the edge of the frame 58 of the clip 28. As shown in
The apparatus 20 hereof is also useful after the model structural members 22 have been assembled into essentially planar components 80 as shown in
As noted previously, it may be desired to use materials other than wood model structural members 22. If, for example, it is desired to use metal rods for the material of the model structural members and soldering, brazing or welding to bond the metal rods to one another, a heat resistant material such as brass, steel or the like should be used for the base member and preferably for any retainers or clips used in close proximity to the bonding site.
Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of his invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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1355975 | Hornby | Oct 1920 | A |
2885793 | Oback et al. | May 1959 | A |
3020672 | Zion | Feb 1962 | A |
3067536 | Brittsan | Dec 1962 | A |
3594940 | Yonezawa | Jul 1971 | A |
3659376 | Fischer | May 1972 | A |
3695616 | Weber | Oct 1972 | A |
4062130 | Wood et al. | Dec 1977 | A |
4585422 | Kay | Apr 1986 | A |
4687165 | Blackburn | Aug 1987 | A |
5318391 | Breiner | Jun 1994 | A |
5820436 | Pohlman | Oct 1998 | A |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050001130 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |