The invention relates generally to toy construction sets and more particularly to such construction sets in which the principal building components are comprised of a series of rods and connectors for joining with the rods. A highly popular form of such construction toy sets is marketed under the trademark “K'NEX”, by K'NEX Industries, Inc. Certain features of the K'NEX construction toy sets are reflected in earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,061,219, 5,137,486, 5,199,919 and 5,350,331. The K'NEX construction toy sets, although first introduced relatively a few years ago, have become highly popular and commercially very successful. However, notwithstanding the many advantages and many attractive features of the K'NEX construction toys as presently marketed, a certain level of manual dexterity and finger strength is needed in order to take full advantage of the many features offered. This tends to limit the marketability of the existing construction toy sets to children who have developed a reasonable level of manual dexterity
The present invention is directed to a rod and connector toy construction set which, while incorporating many of the important advantageous features of the existing K'NEX construction toy, is specifically designed and optimized for children of somewhat younger age. To this end, the component elements of the construction toy set are so designed and constructed as to enable young children, with minimal manual dexterity and finger strength, to assemble and disassemble the components and to build various structures and assemblies therewith.
The rod and connector components of the new construction toy set are suitably sized to infant hands such that the individual component parts may be easily gripped and handled by children of ages, say, four and above. For the rod elements, for example, a rod diameter of about ⅜ inch is suitable for gripping and manipulating with small hands. For an advantageous construction toy set of the type contemplated, such rods are provided in various lengths, ranging from around one inch to around nine inches. The principal rod elements of the new construction set are of generally circular cross sectional outline, having end portions and a central body portion of a generally uniform diameter. The end flanges and the central body portion are separated by neck portions of reduced diameter and predetermined length.
The construction set of the invention further includes connector elements arranged to receive and grip the rod elements in fixed orientations, to enable structures to be assembled. To advantage, the connectors include a hub, with one or more open-ended and open-sided rod-engaging sockets oriented radially with respect to the hub. In a typical construction set, connectors may be provided having as few as one or as many as eight such rod-engaging sockets. Where more than one socket is provided, they typically may be arranged at angular intervals of, for example, 45 degrees.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the connector elements are formed of a soft and pliant plastic material which is easily flexed in the area of the rod gripping sockets. The sockets extend completely through the connectors, from one side thereof to the other and are open at both sides. The sockets are formed with features for capturing and gripping the flanged ends and neck portions of the rod elements. The arrangement enables the rods to be installed by a lateral snap-in movement which results in the neck portion of the rod being gripped and held in axial alignment with the principal axis of the socket, by means of opposed, concave contours of rod gripping portions of the socket. The flanged end of the rod element is received in an enlarged portion of the socket to resist axial withdrawal of a rod from a socket in which it is installed. Because of the soft and pliant character of the connector elements, a small child can easily assemble parts to form a structure. Also, there is substantial resilience and flexing ability to the rod-to-connector joint to minimize the likelihood of injury resulting from a small child falling into an assembled structure, for example.
To advantage, certain of the rod elements of the new construction toy set are formed of a somewhat harder and more rigid material than the connector elements, although preferably with sufficient resilience and flexibility to bend if fallen upon during play, for example. Rods also may be provided in a softer, more easily bendable and flexible form to enable a significant degree of shaping of the rods during the assembly of structures with the set components.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, and to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, and initially to
The connector element 30 of
The connector 30 is provided with a central hub 35 which, in the configuration shown in
A plurality of spoke-like webs 37 extend radially from the hub 35 and intersect with octagonally arranged intermediate walls 38. The radial webs 37 and intermediate walls 38 define generally triangular spaces 39, which preferably are closed by means of web walls 40 disposed in the central plane of the connector body.
The octagonally arranged intermediate walls 38 form inner ends of each of eight radially spaced rod-engaging sockets 41 defined by the connector. The sockets 41 are arranged on radially disposed axis 42, separated by angles of 45 degrees. The sockets 41 are comprised of rod gripping portions 43 and rod end receiving portions 44, which are specially sized and shaped to receive and grip rods 45 of the type shown in FIG. 13. These rods, which will be described in greater detail, include elongated central body portions 46, of generally cylindrical cross sectional outline, forming the central portion of the rod. At each end, the rods are provided with neck portions 47 of reduced diameter, and end flanges 48 which are preferably and advantageously of the same diameter as the cylindrical outline of the body portion 46.
Pursuant to the invention, the rod-engaging sockets 41 extend completely through the body of the connector 30, from one side to the other, and are open on both sides. Preferably, the rod end receiving portions 44 of the sockets 41 conform very closely in size and shape to the end flanges 48 of the rods 45. Thus, the end flange portion 48 of a rod, while being closely confined within the socket portion 44, can be passed through from one side to the other.
In an advantageous form of the invention, the rods 36 have a basic diameter of approximately 0.375 inch for the body portion 46 and end flanges 48. The end flanges 48 may be approximately ¼ inch in length and are preferably provided with a distinct bevel or chamfer 49 at their outer ends, for example a {fraction (1/16)} inch bevel at 45 degrees. The inner portions 44 of the connector sockets are shaped and dimensioned to closely conform to the described shape and dimensions of the end flanges 48 of the rods, in order that the end flanges are snugly confined within the socket end portions 44.
The neck portions 47 of the rods 45 advantageously are of cylindrical form and have a diameter of approximately 0.250 inch and, in the preferred embodiment, an axial length of about 0.320 inch between opposed end faces 50, 51 of the end flanges 48 and rod body 46, respectively. As reflected in
To accommodate easy assembly and disassembly by young children, the forces required for lateral insertion of a rod 45 into a rod gripping socket must not be too great. At the same time, there must be adequate gripping and holding of the rod in the socket 41 to enable a useful structure to be assembled. To this end, it is desirable and advantageous for the cylindrical grooves 55, 56 to be subtended by an angle 57 of between 60 and 70 degrees, and preferably about 64 degrees. With the indicated materials employed for the connector, grooves 55, 56 of this proportion provide adequate holding power without unduly hindering the assembly and disassembly operations by young children.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the respective side walls 52, 53 of an adjacent pair of rod-engaging sockets 41 are joined by integral angular outer walls 60, which define the outer peripheral walls of the connector. The walls 52, 53 and 60 define a somewhat triangularly shaped opening 61, which preferably is closed by a central panel 62 preferably disposed in the central plane of the connector body, adding an element of rigidity to the quadrilateral tongue-like elements 63 comprised of side walls 52, 53 and the connecting outer wall 60. As shown in
The peripheral walls 60 serve multiple functions. They provide blunt and soft contact areas to minimize the likelihood of any injury from unintended contact. Additionally, by connecting the rod gripping portion of one socket to a corresponding rod gripping portion of an adjacent socket, each one helps to support the other to some extent, which is desirable in view of the soft and pliant nature of the plastic material employed in the connector.
In the modified socket shown in
By comparing FIG. 2 and
With reference now to
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the primary rod elements 45 are formed of a harder, stiffer material than that used in forming the various connector elements. To advantage, the primary rod elements may be formed of a general purpose polypropylene, such as that marketed by Himont Incorporated under its registered trademark “PRO-FAX”. A material sold as “PRO-FAX” 6331 NW, which has a Rockwell hardness of 105 (R Scale) is suitable. The rods are advantageously molded in a series of lengths based upon a right-triangle configuration. Thus, the rod of each greater length in the series is appropriate for installation along the hypotenuse side of an equilateral right triangle formed using three connectors, where the right angle sides of the triangle are formed by two rods of the next shorter size in the series. The two short sides of the right triangle are made up of the lengths of the shorter rods, plus the distance from the inner ends of the rod-engaging sockets to the center axis of the connector hub. Likewise, the total distance along the hypotenuse side of the right triangle is made up of the lengths of the longer rod, together with the distance from the inner end of the connector sockets to the center of the hubs of the connectors with which the rod is engaged. The shortest of the rods in the series advantageously is of a size to join two connectors side by side, with their outer walls 60 substantially in contact. There is no theoretical limit to the maximum length of rods in the series. However, as a practical matter, a rod of about 8.7 inches in overall length is a suitable maximum for a typical toy construction set.
Preferably, the body portions 46 of the rods 45 are not formed as solid cylinders, as such is not needed for strength and adds unnecessarily to weight and cost. Preferably, the body portions 46 are of a ribbed configuration, as reflected in
As indicated in
The configuration of the end portions of the rods 45 preferably conforms closely to that of the connector sockets 41. The neck portions 47 are formed with a length of approximately 0.320 inch between the end faces 50, 51, and substantially the same dimension is used for the length of the rod gripping portions 43, between internal shoulders 105 of the socket and the outer side face 31 of the connector, as shown in FIG. 17. This helps to provide a snug and secure fit and connection of the rod to the connector.
As shown in
Although it is contemplated that assembly and disassembly of rods to connectors will take place by lateral movement of a rod end into and out of a rod-gripping socket 41, it is also recognized that, because of the soft and pliant nature of the material of which the connectors are formed, and the relatively undisciplined nature of the young children expected to be using the toy set, that rods may be forcible detached from connectors in other ways. For example, a connector may be held stationary, while a rod joined to it is forcibly displaced by its outer end, in the same plane as the connector. If enough force is applied in this manner, the connector socket 41 will be forced open and one side of the rod end 48 will be forcibly displaced beyond its retaining shoulder 105, allowing the rod to be forcibly extracted out through the open front end of the socket 41. With the rod and socket configuration of the illustrated embodiment, this can be accommodated with minimum damage to the connector element, by reason of the contours of the rod end 48 and of the end portion 44 of the socket. Thus, the generously rounded inner edges 106 of the rods 45 enable a skewed rod to slide past the shoulder 105, when necessary, without causing excessive abrasion of the soft plastic material. The inner corner edges 105a of the shoulders 105 preferably are also slightly rounded, for example on a {fraction (1/32)}nd inch radius. In addition, the beveled outer front edges 49 of the rod end 48 also facilitate withdrawal of a skewed rod from the socket 41 without excessive abrasion. This is advantageous in that it enables the use of soft pliant materials for the connector elements both for safety and for easy manipulation by immature hands, without resulting in accelerated wear of the connectors.
In an advantageous form of construction toy set according to the invention, the shortest rod of a series thereof, based upon a right triangle progression as previously described, is of a size, as reflected in
As a safety feature, the rod 112 of
To advantage, it may be desirable to provide that certain of the rod elements of the construction set, particularly some of those of greater length, be of a relatively flexible, bendable nature. This allows flexible rods to be incorporated into structures in a variety of shapes and contours. To this end, selected ones of the longer rods advantageously may be molded of a relatively soft, flexible material such as Monprene MP 1805 as made available by QST, Inc., St. Albans Vt. The indicated material, which has a hardness of about 90 on the Shore “A” scale, is slightly softer than the material of which the connector elements are formed, and thus allows a rod to be easily bent into various shapes. The basic cross section and outer configuration of the bendable rods is the same as the rods made of the harder, polypropylene material, as regards the rod ends, neck portions and body portions, and the softer rods will in all respects function in the same manner as the harder and stiffer rods, except that they are bendable. In a typical construction toy set according to the invention, some of at least the longest (e.g., 8.7 inch) rods preferably are formed of the Monprene MP material
As reflected in
In the arrangement shown in
The rod 45 is pushed into the socket 41 until the neck portion 47 reaches the enlarged rod end receiving portion 44 of the socket (FIG. 21). The socket side walls 52, 53 then resiliently close to their normal positions to retain the neck portion 47 within the socket portion 44.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the axial length of the neck portion 47 is slightly less than the thickness of the connector 30, between its side faces 33, 34. For example, the thickness of the connector 30 may be approximately 0.375 inch while the axial length of the neck portion 47 may be approximately 0.320. Accordingly, when the neck portion 47 is pressed into the socket 41, in the perpendicular orientation illustrated in
To particular advantage, the cylindrical neck portion 114 of the short rod 112 has an overall length of about 0.670, which is slightly less than the thickness of two connector elements placed side by side. Accordingly, the shortest rod 112 also can be installed crosswise in the sockets of a pair of side by side connector elements to join them together in that configuration.
The toy construction set of the invention is particularly well suited for use by young children whose manual dexterity and finger strength has not been well developed. Particularly important is the relatively large size of the connector elements and rods, which enables them to be easily gripped and manipulated by small hands, in conjunction with the soft and pliant nature of the connector element, which enable small hands to easily assemble and disassemble the parts. The component parts of the new toy set, while bearing a family resemblance to the well known K'nex® construction sets, and incorporating many of the advantageous features thereof, also differs therefrom in significant ways. One of those is relative softness of the connector material in relation to the harder material of the rods. Another resides in the fact that the rod-gripping portions of the connector sockets engage and grip the neck portions of the rods to hold the rods in axial alignment with the rod-engaging sockets. Rods are held in crosswise engagement with the connectors is different ways, either by inserting the neck portions of the rods crosswise into the connector sockets, or by inserting the flanged rod ends into blind recesses in connectors provided with such.
The soft and pliant nature of the connector elements is an important safety feature as well, as it allows installed rods to be deflected upon unintended contact. It also allows a rod, installed by lateral insertion into a rod gripping socket, to be removed by a twisting motion in the plane of the connector. Even though it is not intended that a rod be removed in this fashion, it is recognized that immature children may frequently work with the parts in unintended ways, and the construction set of the invention accommodates such behavior.
The relatively large size of the component parts is in itself a safety feature in that small, immature children are unlikely to place the larger parts in their mouths. Were they to do so, there is little likelihood that any injury would be caused. An additional, safety feature is incorporated into the smaller size rods to minimize possible accidental choking hazards, by increasing the likelihood that the part would be rejected by a gag reflex.
It should be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.
This application is a division of my application Ser. No. 10/336,546, filed Jan. 3, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,474, and claims the priority of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/367,366, filed Jan. 7, 2002.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040198142 A1 | Oct 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60367366 | Jan 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10336546 | Jan 2003 | US |
Child | 10752602 | US |