US20050191932A1

US20050191932A1 - Building block

Info

Publication number: US20050191932A1
Application number: US10/792,545
Authority: US
Inventors: Fu-chi Lin
Original assignee: Youth Toy Enterprise Co Ltd
Current assignee: Youth Toy Enterprise Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-03-01
Filing date: 2004-03-01
Publication date: 2005-09-01

Abstract

A building block includes a cube, five of six sides of which is respectively provided with four through holes while the sixth side is diagonally symmetrically provided with two projections and two through holes. The building blocks may be connected to one another in many different manners to create various shapes, and could be conveniently stored in a closed container and produced at reduced cost.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a building block, and more particularly to building blocks that may be connected to one another in many different manners to create various shapes, and could be conveniently stored in a closed container and produced at reduced cost.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Young children need good “exercises” to achieve good development of brain and growth of muscle. In addition to encourage the young children to use their brains, it is also necessary to cultivate their ability in balancing control. Building blocks are frequently strongly recommended to young children by experts because they are constructive toys allowing children to observe with eyes and touch with hands. Through trial and error, children gradually learn to assemble a mass of individual building blocks into a complete thing or body. In the process of assembling the building blocks, the children naturally learn the concept of space, and understand the relation between “whole” and “part” to build the mathematical concept about “quantity” or “amount”. Young children tend to develop different shapes in playing the building blocks in the course of their growth. They have a lot of fun in their own imaginative creations built with the blocks. Blocks are therefore very useful in developing children's imagination and training their brain.
However, it should be noted that a good building block adapted to achieve the above-mentioned learning effects is certainly not only a few pieces of geometric blocks for practicing piling. A well-designed building block must be highly reproducible and have ingenious and balancing structure. While many commercially available building blocks are in compliance with the above-mentioned requirements, they still have many defects in the design.
Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 that illustrates a first conventional building block 1. The building block 1 is a cube, three of four lateral sides of which are respectively provided with an insertion hole 11 while the fourth lateral side is provided with a centered projection 12. By engaging the projection 12 of one building block 1 with any one insertion hole 11 of another building block 1, a plurality of the building blocks 1 may be connected to or stacked over one another to create various formations, providing a good way for training young children's brain through free creation of different shapes. A disadvantage of the first conventional building block 1 is that, no matter how the building blocks 1 are arranged for storing in a container 2, there is always one projection 12 extended from one of the building blocks 1 to prevent the container 2 from being covered with a lid (not shown).
FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrates another two conventional building blocks 3 and 30. The building block 3 shown in FIG. 4 is a cube, five of six sides of which are respectively provided with an insertion hole 31 while the sixth side of which is provided at a center with a projection 32. By engaging the projection 32 of one building block 3 with any one insertion hole 31 of another building block 3, a plurality of building blocks 3 may be connected to or stacked over one another to create different shapes. The building block 30 shown in FIG. 3 is also a cube, which is particularly designed for use as an ending block for other building blocks 3. All six sides of the building block 30 are respectively provided with an insertion hole 301, enabling all building blocks 3 and 30 in one complete set to be fitly received in the container 2 without the problem of a projection 32 preventing the container 2 from being covered with a lid. However, it requires two molds for manufacturing the building blocks 3 and 30, and it is necessary to stock up both the building blocks 3 and 30, resulting in uneconomically increased manufacturing and warehousing costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a building block, a plurality of which may be continuously connected to one another in many different manners to create various shapes, be conveniently stored in a closed container, and be produced at reduced cost.
To achieve the above and other objects, the building block according to a first embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a cube, five of six sides of which is respectively provided with four squared through holes while the sixth side is diagonally symmetrically provided with two round-sectioned projections and two squared through holes.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, the building block includes a cube, five of six sides of which is respectively provided with four round through holes while the sixth side is diagonally symmetrically provided with two round-sectioned projections and two round through holes.
Areas on each side of the cube other than the through holes and the projections are formed into across-shaped central zone and a squared frame zone. The cross-shaped central zone has a width twice as wide as that of the frame zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first conventional building block;
FIG. 2 shows the receiving of the first conventional building blocks in a container;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second conventional building block;
FIG. 4 shows the connecting of the second conventional building blocks to one another;
FIG. 5 shows the receiving of the second conventional building blocks in a container;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a building block according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a first example of connecting multiple building blocks of FIG. 6 to one another;
FIG. 8 is an assembled perspective of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 shows the receiving of the building blocks of FIG. 6 in a container;
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a second example of connecting multiple building blocks of FIG. 6 to one another;
FIG. 11 is an assembled view of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a third example of connecting multiple building blocks of FIG. 6 to one another;
FIG. 13 is an assembled view of FIG. 12; and
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a building block according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 6 that is a perspective view of a building block 4 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the building block 4 is a cube, five of six sides of which are respectively provided with four through holes 42 while the sixth side is diagonally symmetrically provided with two projections 41 and two through holes 43. The projections 41 are round-sectioned, and the through holes 42, 43 are square-sectioned. With the four through holes 42 symmetrically provided on each side of the building block 4, there area cross-shaped central zone 44 and a squared frame zone 45 formed on each side of the building block 4. It is noted the cross-shaped central zone 44 has a width twice as wide as that of the frame zone 45.
Please refer to FIG. 7 that is an exploded perspective view showing a first example of connecting multiple building blocks 4 to one another. Any of the building blocks 4 may be connected to another one by associating the two projections 41 on that building block 4 with two through holes 42 or 43 on any side of another building block 4. In this manner, five building blocks 4 may be connected to one another to form a cross-shaped body, as shown in FIG. 8. To collect the building blocks 4 in a container 5 for storage as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to position the outmost ones 4 with the side having the projections 41 facing inward, so that the projections 41 are inserted into the through holes 42 or 43 of an adjacent building block 4. In this way, the projections 41 would not project from the container 5, and the problem of being unable to close the container 5 with a cover (not shown) can be avoided. Moreover, only one mold is needed to manufacture the building blocks 4 to eliminate the problem of high costs for making more than one mold and stocking up two types of finished building blocks.
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a second example of connecting multiple building blocks 4 to one another. As mentioned above, the cross-shaped central zone 44 has a width twice as wide as that of the frame zone 45. This design allows one building block 4 to locate over another two parallelly arranged building blocks 4 by separately associating the two projections 41 of the first building block 4 with the through holes 42 or 43 of the other two building blocks 4, and thereby forms a reverse-T shaped body as shown in FIG. 11.
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a third example of connecting multiple building blocks 4 to one another. A first and a fourth building block 4 may be respectively located over and below a second and a third building block 4 by separately associating the two projections 41 of the first building block 4 with the through holes 42 on upper sides of the second and the third building block 4, and the two projections 41 of the fourth building block 4 with the through holes 43 on lower sides of the second and the third building block 4, so that the four building blocks 4 are stacked up to form a cross.
FIGS. 10 to 13 illustrates two additional manners of connecting the building blocks 4 of the present invention to one another. It is understood the building blocks 4 may still be connected to one another in many other manners to extend in different directions to show a variety of shapes.
FIG. 14 shows a building block 6 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The building block 6 is also a cube, five of six sides of which are respectively provided with four through holes 62 while the other side is diagonally symmetrically provided with two projections 61 and two through holes 63. Both the projections 61 and the through holes 62, 63 are round in shape.
The building blocks 6 may be connected to one another in the same manner as illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 for fitly receiving in a container closed with a cover.
Alternatively, the building blocks 6 may be continuously connected to or stacked over one another in the same manners as taught with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13 to create various formations.
In brief, the present invention provides a building block 4, 6 that is a cube, on five of six sides of which there are respectively provided four through holes 42, 62, while the sixth side of which is diagonally symmetrically provided with two projections 41, 61 and two through holes 43, 63. Wherein, the projections 41, 61 are round in shape, and the through holes 42, 62; 43, 63 may be square or round in shape.

Claims

1. A building block comprising a cube, five of six sides of said cube being provided with four through holes while the sixth side of said cube being diagonally symmetrically provided with two projections and two through holes.

2. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said projections on said cube are round-sectioned.

3. The building block as claimed in claim 1, wherein said through holes on said cube may be round-sectioned or square-sectioned.

4. A building block comprising a cube, five of six sides of said cube being provided with four through holes while the sixth side of said cube being diagonally symmetrically provided with two projections and two through holes, so that a cross-shaped central zone and a squared frame zone are formed on each side of said cube at areas other than said through holes; and said cross-shaped central zone has a width twice as wide as that of said frame zone.

5. The building block as claimed in claim 4, wherein said projections on said cube are round-sectioned.

6. The building block as claimed in claim 4, wherein said through holes on said cube may be round-sectioned or square-sectioned.