CHILDREN'S BUILDING BLOCKS

BLOCS POUR ENFANTS

English Abstract

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CHILDREN'S BUILDING BLOCKS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
In a set of children's building blocks, the
blocks are sized and shaped to be assembled without
interlocking in a pre-determined order to provide the
outline shape of an article such as a tree, a barn, a
sail boat, a house or an automobile. When the blocks are
assembled in the pre-determined order, line markings
along selected edge portions of selected blocks cooperate
to provide a peripheral outline of the article which they
represent. Sequential indicia, for example numbers or
letters, marked on the front faces of the blocks repre-
sent the sequence in which the blocks are to be assembled
to produce the desired article.

Claims

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CLAIMS
1. A set of children's building blocks without
interlocking components, capable of being stacked without
interlocking in a pre-determined array to provide the
outline shape of a selected article, sequential indicia
marked on the front faces of the blocks and representing the
sequence in which the blocks appear in said pre-determined
array, and line markings along selected edges of selected
blocks such that when the blocks are assembled in the pre-
determined array, the article is outlined by the markings.
2. A set of blocks according to Claim 1 wherein
said sequential indicia are numbers.
3. A set of blocks according to Claim 1 wherein
said sequential indicia are letters of the alphabet.
4. A set of blocks according to Claim 3 wherein
said set of blocks comprises 26 blocks.
5. A set of blocks according to any one of
Claims 1 to 4 wherein said article is a coniferous tree.
6. A set of blocks according to any one of
Claims 1 to 4 wherein said article is a barn.
7. A set of blocks according to any one of
Claims 1 to 4 wherein said article is a house.
8. A set of blocks according to any one of
Claims 1 to 4 wherein said article is a sail boat.
9. A set of blocks according to any one of
Claims 1 to 4 wherein said article is an automobile.

Description

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CHILDREN'S BUILDING BLOCKS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to building
blocks and more particularly children's building blocks with
an educational purpose.
BACKGROUND
Children have been using building blocks for
many years for constructing fanciful play buildings and the
like. Some attempts have been made to couple an educational
purpose with the conventional cubic building blocks, by
marking letters and numbers on their faces.
The objective of the present invention is to
provide novel sets of children's building blocks that are
educationally stimulating to a child.
SUMMARY
According to the present invention there is
provided a set of children's building blocks without
interlocking components, capable of being stacked without
interlocking in a pre-determined array to provide the
outline shape of a selected article, sequential indicia
marked on the front faces of the blocks and representing the
sequence in which the blocks appear in said pre-determined
array, and line markings along selected edges of selected
blocks such that when the blocks are assembled in the pre-
determined array, the article is outlined by the markings.


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The article represented by the correctly
assembled blocks will usually be a familiar article, for
example a coniferous tree, a barn, a house, a sail boat or
an automobile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which
illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention:
Figure 1 illustrates a front elevation of ten
blocks forming a set;
Figure 2 illustrates the ten blocks of Figure
1 assembled to represent a coniferous tree;
Figure 3 illustrates a further set of blocks
assembled to produce a barn;
Figure 4 illustrates a further set of blocks
assembled to produce a sail boat;
Figure 5 illuctrates yet another set of
blocks assembled to produce a house; and
Figure 6 illustrates a simple set of blocks
assembled to produce an automobile.




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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures
1 and 2 illustrate a set of blocks of varying shapes and
sizes. These include a base block 1 of rectangular
configuration, a trapezoidal block 2, two half trape-
zoidal blocks 3 and 4 that are mere images of one
another, a trapezoidal block 5, two half trapezoidal
blocks 6 and 7, trapezoidal blocks 8 and 9 and a trian-
gular block 10. These blocks are stacked from the bottom
up in the numbered order to produce a coniferous tree as
illustrated in Figure 2.
The periphery of the front face of the
assembled blocks as illustrated in Figure 2 is outlined
by a line marking 42. As illustrated in Figure 1, this
ls produced by producing llne markings along selected
edge portions of the blocks. Each block is also labelled
with lts number in the se~uence in which the tree is
assembled.
Referring to Figure 3, there is illustrated a
similar set of blocks, this time with twenty-six blocks
that are assembled to produce the outline of a barn with
the usual mansard roof. The barn is outlined by line
markings along the selected edge portions of the outer
most blocks. Not all of the blocks in this embodiment


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have marked edges, as some are surrounded by other blocks
and do not extend to the edges of the completed article.
The front faces of the blocks in this embodiment are
labelled with the letters of the alphabet, A through Z to
designate the sequence in which the blocks are to be set
down to produce the barn.
Figure 4 illustrates a set of blocks con-
structed to be assembled into a sail boat. The sail boat
is again outlined along its periphery and the blocks bear
numbers on their front faces to indicate the sequence in
which they are to be assembled.
Figure 5 illustrates a set of blocks represent-
lng the elevation of a simple house in which the blocks
are labelled with numbers to indicate their sequence of
assembly and the house is again outlined around its
periphery.
Figure 6 of the drawings illustrates a simple
set of five blocks that may be assembled to produce a
representation of an automobile. Blocks 11 and 12 are
cylindrical blocks with one side flattened so that the
blocks will rest upright on a flat surface, such as a
table or floor. The bQdy of the car is block 13, while
the top of the automobile, including the windows and roof
are provided by two blocks 14 and 15. The blocks 13, 14


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and 15 have been outlined as before to provide a complete
outline around the main part of the vehicle. The wheels
are also outlined around the periphery on the front
face.
It is to be understood from the foregoing that
numerous embodiments of the present invention are pos-
sible and that the invention is not limited to the fore-
going embodiments. The invention is to be construed as
limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

Representative Drawing