Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2 ~
PLAY SYS~TEM
The present invention relates to a play system and,
more particularly, to a play system which enables the
building of toy constructions such as dolls' houses and the
like.
Many different types of play system exis~. For
example, at one end of the spectrum of such systems there
are straightforward construction systems such as Lego~ and
Meccano~, whilst at the other end there are conventional
dolls' houses, toy garages, etc. In between there are
systems which involve the construction of specific
buildings and the like from a kit of parts for use with
particular dolls or toy creatures.
Generally, the packaging in which such play systems
are sold provides a container for the system or component
parts of it, but forms no part of the play system in use.
It i6 known to use containers for games and other toys as
part of the game or toy, however, but such containers are
of fixed configuration and provide only limited play value.
The present invention has, as one object, the
provision of a system which provides a container which can
not only be used to house a t:oy or game (for example
providing the packaging for it), but which can also be used
in modular fashion to form a construction which then
becomes an integral part of the play system.
According to a first aspect of the present invention
there is provided a play system having
a base plate in the surface of which are provided a
plurality of slots; and,
a container for a toy or game, the container
comprising a box which has two parts hinged together, at
least one of the parts having a main wall with an edge
portion which can be located in one of the slots in the
base plate in order that the container can form one or more
walls for a construction which can be built on the base
plate.
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Preferably, the container will contain play items such
as a doll together with accessories which may form items
associated with the doll, although it is envisaged that
some containers may contain only accessories which may fit
with those of another style of container to provide
additional components for a single room or area to be
formed in the construction.
Preferably, the base plate is generally rectangular
and has plural sets of slots arranged orthogonally,
parallel to the major sides of the base plate. The base
plate may have slots in both major surEaces and may include
complementary coupling parts whereby two or more base
plates may be connected together in a plane to provide a
larger floor, roof or the like.
The container preferably has two halves, each of which
may include side flanges which, when the box is closed,
together form side walls of the container, and main walls
which lie opposite one another when the box is closed. The
main walls are preferably connected by a spine wall which
is hinged to both main walls to allow the box to open.
It is preferable if the sicle walls on opposite halves
engage one another to fully close the container and this
may be achieved, in a similar way as in a video cassette
container, by providing a single edge recess in one
engaging edge or multiple edge recesses in both engaging
edges of the side walls. Mating couplings, for example pin
and socket couplings may also be provided to secure the box
in the closed condition.
In order to allow the main walls of the box to engage
appropriate recesses in the base plate, the side walls of
the box halves may be set bacX from the edge of the main
walls by a distance substantially equal to or slightly less
than the depth of the slot(s) in the base plate.
The thickness of the container main walls is
preferably arranged to be substantially the same as the
width of the slot(s) into which they Eit, so that a tight
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fit is provided to form a secure mounting of the walls of
the construction on the base plate.
In order to enable plural containers to be mounted on
the base plate back-to-back, one or more of the slots in
the base plate may be of a width substantially twice the
thickness of the container main walls so that two can be
accommodated together in the same slot.
The container(s) and base plate are preferably formed
of a generally rigid material so as to provide sufficient
rigidity to the con~truction, but the material is
preferably also slightly flexible to allow for easy
assembly and disassembly. A particularly suitable material
is polypropylene as the hinge(s) between the halves formed
in such material have sufficient strength to resist rough
use without separating.
When the container has a spine wall connecting the two
halves of the box, the spine wall is advantageously shorter
khan the main walls of the box, i.e. closes the box without
extending to the edge of the main walls at ~ach end of the
spine wall, so that the container can be located on the
base plate with the main walls at right angles in
complementary slots and the spine wall at an angle (most
suitably 45) to each main wall and thus resting not in a
slot, but rather, simply, against the surface of the base
plate. This enables substantially equal length orthogonal
walls to be formed in the construction, facilitating the
construction of plural rooms or areas on the base plate,
but without requiring diagonal/angled slots to be formed in
the base plate, and enables a container to be positioned
substantially anywhere on the surface of the base plate.
To enhance the play value of the system, plural
different containers may be provided, each containing, for
example, a different arrangement of accessories associated
with rooms or the like of appropriate different types. It
is envisaged, for example, that containers could be
provided to form component parts of rooms such as
bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, garages, and stables to name
but a few possibilities, the interior of the box being
provided with decorative inserts to imitate wall surface~
in the vari~us rooms. The numher and type of rooms that
can be constructed is almost without limit.
Accessories may be hinged to the interior surfaces of
the walls of the container so as to fold out when the box
is opened and the interior surfaces may advantageously be
provided with projeckions for mounting folding or other
components.
Each container may have an outer transparent sleeve
which extends around the main sides of the container and
into which a display sheet may be fitted and which may be
printed, on its reverse face with a representation of a
wall surface, for example to simulate a brick or timber
wall.
A second aspect of the invention includes a container
of the type having a pair of halves connected by a spine
wall which i5 shorter than the main walls of the container,
as described above~
A third aspect of the invention is a base plate in the
surface of which are provided a plurality of slots, and on
one or more sides of which are provided means for enabling
plural base plates to be connected together.
One example of a play system according to the present
invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure l is a plan view of a base plate member of the
system;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the base plate;
Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line III-III in
figure 1;
Figure 4 is an end elevation of the base plate;
Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line V-V in
figure l;
Figure 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a
container of the play system;
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Figures 7A-D are smaller perspective views of
containers of the system, showing accessories that
have been inserted therein;
Figure ~3 i5 a plan view of the base plate with two
containers mounted thereon;
Figure 9 i5 an elevation on arrow IX in figure 8;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a further unit
which may be incorporated in the system to provide for
a doorway; and,
Figure 11 illustrates still further additional units
which ~ay be attached to the underside of a base plate
to provide ceiling features.
A base plate 1 is formed from plast.ics, such as ABS,
in a generally rectangular shape as can be seen in figure
1. In the top and bottom faces 2j3 are formed slots 4-9,
the slots being arranged in two orthogonal sets on each
face. The slots 4,5,6 in the top surface 2 are arranged as
shown with the slot 6 being substantially twice the width
of the slots 4,5 and parallel to the slots 4, which are
substantially the same width as the thickness of the main
walls of the containers 20 (to be described later). The
reason for the double width is that it enables plural
containers 20 to be mounted on the base plate back-to-back
as shown in figures 8 and 9. More than one of the slots in
the base plate may be of a width substantially twice the
thickness of the container main walls so that, for example,
four containers could be mounted in a cruciform
arrangement.
The four sides 10,11 of the base plate all have an
integral spacer, 13,14 respectively, which, when the base
plate is attached to another one, serves to provide a pair
of double thickness slots ~like the slots 6,9), top and
bottom.
Figure 2 is an elevation of one of the long side faces
10 of the base plate 1 and the arrangement of the slots
4,6,7,9 can clearly be seen, the slots being positioned
precisely opposite one another on opposite facas 2,3. The
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side faces 10 contain apertures 12 which can be used to
enable connection (by means of plastic nuts and bolts for
example) of plural base plates in order to provide an
enlarged base or roof when building a construction using
the play system of the invention. Figure 3 is a section on
III~IlI in figure 1 and shows the formation of the wall~
which serve to make up the base plate. The top surface of
the base plate is formed by plural walls 13 and the slots
4,5 by transverse walls 14,15. Figures 4 and 5 are views
similar to figures 2 and 3, but at right angles thereto.
The end faces 11 also have apertures 12 to allow connection
of other base plates.
Figure 6 shows an open container 20 in perspective.
The container is formed of polypropylene. The container
has two substantially identical halves 21,22 connected to
one another through a spine 23 by integral hinges 24,25.
Each half of the container has three side walls 26,27,28
and a main wall 29. The height of each side wall 26-28 is
substantially half the width of the spine 23 so that, when
the container is closed, it forms a box which is
substantially completely closed on all four sides. The
side walls 26-28 are positioned on the respective main
faces 29 set back from the edge of the main wall by a
distance which is substantially the same as or slightly
2~ less than the depth of the slots 4-9 in the bas~ plate 1,
so that the edge portion of each main wall 29 can be
disposed in one of the slots when building a construction
with the play system, with the outside face of the adjacent
sid~ wall abutting the surface 2 or 3 of the base plate and
thereby forming a secure connection.
It can be seen that the spine 23 has a length shorter
than the length of the adjacent main walls 29 and this
enables the spine to be disposed at an angle to the main
walls when inserting the walls into the bas~ plate,
enabling the construction to have walls of the same length
rather than of different lengths as would be necessary if
2~-~3~3 ~
the edge portions of the spine had to be accomodated in one
of the slots with one of the adjacent main walls 29.
On the main walls 29 and the spine 23 there are
provided cruciform-shaped pro~ections 30 which enabl~
accessories to be attached to the walls or spine.
Each side wall 27 includes a pair of connectors 31,32
respectively, for securing the container in the closed
position. The connectors 31 have projecting spigots 33 and
the connectors 32 have compementary holes 34.
F`igures 7A-7D are diagrammatic views of four different
styles of container that may be provided for use in
constructing, for example a stag~ (~igure 7A), a stable
(figure 7B), a bedroom (figure 7C) and a study room
(figure 7D) within a dolls' house. Each of the different
containers has different accessories relevant to the
intended room which the container provides and provides
packaging also for the accessories.
Each container has a transparent sleeve which covers
the main walls 29 and the spine 23 on the outside, into
which a display sheet may be fitted and which may be
printed, on its reverse face with a representation of a
wall surface, for example to simulate a brick or timber
wall.
~igures ~ and 9 illustrate an assembly of two
containers on a single base plate, the containers 20 being
positioned back-to-back with the lower edges of their
respective main walls 29 disposed in the slots 5,6, the
slot 6 accomodating one wall 29 of each container. It will
readily be appreciated that additional containers can be
mounted in similar fashion to provide additional walls of
a construction such as a dolls' house. Likewise, the
provision of slots 7,8,9 on the underside of the base plate
1 enable a roof or ceiling to be formed on the
constructionO
A further plate, similar or identical to the base
plate 1 described above, can be provided as a "ceiling" by
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fitting the uppermost edges of the main walls 29 of the
containers into slots in the ceiling plate.
Figure 10 illustrates a doorway or entrance unit 40
which may be provided to enhance the "playability" of the
system, the unit 40 being mounted on a base plate b~- the
same means as the container(s), namely a flange 41
extending from a bottom wall 42, the dooway unit 40 being
aligned in case with containers mounted on the base plate
to provide a building wall. An upper flange 42 can be
fitted into a ceiliny plate. The doorway unit 40 has a
door frame 43 and a hinged opening door 44.
Figure 11 shows various perspective views of units
intended to provide (a) ceiling lights 50, (b) a sounder or
doorbell 51, the units being mounted in the underside of a
ceiling plate 52 in use by frictional engagement in
recesses 53 in the underside of the ceiling plate 52, and
containing, if required, batteries, switches and lamps,
loudspeakers, bells etc. to provide the required functions.
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