A TOY BUILDING SET

ENSEMBLE DE CONSTRUCTION DE JOUET

English Abstract

A toy building set comprising a group of building elements, each having at least one ball 1, 2 arranged on the building element, and where the ball 1, 2 is connected to other parts of the building element via a connection rod 3, 4, and where the toy building set further comprises at least one element having a socket formed by two jaws 5, being arranged and adapted for receiving said ball 1, 2 in order to form a ball and socket joint, and where the cross section of the connection rod 3, from where it is connected to the ball 1 and at least a distance away from the ball 1, is smaller than the cross section of the ball 1, so that it gives a certain degree of freedom for the socket to rotate around the ball 1. The connection rods 3, 4 also comprise connections rods 4 having a relatively large cross section, so that the connection rods 4 with a relatively large cross section reduces the degree of freedom for the socket to rotate around the ball 2.

French Abstract

La présente invention a trait à un ensemble de construction de jouet qui comprend un groupe d'éléments de construction, ayant chacun au moins une bille (1, 2) qui est disposée sur l'élément de construction, et laquelle bille (1, 2) est reliée à d'autres pièces de l'élément de construction par l'intermédiaire d'une tige de connexion (3, 4). Ledit ensemble de construction de jouet comprend en outre au moins un élément qui est doté d'une cavité constituée de deux mâchoires (5), qui est agencée et conçue de manière à recevoir ladite bille (1, 2) en vue de former un joint de bille et de cavité, la coupe transversale de la tige de connexion (3), à partir de laquelle se fait la liaison avec la bille (1) et au moins à une certaine distance de la bille (1), étant plus petite que la coupe transversale de la bille (1), de sorte qu'il est possible d'obtenir un certain degré de liberté permettant à la cavité de tourner autour de la bille (1). Les tiges de connexion (3, 4) comprennent également des tiges de connexion (4) qui sont dotées d'une coupe transversale relativement large, de sorte que les tiges de connexion (4) dotées d'une coupe transversale relativement large réduisent le degré de liberté permettant à la cavité de tourner autour de la bille (2).

Claims

7
CLAIMS:
1. A toy building set comprising a group of building elements, each hav-
ing at least one ball arranged on the building element, and where the
ball is connected to other parts of the building element via a connec-
tion rod, and where the toy building set further comprises at least one
element having a socket arranged and adapted for receiving said ball
in order to form a ball and socket joint, and where the cross section of
the connection rod, from where it is connected to the ball and at least
a distance away from the ball, is smaller than the cross section of the
ball, so that it gives a certain degree of freedom for the socket to ro-
tate around the ball, wherein, the group of building elements comprises
a first and a second type of connecting rods, and wherein
the first type of connection rod, at least close to the ball, has a
cross section being relatively larger than the corresponding cross sec-
tion of the second type of connection rod, so that the relatively larger
cross section of the first type of connection rod reduces the degree of
freedom on which the socket can rotate around a ball carried by the
first type of connection rod, than the degree of freedom on which the
socket can rotate around a ball carried by the second type of connec-
tion rod.
2. A toy building set according to claim 1, wherein the connection
rod has an axis of symmetry, and in that the axis of symmetry
extends through the ball carried by the connection rod.
3. A toy building set according to claim 2, wherein the axis of symmetry
extends through the centre of the ball.
4. A toy building set according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the group of building elements comprises at

8
least one building element having both a first and a second type of
connections rods each carrying a ball.
5. A toy building set according to claim 4, wherein at least
two of the balls are interconnected by a common connection rod.
6. A toy building set according to claim 5, wherein the common
connection rod has one end forming the first type of connection
rod having its relatively larger cross section near one of the balls,
and another end forming the second type of connection rod having its
smaller cross section near another ball.
7. A toy building set according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein
at least one of the balls has precisely two connecting rods of the
first type extending from it.
8. A toy building set according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein
at least one other ball has only one connecting rod of the second
type extending from it.
9. A toy building set according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein
the socket is formed by two resilient jaws, each having a concave
coupling surface facing the other jaw, and having a spacing that
ensures that the coupling surfaces on the two jaws lies against opposite
sides of the ball, when the socket is mounted on the ball.
10. A toy building set according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the balls

has precisely two connecting rods of the first type extending from it,
wherein the socket is formed by two resilient jaws, each having a
concave coupling surface facing the other jaw, and having a spacing
that ensures that the coupling surfaces on the two jaws lies against
opposite sides of the ball, when the socket is mounted on the ball, and

9
the concave coupling faces on the jaws extend between two side
faces, and the distance between the two side faces, and the
cross section of the first type of connection rods are selected so that
the jaws mounted on a ball carried by two of the first type of connec-
tion rods having a common axis of symmetry, can only rotate around
the common axis of symmetry of the two connections rods of the first
type.

Description

81770437
1
A toy building set
The present invention relates to a toy building set comprising a group of
building elements, each having at least one ball arranged on the building
element, and where the ball is connected to other parts of the building ele-
ment via a connection rod, and where the toy building set further comprises
at least one element having a socket arranged and adapted for receiving said
ball in order to form a ball and socket joint, and where the cross section of
the connection rod, from where it is connected to the ball and at least a dis-
tance away from the ball, is smaller than the cross section of the ball, so
that
it gives a certain degree of freedom for the socket to rotate around the ball.
Thereby it is possible for e.g. a child to build constructions, such as toy
fig-
ures having articulated body parts.
Description of related art
An example of such a toy building set is known from EP patent application
no. 856341 disclosing a number of separate building elements that can be
connected via ball and socket joints to form an articulated toy figure.
The problem in relation to this kind of toy building sets is that it does not
pro-
vide many different ways of connecting the separate elements to each other.
In relation to toy building sets it is therefore a constant challenge to
provide
such building sets that gives the possibility to build many different construc-

tions or figures by using the same basic elements.
This is achieved to a certain degree with the toy building set according to US
patent no.5,769,681, disclosing many different kinds of elements having cou-
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piing balls and complementary sockets that can be connected to each other
in many different ways to form articulated figures or constructions.
Summary of the invention
The main object of the present invention is to provide a toy building set
giving
the user more different ways of building articulated figures having different
patterns of possible movements.
This is obtained by the present invention in that the group of building
elements comprises a first and a second type of connecting rods,
and in that the first type of connection rod, at least close to
the ball, has a cross section being relatively larger than the corresponding
cross section of the second type of connection rod, so that the relatively lar-

ger cross section of the first type of connection rod reduces the degree of
freedom on which the socket can rotate around a ball carried by the first type

of connection rod, than the degree of freedom on which the socket can rotate
around a ball carried by the second type of connection rod.
Thereby the same socket can be mounted on two different both balls being
connected to a building element by connection rods with different cross sec-
tions, and the degree of freedom on which the socket can rotate around one
of the balls will be more limited than the degree of freedom on which the
socket can rotate around the other ball. Thereby it is possible, with a rela-
tively limited number of different building elements, to build many different
figures or constructions and at the same time providing more different pat-
terns of possible movement or articulation of the figure or construction.
In a preferred embodiment the connection rod has an axis of symmetry, and
the axis of symmetry extends through the ball carried by the connection rod.
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In this relation the axis of symmetry can preferably extend through the centre

of the ball.
The group of building elements may comprise at least one building element
having both a first and a second type of connections rods each carrying a
ball. In this way the same building element can provide more different pat-
terns of movement or articulation.
A very simple element can in this relation be provided, if at least two of the
balls are interconnected by a common connection rod, and especially if the
common connection rod has one end forming the first type of connection rod
having its relatively larger cross section near one of the balls, and another
end forming the second type of connection rod having its smaller cross sec-
tion near another ball.
In this relation it is further possible that at least one other ball has only
one
connecting rod of the second type extending from it.
In a further preferred embodiment the socket is formed by two resilient jaws,
each having a concave coupling surface facing the other jaw, and having a
spacing that ensures that the coupling surfaces on the two jaws lies against
opposite sides of the ball, when the socket is mounted on the ball.
In this relation it is advantageous if the concave coupling faces on the jaws
extend between two side faces, and in that the distance between the two side
faces, and the cross section of the first type of connection rods are selected

so that the jaws mounted on a ball carried by two of the first type of connec-
tion rods having a common axis of symmetry, can only rotate around the
common axis of symmetry of the two connections rods of the first type.
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3a
In some embodiments, there is provided a toy building set comprising a group
of
building elements, each having at least one ball arranged on the building
element,
and where the ball is connected to other parts of the building element via a
connection rod, and where the toy building set further comprises at least one
element
having a socket arranged and adapted for receiving said ball in order to form
a ball
and socket joint, and where the cross section of the connection rod, from
where it is
connected to the ball and at least a distance away from the ball, is smaller
than the
cross section of the ball, so that it gives a certain degree of freedom for
the socket to
rotate around the ball, wherein, the group of building elements comprises a
first and a
second type of connecting rods, and wherein the first type of connection rod,
at least
close to the ball, has a cross section being relatively larger than the
corresponding
cross section of the second type of connection rod, so that the relatively
larger cross
section of the first type of connection rod reduces the degree of freedom on
which the
socket can rotate around a ball carried by the first type of connection rod,
than the
degree of freedom on which the socket can rotate around a ball carried by the
second
type of connection rod.
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Brief description of the drawings
In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with refer-

ence to embodiments shown by the enclosed figures. It should be empha-
sized that the embodiments shown are used for example purposes only and
should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.
Figure 1 shows a simple construction built by using one of each of the build-
ing elements shown on figures 2, 3 and 4.
Figure 2 is a side front of a first building element according to the
invention.
Figure 3 is a side view of a second building element according to the inven-
tion.
Figure 4 is a side view of a third building element according to the
invention.
Detailed description of the embodiments
In fig. 2, 3 and 4 are shown different embodiments of building elements ac-
cording to the present invention. From the description below it will be
evident
to the skilled person that many different embodiments than the ones shown
on fig. 1, 2 and 3 are possible to suggest in order to provide many different
possibilities for building a toy construction, such as a toy figure or the
like.
In the figures 2 to 4, the building element has different numbers of balls 1,
2
being connected to each other via two different types of connecting rods 3, 4
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where the first type of connecting rods 4 has a cross section being larger
than the cross section of the second type of connecting rods 3.
The embodiments according to figures 3 and 4 has identical sockets each
5 formed by two jaws 5 having a concave surface 6 designed for providing a
snap fit on any of the balls 1, 2, so that the socket 5 can slide on any of
the
balls 1, 2 without being released from the ball 1, 2. In figure 3 the jaws are

shown in a front view, and in figure 4 the jaws are shown in a side view.
In this way the ball 1, 2 being connected to a socket will form an articulated
ball and socket joint, so that the building elements provide the possibility
to
build a number or different articulated constructions or figures by using a
varying numbers of building elements according to the invention.
As mentioned above it will be possible for the skilled person to suggest other
embodiments having more or less balls 1, 2 arranged in many different posi-
tions with respect to each other, and be fixed together in their relative posi-

tions by means of the two different connection rods 3, 4. The two embodi-
ments shown in figure 3 and 4 shows that the connecting rods 3, 4 are ar-
ranged along the same axis of symmetry S shown by the dotted line, and in
figure 2 the connecting rods 3, 4 are arranged along more symmetry lines
arranged in common plan, and where only one is shown in the figure. It will
be apparent that the skilled person can come up with other arrangements of
symmetry lines arranged in 2 or 3 dimensions without departing from the idea
of the present invention.
In this relation the building element according to figure 2 is designed to be
used as a corpus element for building a bone structure for a toy figure, and
the building elements according to figure 3 and 4 could be used to be con-
nected to the building element according to figure 2 in order to form a bone
structure for limb parts of the toy figure.

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6
In figure 4 is now shown a simple construction built by using the building
elements according to figure 2, 3, and 4. The building element according to
figure 3 is mounted on the building element according to fig. 2 by snapping
the jaws 5 on a ball 1 being carried by a connection rod 3 having a relatively
small cross section, and the building element according to figure 4 is
mounted on a ball 2 being carried by two connection rods 4 having a rela-
tively larger cross section.
Hereby the jaws 5 and thereby the building element according to fig. 4 can,
due to the relatively small cross section of the connecting rod 3, rotate
around the ball 1 in all directions, and with a high degree of freedom.
On the other hand the relatively large cross section of the connection rods 4
carrying the ball 2 on which the jaws 5 according to the building element
shown in figure 4, substantially only allows this building element to rotate
around the symmetry axis S when sliding on the ball 2.
In this way the building elements according to the present invention provides
more different options for building a large number of different constructions
or
figures.

Representative Drawing