Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
INTERCONNECTING BLOCK SYSTEM AND ASSEMBLY
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a system of connecting blocks, a method of
forming an
interconnected block assembly and a block for use therein.
BACKGROUND
Interconnecting blocks have many applications. Interconnecting blocks are
generally
configured to have male and female connecting parts for removable connection.
Articles
formed from such blocks have an inherent instability and can fall apart when
knocked over.
Still further, the articles that may be constructed therefrom are limited as
the blocks are
configured to have only two connecting faces.
One well known application of interconnecting blocks is for children's toys
such as those
sold under the LEGO trademark.
Interconnecting blocks have other structural applications such as shelving,
walls, temporary
barriers and the like.
It would be desirable therefore to provide an alternative connecting lock
system that may
allow for more stable structures to be formed and allowing for greater
versatility in design.
In particular, it would be desirable to be able to provide a system that may
be scaled for any
suitable use such as a modular construction method including modular walls,
office
partitions, or external structures.
DEFINITION
In the present specification and claims, the term "comprising" shall be
understood to have
a broad meaning similar to the term "including' and will be understood to
imply the inclusion
of a stated integer or step, or group of integers or steps, but not the
exclusion of any other
Integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to
variations on the
term "comprising" such as "comprise" and "comprises".
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a system comprising
a plurality of blocks, each block having a cuboid body and a connecting member
extending away from each corner of the cuboid body, such that for each
connecting member
there is a first opposed connecting member, a second opposed connecting member
and a
third opposed connecting member, and a connector engagement arrangement is
defined
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CA 03188063 2023-2- 1
between a connecting member and each of the first, second and third opposed
connecting
members; and
a plurality of connectors, each connector having a body with a filet end for
engagement with a connector engagement arrangement of a first block of said
plurality of
5 blocks
and a second end for engagement with a connection engagement arrangement of a
second block of said plurality of blocks so as to connect the first block to
the second block.
The blocks are cuboid and may be a rectangular prism, a square prism or a
cube.
The term cuboid as used in the specification and claims includes a solid
shape; a hollow
1
cuboid that is cuboid contained by six open sides, or a partially hollow
cuboid, that is a three
10
dimensional shape contained by one or more open sides. The cuboid may be open
ended,
that is opposed open ends and four closed side faces.
A preferred block is a cube.
The blocks have a connecting member extending from each corner. Thus, there
are eight
connecting members in total.
15 A
connector engagement arrangement is defined between each opposing pair of
connecting
members.
Each face of the cuboid therefore has four connector engagement arrangements.
Each connecting member may have a base located on a corner of the cuboid and
at least
three walls extending away from the base. A passage may be defined between
opposed
1 20
walls of each pair of opposed connecting members, the passage configured to
receive the
longitudinal body of a connector in a snap or friction fit.
Each connecting member may have six walls, each tapering upwardly and away
from the
base and the outer ends of each wall may define a hexagon.
Each connector engagement arrangements are suitably configured such that, when
25
connected to a connector, the body of the connector extends at about 900 from
the block
body.
The connector engagement arrangement suitably comprises a passage into which
the
connector body may be inserted.
The connector body and connector engagement arrangement are suitably
configured such
30 that the
connector body may engage with the connector engagement arrangement by a
compression or friction fit that resists removal of the connector.
Suitably the connector body has a circular cross section that may be solid or
tubular.
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The ends of the connector may have an enlarged head part that abuts parts of
(or otherwise
interacts with) the connecting members so as to resist the connector from
being withdrawn
from the passage along the longitudinal axis of the passage.
5 Suitably the respective ends of the connector may have a tapered part
tapering from the
enlarged head towards the body that may interact with the connection members
so as to
= resist the connector from being disconnected by applying force in the
longitudinal direction
of the connector body and also optimise the contact surface area so as to
resist relative
movement in use.
Suitably the connector further comprises a spacer intermediate the two ends,
suitably
centrally between. The spacer spaces adjacently connecting blocks.
The system thereby allows a connector to connect to any one or more, and even
all six,
faces (solid or open) of the cuboid body for connection to another block. A
user is not limited
by the confines of the block configuration as in conventional interlocking
block systems.
15 In one aspect, when a first block is connected to a second block with a
single connector
along a first axis or with a first and a second connector that are parallel to
each other along
the first axis, a through hole is defined in a space between the blocks to
allow at least one
further connector to engage the first and/or second block at an angle
transverse to the first
and/or second connector (i.e. transverse to the first axis).
20 The system may further comprise one or more faceplates for mounting onto
one or all six
faces of the block.
The or each faceplate may comprise an outer surface that in use extends
outwardly away
from the block and an inner surface that in use faces towards the block.
The faceplate may be dimensioned so as to extend past outer edges of
connecting
25 members of a block with a clearance.
At lead one faceplate may have thickness for spacing apart adjacently
connected blocks,
and the clearance of the faceplate may be half the thickness of the spacer.
The faceplate may be half the thickness of the spacer.
Suitably a faceplate has four mounts on one face thereof for mounting onto all
four
30 connecting members on one face of the block. This allows the faceplate
to be accurately
aligned with respect to the block.
The mounts and/or connecting members may have projections and/or recesses for
holding
the faceplate onto the block.
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The system may be dimensioned and constructed for any suitable use.
One exemplary use is as an interlocking block toy. In this case the blocks may
be
constructed of a compression moulded thermoplastic. The blocks will be
dimensioned to
allow for manual handling. The blocks may be connected together in any desired
arrangement.
The connectors may be similarly formed and dimensioned. Suitably the
connecting ends
of the connecting member have a finger grip part.
When used in a toy configuration, the front face of the faceplate may be
configured and/or
coloured for interaction with another toy or block system.
In one example, the faceplate may be configured for engagement with a block of
a different
system or to receive the base of toy figure or other suitable toy object. The
toy figure may
be an animal or other suitable character. The toy object may be any suitable
figurine as
known in the toy arts such as vegetation/trees, cars, planes, human figures,
super-hero
figures, furniture for dolls houses and the like.
Any suitable means of engagement may be used. One means of engagement
comprises
at least one projection on one of the faceplate of toy object and at least one
complimentary
recess on the other of the toy object or faceplate.
In another arrangement, the faceplate may be textured or include a textured
cover so as to
provide an appearance of a surface such as turf or grass.
In another arrangement the faceplate may be covered with a hook and loop type
fastener
for interacting with a complimentary fastener on a toy object.
In another aspect the faceplate may be configured for the display of any other
display items.
In another aspect, the faceplate may have a peripheral lip for securely
holding a wheeled
article such as model cars or-other wheeled toys.
In another aspect, the system may be configured for use as a modular wall,
office divider,
shelving or any other suitable use. The outer surface of the faceplates may be
configured
for use as a vertical wall configuration with colours, logos, or other surface
ornamentation.
When used as part of a horizontal shelf configuration, the faceplates may be
configured for
display purposes. The connection channels may also provide a space for LED
conduits.
The blocks are light weight and the system is almost infinitely configurable
as compared to
conventional modular wall systems. Still further, as a result of the six way
interlocking
ability, a system structure may have improved dimensional stability and
structural integrity.
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In yet a further aspect, the system may be used for construction. In this
case, the blocks
may be made of more robust components and the connectors may be fixed using
fasteners
such as bolts, screws, or the like.
In another aspect there is disclosed a block for use for use in constructing
an assembly of
interlocking blocks, the block comprising a cuboid body and a plurality of
connecting
members each extending away from a respective comer of the cuboid body, such
that for
each connecting member of said plurality of connecting members there is a
first opposed
connecting member, a second opposed connecting member and a third opposed
connecting member, and a connector engagement arrangement is defined between a
respective connecting member and each Of the first, second and third opposed
connecting
members, and each connecting member has a base located on a respective corner
of the
cuboid body, at least three walls extending away from the base, and a passage
is defined
between one wall of said at least three walls on each connecting member and
one wall of
said at least three walls on one of the opposed connecting members, the
passage
configured to receive a longitudinal body of a connector in a snap or friction
fit.
.ò
ò
The block body may be a cube.
Each connecting member may have a base located on a corner of the cuboid, at
least three
walls extending away from the base, and a passage may be defined between a
wall on
each connecting member and a wall on one of the opposed connecting members,
the
passage configured to receive a longitudinal body of a connector in a snap or
friction fit.
- The base of the connecting member may be an equilateral
triangle with six walls extending
upwardly therefrom and the periphery of the end walls defines a hexagon.
The block may be formed from two separate parts joined together.
Also disclosed is a method of assembly of an Interconnecting block assembly
comprising:
providing a plurality of the blocks as defined above; providing a plurality of
connectors, each
connector of said plurality of connectors having said longitudinal body with a
first end for
engagement with a connector engagement arrangement of a first block of said
plurality of
blocks and a second end for engagement with a connector engagement arrangement
of a
second block of said plurality of blocks so as to connect the first block to
the second block;
engaging the first end of a connector of said plurality of connectors with the
first block;
engaging the second end of the said connector of said plurality of connectors
with the
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second block so as to connect the first and second two blocks; and repeating
the steps with
one or more further blocks of said plurality of blocks.
The method may further comprise providing at least one faceplate and mounting
the or each
faceplate onto a face or several faces of at least one block.
Also disclosed is a kit for constructing an interlocking block assembly
comprising
plurality of the blocks as defined above; providing a plurality of connectors,
each connector
of said plurality of connectors having said longitudinal body with a first end
for engagement
with a connector engagement arrangement of a first block of said plurality of
blocks and a
ID second end for engagement with a connector engagement arrangement of a
second block
of said plurality of blocks so as to connect the first block to the second
block
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a block that is part of a system of an
aspect as disclosed
herein;
Figure 2 is a schematic front view of a connecting member,
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a connector for connecting blocks together;
Figure 4 shows a block and connector before connection;
Figure 5 shows the block and connector shown in Figure 4 after connection;
Figure 6 shows the block shown in Figure 4 with four connectors connected
thereon;
Figure 7 shows two blocks about to be connected;
Figure 8 shows the two blocks after connection with two connectors;
Figure 9 shows the connected blocks of Figure 8 with four connectors;
Figure 10 shows a length of three blocks connected end to end;
Figures 1110 14 show steps in joining a fourth block to the intermediate block
in the length
of blocks shown in Figure10;
Figure 15 is an example of a number of blocks connected together;
Figure 16 is another example of a number of blocks connected together;
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a faceplate for use with the disclosed
system;
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CA 03188063 2023- 2-1
Figure 18 is a perspective view of an alternate faceplate;
Figure 19 is a perspective view of a block with four faceplates mounted
thereon;
Figure 20 is a perspective view of a first block segment;
Figure 21 is a perspective view of a second block segment for connection to
the first block
segment as shown in Figure 2010 form a block; and
=
Figure 22 shows an alternative connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Figure 1 shows a budding block 10. The block has a cubIc body 12 with six
faces 34 and
eight corners. A connecting member 14 extends at a 450 angle from each corner
such that
there are eight connecting members 14 in total.
Each connecting member 14 has a base 16 that is attached or connected to the
respective
corner. The base 16 is in the shape of an equilateral triangle.
Each connecting member 14 has six walls, 20,22,24,26,28,30, each tapering
upwardly and
away from the base 16. The end outer ends of each wall define a hexagon shape
(this is
more clearly shown in Figure 2).
Each connecting member 14 has a rectangular recess 13 in three of the walls
20,22, 24.
The purpose of the recesses 13 will be discussed below.
Figure 2 schematically shows the geometrical relationships of connecting
member 14. The
hexagonal periphery has six corners 1-6. There are six lines extending between
alternate
corners; 1-5, 1-3, 2-6, 2-4, 3-5 and 4-6. Each line overlaps with two other
lines. Further
lines may be drawn between connecting points so as to define three rectangular
walls 20,
22, 24 alternating with three triangular walls 28, 28, 30.
Each connecting member 14 is spaced equally apart from an adjacent connecting
member
14. The peripheral parts of adjacent triangular walls on respective opposed
pairs of
connecting members 14 define connection channels 32 therebetween. Each face 34
of the
block 10 therefore has four connection channels or passages 32, each of square
(or
parallel-sided) cross section.
Figure 3 shows a connector 40 for connecting two blocks 10 together.
The connector 40 has a cylindrical body 42. The connector 40 has a centre
spacer tab 46
extending to one side thereof. The centre spacer tab 46 divides the body 42
into a first
connector body part 41 for connecting to a first block and a second connector
body part 43
for connecting to a second block.
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CA 03188063 2023- 2- 1
A flange 44 extends from each end of the body 42. The flange 44 has a
rectangular head
48 with opposed tapered walls 50 that taper towards the body at an angle of
120 . The
rectangular head 48 has a finger grip projection 52.
Figure 4 shows how a connector 40 is connected to a block 10. Figures 5 and 6
show the
5 block with one connector and four connectors respectively.
In use, a connector body part 43 is inserted into connection channel 32 in a
direction
transverse to the longitudinal body 42 as shown by arrow C in Figure 4.
Each connector body part 41,43 is dimensioned to be snugly received within a
connection
channel 32 so as to be held therein by a friction or compression fit. That is,
the diameter of
10 the tubular body is substantially the same as the width of (or the
distance between the
opposed walls of) the square connector channel 32.
Rotation of the connector body 42 within the channel 32 is prevented by
abutment of the
rectangular head 48 against the respective face 34 of the block 10 (more
dearly seen in
Figure 6).
15 Figure 6 also shows how the tapered walls 50 of the connector 40 wedge
against the rear
face 15 of the rectangular walls (20 or 22 0r24) of adjacent connecting
members 14. These
adjacent walls are at an angle of 1200 such that the tapered walls 50 of the
head 48 are
complimentarily received within the passage 32 defined between the walls. This
prevents
inadvertent removal of the connector 40 outwardly along the longitudinal axis
shown by
20 arrow A.
The centre spacer tab 46 abuts the outer side edge 17 of the walls (e.g. well
22 in Figure
6) of the respective connecting members 14 and prevents longitudinal movement
in the
opposite direction to arrow B.
The spacer tab 46 thus further serves as a locater when placing the connector
40 on the
25 block as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
= Figures 7, 8 and 9 show how two blocks 10a, 10b may be connected by two
connectors 40.
The two connectors 40 are placed into respective connection channels 32 at the
top and
bottom of the blocks 10a, 10b. This securely holds the blocks together in the
longitudinal
direction.
30 The connection may be secured in the lateral direction by inserting
another connector in
=
one or both, preferably both, side connection channels 32 to either side of
the joined blocks
as shown in figure 9.
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CA 03188063 2023- 2- 1
=
The same procedure may be repeated to add further blocks in an end-to-end
manner.
Figure 10 shows three blocks 10a, 10b, lfla connected together.
In the above connection method, the connecting members are placed on an outer
edge of
a block to be connected to another for connecting in an "end to end" manner.
The system is also configured to allow for connecting a further block or
blocks to an
intermediate block in a series of end-to-end connected blocks. It will be
appreciated that
an intermediate block will not have a free face to allow a connecting member
to be
connected thereto in the manner as described above.
Figure 10 shows a "keyhole" space 60 defined between opposed connecting
channels 32
of adjacent connected blocks that are connected at the top and bottom but not
at the sides,
as per Figure 8. Of course, if a user wanted to modify the arrangement of
Figure 9, then
the side connectors may be easily removed.
The keyhole space 60 is rectangular in cross-section and dimensioned to
receive the
rectangular end 48 of a connector 40 with clearance in a predefined
orientation.
The connector 40 may only be inserted until tab is blocked by the outer part
of the
connecting members 14, see Figure 11. However, because of the clearance
between the
connector body 42 and the perimeter of the key space 60 the connectors may be
rotated
90 (Figure 11) so as to allow the connecting channels 32 to receive the
tubular body of the
connector 40. The tubular nature of the connector body 42 does not have any
edges that
may interfere with rotation.
The connectors 40 are then moved apart as shown in Figure 1280 as to be
received within
connecting channels 32.
With reference to Figures 13 and 14, a block 10d is placed above the centre
block 10b and
the connectors 40 are moved inwardly as per Figure 14 so as to connect block
10d to block
10b.
Figures 15 and 16 show further examples of structures that may be constructed
using the
disclosed system.
The system further includes a faceplate 100 as shown in Figure 17. The
faceplates are
mountable to any one or more of the six faces of a block 10 as shown in Figure
19.
The faceplate 100 as shown in Figure 17 is square to conform to the square
shape of the
side faces of the block 10 such that six faceplates may form a closed cube.
The faceplate plate 100 has opposed faces that in use form an outer face 102
and an inner
face 104. The inner face 104 has four connecting tugs 106 for connecting to
the connecting
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CA 03188063 2023- 2-1
members 14. The lugs 106 are right angular triangular prisms located towards
each corner
of the plate. The lugs 106 have a ramped rear or outwardly facing surface 110
and a
perpendicular front face 112 with a recess 114 formed therein.
The edges 108 are chamfered to facilitate smooth edge corners.
The width of the faceplate 100 is wider than the width of the block so that
when mounted
the edges of the faceplate extend over the block with a dearance. The
clearance is 14 the
width of the spacer tab 46. This allows for faceplates 100 on linearly
adjacent blocks to
closely meet or abut, facilitated by the bevelled edges.
The faceplates 100 have a thickness that is also % the width of the spacer tab
46. This
allows faceplates on transverse adjacent blocks to meet.
The perpendicular rectangular face 112 has a width and a height. The width and
height are
complimentary to that of the rectangular inner walls 20, 22, 24 of the
hexagonal connecting
members. Each lug 106 may be slidingly received on a rectangular wall 20, 22,
24 of the
connecting members. As there are three rectangular walls of the connecting
member 14,
the plate 100 may be mounted in three orientations in relation to each
connecting member
14.
The recess is configured so as to provide a snap fit connection with the
complimentary
projection 113 on the connecting member 14.
Figure 18 shows an alternate faceplate 120. The faceplate is similar to that
shown in Figure
17 but the connecting parts have a different configuration in that the lugs
122 have an open
top and do not have a recess on the front face. A second lug 124 is spaced
form the front
face of the lug 122 to define a passage 126. The passages 126 are dimensioned
to securely
receive the edge of a connecting member so as to provide a friction or
compression fit with
opposed walls of the passage 126.
Figure 19 shows a block 10 with four faceplates 100 mounted thereon.
Figures 20 and 21 show two halves 150, 151 of a block that are separately
moulded for
fitting together to form a completed block. Two part construction simplifies
production of
the blocks.
Each half 150, 151 has an open top and base such that the completed block is
an open
cube. The open faced construction as opposed to closed upper and lower faces
further
facilitates assembly and reduces amount of material required (and cost).
CA 03188063 2023- 2- 1
Part 150 is the base that receives upper part 151. Base part 150 has a
projection 154 on
opposed corners and a recess on opposed corners. The projections and recesses
are
complimentary to similar recess and projections on the upper part 151 (not
shown).
Upper part 151 has a tab part 160 with a projection like 154 thereon. Base
part 150 has a
recess 156 located such that when the parts are connected, there is a snap fit
connection
between recess 160 and projection 154.
Figure 22 shows an alternate connector 240. The connector is essentially the
same as
connector 40 as described above except for the shape of spacer 246 that is
curved. The
spacer is functionally the same as the previous spaced. However, the curved
part allows
for simpler moulding and reduces the amount of material.
It will be appreciated that the disclosed system allows for connection of a
block in all six
directions.
It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made to
the invention
as described and claimed herein without departing from the spirit and scope
thereof.
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