INTERLOCKING TOY BRICKS
Toy brick or block elements in particular of artistic and educational type, in which a plurality of brick elements made of a variety of different colors and a variety of different shapes are interlocked between each other by means of tongues and corresponding grooves to build a great variety of precise and coherent patterns or designs.
The present invention relates to improvements in toy bricks or blocks in particular of artistic and educational type, in which a plurality of brick elements are releasably interlocked between each other by means of tongues and grooves to produce a great variety of precise and coherent patterns or designs of fine details.
An example of such known building or interlocking blocks are those in European patent specification n 0766585 in which the building elements can be clicked and assembled with identical elements to form patterns. According to the description made, it is impossible in practice as described on the abovementioned patent to get such bricks to click a forth brick with three already assembled to form a square. The only way to get a forth brick with three already assembled to form a square is only by sliding the forth element from above.
While such building toy can build a variety of patterns, its versatility or ability to build up with other shaped bricks is somewhat limited.
However, it is an object of the present invention to provide with interlocking bricks which are even more versatile.
Accordingly, this invention provides a plurality of interlocking brick elements provided in a variety of different shapes and different colors to be interlocked between each other to form precise and coherent patterns of extreme details. Each brick element include an upper part, a lower part and an annular recess which is positioned between the upper and the lower parts and which surrounds the middle part of the longitudinal height of the brick element. The upper part of the brick is formed of a regular circle, regular polygonal or partly spherical shape; the lower part of the brick element is formed of circular or polygonal shapes and has on its longitudinal height at least one longitudinal tongue and at least one longitudinal groove, and these tongues and grooves are shaped and configured so that they can frictionally slide between each other and to be releasably interlocked. The clearance provided by the annular recess within the brick elements enables the tongues of the bricks to engage through and slide into corresponding grooves of other already assembled bricks to form a variety of coherent patterns with tongues and grooves hidden by the upper part of the brick elements.
Furthermore, at least some of the brick elements having polygonal shapes are provided with one or more concave and/or one or more convex complementary sides.
Preferably the toy bricks are made of rigid or semi rigid suitable plastic materials in a variety of different sizes and different colors.
The advantages offered by this invention are mainly:
- a) All interlocking bricks require no other means to be assembled such as glue, magnets or base plates.
- b) The toy bricks are provided in different sizes so that they can suit all different ages.
- c) The toy bricks have high educational and entertainment value and can be used to create pixel artistic frames where the size and design of the pixel frames is only limited by the desire and imagination of the users and where the patterns created can stood on a surface or hung on a wall as decorative and artistic work of art.
Other advantageous, objects and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent with the following description and the added drawings in which:
FIG. 17.A-17.C illustrate some different tongues and corresponding groove pairs that can be used by the brick elements of the present invention.
Referring to the drawings,
The diameters of the upper part 11 and lower part 12 are equal in size. The top of the upper part 11 shows a regular circular shape. The lower part 12 has on its periphery two adjacent tongues 14 and two corresponding adjacent grooves 15. The tongues 14 and the grooves 15 extend along the longitudinal height of lower part 12, and these tongues 14 and grooves 15 are shaped and configured so that they can frictionally slide from above into each other as shown in
The big advantage of having the annular recess 13 formed in the brick elements is to allow not only to slide, a forth brick with three already assembled to form a square as shown in
The shapes of the upper parts and lower parts of the bricks can be both circular or both polygonal or can be a combination of both polygonal and circular shapes. The top of the brick elements may be formed as well of partly spherical shape.
In
At least some of the polygonal brick elements of the present invention are provided with one or more concave and/or one or more convex sides, as shown in
The top surface of the brick elements of the present invention can be provided with representations of letters, digits or symbols for educational and teaching purposes or to be used as puzzles.
The brick elements of the present invention are also formed of very small size so that pixel art frames of different designs and different sizes can be created such as the pixel frame shown in
FIG. 17.A-17.C show some different shapes of tongue 14 and groove 15 pairs that may be used in the brick elements of the present invention. Other shapes of tongues and grooves can also be used in these brick elements.
It will be appreciated by a skilled person of art that the present invention is not limited to what has been specifically shown and described hereinabove and that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1-16. (canceled)
17. A building toy formed of interlocking brick elements comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking bricks configured to be assembled together to form patterns, each one of the bricks having an upper part, a lower part and an annular recess which extends between the upper part and the lower part and surrounds the middle part of the longitudinal height of the brick;
- the upper part of the plurality of bricks being formed with a shape; and
- the lower part of the plurality of bricks providing, on its longitudinal height, at least one longitudinally extending tongue and at least one longitudinally extending groove, the at least one tongue and the at least one groove being shaped and configured so that bricks can be releasably interlocked by a tongue of a first brick slidably engaging a groove of a second brick.
18. The building toy according to claim 17, wherein the annular recess of a brick is deeper and longer than the at least one tongue such that the tongue of the first brick can enter the recess of the second brick before slidably engaging with the groove of the second brick.
19. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the lower part comprises a circular shape.
20. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the lower part comprises a polygonal shape.
21. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the upper part comprises a circular shape.
22. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the upper part comprises a polygonal shape.
23. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the upper part comprises a partly spherical shape.
24. The building toy according to claim 20 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a square shape.
25. The building toy according to claim 22 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a square shape.
26. The building toy according to claim 20 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a hexagonal shape.
27. The building toy according to claim 22 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a hexagonal shape.
28. The building toy according to claim 20 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a rectangular shape.
29. The building toy according to claim 22 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a rectangular shape.
30. The building toy according to claim 20 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a triangular shape.
31. The building toy according to claim 22 wherein the polygonal shape comprises a triangular shape.
32. The building toy according to claim 20 wherein the polygonal shape comprises at least one of a concave and convex side surface.
33. The building toy according to claim 22 wherein the polygonal shape comprises at least one of a concave and convex side surface.
34. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the plurality of bricks comprises a cylindrical portion protruding from the top of the upper part.
35. The building toy according to claim 34 wherein at least one of the plurality of bricks comprises a cylindrical recess in the bottom side of the lower part.
36. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the top of the upper portion of at least one of the plurality of bricks comprises an alphanumeric representation provided for educational purposes.
37. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the top of the upper portion of at least one of the plurality of bricks comprises a design provided for educational purposes.
38. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein the tongues and the grooves are hidden by the upper parts when brick elements are assembled between each other.
39. The building toy according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the plurality of bricks comprises a first section and a second section wherein the first section is adapted to releasably connect and fit into the second section.
Type: Application
Filed: May 23, 2007
Publication Date: Jul 23, 2009
Inventors: Rabah Aggar (London), Smail Aggar (London)
Application Number: 12/303,263
International Classification: A63H 33/08 (20060101);