Patents by Inventor Heinz Looser

Heinz Looser has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6461215
    Abstract: A toy building set comprising toy building elements (1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11) which may be coupled together to build structures. Some of the toy building elements are in the form of shafts (5) and bushings (7) which are capable of coupling other toy building elements together, as these other toy building elements are provided with coupling means which are complementary to said shafts (5) and bushings (7). The toy building set also comprises at least one tubular, elongated, flexible toy building element (6) which essentially has a uniform cross section over its entire length, and whose end faces appear as clean cuts perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. This tubular, elongated, flexible toy building element (6) has such an inner shape that it may be coupled together with said shafts (5) and bushings (7) by gripping at least a portion of these.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Interlego AG
    Inventors: Philippe Kunz, Heinz Looser, Sten Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5707271
    Abstract: A toy car (1) is provided which has a car box (10) on which two wheels (20) are rotatably mounted. Each wheel (20) has an eccentric disc (21) at the side facing the car box (10). The sidewalls (16) of the car box (10) have longitudinal grooves (27). These are engaged by guide cams of skid places over the corresponding wheel (20). When the car is pulled, the wheels rotate, the eccentric disc (21) moves which causes the skid to reciprocally move. The car thus simulates foot movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1998
    Assignee: INTERLEGO AG
    Inventors: Philippe Kunz, Heinz Looser, Werner Tanner
  • Patent number: 5322466
    Abstract: A connection device for toy construction sets comprises a cylindrical socket and a bolt-like locking element inserted therein. The socket is inserted into the bores of the construction elements to be connected and is provided at one end with a radially protruding outer edge shoulder as a retaining member as well as longitudinal slots. The locking element (9) is rotatable within the socket, but fixed axially and rotation of the locking element causes the socket to lock within the construction element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: Interlego A.G.
    Inventors: Peter Bolli, Heinz Looser
  • Patent number: 5304086
    Abstract: A rod is provided with a plurality of bores disposed in a row. In the area of the two end bores the rod has only half the thickness and parallel plane faces. Coaxial to the end bores an annular groove is formed on one face. A toothed rim with radial teeth extends axially on the base of the annular groove. Two such rods may be connected by the teeth of the on tooth rim interdigitating between teeth of the other tooth rim with the rods at a desired angle with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1994
    Assignee: INTERLEGO A.G.
    Inventors: Peter Bolli, Heinz Looser
  • Patent number: 5094643
    Abstract: A toy construction set connection device consists of a shaft and a shaft bushing. The bushing consists of two bushing parts which are fixedly mountable on the shaft. By means of an axial or rotational displacement of the second bushing part relative to the first bushing part, the whole shaft bushing can be anchored in a desired transverse groove on shaft. The anchoring may be released by pulling the second bushing part from the first part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Interlego A.G.
    Inventors: Peter Bolli, Heinz Looser
  • Patent number: 5087001
    Abstract: A switch point for a toy cog railway which has smooth tracks with a centrally disposed gear rod comprising a shifting device with a curved and a straight gear rod piece for the given driving direction. The shifting device which supports these gear rod pieces is laterally displaceable with respect to the track direction. Each obtusely travelled end segment of the switch point is provided with a tongue-like actuating element displaceably disposed in a longitudinal slot of the solid gear rod of the corresponding end segment having an upwardly extending nose. In the outermost position of the actuating element the nose protrudes beyond the gear rod and in the inner position thereof it is lowered to the level of the gear rod. Each actuating element is coupled to a rotating mounted disk by way of pivoted levers, which in turn are coupled with the shifting device. A vehicle which travels on the switch point actuates the nose, if the same protrudes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Assignee: Interlego A.G.
    Inventors: Peter Bolli, Philippe Kunz, Heinz Looser, Werner Tanner
  • Patent number: 4992069
    Abstract: In a square array with a modulus (M), the plug-in building blocks of the building set have protruding connecting pins (1) and corresponding mating connecting sockets. In order that bendproof trusses can also be built, the building set has single-row connecting bars (34) with two terminal pins (35), whose spacing from one another amounts to .sqroot.2 times an integral multiple of the modulus (M), and girder elements (10), which at two bordering sides faces (13, 14) each have a single row of pins with modular spacing and parallel to these side faces each have a projection (19) set back by the thickness of the connecting bar (34). In this way, stable, aesthetically appealing trussings can be built with the building set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1991
    Assignee: Interlego A.G.
    Inventors: Peter Bolli, Heinz Looser
  • Patent number: 4726515
    Abstract: A track system for toy vehicles contains straight and curved track pieces at the end of which are reference points that coincide with symmetry points of a track grid having a track module, M, which is a multiple of a building module, m, of a base plate for mounting the track pieces. The length of the straight track pieces which are disposed either parallel to or diagonally with respect to the track grid are a multiple of or .sqroot.2 times a multiple of the track module, M. The curved track pieces are composed of a longer arcuate segment and a shorter straight segment. The center of the arcuate segment is deplaced with respect to the center of an arc, whose center is a symmetry point of the track grid and whose two radii define an angular range of the curved track piece. The center of the arcuate segment is defined by the intersection of an angle bisector of the tangents (T) of the reference points on the ends of the curved track piece and one of the two radii.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1988
    Assignee: Interlego A.G.
    Inventors: Peter Bolli, Heinz Looser, Werner Tanner