Patents by Inventor Timothy Mark AINLEY

Timothy Mark AINLEY 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).

  • Publication number: 20220339551
    Abstract: A transformable modular toy element is provided. The transformable modular toy element is for use in a toy construction system comprising a plurality of modular toy elements. The transformable modular toy element comprises a body portion and a head portion. The body portion comprises one or more coupling members, the one or more coupling members being adapted for releasably coupling the body portion with modular toy elements of the toy construction system. The head portion is attached to the body portion. The head portion comprises a cavity for receiving the body portion therein. The body portion is moveable with respect to the head portion between a retracted position where the body portion is retracted into the cavity, whereby the transformable modular toy element has a first shape, and a deployed position where the body portion is in the axial direction deployed from the cavity, whereby the transformable modular toy element has a second shape.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Timothy Mark AINLEY, Troels HERMANN, Jens Peter HAURUM, Steffen GØTSKE
  • Patent number: 10137381
    Abstract: A toy comprising a rotor and a centrally arranged capsule, wherein the capsule comprises an actuator mechanism that is configured to cooperate with a launch element and an actuator element, wherein the actuator element is configured for engaging with the actuator mechanism to transfer a momentum to the rotor, whereby the rotor can rotate and be launched from the launch element, wherein the capsule is a separate part relative to the rotor, and the capsule comprises at least two capsule parts whereby the two capsule parts can be opened when the rotor and the capsule are separated, and wherein rotor, capsule and actuator mechanism are connected to each other to the effect that the momentum from the actuator element is transferred to the actuator mechanism that conveys the momentum on from the capsule to the rotor, when the at least to capsule parts are closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: LEGO A/S
    Inventors: Timothy Mark Ainley, Jesper Carol Nielsen
  • Patent number: 10080976
    Abstract: A toy comprising a rotor, an actuator means, and a launch device, wherein the rotor comprises an actuator mechanism, and wherein a toy building element comprises a launch device in the form of a cavity configured for receiving the actuator mechanism, and wherein the actuator means can be inserted into a through-going slit opening to cooperate with the actuator mechanism to transfer momentum from the actuator means to the rotor, whereby the rotor can be rotated and launched from the launch device. The toy comprises at least two toy building elements, a first toy building element comprising the launch device and one or more of a first type of coupling means, and a second toy building element provided with one or more of a second types of coupling means that are geometrically configured to relative to the first type of coupling means, whereby the first and second types of coupling means can be releasably interconnected to form a spatial structure comprising the launch device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: LEGO A/S
    Inventors: Timothy Mark Ainley, Jesper Carol Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20180008899
    Abstract: A toy (10) comprising a rotor (20) and a centrally arranged capsule (30), wherein the capsule comprises an actuator mechanism (33) that is configured to cooperate with a launch element (40) and an actuator means (50), wherein the actuator means is configured for engaging with the actuator mechanism (33) to transfer a momentum to the rotor (20), whereby the rotor can rotate and be launched from the launch element (40), wherein the capsule (30) is a separate part relative to the rotor, and the capsule (30) comprises at least two capsule parts (31, 32) whereby the two capsule parts can be opened when the rotor and the capsule are separated, and wherein rotor (20), capsule (30) and actuator mechanism (33) are connected to each other to the effect that the momentum from the actuator means (50) is transferred to the actuator mechanism (33) that conveys the momentum on from the capsule (30) to the rotor (20), when the at least to capsule parts (31, 32) are closed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventors: Timothy Mark AINLEY, Jesper Carol NIELSEN
  • Publication number: 20170361238
    Abstract: A toy comprising a rotor (20), an actuator mechanism (33), and a launch device (41), wherein the rotor comprises an actuator mechanism (33), and wherein the one toy building element comprises a launch device (41) in the form of a cavity, wherein the cavity is configured for receiving the actuator mechanism (33), and wherein the actuator means (50) can be inserted into a through-going slit opening (42) to cooperate with the actuator mechanism to the effect that a momentum can be transferred from the actuator means (50) to the rotor (20), whereby the rotor can be rotated and launched from the launch device, and wherein the toy comprises at least two toy building elements, of which the one toy building element (40) comprises the launch device (41), and wherein the toy building element (40) is provided with one or more of first types of coupling means (43) and the second toy building element is provided with one or more of second types of coupling means that are geometrically configured complementarily relative t
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: Timothy Mark AINLEY, Jesper Carol NIELSEN