TOY BLOCK WITH RACK ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A toy block includes a base assembly and a rack slidably attached to the base assembly. The rack, which defines a longitudinal axis, includes a first row of teeth and a second row of teeth, each of which extends in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The rows of teeth are oriented such that interaction between the first row of teeth and a first rotating member causes the first rotating member to rotate about an axis that is not parallel to an axis about which a second rotating member rotates when interacting with the second row of teeth.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to toy blocks.

BACKGROUND

Interlocking toy blocks nurture a child's creativity by allowing the child to build objects and structures of interest to the child. By simply snapping the toy blocks together, a child can create both simple and complex structures.

SUMMARY

In one general aspect, a toy block includes a base assembly and a rack slidably attached to the base assembly. The rack, which defines a longitudinal axis, includes a first row of teeth and a second row of teeth, each of which extends in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The rows of teeth are oriented such that interaction between the first row of teeth and a first rotating member causes the first rotating member to rotate about an axis that is not parallel to an axis about which a second rotating member rotates when interacting with the second row of teeth.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the first row of teeth may include a series of protrusions or a series of recesses. The rack may include a depth stop for defining a range of movement for the rack along the longitudinal axis. A biasing member may be positioned between the rack and the base assembly to bias the rack towards a rest position.

The lower surface of the base assembly may include one or more recesses for releasably coupling the base assembly to an adjacent toy assembly, and an upper surface of the base assembly may include one or more protrusions for the same purpose.

The base assembly may include one or more accessory brackets for releasably attaching an accessory (e.g., a bucket and bracket assembly, a saw blade and arm assembly, or a pincher arm assembly) to the base assembly. An accessory may have a gear assembly for meshing with one of the rows of teeth of the rack, and the accessory bracket may be positioned to permit such meshing.

The accessory brackets may be cylindrical protrusions configured to allow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the cylindrical protrusion. The accessory may include an opening sized and positioned to surround the cylindrical protrusion and position the gear assembly to mesh with a row of teeth.

Further, the accessory bracket may be an axial pivot point configured to allow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the axial pivot point. The accessory may include an axle sized and positioned to interact with the axial pivot point and position the gear assembly to mesh with a row of teeth.

A cover assembly may be releasably attached to the base assembly and positioned on top of the accessory brackets to secure the accessories to the accessory brackets. The cover assembly may include one or more protrusions for releasably coupling adjacent toy blocks.

The rack may include a third row of teeth extending in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The third row of teeth may be oriented such that interaction between the third row of teeth and a third rotating member causes the third rotating member to rotate about an axis that is parallel to the axis about which the first rotating member rotates when interacting with the first row of teeth.

The toy block may include a pushrod having a longitudinal slot, and the rack may include a protrusion for slidably engaging the longitudinal slot of the pushrod.

In another general aspect, a toy block includes a base assembly and a rack slidably attached to the base assembly and defining a longitudinal axis. The base assembly includes at least one accessory bracket for releasably attaching an accessory to the base assembly, such that the accessory may interact with the rack.

Implementations may include one or more of the features noted above.

Other features will be apparent from the following description, including the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a toy block with a rack assembly.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with the upper portion of the base assembly removed.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with an attached pincher arm accessory.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 3 with a cover assembly installed.

FIG. 5 is an isometric bottom view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with the cover assembly installed.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the toy block of FIG. 1 with an attached pivot arm accessory.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a pushrod.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 2 with the pushrod of FIG. 7 installed.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a projectile.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 2 with the projectile of FIG. 9 installed.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 2 with a saw blade and arm accessory installed.

FIG. 12A is an isometric view of the toy block of FIG. 8 with the cover assembly removed and a bucket and bracket accessory installed.

FIG. 12B is a side view of the toy block of FIG. 12A with the cover assembly installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a toy block with a rack assembly 10, which may be constructed of plastic, includes a base assembly 12 and a rack 14 that is slidable (with respect to base assembly 12) along a longitudinal axis 16.

Rack 14 includes depth stops 20 that limit the travel of rack 14 within base assembly 12 to define a range of movement for rack 14. A plunger 22 at the end of rack 14 extends from the base assembly 12 and includes a concave portion 23 shaped to permit the rack to be pushed comfortably by the thumb of a user. As a force is applied to rack 14 in the direction of arrow 24, rack 14 moves until depth stops 20 strike wall 26 of base assembly 12. Similarly, as a force is applied to rack 14 in the direction of arrow 28, rack 14 moves until depth stops 20 strike wall 30 of base assembly 12.

Toy block 10 also includes a spring 32 that biases rack 14 in direction 28. In other implementations, spring 32 may be replaced by another resilient, compressible member, such as a piece of compressible rubber or foam, or a stretchable member, such as, for example, a rubber band. The direction and strength of the bias applied to rack 14 may be varied by modifying the type and position of the resilient member or the stretchable member. As shown, spring 32 is positioned between depth stop 20 and wall 26 to cause the rack 14 to be biased in the direction of arrow 28. Alternatively, a compressible member may be positioned between depth stop 20 and wall 30 or a stretchable member may be positioned between depth stop 20 and wall 26 to bias the rack in the direction of arrow 24.

Rack 14 includes multiple sets or rows of teeth 36, 38, and 40 that are positioned in a linear fashion along the rack in a direction of longitudinal axis 16. Typically, two of these rows of teeth (e.g., rows 36 and 40) are positioned in the same plane about axis 16 and on opposite sides of the rack 14. Therefore, rows of teeth 36 and 40 are typically spaced 180° apart around axis 16. Row of teeth 38, which is typically perpendicular to rows 36 and 40, is defined by a series of recesses, such that the area between a pair of recesses defines a single tooth of the row of teeth 38. In particular implementations, each of the rows of teeth 36, 38, and 40 may be formed from a series of protrusions (e.g., rows 36, 40) or from a series of recesses (e.g., row 38).

Rack 14 has a generally rectangular cross-section, with a longitudinal top surface (in which row 38 is defined) and two longitudinal side surfaces (on which row 36 and row 40 are respectively defined). In other implementations, the cross section may be another shape, such as a square, a triangle, a circle, or a hemisphere.

Base assembly 12 typically includes an upper portion 42 that covers resilient member 32 and locks rack 14 within base assembly 12. Base assembly 12 additionally includes accessory brackets 44, 46, and 48 for releasably attaching accessories (to be discussed below) to base assembly 12. Accessory brackets 44 and 46 are cylindrical protrusions that allow the accessories to pivot about the axes 45 and 47 of the cylindrical protrusions while interfacing with the rows of teeth 36 and 40. The accessory bracket 48 provides axial pivot points that allow the accessories to pivot about an axis 49 defined between the axial pivot points while interfacing with the row of teeth 38.

FIG. 3 illustrates the toy block with pincher arm accessories 50 and 52 installed. Each of the pincher arms 50 and 52 includes a respective gear assembly 54 or 56 that meshes with a row of teeth of rack 14 when the pincher arms are installed on brackets 44 and 46. The specific row of teeth with which the gear assembly of the pincher arm meshes depends upon the accessory bracket on which the arm pivots. In particular, arm 50 pivots about accessory bracket 44 and, therefore, the gear assembly 54 of arm 50 meshes with row of teeth 36 of rack 14. Similarly, arm 52 pivots about accessory bracket 46 and, therefore, the gear assembly 56 of arm 52 meshes with row of teeth 40 of rack 14.

As rack 14 is moved (with respect to base assembly 12) in the direction of arrow 24, arms 50 and 52 pivot about brackets 44 and 46 respectively, such that tips 58 and 60 of arms 50 and 52 spread apart. Further, as rack 14 is moved (with respect to base assembly 12) in the direction of arrow 28, arms 50 and 52 pivot about brackets 44 and 46, respectively, such that tips 58 and 60 move towards each other.

Referring also to FIG. 4, toy block 10 also may be supplied with a cover assembly 55 that is releasably attached to the top surface of base assembly 12, to cover accessory brackets 44, 46, and 48 and secure any accessories (e.g., arms 50 and 52) pivoting about those brackets. Typically, cover assembly 55 is releasably attached to base assembly 12 through an interference fit so that cover assembly 55 can be easily removed to switch accessories.

Cover assembly 55 and upper portion 42 of base assembly 12 include protrusions (e.g. protrusions 56, 58, and 60) that allow the toy block 10 to be temporarily connected with other adjacent toy blocks.

Referring also to FIG. 5, the lower surface 62 of base assembly 12 includes recesses 57 and 59 that are spaced and sized to interface with protrusions of another toy block that are arranged like the protrusions 56, 58, and 60 of the toy block 10. A recess (e.g., recess 59) is defined as the space between several cylindrical protrusions (e.g., protrusions 61, 63, 65, and 67) on the lower surface 62 of base assembly 12. In other implementations, the recesses are defined within annular ridges that extend from the lower surface 62, or by circular recesses in that surface. In each case, the cylindrical protrusions, the annular ridges, or the circular recesses are spaced consistently with the spacing of the protrusions 56, 58, and 60.

The recesses and protrusions of the toy block 10 and compatible blocks are sized so that an interference fit is created whenever the protrusions of a first toy block are pressed into the recesses of a second toy block.

Referring also to FIG. 6, a pivot arm 64 may pivot on accessory brackets 48 about horizontal axis 49 on axle 51. A gear assembly 68 incorporated into pivot arm 64 meshes with the row of teeth 38 (FIG. 1) on the longitudinal top surface 69 of rack 14. As rack 14 is moved (with respect to base assembly 12) in the direction of arrow 24, pivot arm 64 pivots counterclockwise about bracket 48 and arm 64 swings in the direction of arrow 70. Alternatively, as rack 14 is moved (with respect to base assembly 12) in the direction of arrow 28, pivot arm 64 pivots clockwise about bracket 48 and the arm 64 swings in the direction of arrow 72.

Referring also to FIGS. 2, 7 and 8, rack 14 of toy block 10 includes a protrusion 74 for slidably engaging a longitudinal slot 76 in a pushrod assembly 78. Once pushrod assembly 78 is positioned on top of rack 14 and upper portion 42 of base assembly 12 is installed, toy block 10 is configured such that the pushrod assembly 78 tracks the movement of the rack 14. By varying the length of the longitudinal slot, a hysteresis between the movement of the rack 14 and the pushrod assembly 78 can be varied.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 9 and 10, protrusion 74 of rack 14 may slidably engage a longitudinal slot 80 in a projectile assembly 82. Projectile assembly 82 is positioned on top of rack 14 and the upper portion 42 of base assembly 12 is installed. As discussed above, rack 14 is typically biased in the direction of arrow 28. As projectile assembly 82 is slid into toy block 10 in the direction of arrow 24, protrusion 74 slidably engages slot 80 until protrusion 74 strikes the end 84 of slot 80. Applying a force to rack 14 in the direction of arrow 24 results in projectile assembly 82 sliding further into toy block 10. Quickly releasing rack 14 causes the rack to abruptly move in the direction of arrow 28, resulting in projectile assembly 80 being projected out of toy block 10.

Referring to FIG. 11, the toy block 10 is shown with a saw blade 84 and an arm 86 installed. Arm 86 includes a gear assembly 88 that meshes with a row of teeth on rack 14, such that movement of rack 14 in the direction of arrow 24 results in arm 86 and blade 84 pivoting in the direction of arrow 90. A fixed arm 83 is attached to bracket 46. As the tip 85 of fixed arm 83 engages the teeth of saw blade 84, movement of blade 84 and arm 86 in the direction of arrow 90 results in the rotation of saw blade 84 in the direction of arrow 87.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the toy block 10 is shown with a bucket 92 and bracket assembly 94 installed. In the same manner as described above, when rack 14 is moved in the direction of arrow 24, pushrod assembly 78 strikes bucket 92, resulting in bucket 92 rotating about axis 96 in the direction of arrow 98.

As described above, a single toy block with a rack assembly allows for interconnection with and manipulation of numerous accessories, such as the pincher arms of FIG. 3, the pivot arm of FIG. 6, the pushrod assembly of FIG. 7, the projectile assembly of FIG. 9, the saw blade and arm of FIG. 11, and the bucket and bracket assembly of FIGS. 12A and 12B.

While the rack is described above as including three rows of teeth, other configurations are possible, such as configurations including two or four rows of teeth. Additionally, while the third row of teeth is described above as being essentially perpendicular to the first two rows of teeth, other configurations are possible. For example, the third row of teeth may be positioned at a 45° angle with respect to either of the other two rows of teeth.

The toy block 10 may be included as part of a set of building blocks. At least some of the other building blocks may be configured to couple to the protrusions or recesses of the toy block 10.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A toy block comprising:

a base assembly having an upper surface and one or more cylindrical coupling protrusions protruding from the upper surface, wherein the coupling protrusions are adapted for releasably attaching the toy block to another toy block; and

a rack slidably attached to the base assembly and defining a longitudinal axis, the rack including:

a first row of teeth, wherein the teeth extending in a direction generally parallel perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the first row of teeth runs in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis; and

a second row of teeth, wherein the teeth extend in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the second row of teeth runs in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis.

2. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the first row of teeth include a series of protrusions.

3. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the first row of teeth include a series of recesses.

4. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the rack includes a depth stop for defining a range of movement for the rack along the longitudinal axis.

5. The toy block of claim 4 further comprising a biasing member attached to the rack and the base assembly to bias the rack towards a rest position.

6. The toy block of claim 1 wherein a lower surface of the base assembly includes one or more recesses for releasably coupling to an adjacent toy assembly.

7. (canceled)

8. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the base assembly includes accessory brackets for releasably attaching an accessory to the base assembly.

9. The toy block of claim 8 further comprising an accessory including a gear assembly for meshing with one of the rows of teeth of the rack, wherein the accessory brackets are cylindrical protrusions configured to allow the accessory to pivot about a central axis of the cylindrical protrusion, and the accessory includes an opening sized and positioned to receive the cylindrical protrusion with the gear assembly positioned to mesh with a row of teeth.

10. The toy block of claim 8 further comprising an accessory including a gear assembly for meshing with one of the rows of teeth of the rack, wherein the accessory bracket is an axial pivot point configured to allow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the axial pivot point, and the accessory includes an axle sized and positioned to interact with the axial pivot point and position the gear assembly to mesh with a row of teeth.

11. The toy block of claim 8 further comprising a cover assembly, releasably attached to the base assembly and positioned on top of the accessory brackets, for securing the accessories to the accessory brackets.

12. The toy block of claim 11 wherein the cover assembly includes one or more protrusions for releasably coupling the cover assembly to another toy blocks.

13. The toy block of claim 8 wherein the accessory is chosen from the group consisting of a bucket and bracket assembly, a saw blade and arm assembly, and a pincher arm assembly.

14. The toy block of claim 21 wherein:

the rack includes a third row of teeth extending in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the third row of teeth is oriented such that interaction between the third row of teeth and a third rotating member causes the third rotating member to rotate about an axis that is parallel to the axis about which the first rotating member rotates when interacting with the first row of teeth.

15. The toy block of claim 1 further comprising a pushrod having a longitudinal slot, wherein the rack includes a protrusion for slidably engaging the longitudinal slot of the pushrod.

16. A toy block comprising:

a base assembly having an upper surface and one or more cylindrical coupling protrusions protruding from the upper surface, wherein the coupling protrusions are adapted for releasably attaching the toy block to another toy block; and

a rack having a row of teeth, the rack being slidably attached to the base assembly and defining a longitudinal axis, wherein the teeth extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the row of teeth runs in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis;

wherein the base assembly includes at least one accessory bracket for releasably attaching an accessory to the base assembly in a position such that the accessory can interact with the rack.

17. The toy block of claim 16 further comprising an accessory releasably attached to the base assembly, the accessory including a gear assembly wherein:

at least one accessory bracket is a cylindrical protrusion configured to allow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the cylindrical protrusion; and

the accessory includes an opening sized and positioned to receive the cylindrical protrusion and position the gear assembly to mesh with the row of teeth.

18. The toy block of claim 16 further comprising an accessory releasably attached to the base assembly, the accessory including a gear assembly wherein:

at least one accessory bracket is an axial pivot point configured to allow the accessory to pivot about the axis of the axial pivot point; and

the accessory includes an axle sized and positioned to interact with the axial pivot point and position the gear assembly to mesh with the row of teeth.

19. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the rack further includes a row of recesses, the row of recesses extending in a direction that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis.

20. The toy block of claim 1 wherein the row of recesses is located between the first row of teeth and the second row of teeth.

21. The toy block of claim 1 further comprising:

a first rotating member; and

a second rotating member,

wherein the rows of teeth are oriented such that interaction between the first row of teeth and the first rotating member causes the first rotating member to rotate about an axis that is not parallel to an axis about which the second rotating member rotates when interacting with the second row of teeth.