Systems for Constructing Sand Structures
Systems for constructing sand structures. The system comprises a plurality of mold blocks that can be assembled together such that their inner surfaces combine to form a internal cavity in the shape of a desired sand structure. There is also an external support used to retain the mold blocks in their assembled position. Sand is packed into the internal cavity formed by the collective internal surfaces of the mold blocks to form the sand structure. There may be a plurality of tiers of assembled mold blocks for constructing complex sand structures and there may be a mechanism to aid the user in grasping a mold block to facilitate the removal of the mold block to uncover the completed sand structure and there may also be some interlocking of adjacent mold blocks together. Once filled, the mold blocks are removed, thus creating the sand structure. A package contains all of the mold block and external supports necessary to construct various sand structures and may include weapons used to destroy a completed sand structure in playing a game.
The present invention relates to systems for constructing structures and, more particularly, to systems utilizing a plurality of mold blocks that are assembled together and retained in the assembled position by an external support and are filled with a material to create a unique structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOne of the common and entertaining activities carried out at a beach is the construction of structures made up of compacted sand. Obviously, the structures run from the construction of rudimentary structures by children using only a shovel or simple tools to extremely difficult structures that are complex and produced by highly skilled persons.
There is also a time constraint on the construction of sand structures since most of the structures are produced on the beach by persons there for the day and therefore the structure must be finished within a relatively short period of time within daylight hours and prior to the onslaught of the tide that will eventually wash the structure away. As such, it is difficult for one having normal skill level to construct a solid, good appearing structure fairly quickly and with good results.
It would therefore be advantageous to have better tools to enable a person at the beach to construct good structures fairly rapidly and with good appearance of the structure. It would be further advantageous to be able to use such tool to enable a child to make a game out of constructing the sand structure with enthusiasm and make the day pleasant for the child.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, the present invention relates to systems for producing structures that can be used by one having minimum skill in building structures and yet produce a structure having a good appearance in a relatively short period of time. In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the invention will be described with respect to sand molds and the construction of sand structures, however, it will be seen that the present invention is applicable to other materials, including, but not limited to, edible materials, latex, snow, wax and the like.
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, there is provided the tools necessary to produce a sand structure and which can include a plurality of mold blocks that have inner surfaces and outer surfaces and where the configuration or shape of the inner surfaces combines to produce a desired shape of sand structure. Accordingly, the mold blocks are individually shaped and, in constructing a sand structure, the mold blocks are assembled or arranged together such that their combined inner surfaces create an internal cavity in the desired shape. The mold blocks are then maintained in the arranged position by means of an external support that holds and stabilizes the mold blocks so that sand can be introduced into the internal cavity surrounded by the various inner surfaces of the mold blocks.
After the sand has been introduced into that internal cavity, the external support can be removed and thereafter the mold blocks are free to be removed, by a careful outward movement, so as to leave only the sand structure that is then in the shape of the combined inner surfaces of the mold blocks. In an exemplary embodiment, the external support may be a casing that abuts against the outer surfaces of the mold blocks and in another exemplary embodiment, the external support may be a plurality of substantially vertical upstanding rails that contact the outer surface of the mold blocks and hold them in their arranged orientation. As a still further exemplary embodiment, the mold blocks may be held together by straps or buckles spanning adjacent mold blocks.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, there may be multiple tiers of mold blocks placed atop each other to form a sand structure having additional height and possible increased complexity. In such embodiment, the plurality of vertically spaced apart internal cavities can be filed with sand sequentially up to the uppermost tier where a cap or other covering mold block can be used to create the upper tier of the sand structure. In the embodiment featuring multiple tiers, the sand blocks are removed by moving each mold block outwardly starting with the upper tier and working downwardly until only the sand structure remains.
As a further feature of the present invention, the mold blocks can be interlocked together to assist in the alignment and stability of the individual mold blocks forming the composite mold for creation of the sand structure. The mold blocks may also have openings, indentation or other grasping means to facilitate gripping the mold blocks to enable that user to readily pull the mold blocks outwardly in the removal thereof.
All of the components needed to carry out the construction of a sand structure in the manner heretofore described can be conveniently provided to the user in a package and which may also include one or more weapons such as toy bombs, toy guns and toy cannons that can be used by a child in damaging or destroying the sand structure constructed in accordance with the present invention. There may also be one or more objects that are placed within or at least partially within a sand structure that is constructed with the use of mold blocks as the sand is being packed into an internal cavity formed by the inner surfaces of the mold blocks in accordance with the present invention
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent during the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings herein.
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The outer casing 22 can completely surround the mold block 10 or at least partially surround the mold blocks and may be made of any material having sufficient strength to retain the mold blocks 10 in their assembled positions including but not limited to metal, ceramic, plastic or any other suitable material. In
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While the aforedescribed methods and devices for aligning two adjacent sand molds together are exemplary embodiments, there are certainly other ways of aligning one sand mold with another sand mold consistent with the intent and purpose of the present invention.
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In the use of the present invention, a plurality of mold blocks can be provided to a purchaser in a single package such that the package of the sand structure constructing components would include a plurality of the mold blocks along with an external support with the inner surfaces of the mold blocks forming a particular desired shape to create a particular shape of sand structure.
Therefore, the user can purchase a particular package containing the necessary mold blocks and external supports that the user can employ in accordance with the method of the present invention to construct a sand structure, along with a weapon or weapons that can be used by a user or other child to destroy the structure constructed by the use of the mold blocks and external supports. Preferably, the package also contains instructions to the purchaser as to how to use the mold blocks contained within the package to construct the particular sand structure illustrated on the package as well as any other components necessary to carry out that construction.
As a part of a game that can be played with the sand structures constructed with the use of the present invention, there can be provided to the user a weapon and that weapon can include those illustrated in
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Accordingly, the particular package can be sold to the user containing all of the necessary tools and components to carry out the game in constructing a sand structure as well as the weapons that can cause the destruction of that sand structure. In addition, the package can contain discovery objects that can be packed into and thus concealed in the sand as it is packed into an internal cavity formed by the internal surfaces of an assemble of mold blocks so that the objects can be discovered by a child within the sand structure thereby formed.
Those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the system of constructing sand structures and packages of tools to construct sand structures of the present invention which will result in an improved system and package, yet all of which will fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A system for producing a structure, said system comprising a plurality of mold blocks having inner surfaces shaped in a desired configuration and outer surfaces, the mold blocks adapted to be arranged generally contiguously together to create an internal cavity having a desired shape by the collective inner surfaces of the mold blocks and at least one external support adapted to retain the mold blocks in their arranged position.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mold blocks are sand mold blocks and the structure is a sand structure.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the external support comprises a plurality of upstanding rails contacting the external surfaces of a least some of the mold blocks.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the external support comprises a plurality of straps that span and are affixed to adjacent mold blocks.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the arranged mold blocks form an outer perimeter and the external support comprises an outer casing that at least partially surrounds the outer perimeter thereby formed.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the outer casing fully surrounds the outer perimeter of the mold blocks.
7. The system of claim 5 wherein the outer perimeter of the mold blocks and the outer casing both taper inwardly in the upward direction.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the mold blocks has an interlocking device to interlock adjacent mold blocks together.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the interlocking device comprises a guide peg provided on a mold block that interfits into a guide notch formed on an adjacent mold block.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the guide peg of one mold block extends downwardly to interfit into a guide notch formed in a mold block directly below the one mold block.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein a least one of the mold blocks has a surface configuration to facilitate a user gripping the mold block.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the surface configuration comprises an opening or indentation in the outer surface of the mold block.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the mold blocks are adapted to be arranged in a plurality of vertical tiers.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein an uppermost tier has a curved surface and a lower perimeter adapted to fit into an inwardly tapered opening in the next lower tier.
15. The system of claim 13 further including a plurality of outer casings, each of the outer casings at least partially surrounding a tier of the plurality of vertical tiers.
16. A package of sand molding tools for constructing a sand structure, the package comprising:
- a plurality of sand blocks having inner surfaces shaped in a desired configuration and having outer surfaces, the mold blocks adapted to be arranged generally contiguously together to create an internal cavity having a desired shape by the collective inner surfaces of the mold blocks and further including at least one external support adapted to retain the mold blocks in their arranged position.
17. The package of sand molding tools as defined in claim 16 wherein the package contains a plurality of sand molds wherein at least one of the mold blocks molds is adapted to interlock with another mold block to become affixed together.
18. The package of sand molding tools as defined in claim 16 wherein the at least one external support comprises a plurality of rails contacting the outer surface of at least some mold blocks to retain the mold blocks in their arranged position.
19. The package of sand molding tools as defined in claim 16 wherein the at least one external support comprises an outer casing adapted to at least partially surround the collective outer surfaces of mold blocks when arranged together.
20. The package of sand molding tools as defined in claim 16 wherein the package includes at least one weapon that is adapted to be used to destroy a sand structure constructed by the use of mold blocks.
21. The package of sand molding tools as defined in claim 16 wherein the package includes at least one object adapted to be located within or at least partially within a sand structure constructed by the use of mold blocks.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 11, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 16, 2008
Inventor: Gerald Taufield (Tenafly, NJ)
Application Number: 11/734,032