LARGE ASSEMBLY BLOCK FOR TOYS

Abstract

The present invention proposes a toy building block which is configured such that the toy building blocks may be easily coupled to each other, and a coupling angle may be easily adjusted, and accordingly, the toy building blocks may be transformed into toys having various shapes, may increase the interest of children or infants, may be assembled in various manners, thereby improving intelligence development, and connecting portions may be reinforced, thereby increasing coupling force between the connecting portions. The toy building block is provided with a body 110, a frame member 100, a connecting member 200, and a skin member 300.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a toy building block, and more particularly, to toy building blocks which may be transformed into toys having various shapes since the toy building blocks may be easily coupled to each other and a coupling angle therebetween may be easily adjusted.

BACKGROUND ART

Typically, as a toy for the purpose of intelligence development of infants or children, a toy building block set, by which any structure may be made by assembling a plurality of blocks having various shapes, is widely used. The great advantage of the toy building block set is that the children may assemble structures having various shapes in accordance with their imagination, and may repeatedly use the toy building block set because the children may disassemble the assembled structure and then make other structures, and the toy building block set stimulates creativity and imagination of the children, thereby helping to improve brain activity and intelligence.

In addition, structures, which are manufactured at a high level of difficulty, may be manufactured as much as needed in accordance with design ability and imagination of a manufacturer, and as a result, the toy building block set is widely used for elementary students and middle school students as well as the infants and the preschool children.

In the case of the toy building block set in the related art, a plurality of blocks having particular shapes are coupled in a state in which coupling surfaces of the blocks are in direct contact with each other, and in order to enable the repetitive assembly and disassembly, the toy building block set adopts a configuration in which projection-and-recess type concave-convex portions are formed on the corresponding coupling surfaces, and the concave-convex portions are coupled to each other in an interference fit manner. In this manner in the related art, the concave-convex portions formed on side surfaces of the building blocks are engaged with each other, and then force is applied to the concave-convex portions in the opposite directions in order to fix the building blocks. In addition, to disassemble the building blocks coupled to each other, the two building blocks are released by pulling and drawing the two building blocks in the opposite directions.

However, in the case of the related art, the concave-convex structures on the coupling surfaces of the respective building blocks are configured to be fitted with each other only when predetermined or higher pressing force is applied to the concave-convex structures in order to prevent the building blocks from being easily separated after assembling the building blocks, and for this reason, it is difficult to assemble the building blocks because a significant amount of press-fit force is required to assemble the building blocks.

In addition, there is a problem in that a significant effort is required to draw and separate the concave-convex portions of the respective building blocks when disassembling the assembled structure because the building blocks are firmly fixed to each other. In particular, there are problems in that it is difficult for weak children or infants to assemble and disassemble the building blocks, and a safety accident may occur while an excessive amount of force is applied.

In addition, there are problems in that in many instances, a large-sized toy building block set in the related art has the same shapes as the existing small-sized toy building block set, but is different only in size from the existing small-sized toy building block set, and the shape of the completely assembled structure is simple and restrictive.

LITERATURE OF RELATED ART

Patent Literature

Korean Patent No. 10-0867340 (Registered on Oct. 31, 2008)

Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2001-0000603 (published on Jan. 5, 2001)

Korean Patent No. 10-1261015 (Registered on Apr. 29, 2013)

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a toy building block which is configured such that the toy building blocks may be easily coupled to each other, and a coupling angle may be easily adjusted, and accordingly, the toy building blocks may be transformed into toys having various shapes, may increase the interest of children or infants, may be assembled in various manners, thereby improving intelligence development, and connecting portions may be reinforced, thereby increasing coupling force between the connecting portions.

Technical Solution

A toy building block according to the present invention is provided with a body 110, a frame member 100, a connecting member 200, and a skin member 300.

The body 110 is formed with a plurality of through grooves 112 pierced to vertically penetrate the body 110 so that the plurality of bodies 110 are coupled to each other so as to implement predetermined shapes or surfaces. The frame member 100 includes coupling units 130 that have coupling protrusions 132 protruding in left and right directions from both surfaces of the body 110, and first coupling grooves 134 and second coupling grooves 136 are formed at both sides of the coupling protrusions 132 such that a ratio among a cross-sectional length of the first coupling groove 134, a cross-sectional length of the coupling protrusion 132, and a cross-sectional length of the second coupling groove 136 is 1:2:3. The connecting member 200 has a coupling protrusion 230 for adjusting an angle when coupling the frame member 100 or a connecting screw 210, the coupling protrusion 230 has a first coupling protrusion 230a and a second coupling protrusion 230b, a first connecting hole 232a is formed in the first coupling protrusion 230a, a second connecting hole 232b is formed in the second coupling protrusion 230b, and the connecting member 200 includes a connecting screw 210 and a fixing nut 220 which are connected to the frame members 100 and couple and fix the frame members 100 so that the frame members 100 are disposed at 90 degrees or 180 degrees. The skin member 300 is configured in the form of a band having a thin surface, and has skin holes 312 which are in close contact with left and right sides of the through grooves 112 of the frame member 100 and coupled and fixed by the connecting screw 210 and the fixing nut 220 in order to implement a three-dimensional shape having a curved surface. Here, an angle is adjusted to implement a three-dimensional shape when the plurality of the frame members 300 are coupled and connected, and the first and second coupling protrusions 230a and 230b of the connecting member 200 are selected and adjusted to be bent or rotated at a coupling angle of 90 degrees or 180 degrees.

Advantageous Effects

The toy building blocks according to the present invention may be easily coupled to each other, and a coupling angle between the toy building blocks may be easily adjusted, and accordingly, the toy building blocks may be transformed to toys having various shapes, thereby improving intelligence development of children or infants. The connecting portions may be reinforced, thereby increasing coupling force between the connecting portions. The block configured with a predetermined ratio is provided, the blocks may be freely disposed at various angles, and various shapes are implemented by the functions of the blocks, and as a result, it is possible to implement toys having various shapes by using the block having a minimum volume.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1C are perspective views illustrating frame members of toy building blocks according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are perspective views illustrating connecting screws and fixing nuts of the toy building blocks according to the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3E are perspective views illustrating coupling protrusions of the toy building blocks according to the present invention.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are perspective views illustrating skin members of the toy building blocks according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view illustrating the frame member of the toy building block according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating the frame member of the toy building block according to the present invention.

FIGS. 7 to 10 are perspective views illustrating examples in which the toy building blocks according to the present invention are coupled.

FIGS. 11 to 15 are views illustrating examples of toys made by completely assembling the toy building blocks according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF MAIN REFERENCE NUMERALS OF DRAWINGS

• • 10: toy building block
  • 100: frame member
  • 110: body
  • 112: through groove
  • 130: coupling unit
  • 132: first coupling protrusion
  • 134: first coupling groove
  • 136: second coupling groove
  • 138: coupling hole
  • 200: connecting member
  • 210: connecting screw
  • 212: screw threads
  • 220: fixing nut
  • 230: second coupling protrusion
  • 230a, 230b: first and second coupling protrusions
  • 232: connecting hole
  • 232a, 232b: first and second connecting holes
  • 300: skin member
  • 310: skin surface
  • 312: skin hole
  • a: cross-sectional length of first coupling groove
  • b: cross-sectional length of coupling protrusion
  • c: cross-sectional length of second coupling groove

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of a toy building block according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1A to 10, toy building blocks 10 according to the present invention may be transformed into various types of toys because the blocks may be easily coupled to each other and a coupling angle between the blocks may be easily adjusted. The toy building block 10 according to the present invention includes a frame member 100, a connecting member 200, and a skin member 300.

The frame member 100 is a part that defines a framework of the toy building block 10 according to the present invention, and a plurality of frame members 100 may be coupled to implement predetermined shapes or surfaces. The frame member 100 of the toy building block 10 according to the present invention may be configured to have various lengths, and a user, that is, a child or an infant may select and use the frame members 100 having lengths suitable for various shapes which the user intends to implement by using the toy building blocks 10.

The toy building blocks 10 according to the present invention are illustrated as including three types of frame members 100 having different lengths, respectively, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and those skilled in the art may implement various shapes by easily changing the length of the frame member 100 or the number of types of the frame members 100. The frame member 100 includes a body 110 and a coupling unit 130.

The body 110 is a part that defines a basic framework of the frame member 100, and the body 110 is configured in the form of a quadrangular frame. Different bodies 110 may abut on each other or may be coupled to each other, thereby implementing predetermined shapes or surfaces. The body 110 includes through grooves 112 which are pierced to penetrate one surface and the other surface of the body 110. The through groove 112 is configured in the form of a groove having a hollow portion therein, and the bodies 110 or the body 110 and the connecting member 200 may be easily coupled to each other by inserting the connecting member 200 and the like into the through groove 112. In addition, since the through groove 112 has the hollow portion therein, an overall weight of the toy building block 10 according to the present invention may be reduced, thereby enabling the child or the infant to easily handle the frame member 100 without a great effort.

The coupling units 130 are positioned at both ends of the body 110, and may allow different frame members 100 to be coupled to each other by means of the connecting member 200, or may allow the frame member 100 and the skin member 300 to be coupled to each other. The coupling unit 130 includes a coupling protrusion 132, a first coupling groove 134, and a second coupling groove 136. The coupling units 130 protrude to divide both end surfaces of the body 110 with a predetermined ratio, and with the coupling units 130 configured with a predetermined ratio as described above, the toy building blocks 10 according to the present invention may be freely disposed at various angles, and thus it is possible to implement toys having various shapes by using the block having a minimum volume.

In the present invention, the coupling protrusions 132 are the portions protruding outward from both end surfaces of the body 110, and the first coupling groove 134 and the second coupling groove 136 are the space regions formed at both sides based on the coupling protrusion 132, and since a length of the first coupling groove 134, a length of the coupling protrusion 132, and a length of the second coupling groove 136 have a predetermined ratio, the different bodies 110 or the body 110 and the connecting member 200 may be variously coupled to each other. In the present invention, a ratio among a cross-sectional length (a) of the first coupling groove, a cross-sectional length (b) of the coupling protrusion, and a cross-sectional length (c) of the second coupling groove may be 1:2:3.

That is, in accordance with a position adjacent to the body 110 of the toy building block 10 according to the present invention, a distance between the coupling protrusions 132 may be 6 or 2 (the numerical value 6 or 2 does not mean an absolute numerical value, but means a numeral value associated with a relative ratio in distance between the coupling protrusions 132), and as a result, it is possible to implement various shapes and engagements by arbitrarily adjusting a distance between the coupling protrusions 132 as illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9.

The coupling protrusion 132 may include a coupling hole 138 which is a space that penetrates from one surface to the other surface of the coupling protrusion 132. The connecting member 200 may penetrate and be coupled to the coupling hole 138.

The connecting member 200 may be provided to fix and coupled the frame member 100 or the skin member 300. The connecting member 200 may fix and couple the frame member 100 or the skin member 300 by being inserted into the through groove 112 of the frame member 100, the coupling hole 138, or a skin hole 312 of the skin member 300 which will be described below. The connecting member 200 may include a connecting screw 210, a fixing nut 220, and a coupling protrusion 230.

The connecting screw 210 is configured in the form of a bar, and has screw threads 212 on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and the screw threads 212 may function as an external thread portion. The toy building blocks 10 according to the present invention are illustrated as including three types of connecting screws 210 having different lengths, respectively, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and those skilled in the art may implement various shapes by easily changing the length of the connecting screw 210 or the number of types of the connecting screws 210. The user, that is, the child or the infant may select the type of the connecting screw 210 in accordance with the shape which the user intends to implement, and may easily fix and couple the frame member 100 or the skin member 300.

The fixing nut 220 is provided to fix and fasten the connecting screw 210, and may have an internal thread portion on an inner circumferential surface thereof. The internal thread portion of the fixing nut 220 is fastened to the screw threads 212 of the connecting screw 210, which function as the external thread portion, in an projection-and-recess engagement manner, such that the connecting screw 210 inserted into the through groove 112 or the coupling hole 138 may be fixed and coupled.

The coupling protrusion 230 may be provided to adjust an angle of the frame member 100 or the connecting screw 210 which is to be coupled. That is, the coupling protrusion 230 is configured to be bent or rotated at a predetermined angle, and with the configuration of the coupling protrusion 230, it is possible to easily adjust an angle of the frame member 100 or the connecting screw 210 which is to be coupled. The coupling protrusion 230 may include a first coupling protrusion 230a and a second coupling protrusion 230b.

The first coupling protrusion 230a and the second coupling protrusion 230b are configured to be directly connected to each other, and the first coupling protrusion 230a and the second coupling protrusion 230b may be implemented in various shapes such as a case in which the first coupling protrusion 230a and the second coupling protrusion 230b are disposed such that an angle formed by the first coupling protrusion 230a and the second coupling protrusion 230b is 90° or 180°, or a case in which the first coupling protrusion 230a and the second coupling protrusion 230b are disposed to face each other while having a predetermined rotation angle. The first coupling protrusion 230a and the second coupling protrusion 230b may have a first connecting hole 232a and a second connecting hole 232b, respectively. The connecting screws 210 may be inserted into the first connecting hole 232a and the second connecting hole 232b, respectively, and an angle formed by the frame members 100 may be variously implemented by an angle between the connecting screws 210 inserted into the first connecting hole 232a and the second connecting hole 232b.

The skin member 300 is configured in the form of a thin surface, and may be provided to implement a three-dimensional shape having a curved surface without having an effect on a weight of the toy building block 10 according to the present invention. In the present invention, the skin member 300 may be made of a polymer or plastic material having ductility or softness, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and various materials having ductility or softness, which may have predetermined deflection properties, may be used.

The skin member 300 may include a skin surface 310 configured in the form of a thin surface, and the skin holes 312 pierced in the skin surface 310. The connecting screw 210 may be inserted into the skin hole 312, and the skin hole 312 may be fixed and coupled to the frame member 100 by the connecting screw 210 and the fixing nut 220.

Hereinafter, a method of assembling the toy building blocks according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15.

First, the user may prepare a set of the toy building blocks 10 according to the present invention. The toy building block 10 may have the frame member 100, the connecting member 200, and the skin member 300.

Next, the user may couple the frame member 100, the connecting member 200, and the skin member 300 to one another in order to implement a shape intended by the user. In this case, the user may couple the bodies 110 of the frame members 100 to each other by positioning the bodies 110 of the frame members 100 adjacent to each other, inserting the connecting screws 210 into the through grooves 112 provided at both ends of the bodies 110, and fastening and fixing the fixing nuts 220.

Here, a separation distance between the coupling protrusions 132 of the coupling units 130 may vary in accordance with a direction or a position in which the bodies 110 are disposed, and as a result, the user may consider various types of engagements by determining a distance ratio among the first coupling groove 134, the coupling protrusion 132, and the second coupling groove 136 of the coupling unit 130.

When the user intends to couple the frame members 100 while changing an angle between the frame members 100, the user selects the first and second coupling protrusions 230a and 230b of the connecting member 200 which are suitable for the angle, thereby easily changing an angle between the frame members 100.

Further, when the user intends to implement a three-dimensional shape having a curved surface, the user fastens the skin member 300 having predetermined deflection properties, thereby implementing various three-dimensional curved surface shapes.

The toys completely assembled by the aforementioned assembly processes are illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 15.

The toy building blocks 10 according to the present invention may be easily coupled to each other, and a coupling angle may be easily adjusted, and accordingly, the toy building blocks 10 may be manufactured as toys having various shapes, may increase the interest of children or infants, and may be assembled in more various manners, thereby improving intelligence development, and connecting portions may be reinforced, thereby increasing coupling force between the connecting portions.

While the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be implemented in any other specific form without changing the technical spirit or an essential feature thereof. Thus, it should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative in every sense, and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A toy building block comprising:

a frame member which includes the a body which is formed with a plurality of through grooves pierced to vertically penetrate the body so that the plurality of bodies are coupled to each other so as to implement predetermined shapes or surfaces and coupling units that have first coupling protrusions protruding in left and right directions from both surfaces of the body, and first coupling grooves and second coupling grooves formed at both sides of the first coupling protrusions, in which a ratio among a cross-sectional length of the first coupling groove, a cross-sectional length of the first coupling protrusion, and a cross-sectional length of the second coupling groove is 1:2:3;

a connecting member which has a second coupling protrusion for adjusting an angle when coupling the frame member or a connecting screw, in which the second coupling protrusion has a first of second coupling protrusion and a second of second coupling protrusion, a first connecting hole is formed in the first of second coupling protrusion, a second connecting hole is formed in the second of second coupling protrusion, and the connecting member includes a connecting screw and a fixing nut which are connected to the frame members and couple and fix the frame members so that the frame members are disposed at 90 degrees or 180 degrees; and

a skin member which is configured in the form of a band having a thin surface, and has skin holes which are in close contact with left and right sides of the through grooves of the frame member and coupled and fixed by the connecting screw and the fixing nut in order to implement a three-dimensional shape having a curved surface,

wherein an angle is adjusted to implement a three-dimensional shape when the plurality of the frame members are coupled and connected, and the first of second coupling protrusion and the second of second coupling protrusion of the connecting member are selected and adjusted to be bent or rotated at a coupling angle of 90 degrees or 180 degrees.

2. The toy building block of claim 1, wherein the coupling protrusion has a coupling hole which is a space that penetrates from one surface to the other surface of the coupling protrusion, and the connecting member is coupled to the coupling hole by penetrating the coupling hole.