MODULAR BUILDING BLOCK SYSTEM
The system and method for the modular construction of three-dimensional structures, and more particularly, to the use of the three-dimensional structures as furniture, storage, and toys. The structures comprise a plurality of panels, rods, and connectors. The structures are made up of one or more inter-connectable blocks. The blocks may have parallel or perpendicular joints. The blocks may be of the same or of different sizes. Numerous accessories are also possible for the modular structures.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/515,794, filed Jun. 6, 2017; the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSUREThis invention relates primarily to modular construction structures, and more particularly to their use as furniture, storage, and toys.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREThe technical problem addressed by this invention is that widely used furniture and toys are built for a single purpose and normally discarded when such function is no longer needed. A child's chair, for example, will likely be disposed of or sold when the infant no longer fits the furniture. In addition, voluminous goods often require lots of packaging and space to be shipped to stores or customers. While some modular solutions with compact packaging are available in the market, they often have limitations of use and/or shapes.
One advantage of the system of the present disclosure is that it allows for unlimited applications while at the same time providing aesthetic designs and flat packing. In addition, its modularity, scalability, and simple assembly stimulates creativity and teamwork. The combination of these characteristics makes the system timeless and environmentally friendly, given the building blocks may be used and reused indefinitely. The system of the present disclosure is not a single product but rather a platform, with unlimited possibilities of individual building block design, assembly combinations, and accessories.
The panel and rod construction enables simple or complex three-dimensional structures that are light and easy to manufacture, especially due to the two-dimensional cut of the panels. The system is more flexible than Lego or similar stacking systems. In some cases, the invention enables any planar face of a resultant block to be attached and secured to any face of another block.
Wherefore it is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks associated with conventional furniture, storage, and toys.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREOne aspect of the present disclosure is a modular building block system comprising a plurality of flat panels, rods, and releasable connectors, for use in building three-dimensional structures. In certain cases, panels include cavities where rods can be attached. In some cases, the combination of two panels and a plurality of rods create hollow three-dimensional blocks. These blocks may be used individually in a plurality of applications, or assembled into larger structures through the use, but not exclusively, of loop connectors or clip connectors.
The system can rely on a kit of parts that can be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled in different ways. One aspect of the present disclosure is a modular building block system comprising at least two flat panels, a plurality of rods, and one or more connectors to assemble into at least one three-dimensional structure.
The at least two panels of the system can include cavities where the plurality of rods can be attached. In some cases, the plurality of rods are fixed to the at least two panels through the use of bolts and inserts, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plurality of rods. In some cases, the plurality of rods are fixed to the at least two panels through the use of pins, or bolts and inserts, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the plurality of rods.
Additionally or alternatively, the system can comprise a combination of two parallel panels and a plurality of rods attached via connectors creates a hollow three-dimensional block. One or more blocks may be used in a plurality of applications.
Additionally or alternatively, the system can comprise the one or more blocks which may be assembled into larger structures through the use, but not exclusively, of loop connectors or clip connectors. Blocks of different sizes and shapes, may be assembled together. The at least two panels of the system can have slots, or openings, cut parallel to each panel edge to enable modular and scalable assembly. Depressions on an external panel surface, together with openings and studs, enable stable block stacking. Openings and depressions follow a standard pattern to enable modular and scalable assembly.
Additionally or alternatively there is provided a modular building block system comprising at least two flat panels, a plurality of rods and one or more connectors to assemble into at least one three-dimensional structure comprising blocks, the system having a standard pattern comprising: a base panel unit having one slot, or opening, in the middle of each base unit panel edge; panels one size increment larger when compared to size of the base unit have a long straight edge that is double the size of the base unit panel edge; panels larger than the base unit include step down openings, aligned with a line of openings included in the base unit; non equilateral panel sizes increase such that the length of the long straight edge is double the length of a panel one size smaller; and openings and depressions in the panels enables stacking with edge-to-edge panel alignment or center-to-center panel alignment.
A planar face of a block may be connected to a planar face of another block according to three possible types of block-to-block connections: panel-to-panel, panel-to-rod and rod-to-rod.
The blocks can comprise different shapes including: equilateral triangular prism; cube; rhombus prism; pentagonal prism; hexagonal prism; octagonal prism; cuboid; trapezoidal prism; parallelepiped prism; kite prism; quarter cylinder; semi-cylinder; cylinder; annulus sector (circular ring) block; quarter elliptical block; semi-elliptical block; elliptical block; and blocks with non-geometrical shape panels. In some cases, blocks with non-geometrical shape panels comprises petals, animal shapes, parts of animal shapes, mandala shapes, oblongs, chevrons, and others.
Studs present at the bottom of one block can fit into depressions and openings on the top of another block. Studs can be an extension of a rod end or disks attached to the panels. Studs can provide clearance protection to panel surfaces, anti-slip capability to blocks, grip and stability to blocks placed on soft surfaces, or a combination thereof.
Additional cavities may be added to panels for rods to be used as spacers between two or more stacked blocks. A plurality of accessories may be attached to the blocks including, but not exclusively: fabric panels; thin flat panels; nets with frames; panel padding; rod padding; rod grips; patterned covers; buttons; wall mounts; and block feet. In some cases, the feet may be screwed on.
These aspects of the disclosure are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosure.
Referring first to
The kit of parts comprises flat panels which typically are planar pieces of board made of one or a combination of flat materials such as wood, plywood, laminates, polymers, and the like. Each of the flat panels 1 provides a working surface for the system. As generally shown, each one of the flat panels 1 include circular holes 26 located adjacent each of the four corner areas of each flat panel 1, and the circular holes 26 extend completely through the flat panel 1. Each circular hole 26 serves to secure a respective rod 2 to the flat panel 1, as discussed below. Each circular hole 26 is spaced a small distance, e.g., 0.5 to 1 inch or so, from both of the adjacent side edges of the flat panel 1. Each flat panel 1 further comprises a pair of openings 25 in the center of the panel that can be used to secure one panel to another panel when in a stacked arrangement, which will be discussed in more detail, below.
On a first side of the flat panel 1, the circular hole 26 is counter sunk (see the lower panel 1 in
As shown in
Thereafter, the respective depressions or cavities, formed in the first side of the second panel 1, receive and engage with the respective opposite ends of each one of the four rods 2, in a similar manner. Lastly, a respective threaded fastener 3 then passes through the respective smaller sized hole, located on the opposite side of the panel 1, and engages with the respective with the threaded bore of the insert 4, retained within the respective ends of the rods 2, to connect each one of the rods 2 to the panel 1 and complete assembly of the small size block 14, as shown in
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As diagrammatically shown in
As shown in
It is to be appreciated that the panels may have any geometric or other two-dimensional shapes as shown, for example, in
Referring to
Studs may be an extension of a rod end 6 or separate disks 2 may be inserted into the panel depressions. In some cases, studs fit into the openings and depressions, providing alignment for stacked panels. In addition, studs provide protection to lower panels by keeping a clearance distance from the surface below the block 3. Studs may also provide grip to soft surfaces 4 and anti-slip capability 5 to the block. See, for example,
As shown in the figures, the system of the present disclosure comprises panels, rods and connectors. When disassembled, these form a compact package, reducing the associated packaging and transportation costs. When assembled together, they enable hollow three-dimensional blocks that are strong and lightweight, which can be used for multiple applications.
Referring to
In the system of the present disclosure, rods are connected to panels with two possible types of joints. In some cases, each block will have only one type of joint, depending on the choice of panel material and application. Joints can be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled repeatedly and indefinitely. For both types of joints, rod ends may either be cylindrical with smaller diameter, or tapered.
Referring first to
The kit of parts comprises flat panels which typically are planar pieces of board made of one or a combination of flat materials such as wood, plywood, laminates, polymers, and the like. Each of the flat panels 1 provides a working surface for the system. As generally shown, each one of the flat panels 1 include circular holes 26 located adjacent each of the four corner areas of each flat panel 1, and the circular holes 26 extend completely through the flat panel 1. Each circular hole 26 serves to secure a respective rod 2 to the flat panel 1, as discussed below. Each circular hole 26 is spaced a small distance, e.g., 0.5 to 1 inch or so, from both of the adjacent side edges of the flat panel 1. Additionally, there are holes 27 located on the panel for the medium block that are spaced to interact with the corner holes in a small base unit block, for example (See, e.g., 26 in
On a first side of the flat panel 1, the holes are counter sunk (see the lower panel 1 in
As shown in
Thereafter, the respective depressions or cavities, formed in the first side of the second panel 1, receive and engage with the respective opposite ends of each one of the four rods 2, in a similar manner. Lastly, a respective threaded fastener 3 then passes through the respective smaller sized hole, located on the opposite side of the panel 1, and engages with the respective with the threaded bore of the insert 4, retained within the respective ends of the rods 2, to connect each one of the rods 2 to the panel 1 and complete assembly of the block 14, e.g., an equilateral medium size as shown in
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As shown for example in
Parallel joints may require separate disk studs to be added to the lower panels. This construction is advantageous because disks can be made with materials such as rubber or silicone. Parallel joints are particularly useful for panels with laminated materials such as plywood, thus keeping plies under compression.
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As shown for example in
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A base unit 15 is the smallest building element of the system. In an equilateral medium size panel 16 has adjacent side edges which each have double the length of the adjacent edges of the panel of the base unit 15. Accordingly, the size or area of the medium size panel 16 is substantially four times the area or size of the base unit 15. In non-equilateral medium size panel 11 (see the panel at the far left in
Still referring to
In some cases, the base unit panel 15 will have one slot 13 located along the middle of each straight side edge thereof. In an equilateral medium panel 16 will have on each straight edge, in addition to the middle slot 22, or two step-down openings aligned to the openings of two base unit panel edges. The center of the step down openings will therefore be positioned a quarter of the length of the panel from the closest edge. The medium size panel with have a total of three openings 14 located along each straight edge, but spaced a small distance inwardly therefrom. Each flat panel will have an additional pair of openings 25 that are located in the center of the panel.
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In some cases, an equilateral large panel 18 will have one slot in the middle of its edge 24 and step down openings for medium and base unit sizes. The equilateral large size panel 18 will therefore have a total of seven openings 16 on each straight edge. The system can grow indefinitely where, for each straight edge of a given size, the number of openings of the panel size will always be double the number of openings of the predecessor, plus one. For all sizes, two parallel openings equally spaced from the center of the panel 25 may be optionally added, to enable two blocks to be secured with a single releasable connector.
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Panel-to-panel 27 connections may be made. There, two blocks can be secured together when the external face of their panels are united by releasable connectors 11, 12 passing through their openings. Another way to connect via panel-to-panel is when two panels placed side by side are secured with connectors.
Panel-to-rod 28 connections may be made. There, the versatility of loop connectors enables blocks in alternate positions, one with horizontal panels and other with vertical panels, to be secured together. In this configuration a loop connector or clip connector may embrace the slot of a panel of a first block and a rod of a second block.
Rod-to-rod 29 connections may be made. There, the connection can be achieved by the use of loop connectors, which will embrace two or more rods, leaving a clear working surface on the panels. Another advantage of this connection is that a single loop can embrace rods of several blocks.
Interchangeability of components is provided. There, rods and panels are interchangeable within each block size group. All base unit blocks have the same diameter of rod ends, bolts, pins and inserts. The same is true of all medium blocks, and within each of the subsequent size groups. This feature enables the builder to disassemble blocks and reassemble in a plurality of combinations. The feature also enables builders to acquire stand-alone parts in the aftermarket and create new three-dimensional blocks with different height and/or shape. In some cases, additional counter-bored or tapped holes be may be added to panels so that rods can be used as spacers between two stacked blocks.
Hook and loop connectors 11 can provide the flexibility of connecting a plurality of combinations of panels and boards. An example of a hook and loop connector is a hook and loop cinch strap. In some cases, the loop connector can embrace openings and rods at different positions, and of different sizes, similarly to a waist belt. Loops can be tied and released indefinitely.
Clip connectors 12 are an alternative to loop connectors. Clip connectors may be U shaped thin parts with curved ends. One common application of clips is securing panel-to-panel connections, where one leg of the clip is inserted into the slot of a panel and the other leg is inserted into the slot of a second panel 13. See, for example,
In some cases, the curved ends of the clip connector 12 embrace the edge of the slot keeping the clip stable. Another application of clip connectors 12 is in securing one block stacked on top of another block, where each leg of the clip embraces one of the center openings 25 of both blocks. In some cases, clip connectors 12 can be released with a slight bend of its legs and pushed out of the openings. One advantage of the clip connector 12 is having a design that can be easily manufactured with stamped metals or other materials.
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While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that various modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to and be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the appended claims. Further, the invention(s) described herein is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various other related ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items while only the terms “consisting of” and “consisting only of” are to be construed in a limitative sense.
The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Although operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results.
While the principles of the disclosure have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A modular building block system comprising:
- at least two flat panels,
- a plurality of rods,
- each panel having a pattern comprising a plurality of cavities and a plurality of openings, each of the cavities being sized for matingly receiving one end of the plurality of rods and each of the openings being sized for receiving a connector,
- a plurality of fasteners for securing an end of the plurality of rods to one of the panels to facilitate assembly into at least one three-dimensional structure, and
- at least one connector for connecting the three-dimensional structure with another three-dimensional structure.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rods are fixed to the at least two panels through the use of bolts and inserts, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plurality of rods.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of rods are fixed to the at least two panels through the use of pins, or bolts and inserts, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the plurality of rods.
4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the combination of two parallel panels and a plurality of rods attached, via connectors, creates a hollow three-dimensional block.
5. The system according to claim 2, wherein one or more blocks may be used in a plurality of applications.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more blocks may be assembled into larger structures through the use, but not exclusively, of loop connectors or clip connectors.
7. The system according to claim 5, wherein blocks of different sizes and shapes, may be assembled together.
8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two panels have openings cut parallel to each panel edge to enable modular and scalable assembly.
9. The system according to claim 1, wherein depressions on an external panel surface, together with openings and studs, enable stable block stacking.
10. The system according to claim 4, wherein openings and depressions follow a standard pattern to enable modular and scalable assembly.
11. A modular building block system according to claim 1, comprising at least two flat panels, a plurality of rods and one or more connectors to assemble into at least one three-dimensional structure comprising blocks, the system having a standard pattern comprising:
- i. a base panel unit having one slot in the middle of each base unit panel edge;
- ii. panels one size increment larger when compared to a size of the base unit have a long straight edge that is double the size of the base unit panel edge;
- iii. panels larger than the base unit include step down openings, aligned with a line of openings included in the base unit;
- iv. non-equilateral panel sizes increase such that the length of the long straight edge is double the length of a panel for one size smaller; and
- v. openings and depressions in the panels enables stacking with edge-to-edge panel alignment or center-to-center panel alignment.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein a planar face of a block may be connected to a planar face of another block according to three possible types of block-to-block connections: panel-to-panel, panel-to-rod and rod-to-rod.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the blocks comprise different shapes including:
- i. an equilateral triangular prism;
- ii. a cube;
- iii. a rhombus prism;
- iv. a pentagonal prism;
- v. a hexagonal prism;
- vi. an octagonal prism;
- vii. a cuboid;
- viii. a trapezoidal prism;
- ix. a parallelepiped prism;
- x. a kite prism;
- xi. a quarter cylinder;
- xii. a semi-cylinder;
- xiii. a cylinder;
- xiv. an annulus sector (circular ring) block;
- xv. a quarter elliptical block;
- xvi. a semi-elliptical block;
- xvii. an elliptical block; and
- xviii. blocks with non-geometrical shape panels.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein blocks with non-geometrical shape panels comprises petals, animal shapes, parts of animal shapes, mandala shapes, oblongs, chevrons, and others.
15. The system according to claim 1, wherein studs present at the bottom of one block fit into depressions and openings on the top of another block.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein studs are an extension of a rod end or disks attached to the panels.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein studs provide clearance protection to panel surfaces, anti-slip capability to blocks, grip and stability to blocks placed on soft surfaces, or a combination thereof.
18. The system according to claim 1, wherein additional cavities may be added to panels for rods to be used as spacers between two or more stacked blocks.
19. The system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of accessories may be attached to the blocks including, but not exclusively:
- i. fabric panels;
- ii. thin flat panels;
- iii. nets with frames;
- iv. panel padding;
- v. rod padding;
- vi. rod grips;
- vii. patterned covers;
- viii. buttons;
- ix. wall mounts; and
- x. feet.
Type: Application
Filed: May 31, 2018
Publication Date: Jul 30, 2020
Inventor: Andre Rocha BARRETO (Richland, MI)
Application Number: 16/619,166