LIGHT CONDUCTING TOY BUILDING BLOCKS
An interconnectable toy building block, including a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface. The body portion is defined about a longitudinal axis, which extends between the upper surface and the lower surface. A bore is formed in the body portion, and is open to the upper surface and to the lower surface. A longitudinal axis of the bore is disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion. A light conducting prong is disposed within the bore, such that the top surface of the prong is disposed within the bore beneath a height of the upper surface, and the bottom surface of the prong is disposed beneath the lower surface and the prong extends outwardly from the lower surface. An upper portion of the bore is not filled by the prong.
The present application gains priority from PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IB2019/050664, filed on Jan. 28, 2019, which gains priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/623,572, filed on Jan. 30, 2018, which is entitled “INTERACTIVE CRAFTING ELECTRONIC TOY SYSTEM”, as well as PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IB2019/050664.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention, in some embodiments, relates to the field of toys, and more specifically to light conducting toy building blocks, which may be interconnected.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMany building toys exist in which base units, or building blocks, are connected to each other to form a larger structure. Classic examples of such toys include Lego®, Duplo®, Lincoln Logs®, K'nex®, and the like. Several such toys also include transparent or translucent building blocks.
However, the prior art building block are typically formed of a single material, and have a single color, either opaque or transparent. Such building blocks either fully block passage of light, or allow passage of light through the whole block, without separating the light in particular locations, or channels.
There is thus a need in the art for toy building blocks which facilitate distinct or separate light conduction for each connector of the building block, and which can facilitate use of illumination, or illuminated instructions, to guide a user in building a structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONSome embodiments of the invention relate to interconnecting toy building blocks, and specifically to light conducting toy building blocks, whose light conduction can be used to provide real-time instructions to a user for building a complex structure.
There is provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a first aspect of the teachings herein, an interconnectable toy building block, including:
a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, the body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between the upper surface and the lower surface;
at least one bore formed in the body portion, the at least one bore being open to at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface, and having a bore longitudinal axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion; and
at least one prong disposed within the at least one bore, the at least one prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface of the at least one prong is disposed within the at least one bore beneath a height of the upper surface,
wherein at least one of the at least one prong is light conducting.
In some embodiments, a bottom portion including the bottom surface of at least one of the at least one prong extends out of the body portion below the lower surface, and is dimensioned and configured to be received in a portion of a the bore of a second the interconnectable toy building block.
In some embodiments, at least a first bore of the at least one bore is throughgoing and extends from the upper surface to the lower surface, wherein at least a first prong of the at least one prong is disposed within the first bore such that the top surface of the first prong is within the first bore and beneath a height of the upper surface, and wherein a portion of the first bore above the top surface of the first prong is dimensioned and configured to receive a bottom end of a the prong of a second the interconnectable toy building block. In some such embodiments, the first prong includes a light guiding prong, and wherein light guided through the first prong is visible from the upper surface of the interconnectable toy building block.
In some embodiments, the at least one bore includes a plurality of bores, and the at least one prong includes a corresponding plurality of prongs.
There additionally is provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a second aspect of the teachings herein, an interconnectable toy building block, including:
a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, the body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between the upper surface and the lower surface;
a bore formed in the body portion, the bore being open to the upper surface and to the lower surface, a longitudinal axis of the bore being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion; and
a light conducting prong disposed within the bore, the prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface of the prong disposed within the bore beneath a height of the upper surface, and the bottom surface of the prong disposed below the lower surface, such that a bottom portion of the prong extends outwardly from and below the lower surface,
wherein an upper portion of the bore is not filled by the prong.
In some embodiments, light guided through the prong is visible when the interconnectable toy building block is viewed from above the upper surface.
In some embodiments, the bore includes a plurality of bores, and the prong includes a corresponding plurality of prongs.
In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the interconnectable toy building block is devoid of any light source or light generating component, such as light bulbs, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), and the like.
In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the interconnectable toy building block is devoid of any electronic component.
In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the body portion includes a polyhedron, such that the upper surface is substantially parallel to the lower surface, and the at least one side surface includes a plurality of side surfaces each connecting the upper surface and the lower surface. In some such embodiments, at least one of the plurality of side surfaces is substantially perpendicular to the upper surface and to the lower surface. Additionally or alternatively, in some such embodiments, at least one of the plurality of side surfaces is angled with respect to the upper surface and to the lower surface.
In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the body portion includes a hemisphere, such that a single circumferential side surface connects the upper surface and the lower surface, and only one of the following is true:
the lower surface is planar, and the upper surface is convex; or
the upper surface is planar, and the lower surface is concave.
In some embodiments of the first and second aspects, the body portion includes a sphere, such that the upper surface is convex, the lower surface is concave, and a single circumferential side surface connects the upper surface and the lower surface.
There is further provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a third aspect of the teachings herein, a toy structure including:
a first interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects, including a first the bore and a first the prong; and
a second interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects, including a second the bore and a second the prong,
wherein the bottom portion of the first prong is disposed within the upper portion of the second bore, such that light guided through the second prong is transmitted, within the second bore, to the first prong and is guided therethrough, such that the light is visible when the toy structure is viewed from above the upper surface of the first interconnectable toy building block.
In some embodiments, the first interconnectable toy building block has a first shape, and the second interconnectable toy building block has a second shape, different that the first shape.
There is additionally provided, in accordance with an embodiment of a fourth aspect of the teachings herein, a method for building a three dimensional structure, the method including:
obtaining a first interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects described herein, including a first the bore and a first the prong;
obtaining a second interconnectable toy building block according to the first or second aspects described herein, including a second the bore and a second the prong; and
inserting the bottom portion of the first prong into the upper portion of the second bore.
Some embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying figures. The description, together with the figures, makes apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art how some embodiments of the invention may be practiced. The figures are for the purpose of illustrative discussion and no attempt is made to show structural details of an embodiment in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention. For the sake of clarity, some objects depicted in the figures are not to scale.
In the Figures:
The invention, in some embodiments, relates to the field of toys, and more specifically to light conducting toy building blocks, which may be interconnected.
The principles, uses and implementations of the teachings herein may be better understood with reference to the accompanying description and figures. Upon perusal of the description and figures present herein, one skilled in the art is able to implement the invention without undue effort or experimentation.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings and/or the Examples. The invention can be implemented with other embodiments and can be practiced or carried out in various ways. It is also understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for descriptive purpose and should not be regarded as limiting.
For purposes of this disclosure, “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, and “lower” are relative to one typical orientation of the toy building block(s), with the bottom or lower portion being a side, or adjacent to a side, adapted to be inserted into another toy building block, and the top or upper portion being a side, or adjacent to a side, adapted to receive another toy building block therein.
For the purposes of this disclosure, “substantially” is defined as “at least 95% of the term being described”, or “within a 5% margin from the term being described”.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a surface is considered to be “convex” if from an exterior of a toy building block including the surface, and when viewed from the top of the toy building block, the surface appears convex.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a surface is considered to be “concave” if from an exterior of a toy building block including the surface, and when viewed from the top of the toy building block, the surface appears concave.
For the purposes of this disclosure, the terms “light conducting” and “light guiding” are used interchangeably, and define a material or structure which receives illumination from one end and transports the light to the other end thereof, without the light significantly dissipating or being enhanced. A “light conducting” material does not generate light, but merely conducts light it receives, such as from another light source.
For the purposes of this disclosure, the terms “light generating” and “light source” define a material or structure which emits light generated within the material or structure. A light source does not need to receive light in order to emit light.
Reference is now made to
As seen in
Body portion 102 includes a plurality of bores 110, each of which has disposed therein a prong 112. At least one such prong 112, and in some embodiments all the prongs 112 disposed within toy building block 100, is/are light conducting or light guiding, and may be formed of any suitable material including glass, one or more optical fibers, transparent plastic, or any other light conducting or light guiding material.
Each prong 112 includes a first end 114, extending longitudinally outwardly from lower surface 108 of body portion 102, and terminating below the nominal lower surface, and a second end 116 disposed within corresponding bore 110 below nominal upper surface 104, as seen clearly in the sectional illustration in
Toy building block 100 illustrated in
Toy building block 100 does not generate or emit light, other than light received from another source. Toy building block 100 is devoid of any light source. Toy building block 100 is further devoid of any electronic component.
Reference is now made to
Toy building block 200 does not generate or emit light, other than light received from another source. Toy building block 200 is devoid of any light source. Toy building block 200 is further devoid of any electronic component.
Reference is now made to
Toy building block 300 is substantially similar to toy building block 200 of
Toy building block 300 does not generate or emit light, other than light received from another source. Toy building block 300 is devoid of any light source. Toy building block 300 is further devoid of any electronic component.
Reference is now made to
As seen in
A first pair of side surfaces 406a connect edges 405c and 405d of surface 404 to edges 409c and 409d of surface 408. Because the edges 405c and 405d are not vertically aligned with edges 409c and 409d, the side surfaces 406a are not perpendicular to surfaces 404 and 408, and span some of the gap between the surfaces 404 and 408. In the illustrated embodiment, the surfaces 406a are disposed at an obtuse angle relative to upper surface 404, and at an acute angle relative to lower surface 408.
A second pair of side surfaces 406b, connect edges 405a and 405b of upper surface 404 to edges 409a and 409b of lower surface 408, respectively. Because edges 405a and 405b are vertically aligned with edges 409a and 409b, side surfaces 406b are substantially perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 404 and 408 and to each other. However, because the side surfaces 406a are angled, the connection of side surfaces 406a with side surfaces 406b is at an angled, and as such all the side surfaces 406a and 406b are generally trapezoidal, where side surfaces 406b form right angle trapezoids.
Similarly to toy building block 100 of
In areas of the housing in which side surfaces 406a are disposed vertically above lower surface 408, bores 410b extend only partially through the body portion, such that the bore terminates lower than side surface 406a, as seen clearly in
In the illustrated embodiment, toy building block 400 includes one prongs 412a, and three prongs 412b, such that all the prongs are arranged in two rows of two prongs each, in a similar arrangement to that described hereinabove with respect to
Toy building block 400 does not generate or emit light, other than light received from another source. Toy building block 400 is devoid of any light source. Toy building block 400 is further devoid of any electronic component.
Reference is now made to
As seen in
A first generally rectangular side surface 506b connects edges 505b and 509b, which have substantially the same length and are vertically aligned. As such, rectangular side surface 506a is generally perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 504 and 508.
A second generally rectangular side surface 506d connects edges 505d and 509d, which have substantially the same length. However, because edges 505d and 509d are not vertically aligned, side surface 506d is perpendicular to surfaces 504 and 508, and spans some of the gap between the surfaces 504 and 508. In the illustrated embodiment, the surface 506d is disposed at an obtuse angle relative to upper surface 504, and at an acute angle relative to lower surface 508.
A pair of side surfaces 506a and 506c, connect edges 505a and 505c of upper surface 504 to edges 509a and 509c of lower surface 508, respectively. Because edges 505a and 505c are vertically aligned with edges 509a and 509c, side surfaces 506a and 506c are substantially perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces 504 and 508, and to side surface 506b. However, because the side surface 506d is angled, the connection of side surfaces 506a and 506c with side surface 506d is at an angled. As such, side surfaces 506a and 506c form right angle trapezoids.
Similarly to toy building block 100 of
In the illustrated embodiment, toy building block 500 includes two prongs 512a, and two prongs 512b, such that all the prongs are arranged in two rows of two prongs each, in a similar arrangement to that described hereinabove with respect to
Toy building block 500 does not generate or emit light, other than light received from another source. Toy building block 500 is devoid of any light source. Toy building block 500 is further devoid of any electronic component.
It will be appreciated that any toy building block, which includes at least one bore having at least one light conducting prong disposed therein is considered to be within the scope of the invention. As such, one of skill in the art may conceive of many other shapes and arrangements of such toy building blocks.
In some embodiments, a toy building block according to the present invention may be hemispherical, and may include a circular lower surface, a curved upper surface, and a circumferential and curved side surface. In some such embodiments, the bores may be throughgoing at all portions of the hemisphere, or may be throughgoing only at the apex of the hemisphere.
In some embodiments, a toy building block according to the present invention may be spherical, and may include a curved lower surface, a curved upper surface, and a circumferential and curved side surface. In some such embodiments, the bores may be throughgoing at all portions of the sphere, or may be throughgoing only at the apices of the sphere.
In some embodiments, a toy building block according to the present invention may be an upper end toy building block, such that none of the bores in the toy building block are throughgoing and light guided through the prongs is not visible from the top or sides of the toy building block. This arrangement of bores and prongs may exist in any shape of toy building block, including the block shapes described hereinabove, as well as spherical and hemispherical blocks.
In some embodiments, a toy building block according to the present invention may have a lower surface which has a smaller surface area than an upper surface thereof, and one or more angled side surface(s) connect the surfaces. In such embodiments, in areas that the upper and lower surfaces overlaps, the bores would be throughgoing and the prongs would extend from the bottom of the toy building block and to a height beneath the upper surface, such that a portion of the bore remains unfilled and the prong is visible from the top of the toy building block. In areas in which the upper and lower surfaces do not overlap, partial bores would extend from the body of the toy building block to the top surface thereof, and would not extend to the bottom surface of the toy building block. Prongs disposed in such partial bores would not extend from the bottom of the toy building block, and an upper end thereof would terminate within the bore beneath the height of the upper surface, while being visible from the top of the toy building block.
In use, toy building blocks according to the present invention are interconnected by placement of the prongs of a first, upper toy building block, within the bores of a second, lower toy building block disposed directly beneath the first block. The prongs of the upper block extend into the bores of the second block until they engage the upper end of the prongs of the second block, such that light guided through the prongs of the lower block continues to be guided through the prongs of the upper block, and is visible when viewing the structure from the upper surface of the upper block.
As described in detail hereinbelow, a toy building block according to the present invention, or a structure of such toy building blocks, may be placed above one or more light sources, such that light from the light source(s) may be guided through the prongs and may be visible from the top of the toy building block or of the built structure. As such, light may be used to guide the user which color block, or which type of block, to place above an already placed block, as explained in detail hereinbelow.
Reference is now made to
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In
In
Reference is now made to
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It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.
It will be appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification, including U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/047,107 filed on Jul. 27, 2018, are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.
Claims
1. An interconnectable toy building block, comprising:
- a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, said body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between said upper surface and said lower surface;
- at least one bore formed in said body portion, said at least one bore being open to at least one of said upper surface and said lower surface, and having a bore longitudinal axis which is substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said body portion; and
- at least one prong disposed within said at least one bore, said at least one prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein said top surface of said at least one prong is disposed within said at least one bore beneath a height of said upper surface,
- wherein at least one of said at least one prong is light conducting.
2. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1, wherein a bottom portion including said bottom surface of at least one of said at least one prong extends out of said body portion below said lower surface, and is dimensioned and configured to be received in a portion of a said bore of a second said interconnectable toy building block.
3. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1, wherein at least a first bore of said at least one bore is throughgoing and extends from said upper surface to said lower surface, wherein at least a first prong of said at least one prong is disposed within said first bore such that said top surface of said first prong is within said first bore and beneath a height of said upper surface, and wherein a portion of said first bore above said top surface of said first prong is dimensioned and configured to receive a bottom end of a said prong of a second said interconnectable toy building block.
4. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 3, wherein said first prong comprises a light guiding prong, and wherein light guided through said first prong is visible from said upper surface of said interconnectable toy building block.
5. The interconnectable toy block of claim 1, wherein said at least one bore comprises a plurality of bores, and said at least one prong comprises a corresponding plurality of prongs.
6. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1, wherein said body portion comprises a polyhedron, such that said upper surface is substantially parallel to said lower surface, and said at least one side surface comprises a plurality of side surfaces each connecting said upper surface and said lower surface.
7. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1, wherein said toy building block is devoid of light sources.
8. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 1, wherein said toy building block is devoid of electronic components.
9. An interconnectable toy building block, comprising:
- a body portion defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one side surface, said body portion being defined about a longitudinal axis extending between said upper surface and said lower surface;
- a bore formed in said body portion, said bore being open to said upper surface and to said lower surface, a longitudinal axis of said bore being substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said body portion; and
- a light conducting prong disposed within said bore, said prong having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface of said prong disposed within said bore beneath a height of said upper surface, and said bottom surface of said prong disposed below said lower surface, such that a bottom portion of said prong extends outwardly from and below said lower surface,
- wherein an upper portion of said bore is not filled by said prong.
10. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 9, wherein light guided through said prong is visible when said interconnectable toy building block is viewed from above said upper surface.
11. The interconnectable toy block of claim 9, wherein said bore comprises a plurality of bores, and said prong comprises a corresponding plurality of prongs.
12. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 9, wherein said body portion comprises a polyhedron, such that said upper surface is substantially parallel to said lower surface, and said at least one side surface comprises a plurality of side surfaces each connecting said upper surface and said lower surface.
13. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 9, wherein said toy building block is devoid of light sources.
14. The interconnectable toy building block of claim 9, wherein said toy building block is devoid of electronic components.
15. A toy structure comprising:
- a first interconnectable toy building block according to claim 9, including a first said bore and a first said prong; and
- a second interconnectable toy building block according to claim 9, including a second said bore and a second said prong,
- wherein said bottom portion of said first prong is disposed within said upper portion of said second bore, such that light guided through said second prong is transmitted, within said second bore, to said first prong and is guided therethrough, such that the light is visible when said toy structure is viewed from above said upper surface of said first interconnectable toy building block.
16. The toy structure of claim 15, wherein said first interconnectable toy building block has a first shape, and said second interconnectable toy building block has a second shape, different that said first shape.
17. A method for building a three dimensional structure, the method comprising:
- obtaining a first interconnectable toy building block according to claim 9, including a first said bore and a first said prong;
- obtaining a second interconnectable toy building block according to claim 9, including a second said bore and a second said prong; and
- inserting said bottom portion of said first prong into said upper portion of said second bore.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 28, 2019
Publication Date: Feb 11, 2021
Inventors: Shay CHEN (Hod Hasharon), Shachar LIMOR (Givat Shapira)
Application Number: 16/965,681