Abstract: An adapter for interconnecting hollow toy building blocks having a generally cylindrical primary projection extending outwardly therefrom comprises a housing which is generally square in cross section, having two interconnected pairs of generally parallel sidewalls defining first and second open ends for receiving the blocks to be interconnected. The adapter further includes one generally cylindrical tubular member substantially within the center of the housing, the cylindrical tubular member extending generally parallel to the sidewalls and being supported by at least one flange member extending inwardly from one of the sidewalls, the flange member being generally parallel to and of substantially the same height as the sidewalls.

Abstract: A construction toy assembly includes brick-like units of which one wall only has connecting plugs. One unit is made of two parts solid with one another and extending at 45.degree. therebetween; another unit is also formed of two parts but the parts can pivot with respect to one another about a common axis and still another unit is in the form of a hollow open-ended tube which is rectangular in cross-section.

Abstract: Polygonal construction modules are capable of being connected together by their edges and by their faces to create many different three-dimensional shapes. Each module has a generally planar body with edge faces, a top face and a bottom. Each edge face has a plurality of outwardly projecting fingers designed to provide a snap-together lateral interlock between fingers of adjacent modules while permitting hinging or rotation between modules on an axis parallel to the side face. Projecting upwardly from each top face is at least one annular connector element for establishing a friction fit with a like connector element in face-to-face interlocking engagement. The connector element includes a series of projections arranged in a uniform circular array, each projection being segmental in shape with radial side walls.

Abstract: A structure for assembling a toy is disclosed wherein a flat plate contains modular units defined by parallel and perpendicularly spaced ribs. Connection elements have pins extending from both faces and are frictionally fitted into the modular units to join the plates and construct toy structures.

Abstract: An article of furniture is formed by a plurality of interlocking elements. Horizontally-arranged shelves include mortises formed between notches in adjacent slats. The slats are separated by longitudinal spacings within the shelves. Vertical supports which terminate in mating tenons are arranged perpendicular to the shelves. Units for housing drawers are provided that include top and bottom sets of rails for slidable mounting between pairs of shelves. Bookend arrangements that include protruding dowels and stops are slidably secured within the spacings between the slats of the shelves. The furniture requires no external fasteners and is totally compatible with knockdown assembly and disassembly.

Abstract: The toy building block kit includes a variety of buildingblock pieces with a first building block piece (e.g., piece 10, 100, 110, etc.) having on at least one side thereof, a longitudinal slot (20, 102, 112, etc.) and a transverse slot (30, 104, 114, etc.), and a second building block piece (e.g., piece 12, 140, 150, etc.) having on at least one side thereof a rib (60, 130, 142, 152, etc.) extending therefrom sized, configured and dimensioned to be received in one of the slots (20, 102, 112 etc. or 30, 104, 114, etc.) in said first piece.The pieces can be elongate, rectangular or triangular and each piece has crossing slots (e.g., slots 20, 30) therein forming a waffle or matrix pattern on the various sides thereof.Also each piece, (e.g., piece 10) may have one or more ribs (e.g., ribs 60) extending from a side thereof for interconnecting with another piece (e.g., piece 12).Furthermore, a variety of specialty pieces, e.g.

Abstract: A shimming system and shim assembly are provided, particularly for door guides and supports for sliding and folding doors of closets and the like. The shim assembly includes shim members having shim plates and projections of different lengths so that different shim members can be assembled in stacked relationship with one another to raise the door guide or support to a desired height. The shim members are of clear plastic material so as not to require painting, staining, or the like. Each shim member can be readily reduced to proper width and length so as to be positioned completely under the base of the door guide or support and thereby be substantially concealed. The shim plates have score grooves by which portions can be broken off to reduce the shim plate to the proper size and the shimming system includes a tool for facilitating removal of the unwanted portions beyond the score grooves.

Abstract: A construction set of modular pieces for constructing a scale model of an arrangement of contemporary buildings, such as a complex or cluster of high and low rise buildings located on common plaza areas, is made of several kinds of modular plaza blocks, building blocks, joint pieces for connecting the plaza blocks together, inside rail pieces for providing ridges on the top of the plaza blocks for connecting the building blocks thereto and outside or inside rail pieces for providing railings where desired on a plaza; all of the plaza blocks, building blocks, connecting pieces and rail pieces having dimensions of width and length that are whole number (integer) multiples of the same dimension D, whereby a variety of arrangements of plaza blocks, buildings blocks, and plaza railings may be constructed from a set of such blocks and pieces.

Abstract: A toy building block system includes a plurality of blocks, each having an array of cylindrical projections extending from one surface thereof and a like array of socket-like receptacles in the opposite surface for stackable interconnection. In addition, one end of each block includes a pair of hinge arms extending therefrom, with a pair of detent knobs formed on the confronting interior surfaces of the arms. The opposed end of each block includes opposed recessed surface portions, each having a detent recess to receive the knob of a hinge arm of an adjacent block in snap-engaging, pivotting fashion. The blocks thus may be joined end-to-end in pivotting fashion by the hinge arms, as well as stackably in column fashion by the projections and receptacles, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a toy building block set comprising several plane blocks of various kinds. The building block set includes a cuboid panel block (1) having height h, width b and thickness d, an elongated beam block (2) with a square cross-section and length h and thickness d, and a trapezoid block (3) with thickness d, width of the tip nearly d, width of the base nearly b and length of a sloping side nearly h, the proportion of d:b:h being 1:3:4. The blocks, which are preferably made of synthetic material or wood, may be connected with each other by a peg and hole connection (4,5). The blocks may be used to construct very true-to-life and esthetically appealing structures.

Abstract: A constructional element, which is suitable for decorative purposes or toys, comprises a box shaped member open at its base. On an outer top surface of the member are provided a row of pegs which have coaxially extending grooves. Clamping elements are provided within the member for engaging with the coaxially extending grooves on the pegs of another constructional element. Walls are also provided within the member which are connected to the top surface and the two side surfaces.

Abstract: An adaptor structure for connecting a plurality of beverage cans together in selected configurations comprising a base plate with connector members on a first side thereof, a can-receiving socket on the opposite side thereof and spacer members within said socket. The cans have end recesses in which the spacer members seat when an adaptor is coupled to a can to form a strong, stable connection. Cans are assembled end-to-end with back-to-back adaptors at the end interfaces, the adaptors being connected to each other by the connector members.

Abstract: A building block having side walls and a front face perpendicular to these is provided with two rows of coupling pins on one side of the front face and counter-coupling tubes on the other side for mechanically coupling two building blocks by means of a clamping action. In each row, each second coupling pin has an electrically conducting surface, while the coupling pins lying between these are electrically insulating. One row of conducting pins is displaced in the direction of the rows by one coupling pin from the adjacent row. On the other side of the front wall a contact bar is arranged which is connected electrically with the conducting coupling pins of an associated row. The bar has a contact area for producing electrical contact with a row of conducting coupling pins of an adjacent, coupled building block.

Abstract: A building block is provided having side walls and a top face with two rows of coupling pins on the one side of the top face and counter-coupling tubes on the other side for mechanically coupling two such building blocks by means of a clamping action. On their side faces, the coupling pins have electrically conducting regions, which extend over an angular range. The angular range of one row being turned by 180.degree. relative to those of the other row. All the conducting regions are connected to a contact bar, which is arranged on the side of the counter-coupling tubes along one side wall. When two building blocks are coupled arbitrarily, at least one conducting region of each row of coupling pins of the one building block makes contact with a contact bar of the other building block in such a way, that a short circuit cannot occur in the two electrical circuits assigned to each row of coupling pins or each contact bar.

Abstract: A set of bricks has plugging connections which, on the top side, have male elements and at their lower sides have female pockets to take up the male elements on another such brick. Two bricks may be put together by pushing the male elements of the one brick into the female pockets of the other brick. The material of the bricks is soft synthetic resin, such as high-pressure polyethylene (PE-soft) which has good gripping properties, keeps its form, is not damaged by abrasion and keeps to the conditions of laws in connection with the use of synthetic resins with foodstuffs. The female pockets which are placed coaxially with respect to the male elements are formed by sleeve-like wall parts which, at the outer sides of the brick, have rounded off brick corners and in the inner part of the bricks are responsible for forming bracing walls.

Abstract: A connecting member comprising an elastically deformable, tubular plug (1) slitted at the ends for interconnecting pairs of building components (9a,9b), which have coupling holes (8a,8b) to receive the ends of the connecting member, has apertures (3) in the plug wall between the slits (2), and the plug wall is formed with lengthwise extending clamping wedges (4) between the apertures (3), said clamping wedges having inclined faces which slope towards the ends of the connecting member and causing the connecting member to be compressed at the center and be expanded at the ends when it is pressed into a pair of co-axial holes in adjacent building components. The connecting member may in particular be formed with an annular flange (5) and end beads (6a,6b) which fit in corresponding annular grooves (7) in a pair of adjacent components (9a,9b).

Abstract: An educational entertainment device includes at least one cube formed from (a) a regular tetrahedron and (b) four 1/8th sections of a regular octahedron wherein the faces of the tetrahedron and the faces of the octahedron are all congruent. The 1/8th sections are formed by slicing the octahedron through three orthogonal planes, each slicing plane passing through four vertices of the octahedron, each 1/8th section being defined by (a) one octahedron face and (b) three mutually orthogonal corner faces. By coupling the octahedron face of each of the four 1/8th sections to a corresponding one of the tetrahedron faces in edge-to-edge fashion, one cube is formed. Each side of the cube includes two corner faces, one from each of two 1/8th sections. By rotating a 1/8th section about an axis perpendicular to the plane interfacing the 1/8th section and the tetrahedron, the two corner faces forming a cube side can be altered. A plurality of n.sup.3, e.g. eight, cubes can form a block of cubes, in an n.times.n.times.