초록 ▼

A toy building block set includes multiple polyhedron blocks of different lengths removably attachable together. Each block includes at least a top and four side walls. At least one connector extends from the top and includes opposing interior and exterior surfaces. A recessed area is provided at th

A toy building block set includes multiple polyhedron blocks of different lengths removably attachable together. Each block includes at least a top and four side walls. At least one connector extends from the top and includes opposing interior and exterior surfaces. A recessed area is provided at the bottom of each block. Engagement projections or depressions are provided on the connector and the remaining engagement structure are provided in the recessed area of each block where they might fully or partially engage or not engage with structures on the connector. The mechanical interference engagements and resulting engagement forces provided between any two of the blocks are less than three and even less than two times the number of engagements and resulting engagement forces provided by a mated pair of the smallest polyhedron blocks of the set.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A first rectilinear polyhedron toy building block comprising: a top wall;four side walls extending orthogonally away from the top wall to a bottom end of the block, each of the four side walls having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the block and an opposing exterior surface expos

1. A first rectilinear polyhedron toy building block comprising: a top wall;four side walls extending orthogonally away from the top wall to a bottom end of the block, each of the four side walls having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the block and an opposing exterior surface exposed outside of the block;at least one connector extending away from the top wall in a direction opposite the four side walls, the at least one connector including a plurality of partitions, each partition having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the connector and an opposing exterior surface, a free end and an opposing end affixed with the top wall;a bottom wall spaced apart from the top wall and extending across the bottom end of the block within the four side walls; a projection extending away from the interior surface of at least one of the side walls proximal the bottom end or from the exterior surface of one of the plurality of partitions; anda depression formed within the exterior surface of at least one of the plurality of partitions or within the interior surface of one of the plurality of side walls proximal the bottom end such that the one of the side walls bears proximal the bottom end either the projection or the depression and the one of the partitions bears a remaining one of the projection or the depression with the depression of the first toy building block being located, sized and shaped to receive the projection of a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block so as to releasably join the first and second toy building blocks;wherein the exterior surface of each of at least two of the plurality of partitions of the at least one connector extends perpendicular with respect to the top wall from the top wall and each of the at least two partitions includes a depression in the perpendicular exterior surface; andwherein the depressions formed in the exterior surfaces of the at least two partitions of the first toy block are different in shape from one another so as to engage with different strengths, one projection on a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block, the second toy building block being selectively orientable on the at least one connector of the first toy building block so as to releasably engage the one projection of the second toy building block with each of the differently shaped depressions. 2. The first toy building block according to claim 1 wherein the bottom wall is recessed from the bottom end sufficiently to receive at least one connector of a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block. 3. The first toy building block set according to claim 2 wherein the bottom wall of the first toy building block is recessed from the bottom end proximal each of the side walls of the first toy building block sufficiently to receive at least one connector of the second toy building block between the interiors of the side walls and a central portion of the bottom wall of the first toy building block spaced inwardly from each of the side walls. 4. The first toy building block according to claim 3 wherein the central portion of the bottom wall is sized to be received in a central opening formed by the interior surfaces of the partitions of the at least one connector of a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block. 5. The first toy building block according to claim 1 having four side walls of equal height from the top wall, two being opposing shorter side walls and two being opposing longer side walls, the longer side walls being approximately an integer number of times as long as the shorter side walls, a plurality of spaced apart connectors equal in number to the integer number and extending away from the top wall in a single file, and a plurality of projections, equal in number to the integer number, extending from the interior surface of each of two opposing longer side walls below the bottom wall. 6. The first toy building block according to claim 5 having at least three connectors wherein the centerline spacing of at least one pair of adjoining projections on each of the longer side walls is greater than the centerline spacing between adjoining pairs of the connectors. 7. The first toy building block according to claim 6 where the shorter side walls lack projections engageable with the depressions of the connectors of second toy blocks identical to the first toy block. 8. The first toy building block according to claim 1 where the interior surfaces of two opposing side walls have projections engageable with the depressions of the at least one connector of second toy building blocks identical to the first toy building block and two other opposing side walls of the first toy building block lack projections engageable with the depressions of the at least one connector of second toy building blocks identical to the first toy building block. 9. The first toy building block of claim 1 having a plurality of spaced apart connectors extending away from the top wall in a single file and a plurality of central portions of the bottom wall equal in number to the plurality of connectors and extending in a single file along the bottom end, each central portion directly opposing a connector and each central portion being connected to at least two of the side walls by recessed portions of the bottom wall extending recessed between the central portion and the interior surfaces of the at least two side walls. 10. The first toy building block of claim 9 wherein each central portion is sized and shaped to be received within the interior surfaces of the plurality of partitions of any of the connectors of a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block and wherein each connector of the identical second toy building block is sized and shaped to be received between any of the central portions and at least two opposing side walls of the first toy building block. 11. A toy building block set comprising: a first rectilinear polyhedron block according to claim 1 and a second rectilinear polyhedron block according to claim 1 and removably attachable to the first rectilinear polyhedron block, a length, width and height of each of the first and second rectilinear polyhedron blocks being generally equal, wherein a first predetermined force is required to remove the second rectilinear polyhedron block from the first rectilinear polyhedron block; anda third rectilinear polyhedron block according to claim 1 and a fourth rectilinear polyhedron block according to claim 1 and removably attachable to the third rectilinear polyhedron block, wherein two of a length, width and height of each of the third and fourth rectilinear polyhedron blocks are generally equal in dimension and wherein a remaining one of the length, width and height of each of the third and fourth rectilinear polyhedron blocks is at least three times the dimension of the other two, and wherein a second predetermined force required to remove the fourth rectilinear polyhedron block from the third rectilinear polyhedron block with the sidewalls of the fourth rectilinear polyhedron block coplanar with the sidewalls of the third rectilinear polyhedron block is less than three times the first predetermined force required to remove the second rectilinear polyhedron block from the first rectilinear polyhedron block. 12. The first toy building block according to claim 1 wherein the top wall and the bottom wall each have an interior surface facing and spaced apart from the interior surface of the other. 13. The first toy building block according to claim 1 wherein the interior surface of each of one opposing pair of the four side walls lacks any of the projections and depressions. 14. A first rectilinear polyhedron toy building block comprising: a top wall;four side walls extending orthogonally away from the top wall to a bottom end of the block, each of the four side walls having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the block and an opposing exterior surface exposed outside of the block;at least one connector extending away from the top wall in a direction opposite the four side walls, the at least one connector including a plurality of partitions, each partition having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the connector and an opposing exterior surface, a free end and an opposing end affixed with the top wall;a bottom wall spaced apart from the top wall and extending across the bottom end of the block within the four side walls;a projection extending away from the interior surface of at least one of the side walls proximal the bottom end or from the exterior surface of one of the plurality of partitions; anda depression formed within the exterior surface of at least one of the plurality of partitions or within the interior surface of one of the plurality of side walls proximal the bottom end such that the one of the side walls bears proximal the bottom end either the projection or the depression and the one of the partitions bears a remaining one of the projection or the depression with the depression of the first toy building block being located, sized and shaped to receive the projection of a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block so as to releasably join the first and second toy building blocks;wherein the exterior surface of each of at least two of the plurality of partitions of the at least one connector extends perpendicular with respect to the top wall from the top wall and each of the at least two partitions includes a depression in the perpendicular exterior surface; andwherein the depressions are formed in the exterior surfaces of each of two adjoining partitions of the at least one connector of the first toy building block and are different in shape from one another so as to engage with different strengths, one projection on a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block, the second toy building block being selectively orientable on the at least one connector of the first toy building block so as to releasably engage the one projection with each of the differently shaped depressions. 15. The first toy building block according to claim 14 wherein the entirety of the depression formed in the exterior surface of a first of the two adjoining partitions is spaced away from the free end of the first partition supporting such depression, beginning a predetermined non-zero distance away from the free end and ending more proximal to the second end of the first partition, whereby part of the exterior surface of the partition which is not a part of any depression separates the entirety of the depression from the free end; and wherein only a first portion of the depression formed in a second one of the two adjoining partitions is entirely spaced away from the free end of the second partition, beginning a non-zero distance away from the free end and terminating at a position farther from the free end and more proximal to the top wall and a second remaining portion of such depression extends along side of the first portion from the position more proximal to the top wall to and through the free end of the second partition. 16. The first toy building block according to claim 15 having a plurality of connectors extending away from the top wall, wherein the entirety of one depression in the exterior surface of at least two opposing partitions of each connector is spaced away from the free end of the partition supporting such depression, beginning a predetermined non-zero distance away from the free end and ending more proximal to the second end of the partition whereby part of the exterior surface of the partition, which is not a part of any depression, separates the entirety of the depression from the free end of the partition bearing the depression. 17. The first toy building block according to claim 16 wherein the top wall has a shorter dimension and a longer dimension at least three times as great as the shorter dimension, wherein the plurality of connectors are linearly arrayed along the longer dimension of the top wall, and wherein centerline spacing along the longer dimension of the top wall between immediately adjoining depressions in immediately adjoining partitions parallel to the longer dimension on immediately adjoining connectors is identical. 18. A first rectilinear polyhedron toy building block comprising: a top wall;four side walls extending orthogonally away from the top wall to a bottom end of the block, each of the four side walls having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the block and an opposing exterior surface exposed outside of the block;at least one connector extending away from the top wall in a direction opposite the four side walls, the at least one connector including a plurality of partitions, each partition having an interior surface facing a geometric center of the connector and an opposing exterior surface, a free end and an opposing end affixed with the top wall; anda bottom wall spaced apart from the top wall and extending across the bottom end of the block within the four side walls,a projection extending away from the interior surface of at least one of the side walls proximal the bottom end;the exterior surface of each of at least two of the plurality of partitions of the at least one connector is perpendicular to the top wall as the exterior surface extends away from the top wall and each of the at least two partitions includes a depression in the perpendicular exterior surface with the depression of the first toy building block being located, sized and shaped to receive the projection of a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block so as to releasably join the first and second toy building blocks; andthe depressions formed in the exterior surfaces of the at least two partitions of the first toy block are different in shape from one another so as to engage with different strengths, one projection on a second toy building block identical to the first toy building block, the second toy building block being selectively orientable on the at least one connector of the first toy building block so as to releasably engage the one projection of the second toy building block with each of the differently shaped depressions.