Toy building block with electrical contacting portions

• US 4,552,541 A
• Filed: 02/09/1984
• Issued: 11/12/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SIHLBRUGGSTRASF 3
• Original Assignee: SIHLBRUGGSTRASF 3
• Inventors: Bolli, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US06/578,415
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 446/91, 446/90, 446/484, 446/128, 446/124, 446/125, 200/307
• US Class Current: 446/91
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/042 Mechanical, electrical, optical, pneumatic or hydraulic arrangements; Motors

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° 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.

Claims

1. A toy building block having on one face thereof at least one row of mechanical coupling pins and opposite thereto mechanical counter-coupling sockets, at least a plurality of said coupling pins in said row having electrically conducting and electrically insulating regions angularly spaced from each other, said electrically conducting region of each of said pins in said row being disposed at the same angular orientation, and at least one contact member within said block and forming a portion of said socket, said contact member being electrically connected to said electrically conducting regions of a plurality of coupling pins in said row and having electrically conducting surfaces extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of said row of coupling pins.

2. The building block in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electrically conducting regions on the coupling pins are disposed at one side faces thereof, said side faces being oriented vertically with respect to said one face of said building block.

3. The building block in accordance with claim 2, wherein said electrically conducting surfaces of said contact member further extend vertically with respect to said one face of said building block.

4. The building block in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electrically conducting regions on the coupling pins extend over an angular range of more than 90°

and less than 270°

about the longitudinal axes of the coupling pins, said electrically conducting regions being formed and disposed in the same manner on the coupling pins of said row.

5. The building block in accordance with claim 4 wherein in a first row the electrically conducting regions of each of said pins are disposed at the same angular orientation and further comprising a second row of coupling pins substantially identical to said first row of coupling pins arranged in pairs therewith, the electrically conducting regions of said second row of pins being offset by 180°

relative to the angular orientation of said first row.

6. The building block in accordance with claim 5 wherein said contact member is in the form of a strip or bar.

7. The building block in accordance with claim 6 wherein said face is perpendicular to a pair of opposed side walls, said first and second rows of coupling pins extend parallel to said side walls, a contact member is disposed within said housing for said second row of pins, said last mentioned contact member forming at least a portion of a socket for said second row of pins, and said first and second contact members extend along opposite ones of said side walls.

8. The building block in accordance with claim 6 wherein said face is perpendicular to a pair of opposed side walls, said first and second rows of coupling pins extend parallel to said side walls, a contact member is disposed within said housing for said second row of pins, said last mentioned member forming at least a portion of a socket for said second row of pins, and the contact member for said first and second rows of pins are disposed on opposite sides of a center line of said housing, equidistant from opposite ones of said side walls.

9. The building block in accordance with claims 1,5,6,7 or 8 wherein said conducting region is formed by a resilient member.

10. The building block in accordance with claims 1,5,6,7, or 8 wherein said coupling pins are formed of an insulating material, said conducting regions comprise separate pieces and all the pieces for the coupling pins of the same row are connected to an associated contact strip.

11. The building block in accordance with claims 1,5,6,7 or 8 wherein said coupling pins and said block are formed of an insulating material, said conducting regions comprise separate pieces, all the pieces of the coupling pins of the same row are formed in one piece with an associated contact strip and said pieces and said contact strip are embedded in said coupling pins and block.

12. The building block in accordance with claims 1,5,6,7 or 8 wherein each coupling pin conducting region is separated from the insulating region along a plane perpendicular to said face, said conducting regions extending through said face and further comprising an L-section strap having one leg engaging said conducting regions and those other leg is disposed below said face.

13. The building block in accordance with claims 7 or 8 wherein said pins are formed of an insulating material, said conducting regions comprise separate pieces, all the pieces for the coupling pins of the same row are formed in one piece with an associated contact strip and a plane dividing said conducting region from said insulating region extends at an angle of approximately 45°

with said side walls.

14. The building block in accordance with claims 1,5,6,7 or 8 wherein said coupling pins are hollow and cylindrically shaped, a cutout extends through each of said pins and said conducting regions comprise a sleeve-shaped metal piece inserted into the hollow space of said pins, said sleeve having a region of smaller radius adjacent the inner face of the pin cylindrical wall and a region of larger radius extending through the cut-out in the cylindrical wall.

15. The building block in accordance with claims 1,5,6,7 or 8 wherein said coupling pins are hollow and cylindrically shaped, a cutout extending through each of said pins and said conducting region comprises a sleeve-shaped metal piece inserted into the hollow space of said pins, said sleeve having a region of smaller radius adjacent the inner face of the pin cylindrical wall and a region of larger radius extending through the cut-out in the cylindrical wall wherein the end of the sleeve-shaped metal piece adjacent to the front wall of the coupling pin has a ring-shaped internal flange into whose opening an internal projection of the coupling pin extends in order to anchor the sleeve-shaped metal piece to the coupling pin.

16. The building block in accordance with claim 1 comprising a box-shaped hollow body for accommodating at least one electronic or electric component, contact means on the internal surface of said block for connection with said component, and connecting means extending between the conducting region of said pin and said connecting means.