Construction toy
First Claim
1. A toy which comprises:
- at least one one piece intergally formed tubular element and at least one hollow member;
said tubular element formed of a plastic material and having first and second ends connected by an element body;
said tubular element body including a plurality of connected corrugations, said corrugations formed by alternating first and second truncated conical walls joined together base to base about circumferentially extending convex hinges and apex to apex about circumferentially extending concave hinges, said first conical walls shorter than said second conical walls such that they are nestable within said second conical walls;
said first end of said tubular element including an axially extending first skirt having an outside surface of a first fixed diameter and an inside surface of a second fixed smaller diameter and including locking means on both said first skirt outside surface and said inside surface;
said second end of said tubular element including an axially extending second skirt, a shoulder and an axially extending third skirt, said second skirt interspaced between said tubular element body and said third skirt and said shoulder interspaced between said second skirt and said third skirt, said second skirt having an outside surface of a fixed diameter equal to the diameter of said outside surface of said first skirt and including lock means on said outside surface of said second skirt, said third skirt having an outside surface sized so as to just fit within said inside surface of said first skirt and including lock means on said outside surface of said third skirt which engage said lock means on said inside surface of said first skirt to frictionally maintain said third skirt within said first skirt;
at least one hollow member having at least one upstanding hollow boss located thereon and opening into the interior of said hollow member, said hollow boss of a size and a shape such that said first or said second skirts of said tubular element just fit within the inside diameter of said hollow boss with said lock means on said first or said second skirt frictionally engaging the interior of said hollow boss to frictionally maintain said element connected to said member.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A construction toy utilizes a plurality of tubular elements which are connectable to each other or are connectable to one or more hollow members. Each of the tubular elements has a first skirt on one end and a second skirt on its opposite end which are of the same size and are utilized to attach the elements to the hollow members. Further, attaching to one of the skirts on one of the ends is a smaller skirt which allows the smaller skirt to be attached to one of the skirts on a further of the tubular elements so as to connect two tubular elements together. The tubular elements have a plurality of convolutions which allow them to be expanded or contracted so as to lengthen or foreshorten the tubular elements as well as allowing the tubular elements to bend during the construction of structures with the components of the invention.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A toy which comprises:
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at least one one piece intergally formed tubular element and at least one hollow member; said tubular element formed of a plastic material and having first and second ends connected by an element body; said tubular element body including a plurality of connected corrugations, said corrugations formed by alternating first and second truncated conical walls joined together base to base about circumferentially extending convex hinges and apex to apex about circumferentially extending concave hinges, said first conical walls shorter than said second conical walls such that they are nestable within said second conical walls; said first end of said tubular element including an axially extending first skirt having an outside surface of a first fixed diameter and an inside surface of a second fixed smaller diameter and including locking means on both said first skirt outside surface and said inside surface; said second end of said tubular element including an axially extending second skirt, a shoulder and an axially extending third skirt, said second skirt interspaced between said tubular element body and said third skirt and said shoulder interspaced between said second skirt and said third skirt, said second skirt having an outside surface of a fixed diameter equal to the diameter of said outside surface of said first skirt and including lock means on said outside surface of said second skirt, said third skirt having an outside surface sized so as to just fit within said inside surface of said first skirt and including lock means on said outside surface of said third skirt which engage said lock means on said inside surface of said first skirt to frictionally maintain said third skirt within said first skirt; at least one hollow member having at least one upstanding hollow boss located thereon and opening into the interior of said hollow member, said hollow boss of a size and a shape such that said first or said second skirts of said tubular element just fit within the inside diameter of said hollow boss with said lock means on said first or said second skirt frictionally engaging the interior of said hollow boss to frictionally maintain said element connected to said member. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. The toy of claim 3 wherein:
said lock means includes at least one circumferentially extending protrusion convexly projecting from the outside surface of the respective first, second or third skirt. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Specification