Modular frame structure and building system

• US 4,603,853 A
• Filed: 08/26/1983
• Issued: 08/05/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edward W. Satterthwaite
• Original Assignee: Edward W. Satterthwaite
• Inventors: Satterthwaite, Edward W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CROW, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US06/526,643
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 272/113, 446/123, 446/487, 52/236.1, 52/DIG. 10, 52/245, 52/81, 403/361, 403/388, D21/108, D21/245, D25/4, D25/13, 135/100
• US Class Current: 482/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 9/00 Climbing poles, frames, or stages climbing walls for mountaineering training A63B69/0048; endless loop ladders A63B22/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 52/10 Polyhedron

Abstract

A system of interconnectable modular frame components for construction toys, playground climbing equipment and the like is based upon tubular triangular leg elements joined at about fifty-four degrees, forty-four minutes and seventy degrees, thirty-two minutes, being thereby modularly stackable at specific useful orientations. Complete triangular wall elements are joined with other complete triangular wall elements, forming tetrahedral modules which are then combined with other such modules by transverse attachment of the tubular legs of each said module, the tubular legs being coextensive structural elements in structures built from attached modules.

Claims

1. A system of interconnectable building modules, each module comprising:

a triangular wall element having a base leg and two standing legs, the legs each defining a longitudinal axis, and the wall element defining a plane, the base leg and the standing legs being elongated members joinable at their ends to one another in an isosceles triangle having an angle of about fifty-five degrees between the longitudinal axis of said base leg and the longitudinal axes of each said standing leg and having an angle of about seventy degrees between the longitudinal axes of said two standing legs, the standing legs each having a connection hole oriented perpendicular to the respective longitudinal axes of the standing legs and oriented at 60 degrees to a plane defined by said isosceles triangle, and the base leg having a connection hole oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said base leg and oriented at forty-five degrees to said plane of said triangle, four said triangular wall elements forming a substantially tetrahedral building module when connected using coextensive connection holes, the four triangular wall elements being connected in a tetrahedron, said four wall elements defining a base plane, two sloping planes and a fourth plane perpendicular to said base plane, said elements, attached to one another along coextensive base legs, said base legs and said standing legs each further having at least one facewise-connecting hole oriented perpendicular to the respective longitudinal axis of said legs and perpendicular to the plane of said triangular element, whereby the triangular element is connectable in register directly to an additional triangular element placed thereupon, and whereby the tetrahedral building module can be attached to other tetrahedral building modules to form structures.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a section of reduced cross-section protrudes from each leg at a first end thereof, and a complementary opening is formed in said leg at the opposite end thereof, said first end and said opposite end of each of the base leg and the standing legs being angularly displaced from the longitudinal axis of the leg to align the section of reduced cross-section of the leg and the opening of a contiguous leg, the base leg and the standing legs being connectable to one another by insertion of said sections of reduced cross-section into said openings.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the section of reduced cross-section is swaged.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the section of reduced cross-section is a separable dowel affixed in said first end.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising indentations formed in each of said base leg and said standing legs, each indentation having an inwardly-directed "U" section formed at an intermediate area of said base leg and said standing legs of the triangular elements, and each indentation being directed toward an opposite leg of said triangular wall element, the connection holes being located outside the indentations and the facewise-connecting holes being located on the indentations.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of said indentations comprises a central segment substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of a leg in which the indentation is formed and the central segment is attached to said leg by portions of the indentation attached to the central segment and aligned parallel to a contiguous one of the legs of the triangular wall elements, whereby a user climbing the module can step from the contiguous one of the legs to the portion of the indentation attached to the central segment, the contiguous one and the portion being parallel.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising at least one flat panel dimensioned to fit over the triangular wall element and bridge at least two of said legs, the panel being affixed at said facewise-connecting holes.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said panel is adapted to at least substantially close said triangular wall element.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the panel is shaped to provide edges parallel to parts of the legs of the triangular wall elements.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said base leg and standing legs are formed of metal tubes.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the legs are solid plastic.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said base leg and standing legs have parts bent toward one another at opposite ends thereof, the parts being connected end-to-end, and a first end and opposite end of each of said legs being aligned parallel to at least one other of said base legs and standing legs, forming a truncated tetrahedral module.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said building module is also attachable to other identical building modules at truncated ends of the base leg and standing legs.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising connection pins adapted to mate with said connection holes.