Triangle based interconnecting block set

• US 4,964,834 A
• Filed: 02/05/1987
• Issued: 10/23/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rolf Myller
• Original Assignee: Rolf Myller
• Inventors: Myller, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/011,027
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 446/115, 446/116, 446/117, 446/120, 446/124, 446/125, 446/128, 446/112, 446/126, 446/118, 52/574, 52/575, 52/594, 434/195, 434/196, 434/205, D21/108
• US Class Current: 446/118
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/086 with primary projections fitting by friction in complementary spaces between secondary projections, e.g. sidewalls

Abstract

In a set of interconnecting blocks, each provided with a male top side designed to interconnect with a female bottom side, the blocks are shaped in the form of equilateral triangles or combinations of equilateral triangles such as parallelograms, trapezoids, and hexagons. Studs are provided on the male sides of the blocks which mate with triangular openings on the female sides of the blocks and when the blocks are interconnected, they are frictionally held together. The set includes a transitional module to interconnect with square based blocks of the prior art.

Claims

1. A block set comprising a plurality of blocks each having a top side, a bottom side and a side surface extending between said top and bottom side, at least one projecting means extending from the top side of each of said blocks and receiving means on the bottom side of each of said blocks to receive a projecting means extending from the top side of another one of said blocks to interconnect and hold together a pair of said blocks in predetermined alignments, a subset of blocks each having the shape of a geometric figure consisting of a plurality of contiguous, congruent, equilateral triangles when viewed in a sectional plane perpendicular to said side surface, said projecting means and said receiving means being arranged so that the blocks of said subset can be interconnected with only one of the contiguous equilateral triangles in each block of an interconnected pair of blocks, overlapping and held in fixed alignment by said projecting means and said receiving means.

2. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, wherein a second subset of said blocks each have the shape of an equilateral triangle when viewed in a sectional plane perpendicular to the side surface of such block, the equilateral triangles of said second subset being congruent to the equilateral triangles of said first subset.

3. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, wherein some of said blocks of said subset each have the shape of a parallelograph when viewed in said sectional plane.

4. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the blocks of said subset has at least two projecting means on the top side thereof, each projecting means being on axes extending between said top and bottom sides and located in a different one of said contiguous triangles, and wherein the bottom side of each of the blocks of said subset has a first means to receive a projecting means on a second block of said plurality to interconnect and hold together with said second block and a second means to receive a projecting means on a third block of said plurality to interconnected and hold together with said third block in a different location than said first means holds together with said second block.

5. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, wherein some of the blocks of said plurality have a curved side surface section extending between said top and bottom sides.

6. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, wherein said projecting means consists of three studs positioned equally distant from one another.

7. A set of blocks as recited in claim 6, wherein said means to receive a projecting means on the bottom side of the block comprises means defining three triangular cavities to severally receive the three studs of the set of studs.

8. A set of blocks as recited in claim 7, wherein said side surface comprises the exterior surface of the sidewalls of the block and wherein said triangular cavities are defined by the inside surfaces of said sidewalls and by cross walls within said block.

9. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, wherein some of said blocks of said subset have the shape of a trapezoid when viewed in said sectional plane.

10. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, further comprising a base block having projecting means on the top surface thereof to be interconnectable with the blocks of said plurality and visible scorelines on the top side thereof to guide the orientation of other blocks when being interconnected with the top side of said base block having said scorelines.

11. A set of blocks as recited in claim 1, further comprising a base block having projecting means on the top surface thereof to be interconnectable with the blocks of said plurality and a plurality of visible scorelines on the top surface thereof distributed at angles of 60 degrees and serving to guide the interconnection of other blocks with the top surface of said base block.

12. A block set comprising a first set of blocks interconnected in either of two angular orientations displaced 90 degrees from each other, a second set of blocks interconnectable in any of three angular orientations displaced 60 degrees from each other, the blocks of said first set not being directly interconnectable with the blocks of said second set, a transition module block having a male side comprising a set of studs and a female side comprising a shaped aperture, the set of studs being shaped and arranged to interconnect with the blocks of one of said first and second sets and said shaped aperture being shaped and arranged to interconnect with the blocks of the other one of said first and second sets.