Construction system

• US 5,897,417 A
• Filed: 12/11/1996
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zoob Corporation (Poof-Slinky Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Primordial Performance LLC
• Inventors: Grey, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Muir, D Neal
• Application Number:
  US08/763,459
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 446/124, 446/125, 446/126, 446/120, 446/102, 446/104, 446/97, 446/375, 446/376, 446/378, 446/381, 446/383, 473/350, 473/598, 473/597, 473/600, 403/90, 403/DIG. 6, 403/122, 403/76, 403/340, 403/339, 403/364, 403/359, 403/56, 16/110 R, 464/139
• US Class Current: 446/125
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/062 with clip or snap mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/08 provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0604 Construction of the male part
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0623 Construction or details of the socket member
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/106 for ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/041 Allowing quick release of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/14 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06 ; adjustable mountings employing universal joints for lighting devices F21V21/26 - F21V21/30
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2078 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/40 by means of coilable or bendable legs or spiral shaped legs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32311 Ball and socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/655 Mirror images
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7016 Diametric end slot is joint component

Abstract

A construction system where elements have connection components for a ball-to-socket or socket-to-socket connection. The ball-to-socket connection "locks" at orientations when one or more detents in the interior of the socket protrude into one or more of a plurality of dimples on the ball. The construction elements generally have an elongated body with a dimpled ball at one end and a socket at the other end, or dimpled balls at both ends, or sockets at both ends. In addition to the ball-and-socket connection, elements may connect in a socket-to-body connection, or a number of different types of socket-to-socket connections. The socket has at least two petals with a lip contour such that in one type of socket-to-socket connection the pair of sockets interlock to form a sphere. The irregular shape of the lip of the socket allows a ball to be leveraged out of a socket, and make orientations over at least 2π steradians available in a ball-to-socket interconnection.

Claims

1. A construction system comprising:

a first construction element having a first attachment means and a second attachment means; and

a second construction element having a first attachment means and a second attachment means;

wherein

at least one of the first attachment means or the second attachment means of the first and second construction elements comprises a rigid, deflectable socket having at least two spaced apart petals, each of said petals having a lip portion along a perimeter of the petals such that a spheroid is formed when the lip portion of the sockets are firmly engaged coextensively, one socket with another.

2. The construction system of claim 1 wherein the other of the first or second attachment means is a second socket having at least two spaced apart petals configured to form a spheroid when the petals of the sockets are connected.

3. The construction system of claim 1 wherein the other of the first or second attachment means is a ball sized to fit within the socket.

4. The construction system of claim 3 wherein the first and second construction elements include a body portion positioned between the first and second attachment means.

5. The construction system of claim 4 wherein the construction elements further include a neck portion positioned between the body portion and the ball.

6. The construction system of claim 3 wherein the construction elements further include means for locking a position of the ball within the socket.

7. The construction system of claim 6 wherein the locking means comprises at least one detent in the socket which engages at least one dimple in a surface of the ball.

8. The construction system of claim 7 wherein there are a plurality of dimples arranged in a Bucky Ball pattern.

9. The construction system of claim 3 further including a third construction element having first attachment means and second attachment means wherein the first, second and third construction elements can be interconnected such that the third construction element can be articulated to any location within the volume of a sphere.

10. The construction system of claim 3 wherein the socket is configured to provide at least 2π

steradians of movement for a ball and socket connection between the first and second construction elements.

11. The construction system of claim 3 further including a third construction element having a first attachment means and a second attachment means wherein the first construction element and the second construction and the third construction element can be interconnected to form a closed loop.

12. The construction system of claim 2 wherein said sockets are configured to form a connection with said body portion.

13. A construction system comprising:

a first construction element having a body portion and at least one socket connector positioned on the body portion;

a second construction element having a body portion and at least one ball connector extending from said body portion by a smaller dimensioned portion;

said socket having at least two spaced apart resilient petals for receiving the ball and configured to provide at least 2π

steradians range of movement of the second construction element with respect to the first construction element; and

at least one integral detent positioned within the socket, and engagement means on the ball for receipt of the detent to resiliently engage a position of the ball within the socket.

14. The construction system of claim 13 wherein the petals have lips around a perimeter of the petals which are engageable with a neck positioned on the second construction element between the body portion and the ball connector.

15. The construction system of claim 13 wherein the engagement means comprises at least one dimple in a surface of the ball.

16. The construction system of claim 13 wherein the engagement means comprises at least one protrusion from the surface of the ball, the detent having means for receiving the protrusion.

17. The construction system of claim 16 wherein there are a plurality of protrusions on the surface of the ball and the detent includes means for limiting rotation of the ball within the socket.

18. The construction system of claim 13 wherein said second construction element further includes a socket connector having two spaced apart petals configured to form a spheroid when the petals of the first and second construction elements are interconnected.

19. The construction system of claim 13 further including a third construction element having a first attachment means and a second attachment means wherein the first construction element and the second construction and the third construction element can be interconnected to form a closed loop.

20. The construction system of claim 13 further including a third construction element having first attachment means and a second attachment means wherein the first, second and third construction elements can be interconnected such that the third construction element can be articulated to any location within the volume of a sphere.

21. A connection comprising:

a rigid deflectable first jaw covering 2π

steradians of a sphere, said first jaw having at least two petals each having an outer perimeter; and

a rigid deflectable second jaw, covering 2π

steradians of a sphere, said second jaw having at least two petals each having an outer perimeter;

wherein

the outer perimeter of the petals of the first jaw engage with the outer perimeter of the petals of the second jaw to rigidly connect the jaws together.

22. A construction system comprising:

a plurality of construction elements including first and second construction elements, each construction element having a body portion and a coupling portion extending therefrom configured to interconnect with another construction element within the system;

wherein the coupling portion of the first construction element includes a generally ball shaped structure which has an array of surface features defined thereon, and the coupling portion of the second construction element includes a generally socket shaped structure configured to receive the ball shaped structure, said socket shaped structure having at least two spaced apart flexible petals and at least one detent to engage said surface features of the ball shaped structure to permit relative rotation of the ball shaped structure in the socket shaped structure along the axis defined by the detent or detents and the ball center when the ball shaped structure is received in the socket shaped structure.

24. A construction system as claim 22 above wherein the detent of the socket shaped structure and the surface features of the ball shaped structure are configured to mate in a snap fit manner as the ball shaped structure is rotated in the socket shaped structure, thereby releasably interlocking the first and second coupling portions of two construction elements.

23. A construction system comprising:

a plurality of construction elements each having a body portion and first and second coupling portions configured to interconnect with another construction element within the system;

wherein the first coupling portion of each construction element include a generally ball shaped structure which has a predefined array of surface features, and the second coupling portion of each second construction element include a generally socket shaped structure configured to receive said ball shaped structure of the first coupling portion, said socket shaped structure having at least two spaced apart flexible petals and at least one integral detent for releasably interlocking the second coupling portion of one construction element with said surface features of the ball shaped structure of another construction element when the ball shaped structure is received in the socket shaped structure, thereby to resist a change in orientation of the ball shaped structure in the socket shaped structure yet permits relative rotation of the ball shaped structure in the socket shaped structure along the axis defined by the detent or detents and an engaged ball shaped structure center.

25. A construction system as claim 23 above wherein the detent of the socket shaped structure and the surface features of the ball shaped structure are configured to mate in a snap fit manner as the ball shaped structure is rotated in the socket shaped structure, thereby releasably interlocking the first and second coupling portions of two construction elements.

26. A construction system as claim 25 above wherein the surface features of the ball shaped structure are configured to define interlocking locations for mating with the detent such that the ball shaped structure may be rotatably indexed from one interlocking location to another by application of an external force.

27. A construction system as claim 26 wherein the detent and the surface features are configured to be unitary to the socket shaped and ball shaped structures, respectively, with no moving parts.