System and set of intercleaving dichotomized polyhedral elements and extensions

• US 6,379,212 B1
• Filed: 03/11/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George R. Miller
• Original Assignee: George R. Miller
• Inventors: Miller, George R.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIMELL, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US09/266,010
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 446/85, 446/101, 446/124, 446/125, 446/126, 446/108, 446/487, 446/116
• US Class Current: 446/85
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/084 with grooves dovetails A63H33/082

Abstract

The invention is a system and set of intercleaving (interfitting and adhering/clinging) toy or real construction elements which may be implemented in either a physical or virtual reality. These construction elements may be used as structural elements, construction components, building blocks, modeling elements, or the like. Each of these discrete structural elements is comprised of a plurality of pyramids, or other polyhedral members, clustered around at least one central point in such a manner that the resulting cluster or clusters form a discrete structural element. The polyhedral members may be joined at least partially along coincident edges for maintaining the structural stability of the element. A portion of the joining coincident edges of the polyhedral members are slotted or not completely joined (“difurcated”) on the outer half of the joining edge to facilitate interfitting of a first element with a second element. Accordingly, each element of the invention has the ability to be intermitted with other complimentary elements in a mutually interfitting and adhering manner along the coincident edges of sets of diagonally adjacent polyhedral members which have been diflicated along an outermost portion of their coincident edges which radiate from their coincident central point. These generally polyhedral construction elements may also be projected/truncated into the form of spheres or other ellipsoidal construction elements while retaining their intercleavinig properties.

Claims

1. A set of at least two structural elements which may be intercleaved with each other for forming an assembly, said set comprising:

a first structural element having at least two diagonally adjacent first physical polyhedral members and at least two first spatial polyhedral members sharing coincident first edge lines for forming a first edge set;

a second structural element having at least two diagonally adjacent second physical polyhedral members and at least two second spatial polyhedral members sharing coincident second edge lines for forming a second edge set;

wherein said first physical polyhedral members are the same polyhedral shape as said second spatial polyhedral members and said second physical polyhedral members are the same shape as said first spatial polyhedral members, but said first physical polyhedral members are of a different polyhedral shape from said second physical polyhedral members; and

wherein at least one of said first edge set and said second edge set includes a cleft whereby said first structural element may be intercleaved to said second structural element by inserting said first physical polyhedral members into the voids formed by said second spatial polyhedral members.

2. The set of claim 1 wherein said first physical polyhedral members are pentahedral square-based pyramids, and wherein said second physical polyhedral members are tetrahedral pyramids.

3. The set of claim 1 wherein said first structural element is formed using six pentahedral pyramids as said first physical polyhedral members, and wherein said second structural element is formed using eight tetrahedral pyramids as said second physical polyhedral members.

4. The set of claim 1 wherein said first physical polyhedral members are arranged within a cuboctahedron space definition, and wherein said second physical polyhedral members are arranged in a complimentary manner within a cuboctahedron space definition.

5. The set of claim 1 wherein said cleft is formed along at least 50 percent of said first edge set and along at least 50 percent of said second edge set.

6. A set of complimentary elements which may be assembled with one-another for forming a structure, said set comprising:

a first element having a plurality of first polyhedron members arranged symmetrically about a central point whereby the edges of said first polyhedron members are aligned with the edges of diagonally adjacent first polyhedron members and connected thereto by a webbing, and wherein a first cleft is formed in a portion of said webbing;

a second element having a plurality of second polyhedron members arranged symmetrically about a central point whereby the edges of said second polyhedron members are aligned with the edges of diagonally adjacent second polyhedron members and connected thereto by a webbing, and wherein a second cleft is formed along a portion of said webbing;

whereby said first element has voids in the shape of said second polyhedron members, which accommodate portions of said second element, and said second element has voids in the shape of said first polyhedron members which accommodate portions of said first element when said first element is assembled to said second element by inserting the webbing of said first element into said second cleft of said second element and the webbing of the second element into said first cleft of the first element for assembling the first element to the second element.

7. The set of claim 6 wherein said first polyhedron members are pentahedral square-based pyramids, and wherein said second polyhedron members are tetrahedral pyramids.

8. The set of claim 6 further including a third element having a combination of said first polyhedron members on one half thereof and said second polyhedron members on the other half thereof for assembly to either of said first elements or said second elements.

9. The set of claim 6 wherein said first element is formed using six pentahedral pyramids as said first polyhedron members, and wherein said second element is formed using eight tetrahedral pyramids as said second polyhedron members.

10. The set of claim 6 wherein said first polyhedron members are arranged within a cuboctahedron space definition, and wherein said second polyhedron members are arranged in a complementary manner within a cuboctahedron space definition.

11. A set of structural elements capable of assembly by interfitting with each other, said set comprising:

at least one first element, said first element being composed of six equilateral square based pyramids having their apexes located at a single central point, and an having their edges aligned with the edges of diagonally adjacent said square-based pyramids, with clefts located along the outer portions of said aligned edges;

at least one second element, said second element being composed of eight equilateral tetrahedral pyramids having their apexes located at a single central point, and having their edges aligned with the edges of diagonally adjacent said tetrahedral pyramids, with clefts located along the outer portions of said aligned edges; and

whereby said clefts permit portions of said square based pyramids to be inserted into spaces between said tetrahedral pyramids, while portions of said tetrahedral pyramids may be simultaneously inserted into spaces between said square-based pyramids for intermitting said first element with said second element.

12. The set of claim 11 wherein said square-based pyramids of said first elements are arranged to correspond with the square surfaces of a cuboctahedral space definition, and wherein said tetrahedral pyramids of said second element are arranged to correspond with the triangular surfaces of a cuboctahedral space definition.

13. The set of claim 11 wherein a third element is included, said third element having one half that is comprised of three pentahedral square-based pyramids and an another half that is comprised of four tetrahedral pyramids arranged around a central point, whereby said third element can intercleave with either said first element or said second element.

14. The set of claim 11 wherein webbing is included along said aligned edges of said square-based pyramids and said aligned edges of said tetrahedral pyramids for maintaining the structural integrity of said first element and said second element, respectively.

15. A system for assembling a structure of multiple intercleaving elements, said system comprising:

providing a first element, said first element including a plurality of first polyhedral members, said first polyhedral members being clustered about at least one first central point in an edge-aligned fashion so that first voids are located on both sides of any two diagonally adjacent polyhedral members whereby the coincident aligned edges of said first polyhedral members create first edge sets, and further whereby a cleft is provided along a portion of at least one said first edge sets;

providing a second element including a plurality of second polyhedral members, said second polyhedral members being of a shape different from said first polyhedral members, said second polyhedral members being clustered about at least one second central point in an edge-aligned fashion whereby the coincident aligned edges of said second polyhedral members create second edge sets, and further whereby a cleft is provided along a portion of at least one said second edge sets, and second voids are located on either side of any two diagonally adjacent said second polyhedral members, whereby, said second element may be assembled to said first element by inserting portions of said first polyhedral members into said second voids, and said second polyhedral members into said first voids by sliding together along said first and second edge sets.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said first polyhedral members are pentahedral square-based pyramids, and wherein said second polyhedral members are tetrahedral pyramids.

17. The system of claim 15 further including providing a third element having a combination of said first polyhedral members on one half thereof and said second polyhedral members on the other half thereof for assembly to either of said first elements or said second elements.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said first element is formed having six square-based pentahedral pyramids as said first polyhedral members arranged in a spherically symmetrical pattern about said first central point, and wherein said second element is formed having eight tetrahedral pyramids as said second polyhedral members arranged in a spherically symmetrical pattern about said second central point.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said first polyhedral members are arranged within a cuboctahedron space definition, and wherein said second polyhedral members are arranged in a complementary manner within a cuboctahedron space definition.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein said first voids are the same shape as said second polyhedral members, and said second voids are the same shape as said first polyhedral members.