Building element for a toy building set

• US 6,645,033 B1
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Original Assignee: Interlego, AG (Kirkbi A/S)
• Inventors: Thomsen, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Francis, Faye
• Application Number:
  US09/889,384
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 446/85, 446/117, 446/120, 446/121, 446/125, 446/126, 446/127, 446/128, 446/124
• US Class Current: 446/120
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/086 with primary projections fitting by friction in complementary spaces between secondary projections, e.g. sidewalls

Abstract

A building element for a toy building set comprising a plurality of such building elements, said building elements comprising a box-shaped body part having a surface with a top side and an underside, and a plurality of side faces extending downwards from the underside of the surface, a plurality of coupling flanges being arranged between the side faces, said coupling flanges extending downwards from the surface at a distance which is smaller than the distance at which the side faces extend from the surface, a plurality of coupling studs being arranged on the top side of the surface, each of said coupling studs having a top face positioned at a height above the top side of the surface which is greater than the difference between the distance at which the coupling flanges and the side faces extend from the surface, said coupling studs, coupling flanges and side faces being shaped such that the coupling studs of a building element engage, face-to-face, both the coupling flanges and the side faces of another building element after interconnection of these, a plurality of engagement means being arranged between the coupling flanges and the side faces, said engagement means being shaped and positioned in such a manner that they form an engagement face which engages the top face of the coupling studs upon interconnection of two building elements.

Claims

1. A building element for a toy building set comprising a plurality of such building elements, said building elements comprising:

a box-shaped body part having a surface with a top side and an underside,

a plurality of side faces extending downwardly from the underside of the surface,

a plurality of coupling flanges arranged between the side faces, said coupling flanges extending downwardly from the surface at a distance which is smaller than the distance at which the side faces extend from the surface,

a plurality of coupling studs arranged on the top side of the surface, each of said coupling studs having a top face positioned at a height above the top side of the surface which is greater than the difference between the distance at which the coupling flanges and the side faces extend from the surface,

said coupling studs, said coupling flanges and said side faces being shaped such that the coupling studs of a building element engage, face-to-face, both the coupling flanges and the side faces of another building element after interconnection of the same,

wherein a plurality of engagement means is arranged between the coupling flanges and the side faces, said engagement means being shaped and positioned in such a manner that said, engagement means form an engagement face which engages the top face of the coupling studs upon interconnection of two building elements.

2. A building element according to claim 1, further comprising at least four coupling studs positioned in a square pattern.

3. A building element according to claim 1 wherein the top face of the coupling studs is substantially planar and parallel with the surface of the building element.

4. A building element according to claim 1 wherein the coupling flanges are shaped as tubes positioned such that said coupling flanges engage four adjacent coupling studs on an adjacent substantially similar building element.

5. A building element according to claim 1 wherein the engagement means comprise a plurality of engagement flanges which extend from the underside of the surface and downwardly at a distance which corresponds to the difference between the distance of the side faces from the surface and the height of the coupling studs.

6. A building element according to claim 5, wherein the engagement flanges are directly connected with the coupling flanges and extend at an angle out from the coupling flanges.

7. A building element according to claim 1 wherein the engagement faces are positioned on the coupling flanges where the coupling studs of a first building element touch the coupling flanges of a second building element, adjacent to and substantially similar to said first building element upon interconnection of the first and second building elements.

8. A building element according to claim 7, wherein the coupling tubes are shaped substantially cylindrical tubes.