Toy building system with function bricks

• US 7,708,615 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Original Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Inventors: Munch, Gaute
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kien T
• Application Number:
  US11/665,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20080220690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 446/85, 446/91, 446/117, 446/118, 446/119, 446124-128, 446/484
• US Class Current: 446/91
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/042 Mechanical, electrical, optical, pneumatic or hydraulic arrangements; Motors

Abstract

A toy building system with function bricks adapted to perform a function in response to a mechanical trigger action; sensor bricks with a sensor adapted to produce an output in response to a mechanical trigger action; and logic bricks with an input responsive to a sensor brick output and adapted to perform a logic function on the sensor brick output and to produce a logic output. The sensor brick output and the logic brick output are arranged in a first uniform manner relative to the coupling means, and the sensor output action and the logic output action are of uniform physical nature. The logic brick input and the function brick input are arranged in a second uniform manner relative to the coupling means. The function brick input is responsive to a logic brick output and adapted to perform the function in response to a logic brick output.

Claims

1. A Toy building system comprising building elements with coupling means for releasably interconnecting building elements, the building system comprising function building elements with said coupling means and each having a function device adapted to perform a preconfigured function and an energy source for providing energy to the function device for performing the function, said function building elements having a trigger responsive to an external mechanical trigger action to trigger the function device to perform the function, wherein the trigger in each function building elements is arranged in a uniform manner relative to the coupling means.

2. A toy building system according to claim 1 wherein the function is selected from the group comprising motion, generating an audible sound signal, generating an inaudible sound signal, generating an electrical signal, generating a visible light signal, generating an invisible light signal, generating a radio frequency signal.

3. A toy building system according to claim 1 further comprising a sensor building element with such coupling means and having a sensor responsive to an external physical event, the sensor building element being adapted, in response to the external physical event, to output, on a sensor building element output, a mechanical sensor building element output action.

4. A toy building system according to claim 3 comprising a plurality of sensor building elements responsive to different external physical events.

5. A toy building system according to claim 4 wherein the external physical events are selected from the group comprising mechanical forces, push, pull, rotation, human manipulation, touch, proximity of an object, electrical signals, radio frequency signals, optical signals, visible light signals, infrared signals, magnetic signals, temperature, humidity, radiation.

6. A toy building system according to any claim 3 wherein the sensor building element output is arranged in uniform manner relative to the coupling means and such that the sensor building element output is capable of activating a trigger of a function building element when the function building element is positioned in a predetermined operative relation to the sensor building element.

7. A toy building system according to claim 1 further comprising a logic building element with said coupling means and having a trigger responsive to an external mechanical trigger action, the logic building element being adapted to, in response to the external mechanical trigger action to perform a logic function on the external mechanical trigger action and to output, on a logic building element output, a logic building element output action that is a result of the logic function performed on the external mechanical trigger action,

wherein

the logic building element input and the function building element input are arranged in a first uniform manner relative to the coupling means, and

the function building element trigger is responsive to a logic building element output action and adapted to perform the preconfigured function in response to a logic building element output action.

8. A toy building system according to claim 7 comprising a plurality of logic building elements adapted to perform different logic functions.

9. A toy building system according to claim 8 wherein the logic functions are selected from the group comprising delay output relative to input, repeat input a predetermined number of times on output, output only if input meets certain criteria e.g. a certain sequence or pattern is received as input, output a predetermined sequence or pattern of output actions.

10. A toy building system according to claim 7, further comprising a sensor building element with said coupling means and having a sensor responsive to an external physical event, the sensor building element being adapted, in response to the external physical event, to output, on a sensor building element output, a mechanical sensor building element output action;

wherein the trigger of each of the function building element and the logic building element is responsive to the sensor building element output action;

wherein the sensor building element output and the logic building element output are arranged in a second uniform manner relative to the coupling means; and

wherein the sensor building element output action and the logic building element output action are of uniform mechanical nature.

11. A toy building system according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of function building elements whose function devices are adapted to perform different functions.

12. A toy building system according to claim 11 wherein the functions are selected from the group comprising motion, generating an audible sound signal, generating an inaudible sound signal, generating an electrical signal, generating a visible light signal, generating an invisible light signal, generating a radio frequency signal.

13. A toy building system according to claim 1 wherein the energy source is capable of storing mechanical energy.

14. A toy building system according to claim 1 wherein the energy source is capable of storing electrical energy.

15. A toy building system according to claim 1, wherein the triggers of all function building elements are responsive to a uniform mechanical activation.

16. A toy building system according to claim 1, wherein each of the function building elements has a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one side surface;

wherein said coupling means are placed on at least one of the top and the bottom surface; and

wherein the trigger is arranged on said side surface.

17. A toy building system according to claim 1 wherein the coupling means comprise protrusions and cavities adapted to receive protrusions in a frictional engagement.

18. A toy building system comprising building elements with coupling means for releasably interconnecting building elements, the building system further comprising logic building elements with said coupling means and each having a logic building element input responsive to a mechanical logic building element input action, each logic building element being adapted to, in response to the logic building element input action to perform a logic function on the logic building element input action and to output, on a logic building element output, a mechanical logic building element output action that is a result of the logic function performed on the logic building element input action,

wherein the logic building element output actions and the logic building element input actions are of uniform mechanical nature, and the logic building element inputs and the logic building element outputs are arranged in a uniform manner relative to the coupling means.