Pixel blocks

• US 7,833,077 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Felix J. Simmons Jr
• Original Assignee: Felix J. Simmons Jr
• Inventors: Simmons, Felix J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Legesse; Nini
• Application Number:
  US12/082,660
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 446/85, 446/87, 446/117, 446/120, 446/121, 446/122, 446/124, 446/125, 446/127, 446/128, 446/96, 273/135.R, 273/156, 273/157.R
• US Class Current: 446/85
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/08 provided with complementary holes, grooves, or protuberances, e.g. dovetails

Abstract

Interlocking plastic blocks, trademarked as PIXELBLOCKS, are configured to serve as basic pixels, i.e. picture elements, in the creation of a variety of two- and three-dimensional graphic artifacts. The pixel blocks can be made in various equilateral polygonal cross-sectional shapes of designated length, typically embodied in an equilateral cube shape. All side facets in the outline of cross-sectional shape, e.g. four facets of the cube, are made identical, each facet configured with a tongue alongside a groove in a symmetrical complementary configuration such that adjacent blocks can be interlocked together to form one- and two-dimensional arrays; thus pixel blocks of uniform depth front-to-back can form two-dimensional artifacts. A 3D embodiment includes posts and post holes for Z axis attachment to form multi-layer three-dimensional artifacts. By utilizing the blocks in a variety of visual properties such as color and light transmission, quantities of pixel blocks may be interlocked together to form pictures, graphics patterns, beams and other artifacts, optionally enhanced by electric lighting effects for which the pixel blocks may be specially configured.

Claims

1. A plurality of interlocking pixel blocks, directed to serving as pixels, i.e picture elements, in graphics displays, each pixel block comprising:

a first flat surface extending over a least a major portion of a region bounded by a generally polygonal outline in a first XY plane;

a second flat surface extending over at least a major portion of a region bounded by a like polygonal outline in a second XY plane parallel to the first XY plane and separated therefrom by a designated Z axis thickness dimension;

a plurality of edge facets corresponding to facets of the polygonal outline, each extending between a corner formed with said first flat surface and a corner formed with said second flat surface;

at least a first and a second of said edge facets being configured with at least one tongue-and-groove pair consisting of a protruding tongue configured in a first region of each edge facet and a similar shape groove configured in a second region of each edge facet, the tongue and groove being shaped to fit and interlock with a mating groove and tongue respectively of an adjacent one of said pixel blocks, such that said pixel blocks may be assembled together in an interlocking manner at the edge facets to form a panel in a two-dimensional interlocked array of said pixel blocks; and

at least one stability bar configured in each of said pixel blocks, located within a cross-sectional outline of the tongue-and-groove pair thereof, said stability bar extending from the first plane to the second plane, made and arranged to stiffen and stabilize a panel assembled from a plurality of said interlocking pixel blocks.

2. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of edge facets in each pixel block comprise four substantially identical edge facets, the polygonal outline of the pixel block thus made to have a square outline shape, the edge facets having equal X-axis and y-axis dimensions.

3. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 2 wherein said pixel blocks are made generally cubic in shape, of which the block thickness dimension in the Z axis being made substantially equal to the X-axis and y-axis dimensions and wherein each facet is configured with one tongue and one groove.

4. The plurality of pixel blocks as defined in claim 2, wherein each said pixel block comprises four said stability bars, each located on an outward-facing surface of a corresponding one of the four tongues.

5. The plurality of pixel blocks as defined in claim 2, wherein each said pixel block comprises four said stability bars, each located on an outward-facing surface of a corresponding one of the four grooves.

6. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1 comprising a plurality of said pixel blocks selected to have various individual visual attributes selected from a group of attributes including color, surface texture, light transmission and transparency, interlocked into a two-dimensional array constituting a graphics artifact in which each pixel block serves as a picture element.

7. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the edge facets of the polygon is made to have a cross-sectional shape comprising;

a first flat portion extending from a corner of the polygon to a first neck end boundary of the tongue outline;

a second flat portion extending in a central region from a second and opposite neck end boundary of the tongue outline to a first neck end boundary of the groove; and

a third flat portion extending from a second and opposite neck end boundary of the groove to a corner of the polygon adjacent the first corner thereof;

all three said flat portions being located in a common plane defining a facet of the polygon.

8. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1 wherein said pixel blocks are assembled together in the two-dimensional interlocked array of said pixel blocks supported in a frame surrounding the array, the frame having a planar backing member and each of said pixel blocks having a surface region interfacing the backing member.

9. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 8 wherein said two-dimensional array of said pixel blocks is assembled in a frame surrounding the array, the frame having a planar backing member and each of said blocks having a surface abutting the backing member.

10. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1 wherein said first and second flat surfaces are made flat over a total area bounded by the polygonal outline.

11. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1, in an embodiment wherein each pixel block further comprises:

a cylindrical post located concentrically within the polygonal outline, surrounded by said first flat surface and extending therefrom to a designated post length dimension smaller than the Z-axis dimension; and

a cylindrical post hole opening located concentrically in the pixel block within the polygonal outline, having an open end surrounded by said second flat surface and extending inwardly, said opening being dimensioned and arranged to accept insertion of a cylindrical post of an adjacent pixel block in a frictional fit, thus enabling layers to be joined together for purposes of assembling multi-layered panels and other three-dimensional objects.

12. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 11, each further comprising:

a cylindrical opening extending from said cylindrical post hole opening extending into a major region of said cylindrical post, serving to provide space for inserting an electric lamp.

13. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 12 wherein said two-dimensional array of said pixel blocks, including at least a predominant proportion of translucent pixel blocks of various selected colors, is sandwiched between two transparent panels retained by a surrounding frame, so as to provide a stained-glass window effect.

14. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said edge facets is configured with three separate flat regions disposed inline in a common plane corresponding to a typical edge facet of the polygonal outline:

a first flat region extending from a polygon corner to a first end of a tongue outline;

a second flat region located centrally in the typical facet extending from a second end of the tongue outline to a first end of groove outline; and

a third flat region extending from a second end of the groove outline to a next polygon corner.

15. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1, wherein said pixel blocks are injection-molded from plastic material, each pixel block further comprising:

a circular protruding nub, originating as a residue from injection molding of the pixel block, located on a surface interfacing an adjacent pixel block and utilized to enhance mutual retention of the pixel blocks and thus stabilize assemblies thereof by providing a frictional engagement effect at interfacing surfaces of said pixel blocks.

16. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some surfaces of at least some of said pixel blocks are made to have a surface texture of mirror-quality finish so as to reflect light and thus enable said pixel blocks to respond to illumination with a distinctive optical effect of bright appearance.

17. The pixel blocks as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said pixel blocks is configured with a generally cylindrical opening in a surface thereof to serve at least one of the following two functions:

(1) engagement of an insertion tool tip for assembly of said pixel blocks and (2) engagement with an optic fiber end for lighting effects.

18. A plurality of pixel blocks, all having a substantially identical cross-sectional shape in an X-Y plane, the shape being substantially square with four substantially identical edge facets, each configured with a protrusion and a cavity disposed adjacent to each other, located symmetrically about a central point of the facet, the protrusion and the cavity being made mirror-image complementary to each other in shape, each having a narrower portion, based along a portion of the facet, leading to a wider portion, thus forming a tongue and a groove of a tongue-and-groove pair such that said pixel blocks are enabled to interlock together on all edge facets to form a two-dimensional array in which each pixel block serves as a basic structural, optical and graphic element of an artifact thus formed, said pixel blocks being made to have a designated length along a Z-axis perpendicular to the X-Y plane and being made substantially uniform in cross-sectional shape throughout the length so as to enable said pixel blocks to be assembled into three-dimensional artifacts by sliding displacement along the Z-axis, each said pixel block being configured with at least one stability bar located in an edge facet region encompassed by the associated tongue-and-groove pair, said stability bar, extending along the Z axis to the designated length, being made and arranged to stiffen and stabilize a panel assembled from a plurality of said interlocking pixel blocks.

19. The plurality of pixel blocks as defined in claim 18, wherein each said pixel block comprises four said stability bars, each located on an outward-facing surface of a corresponding one of the four tongues.

20. The plurality of pixel blocks as defined in claim 18, wherein each said pixel block comprises four said stability bars, each located on an outward-facing surface of a corresponding one of the four grooves.