Brick assembly with automatically recognizing connecting relationships

• US 7,942,717 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ting-Shuo Chou
• Original Assignee: Ting-Shuo Chou
• Inventors: Chou, Ting-Shuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US12/335,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20100151738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 446 85-128, 446/484, 525/78, 345/420
• US Class Current: 446/91
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/10 Constructive solid geometry [CSG] using solid primitives, e.g. cylinders, cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2008 Assembling, disassembling

Abstract

A brick assembly with automatically recognizing connecting relationships includes a rod brick, a sleeve brick and a frame brick. The rod brick has an irregular polygon-shaped cross-section and an identification IC. The sleeve brick has the internal bore with the same shape with the cross-section of the rod brick to make the rod brick insert into the sleeve brick only in one direction. Also, the sleeve brick is used to connect the rod brick to the frame brick. The signals, caused by the resistor of the sleeve brick, of the identification IC of the frame brick are detected by a computer system to recognize automatically connecting relationships of these bricks.

Claims

1. A brick assembly, comprising:

a rod brick with an irregular polygon-shaped cross-section, having an identification IC (Integrated Circuit) and at least one contact connected to the identification IC (Integrated Circuit) and located on an outer surface of the rod brick;

a sleeve brick, having a circumferential wall defining an internal bore, the internal bore having the same shape with the cross-section of the rod brick to make the rod brick insert into the sleeve brick only in one direction, the sleeve brick comprising;

an inner contact, located on the internal bore for contacting the contact of the rod brick when the rod brick inserting into the sleeve brick;

an outer contact, located on the circumferential wall;

a circular rib, formed on the circumferential wall; and

at least one longitudinal protrusion, having a resistor thereon; and

a frame brick, having an identification IC (Integrated Circuit) and a plurality of through holes for placing the sleeve brick, each through hole including at least one contact accordance with the outer contact of the sleeve brick;

wherein when the rod brick inserts into the sleeve brick and the sleeve brick places in one of the through hole of the frame brick, the contact of the rod brick contacts to the inner contact of the sleeve brick and the contact of the frame brick contacts to the outer contact of the sleeve brick;

signals, caused by the resistor of the sleeve brick, of the identification IC (Integrated Circuit) of the frame brick are detected by a computer system to recognize connecting relationship of the rod brick, the sleeve brick and the frame brick.

2. The brick assembly of claim 1, wherein the cross-section shape of the rod brick is non-symmetrical.

3. The brick assembly of claim 2, wherein the shape is hexagon with one side longer than the other sides.

4. The brick assembly of claim 1, wherein the rod brick comprises a plurality of rod unit, each rod unit has a length equal to the sleeve brick.

5. The brick assembly of claim 4, wherein the rod unit has a contact with a length a little less than half of the length of the rod unit.

6. The brick assembly of claim 1, wherein the frame brick includes two opposite longitudinal concaves on each through hole to allow the sleeve brick placing in two directions.

7. The brick assembly of claim 1, wherein the circular rib of the sleeve brick is near one end.

8. The brick assembly of claim 7, wherein the frame brick includes a circular groove on each through hole to prevent the sleeve brick to misplace.

9. The brick assembly of claim 8, further comprises a rotatable sleeve brick having a circular rib accordance with the circular groove of the frame brick to allow the rod brick rotating when the rod brick inserts into the rotatable sleeve brick and the rotatable sleeve brick places in one of the through hole of the frame brick.

10. The brick assembly of claim 9, further comprises a couple sleeve brick, which combines the rotatable sleeve brick and the sleeve brick, to connect two frame bricks.

11. The brick assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve brick includes two longitudinal protrusions locate on two opposite side of the circumferential wall, each longitudinal protrusion has a resistor.

12. The brick assembly of claim 11, wherein the two resistors have different resistance values.

13. The brick assembly of claim 1, wherein the identification IC (Integrated Circuit) of the rod brick is connects to the identification IC (Integrated Circuit) of the frame brick.