Toy Block Construction Set Made from Elastomeric Material

Abstract

A set of toy construction blocks that are molded from a thermoplastic elastomer. This enables each of the blocks to elastically stretch in any direction by at least ten percent. Each toy construction block has a main body with a top surface and a bottom surface. One or more male connector protrusions extend from the top surface. One or more female connector receptacles extend into the bottom surface of the main body. At least one internal chamber is molded within the main body. The internal chamber is separate and distinct from the female connector receptacles. The internal chamber does extend into the male connector protrusions. Each internal chamber can be empty or can be filled with a fill material that does not inhibit the pliability of the main body. The fill material can be liquid, gel and lubricated particles and is preferably visible through the molded thermoplastic elastomer.

Claims

1. A toy construction block comprising: a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein said main body is molded from a thermoplastic elastomer material that enables said main body to elastically stretch; at least one male connector protrusion extending from said top surface; at least one female connector receptacle formed into said bottom surface of said main body; and at least one internal chamber formed into said main body, wherein said at least one internal chamber is separate and distinct from said at least one female connector receptacle.

2. The toy construction block according to claim 1, wherein said at least one internal chamber is sealed within said main body.

3. The toy construction block according to claim 1, wherein said at least one internal chamber extends into said at least one male connector protrusion.

4. The toy construction block according to claim 1, wherein said at least one internal chamber is filled with a fill material that is selected from a group comprising liquid, gel, and lubricated particles.

5. The toy construction block according to claim 1, wherein said at least one internal chamber is a single internal chamber formed within said main body, wherein said at least one male connector protrusion and said at least one female connector receptacle are disposed on opposite sides of said internal chamber.

6. The toy construction block according to claim 1, wherein said at least one female connector receptacle includes multiple female connector receptacles extending into said main body; and said at least one internal chamber includes multiple internal chambers interposed between said multiple female connector receptacles.

7. The toy construction block according to claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic elastomer forming said main box is mixed with a plasticizing oil.

8. The toy construction block according to claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomer forming said main box is translucent to enable said fill material to be viewed through said thermoplastic elastomer.

9. A toy construction block set, comprising: a plurality of interconnectable blocks molded from a thermoplastic elastomer material, wherein at least some of said plurality of interconnectable blocks contain at least one internal chamber that holds fill material, wherein said fill material is selected from a group comprising liquids, gels and lubricated particles.

10. The toy construction block set according to claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of interconnectable blocks has a main body with a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein at least one male connector protrusion extends from said top surface, and at least one female connector receptacle is formed into said bottom surface of said main body.

11. The toy construction block set according to claim 10, wherein said at least one internal chamber is separate and distinct from said at least one female connector receptacle.

12. The toy construction block set according to claim 10, wherein said at least one internal chamber extends into said at least one male connector protrusion.

13. The toy construction block set according to claim 10, wherein said at least one internal chamber is a single internal chamber formed within said main body, wherein said at least one male connector protrusion and said at least one female connector receptacle are disposed on opposite sides of said single internal chamber.

14. The toy construction block set according to claim 10, wherein said at least one female connector receptacle includes multiple female connector receptacles extending into said main body; and said at least one internal chamber includes multiple internal chambers interposed between said multiple female connector receptacles.

15. The toy construction block set according to claim 9, wherein said thermoplastic elastomer forming said main box is translucent to enable said fill material to be viewed through said thermoplastic elastomer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary set of toy construction blocks;

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of a first type of block from the set of toy construction blocks;

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a bottom perspective view of the block shown in FIG. 2;

[0013] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the block shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;

[0014] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of two blocks being joined in compression;

[0015] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of two blocks being separated in tension;

[0016] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a toy construction block filled with a fill material;

[0017] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a thin toy construction block; and

[0018] FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the thin toy construction block shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Although the present invention construction toy can be embodied in many ways, only a few exemplary embodiments are illustrated. The exemplary embodiments are being shown for the purposes of explanation and description. The exemplary embodiments are selected in order to set forth some of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely exemplary and should not be considered as limitations when interpreting the scope of the appended claims.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, a set 10 of toy construction blocks 12 are shown. The toy construction blocks 12 come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Each of the toy construction blocks 12 has a top surface 14 and a bottom surface 16. Male connector protrusions 18 extend vertically from the top surfaces 14 at evenly spaced positions. The male connector protrusions 18 are shaped and sized to be received into female connector receptacles, later shown, that are formed into the bottom surfaces of each toy construction block 12. The female connector receptacles are spaced and positioned to receive and retain the male connector projectiles 18. In this manner, the top surface 14 of any one toy construction block 12 can connect to the bottom surface 16 of any other toy construction block 12.

[0021] Each toy construction block 12 is made in whole, or in part, from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material 22. The TPE material 22 can be prepared by being mixed with a plasticizing oil, such as mineral oil, to make the TPE material 22 softer and more elastic if necessary. The selected TPE material 22, either virgin or mixed with a plasticizing oil, has the ability to elastically elongate in all directions by at least ten (10%) without damage. In this manner, the dimensions of each toy construction block 12 can increase by at least 10 percent if stretched. Likewise, the toy construction blocks 12 can be elastically twisted without damage.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG. 1, it can be seen that at least some of the toy construction blocks 12 have a main body 26 with a top surface 14, a bottom surface 16, and side walls 24. The top surface 14 contains male connector protrusions 18. The bottom surface 16 contains female connector receptacles 20 that are sized to receive the male connector protrusions 18 with an interference fit. The main body 26, the male connector protrusions 18, and the female connector receptacles 20 are all unistucturally molded from the prepared TPE material 22. Accordingly, each of these surfaces and features is elastic and has the ability to compress, stretch, and twist in an elastic manner. Since the male connector protrusions 18 are made from the TPE material 22, the male connector protrusions 18 are flexible. Furthermore, since the female connector receptacles 20 are made from the TPE material 22, the female connector receptacles 20 can widen when compressed. Accordingly, the flexible male connector protrusions 18 can be received by the pliable female connector receptacles 20 across a very broad range of tolerances provided an applied force abuts the male connector protrusions 18 against the female connector receptacles 20.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, it can be seen that the male connector protrusions 18 have a cylindrical shape. The female connector receptacles 20 are in the relief shape of the male connector protrusions 18. Furthermore, the female connector receptacles 20 are slightly undersized to create an interference fit between the male connector protrusions 18 and the female connector receptacles 20. Both the male connector protrusions 18 and the female connector receptacles 20 can be provided with a slight camber angle C1 that enables the male connector protrusions 18 to better pass into and out of the female connector receptacles 20. However, the connection between each male connector protrusion 18 and each female connector receptacle 20 can be quite strong. When a male connector protrusion 18 is pressed into a female connector receptacle 20, such as is shown in FIG. 5, it expands slightly due to the compressive forces being applied. This increases the interference fit between the male connector protrusion 18 and the female connector receptacle 20, therein making a strong interconnection. This strong interconnecting is maintained as the various toy construction blocks 12 are interconnected into a larger construct. However, when the male connector protrusion 18 is pulled away from the female connector receptacle 20, such as is shown in FIG. 6, the male connector protrusion 18 elongates. This thins the male connector protrusion 18 and eliminates the interference fit, therein enabling the toy construction blocks 12 to separate without damage. The results are connections between the toy construction blocks 12 that are easy to make and strong once made, yet easy to undo when desired.

[0024] The toy construction blocks 12 are molded from the TPE material 22. The toy construction blocks 12 can be molded solid. However, to reduce weight and the amount of material used, at least some of the larger toy construction blocks 12 in the set 10 can be made hollow. In the larger toy construction blocks 12, an internal chamber 30 can be molded into the main body 26. The internal chamber 30 is disposed within the toy construction block 12 between the top surface 14, the bottom surface 16, and the side walls 32. The presence of the internal chamber 30 makes the toy construction block 12 easier to compress, should the toy construction block 12 be stepped upon or manually manipulated. The internal chamber 30 can be filled with air or an inert gas. Other fill materials can also be used. The internal chamber 30 can also partially extend into the male connector protrusions 18. In this manner, the pliability of the male connector protrusions 18 is increased but the pneumatic pressure maintained within the internal chamber 30 prevents the male connector protrusions 18 from inverting when compressed.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 7, a filled toy construction block 40 is shown having the same molded construction as has been previously described. Thus, the filled toy construction block 40 has a main body 42 that is made from the same TPE material 22 that has been previously discussed. In the filled toy construction block 40, it can be seen that an internal chamber 44 is formed in the main body 42 that is filled with fill material 46. The fill material 46 can take the form of a liquid, a gel, and/or loose lubricated particles. In this manner, the filled toy construction block 40 can be filled but is still free to stretch and deform. The main body 42 of the filled toy construction block 40 is molded with enough wall integrity to retain its shape while holding the fill material 46. If the filled toy construction block 40 is compressed or twisted with enough force, the TPE material 22 can temporarily thin and bulge. As soon as the force is removed, the filled toy construction block 40 returns to its original shape. The TPE material 22 being used can be translucent so that the fill material 46 can be observed within the main body 42.

[0026] Some toy construction blocks are large enough to include an internal chamber. However, small or thin toy construction blocks can also be included in the construction block set. Referring to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a thin toy construction block 50 is shown. The thin toy construction block 50 has a top surface 52 with male connector protrusions 54 and a bottom surface 56 with female connector receptacles 58. The top surface 52 and the bottom surface 56 are part of a narrow main body 57. In the thin toy construction block 50, the space needed to provide female connector receptacles 58 leaves no extra space in the main body 57 for a single enclosed internal chamber. This is due to the fact that the female connector receptacles 58 extend from the bottom surface 56 to near the top surface 52. Although there is no room for internal spaces above the female connector receptacles 58, there is some room available between the female connector receptacles 58. To increase flexibility and to reduce both material and weight, reliefs 60 are formed into the main body 57 between the female connector receptacles 58. The reliefs 60 extend into the main body 57 from the bottom surface 56 and are open along the bottom surface 56.

[0027] It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention that are illustrated and described are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to those embodiments. For instance, the toy construction blocks can be altered in shape and size to meet the needs of a particular toy construction block set that is intended to build a specific construct. Furthermore, toy construction blocks of different described types, such as air filled, gel filled and recessed can be packaged together in sets. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.