FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present device relates to a toy-building block system. More particularly, the device and method herein relate to a toy building block configured with convex and concave ends of adjacent toy building blocks, which so engaged, results in a pivoting block engagement which yields rotation and a substantially gapless sidewall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toy bricks for building structures have been enjoyed by children and adults alike. Brick systems such as those by LEGO provide brick pieces in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, which are adapted on two or more side surfaces, to removably engage with corresponding mating surfaces of adjacent brick pieces. Using such removably engageable brick systems, users build many differing types of structures which are limited in type and scope only by the imagination of the builder.

Conventionally, such brick pieces are configured primarily for the formation in substantially linear configurations. That is to say such conventional engageable toy brick systems use linear brick-like components which have sequentially aligned mating connectors and receptors. So configured, such are best adapted to form structures in a linear configuration such as walls and the like. Such conventional self-engaging toy brick systems are also not configured for the formation of elongated and unsupported spans.

The device and system herein, provides a toy brick configuration and engagement system which may be configured in a linear fashion, or may be formed to a pivoting or rotating engagement between the ends of two adjacent complimentary configured toy brick pieces. Thus, conventional linear walls and the like can be formed as well as curved structures. This curving configuration ability is provided by an engageable post at a first end of the toy bricks, which is adapted to rotationally engage with a complimentary socket positioned on one end of an adjacent toy brick. Through the engagement of the post and socket provided, a secure engagement of the ends is achieved which allows for linear or any number of angled positions of the two engaged pieces relative to each other.

This post and socket rotating engagement, thus, provides a secure connection between brick ends in the system herein which prevents lateral translation of the two engaged brick pieces. However, so engaged, the two pieces can be rotated from a linear orientation to form angled configurations. This angled configuration allows for curved walls and structures.

Still further, through the configuration of the mating faces of both the post end of one brick and the socket end of the adjoining brick, gaps between the two, when in an angled engagement, are eliminated by the positioning of a curved wall surface in the area of connection between the pivoting post and socket connection.

The forgoing examples of engageable toy bricks for structure building, and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various other limitations of the related art are known or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The toy brick device and system herein disclosed and described provides a solution to the shortcomings in prior art and achieves the above noted objects through the provision of a toy brick system configured for either a linear engaged configuration or a pivoting engagement allowing for an angled orientation between adjoining toy bricks in the system.

Employing the disclosed toy brick configurations herein, the system allows a plurality of the toy bricks to be removably engaged in a rotational engagement with adjacent toy bricks. The pivoting or rotational engagements are provided at respective opposing ends of each of the respective toy bricks whereby substantially gapless angled wall configurations can be formed.

In all modes of the system, the upper surfaces of the toy bricks are configured with a plurality of spaced projections extending from an upper surface which are adapted to frictionally engage with recesses formed into or depending into the bottom surface of the respective toy bricks. Adjacent toy bricks may be connected in a rotational engagement by positioning the posts on a first brick in a removable engagement with apertures of the adjoining brick at an engagement angle.

Once rotated from the engagement angle, the two rotationally engaged bricks form a locked rotational engagement and will not separate until repositioned to the engagement angle. The engagement angle can vary by changing the positioning of slots providing engagements of the projections on the post of one toy brick to a side positioning rather than end positioning.

Additionally preferred in all modes of the bricks in order to maintain a static positioning of angled engagements, is a frictional or tensional contact of the two bricks joined in the rotational engagement. This is accomplished by forming the bricks to have a flange endwall or sidewall extending from a first flange of one brick to contact and frictionally engage against a recess sidewall surrounding and defining a recess which surrounds the engageable post. When the rotationally engaged bricks are rotated, this contact of the flange endwall against the recess sidewall places tension on both and upon the post in its engagement with slots.

Straight brick length, as defined by length of the front face, is determined by multiplying the distance between adjacent projection center lines ( 5/16″) by the number of projections+1 in a row. As compared to LEGO bricks of the same length, the bricks herein have 1 fewer projection or peg per row, due to reduced length and space available at the socket end of the brick.

All brick lengths are an integer number of projection spacings times a fixed number. This length is also the distance between the vertical centerline through the socket end and the post centerline as adjusted for the pre-load offset. These lengths are consistent for most variations of bricks including curved bricks. The number of projection receptors or recesses on the bottom of the bricks is substantially equal to the number of projections on the top. This allows different styled bricks herein to be stacked together.

Curved bricks with sloping exterior surfaces stack to form cones with outwardly projecting and sloping outside surfaces or walls which extend from a first side edge of the top surface to a first side edge of the bottom of the brick (small end up) or inverted cones where the outside surface slopes away from the first side edge of the bottom toward the first side edge of the top which is wider than the bottom of the brick (small end down). The cone angle is fixed based on the height of the brick and the horizontal offset between two stacked layers of bricks. The offset is a fixed number for all layers and a slightly different fixed number for hexagons, octagons, or other polygons. The horizontal offset for a cone is created by adding length with an additional receptor ( 5/16″) to the bottom of the cone. The horizontal offset for an inverted cone is created by adding a projection or peg ( 5/16″) to the top of the inverted cone.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed pivoting toy brick engagement system invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The toy brick invention herein described and shown is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other rotationally or pivotally engaged toy brick devices and for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

As used in the claims to describe the various inventive aspects and embodiments, “comprising” means including, but not limited to, whatever follows the word “comprising”. Thus, use of the term “comprising” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present. By “consisting of” is meant including, and limited to, whatever follows the phrase “consisting of”. Thus, the phrase “consisting of” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, and that no other elements may be present. By “consisting essentially of” is meant including any elements listed after the phrase, and limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified in the disclosure for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase “consisting essentially of” indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they affect the activity or action of the listed elements. Finally, by the term “substantially” is meant plus or minus five percent, unless respectively otherwise defined.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a secure pivoting engagement between two adjacent toy brick pieces employed in structure building.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide such a pivoting engagement which forms a curved or angled engagement with a minimal or no gap positioned the exterior wall between the ends of the two engaged toy bricks.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present toy brick system with rotating brick engagements, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements described in this specification and hereinafter described in the following detailed description which fully discloses the invention, but should not be considered as placing limitations thereon.

