Mosaic plug-in toy

Claim 1

A MOSAIC PLUG-IN TOY COMPRISING GRID-SHAPED BASE PLATES, EACH BASE PLATE BEING FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF GRID BARS INTERSECTING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER SO AS TO DEFINE RECTANGULAR GRID OPENINGS THEREBETWEEN, SAID BASE PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF STUDS OF SPECIFIC LENGTH INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING FROM SAID GRID BARS AT ONE SIDE OF SAID BASE PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO A PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID GRID BARS; AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT JUNCTION PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PERFORATIONS AND A THICKNESS LESS THAN THE SPECIFIC LENGTH OF SAID STUDS, THE STUDS OF A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT BASE PLATES BEING INSERTABLE IN THE PERFORATIONS OF SAID JUNCTION PLATE SO THAT SAID STUDS PROTRUDE THROUGH SAID PERFORATIONS AND SAID JUNCTION PLATE BEING ADAPTED TO OVERLAP SAID ADJACENT BASE PLATES AND TO BE FRICTIONALLY SECURED BY SAID STUDS, SAID STUDS BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID BASE PLATE ON A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SURFACE SO THAT SAID JUNCTION PLATE AND SAID GRID BARS ARE SPACED FROM THE SUPPORTING SURFACE WHEREBY THE FINGERTIPS OF A USER ARE INSERTABLE IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SUPPORTING SURFACE ON THE ONE HAND AND SAID JUNCTION PLATE AND SAID GRID BARS ON THE OTHER HAND FOR RAISING SAID JUNCTION PLATE AND BASE PLATE FROM THE SUPPORTING SURFACE; AND A MULTIPLICITY OF MOSAIC ELEMENT PLATES HAVING A REAR SIDE AND PLUG MEANS EXTENDING ONLY FROM SAID REAR SIDE THEREOF AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES THERETO, SAID PLUG MEANS DEFINING A MULTICORNERED FIGURE IN CROSS SECTION HAVING EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS CORRESPONDING TO THOSE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE RECTANGULAR GRID OPENINGS OF SAID BASE PLATE AND BEING INSERTABLE IN SAID RECTANGULAR GRID OPENINGS SO THAT IT IS FRICTIONALLY ENGAGED AND POSITIVELY HELD THEREIN AGAINST ROTATION, SAID ELEMENT PLATES HAVING SPACER MEANS AND AT LEAST ONE LATERAL SURFACE PORTION AT SAID REAR SIDE THEREOF, SAID SPACER MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID LATERAL SURFACE PORTION A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE SPECIFIC LENGTH OF SAID PLUG MEANS SO THAT SAID SPACER MEANS IS IN ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GRID BARS OF SAID BASE PLATE AND SAID LATERAL SURFACE PORTION IS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID GRID BARS WHEN SAID PLUG MEANS IS FULLY INSERTED IN SAID GRID OPENING WHEREBY SAID LATERAL SURFACE PORTION OF SAID ELEMENT PLATES IS ENGAGEABLE BY THE FINGERTOPS OF A USER FOR REMOVING SAID ELEMENT PLATES FROM SAID BASE PLATE.