Toy construction systems

Claim 2

A toy building element adapted to be interengaged with a similar building toy element, comprising a hollow rectangular box having an exterior top face with at least one row of a plurality of equally spaced cylindrical projections extending above said top face, the interior of said box having at least one cylindrical pin projecting downwardly and located between two adjacent ones of said cylindrical projections but projecting in an opposite direction from the interior of said box, said cylindrical projections each having a central bore of a size to receive said cylindrical pin of a similar element to be engaged therewith, said cylindrical pin being of a diameter substantially equal to the spacing between said cylindrical projections and being snugly engageable between an adjacent pair of the cylindrical projections of the similar element to be engaged therewith, said box having side and end walls dimensioned and oriented to engage around at least one of said cylindrical projections upon engagement of said box over the projection of the similar element.

Claim 3

A toy building element adapted to be interengaged with a similar building toy element, comprising a hollow rectangular box having an exterior top face with at least one row of a plurality of equally spaced cylindrical projections extending above said top face, the interior of said box having at least one cylindrical pin projecting downwardly and located between two adjacent ones of said cylindrical projections but projecting in an opposite direction from the interior of said box, said cylindrical projections each having a central bore of a size to receive said cylindrical pin of a similar element to be engaged therewith, said cylindrical pin being of a diameter substantially equal to the spacing between said cylindrical projections and being snugly engageable between an adjacent pair of the cylindrical projections of the similar element to be engaged therewith, said box having side and end walls dimensioned and oriented to engage around at least one of said cylindrical projections upon engagement of said box over the projection of the similar element.

Claim 4

A toy building element adapted to be interengaged with a similar building toy element, comprising a hollow rectangular box having an exterior top face with at least one row of a plurality of equally spaced cylindrical projections extending above said top face, the interior of said box having at least one cylindrical pin projecting downwardly and located between two adjacent ones of said cylindrical projections but projecting in an opposite direction from the interior of said box, said cylindrical projections each having a central bore of a size to receive said cylindrical pin of a similar element to be engaged therewith, said cylindrical pin being of a diameter substantially equal to the spacing between said cylindrical projections and being snugly engageable between an adjacent pair of the cylindrical projections of the similar element to be engaged therewith, said box having side and end walls dimensioned and oriented to engage around at least one of said cylindrical projections upon engagement of said box over the projection of the similar element.

Claim 5

A toy building element according to claim 1, wherein at least one row of cylindrical projections comprises a plurality of substantially parallel rows of laterally aligned cylindrical projections with said cylindrical projections of adjacent rows being spaced apart by an amount substantially equal to the diameter of said cylindrical pin, said cylindrical pin of the similar element being engageable between aligned cylindrical projections of adjacent rows.

Claim 6

A toy building element according to claim 1, wherein said hollow box side and end walls are dimensioned so that said box encompasses two cylindrical projections with said end and side walls snugly engaging the side and ends of said cylindrical projections, said cylindrical pin engaging between said projections.

Claim 7

A toy building element according to claim 1, wherein at least one cylindrical pin comprises a plurality of pin rows each having a plurality of cylindrical pins with the pins of adjacent rows being offset so that the pins of one row are centrally positioned between adjacent pins of the next rows.

Claim 8

A toy building element according to claim 4, wherein said cylindrical projections are dimensioned and located so that the pins may be engaged selectively and alternatively in the central bores of such projections and also between adjacent pins in a row and opposite pins of alternate rows and said cylindrical projections have diameter three times the diameter of said cylindrical pins.

Claim 9

A toy building element according to claim 2, wherein at least one set cylindrical pins comprises a plurality of cylindrical pin rows each having a plurality of pins with the pins of adjacent rows being offset so that the pins of one row are centrally positioned between adjacent pins of the adjacent rows.

Claim 10

A toy building element adapted to be interengaged with another similar toy building element comprising a block member having a first face with a plurality of substantially parallel rows of laterally aligned cylindrical projections extending above said first face and having an opposite face with a plurality of cylindrical pin rows being offset so that the pins of one row are centrally positioned between adjacent pins of the adjacent rows, said cylindrical pins projecting from said second face and located between two adjacent cylindrical projections in an opposite direction and on said opposite second face said cylindrical projection each having a central bore of a size to receive said cylindrical pin of the similar building element to be engaged therewith and being of a diameter substantially equal to the spacing between said cylindrical projections and being snugly engageably between an adjacent pair of said cylindrical projections of the similar building element to be engaged therewith, said cylindrical projections of adjacent rows also being spaced apart by an amount substantially equal to the diameter of said cylindrical pins, so as to accommodate the cylindrical pins of a similar building element and therebetween in snug interengagement.

Claim 11

A toy building element adapted to be interengaged with another similar toy building element comprising a block member having a first face with a plurality of substantially parallel rows of laterally aligned cylindrical projections extending above said first face and having an opposite face with a plurality of cylindrical pin rows being offset so that the pins of one row are centrally positioned between adjacent pins of the adjacent rows, said cylindrical pins projecting from said second face and located between two adjacent cylindrical projections in an opposite direction and on said opposite second face said cylindrical projection each having a central bore of a size to receive said cylindrical pin of the similar building element to be engaged therewith and being of a diameter substantially equal to the spacing between said cylindrical projections and being snugly engageably between an adjacent pair of said cylindrical projections of the similar building element to be engaged therewith, said cylindrical projections of adjacent rows also being spaced apart by an amount substantially equal to the diameter of said cylindrical pins, so as to accommodate the cylindrical pins of a similar building element and therebetween in snug interengagement.

Claim 12

A toy building element according to claim 7, wherein said block member comprises a hollow box, said box having side and end walls extending in the same direction as said cylindrical pins, said second face being located on the interior of said box.

Claim 13

A toy building element according to claim 7, wherein the diameter of said cylindrical projection is three times that of the diameter of the bore in said projections.

Claim 14

Improvements in toy constructions systems of a type which include a plurality of pieces with interengageable projections and recesses, comprising a hollow piece open at its base and having an internal protuberance within its base and having an opposite face with an external protuberance, said external protuberance having a central hole which is substantially equal to the diameter of the internal protuberance so that said internal protuberance is interengageable therein, said external protuberance being approximately three times the diameter of said internal protuberance, the inside width of said base being sufficient to accommodate the dimensions of at least two of said internal protuberances which are spaced apart a distance equal to the dimension of one of said external protuberances.

Claim 15

Improvements in toy constructions systems of a type which include a plurality of pieces with interengageable projections and recesses, comprising a hollow piece open at its base and having an internal protuberance within its base and having an opposite face with an external protuberance, said external protuberance having a central hole which is substantially equal to the diameter of the internal protuberance so that said internal protuberance is interengageable therein, said external protuberance being approximately three times the diameter of said internal protuberance, the inside width of said base being sufficient to accommodate the dimensions of at least two of said internal protuberances which are spaced apart a distance equal to the dimension of one of said external protuberances.

Claim 16

An improvement in toy construction systems according to claim 10 wherein said base has a plurality of internal protuberances arranged in alternate rows and wherein an external protuberance may be accommodated between the internal protuberances of each row.

Claim 17

Improvements in toy construction systems, according to claim 10, wherein said hollow piece includes an external flat wall having said external protuberances and side walls defining said base with an opening at one end, said hollow piece being engageable with another hollow piece and three coupling possibilities, namely: said external protuberances of one piece being interengaged between internal protuberances of another piece, said external protuberances of one piece being interengaged between said internal protuberances of one and one side wall internal of another piece, said internal protuberances being interengaged into the central holes of said external protuberances.

Claim 18

Improvements in toy construction systems according to claim 12, wherein said internal protuberances in each row are offset centrally between the protuberances of the next adjacent row, the walls of said base being spaced from one row of protuberances by an amount at least equivalent to the diameters of said internal protuberances and the next adjacent row being spaced from said walls by an amount at least equal to the diameter of said external protuberances.