Toy construction element

Claim 2

A construction element for a toy-construction set, said element having a middle portion, and an end portion with a throughgoing hole having an axis and extending between opposed first and second plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said axis and which serve as abutments for other construction elements of the set, an annular recess extending from said first supporting face coaxial to said axis, a toothed rim extending coaxially with said axis from a base of said recess, radial teeth of said rim extending to at least half their axial length within said recess and projecting with at most half their axial length above said first supporting face wherein the element is a rod and said hole is a cylindrical boring, wherein said rod comprises a plurality of cylindrical further borings with parallel further axes, all axes laying in a common plane and being equidistantly spaced by a spacing equal to an integer multiple of a distance between said first and second supporting faces, wherein said middle portion has a thickness, said thickness being larger than said distance.

Claim 3

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein two of the flanks of the teeth of said toothed rim lay in said common plane of said axes.

Claim 4

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein said annular recess is an annular groove and said first supporting face is located in a radial direction at both sides of said annular groove.

Claim 5

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first supporting face is disposed in a radial direction within said recess.

Claim 6

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein said annular recess is formed about said hole in such a manner that said first supporting face is disposed in a radial direction outside of said recess.

Claim 7

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the depth of said recess in an axial direction of said hole is an integer fraction of the distance between said two supporting faces.

Claim 8

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the depth of said recess is less than the distance between said first and second supporting faces and the height of said teeth projecting above said first supporting face is at most half said distance.

Claim 9

A construction element in accordance with claim 7, wherein said radial teeth have flanks which extend in planes substantially parallel to said axis.

Claim 10

A construction element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the teeth of said toothed rim have a pitch of 15°.

Claim 11

The construction element in accordance with claim 1 wherein the distance between said first and second supporting faces is equal to an integer fraction of a width of the element measured perpendicular to said axis.

Claim 12

The construction element of claim 1 wherein said thickness is equal to an integer multiple of said distance.

Claim 13

A toy construction set comprising a plurality of first bars, each of said first bars having a plurality of throughgoing first cylindrical borings having parallel equidistantly spaced first axes laying in a common plane, a first end boring of said first borings extending between opposed first and second plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said first axes and which serve as abutment for other construction elements of the set, an annular first recess extending from said first supporting face coaxial to said first axis of said first end boring, a toothed rim extending coaxially to said first axis of said first end boring from a base of said first recess, radial teeth of said rim extending to at least half their axial length within said first recess and projecting with at most half their axial length above said first supporting face, wherein said construction set further comprises a plurality of second bars, each of said second bars having a plurality of throughgoing second cylindrical borings having parallel, equidistantly spaced second axes laying in a common plane, a second end boring of said second borings extending between opposed third and fourth plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said second axes and which serve as abutment for other construction elements of the set, wherein a toothless second recess coaxial to said second axis extends from said third supporting face, the axial depth of said second recess corresponding to one half of the axial length of the teeth of the first element and the radial width of said second recess corresponding tot he radial width of said teeth, for accommodating the part of the teeth of the first element projecting above said first supporting face, wherein the distance between said first and second supporting face and the distance between said third and fourth supporting face are equal to an integer fraction of the spacing of said first and second axes.

Claim 14

A toy construction set comprising a plurality of first bars, each of said first bars having a plurality of throughgoing first cylindrical borings having parallel equidistantly spaced first axes laying in a common plane, a first end boring of said first borings extending between opposed first and second plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said first axes and which serve as abutment for other construction elements of the set, an annular first recess extending from said first supporting face coaxial to said first axis of said first end boring, a toothed rim extending coaxially to said first axis of said first end boring from a base of said first recess, radial teeth of said rim extending to at least half their axial length within said first recess and projecting with at most half their axial length above said first supporting face, wherein said construction set further comprises a plurality of second bars, each of said second bars having a plurality of throughgoing second cylindrical borings having parallel, equidistantly spaced second axes laying in a common plane, a second end boring of said second borings extending between opposed third and fourth plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said second axes and which serve as abutment for other construction elements of the set, wherein a toothless second recess coaxial to said second axis extends from said third supporting face, the axial depth of said second recess corresponding to one half of the axial length of the teeth of the first element and the radial width of said second recess corresponding tot he radial width of said teeth, for accommodating the part of the teeth of the first element projecting above said first supporting face, wherein the distance between said first and second supporting face and the distance between said third and fourth supporting face are equal to an integer fraction of the spacing of said first and second axes.

Claim 15

A construction set in accordance with claim 12, wherein said second annular recess of said second element is an annular groove disposed in such a manner that said third supporting face is located in radial direction at both sides of said annular groove.

Claim 16

A construction set in accordance with claim 12, wherein said third supporting face is disposed in radial direction within said second recess.

Claim 17

A construction set in accordance with claim 12, wherein said second annular recess of said second elements is formed around said second hole in such a manner that said third supporting face is disposed in radial direction outside of said second recess.

Claim 18

A construction set in accordance with claim 12, wherein the depth of said second recess of said second elements in the axial direction of said second hole is an integer fraction of the distance between said third and fourth supporting faces of said second element.

Claim 19

The toy construction set in accordance with claim 12 wherein the width of said first and second bars measured perpendicularly to said common planes is equal to the spacing between said first and second axes.

Claim 20

A construction element for a toy-construction set, said element having a throughgoing hole having an axis and extending between opposed first and second plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said axis and which serve as abutment for other construction elements of the set, an annular recess extending from said first supporting face coaxial to said axis, a toothed rim extending coaxially to said axis from a base of said recess, radial teeth of said rim extending to at least half their axial length within said recess and projecting with at most half their axial length above said first supporting face wherein a further recess coaxial to said axis extends from said second supporting face and a further toothed rim extends from a base of said further recess.

Claim 21

A construction element for a toy-construction set, said element having a throughgoing hole having an axis and extending between opposed first and second plane supporting faces which are perpendicular to said axis and which serve as abutment for other construction elements of the set, an annular recess extending from said first supporting face coaxial to said axis, a toothed rim extending coaxially to said axis from a base of said recess, radial teeth of said rim extending to at least half their axial length within said recess and projecting with at most half their axial length above said first supporting face wherein a further recess coaxial to said axis extends from said second supporting face and a further toothed rim extends from a base of said further recess.