GB2024025A

GB2024025A - Improvements in or relating to toy construction kits

Info

Publication number: GB2024025A
Application number: GB7921714A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-07-01
Filing date: 1979-06-21
Publication date: 1980-01-09
Also published as: FR2430169B1; GB2024025B; CH646067A5; BE877277A; AU4832879A; DE7819854U1; SE7905414L; SE436243B; FR2430169A1; IT7921943V0; NL7904285A; DK253479A; IT7923855A0; AU512722B2

Abstract

A toy construction kit comprises a connecting plate 4 shaped and dimensioned to cover one face of the housing 1, one side of the plate being provided with connecting means interengageable with the connecting means of the said one face of the housing, the two connecting means comprising complementary undercut slots 2 and tenons 3 allowing the plate to be slid across the said face. The other side of the plate is provided with at least one peg-like connecting tenon which can be passed through a hole 8 in the panel 5 so that the panel can be held against that other side. In this way, the housing can be connected directly to other members of the kit (that is to say by not using the connecting plate) or indirectly to the panel (using the connecting plate). In the latter case the housing can be slidably moved relative to the panel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to toy construction kits This invention relates to a housing for an electric motor for toys for driving toy models assembled from elements of a toy construction kit, which housing is provided with means for positively attaching it to prefabricated parts and structural panels of a toy construction kit.

The structural panels of a known construction kit which has, as the connecting means, undercut grooves and connecting pins, are provided with undercut slots which extend from the lateral edges of the panel towards the middle thereof and also with bores in the centre thereof. For reasons of stability, these slots cannot extend up to the middle and, consequently, there is no possiblity of attaching parts in the manner specific to construction kits actually at the centre of the structural panel. This is particularly disadvantageous when constructing power-driven toy vehicles because, owing to the drive gear wheel or the differential gear arranged between the wheels of the vehicle, it is possible to fit the drive device only at the centre of the structural panel.Consequently, with the known structural panel, complicated constructions are necessary to provide a mounting for the drive device by means of the slots which are arranged at the edges of structural panel.

The problem underlying the invention is so to design a housing for an electric motor for toys that it can be attached positively both to undercut connecting means and to structural panels having bores of a toy construction kit.

According to the invention, this is achieved in that a plate corresponding in outline to the outer face of the housing and movable parallel to the axis of the motor is positively attached to an outer face of the cubic housing surrounding the motor by means of undercut connecting ribs which engage in complementary grooves in the housing, and that the outer side of the plate is provided with pins which engage in bores in the structural panel and project beyond the rear side of the structural panel and have in the region of their ends means for preventing movement of the panel in a direction along the axis of the pin.

For connecting the housing having the motor installed therein to a structural panel which is provided with bores in its centre, the pins are pushed through the bores and the housing in then fastened by locking the pins.

Since the motor housing and the plate which is provided with pins are connected to one another by undercut connecting means, it is possible to move the motor housing in the longitudinal direction. Thus, displacement from one location, parallel to the axis of the motor, can be carried out for continously bridging the intervals by the connecting means of the prefabricated parts.

If it is necessary to attach the motor housing to the undercut connecting means of the prefabricated parts of the toy construction kit, the plate provided with pins is removed. The housing can then be connected to the prefabricated parts by way of its undercut grooves which have become free.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the means on the pin for preventing movement of the panel in a direction along the axis of the pin can be two opposing notches onto which can be pushed a prefabricated part provided with an undercut groove. Thus, the prefabricated parts in the toy construction kit can be used for bracing the pin and hence for attaching the motor housing.

The present invention also provides a toy construction kit comprising a motor housing, a connecting plate, and a panel, wherein the housing is in the form of a block and has projecting drive shaft, at least one face of the block is provided with connecting means for attaching other parts of the kit to the housing, the connecting plate is shaped and dimensioned to cover the said one face of the block, one side of the plate is provided with connecting means interengageable with the connecting means of the said one face, the two connecting means comprising complementary undercut slots or grooves and tenons allowing the plate to be slid across the said face in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft, and the other side of the plate is provided with at least one peg-like connecting tenon which can be passed through a hole in the panel so that the panel can be held against that other side.

Parts of a toy construction kit constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a part-sectional end view of the assembled parts, and Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the assembled parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, parts of the toy construction kit illustrated are a housing 1, a connecting plate 4, a panel 5 and a component 11.

The housing 1 is a hollow rectangular prism which has a cavity (not shown) for receiving a motor unit, one side (not shown) of the housing being open for that purpose. A drive shaft comprising a worm extends from one end face of the motor unit housing and that face and the face parallel to it is provided with two parallel undercut slots or grooves for receiving other members of the kit. The upper face of the housing is formed with two parallel undercut grooves or slots 2 which extend across the total length of the housing and allow attachment of other parts of the kit to the housing.

The plate 4 is rectangular and is provided with two parallel undercut tenons 3 which are complementary to the slots or grooves 2 and allow the plate to be slidably engaged with the upper face of the housing 1 as shown in the drawing. The outer face of the connecting plate 4 is provided with two peg-like tenons each of which has an undercut head portion 9.

The panel 5 is rectangular and is provided with at least two holes 7 through which the tenons 8 can be inserted, as shown in the drawings. When the tenons 8 have been inserted through the holes 7 the undercut head portion 9 can be engaged by the component 11. For that purpose the component 11 has a rectilinear undercut groove or slot 1 0.

When one or more of the components 11 has been fitted to the tenons in this way the panel 5 is braced against the connecting plate 4.

As will be evident from the drawing, the central part of the panel 5 is provided with the holes 8, whilst two parallel edges of the panel are provided with connecting means in the form of undercut grooves or slots 6, each slot lying at right angles to, and opening into a respective edge of the panel. There are two sets of slots 6 lying on either side of a central plane, which lies at right angles to the panel and is parallel to two opposed edges of the panel. Each set of slots comprises a plurality of slots and the two sets of slots are symmetrically arranged on either side of the central plane.

Each slot 6 terminates at the same distance from the central plane so that a central region is provided which provides a bridge between the two sets of slots.

Because of the connection between the motor housing 1 and the connecting plate 4, it is possible to effect relative sliding movement between those two parts. Consequently the relative disposition of the panel 7 and the housing 1 can be altered. In this way, and because the direction of relative displacement is parallel to the axis of the motor shaft, the motor worm can be brought into a number of different positions. This facilitates engagement of the worm with a transmission gear attached to the panel 7, for example, a differential gear arranged on an axle attached to the panel 7, the panel serving then as a floor of a wheeled vehicle.

Claims

1. A toy construction kit comprising a motor housing, a connecting plate, and a panel, wherein the housing is in the form of a block and has a projecting drive shaft, at least one face of the block is provided with connecting means for attaching other parts of the kit to the housing, the connecting plate is shaped and dimensioned to cover the said one face of the block, one side of the plate is provided with connecting means interengageable with the connecting means of the said one face, the two connecting means comprising complementary undercut slots or grooves and tenons allowing the plate to be slid across the said face in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft, and the other side of the plate is provided with at least one peg-like connecting tenon which can be passed through a hole in the panel so that the panel can be held against that other side.

2. A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 1, in which the peg-like connecting tenon is undercut to engage and fit an undercut groove in another part of the kit, the other part serving, when the groove and tenon are engaged, to brace the plate and the panel together.

3. A toy construction kit as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the drive shaft comprises a worm.

4. A toy construction kit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing.

5. Housing for an electric motor for toys for driving toy models assembled from elements of a toy construction kit, which housing is provided with means for positively attaching it to prefabricated parts and structural panels of a toy construction kit, characterised in that a plate corresponding in outline to the outer face of the housing and movable parallel to the axis of the motor is positively attached to an outer face of the cubic housing surrounding the motor by means of undercut connecting ribs which engage in complementary grooves in the housing, and the outer side of the plate is provided with pins which engage in bores in the structural panel and project beyond the rear side of the structural panel and have in the region of their ends means for preventing movement of the panel in a direction along the axis of the pin.