WO1998011969A1

WO1998011969A1 - A toy building element

Info

Publication number: WO1998011969A1
Application number: PCT/DK1997/000388
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steen Sig Andersen
Original assignee: Interlego AG; Lego AS
Current assignee: Interlego AG; Lego AS
Priority date: 1996-09-17
Filing date: 1997-09-16
Publication date: 1998-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1999-03-17
Also published as: TW327609B; AU4200397A; DK100896A

Abstract

The invention concerns a toy building element (1) comprising a frame (2) which is provided with coupling means (4) for coupling with other toy building elements, and at least one face (3) which is arranged rotatably in the frame (2). The outer contour of the face is symmetrical about at least one axis of symmetry (7), and the face (3) is arranged rotatably in the frame about this axis of symmetry (7). The invention is characterized in that the rotatable face (3) is provided with coupling means (6) for coupling with other toy building elements, and that it can rotate at least 180° inside the enclosing frame (2).

Description

A toy building element

The invention concerns a toy building element comprising a frame provided with coupling means for coupling with other building elements and at least one face, which is arranged rotatably in the frame and whose outer contour is symmetrical about at least one axis of symmetry, said face being arranged rotatably about said axis of symme- try.

Such toy building elements are known in a variety of embodiments representing windows m particular, which may be included together with other toy building elements for the building of e.g. houses whose windows and doors may be opened rotatably.

An example of this type of toy building element is given in Danish Patent No. 81 493, which shows a toy building element representing a window and consisting of a frame part and a hinged window part. The window part is hinged at the sides and may thus rotate about a horizontal axis. Hereby, the toy building element brilliantly illustrates true centrally hinged windows.

Known are also toy building elements in the form of inclined windows to be incorporated in a roof, said windows being likewise hinged at the sides so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis.

All the known toy building elements of this type serve the purpose of illustrating windows to be built into houses constructed of toy building elements, and the rotatable face in these elements is merely a simple face. However, when children play with toy building elements, there is always a wish for the ability to build new and exciting structures and preferably with surprising effects .

The object of the present invention is to provide a toy building element for interconnection with other toy building elements, which increases children's possibilities of play, and which can exhibit surprising effects during play.

This object is achieved by the invention of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, which is characterized in that the rotatable face is provided with coupling means for coupling with other toy building elements, and that it can rotate at least 180° inside the enclosing frame .

This results m a toy building element where both sides of the rotatable face may serve as a front side and as a rear side, respectively, of the element depending on the position of the rotatable face. The toy building element of the invention may e.g. be used as a turnable wall in a building built of toy building elements. Since, moreover, the rotatable face is provided with coupling means for coupling with other toy building elements, it is possible to mount various toy figures on the sides of the face.

In a preferred embodiment, the coupling means of the face for coupling with other toy building elements are provided on one or more shelves protruding from the face, thereby allowing toy figures to be placed in a standing position on these shelves.

Preferably, the two sides of the rotatable face are identical, so that the toy building element has a uniform ap- pearance no matter which side faces outwards. This ensures that figures, racks or the like may be placed on both sides of the face, which additionally enhances the surprising effect of the element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the rotatable face, m its closed position, fills the enclosing frame so that there is just a small slot between the frame and the face, and m this position the rotatable face is prefer- ably substantially level with one side of the enclosing frame. As a result, the frame and the face as a whole ap^¬ pear as a plane face without any remarkable indication that it is a rotatable face, which is an advantage if the toy building element is to illustrate a concealed turn- able wall.

During play, the toy building element will be in a closed position most of the time, and the frame and/or the face may therefore advantageously be provided with means for releasably retaining the rotatable face in this position. These means may be formed by at least one elevation which protrudes from the face and is adapted to cooperate with a depression in the frame.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two eleva^¬ tions are included, protruding from the bottom of their respective sides of the face symmetrically about the axis of symmetry of the face, and the lower part of the frame is provided with a through hole to receive one of these elevations when the face is in its closed position.

In addition, the upper part of the frame may be provided with a through hole corresponding to the through hole in the lower part of the frame and positioned identically with it in relation to the axis of symmetry. The invention will now be explained more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which

fig. 1 shows a toy building element of the invention,

fig. 2 shows a toy building element of the invention built together with other toy building elements forming a wall and with a toy figure mounted on the protruding shelf of the toy building element, and

fig. 3 shows the upper part of the frame and the rotatable face separated from the frame, seen from below.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the toy building element of the invention. The element is generally designated by 1 and consists of a frame 2 and a face 3 arranged rotatably in the frame.

The frame 2 is provided with coupling studs 4 so that the toy building element 1 may be built together with other toy building elements, as shown in fig. 2, and as will be described later.

In the shown embodiment, the frame 2 is provided with a stepped wall at the top and at the bottom, which facilitates interconnection with other toy building elements, but which is without importance for the invention in general .

The face 3, which is rectangular in the shown embodiment, is downwardly provided with a protruding shelf 5 with coupling studs 6 with which other toy building elements may be coupled. The two sides of the face 3 are preferably identical, which means that the opposite side of the face 3 also has a protruding shelf 5 with coupling studs 6. Hinging between the frame 2 and the rotatable face 3 takes place at the upper and lower edges of the face 3 in the axis of symmetry 7 of the face 3. A preferred embodi^¬ ment of this hinge is shown separated in fig. 3 and will be described later.

The toy building element 1 of the invention is adapted to be built together with other toy building elements 8 to form a wall 9 in e.g. a castle or a palace, as appears from fig. 2. In its closed position, the face 3 of the toy building element 1 forms a substantially plane sur^¬ face together with the other toy building elements 8, apart from the protruding shelf 5. Hereby, the toy build^¬ ing element 1 serves as a concealed turnable wall, which gives children new possibilities of play.

During play, a toy figure 10, a rack or the like may be placed on the shelf 5 on one side of the face 3, while another figure may selectively be placed on the shelf 5 on the other side of the face 3. Thus, rotation of the face 3 in the frame 2 results in switching between the two - frequently different - toy elements which are placed on the shelves 5 of the face 3.

The toy building element 1 may also be used as an escape route in a castle during play, it being possible to couple the escaping toy figure 10 on the shelf 5 by means of the coupling studs 6, following which the face 3 is rotated 180° and the figure has disappeared.

The toy building element 1 shown in fig. 1 is provided with means to retain the face 3 in its closed position. These retention means will be explained more fully below with reference to fig. 3, in which these are shown on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 shows the upper hinge of the toy building element 1 between the frame 2 and the rotatable face 3 in a separated state.

The hinge between the frame 2 and the rotatable face 3 is formed by a pivot 11 which extends upwards from the face 3 and which is received in a complementary hole 12 in the upper frame part of the frame 2. A corresponding hinging (not shown) takes place between the pivot 13 on the lower edge of the face 3 and a hole in the lower part of the frame 2.

Further, elevations 14 are provided at the lower edge of the face 3, capable of cooperating with a through hole 15 in the lowermost part of the frame (see fig. 2) to retain the face 3 releasably. This retention occurs when the face 3 is in its closed position, which is the most common position when the toy building element 1 of the invention is built together with other toy building ele- ments 8, as one of the elevations 14 fit in the hole 15.

However, the force of retention between the elevations 14 and the hole 15 is not greater than the face 3 can be opened by a slight push on one side, so that it assumes the position shown in fig. 2.

If the rotation is continued until the face 3 again assumes its closed position shown in fig. 1, the face 3 will again be retained by means of the elevation 14 on the opposite side of the face 3.

The uppermost part of the frame 2 is likewise provided with a through hole 16 which is positioned identically with the hole 15 in the lowermost part of the frame 2 with respect to the axis of symmetry 7. The purpose of this hole 16 is to retain the face 3 releasably, if it is turned upside down, so that the bottom on the face 3 faces upwards in the frame 2, and the top of the face 3 faces downwards in the frame 2.

Turning of the face 2 in this manner provides further possibilities of playing with the toy building element 1.

It is possible to use other retention means and/or other forms of hinging between the frame 2 and the face 3 with- out departing from the idea of the invention.

Further, the coupling means 6 on the face 3 might be arranged in another manner than shown in the preferred embodiment .

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s

1. A toy building element (1) comprising a frame (2) provided with coupling means (4) for coupling with other toy building elements and at least one face (3), which is arranged rotatably in the frame (2) and whose outer contour is symmetrical about at least one axis of symmetry (7), said face (3) being arranged rotatably about said axis of symmetry (7), c h a r a c t e r i z e d m that the rotatable face (3) is provided with coupling means (6) for coupling with other toy building elements, and that it can rotate at least 180 inside the enclosing frame (2) .

2. A toy building element according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d m that the coupling means (6) are arranged on one or more shelves (5) protruding from the face (3) .

3. A toy building element according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the sides of the rotatable face (3) are identical.

4. A toy building element according to any one of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that in its closed position the rotatable face (3) substantially fills the enclosing frame (2) .

5. A toy building element according to any one of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that one side of the rotatable face (3) is substantially level with one side of the enclosing frame (2) when it is m its closed position.

6. A toy building element according to any one of claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frame (2) and/or the rotatable face (3) is provided with means (14, 15, 16) for releasably retaining the rotatable face (3) in its closed position.

7. A toy building element according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the means (14, 15, 16) for releasably retaining the rotatable face (3) m its closed position are formed by at least one elevation (14), which protrudes from the face (3) and is adapted to cooperate with a depression m the frame (2) .

8. A toy building element according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d m that two depressions (14) are included, protruding from the bottom of their respective sides of the face (3) symmetrically about he axis of symmetry (7), and that the lower part of the frame (2) is provided with a through hole (15) to receive one of these elevations (14) when the face (3) is m its closed posi^¬ tion.

9. A toy building element according to claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the uppermost part of the frame (2) is provided with a through hole (16) corresponding to the through hole in the lower part of the frame (2) and placed identically with said hole with respect to the axis of symmetry (7) .