US2497657A - Construction toy - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1950 D. E. COLE CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed Oct. 25, 1945 Snap Short John Doe Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED OFFICE CONSTRUCTION TOY DaltonEZ'CSle;Cliioago,llii' Applicatibn Q'ctober"-25, 1945, swarm; 6243534 This invention-relates to'a toy composeda'of. two or more units capable of being. assembled: to: simulate many well known obj ectsj The ultimate intricacy of 1 what I may be -constructedi withwthe s units of the toy is" dependent entirely upon the ingenuity"of-the-individual using this toy. Much is left to the imagination of a child playing with the toy. 5

One "I of .the c-obj ects :-of the present inventiontis 4-Claimsa (Cl. MF-31y The second basic unit of theinvention comprisesa fiat pieceofmaterial H suchas -cardboard, wood, metal, plastic, paper or other suitto provide two basic kinds of units -one insthermyablecmaterial: formed of suitable sizes andshapes nature of abodmbreferably, cylindrical, having circumferentially"disposed longitudinally extending slitstzextending inward: from its face-rand thev other. unit being in the nature "of a sheet or material such as .cardboard, metal; ,wood;.p1astic 151:.

or other suitable material. capableof being inserted into any slitof one ormoreof the bodies, whereb'y to construct an articlezsimulating anyqofc many wellknownuobjectsr Other objects and advantagesrwill appearrin go:

the course of this specification, and with all of said objects and advantages in view, this invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention showing several units assembled so as to simulate a house;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating the use of several of the body units for connecting and supporting photographs, pictures, or the like;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing one of the body units serving as a holder for a place card or other card, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts seen in Fig. 3.

Referring to said drawing and first to Fig. 1,

the reference characters 5 designate several of one of the kinds of the first basic units, herein shown as comprising a body preferably of cylindrical form composed of wood, metal, plastic, paper or other suitable material and having several longitudinally extending slits 6, I, that extend inward radially from the cylindrical face of the body and divide the other portion thereof into a plurality of segments 8. The slits extend from end to end of the body and extend inward for some distance leaving a solid core 9 at the middle of the body which forms the connecting medium between the segments 8. The slits 6 are spaced equidistantly about the body and if desired the slits I may be spaced intermediate certain of the slits 6. ll,

suchwas playing: cards or other cards, or the unit li mayrbe of triangular, round or ovalshape-on ness to vfit fairly-tightly inthe slitsin the body so as. to enable the assembled arti'cle to hold'together. The several units are assembled to simulate articles :by, inserting the edges of the units 1 I into the slits of the units 5.

In Fig;v lseveralofthe bodies 5 are arranged" vertically and connect four sheets or cards II in the form of a rectangle with two of the sheets or cards extending lengthwise of the toy house and two extending vertically. The roof may be composed of two cards designated by Ha which converge toward each other at the top of the structure and are connected together by one of the bodies 5, and the lower edges of said cards I la, are connected to the upper edges of the side wall cards I l by bodies, one of which is seen at 5.

Manifestly a great variety of objects may be simulated with the toy or it may be used for ornamental or useful purposes; as for instance, connecting mediums between photographs, pictures or the like I2 as seen in Fig. 2. A cord [3 or the like, with knots on its ends may be inserted into the ends of one of the slits in the upper body 5 for suspending the article from a picture hook or nail or the like.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the application of the body 5 to a place or other display card. The card or sheeet lib, on which the name of the individual is displayed is inserted into one of the slits in the body 5, and the other sheet He is inserted into a slit at right angles to the one in which the card llb is held, the card Ilc serving as a stabilizer for the device.

The outer corners of the slits and the ends thereof are rounded off to facilitate the insertion of a sheet of material into a slit, either along the length thereof or at the ends of opposite slits.

In constructing certain articles it may be found necessary to insert a card or other sheet of material across one or both ends of the body. The recesses provide open spaces between the ends of the slits and make it possible for a card or other sheet of material to be inserted into oppositely disposed slits at the ends of the bodies.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to limit myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement or combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy capable of being assembled to simulate a variety of objects and comprising two basic kinds of units, one unit being in the form of a cylindrical body having conical recesses in its ends and longitudinally extending slits which extend radially inwardly from the cylindrical face of the body and being disposed circumferentially about the cylindrical face of the body with the bottom edges of the slits terminating at the Walls of the conical recesses, and the other unit comprising a sheet of material whose edge portions are capable of being inserted into any of the slits in the cylindrical face of the body, and crosswise of the body in the slits at the end of the body.

2. A toy capable of being assembled to simulate a variety of objects comprising a cylindrical body having conical recesses in its ends and a plurality of longitudinally extending slits which extend inward radially from its cylindrical face and are disposed circumferentially about the same with the bottom edges of the slits terminating at the Walls of the conical recesses, and several pieces of sheet material removably secured crosswise of the body in any of the slits and held therein by friction.

3. A toy capable of being assembled to simuportion of the body.

4. A toy capable of being assembled to simulate a variety of objects and comprising cylindrical bodies and pieces of sheet material, the cylindrical bodies having longitudinally extending slits which extend radially inward from the faces of the bodies, the bodies having conical recesses extending inward from their ends and intersecting the slits, and said pieces of sheet material being adapted to be held along the length of the bodies in said slits and to be held crosswise of the bodies in those portions of the slits which are intersected by the walls of the conical recesses.

. DALTON E. COLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Number Name Date 2,031,848 Ogden Feb. 25, 1936 r 2,208,049 Pajeau' July 16, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 52,063 Denmark Aug. 24, 1936 214,821 Great Britain May 1, 1924

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