Educational toy, locking method and unlocking method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an educational toy, a locking method and an unlocking method. The educational toy comprises: a lock cylinder and two lock bodies, the lock cylinder is provided with a cylindrical through hole, the inner wall of the cylindrical through hole is provided with two lock bolts of the same height in the axial direction; each lock body has a disc and a semicircular column coaxially arranged on the disc, the outer side wall of the semicircular column is provided with a notch groove and a median groove located on one side of the notch groove, the notch groove is arranged along the axial direction of the semicircular column, the median groove is arranged along the circumference of the semicircular column and penetrates the notch groove, the end surface of the semicircular column away from the disc is also provided with a spiral groove connected to the notch groove, and the spiral groove and the median groove are arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the semicircular column. The lock core formed by splicing two lock bodies of the present invention is located in the lock cylinder, the connection structure between the lock core and the lock cylinder is completely blocked, the unlocking difficulty is large, the user is encouraged to think continuously during the unlocking process, and the fun is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of toys, and in particular to an educational toy, a locking method and an unlocking method for improving the fun of unlocking. Background Art

[0002] Educational toys are common entertainment items in life. Playing with educational toys in free time after busy work can relax the body and mind. Common educational toys generally display part or all of the connection structure between components. For example, the utility model patent with publication number CN209900681U discloses a concave ring unlocking educational toy. The user can directly observe the state change after the component position is adjusted with the eyes, so as to find the unlocking method or locking method. This traditional educational toy can be unlocked by simple logical thinking and hands-on ability, with low difficulty and low fun. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the shortcomings of existing educational toys that are difficult to unlock and have low fun, the present invention proposes an educational toy, a locking method and an unlocking method. The educational toy is composed of a lock cylinder and two lock bodies. The lock core formed by splicing the two lock bodies is located in the lock cylinder. The connection structure between the lock core and the lock cylinder is completely blocked. The user can explore the unlocking method by inferring the changing state of the lock core when rotating. The unlocking difficulty is large, which encourages the user to keep thinking during the unlocking process, and the fun is greatly improved.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is to design an educational toy, including: a lock cylinder and two lock bodies, the lock cylinder is provided with a cylindrical through hole, the inner wall of the cylindrical through hole is provided with two lock latches of the same height in the axial direction; each lock body has a disc and a semicircular column coaxially arranged on the disc, the outer wall of the semicircular column is provided with a notch groove and a median groove located on one side of the notch groove, the notch groove is arranged along the axial direction of the semicircular column, the median groove is arranged along the circumference of the semicircular column and passes through the notch groove, the end surface of the semicircular column away from the disc is also provided with a spiral groove connected to the notch groove, and the spiral groove and the median groove are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the semicircular column. The above two lock bodies can be spliced ​​in the cylindrical through hole to form a lock core, the two spiral grooves of the lock core have opposite rotation directions, the lock latch is allowed to move circumferentially along the median groove or axially in the notch groove, and the lock latch can only be separated from the lock core along the spiral groove.

[0005] Furthermore, an outer blocking portion is provided at one end of the cutout groove close to the disc, and an inner blocking portion is provided at one end of the cutout groove away from the disc, and the latch is allowed to move axially between the outer blocking portion and the inner blocking portion.

[0006] Furthermore, the semicircular column of one lock body is transformed to the other side along the mirror symmetry of its section to obtain another lock body, and two lock bolts are arranged opposite to each other in the cylindrical through hole to move into the two cutout grooves or the two middle grooves of the lock core;

[0007] When the two lock bolts move into their corresponding cutout grooves, the lock core is in a variable length state;

[0008] When the two lock bolts move to their respective corresponding middle slots, the lock core is in a length locking state;

[0009] When the lock core is in a length-variable state or a length-locked state, the cutout groove and the center groove of the lock core are always blocked by the lock cylinder.

[0010] Furthermore, the lock core can be extended to a maximum length or closed to a minimum length in a variable length state; when the two lock bodies are axially separated until the lock latch and the inner blocking portion of the cutout groove in which it is located abut against each other, the lock core extends to a maximum length; when the two lock bodies are axially closed until the lock latch and the outer blocking portion of the cutout groove in which it is located abut against each other, the lock core is closed to a minimum length.

[0011] Furthermore, the lock core is closed to a minimum length in the length locking state, and the middle grooves of the two lock bodies are aligned and connected to each other.

[0012] Furthermore, the disc of the lock body is provided with a curved surface arched away from the semicircular column, and when the lock core is extended to the maximum length, the curved surfaces at both ends of the lock core just expose the lock cylinder.

[0013] Furthermore, the cross section of the lock latch is triangular, and the shape of the median groove matches the shape of the lock latch.

[0014] The present invention also provides a locking method for an educational toy, which is applied to the educational toy, wherein the two lock bodies are separated from the lock cylinder, and the locking method comprises the following steps:

[0015] Insert the two lock bodies into the lock cylinder from both ends of the lock cylinder respectively;

[0016] Rotate the two lock bodies separately to align the disc of the lock body with the end of the lock cylinder. At this time, the lock bolt in the cylindrical through hole moves to its corresponding spiral groove;

[0017] The lock cylinder is rotated to make the lock bolt enter the cutout groove along the spiral groove, and the two lock bodies are spliced ​​to form a lock core.

[0018] The present invention also provides an unlocking method for an educational toy, which is applied to the educational toy. Two lock bodies are spliced ​​in a cylindrical through hole to form a lock core. The unlocking method includes the following steps:

[0019] Place the lock cylinder horizontally so that the axis of the lock cylinder is parallel to the horizontal plane;

[0020] Rotate the lock cylinder in the horizontal plane to extend the lock cylinder to its maximum length;

[0021] When the lock core is extended to the maximum length, the lock cylinder is pushed in the same direction to roll linearly in a horizontal plane until the two lock bodies are separated from the lock cylinder.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has a lock cylinder and two lock bodies. The lock core formed by splicing the two lock bodies is located in the lock cylinder. A latch is provided in the lock cylinder. The outer wall of the lock core is provided with different groove structures. The lock core is locked in the lock cylinder by the cooperation of the latch and the groove structure. The latch and the groove structure are completely blocked by the lock cylinder. The user needs to continuously rotate the lock core during the unlocking process and infer the unlocking method based on its changing state. This requires higher logical thinking from the user, increases the difficulty of unlocking, and stimulates the user's interest in unlocking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a state diagram of the lock core of the present invention when it is at its maximum length;

[0025] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional diagram of the lock core of the present invention when it is at its maximum length;

[0026] Figure 3 is an internal view of the lock cylinder of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional view of the lock cylinder of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional diagram of a first lock body of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional diagram of a second lock body of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 It is a side view of two lock bodies of the present invention placed side by side;

[0031] Figure 8 It is a top view of two lock bodies of the present invention placed side by side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this patent and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 6As shown, the educational toy proposed by the present invention includes a lock cylinder 1 and two lock bodies 2a, 2b, and the lock cylinder 1 and the two lock bodies 2a, 2b are all made of metal, which has higher hardness and is not easy to deform, thereby ensuring the difficulty of unlocking while optimizing the appearance texture of the educational toy. The structures of the lock cylinder 1 and the two lock bodies 2a, 2b are respectively introduced below.

[0034] A cylindrical through hole 11 is provided at the center of the lock cylinder 1. The outer wall of the lock cylinder 1 is composed of a plurality of external facades arranged around its axis. The external facades are planes, and all the external facades enclose a polygonal outer wall. When the lock cylinder 1 is horizontally placed, any external facade can support the lock cylinder 1 and keep it balanced, preventing the lock cylinder 1 from continuously rolling along the horizontal plane after lying during the unlocking process, which is difficult for the user to control. Two latches 12 are provided at intervals on the inner wall of the cylindrical through hole 11. The two latches 12 have the same height in the axial direction, that is, the two latches 12 are located in the same plane that vertically passes through the axis of the lock cylinder 1.

[0035] The two lock bodies 2a and 2b are respectively the first lock body 2a and the second lock body 2b. If any one of the lock bodies is used as the first lock body 2a, the remaining one of the lock bodies is used as the second lock body 2b. Each lock body has a disc 21 and a semicircular column 22. The semicircular column 22 is coaxially arranged on the disc 21. From the appearance, one side of the top surface of the disc 21 is provided with a semicircular column 22, and the other side of the top surface of the disc 21 is an installation area 23. The installation area 23 is used to place the semicircular column 22 of the other lock body. The outer side wall of the semicircular column 22 is provided with a cutout groove 221 and a median groove 222 located on one side of the cutout groove 221, that is, the cutout groove 221 and the median groove 222 are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction of the semicircular column 22. The mouth groove 221 extends along the axial direction of the semicircular column 22, and the median groove 222 extends along the circumferential direction of the semicircular column 22 to pass through the cut groove 221. The end surface of the semicircular column 22 away from the disc 21 is also provided with a spiral groove 223 connected to the cut groove 221. The spiral groove 223 and the median groove 222 are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the semicircular column 22, that is, the spiral groove 223 is located above the median groove 222, and extends downward from the end surface of the semicircular column 22 to the cut groove 221. The end surface of the semicircular column 22 is provided with a notch matching the position of the spiral groove 223, and the notch is used as the notch of the spiral groove 223. The latch 12 can be screwed into the notch groove 221 from the notch of the spiral groove 223.

[0036] The first lock body 2a and the second lock body 2b can be spliced ​​in the cylindrical through hole 11 to form a lock core. The two spiral grooves 223 of the lock core rotate in opposite directions. The latch 12 is allowed to move circumferentially along the middle groove 222 or axially in the cutout groove 221. The latch 12 can only be separated from the lock core along the spiral groove 223. Since the spiral groove 223 rotates in opposite directions, the lock core has a chance to be unlocked during the rolling process. In order to prevent the lock core from axially escaping from the cutout groove 221, an outer blocking portion 224 is provided at one end of the cutout groove 221 close to the disc 21, and an inner blocking portion 225 is provided at one end of the cutout groove 221 away from the disc 21. The latch 12 is allowed to move axially between the outer blocking portion 224 and the inner blocking portion 225, and the outer blocking portion 224 and the inner blocking portion 225 limit the maximum movement distance of the latch 12 in the axial direction.

[0037] It should be noted that if Figures 5 to 8 As shown, the first lock body 2a and the second lock body 2b have the same structure, the only difference is the position of the semicircular column 22. The second lock body 2b can be obtained by changing the semicircular column 22 of the first lock body 2a to the other side of the mirror symmetry along its section, and vice versa, that is, the discs 21 of the first lock body 2a and the second lock body 2b are placed on the same plane, the semicircular column 22 of the first lock body 2a is located on one side of its disc 21, and the semicircular column 22 of the second lock body 2b is located on the other side of its disc 21. The semicircular column 22 of the first lock body 2a and the semicircular column 22 of the second lock body 2b are both axially symmetrical in top view and side view. In order to make the shape of the two lock bodies 2a and 2b clearer, it is explained from the perspective of the two lock bodies being spliced ​​to form a lock core. When the lock core is closed to the minimum length in the axial direction, the two cutout grooves 221 of the lock core are arranged oppositely, and the two mid-position grooves 222 are aligned in the radial direction and connected to each other.

[0038] The two latches 12 are arranged opposite to each other in the cylindrical through hole 11 so as to move into the two cutout grooves 221 or the two middle grooves 222 of the lock core. When the two latches 12 move into the corresponding cutout grooves 221, the lock core is in a variable length state; when the two latches 12 move into the corresponding middle grooves 222, the lock core is in a length locked state. It should be understood that in order to increase the difficulty of unlocking, regardless of whether the lock core is in a variable length state or a length locked state, the cutout groove 221 and the middle groove 222 of the lock core are always blocked by the lock cylinder 1, that is, the length of the lock cylinder 1 should be sufficient to still block the cutout groove 221 and the middle groove 222 of the lock core when the lock core is extended to the maximum length in the axial direction.

[0039] The lock core can be extended to the maximum length or closed to the minimum length in the variable length state. When the two lock bodies 2a and 2b are separated in the axial direction until the latch 12 abuts against the inner blocking portion 225 of the notch 221 where it is located, the lock core is extended to the maximum length; when the two lock bodies 2a and 2b are closed in the axial direction until the latch 12 abuts against the outer blocking portion 224 of the notch 221 where it is located, the lock core is closed to the minimum length. In the process of the user adjusting the position of the lock core, since the two middle slots 222 are arranged oppositely and the two notch slots 221 are arranged oppositely, when one latch 12 is located in one of the middle slots 222, the other latch 12 must be located in the other middle slot 222, and when one latch 12 is located in one of the notch slots 221, the other latch 12 must be located in the other notch slot 221. The lock core can only move axially when the latch 12 moves into the notch slot 221, thereby making the lock core in the variable length state.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present invention, the discs 21 of the two lock bodies 2a and 2b are provided with curved surfaces that arch away from the semicircular pillar 22. When the lock core is extended to the maximum length, the curved surfaces at both ends of the lock core just expose the lock cylinder 1, which is more beautiful. It is also easier to judge whether the lock core has been extended to the maximum length during the unlocking process, which is convenient for users to master the unlocking skills. Further, in order to make the unlocking and locking of the educational toy smoother, the cross section of the latch 12 is triangular, and the shape of the median groove 222 matches the shape of the latch 12, that is, the cross section of the median groove 222 is triangular. It should be understood that the inner blocking portion 225 and the outer blocking portion 224 of the cutout groove 221 are also designed as inclined surfaces that match the latch 12, that is, when the lock core is extended to the maximum length in the axial direction, the latch 12 fits the inclined surface of the inner blocking portion 225, and when the lock core is closed to the minimum length in the axial direction, the latch 12 fits the inclined surface of the outer blocking portion 224.

[0041] The present invention also proposes a locking method for the above-mentioned educational toy, wherein the two lock bodies 2a and 2b are separated from the lock cylinder 1, that is, the educational toy is in an unlocked state, and the locking method comprises the following steps:

[0042] Insert the two lock bodies 2a and 2b into the lock cylinder 1 from both ends of the lock cylinder 1 successively;

[0043] Rotate the two lock bodies 2a and 2b respectively to align the disc 21 of the lock body with the end of the lock cylinder 1. At this time, the latch 12 in the cylindrical through hole 11 moves to its corresponding spiral groove 223;

[0044] The lock cylinder 1 is rotated to make the lock bolt 12 enter the notch groove 221 along the spiral groove 223 , and the two lock bodies 2 a and 2 b are spliced ​​to form a lock core, which is locked in the lock cylinder 1 .

[0045] The present invention also proposes an unlocking method for the above-mentioned educational toy. The two lock bodies 2a and 2b are spliced ​​in the cylindrical through hole 11 to form a lock core, that is, the educational toy is in a locked state. The unlocking method includes the following steps:

[0046] Place the lock cylinder 1 horizontally so that the axis of the lock cylinder 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane;

[0047] The lock cylinder 1 is rotated in the horizontal plane, and the two ends of the lock cylinder 1 rotate around the vertical direction. Under the action of centrifugal force, the two lock bodies 2a and 2b move toward the corresponding ends of the lock cylinder 1, so that the lock core is extended to the maximum length. At this time, the lock bolt 12 abuts against the inner blocking portion 225 of the cutout groove 221 where it is located;

[0048] When the lock core is extended to its maximum length, the lock cylinder 1 is pushed to roll linearly in the horizontal plane along the same direction. If the rolling direction of the lock cylinder 1 is opposite to the direction in which the latch 12 is screwed into the spiral groove 223, during the rolling of the lock cylinder 1, there is a speed difference between the lock body and the lock cylinder 1 due to the action of gravity, so that the latch 12 automatically escapes from the spiral groove 223. After the lock body and the latch 12 are loosened, the lock body will gradually escape from the lock cylinder 1 to achieve unlocking as the lock cylinder 1 continues to roll.

[0049] It should be understood that since the groove structure of the lock core is completely blocked by the lock cylinder 1, the user may not be clear whether the rolling direction of the lock cylinder 1 is correct. If the two lock bodies 2a and 2b cannot escape from the lock cylinder after the lock cylinder 1 rolls linearly in the current direction for a certain distance, it means that the current direction is wrong. Push the lock cylinder 1 in the opposite direction to roll linearly in the horizontal plane until the two lock bodies 2a and 2b are separated from the lock cylinder 1.

[0050] Since there are no structures at both ends of the lock core of the educational toy for people to hold and stretch outward, the unlocking process must first rotate the lock core to a variable length state, then place the lock cylinder 1 horizontally, and then rotate the lock cylinder 1 in the horizontal plane to extend the lock core to the maximum length, and then push the lock cylinder 1 to roll in a straight line in the horizontal plane. Each step of the unlocking process is completely different from the conventional unlocking method, breaking through the inertial thinking of the traditional solution of using a rotating action to operate the unlocking. The unlocking method is ingenious, which increases the unlocking difficulty and stimulates the user's interest in unlocking.

[0051] It should be noted that the terms used above are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0052] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​of the parts and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, method and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, method and equipment should be considered as a part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so that once a certain item is defined in an accompanying drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0053] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0054] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An educational toy, characterized in that: include: A lock cylinder, wherein the lock cylinder is provided with a cylindrical through hole, and the inner wall of the cylindrical through hole is provided with two lock latches of the same height in the axial direction; Two lock bodies, each of which has a disc and a semicircular column coaxially arranged on the disc, the outer side wall of the semicircular column is provided with a cutout groove and a median groove located on one side of the cutout groove, the cutout groove is arranged along the axial direction of the semicircular column, the median groove is arranged along the circumferential direction of the semicircular column and penetrates the cutout groove, the end surface of the semicircular column away from the disc is also provided with a spiral groove connected to the cutout groove, and the spiral groove and the median groove are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the semicircular column; The two lock bodies can be spliced ​​in the cylindrical through hole to form a lock core, the two spiral grooves of the lock core rotate in opposite directions, the lock latch is allowed to move circumferentially along the center groove or axially in the cutout groove, and the lock latch can only be separated from the lock core along the spiral groove; Among them, the other lock body is obtained by transforming the semicircular column of one lock body to the other side which is mirror-symmetrical along its section, and the two lock latches are arranged opposite to each other in the cylindrical through hole so as to move into the two cutout grooves or the two center grooves of the lock core.

2. The educational toy according to claim 1, characterized in that: An outer blocking portion is provided at one end of the cutout groove close to the disc, and an inner blocking portion is provided at one end of the cutout groove away from the disc. The latch is allowed to move axially between the outer blocking portion and the inner blocking portion.

3. The educational toy according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the two lock bolts move into their corresponding cutout grooves, the lock core is in a variable length state; When the two lock bolts move into their respective corresponding middle slots, the lock core is in a length locking state; When the lock core is in the length-variable state or the length-locked state, the cutout groove and the center groove of the lock core are always blocked by the lock cylinder.

4. The educational toy according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lock core can be extended to a maximum length or closed to a minimum length in a variable length state; When the two lock bodies are separated in the axial direction until the lock latch abuts against the inner blocking portion of the notch groove in which it is located, the lock core is extended to the maximum length; When the two lock bodies are axially closed until the lock latch abuts against the outer blocking portion of the cutout groove in which the lock latch is located, the lock core is closed to the minimum length.

5. The educational toy according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lock core is closed to a minimum length in a length locking state, and the middle slots of the two lock bodies are aligned and communicated with each other.

6. The educational toy according to claim 4, characterized in that: The disc of the lock body is provided with a curved surface arched away from the semicircular column, and when the lock core is extended to the maximum length, the curved surfaces at both ends of the lock core just expose the lock cylinder.

7. The educational toy according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The cross section of the lock latch is triangular, and the shape of the center slot matches the shape of the lock latch.

8. A locking method for an educational toy, the locking method being applied to the educational toy according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the two lock bodies are separated from the lock cylinder; characterized in that: The locking method comprises the following steps: Inserting the two lock bodies into the lock cylinder from both ends of the lock cylinder successively; Rotate the lock body to align the disc of the lock body with the end of the lock cylinder, and then the lock latch in the cylindrical through hole moves to its corresponding spiral groove; The lock cylinder is rotated to make the lock bolt enter the cutout groove along the spiral groove, and the two lock bodies are spliced ​​to form the lock core.

9. An unlocking method for an educational toy, the unlocking method being applied to the educational toy according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the two lock bodies are spliced ​​in the cylindrical through hole to form the lock core; characterized in that: The unlocking method comprises the following steps: Place the lock cylinder horizontally so that the axis of the lock cylinder is parallel to the horizontal plane; Rotate the lock cylinder in a horizontal plane to extend the lock core to a maximum length; When the lock core is extended to the maximum length, the lock cylinder is pushed in the same direction to roll linearly in a horizontal plane until the two lock bodies escape from the lock cylinder.

10. The unlocking method according to claim 9, characterized in that: If the two lock bodies cannot escape from the lock cylinder after the lock cylinder rolls linearly for a certain distance in the current direction, the lock cylinder is pushed to roll linearly in the horizontal plane in the opposite direction until the two lock bodies escape from the lock cylinder.

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