Magnetic building block and building block cluster

Abstract

A magnetic building block comprises a building block main body 1, an upper cover 2, a lower cover 3, and magnetic attraction elements 4; the building block main body is provided with two opposite open

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of magnetic building blocks, and in particular to a magnetic building block and a building block cluster with a novel structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] Early building blocks were primarily made of wood or plastic and were combined through simple splicing methods, thereby resulting in a relatively monotonous play experience. With the development of magnetic material technology, magnetic building blocks have gradually emerged, and adsorption properties of magnets make splicing of building blocks more convenient and diverse. The U.S. patent US11766622B1 discloses a magnetic building block, a plurality of mounting slots are formed on a main body of a magnetic building block toy, and magnetic blocks are mounted inside the mounting slots, such that magnetic building blocks can be stacked in various ways. However, the magnetic blocks are generally placed inside the mounting slots for the magnetic building blocks of the prior art, and the mounting slots are covered with cover plates, such that the magnetic blocks are limited in the mounting slots. The defects of the prior art lie in that the magnetic blocks are easily displaced or shaken inside the mounting slots, which affects alignment of the building blocks during stacking, as well as play experience. On this basis, it is necessary to provide a magnetic building block with a more stable internal structure. SUMMARY

[0003] In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a magnetic building block and a building block cluster, with an aim to solve the technical problem of the prior art that an active space between a magnetic block and a building block main body affects play experience.

[0004] To achieve the above objective, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] In a first aspect, a magnetic building block is provided in an example of the present disclosure, including: a building block main body, an upper cover, and magnetic attraction elements, where the building block main body is provided with an opening, the upper cover is connected to the opening, the building block main body is further provided with a plurality of mounting slots, a connecting portion is arranged inside each of the mounting slots, and the magnetic attraction elements are arranged inside the mounting slots and snap-fitted with the connecting portions.

[0006] Each of the connecting portions is a snap-fit column that protrudes from a bottom of the corresponding mounting slot, and the magnetic attraction element is provided with a connecting hole corresponding to the snap-fit column; or

[0007] the connecting portion is a connecting hole concavely formed at the bottom of the mounting slot, and the magnetic attraction element is provided with the snap-fit column corresponding to the connecting hole; or

[0008] the connecting portion is the connecting hole concavely formed at the bottom of the mounting slot, and the magnetic attraction element is snap-fitted into the connecting hole.

[0009] When the connecting portion is the snap-fit column that protrudes from the bottom of the corresponding mounting slot, at least one first reinforcing rib is arranged between a side wall of the snap-fit column and a side wall of the mounting slot.

[0010] The building block main body includes: a cubic housing, a partition extending transversely inside the cubic housing, and a plurality of enclosing side plates that protrude from the partition toward the opening, where the enclosing side plates, the partition and a side wall of the cubic housing together enclose to form the mounting slots with top openings.

[0011] The enclosing side plates are right-angle side plates, and the right-angle side plates and comers of the cubic housing together enclose to form the cubic mounting slots.

[0012] The number of the mounting slots is four, and the four mounting slots are distributed at four comers of the cubic housing.

[0013] A second reinforcing rib is arranged between every two mounting slots that are distributed diagonally in a rectangle shape, and both ends of the second reinforcing rib are connected to rightangle edges of the diagonal right-angle side plate.

[0014] The partition is further provided with a plurality of connecting columns, the connecting columns are arranged in a way of extending from the partition toward the opening, and the upper cover is provided with connecting rods corresponding to the connecting columns, where the connecting rods are inserted into the connecting columns.

[0015] The building block main body is further provided with an alignment opening opposite to the opening, a lower cover is arranged on the alignment opening, and a side of the partition facing the alignment opening is further provided with a structure symmetrical to a side of the partition facing the opening.

[0016] In a second aspect, in an example of the present disclosure, there is provided a building block cluster, and the building block cluster includes a plurality of the magnetic building blocks as described in any of the preceding examples, where the plurality of the magnetic building blocks are magnetically connected to each other.

[0017] For the magnetic building blocks and the building block cluster of this example, different snap-fit structures are arranged between the magnetic attraction elements and the mounting slots, which ensures that the magnetic attraction elements can be stably and reliably connected to the mounting slots, thereby avoiding affecting building block stacking and play experience caused by shaking of the magnetic attraction elements. The cluster of the magnetic building blocks ensures quick alignment and magnetic connection of each building block during play, enhancing the play experience.

[0018] The above description is merely a summary of the technical solution of the present disclosure. In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical means of the present disclosure, the content of the specification may be referred to for implementation. To make the above and other objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure apparent and understandable, the following preferred examples are detailed as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of a magnetic building block according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a magnetic building block according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a magnetic attraction element and a building block main body of a magnetic building block in a mounting state according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a building block main body of a magnetic building block according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a lower cover of a magnetic building block according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a side view of a magnetic building block according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a C-C sectional view shown in FIG. 6.

[0026] FIG. 8 is a D-D sectional view shown in FIG. 6.

[0027] FIG. 9 is a F-F sectional view shown in FIG. 6.

[0028] Reference numerals in the figures:

[0029] magnetic building block 100, building block main body 1, cubic housing 11, mounting slot 12, connecting column 13, partition 14, second reinforcing rib 15, enclosing side plate 16, connecting portion 17, first reinforcing rib 18, opening 110, alignment opening 111, upper cover 2, lower cover 3, cover plate body 31, snap-fit column 32, and reinforcing portion 33. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0030] In order to make objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] The technical solutions in the examples of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the accompanying drawings in the examples of the present disclosure. Apparently, the examples described are merely some rather than all of the examples of the present disclosure. Based on the examples of the present disclosure, all other examples obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] In the description of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the terms “central”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, etc. indicate azimuthal or positional relations based on those shown in the accompanying drawings only for ease of description of the present disclosure and for simplicity of description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation and be constructed and operative in a particular orientation, and thus may not be interpreted as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0033] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are merely for the purpose of description, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of’ means two or more, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0034] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the terms “mounting”, “connecting”, “connection”, “fixing”, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, for example, they may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; may be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection via an intermediate medium; and may be communication inside two elements, or an interactive relation between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the terms described above in the present disclosure may be interpreted according to specific circumstances.

[0035] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly stated and defined, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact or that the first and second features being not in direct contact but being in contact by means of additional features between the first and second features. In addition, the first feature being "over", "above" and "on the top of' the second feature includes that the first feature is over and above the second feature, or simply means that the level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "at the bottom of the second feature includes that the first feature is under and below the second feature, or simply means that the level of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0036] In the description of the present description, the description of reference terms such as “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “example”, “specific example” or “some examples” means that specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present description, the schematic description of the above terms should not be construed as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0037] Early building blocks were primarily made of wood or plastic and were combined through simple splicing methods, resulting in a relatively monotonous play experience. With the development of magnetic material technology, magnetic building blocks have gradually emerged, and adsorption properties of magnets make splicing of building blocks more convenient and diverse. In the prior art, a plurality of mounting slots are formed on a main body of a magnetic building block toy, and magnetic blocks are mounted inside the mounting slots, such that magnetic building blocks can be stacked in various ways. However, the magnetic blocks are generally placed inside the mounting slots for the magnetic building blocks of the prior art, and the mounting slots are covered with cover plates, such that the magnetic blocks are limited in the mounting slots. The defects of method of the prior art lie in that the magnetic blocks are easily displaced or shaken inside the mounting slots, which affects alignment of the building blocks during stacking, as well as play experience. On this basis, it is necessary to provide a magnetic building block design with a more stable internal structure. In order to solve the above problems, a magnetic building block 100 is disclosed in this example.

[0038] With reference to FIGs. 1-9, a magnetic building block 100 is disclosed in this example, and includes: a building block main body 1, an upper cover 2, and magnetic attraction elements 4, where the building block main body 1 is provided with an opening 110, the upper cover 2 is connected to the opening 110, the building block main body 1 is further provided with a plurality of mounting slots 12, a connecting portion 17 is arranged inside each of the mounting slots 12, and the magnetic attraction elements 4 are arranged inside the mounting slots 12 and snap-fitted with the connecting portions 17.

[0039] In the magnetic building block 100 of this example, the magnetic attraction elements 4 are fixedly connected to the building block main body 1 in a snap-fit manner, thereby avoiding the shaking problem caused by simply placing the magnetic attraction elements 4 in the mounting slots 12. Fixed connection enables more accurate splicing and alignment of different magnetic building blocks, such that better user experience is available.

[0040] Specifically, with reference to FIG. 4, each of the connecting portions 17 is a snap-fit column that protrudes from a bottom of the corresponding mounting slot 12, and the magnetic attraction element 4 is provided with a connecting hole corresponding to the snap-fit column (not shown in the figure); or

[0041] the connecting portion 17 is a connecting hole concavely formed at the bottom of the mounting slot 12, and the magnetic attraction element 4 is provided with the snap-fit column corresponding to the connecting hole; or

[0042] the connecting portion 17 is the connecting hole concavely formed at the bottom of the mounting slot 12, and the magnetic attraction element 4 is snap-fitted into the connecting hole.

[0043] That is, in this example, a fixed connection between the magnetic attraction element 4 and the mounting slot 12 includes an inserted connection between a connecting column and the connecting hole, and further includes a direct snap-fit connection of the magnetic attraction element 4 with the connecting hole at the bottom of the mounting slot 12. It should be understood that in other examples, the fixed connection between the magnetic attraction element 4 and the building block main body 1 can also be achieved through other connection structures, with am aim to fixedly connect the magnetic attraction element 4 to the mounting slot 12 to prevent movement or shaking thereof.

[0044] When the connecting portion 17 is the snap-fit column that protrudes from the bottom of the corresponding mounting slot 12, at least one first reinforcing rib 18 is arranged between a side wall of the snap-fit column and a side wall of the mounting slot 12. That is, as shown FIG. 4 of this example, the snap-fit column extends vertically, the magnetic attraction element 4 is provided with a corresponding snap-fit hole, and during assembly, the magnetic attraction element 4 is directly inserted into the snap-fit column, such that simple and fast assembly can be achieved.

[0045] When the magnetic building block 100 is smaller in size, an internal structure thereof is also thinner, and the snap-fit column is also smaller in size. In this case, a strength thereof is not high, and therefore, the first reinforcing rib 18 is added between the side wall of the snap-fit column and a wall of the mounting slot 12 to compensate for the defect of strength deficiency caused by the size factor.

[0046] With reference to FIGs. 3 and 4 again, the building block main body 1 includes: a cubic housing 11, a partition 14 extending transversely inside the cubic housing 11, and a plurality of enclosing side plates 16 that protrude from the partition 14 toward the opening 110, where the enclosing side plates 16, the partition 14 and a side wall of the cubic housing 11 together enclose to form the mounting slots 12 with top openings. The number of the enclosing side plates 16 is the same as the number of the magnetic attraction elements 4, and the building block main body 1 is designed to have the hollow cubic housing 11, the partition 14 inside a cavity, and the enclosing side plates 16 protruding from a surface of the partition 14, which not only reduces a weight of the magnetic building block 100, but also reduces material consumption, thereby being lightweight and cost-effective.

[0047] The enclosing side plates 16 are right-angle side plates, and the right-angle side plates and comers of the cubic housing 11 together enclose to form the cubic mounting slots 12. A bottom edge of each of the right-angle side plates is connected to the partition 14, two outer side edges thereof are connected to two adjacent side walls of the cubic housing 11, and the right-angle side plates are connected perpendicularly to the side walls of the cubic housing 11, such that the rightangle side plates, the side plates of the cubic housing 11, and the partition 14 together enclose to form the mounting slots 12 with the top openings, where the connecting portions 17 are vertically arranged in middles of the bottoms of the mounting slots 12.

[0048] In this example, the cubic housing 11 can be rectangular or square. In other examples, the cubic housing 11 can also be a hollow housing of any other shape, such as a cylindrical housing, a conical housing, a prismatic housing, or a pyramidal housing.

[0049] The number of the mounting slots 12 is four, the four mounting slots 12 are distributed at four comers of the cubic housing 11, the four mounting slots 12 are correspondingly formed in a way of enclosing, and the magnetic attraction element 4 is arranged in each of the mounting slots 12.

[0050] To improve support strength of an internal structure of a single magnetic building block 100, a second reinforcing rib 15 is arranged between every two mounting slots 12 that are distributed diagonally in a rectangle shape, and both ends of the second reinforcing rib 15 are connected to right-angle edges of the diagonal right-angle side plate. As shown in FIG. 4, the cubic housing 11 is square in shape, the second reinforcing rib 15 is arranged between the mounting slots 12 located at diagonally opposite positions, the second reinforcing rib 15 is of a rib structure that protrudes from the surface of the partition 14, and the second reinforcing rib 15 can enhance the support strength of the enclosing side plate 16. Further, the first reinforcing rib 18 is also of the rib structure that protrudes from the surface of the partition 14, and the second reinforcing rib 15 and the first reinforcing rib 18 form a linear structure that roughly coincides with a cross-sectional diagonal of the building block main body 1. This design further enhances the support strength between the enclosing side plate 16, the cubic housing 11, and the connecting portion 17.

[0051] The partition 14 is further provided with a plurality of connecting columns 13, the connecting columns 13 are arranged in a way of extending from the partition 14 toward the opening 110, each of the connecting columns 13 is provided with a connecting hole 131, and the upper cover 2 is provided with connecting rods corresponding to the connecting columns 13, where the connecting rods are inserted into the connecting columns. The connecting column 13 is located on an outer side of the enclosing side plate 16, and specifically located between two adjacent enclosing side plates 16.

[0052] With reference to FIGs. 1-9, in this example, the building block main body 1 is further provided with an alignment opening 111 opposite to the opening 110, a lower cover 3 is arranged on the alignment opening 111, and a side of the partition 14 facing the alignment opening 111 is further provided with a structure symmetrical to a side of the partition 14 facing the opening 110. For details, refer to FIGs. 7 and 8, which are sectional views of the magnetic building block 100 at different longitudinal positions. To facilitate injection molding and ensure the internal support strength, a cavity of the cubic housing 11 is divided into two cavities by the partition 14, the two separated cavities form closed spaces together with the upper cover 2 and the lower cover 3, respectively, and structures for internal connections of the cavities with the upper cover 2 and the lower cover 3 are the same. When the partition 14 is located at a longitudinal middle position of the cubic housing 11, connection mechanisms on both sides are symmetrical. Of course, it can be understood that when the partition 14 is not located at the longitudinal middle position of the cubic housing 11, structures on both sides thereof used for connecting the upper cover 2 or the lower cover 3 and the magnetic attraction element 4 are basically the same, and the only difference therebetween lies in that a length (or height) of a corresponding structure extending longitudinally is slightly different, which does not affect an overall structure of the magnetic building block 100.

[0053] With reference to FIG. 5 again, the upper cover 2 and the lower cover 3 of this example have the same structure. Taking the lower cover 3 as an example, the lower cover 3 includes: a cover plate body 31 that can be arranged on the alignment opening 111 in an embedded manner, and plug-in columns 32 that protrude vertically from one surface of the cover plate body 31, where the number of the plug-in columns 32 is the same as the number of the connecting columns 13 inside the building block main body 1. Protruding reinforcing portions 33 are further arranged at bottom edges of the plug-in columns 32, and each of the protruding reinforcing portions 33 is of a rectangular block structure that protrudes from the surface of the cover plate body 31 to enhance the strength of the plug-in column 32.

[0054] In an example of the present disclosure, there is provided a building block cluster, and the building block cluster includes a plurality of the magnetic building blocks 100 as described in any of the preceding examples, where the plurality of the magnetic building blocks 100 are magnetically connected to each other.

[0055] For the magnetic building blocks and the building block cluster of this example, different snap-fit structures are arranged between the magnetic attraction elements and the mounting slots, which ensures that the magnetic attraction elements can be stably and reliably connected to the mounting slots, thereby avoiding affecting building block stacking and play experience caused by shaking of the magnetic attraction elements. In the cluster of the magnetic building blocks, the magnetic attraction elements are uniform in positions, thereby ensuring quick alignment and magnetic connection of each building block during play, and enhancing the play experience.

[0056] The above examples are only intended to further illustrate the technical content of the present disclosure and facilitate understanding by the readers, but it does not mean that the embodiments of the present disclosure are only limited thereto. Any technical extension or recreation made based on the present disclosure falls within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be governed by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic building block, comprising a building block main body, an upper cover, a lower cover, and magnetic attraction elements;the building block main body is provided with two opposite openings, and the upper cover and the lower cover are connected to one of the two openings, respectively;the building block main body comprises: a cubic housing, a partition extending transversely inside the cubic housing, and a plurality of enclosing side plates that protrude from both surfaces of the partition toward the opening, wherein the enclosing side plates, the partition and a side wall of the cubic housing together enclose to form mounting slots with top openings;a connecting portion is arranged inside each of the mounting slots, and the magnetic attraction elements are arranged inside the mounting slots and snap-fitted with the connecting portions; anda plurality of connecting columns are arranged on the both surfaces of the partition respectively, and the upper cover and the lower cover are provided with connecting rods corresponding to the connecting columns, wherein the connecting rods are inserted into the connecting columns.

2. The magnetic building block according to claim 1, wherein each of the connecting portions is a snap-fit column that protrudes from a bottom of the corresponding mounting slot, and the magnetic attraction element is provided with a connecting hole corresponding to the snap-fit column; orthe connecting portion is a connecting hole concavely formed at the bottom of the mounting slot, and the magnetic attraction element is provided with the snap-fit column corresponding to the connecting hole; orthe connecting portion is the connecting hole concavely formed at the bottom of the mounting slot, and the magnetic attraction element is snap-fitted into the connecting hole.

3. The magnetic building block according to claim 2, wherein when the connecting portion is the snap-fit column that protrudes from the bottom of the corresponding mounting slot, at least one first reinforcing rib is arranged between a side wall of the snap-fit column and a side wall of the mounting slot.

4. The magnetic building block according to claim 1, wherein the cubic housing is square in shape.

5. The magnetic building block according to claim 4, wherein the enclosing side plates are right-angle side plates, and the right-angle side plates and comers of the cubic housing togetherenclose to form the cubic mounting slots.

6. The magnetic building block according to claim 5, wherein the number of the mounting slots is four, and the four mounting slots are distributed at four comers of the cubic housing.

7. The magnetic building block according to claim 6, wherein a second reinforcing rib is arranged between every two mounting slots that are distributed diagonally in a rectangle shape, and both ends of the second reinforcing rib are connected to right-angle edges of the diagonal right-angle side plate.

8. The magnetic building block according to claim 4, wherein the connecting columns are arranged in a way of extending from the partition toward the opening.

9. A building block cluster, wherein the building block cluster comprises a plurality of the magnetic building blocks according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the magnetic building blocks are magnetically connected to each other.

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