Toy blocks

Abstract

To provide a toy block which enables a ball running track toy to be used for playing by small children. [Solution] The rail-shaped block 2 comprises a main body 21 having a ball running path 21e formed on the upper part from one end to the other end, a pair of movable parts 22 arranged at one end and the other end of the main body 21, each having a guide groove 22e formed on the upper part whose base end is continuous with the ball running path 21e of the main body 21 and whose tip is open, and a fitting portion 22h formed on the upper part for connecting to other toy blocks, and a pair of hinge structures 23 that respectively connect the pair of movable parts 22 to the ends of the main body 21 so that they can rotate around an axis AX that intersects with the direction in which the ball running path 21e extends.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toy block. [Background technology]

[0002] The ball running road toy disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be made by a user by assembling multiple types of toy blocks. The multiple types of toy blocks include rail-shaped blocks for making ramps and non-ramp roads, and columnar blocks that are removably connected to both ends of the rail-shaped blocks. The columnar blocks are provided with U-shaped grooves that penetrate in the height direction. The shapes of both ends of the rail-shaped blocks are different. Specifically, one end of the rail-shaped block is configured to block the U-shaped groove when the columnar block is connected, that is, a ball is placed on the rail-shaped block without falling from the columnar block. The other end of the rail-shaped block is configured to open the U-shaped groove when the columnar block is connected, that is, a ball falls from the columnar block. Because of this configuration, the direction in which a ball runs on the rail-shaped block is limited from one end to the other end. Therefore, when a user assembles a ball running road toy from multiple types of toy blocks, it is necessary to consider the direction of the rail-shaped block. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-136663 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The ball track toy, which is made by assembling multiple types of toy blocks, is also intended for young children (defined in the Child Welfare Act as children from 1 year old up to the age of starting elementary school).

[0005] However, the assembly of the ball track toy disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires consideration of the direction of the rail-shaped blocks, so it is difficult for even young children (for example, about 1.5 years old) to assemble it properly. In other words, the ball track toy disclosed in Patent Document 1 is difficult for young children to play with.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a toy block that enables small children to play with a ball track toy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a toy block for combining with another toy block to form a ball runway toy, the toy block comprising: a main body having a ball runway provided on an upper portion from one end to the other end; a pair of movable parts disposed at the one end and the other end of the main body, the pair of movable parts having guide grooves at their upper portions that are continuous with the ball runway of the main body at their base ends and open at their tips, and a coupling part at their lower portions for coupling with the other toy block; and a pair of movable parts arranged to move in a direction in which the ball runway at the end extends relative to the end of the main body. Orthogonal and a pair of hinge structures respectively connected to each other so as to be rotatable about respective axes.

[0008] The movable parts, which are provided with guide grooves continuing to the ball running path, are connected to both ends of the main body by a hinge structure. The movable parts can rotate with respect to the end of the main body around an axis intersecting the direction in which the ball running path extends by the hinge structure. In other words, each of the pair of movable parts can be freely bent with respect to the end of the main body. Therefore, if the pair of movable parts are respectively connected to different toy blocks, the form of the ball running path, that is, the presence or absence of inclination, the direction of inclination, and the inclination angle are automatically determined according to the height positions of the toy blocks, and the user who assembles the ball running path toy does not need to be particularly conscious of the form of the ball running path when connecting the movable parts to other toy blocks. In addition, the user who assembles the ball running path toy does not need to consider the direction of the main body when connecting the movable parts to other toy blocks. As described above, the toy block according to the present invention makes it possible to provide the ball running path toy for play by young children. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The toy block according to the present invention makes it possible for a ball track toy to be used by small children. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a spherical running road toy including rail-shaped blocks according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rail-shaped block according to the first embodiment, as viewed from above. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rail-shaped block according to the first embodiment, as viewed from below. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rail-shaped block according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 4 . [Figure 8]8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4 . [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a posture of a rail-shaped block according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the posture of the rail-shaped block according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a rail-shaped block according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a rail-shaped block according to a second embodiment, as viewed from below. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 12 . [Figure 15] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 12 . [Figure 16] 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 12 . [Figure 17] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in FIG. 12 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] (First embodiment) The spherical running toy 1 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of four rail-shaped blocks 2A-2D, which are an example of toy blocks according to an embodiment of the present invention, and ten columnar blocks 3, which are an example of other toy blocks.

[0013] 2 and 3, the pillar block 3 is an integral structure made of resin, and has a rigidity that does not substantially change its shape. The pillar block 3 has a generally square top wall 3a and four side walls 3b extending from the top wall 3a. The side of the pillar block 3 opposite to the top wall 3a is open. Four cylindrical projections 3c are provided on the upper surface of the top wall 3a. The four cylindrical projections 3c are arranged in a matrix of two rows and two columns with equal pitches in a plan view. A cylindrical portion 3d is provided on the lower surface of the top wall 3a. In addition, four partitions 3e are provided on the lower surface of the top wall 3a, each of which is flat and extends from the cylindrical portion 3d to the side wall 3b. Two ribs 3f are provided on each partition 3e. The lower part of the pillar-shaped block 3 is provided with four fitting parts 3g, each of which has a shape complementary to the cylindrical protrusion 3a, by the inner surfaces of two adjacent side wall parts 3b, the outer surface of the cylindrical part 3d, two adjacent partition parts 3e, and two ribs 3f. The cylindrical protrusions 3a frictionally fit into the fitting parts 3g, so that one pillar-shaped block 3 can be detachably connected to another pillar-shaped block 3 when stacked on top of the other pillar-shaped block 3. Specifically, when one pillar-shaped block 3 is stacked on top of another pillar-shaped block 3, the latter's cylindrical protrusion 3c fits between the two ribs 3f of the fitting part 3g and the cylindrical part 3d of the former.

[0014] In an example of a ball running toy 1 shown in Fig. 1, the leftmost pillar body 4A in the figure is formed by stacking and connecting four pillar blocks 3. Also, the second from the left and the rightmost pillar bodies 4B and 4E in the figure are formed by stacking and connecting two pillar blocks 3. Furthermore, the third and fourth pillar bodies 4C and 4D from the left in the figure are formed of a single pillar block 3.

[0015] In one example of a ball running path toy 1 shown in FIG. 1, adjacent pillars 4A-4E are connected to each other by rail-shaped blocks 2A-2D to form a running path along which a ball B (see FIG. 7) runs from the left end to the right end in the figure.

[0016] The rail-shaped blocks 2A to 2D will be described below. In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the four rail-shaped blocks 2A to 2D, one of them will simply be referred to as a rail block 2.

[0017] Referring to Figures 4 to 6, the rail-shaped block 2 comprises a generally straight main body 21, a pair of movable parts 22 respectively arranged at one end and the other end of the main body 21 in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of hinge structures 23 each rotatably connecting the main body 21 and each of the movable parts 22.

[0018] 4 to 7, the main body 21 is an integral resin structure having a rigidity that does not substantially change its shape. The main body 21 includes a top wall 21a having a generally rectangular or elongated shape as a whole, a pair of end walls 21b extending from both ends of the top wall 21a in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of side walls 21c extending from both ends of the top wall 21a in the width direction. A lattice-shaped rib structure 21d is provided on the lower surface of the top wall 21a.

[0019] 4, 6, and 7, the upper surface of the main body 21 is provided with a ball running path 21e, which is a linear flat surface with a constant width, penetrating from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction. The width of the ball running path 21e is determined by the inner surfaces 21g of a pair of bulging portions 21f provided on both ends of the upper surface of the main body 21 in the width direction. Each bulging portion 21f is linear in a plan view and is provided from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 21. In addition, a pair of plate-shaped side wall portions 21h protruding upward from the outermost width direction of each bulging portion 21f are provided on the upper surface of the main body 21 from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 21.

[0020] 4 to 6 and 8, the movable part 22 is an integral structure made of resin and has a rigidity that does not substantially change its shape. The movable part 22 includes a top wall 22a, a base end wall 22b extending from the main body 21 side of the top wall 22a, i.e., the base end side, a tip wall 22c extending from the side of the top wall 22a opposite to the main body 21, i.e., the tip side, and a pair of side walls 22d extending from both ends in the width direction of the top wall 22a.

[0021] 4, 6, and 8, the upper surface of top wall portion 22a is configured as a downwardly convex curved surface, whereby guide groove 22e is provided on the upper surface of top wall portion 22a. The end portion of guide groove 22e on the main body 21 side, i.e., the base end, is continuous with sphere running path 21e of main body 21, while the end portion opposite the base end, i.e., the tip end, is open.

[0022] 5, a partition portion 22f, which is flat and extends between the base end wall portion 22b and the tip end wall portion 22c, is provided at the center of the width direction on the lower surface of the top wall portion 22a. Ribs 22g are provided on the inner surfaces of the base end wall portion 22b, the inner surface of the tip end wall portion 22c, the inner surface of the side wall portion 22d, and both sides of the partition portion 22f. Two fitting portions 22h, each having a shape complementary to the cylindrical protrusion 3a of the columnar block 3, are provided at the lower portion of the movable part 22 by four ribs 22g. The cylindrical protrusion 3a of the columnar block 3 frictionally fits into the fitting portions 3g, so that the movable part 22 of the rail-shaped block 2 and the columnar block 3 can be removably coupled to each other in a stacked state.

[0023] 4 to 6 and 9, the hinge structures 23 are provided at one and the other ends of the main body 21. Each hinge structure 23 includes a pair of short cylindrical projections 23a projecting in the width direction at the end of the main body 21, and a pair of bearing holes 23b each having a circular cross-sectional through hole provided at the end of the side wall portion 22d of the movable part 22 on the main body 21 side, i.e., the end on the base end side. The projections 23a are inserted into the bearing holes 23b and supported in a rotatable manner. Therefore, each of the pair of movable parts 22 can rotate with respect to the end of the main body 21 around an axis AX extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the ball running path 21e extends at the end of the main body 21 by the hinge structure 23. In other words, each of the pair of movable parts 22 can be folded upward or downward with respect to the end of the main body 21, and the folding angle is not particularly limited. For example, in Figure 10, the left movable part 22 is bent upward and the right movable part 22 is bent downward relative to the main body 21, while in Figure 11, the left movable part 22 is bent downward and the right movable part is bent upward relative to the main body 21, and the bending angle of each movable part 22 relative to the main body 21 is smaller in Figure 11 than in Figure 10.

[0024] The ball running road toy 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be assembled by, for example, stacking and joining the pillar blocks 3 to make the above-mentioned pillar bodies 4A, 4B, 4E (pillar bodies 4C, 4D are composed of a single pillar block 3), and then connecting the adjacent pillar bodies 4A to 4B with the rail-shaped blocks 2A to 2D. In this case, if the movable part 23 at one end of the rail-shaped block 2A is stacked and joined to the pillar block 3 at the top of the pillar body 4A, and the movable part 23 at the other end is stacked and joined to the pillar block 3 at the top of the pillar body 4B, a ball running road 21e having a downward slope of two pillar blocks 3 in height is obtained. Also, if the movable part 23 at one end of the rail-shaped block 2D is stacked and joined to the pillar block 3 constituting the pillar body 4D, and the movable part 23 at the other end is stacked and joined to the pillar block at the top of the pillar body 4E, a ball running road 21e having an upward slope of one pillar block 3 in height is obtained. Furthermore, by stacking and connecting the movable part 23 at one end of the rail-shaped block 4C to the columnar block 3 that constitutes the columnar body 4C, and stacking and connecting the movable part 23 at the other end to the columnar block 3 that constitutes the columnar body 4D, a horizontal or non-inclined ball running path 21e is obtained.

[0025] In this way, if a pair of movable parts 22 provided on the rail-shaped block 4 are respectively connected to different pillar-shaped blocks 3, the form of the ball running path 21e, that is, the presence or absence of inclination, the direction of inclination, and the inclination angle are automatically determined according to the height position of the pillar-shaped blocks 3, and the user who assembles the ball running path toy 1 does not need to be particularly aware of the form of the ball running path 21e when connecting the movable parts 22 of the rail-shaped block 2 to the pillar-shaped block 3. In addition, the user who assembles the ball running path toy 1 does not need to consider the direction of the main body 21 when connecting the movable parts 22 of the rail-shaped block 2 to the pillar-shaped block 3. As described above, the rail-shaped block 2 of this embodiment makes it possible for the ball running path toy 1 to be played with by young children.

[0026] A sphere B traveling from the upstream side to the rail-shaped block 2 of this embodiment first travels along the guide groove 22c of the movable part 22 at one end of the rail-shaped block 2 from the tip end to the base end of the movable part 22, and enters the sphere travel path 21e of the main body 21. After passing through the sphere travel path 21e, the sphere B travels along the guide groove 22c of the movable part 22 at the other end from the base end side to the tip end side, and exits downstream.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the width of the ball running path 21e (which is composed of a flat surface as described above) of the main body 21 is set so that the ball B can be placed on it. Specifically, the interval between the inner surfaces 21g of the pair of bulging parts 21f is set so that the ball B can be placed on the ball running path 21e without contacting both the inner surfaces 21g of the pair of bulging parts 21f at the same time. Therefore, the running of the ball B on the ball running path 21e may include both the rolling (spinning) of the ball B itself and the sliding of the ball B against the surface constituting the ball running path 21e. The width of the guide groove 22e of the movable part 22 is also set so that the ball B can be placed on it, similar to the ball running path 21e. Therefore, the running of the ball B on the guide groove 21 may include both the rolling and sliding of the ball B.

[0028] Second embodiment 12 to 17 show a rail-shaped block 2, which is a toy block according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. Furthermore, points that are not specifically mentioned in the following description are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0029] 14, the ball running path 21e of the main body 21 of the rail-shaped block 2 of this embodiment is configured by a pair of side wall portions 21h facing each other in the width direction. Specifically, the interval between the pair of side wall portions 21h is set so that the ball B is supported in a suspended state by placing the facing ends of the ball B thereon.

[0030] 12 and 15, the main body 21 has transition portions 22j at both ends. A downwardly protruding guide groove 22i is provided on the upper surface of the transition portion 22j. The guide groove 22i has a downward inclination toward the movable part 22. The width of the guide groove 22i is set so that the sphere B can be placed on the guide groove 22i.

[0031] 12, 13 and 17, the protrusion 23a of the hinge structure 23 is provided on the transition portion 22j.

[0032] The sphere B that has traveled from the upstream side onto the rail-shaped block 2 of this embodiment first travels along the guide groove 22c of the movable part 22 at one end of the rail-shaped block 2 from the tip to the base end of the movable part 22, and enters the guide groove 22i provided in one transition portion 22j of the main body 21. The travel of the sphere B on the guide groove 22i may include both rolling and sliding.

[0033] Next, the ball B enters the ball running path 21e of the main body 21 from the guide groove 22i of the transition portion 22j. In the ball running path 21e in the first embodiment (see, for example, FIG. 7), the running of the ball B can include both rolling and sliding. In contrast, the ball running path 21e in the present embodiment is composed of a pair of side wall portions 21h that support the ball B in midair, so that the running of the ball B in the ball running path 21e is substantially only due to the rolling (rotation) of the ball B. Therefore, the number of rotations of the ball B when running on the ball conveying path 21e in this embodiment is significantly higher than that in the first embodiment. By using both the rail-shaped block 3 of the first embodiment and the rail-shaped block 3 of this embodiment in one ball running path toy 1, it is possible to provide diversity in the running form of the ball B.

[0034] The ball B falls from the ball running path 21e into the guide groove 22i of the transition portion 22j, and then travels downstream through the guide groove 22e of the movable portion 22 at the other end.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the ball running path 21e may be partially or completely curved in a plan view, and may have a non-linear shape such as a meandering shape. The hinge structure 23 may have a bearing hole 23b in the main body 21 and a protrusion 23a in the movable part 22. The bearing hole 23b may not be a through hole, but may be a bottomed hole. The rail-shaped block 2 can be used in combination with a toy block other than the columnar block 3 as long as it can be removably connected. For example, the ball running path toy 1 may be an assembly of the rail-shaped block 2, the columnar block 3, and other toy blocks. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Ball track toy 2,2A~2D Rail-shaped blocks (toy blocks) 3. Pillar blocks (other toy blocks) 3a Top wall 3b Side wall part 3c Cylindrical protrusion 3d Cylinder 3e Partition 3f Rib 3g mating part 4A~4E Column 21 Main unit 21a Top wall 21b End wall 21c Side wall part 21d rib construction 21e Spherical track 21f bulge 21g inner surface 21h Side wall part 22 Moving parts 22a Top wall 22b Proximal wall 22c Tip wall 22d Side wall part 22e Guide groove 22f Partition 22g Rib 22h Mating part 22i Guide groove 22j transition section 23 Hinge structure 23a protrusion 23b Bearing hole

Claims

1. A toy block for combining with other toy blocks to form a ball track toy, A body having a ball running path provided on the upper portion from one end to the other end; a pair of movable parts respectively disposed at the one end and the other end of the main body, the pair having guide grooves at their upper portions, the base ends of the guide grooves being continuous with the ball running path of the main body and the tip ends being open, and a coupling portion for coupling the other toy block at their lower portions; a pair of hinge structures that respectively connect the pair of movable parts to the end portions of the main body so as to be rotatable about axes perpendicular to a direction in which the ball running path at the end portions extends; A toy block comprising:

2. The hinge structure includes: a protrusion on one of the end of the body and the movable part; a bearing hole provided on one of the end portion of the body and the movable part, into which the protrusion is rotatably inserted; The toy block of claim 1 .

3. The toy block according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball running path of the main body is formed of a surface on which a ball is placed.

4. 3. The toy block according to claim 1, wherein the ball running path of the main body is constituted by a pair of walls that suspend and support the ball.

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