Toy building block and building block set, building block system and modular construction system comprising a toy building block

Abstract

The invention relates to a toy building block for being plugged together with another toy building block. The toy building block comprises: an upper face that can be divided into flush adjacent first trapezoids when viewed from above, each first trapezoid corresponding to one half of a regular first hexagon; a lower face; and a plurality of side faces. A slot structure is provided on the lower face. For at least one, in particular for each, of the first trapeziums, exactly one projection assigned to this first trapezium projects from the upper face. When viewed from above, said projection has an outer contour of which the circumcircle diameter is smaller than the inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon. The invention also relates to a building block set, to a building block system and to a modular construction system.

Description

[0001] Toy building block as well as building block set, building block system and component system with a toy building block

[0002] The present invention relates to a toy building block, a building block set, a building block system and a component system.

[0003] Toy building blocks are known that are designed to be interlocked. This allows a user to construct various structures from many toy building blocks. Typically, interlocked toy building blocks are held together by clamping joints formed by the interlocking toy blocks. Therefore, such toy building blocks can also be referred to as "interlocking blocks."

[0004] Common toy building blocks, such as those known from GB 866 557 A, comprise a rectangular top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and four side surfaces, each extending from the top surface to the bottom. Several circular-cylindrical projections protrude vertically from the top surface, arranged in a square grid when viewed from above. Slots are provided on the bottom surface for each circular-cylindrical projection, allowing the interlocking building block to be placed on top of another, identical interlocking building block.

[0005] Due to the rectangular top surface and square grid of these toy blocks, they can only be stacked or joined together at four relative angles: 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° when viewed from above. This limits the user's options for constructing larger structures from the toy blocks.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to give a user as much freedom as possible when constructing objects from toy building blocks.

[0007] To achieve this object, the invention provides a toy building block, a building block set, a building block system and a component system according to the following aspects and according to the appended claims.

[0008] According to a first aspect, a toy building block is provided for plugging together with at least one other toy building block. The toy building block comprises an upper side which is shaped such that, in a plan view of the toy building block, it can be divided into two or more flush, adjacent, equally sized first trapezoids, wherein each first trapezoid corresponds to one half of a regular first hexagon. The toy building block further comprises a lower side opposite the upper side. The toy building block comprises a plurality of side surfaces, each extending from the upper side to the lower side, wherein at least one plug-in structure is provided on the lower side. For at least one, in particular for each, of the first trapezoids, precisely one projection associated with this first trapezoid protrudes from the upper side.In plan view, this projection has an outer contour whose circumcircle diameter is smaller than the inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon.

[0009] The toy building block is designed for manual handling, especially for manual assembly with other toy building blocks. The toy building block can be designed as a clamping block. The toy building block can be made small or large depending on the age of the user and the intended purpose. The toy building block can have a minimum width, minimum height, and / or minimum length of a few millimeters up to several decimetres.

[0010] The upper side can be planar and in particular continuous or uninterrupted. The upper side can be manufactured in one piece with the side surfaces and / or with the at least one projection. The upper side is in particular shaped such that, in a plan view of the toy building block, it can be completely divided into two or more equally sized first trapezoids lying flush next to one another. Dividing the upper side means, in particular, a virtual subdivision. The individual trapezoids are therefore not to be understood as separate physical components of the toy building block. In other words, the upper side can be formed in one piece and / or, in a plan view, by the two or more first trapezoids. The first regular hexagon can be virtually divided into two mirror-symmetrical halves, wherein the mirror line intersects two opposite corners of the hexagon. Such a half corresponds in particular to the first trapezoid.

[0011] The top side of the toy building block is in particular parallel to the bottom side. The bottom side of the toy building block can be open. The toy building block can be substantially pot-shaped, with the bottom side of the toy building block corresponding to the opening of the pot. One or more, in particular all, side surfaces can each be planar. One or more, in particular all, side surfaces can run obliquely, in particular orthogonally, to the top side and / or the bottom side. For example, each side surface of the toy building block is planar and runs orthogonally between its top side and its bottom side. Each side surface in particular adjoins at least or exactly one outer edge of the top side. The side surfaces can form a (e.g. vertical) prism together with the top side of the toy building block. The side surfaces can have the same height (e.g. measured between the top side and the bottom).

[0012] Unless otherwise stated, when reference is made herein to the "protrusion" in the singular, this refers to at least one of the protrusions protruding from the top side of the toy building block, in particular each protrusion of a pair of protrusions, preferably each protrusion of the toy building block. Thus, several or all of these protrusions may have corresponding features. The same applies analogously to the term "protrusion pair," which may refer to a single, several, or all pairs of protrusions. This also applies to the terms side protrusion (pair), slot (pair), and side slot (pair).

[0013] The slot structure can be designed to accommodate at least part of a projection or pair of projections, a complete pair of projections, at least parts of several projections or pairs of projections, and / or several complete projections or pairs of projections of the further toy building block (e.g., at least in a linearly guiding, form-fitting, frictionally engaging, or clamping manner) when the toy building block is plugged together with another toy building block described herein. In particular, the slot structure is designed such that the toy building block having the slot structure can be clamped onto a projection or pair of projections of another toy building block at (e.g., at least five, exactly six, or even more than six) different orientations, in particular at angles of x*30° or x*60° with x > 0, relative to said projection or pair of projections.In particular, the slot structure is designed such that the toy building block having the slot structure can be clamped onto another toy building block in a plan view at (e.g., two or more) different (e.g., xz) positions relative to a projection or pair of projections of said other toy building block. The slot structure can be designed to be compatible with different types of projections or pairs of projections, whereby the types differ from one another, for example, only in their respective absolute dimensions but not in their respective relative dimensions. The slot structure can be designed to selectively accommodate at least parts of differently sized projections or pairs of projections.

[0014] The slot structure can form or comprise at least one slot and / or at least one pair of slots. The slot can be designed to be complementary to the projection. The slot can serve to receive (e.g., at least linearly guiding, positively locking, frictionally locking, or clamping) a further projection of a further toy building block, wherein the further projection is identical to the projection of the toy building block. For example, on the underside, for at least one, in particular for each, of the first trapezoids of the toy building block, precisely one slot assigned to this first trapezoid is provided. On the underside, a maximum of one slot assigned to this first trapezoid can be provided for at least one of the first trapezoids. Each trapezoid can be assigned a maximum of one such slot. For at least one first trapezoid, a maximum of one projection assigned to this first trapezoid can protrude from the top.Each trapezoid can be assigned a maximum of one such projection. For example, if the top surface can be divided into n first trapezoids, exactly n projections can protrude from the top surface and exactly n slots can be provided on the bottom surface.

[0015] The slot can be arranged (e.g. vertically) below the projection (e.g. in the y-direction). The slot can be arranged (e.g. vertically) below the trapezoid assigned to it, in particular below the projection assigned to the same trapezoid. The slot (e.g. assigned to a first trapezoid) and the projection (e.g. assigned to this first trapezoid) can lie one above the other, in particular in a side view of the toy building block (e.g. in the xy-plane or the zy-plane) and / or be separated by an upper section of the toy building block forming the upper side. The projection assigned to a first trapezoid can, in a plan view of the toy building block (e.g. along the y-axis or on the xz-plane), lie particularly within the slot (e.g. assigned to this first trapezoid). A longitudinal axis of a projection assigned to a first trapezoid can correspond to a longitudinal axis of the slot (e.g.slot assigned to this first trapezoid). The longitudinal axis can intersect a center point of the long base side of the first trapezoid and in particular run perpendicular to the top side and / or parallel to side surfaces of the toy building block (e.g. in the y-direction). If the toy building block has a plurality of slots, these can be arranged in pairs. If the toy building block has a plurality of projections, these can be arranged in pairs. In this case, each pair of slots can be designed to receive a pair of projections of another toy building block. A pair of slots can be designed to receive a pair of projections which have a hexagonal outline. A pair of slots (pair of slots) can be designed to be complementary to a pair of projections (pair of projections).

[0016] The toy building block can comprise slots and / or pairs of slots on its underside for differently sized projections and / or pairs of projections of another toy building block. For example, a pair of slots on the underside of the toy building block is designed to accommodate a pair of projections of another toy building block, whereby this pair of projections differs in dimension from the pair of projections protruding from the top of the toy building block (e.g., is half the size). It is also possible for several pairs of slots to be provided on the underside of the toy building block, nested one inside the other and / or centered on the same plug-in axis, which are designed to accommodate different pairs of projections.

[0017] The projection of the toy building block can protrude perpendicularly from the top side. Outer surfaces of the projection can run perpendicular to the top side and / or perpendicular to the bottom side and / or parallel to one or more side surfaces of the toy building block. In particular, in a plan view (e.g. of the projection and / or of the toy building block and / or of the top side of the toy building block), the projection has an outer contour whose circumferential diameter is smaller than the inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon. In a plan view, the projection can be arranged within the first trapezoid assigned to this projection. In particular, each projection is arranged in a predetermined position relative to the first trapezoid assigned to the respective projection. In other words, the projections can be arranged identically relative to the respective first trapezoids.

[0018] For example, the projection and / or the slot borders a long base side of the first trapezoid assigned to it in plan view. Alternatively or additionally, the projection and / or the slot can be arranged centrally in plan view relative to the long base side of the first trapezoid assigned to it. The projections of the toy building block and / or the centers of the long base sides of the first trapezoids assigned to the projections of the toy building block and / or the longitudinal axes of the projections can be arranged in a regular grid, in particular in a hexagonal grid.

[0019] The outer contour of the projection can be polygonal. In particular, the outer contour of the projection comprises a section formed by the sides of one (e.g., mirror-symmetrical) half of a regular hexagon. The outer surfaces of the projection can form outer surfaces of one (e.g., mirror-symmetrical to the long base side of the trapezoid) half of a vertical prism with a polygonal base. N is preferably an even natural number, for example, N > 4 or N = 8, in particular N > 6 or N = 6. The outer contour of the projection can comprise a section, in particular a convex section, formed by three short sides of a second trapezoid. The second trapezoid can correspond to one half of a second regular hexagon.

[0020] The second trapezoid can be a scaled version of the first trapezoid. The inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon can be a multiple, in particular twice, of the inner circle diameter of the second regular hexagon. The circumcircle diameter of the first regular hexagon can be a multiple, in particular twice, of the circumcircle diameter of the second regular hexagon.

[0021] For example, at least one, in particular each, of the three short sides of the second trapezoid runs parallel to a respective short side of the first trapezoid assigned to this projection. The three short sides of the second trapezoid can each be equidistant from the short side of the first trapezoid running parallel thereto. The second trapezoid can lie entirely within the first trapezoid assigned to the same projection. A center point of the long base sides of a first trapezoid assigned to a projection can correspond to the center point of the long base side of a second trapezoid assigned to this projection. The outer surfaces of different projections can be arranged parallel to one another.

[0022] A minimum distance, a maximum distance or an average distance between facing (e.g. parallel) outer surfaces of adjacent projections of the toy building block may correspond to the inner circle diameter of the second regular hexagon.

[0023] The upper side can be designed such that, in a plan view (e.g. of the toy building block and / or the upper side), it can be divided at least partially, in particular completely or (e.g. essentially) completely, into two or more flush, adjacent first trapezoids whose long base sides run parallel and / or whose long base sides are congruent and / or which form one or more regular first hexagons. The upper side can in particular be designed such that, in a plan view (e.g. partially or completely), it can be divided into two or more flush, adjacent regular first hexagons, each of which comprises two of the first trapezoids. These first hexagons can be arranged in a hexagonal grid. These first hexagons can form a honeycomb structure.

[0024] Some or all of the projections on the toy building block can be arranged in pairs. The toy building block can therefore have one or more pairs of projections. Each pair of projections is in particular assigned to a first regular hexagon, which is formed by the first trapezoids assigned to the two projections of this pair of projections. Such a pair of projections can have an outer contour in plan view that corresponds to the second regular hexagon. The pair of projections can be arranged centered with respect to the first hexagon assigned to this pair. The second hexagon formed by the outer contour of the pair of projections can lie centrally within the first hexagon assigned to this pair of projections.The edges of the second hexagon formed by the outer contour of the pair of projections can run parallel and, in particular, equally spaced from the edges of the first hexagon associated with this pair of projections. The same applies to the slots of the toy building block, which can also be arranged in pairs. In this case, a pair of projections and a pair of slots can be associated with the same first hexagon.

[0025] The projections of a pair of projections can merge seamlessly into one another and / or be formed integrally. A pair of projections can have a continuous upper side, which in particular runs parallel to the upper side of the toy building block. A pair of projections can have a closed outer contour in plan view. Projections assigned to first trapezoids whose long base sides are congruent can merge seamlessly into one another and / or be formed integrally. Projections assigned to the same first hexagon can merge seamlessly into one another and / or be formed integrally. The slots of a pair of slots can merge into one another and in particular form a connected clamping location for a pair of projections.

[0026] For example, the projection protrudes to a height h from the top surface. The top surface of a pair of projections can be spaced from the top surface of the toy building block by a height h. The height of the side surfaces of the toy building block can correspond to a (e.g., integer) multiple, in particular double or six times, the height h. The inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon can correspond to a (e.g., integer) multiple, in particular six times, the height ^.

[0027] For example, the projection is formed with a constant wall thickness. A pair of projections can be sleeve-like or form a sleeve. The projection or a pair of projections can have a recess accessible from above. The recess is arranged centrally, in particular with respect to the projection or the pair of projections. The projection or a pair of projections can have inner surfaces that delimit the recess. The inner surfaces can run orthogonally to the top side of the toy building block and / or parallel to outer surfaces of the projection or the pair of projections.

[0028] The projection, a pair of projections, and / or the sleeve can be rotationally symmetrical or point-symmetrical, at least in sections, in particular completely. The projection, a pair of projections, and / or the sleeve can be rotationally symmetrical or point-symmetrical in plan view. The projection, a pair of projections, and / or the sleeve can be subdivided, in plan view, in particular into several mutually point-symmetrical sections (e.g., triangles or trapezoids), for example, into a number of N point-symmetrical sections. The point or rotational symmetry can be related to the longitudinal axis of the projection, pair of projections, or the sleeve in plan view.

[0029] For example, the projection or a pair of projections or the sleeve has an inner contour in plan view that is a scaled version of the outer contour of this projection or pair of projections. The inner contour can be formed by the recess. The projection or a pair of projections or the sleeve can have an inner contour in plan view that includes a particularly concave section formed by three short sides of a third trapezoid. The third trapezoid corresponds in particular to one half of a third regular hexagon. A pair of projections can have an inner contour in plan view that is formed by one or the third regular hexagon.

[0030] For example, each of the three short sides of the third trapezoid runs parallel to a respective short side of the first trapezoid associated with this projection and / or parallel to a respective short side of the second trapezoid associated with this projection. The sides of the third regular hexagon can run parallel to the sides of the first hexagon associated with the same projection or pair of projections and / or parallel to the sides of the second hexagon associated with the same projection or pair of projections.

[0031] The third trapezoid can be a scaled version of the first and / or second trapezoid assigned to this projection. The inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon can correspond to a (e.g., integer) multiple, in particular four times, of the inner circle diameter of the third regular hexagon. The circumcircle diameter of the first regular hexagon can correspond to a (e.g., integer) multiple, in particular four times, of the circumcircle diameter of the third regular hexagon. The inner circle diameter of the second regular hexagon can correspond to a (e.g., integer) multiple, in particular twice, of the inner circle diameter of the third regular hexagon. The circumcircle diameter of the second regular hexagon can correspond to a (e.g., integer) multiple, in particular twice, of the circumcircle diameter of the third regular hexagon.

[0032] The top side of the toy building block can be spaced from the bottom side of the toy building block by a distance <7. The side surfaces can extend over a distance 6 / . For example, the inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon corresponds to the distance d or a (e.g. integer) multiple, in particular two or three times, of the distance d. For example, the distance d corresponds to a (e.g. integer) multiple, in particular two or three times, of the height h. The toy building block can comprise a functional element. The functional element can be arranged on the top side, on the bottom side, between the top side and the bottom side, and / or on at least one, in particular on two or three, of the side surfaces.

[0033] For example, the functional element comprises or is a side projection that protrudes from at least one of the side surfaces (e.g., vertically). For example, the functional element comprises or is a pair of side projections that protrude from at least one of the side surfaces (e.g., vertically). For example, the functional element comprises or is a side slot that is incorporated into at least one of the side surfaces. For example, the functional element comprises or is a pair of side slots that are incorporated into at least one of the side surfaces. For example, the functional element comprises or is a (e.g., motor-controlled) rotary bearing, a rotary coupling element, a magnet, and / or an electrical component (e.g., a sensor, an electric motor, a processor chip, a light output element, or a sound output element).

[0034] The magnet can protrude from below into a pair of projections on the toy building block. In particular, the magnet can be arranged such that an axis running centrally through the magnetic north and south poles is perpendicular to the top side and / or perpendicular to the bottom side and / or parallel to at least one of the side surfaces of the toy building block. The magnet can be arranged such that it enables magnetic coupling of the toy building block to one or more other toy building blocks.

[0035] The rotary coupling element can protrude from one of the side surfaces. The rotary coupling element extends, for example, substantially parallel to the top and / or bottom of the toy building block. The rotary coupling element can have a flat top side and a parallel, likewise flat bottom side, which are spaced apart by a distance. The following can apply here: p < d, in particular p = i d. The bottom side of the rotary coupling element can be in the same plane as the bottom of the toy building block. Alternatively, the top side of the rotary coupling element can lie in the same plane as the top side of the toy building block. The rotary coupling element is in particular designed such that it can be coupled to a complementary rotary coupling element. The two rotary coupling elements can therefore be rotatably coupled to one another. Building blocks connected in this way via rotary coupling elements can then be rotated by an amount adjusted in height or width.The two parts can be rotated relative to each other along the axis of rotation extending in the y-direction. It is also conceivable for the rotary coupling element to have a recess (e.g., in the y-direction) into which a projection or pair of projections of one or more toy building blocks can be inserted. In particular, the recess can be designed as a circular hole whose inner diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the second regular hexagon.

[0036] The lateral projection can be of the same generic type as or the projection protruding from the upper side. This means that the lateral projection has one or more of the features of the same generic type as those described herein with reference to a projection. In this case, the features of the projection described with reference to the upper side can relate to the lateral surface from which the lateral projection protrudes. In particular, the lateral projection can have an outer and / or inner contour that corresponds to the outer and / or inner contour of or the projection protruding from the upper side. The lateral projection can be of the same shape as or the projection protruding from the upper side. The lateral projection can be a scaled version of or the projection protruding from the upper side.The two side projections of a side projection pair can be configured as described above with respect to the projection pair (e.g., merging into one another). The same applies to the side slot and the slot; the two side slots of a side slot pair can also be configured as described above with respect to the slot pair.

[0037] The side projection and / or the side slot can be rotatably mounted by the pivot bearing. The projection can be rotatably mounted by the pivot bearing. It is also conceivable for the slot to be rotatably mounted by the pivot bearing. The side projection can serve to attach a wheel. The side projection can comprise a circular-cylindrical section that forms an axle for the wheel. The same can apply to the pair of side projections and / or the pair of side slots.

[0038] The toy building block is designed in particular in such a way that it can be connected to at least one other (e.g. generic) toy building block in at least one of the following ways:

[0039] (i) by placing the slot structure (e.g. a slot or pair of slots formed by it) of the toy building block onto a projection or pair of projections of the other toy building block, (ii) by placing the slot structure (e.g. a slot or pair of slots formed by it) of the toy building block onto a side projection or pair of side projections of the other toy building block,

[0040] (iii) by placing the side slot or pair of side slots of the toy building block onto a projection or pair of projections of the other toy building block,

[0041] (iv) by placing the side slot or pair of side slots of the toy building block onto a side projection or pair of side projections of the other toy building block,

[0042] (v) by inserting the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block into a slot structure (e.g. into its slot or pair of slots) of the other toy building block,

[0043] (vi) by inserting the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block into a side slot or pair of side slots of the other toy building block,

[0044] (vii) by inserting the side projection or pair of side projections of the toy building block into a slot structure (e.g. into its slot or pair of slots) of the other toy building block,

[0045] (viii) by inserting the side projection or pair of side projections of the toy building block into a side slot or pair of side slots of the other toy building block,

[0046] (ix) by receiving the projection or pair of projections of the further toy building block in the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block,

[0047] (x) by incorporating the side projection or pair of side projections of the further toy building block into the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block,

[0048] (xi) by receiving the projection or pair of projections of the further toy building block in the side projection or pair of side projections of the toy building block,

[0049] (xii) by incorporating the side projection or pair of side projections of the further toy building block into the side projection or pair of side projections of the toy building block,

[0050] (xiii) by inserting the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block into the projection or pair of projections of the other toy building block,

[0051] (xiv) by inserting the side projection or pair of side projections of the toy building block into the projection or pair of projections of the other toy building block, (xv) by inserting the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block into the side projection or pair of side projections of the other toy building block,

[0052] (xvi) by inserting the side projection or pair of side projections of the toy building block into the side projection or pair of side projections of the other toy building block,

[0053] (xvii) by clamping side surfaces of the further toy building block between adjacent projections or pairs of projections of the toy building block (e.g. between their outer surfaces),

[0054] (xviii) by clamping side surfaces of the toy building block between adjacent projections or pairs of projections of the other toy building block (e.g. between their outer surfaces),

[0055] (xix) by clamping the top and bottom of the further toy building block between adjacent projections or pairs of projections of the toy building block (e.g. between their outer surfaces),

[0056] (xx) by clamping the top and bottom of the toy building block between adjacent projections or pairs of projections of the other toy building block (e.g., between their outer surfaces). In some of these cases, the toy building blocks can be coupled together while maintaining the same construction direction; in others, a change in the construction direction of 90° or 180° can be effected. It is conceivable that in these cases, the toy building blocks can be connected to one another at more than four, for example, six, different relative angles.

[0057] The side slot or pair of side slots of the toy building block can be designed to accommodate at least part of a projection or pair of projections of this additional generic toy building block when the toy building block is plugged together with another generic toy building block, in particular in a detachable, clamping, and / or frictionally engaging manner. In this way, the toy building block and the additional generic toy building block can be plugged together such that their upper sides are inclined to each other, in particular orthogonally. This plugging option essentially corresponds to the above-mentioned case (iii).

[0058] The slot structure provided on the underside, in particular a slot or a pair of slots formed by it, can be designed to receive at least part of a projection or pair of projections of this further generic toy building block, in particular in a detachable, clamping and / or frictionally engaging manner, when the toy building block is plugged together with one or the other generic toy building block. In this way, the toy building block and the further generic toy building block can be plugged together such that their upper sides are oriented in the same direction, in particular upwards. In this case, the further generic toy building block can be coupled to the toy building block in plan view at several (e.g., more than three or more than four, in particular six) different relative angles. This plugging option essentially corresponds to case (i) mentioned above.

[0059] The term "generic toy building block" is to be understood as meaning that this generic toy building block is, in particular, a toy building block according to the first aspect. However, the generic toy building block is not necessarily identical to the toy building block with which it can be assembled. This means that the toy building block and the further generic toy building block can each be a toy building block according to the first aspect, but differ in terms of their features and / or dimensions. For example, the projection of the further generic toy building block has the same outer contour in plan view as the projection of the toy building block.

[0060] The projection or pair of projections, in particular the recess in the pair of projections or in the sleeve, can be designed to receive a projection or pair of projections of this further generic toy building block, in particular in a detachable, clamping and / or frictionally engaged manner, when the toy building block is plugged together with another generic toy building block, wherein the projection or pair of projections of the further generic toy building block, in plan view, in particular has an outer contour that corresponds to an inner contour of the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block. In this way, the toy building block and the further generic toy building block can be plugged together with their upper sides facing each other. This enables, among other things, a change in the construction direction. In this case, too, the further generic toy building block can be selected from several (e.g.more than three or more than four, in particular six) different relative angles to the toy building block. This possibility of fitting together essentially corresponds to case (x) mentioned above. The toy building block can be designed such that mutually facing outer surfaces of adjacent projections or pairs of projections of the toy building block clamp two or more side walls of another generic toy building block when the other generic toy building block is placed on top of the toy building block in order to fit the toy building block together with the other generic toy building block. In this way, the toy building block and the other generic toy building block can be fitted together such that their top sides are oriented in the same direction, in particular upwards. This possibility of fitting together essentially corresponds to case (xvii) mentioned above.In this case, the toy building block can be designed such that, after the toy building block has been plugged together with the other generic toy building block, the top side of the other generic toy building block lies in a plane with the top sides of the various and / or adjacent projections of the toy building block. The toy building block can further be designed such that, after the toy building block has been plugged together with the other generic toy building block, the projection of the other generic toy building block lies centrally between the various projections of the toy building block.

[0061] It is conceivable that one or more or all of the following dimensions differ between the toy building block and the other generic toy building block, for example by the same factor:

[0062] Inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon; inner circle diameter of the second regular hexagon; inner circle diameter of the third regular hexagon; height h of the projection or pair of projections;

[0063] Distance d between top and bottom.

[0064] The inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon of the toy building block can, for example, correspond to a multiple, in particular twice, of the inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon of the further generic toy building block, or vice versa. Alternatively or additionally, the further generic toy building block can be a scaled version of the toy building block. In a top view of the respective toy building block, the outer contours of the upper sides of the toy building block and the further generic toy building block can differ. The total number of projections and / or projection pairs protruding from the upper side can differ between the toy building block and the further generic toy building block.

[0065] According to a second aspect, a set of building blocks is provided.

[0066] In a first variant, the building block set comprises the toy building block according to the first aspect, as well as the generic additional toy building block. The building block set comprises, in particular, two toy building blocks according to the first aspect, which are identical or different from one another and which can be plugged together (e.g., according to one or more of cases (i) to (xx)).

[0067] In a second variant, the building block set comprises a first toy building block and a second toy building block, each having a top side, a bottom side opposite the top side, and a plurality of side surfaces each extending from the top side to the bottom side. At least one first projection or at least one first pair of projections protrudes from the top side of the first toy building block. At least one second projection or at least one second pair of projections protrudes from the top side of the second toy building block.

[0068] In the second variant of the building block set, the first projection or the first pair of projections of the first toy building block is particularly designed to receive the second projection or the second pair of projections of the second toy building block, in particular in a linearly guiding, releasably, positively locking, frictionally locking, and / or clamping manner, when the first toy building block is plugged together with the second toy building block. In this way, the two toy building blocks can be plugged onto one another with their upper sides facing each other, in particular according to case (ix).

[0069] Alternatively or additionally, the first toy building block in the second variant of the building block set can be designed such that mutually facing outer surfaces of adjacent first projections or first pairs of projections of the first toy building block clamp two or more side walls of the second toy building block when the second toy building block (e.g. its underside) is placed on the top side of the first toy building block in order to plug the first toy building block together with the second toy building block. The second toy building block can therefore be clamped between the first projections or the first pairs of projections in order to plug the two toy building blocks together while maintaining the same construction direction, in particular according to case (xvii). In this case, the top side of the second toy building block can lie in a plane with the top sides of the first projections or pairs of projections of the toy building block after plugging together.It is also conceivable that after the first toy building block has been plugged together with the second toy building block, the second projection or the second pair of projections is located in particular centrally between the adjacent first projections or the adjacent first pairs of projections.

[0070] If the first toy building block has a plurality of first projections or a plurality of first projection pairs, these can be arranged in a hexagonal grid. The first projection can have a trapezoidal outer and / or inner contour in plan view. The first projection pair can have a regularly hexagonal outer and / or inner contour in plan view. The same applies to the second toy building block and the second projection or the second projection pair. The first projection and / or the second projection can be designed as described for the projection of the toy building block according to the first aspect. The same applies to the first projection pair and / or the second projection pair.

[0071] In the second variant of the building block set, the second toy building block can be a scaled version of the first toy building block. The first toy building block can have one or more of the features of the toy building block according to the first aspect, in particular a correspondingly designed top side and / or a correspondingly designed bottom side (e.g., with at least one corresponding slot). The same applies to the second toy building block. The first toy building block can correspond to the toy building block according to the first aspect, and the second toy building block can correspond to the (e.g., generic) further toy building block. The second toy building block can also correspond to a toy building block according to the first aspect.

[0072] According to a third aspect, a building block system is provided. The building block system comprises two or more toy building blocks according to the first aspect and / or the building block set according to the second aspect. In the building block system, at least one of the following conditions is met:

[0073] {a} one or more or all of the following dimensions differ between at least two toy building blocks of the building block system (e.g. between the toy building block and the other generic toy building block of the building block set included in the building block set), in particular by the same factor:

[0074] Inner circle diameter of the first regular hexagon; inner circle diameter of the second regular hexagon; inner circle diameter of the third regular hexagon; height h of the projection;

[0075] Distance d between top and bottom;

[0076] {b} at least two toy building blocks of the building block system are scaled versions of each other; and / or

[0077] {c} in a top view of the respective toy building block, the outer contours of the upper sides of at least two toy building blocks of the building block system differ; and / or

[0078] {d} the total number of projections projecting from the top surface differs between at least two toy bricks of the building block system.

[0079] According to a fourth aspect, a building block system is provided. The building block system comprises at least one toy building block according to the first aspect, the building block set according to the second aspect, and / or the building block system according to the third aspect. The building block system further comprises a component designed to be plugged together with at least one toy building block of the building block system.

[0080] The at least one component can comprise a wheel or be a wheel. The wheel and the at least one toy building block can be designed such that the wheel, after being plugged together with the at least one toy building block, is rotatable relative to the at least one toy building block of the component system. After being plugged together, the wheel can be coupled to the at least one toy building block via a pivot bearing of the at least one toy building block or via the axis formed by a lateral projection of the at least one toy building block. The wheel can comprise an interface which is designed, when the wheel is plugged together with the at least one toy building block of the component system, to receive the projection or lateral projection of this at least one toy building block of the component system, in particular in a detachable, clamping and / or frictionally engaged manner.The interface can alternatively be designed to couple, when plugging the wheel together with the at least one toy building block of the component system, to a recess in the projection or side projection of this at least one toy building block of the component system, to the slot structure (e.g. the slot) of this at least one toy building block of the component system or to a side slot of this at least one toy building block of the component system.

[0081] The at least one component can comprise a connecting block or can be a connecting block. The connecting block can be designed like the toy building block, but on the underside, instead of the slot or pair of slots, it can have a further projection or a further pair of projections. The underside of the connecting block can be designed as a substantially flat surface. The further projection or the further pair of projections of the connecting block can protrude vertically from this flat surface (e.g., downwards). The two opposite pairs of projections of the connecting block can be identical in shape and dimension. Two of the toy building blocks described herein can be connected to one another via the connecting block. The connecting block can be designed such that the two toy building blocks to be connected can be coupled to one another in different orientations (e.g.,It is also conceivable that one or both pairs of projections on the connecting block are rotatably mounted, so that the two toy blocks can be connected to each other via the connecting block. Furthermore, a pair of side projections can be provided on one side of the connecting block.

[0082] The at least one component can comprise a coupling block or be a coupling block. The coupling block can comprise several sides with, for example, a hexagonal outline in plan view. The respective side can have an outer contour that corresponds to the first regular hexagon. The sides can be tilted by 60° to one another. For example, side walls arranged at right angles to the side adjoin each side. A pair of projections can be provided on one or more sides. A pair of sockets can be provided on one or more sides. Two or more of the toy building blocks described herein can be connected to one another via the coupling block, in particular with upper sides tilted by 60° to one another.It is understood that the sides of the coupling block can also be tilted at different angles to each other, which in turn can result in different relative positions of the toy blocks connected via the coupling block. One or more of the pairs of projections on the coupling block can also be rotatably mounted. Furthermore, it is conceivable to design the coupling block so that several pairs of projections and / or several pairs of sockets are arranged on one or more sides.

[0083] The at least one component can comprise a capstone or be a capstone. The capstone can have a continuous, smooth surface that forms an upper side of the capstone. The capstone can further comprise a lower side opposite the upper side, as well as a plurality of side surfaces, each extending from an outer edge of the smooth surface to the lower side. A slot structure can be provided on the lower side of the capstone, as described above for the first aspect. For example, a slot is provided on the lower side of the capstone. This slot can be designed to at least partially (e.g., releasably, clampingly, and / or frictionally) receive the projection of the at least one toy building block of the component system when the capstone is plugged together with the at least one toy building block of the component system. The smooth surface can be flat or curved.The smooth surface can be flat and extend at an acute angle relative to at least one of the side surfaces of the capping stone. For example, at least one of the side surfaces of the capping stone has a rectangular outer contour. Alternatively or additionally, at least one edge between one of the side surfaces of the capping stone and the smooth surface can run parallel to the underside of the capping stone.

[0084] In a first variant, the surface of the capstone can be completely divided in plan view into one or more right-angled triangles with interior angles of 90°, 60° and 30°. The hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle should have a length that corresponds to a simple or integer multiple of the circumdiameter of the projection or pair of projections of the toy building block onto which the capstone is to be placed. For example, the surface of the capstone can have an outer contour in plan view that corresponds to a regular triangle, a parallelogram, a rectangle or an isosceles triangle with interior angles of 120°, 30° and 30°. The length(s) of the short outer edge(s) of the outer contour of the surface of the capstone preferably corresponds to a simple or integer multiple of the circumdiameter of the projection or pair of projections.Pair of projections of the toy building block onto which the capping piece is to be placed. In a second variant, the capping piece corresponds to a toy building block according to the first aspect, but without the projection. For example, the smooth surface in a top view of the capping piece can be divided into two or more flush, equally sized first trapezoids, each first trapezoid corresponding to one half of the regular first hexagon of the at least one toy building block of the component system.

[0085] The at least one component can comprise a coupling strip or be a coupling strip. The coupling strip comprises, in particular, an elongated support element and a plurality of pairs of projections projecting upward relative to an upper side of the support element. These pairs of projections can be formed in the same way as the pairs of projections of the toy building block described herein. Each pair of projections can be formed integrally with a connecting element, which is inserted into an opening (e.g., a through-opening) in the support element and optionally projects beyond an underside of the support element. It is conceivable for the connecting element to be rotatably mounted in the through-opening. The support element can be manually reversibly deformable and, in particular, made of rubber or another elastic material. The support element can have a rounded, cornerless, curved and / or curved outer contour in plan view.

[0086] The at least one component can comprise a mat or be a mat. The mat has, for example, at least one through-hole designed to receive the projection of the at least one toy building block of the component system, particularly in a detachable, clamping, and / or frictionally engaging manner, when the mat is plugged together with the at least one toy building block of the component system. The mat can be elastically and / or manually reversibly deformable.

[0087] The at least one component can comprise a rod or be a rod. The rod can be designed to couple, when the rod is plugged together with the at least one toy building block of the building system, to the recess in the projection or side projection of this at least one toy building block of the building system, to the slot of this at least one toy building block of the building system, or to a side slot of this at least one toy building block of the building system. For example, the cross-section of the rod corresponds to a regular hexagon, in particular the third regular hexagon. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, wherein the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals indicate the same functional or structural features.Units X that occur multiple times in a figure are sometimes numbered X1, X-2, etc. Shown are:

[0088] Fig. la-lf different views of a first embodiment of a

[0089] toy building block;

[0090] Fig. 2a-2e various exploded views of an embodiment of a building block system with several toy building blocks;

[0091] Fig. 2f-2h different views of the assembled

[0092] Toy building blocks of the building block system from Fig. 2a-2e;

[0093] Fig. 3a-3e different views of a second embodiment of a toy building block;

[0094] Fig. 4a-4f different views of a third embodiment of a

[0095] toy building block;

[0096] Fig. 5 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of a

[0097] toy building block;

[0098] Fig. 6 is a plan view of a fifth embodiment of a

[0099] toy building block;

[0100] Fig. 7 is a plan view of a sixth embodiment of a

[0101] toy building block;

[0102] Fig. 8a is an exploded view of an embodiment of a

[0103] Building block system with several toy blocks;

[0104] Fig. 8b-8d different views of the assembled toy blocks of the building block system from Fig. 8a;

[0105] Fig. 9a-9e different views of a seventh embodiment of a toy building block;

[0106] Fig. 10 is a plan view of an eighth embodiment of a

[0107] toy building block;

[0108] Fig. 11 is a plan view of a ninth embodiment of a

[0109] toy building block;

[0110] Fig. 12 is a plan view of a tenth embodiment of a

[0111] toy building block;

[0112] Fig. 13 is a plan view of an eleventh embodiment of a

[0113] Toy building block; Fig. 14 is a plan view of a twelfth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0114] Fig. 15a-15e different views of a thirteenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0115] Fig. 16a-16f different views of a fourteenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0116] Fig. 17a-17e different views of a fifteenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0117] Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a sixteenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0118] Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a seventeenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0119] Fig. 20 is a perspective view of an eighteenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0120] Fig. 21a is an exploded view of a nineteenth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0121] Fig. 21b is a perspective view of the toy building block of Fig. 21a;

[0122] Fig. 22a-22c different views of a twentieth embodiment of a toy building block;

[0123] Fig. 23 is a perspective view of a twenty-first embodiment of a toy building block and two wheels;

[0124] Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a twenty-second embodiment of a toy building block;

[0125] Fig. 25 is a perspective view of a twenty-third embodiment of a toy building block and a wheel;

[0126] Fig. 26 is a perspective view of a connecting piece for connecting two toy blocks;

[0127] Fig. J is a sectional view of the connecting block from Fig. 26 and two toy blocks connected by the connecting block;

[0128] Fig. 28 is a perspective view of a coupling block for connecting with a toy building block;

[0129] Fig. 29-33 perspective views of different variants of a capstone for plugging together with a toy building block;

[0130] Fig. 34a-34d show various views of a first exemplary end piece for plugging together with a toy building block; Fig. 35a-35d show various views of a second exemplary

[0131] Endstone to be put together with a

[0132] toy building block;

[0133] Fig. 36a-36d different views of a third exemplary endstone for plugging together with a

[0134] toy building block;

[0135] Fig. 37a-37d different views of a fourth exemplary endstone for plugging together with a

[0136] toy building block;

[0137] Fig. 38 is a plan view of the toy building block from Fig. 14 with exemplary end blocks placed thereon according to Figs. 34a-37d;

[0138] Fig. 39a-39b various perspective views of a coupling bar for plugging together with a toy building block;

[0139] Fig. 40 is a perspective view of a mat for connecting to a toy building block; and

[0140] Fig. 41 a perspective view of a rod for

[0141] Put together with a toy building block.

[0142] A first exemplary embodiment of a toy building block 100 is shown in Fig. 1a-1f in different views.

[0143] The toy building block 100 comprises an upper side 2, a lower side 4, and a plurality of side surfaces 6. The side surfaces 6 are planar and run orthogonally to the upper side 2 down to the lower side 4. The upper side 2 can, as shown in Fig. 1e, be divided in a plan view of the toy building block 100 into two equally sized first trapezoids 8-1, 8-2 that lie flush next to one another. Each trapezoid 8 corresponds to one half of a first regular hexagon 10. In the example shown, the upper side 2 therefore forms the first regular hexagon 10 in a plan view; it can be divided seamlessly into the first two trapezoids 8-1, 8-2. The long base sides 12 of the first two trapezoids 8 are congruent, so that the short sides 14 of the first two trapezoids 8-1, 8-2 form the first regular hexagon 10. In the example shown, the top 2 and the side surfaces 6 form a right-angled prism with the first regular hexagon 10 as the base.

[0144] From the top side 2, for each of the first trapezoids 8, exactly one projection 16 associated with this first trapezoid 8 extends vertically upwards. The number of projections 16 thus corresponds to the number of trapezoids 8. Thus, in the example shown, the toy building block 100 comprises exactly two projections 16-1, 16-2. As can be seen, each projection 16 borders the long base side 12 of the first trapezoid 8 associated with it and is arranged centrally with respect to this long base side 12. In the example shown, the two projections 16-1, 16-2 are designed as a pair that is mirror-symmetrical to one another, in particular with respect to the long base side 12.

[0145] As can be seen in Fig. 1b, the two projections 16-1, 16-2 merge seamlessly into one another and have a continuous upper surface 18. The projections 16 are manufactured in one piece with a section 20 of the toy building block 100 forming the upper surface 2 and with the side surfaces 6. For example, the toy building block 100 is manufactured by injection molding. The toy building block 100 can be made of plastic, a biodegradable material, or a mixture of plastic and a biodegradable material.

[0146] Each projection 16 has, in plan view, an outer contour whose circumferential diameter Uv is smaller than the inner circle diameter II of the first regular hexagon 10. The outer contour of each projection 16 comprises a section formed by three short sides 22 of a second trapezoid 24, wherein the second trapezoid 24 corresponds to one half of a second regular hexagon 26. Each of the three short sides 22 of the second trapezoid 24 runs parallel to a respective short side 14 of the first trapezoid 10 assigned to this projection 16. The outer contours of the projection pair 16-1, 16-2 form, in plan view, the second regular hexagon 26, which lies centrally in the first regular hexagon 10.

[0147] The pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 has an upwardly open recess 27 that extends to the top side 2 and runs orthogonally to the top side 2 and parallel to the side surfaces 6. It can be said that the pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 forms a sleeve.

[0148] Each projection 16 has, in plan view, an inner contour comprising a concave section formed by three short sides 28 of a third trapezoid 30, wherein the third trapezoid 30 corresponds to one half of a third regular hexagon 32. In the example shown, the short sides 28 of the two third trapezoids 30 form the third regular hexagon 32. The pair of projections 16 thus has, in plan view, an inner contour defined by the recess 27 in the shape of the third regular hexagon 32. It can therefore be said that the inner contour of the projection pair 16 is a scaled version of the outer contour of the projection pair 16. In the example shown, each side 14 of the first regular hexagon 10 is parallel to a corresponding side 22 of the second regular hexagon 26 and a corresponding side 28 of the third regular hexagon 32.

[0149] This configuration of the toy building block 100 enables a special type of assembly of the toy building block 100 with another toy building block. Each projection 16 of the toy building block 100 is particularly designed to receive a projection 16 of this additional toy building block 100 when the toy building block 100 is assembled with another, smaller-scale toy building block 100. The additional toy building block 100 should be dimensioned such that its projection 16, viewed from above, has an outer contour that corresponds to an inner contour of the projection 16 of the larger toy building block 100. In particular, a first toy building block 100 and a second toy building block 100 can be provided as part of a building block set or building block system, wherein the second toy building block 100 is a smaller-scale version of the first toy building block 100.In this case, the recess 27 of the first toy building block 100 is designed to clampably receive the projection of the second toy building block 100. In other words, the pair of projections 16 of the small-scale second toy building block 100 can be inserted into the recess 27 of the pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 of the first toy building block 100. Thus, the second toy building block 100 can be plugged together with the first toy building block such that the top sides 2 of the two toy building blocks 100 face each other and the bottom sides 4 of the two toy building blocks 100 face away from each other. The construction direction generally points from the bottom side 4 to the top side 2 of the respective toy building block. By plugging the toy building blocks together with the top sides 2 facing each other, a change in the construction direction can be effected.

[0150] On the underside 4 of the toy building block 100, a slot structure 5 is provided, forming slots 36-1, 36-2, 37-1, 37-2. This enables another way of plugging the toy building block 100 together with another toy building block. The slots 36-1, 36-2 are arranged in pairs, complementary to the pair of projections 16-1, 16-2, and serve to clampably receive a corresponding pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 of the further toy building block 100. Each slot 36 is designed to receive a respective projection 16 of this further toy building block 100 when plugging the toy building block 100 together with the further toy building block 100.The toy building block 100 can thus be placed on the further toy building block 100 in such a way that the underside 4 of the toy building block 100 comes into contact with the top side 2 of the further toy building block 100, whereby the pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 of the further toy building block 100 is clamped into the slot pair 36-1, 36-2 of the toy building block 100. In this case, the projection 16 of the further toy building block 100 has the same outer contour in plan view as the projection of the toy building block 100. In this case, the toy building block 100 and the further toy building block 100 can be of the same scale and / or identical.

[0151] At the same time, the hexagonal design of the projections, slots, and recesses allows the two toy blocks to be coupled at relative angles of 0°, 60°, 120°, 180°, and 240°. In contrast to conventional toy blocks, which use a square grid, more degrees of freedom are therefore available for connecting the toy block 100 with another toy block.

[0152] For the circumcircle diameter t / / , the following can apply in particular: Uv = 12 * cos(30°). In the example shown, the inner circle diameter II of the first regular hexagon 10 corresponds to twice the inner circle diameter Z of the second regular hexagon 26 and four times the inner circle diameter 75 of the third regular hexagon 32. Each projection 16 projects from the top side 2 to a height h, whereby the inner circle diameter II of the first regular hexagon 10 corresponds to six times the height h. The top side is spaced from the bottom by a distance <7. The height of the side surfaces 6 of the toy building block 100, and thus the distance d, corresponds to twice the height h in the example shown. The inner circle diameter II of the first regular hexagon 10 corresponds to three times the distance <7 and thus six times the height h. However, other ratios of these dimensions are also possible.

[0153] The absolute dimensions of the toy building block can be chosen relatively freely. It is conceivable that the inner diameter II ranges from a few millimeters to several centimeters or even decimeters, particularly between 5 mm and 30 cm. As part of the building block set or system, in addition to the toy building block 100, scaled versions of the toy building block 100 can be provided by a factor of 2 / ? (with n e N).

[0154] Fig. 2a-2e show various exploded views of an embodiment of a building block system with toy building blocks 100, 200, 300. The assembled toy building blocks 100, 200, 300 can be seen in Fig. 2f-2h.

[0155] As can also be seen in Fig. 1a-1f, the slots 37-1, 37-2 of the toy building block 100 are arranged in pairs, but in comparison to the slots 36-1, 36-2, they serve to accommodate a smaller-scaled pair of projections 16 of a further, correspondingly smaller-sized toy building block 200. Each slot 37 of the toy building block 100 is designed to accommodate a respective projection 16 of this further toy building block 200 when the toy building block 100 is plugged together with the further toy building block 200. The toy building block 100 can thus be placed on the further toy building block 200 in such a way that the pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 of the further toy building block 200 is clamped in the slot pair 37-1, 37-2 of the toy building block 100, and the side surfaces 6 of the further toy building block 200 are clamped in the slot pair 36 of the toy building block 100.The top side of the additional toy building block 200 has the same outer contour in plan view as the projection of the toy building block 100. In this case, the toy building block 100 and the additional toy building block 200 should therefore be scaled differently. In the example shown, the inner diameter II of the toy building block 300 is half the size of the inner diameter II of the toy building block 200, and the inner diameter II of the toy building block 200 is half the size of the inner diameter II of the toy building block 100. However, it is also conceivable to provide other scaling factors. The additional toy building block 200 can therefore be completely accommodated in the toy building block 100 or inserted into its slots 36, 37. The undersides of the two toy building blocks 100, 200 plugged together in this way can then lie in the same plane.By providing the additional, even smaller-scaled toy building block 300, further nesting can be realized by inserting the toy building block 300 into the slot pairs 36, 37 of the toy building block 200. This is also indicated in Fig. 2a-2f. It is possible not to provide all toy building blocks of the building block system with both types of slot pairs 36 and 37, but to equip some with only one slot pair 36, as in the case of the toy building block 300. A slot pair 36 of the toy building block 100 can be defined by several terminal strips 39, each of which, in a plan view of the slot pair 36, borders an outer edge of the same. In the example shown, three terminal strips 39-1, 39-2, 39-3 are provided for each slot pair 36, which are offset from each other by 120° in plan view and extend radially away from a common center point.The three clamping strips 39 extend to the underside 4 of the toy building block 100. The clamping strips 39 then serve to clamp a projection 16 of the further toy building block 100 or a side wall 6 of the further toy building block 200.

[0156] Each slot pair 37 of the toy building block 100 is equally defined by several terminal strips 41, each of which, in a plan view of the slot pair 37, borders an outer edge of the same. In the example shown, three terminal strips 41-1, 41-2, 41-3 are provided per slot pair 36, which are offset from one another by 120° in plan view and extend radially away from a common center point. Each terminal strip 41 can merge into a terminal strip 39, or each terminal strip pair 39-1, 41-1 or 39-2, 41-2 or 39-3, 41-3 can be manufactured in one piece. The terminal strips 41 then serve to clamp a projection 16 of the further toy building block 200.

[0157] The three terminal strips 41, in contrast to the terminal strips 39, do not extend to the underside 4 of the toy building block 100, but rather begin at a predetermined distance a1 from the underside 4 and extend over a distance a2. For example, the distance a1 of the toy building block 100 corresponds to the height d of the toy building block 200. For example, the distance <?2der des Spielzeugbausteins 100 der Höhe h des Spielzeugbausteins 200. Selbiges kann für die Abstände al und <?2des Spielzeugbausteins 200 bezogen auf den Spielzeugbaustein 300 gelten. Ein jeweiliges Paar aus Klemmleisten 39, 41 kann ineinander übergehen oder / und einstückig gefertigt sein. Ein jeweiliges Paar aus Klemmleisten 39, 41 kann in Seitenansicht stufenförmig ausgebildet sein, wie in Fig. 2c zu sehen ist.

[0158] A second exemplary embodiment of a toy building block 400 is shown in Fig.

[0159] 3a-3e in different views. In contrast to the toy building block 100 of the first embodiment, the upper side 2 of the toy building block 400 according to the second embodiment can be divided into eight flush, adjacent, equally sized first trapezoids 8, each of which is assigned precisely one projection 16. The toy building block 400 thus comprises several pairs of projections 16, whereas the toy building block 100 has only a single pair of projections 16. In the toy building block 400, the first trapezoids 8 form four first regular hexagons 10, which are adjacent to one another and arranged in a hexagonal grid like a honeycomb. Here, two of the hexagons 10-1, 10-2 adjoin two further hexagons 10-3, 10-4, and the further two hexagons 10-3, 10-4 adjoin both one another and the hexagons 10-1, 10-2.

[0160] The eight projections 16 of the toy building block 400 are arranged in pairs and form a total of four clamping sleeves extending vertically upwards from the top side 2. Each pair of projections serves, as described for the first embodiment, to clamp a correspondingly smaller pair of projections 16 of another toy building block (e.g., 200). In this example, too, the projections 16 of each pair merge seamlessly into one another.

[0161] By providing a plurality of projections 16 or pairs of projections with mutually facing outer surfaces, two further possibilities are created for plugging together the toy building block 400 with another toy building block.

[0162] According to a first possibility, two parallel side surfaces 6 of the further toy building block, spaced apart by a distance m, can be clamped between the two mutually facing outer surfaces 34 of the adjacent projections 16 of the toy building block 200. In the toy building block 400 according to the second embodiment, the distance m between the mutually facing outer surfaces 34 of adjacent projections 16 of the toy building block 400 can correspond to half the inner circle diameter II, although other fractions such as a third or a quarter are also possible. For example, the toy building block 200 can be placed on the toy building block 200 if it is dimensioned accordingly, in particular if it has an inner diameter II half as large as the toy building block 400.According to a second possibility, an upper side 2 and a lower side 4 of a further toy building block, which is parallel thereto and spaced apart by a distance m, can be clamped between the two mutually facing outer surfaces 34 of the adjacent projections 16 of the toy building block 400, such that the upper side 2 and the lower side 4 of the further toy building block come into contact with the mutually facing outer surfaces of the adjacent projections 16 of the toy building block 400. This means that in this case the distance <7 of the further toy building block is the same as the distance m between the outer surfaces 34 of the toy building block 200. For example, the toy building block 100 can be placed on the toy building block 200 if it is dimensioned accordingly (e.g. the same), in particular has a distance <7 that corresponds to the minimum distance m of the toy building block 200.This plug-together option allows a change in the direction of construction by 90°.

[0163] It can also be seen in Fig. 3a that two slot pairs 36 of the toy building block 400 are each defined by three terminal strips 39, while two further slot pairs 36 are defined by four terminal strips 39. This illustrates that, according to the present disclosure, a slot pair does not necessarily have to be limited to exactly three terminal strips, but that instead four, five or six terminal strips can be provided per slot pair 36 and / or 37.

[0164] A third exemplary embodiment of a toy building block 500 is shown in different views in Fig. 4a-4e.

[0165] In contrast to the toy building blocks 100 to 400, the upper side 2 of the toy building block 500 can be divided into fourteen first trapezoids 8 of equal size, lying flush next to one another, each of which is assigned to exactly one projection 16. These first trapezoids 8 form seven first regular hexagons 10, which are adjacent to one another and resemble a honeycomb structure.

[0166] In this example, too, the projections 16 of the toy building block 500 are arranged in pairs and form several sleeve-like bulges protruding from the top side 2 and each mirror-symmetrical to the long sides 12. The toy building block 300 comprises seven pairs of projections 16, i.e., the same number of projection pairs as the hexagons 10 formed by the top side 2. The projection pairs are arranged in a hexagonal grid. On the underside, seven slot pairs 36 are provided, each of which is complementary to a projection pair and lies directly below a projection pair. Each slot pair 36 also merges in the height or y-direction into a correspondingly smaller slot pair 37. The slot pairs arranged in this nested manner and the terminal strips assigned to them can be seen in particular in Fig. 4f.

[0167] The toy building block 100 or 400 can be placed on the toy building block 500 such that at least one pair of projections of the toy building block 500 is received by a pair of slots 36 of the placed toy building block 100 or 400. In this case, the inner circle diameters Z of the two toy building blocks to be placed on top of one another should be the same size.

[0168] It is also possible to place a smaller dimensioned toy building block (e.g. 200, in particular with an inner circle diameter II = k) on the toy building block 500 (e.g. with an inner circle diameter 12 = k) by clamping side walls 6 of the smaller toy building block between outer walls 34 of adjacent projections 16 of the toy building block 500.

[0169] Furthermore, a smaller dimensioned toy building block (e.g. 200, in particular with an inner circle diameter 12 = u) can be placed conversely on the toy building block 500 (e.g. with an inner circle diameter 13 = u) by inserting a pair of projections of the smaller toy building block into a recess 27 of a pair of projections of the toy building block 500.

[0170] Figs. 5 to 8 show a fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiment of a toy building block 600, 700, 800 in a top view (opposite the y-axis). In each case, the top side 2 is composed of several first regular hexagons 10, with a one-piece pair of projections 16 provided in the center of each hexagon 10. While the centers of the hexagons 10 in toy building blocks 600 and 700 are arranged on a jagged line in plan view, they lie on a straight line in toy building block 800.

[0171] Of course, other designs are also conceivable by providing fewer or more hexagons 10 and / or trapezoids 8 as part of the respective upper side 2.

[0172] To explain two special ways of connecting the modules in more detail,

[0173] Fig. 8a an exploded view of a modular system with several

[0174] Toy building blocks according to the present disclosure. Figs. 8b-8d show various views of the assembled toy building blocks of the building block system of Fig. 8a.

[0175] In the example shown, the building block system comprises the toy building block 400 and two toy building blocks 800-1, 800-2. The surfaces 2 of the toy building blocks 800 can be divided into four regular first hexagons arranged adjacent to one another in a row. Accordingly, each toy building block 800 comprises four pairs of projections that are equally spaced apart on a straight line. The inner circle diameters Hb, 72 / 1, and 13b as well as the heights 72 and 12 of the toy building blocks 800 are, in the example shown, half the size of the inner circle diameters Ila, I2a, and I3a as well as the heights dl and hl of the toy building block 400.

[0176] As indicated in Fig. 4a, the toy building block 800-1 can be placed on the toy building block 400 such that the underside 4 of the toy building block 800-1 rests on the top side 2 of the toy building block 400. In this case, side surfaces 6 of the toy building block 800-1 come into flush contact with outer surfaces 34-1 to 34-6 of adjacent projection pairs of the toy building block 400. One can say that the toy building block 800-1 is clamped between projection pairs of the toy building block 400. The appropriate dimensioning of the two building blocks 800-1, 400 makes it possible, as shown in Fig. 8b-8d, that after plugging together, the top side 2 of the toy building block 800-1 lies in the same plane as the top sides 18 of the pairs of projections of the toy building block 400. Furthermore, after plugging together, pairs of projections of the toy building block 800-1 lie centrally between the pairs of projections of the toy building block 400, which clamp the toy building block 800-1.

[0177] As also indicated in Fig. 8a, the toy building block 800-2 can be placed onto the toy building block 400 such that the upper sides 2 of the two toy building blocks 400, 800-2 face each other. In this case, pairs of projections of the toy building block 800-2 are inserted into recesses 27 of pairs of projections of the toy building block 400, where they are then held in a clamped manner. The appropriate dimensioning of the toy building blocks 400, 800-2 allows the upper side 2 of the toy building block 800-2 to come into contact with the upper side 18 of the pairs of projections of the toy building block 400.

[0178] In addition to these two types of plug-in connection, it is of course also possible to plug identically sized toy bricks onto one another in such a way that projections 16 of a first toy brick (e.g., 100-800) are held in slots 36 of another toy brick (e.g., 100-800). In this case, the two toy bricks should be dimensioned so that the projections and slots between the two toy bricks are complementary.

[0179] As already mentioned, all of these plug-in connection types allow for selecting a relative angle between the two toy blocks to be plugged together (e.g., 100-800) from six possible angles. This is made possible, among other things, by the special shape of the toy block, in particular the shape of the projections, slots, and outer contours. The toy blocks described here can therefore be plugged onto generic toy blocks at at least five different relative angles when viewed from above, and vice versa.

[0180] Consequently, the technology described here offers users far more design freedom than conventional toy building blocks. This applies not only to the embodiments shown in Figs. 1-8d, but also to the embodiments described below.

[0181] Fig. 9a-9e show different views of a seventh embodiment of a toy building block 900.

[0182] While the top side of toy blocks 100-800 can each be completely divided into one or more adjacent regular hexagons, this is not the case with toy block 900. The top side 2 of toy block 900 can also be completely divided into several first trapezoids 8, but only some of these first trapezoids 8 form first regular hexagons 10. It can therefore be said that the top side 2 of toy block 500 cannot be completely divided into first regular hexagons 10.

[0183] In the example shown, the upper side 2 of the toy building block 900 can be divided into six first trapezoids 8-1 to 8-6. Four of the first trapezoids 8-1 to 8-4 form two regular first hexagons 10-1, 10-2. These are spaced apart by two further first trapezoids 8-5, 8-6, which adjoin one another with their short sides 14-5, 14-6. While a pair of projections 16-1, 16-2 and 16-3, 16-4 with a hexagonal outer contour protrude from the center of each of the two regular first hexagons 10-1, 10-2, the projections 16-5, 16-6 assigned to the first trapezoids 8-5, 8-6 do not merge into other projections. It can be said that the projections 16-5, 16-6 are each formed integrally as a prism with a non-hexagonal base and are enclosed in plan view by a trapezoidal virtual envelope which has the shape of the second trapezoid 24.

[0184] It can also be seen that the side surfaces 6-5, 6-6 are interrupted in the region of the two projections 16-5, 16-6 along the long base sides 12 of the trapezoids 8-5, 8-6. This allows the slot 36-5, 36-6 assigned to the trapezoid 8-5 or 8-6 to be placed on a projection 16 of a one-piece pair of projections, whereby it then extends through the interrupted side surface 6-5 or 6-6.

[0185] Fig. 10 to Fig. 14 show plan views of an eighth to twelfth embodiment of a toy building block 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400.

[0186] In these examples, too, the upper side 2 can be completely divided into several flush, adjacent first trapezoids 8, and exactly one projection 16 is provided for each first trapezoid 8. Fig. 10 shows that the first trapezoids 8 do not necessarily have to form regular first hexagons 10. In Figs. 11-14, however, it can be seen that some of the first trapezoids 8 can form regular first hexagons 10. However, in contrast to the toy building blocks 100-800, in the eighth to twelfth embodiments, not all of the trapezoids 8 form regular first hexagons 10.

[0187] In plan view, the upper side 2 of the toy building block described herein can therefore be formed by virtually placing several first trapezoids 8 next to one another. As shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, it is not absolutely necessary for all long base sides 12 to run parallel. The first trapezoids 8 of the toy building blocks described herein are arranged in particular such that their long base sides 12 are either part of the outer contour of the upper side 2 or overlap with long base sides 12 of other first trapezoids 8. The first trapezoids 8 are also arranged in particular such that their short sides 14 are either part of the outer contour of the upper side 2 or overlap with short sides 14 of other first trapezoids 8. In other words, none of the short sides 14 of the first trapezoids 8 should overlap a long side 12 of one of the first trapezoids 8 and vice versa. Fig.15a-15e show various views of a thirteenth embodiment of a toy building block 1500. In this embodiment, the toy building block comprises a magnet 35, in particular a permanent magnet. Preferably, the magnet is arranged such that the magnetic north pole is located at the upper end of the magnet in the y-direction, and the magnetic south pole is located at the lower end of the magnet in the y-direction. In other words, the magnet 35 can be arranged such that its north pole is closer to the upper side 2 than the south pole, while its south pole is closer to the lower side 4 than the north pole.

[0188] Preferably, the magnet 35 is rotationally symmetrical, in particular as a vertical circular cylinder with a diameter of 15.

[0189] The toy building block 1500 has a pair of projections 16, which, however, are designed without a recess 27 in the example shown. The magnet 35 protrudes from below into the pair of projections 16. However, it is also conceivable to provide a recess 27 and to make the magnet 35 correspondingly smaller and / or to displace it downward in the y-direction.

[0190] The toy building block 1500 can have terminal strips 39 and / or 41. In the example shown, however, a pair of slots 37 is provided on the underside 4, which, instead of terminal strips 39, is delimited by a partition 33 that surrounds the pair of slots 37 on the periphery. The partition 44 has an inner contour that, in plan view, corresponds to a regular hexagon with an inner circle diameter of 14.

[0191] The magnet 35 allows several toy blocks, which are also equipped with magnets, to be magnetically coupled together. This means that it is not absolutely necessary for the toy blocks to be (e.g., merely) clamped together. Thus, the diameter 15 can be slightly smaller than the diameter 75 of the toy block to be magnetically coupled to the toy block 1500. Alternatively or additionally, the diameter 14 can be slightly larger than the diameter 72 of the toy block to be magnetically coupled to the toy block 1500.

[0192] Fig. 16a-16e show different views of a fourteenth embodiment of a toy building block 1600.

[0193] In this case, the upper side 2 can be completely divided into a single, regular first hexagon 10, from which a pair of projections protrudes, which has a hexagonal outline in plan view and also has a hexagonal inner contour formed by the recess 27. In contrast to the toy building blocks described with reference to Fig. 1a to Fig. 15e, in the toy building block 1600, a pair of side projections 38-1, 38-2 is provided on one of the six side surfaces 6-1. These, like the pair of projections protruding from the upper side 2, form a sleeve with a hexagonal inner and outer contour in plan view of the respective side projection. The side surface 6-1 with the side projections 38-1, 38-2 has the same outer contour in plan view of this side surface 6-1 as the upper side 2 in plan view of the upper side 2.Also, the pair of projections 16, which protrudes from the upper side 2, is identical to the pair of side projections 38, which protrudes from the side surface 6-1.

[0194] This design makes it possible to connect another toy building block not only to the pair of projections, but also to the pair of side projections. This allows a change in the construction plane by 90°. It is also conceivable to dimension the pair of side projections differently than the pair of projections (e.g., with an inner circle diameter II or / and 12 half as large) in order to connect toy building blocks of different sizes via the toy building block 1100.

[0195] Fig. 17a-17e show various views of a fifteenth embodiment of a toy building block 1700. In contrast to the toy building block 1600, not only a single pair of side projections 38 is provided here, but each of three side surfaces 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 of the toy building block 1200, each offset by 120°, has its own pair of side projections 38. The toy building block 1700 thus comprises a pair of projections 16 protruding from the top side 2, as well as three pairs of side projections 38, each of which protrudes from a different side surface 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. As in the case of the toy building block 1600, it can also be provided here that the side projection pairs 38 have different dimensions than the projection pair 16. It is also conceivable that the side projection pairs 38 differ from one another (e.g., in their inner circle diameter 11 and / or 12). This configuration further increases the design flexibility for a user.

[0196] It is understood that the other toy building blocks described herein may also have one or more such side projections or pairs of side projections. Corresponding side projections 38-1, 38-2 or pairs of side projections 38 may be provided on two, three, four, five, or all side surfaces 6 of the toy building block. For illustrative purposes, Fig. 18 shows an exemplary sixteenth embodiment of a toy building block 1800, wherein pairs of side projections 38 are provided only on two opposite side surfaces 6-1, 6-2.

[0197] For all toy building blocks with side projections and / or pairs of side projections 38, it is conceivable that the outer contour of the upper side 2 does not correspond to a regular (e.g., first) hexagon 10. For example, the toy building block 200 may have corresponding pairs of side projections. A side projection or pair of side projections may also have different dimensions and / or shapes than the projection or pair of projections protruding from the upper side.

[0198] Fig. 19 shows a perspective view of a seventeenth embodiment of a toy building block 1900. In this embodiment, two opposite side surfaces 6 of the toy building block 1900 each have a pair of side slots 50-1, 50-2, which merge into one another and together form a receptacle for a corresponding pair of projections 16. The pair of side slots is complementary to the pair of projections 16 that protrudes from the top side 2. Thus, another toy building block (e.g., 100-1800) can be plugged onto the toy building block 1900, so that the top side 2 of the other toy building block comes into contact with the side surface 6 with the pair of side slots, and the pair of projections 16 of the other toy building block is clamped in the pair of side slots 50.

[0199] Fig. 20 shows a perspective view of an eighteenth embodiment of a toy building block 2000 according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the toy building block 2000 has a pivot bearing 52. The pivot bearing 52 is arranged on one of the side surfaces 6. Furthermore, the toy building block 2000 has a pair of side projections 38, which are supported by the pivot bearing 52. Thus, the pair of side projections 38 can be rotated relative to the top side 2 of the toy building block 2000. This makes it possible to couple toy building blocks to one another in a movable, in particular rotatable, manner.

[0200] Fig. 21a shows an exploded view of a nineteenth embodiment of a toy building block 2100. A perspective view of the assembled toy building block 2100 is shown in Fig. 21b. The toy building block 2100 corresponds to the toy building block 100, but the pair of projections 16 is rotatably mounted relative to the top side 2 of the toy building block. For this purpose, the pair of projections 16 is arranged on a coupling element 53, which is held in a coupling receptacle 55. Fig. 21a also illustrates that a rotatable mounting according to the present disclosure also includes a solution in which a plurality of predetermined preferred angles of rotation are provided. For example, recesses 57 spaced apart in the direction of rotation can be provided, into which one or more locking elements 59 engage when the rotatably mounted part is rotated. When the rotatably mounted part is rotated (in Fig.21a and 21b the coupling element 53 with the projection pair 16) can be locked into several preferred angles of rotation, but can still be rotated further manually.

[0201] Fig. 22a to Fig. 22c show various views of a twentieth embodiment of a toy building block 2200 and a rotating building block 3000.

[0202] The toy building block 2200 has, on one of its side surfaces 6, a rotary coupling element 61 as a functional element, protruding from this side surface 6. The rotary coupling element 61 extends essentially parallel to the top side 2 and the bottom side 4 of the toy building block 2200, i.e., parallel to the x-z plane. The rotary coupling element 61 has a flat top side and a parallel, likewise flat bottom side, which are spaced apart by a distance. Here, p < d, in particular p = Vi d, applies. In the example shown, the bottom side of the rotary coupling element 61 lies in the same plane as the bottom side 4 of the toy building block 2200.

[0203] The rotating building block 3000 is essentially designed like the toy building block 2200, but the rotating coupling element 63 is located closer to the top side 2 of the rotating building block 3000. In the example shown, the top side of the rotating coupling element 63 of the rotating building block 3000 lies in the same plane as the top side 2 of the rotating building block 3000 and even merges flush with the top side 2. Here, too, the top side of the rotating coupling element 63 is spaced from its underside by a distance of p < 6 / .

[0204] The two rotary coupling elements 61, 63 are designed such that they can be coupled together, so that the building blocks 2200, 3000 are movably connected via the rotary coupling elements 61, 63. Building blocks 2200, 3000 connected in this way can then be rotated relative to one another about a rotation axis running in the y-direction. In a special embodiment, two toy building blocks can also be coupled together via their rotary coupling elements 61, with the upper sides 2 of the two toy building blocks coupled in this way then facing in opposite directions. The same is also conceivable for two toy building blocks with rotary coupling elements 63.

[0205] It is also conceivable that, as shown in Figs. 22a to 22c, one or both of the rotary coupling elements 61, 63 have a recess 65 (e.g., in the y-direction) into which a projection or pair of projections 16 of another toy building block (e.g., 100-2200) can be inserted. In particular, the recess 65 can be formed as a circular hole with an inner diameter / ^. For example, 16 = 12.

[0206] It is understood that other toy building blocks described herein may also be provided with one or more corresponding rotary coupling elements 61 and / or 63. Thus, several of these toy building blocks can be connected so as to be rotatable relative to one another (e.g., about a rotation axis extending in the y-direction).

[0207] Fig. 23 shows a perspective view of a twenty-first embodiment of a toy building block 2300 and two wheels 3050. The wheels 3050 are rotatable relative to the toy building block 2300 after being plugged together. In the example shown, a corresponding wheel bearing axle 54 protrudes laterally from the toy building block 2300 for each wheel 3050. The two axles 54 run on the same straight line, which, in the example shown, in a top view of the toy building block 2300, is congruent with the long base sides 12 of the trapezoids 8. The wheel bearing axles 54 protrude at corners of the toy building block 2300 formed by the side surfaces 6.

[0208] Fig. 24 shows a perspective view of a twenty-second embodiment of a toy building block 2400. In this case, too, wheel bearing axles 54 are provided protruding laterally from corners between side surfaces 6. In contrast to the toy building block 2300, the toy building block 2400 has a different outer contour of the top side 2 in plan view, and instead of four, seven pairs of projections protruding from the top side 2 are provided. This illustrates that any toy building block described herein can be provided with corresponding wheel bearing axles 54.

[0209] Fig. 25 shows a perspective view of a twenty-third embodiment of a toy building block 2500 and a wheel 3100. In this example, the wheel 3100 has an interface 60 which is designed to receive a side projection pair 38 of this toy building block 2500, which side projection pair 38 is mounted on a pivot bearing 52, when the wheel 3100 is plugged together with the toy building block 2500. For example, the side projection pair 38 of the toy building block 2500 can be designed such that it can be coupled to the interface 60. Alternatively, the interface 60 can also be designed such that it couples to a recess in the (e.g. rotatably mounted) side projection pair, to a (e.g. rotatably mounted) slot pair, or to a (e.g. rotatably mounted) side slot pair of the toy building block 2500.

[0210] Fig. 26 shows a perspective view of a connecting block 3200 for connecting two toy building blocks (e.g., 100-2500). A sectional view of the connecting block 3200 and two toy building blocks 100, 800 connected by the connecting block 2100 is shown in Fig. 27. The connecting block 3200 is designed like the toy building block 100, but instead of the pair of slots 36-1, 36-2, it has a further pair of projections 62 on the underside 4. Furthermore, the connecting block 3200 can have a greater height d than the toy building block 100, in particular a greater ratio d / h (e.g., by an integer multiple).

[0211] The underside 4 of the connecting block 3200 is formed as a substantially flat surface 64, and the further pair of projections 62 of the connecting block 3200 protrudes perpendicularly from this flat surface. In the example shown, the pair of projections 16 protruding from the top side 2 and the pair of projections 62 of the connecting block 2100 protruding from the bottom side 4 protrude in opposite directions. The two pairs of projections 16, 62 of the connecting block 3200 are identical in shape and dimension in the example shown, although this is not necessarily the case.

[0212] The projection pair 16 protruding from the top side 2 of the connecting block 3200 serves to plug together a first toy building block, such as the toy building block 100. The projection pair 62 protruding from the bottom side 4 of the connecting block 3200 serves to plug together a second toy building block, such as the toy building block 800. Thus, two of the toy building blocks described herein (e.g. 100-2500, 100 and 800 in the example shown) can be connected to one another via the connecting block 3200. Since each pair of projections 16, 62 of the connecting block 3200 can be coupled to a (side) slot pair 50 or to a recess 27 of the toy blocks to be connected, the two toy blocks to be connected can be coupled to one another in different orientations via the connecting block 3200 (e.g. with upper sides 2 facing one another, facing away from one another, or tilted by 90° to one another).It is also conceivable that one or both pairs of projections 16 of the connecting block 3200 are rotatably mounted, so that the two toy blocks can be rotatably connected to one another via the connecting block 3200. Furthermore, a side projection (pair), for example, can be provided on one side 6 of the connecting block 3200.

[0213] From Fig. 27 it can be seen once again that the toy building block described here can be designed such that on its underside 4 slots 36 and 37 are provided for differently sized projections 16 of another toy building block. The slot pair 37 on the underside 4 of the toy building block can be designed such that it serves to receive a projection pair 16 of another toy building block, wherein this projection pair 16 differs in dimension from the projection pair 16 of the projection pair 16 protruding from the top side 2 of the toy building block (e.g. is half the size). It is also possible for several slot pairs 36, 37 to be provided on the underside 4 of the toy building block, nested one inside the other and / or arranged centered on the same plug-in axis, which are designed to receive different projection pairs 16.This allows the toy building block to be plugged together with different pairs of projections of 16 other toy building blocks, which further increases the design freedom for a user compared to solutions where only one type of projection (pair) can be accommodated in the slot (pair).

[0214] Fig. 28 shows a perspective view of a coupling block 3300 for plugging together a toy building block. The coupling block 3300 comprises a plurality of sides 66 with a hexagonal outline in plan view. The respective side 66 can have an outer contour that corresponds to the first regular hexagon. The sides 66 are tilted by 60° relative to one another. Side walls 68 arranged at right angles to the side 66 adjoin each side 66. A pair of projections 16 is provided on each of the sides 66-1, 66-2. A pair of sockets 36 or a further pair of projections 16 is provided on the side 66-3. Two or three of the toy building blocks described herein can be connected to one another via the coupling block 3300, in particular with upper sides 2 tilted by 60° relative to one another.It is understood that the sides 66 of the coupling block 3300 can also be tilted at different angles to one another, which in turn can result in different relative positions of the toy blocks connected via the coupling block 3300. One or more of the projection pairs 16 of the coupling block 3300 can also be rotatably mounted. Furthermore, it is conceivable to design the coupling block 3300 such that several projection pairs 16 and / or several slot pairs 36 are arranged on one or more sides 66.

[0215] Fig. 29-33 show perspective views of various variants of a capstone 3400-3800 for plugging together with a toy building block (e.g. 100-2500). The capstone has a continuous, smooth surface 2302 which forms an upper side 2304 of the capstone. It further comprises a lower side 2306 opposite the upper side 2304, as well as a plurality of side surfaces 2308, each of which runs from an outer edge of the smooth surface 2302 to the lower side 2306. On the lower side 2306 of the capstone, a pair of slots is provided (not shown), which are designed to clampingly receive the pair of projections 16 or 38 of this toy building block when the capstone is plugged together with this toy building block. The capstone can also have a pair of slots 36 and additionally a pair of slots 37.

[0216] For example, the smooth surface 2302, in a top view of the end piece, can be divided into two equally sized first trapezoids 8 lying flush next to one another, with each first trapezoid 8 corresponding to one half of the regular first hexagon 10 of a toy building block described herein. It is understood that larger end pieces can also be provided, in particular end pieces whose upper side 2304 can be divided into more than two first trapezoids 8, and which each provide several pairs of slots on the underside.

[0217] The smooth surface 2304 can be flat and extend at an acute angle relative to at least one of the side surfaces 2308. Depending on the variant, one of the side surfaces 2308 can have a rectangular outer contour, as can be seen in Figs. 29-31. Alternatively or additionally, at least one edge between one of the side surfaces 2308 and the smooth surface 2302 can run parallel to the underside 2306, which is also shown in Figs. 29-31. However, it is also conceivable for the surface 2304 to be inclined such that it extends from a lowest point on one side edge to a highest point on another side edge. In this case, there is thus a longest and a shortest side edge, as can be seen in Figs. 32-33.

[0218] Figs. 34a-37d show various views of different variants of a capping piece 3900, 4000, 4100, 4200 for plugging together with a toy building block described herein. Fig. 38 shows, by way of example, a top view of the toy building block 1400 with several capping pieces 3900, 4000, 4100, 4200 placed thereon. The capping pieces shown in these figures each have a continuous, smooth surface 3902, which forms an upper side 3904 of the respective capping piece. Each of these capping pieces 3900-4200 further comprises a lower side 3906 opposite the upper side 3904, as well as a plurality of side surfaces 3908, each of which extends from an outer edge of the smooth surface 3902 to the lower side 3906.

[0219] The different variants of the capstone 3900-4200 differ primarily in the shape of their surface (e.g., in the shape of the outer contour of the surface in a top view). For example, surface 3902 of capstone 3900 is a regular triangle. Surface 3902 of capstone 4000, viewed from above, is formed by two regular triangles that merge into one another at each side of the triangle. Surface 3902 of capstone 4100 forms a rectangle in the xz plane, while surface 3902 of capstone 4200 is an isosceles triangle with interior angles of 120°, 30°, and 30°. The length of the respective short outer edges of the surface 3902 of the end stones 3900, 4000, 4100, 4200 preferably corresponds to the simple or integer multiple of the circumferential diameter t / / of the projection or projection pair 16 or.38 of the toy building block on which the respective end piece is to be placed.

[0220] Further variants of the endstone are conceivable, whereby the surfaces 3902 should preferably be composed of at least two right-angled triangles with interior angles of 90°, 60°, and 30°. The hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle should have a length that corresponds to a single or integer multiple of the circumdiameter t / / of the projection or

[0221] projection pair 16 or 38 of the toy building block onto which the respective end piece is to be placed.

[0222] On the underside 3906 of the end piece, a slot structure is provided which is designed to clampably receive at least part of a projection or pair of projections 16 or 38, a complete pair of projections 16 or 38, at least parts of several projections or pairs of projections 16 or 38, or several complete projections or pairs of projections 16 or 38 when the end piece 3900-4200 is plugged together with a toy building block described herein. The slot structure can form a slot or a pair of slots 36 and / or a slot or a pair of slots 37. In particular, the slot structure is designed such that the end piece 3900-4200 can be clamped onto a projection or pair of projections 16 or 38 of a toy building block in different orientations (e.g., at least five, exactly six, or even more than six).In particular, the slot structure is designed such that the end piece 3900-4200 can be clamped onto a projection or pair of projections 16 or 38 of a toy building block in plan view at (e.g., two or more) different (e.g., xz) positions relative to the projection or pair of projections 16 or 38. The slot structure thus gives the user great flexibility when placing the end pieces 3900-4200 onto a toy building block described herein. This is also clear from Fig. 38, in which several end pieces (e.g., 4000) can be seen, which are placed onto the projection pairs 16 of the toy building block 1400 at different orientations and relative positions. With appropriate arrangement of the end pieces 3400-4200, flat or non-flat end surfaces formed by the surfaces 2302, 3902 can be achieved. The outer contours of the end stones 3400-4200 can replicate real objects in plan view or form aesthetic patterns, as shown in Fig.38 is shown using a perspective view of a house. This effect can be further enhanced by differently colored coping stones 3400-4200.

[0223] It is understood that one, several, or all of the toy building blocks 100-2200 described herein can be provided with such a slot structure to further increase the design freedom for the user. For example, the slot structure 5 can be designed like the slot structure described with reference to the end piece 3900-4200. Of course, the toy building blocks can also be provided in different colors, just like the end pieces 3400-4200. Alternatively or additionally, surfaces (e.g., the top sides 2 and / or the side surfaces 6) of the (toy) building blocks described herein can be textured to achieve a particular optical and / or haptic effect. Figs. 39a-39b show various perspective views of a coupling strip 4300 for plugging together with a toy building block described herein.The coupling strip 4300 comprises an elongated support element 68 and a plurality of projection pairs 16 projecting upward relative to an upper side 70 of the support element 68. However, it is also conceivable for the support element 68 to extend substantially flatly and / or for the coupling strip 4300 to comprise a plurality of rows of projection pairs 16, which are then preferably arranged in a hexagonal grid. Each projection pair 16 can be formed integrally with a connecting element 72, which is inserted into a through-opening 74 of the support element 68 and optionally projects beyond an underside 76 of the support element 68. It is conceivable for the connecting element 72 to be rotatably mounted in the through-opening 74. The support element 68 can be manually reversibly deformable and, in particular, can be made of rubber or another elastic material.The support element 68 can have a rounded, cornerless, curved, and / or curved outer contour in plan view. In one example, at least one of the through-openings 74 of the coupling strip 4300 has a substantially hexagonal cross-section, so that it is configured to receive a corresponding pair of projections. The support element 68 can have a thickness Ar that corresponds to the height d of a pair of projections 16.

[0224] Fig. 40 shows a perspective view of a mat 4400 for connecting to a toy building block described herein. The mat 4400 has a plurality of through-holes 2910 arranged in a hexagonal grid, each with a hexagonal outline. Each through-hole 2910 can accommodate a pair of projections 16, 38. The mat is made of an elastic material (e.g., rubber or elastomer) and can be manually deformed, in particular bent.

[0225] Fig. 41 shows a perspective view of a rod 4500 for plugging together with a toy building block described herein. The rod 4500 is designed to couple to the recess 27, to the slot pair 36, or to the side slot pair 50 of the toy building block when the rod is plugged together with the toy building block. For this purpose, the cross-section of the rod 4500 corresponds to a regular hexagon, in particular the second regular hexagon 24 or the third regular hexagon 30. It is understood that the features of the individual toy building blocks described with reference to the figures can be freely combined with one another. For example, the toy building block 200 can be provided with a side slot pair 50, as described with reference to Fig. 19. It is also conceivable for the upper side of a toy building block to be adapted to have the outer contour of another toy building block.Individual features described with reference to the figures may also be omitted. For example, it is conceivable that the toy building block does not have a slot 36, 37 and / or that corresponding projections 16 are provided only for a partial number of the first trapezoids 8. Further modifications to the embodiments and examples described herein are likewise conceivable. Last but not least, several of the toy building blocks described herein may be provided as part of a system, wherein they are then preferably dimensioned such that they can be coupled to one another. For this purpose, the toy building blocks may, among other things, differ from one another in their absolute dimensions and / or be scaled versions of one another. Further adaptations and advantages of the technology described herein may also become apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure.

Claims

Claims 1. Toy building block (100-2500) for plugging together with at least one other toy building block, the toy building block (100-2500) comprising: an upper side (2) which is shaped such that, in a plan view of the toy building block (100-2500), it can be divided into two or more first trapezoids (8) of equal size lying flush next to one another, each first trapezoid (8) corresponding to one half of a regular first hexagon (10); a lower side (4) opposite the upper side (2);and a plurality of side surfaces (6), each extending from the top side (2) to the bottom side (4), wherein a slot structure (5) is provided on the bottom side (4), and wherein for at least one, in particular for each, of the first trapezoids (8) there protrudes from the top side (2) exactly one projection (16) associated with this first trapezoid (8), which projection, in plan view, has an outer contour whose circumferential diameter (4A) is smaller than the inner circle diameter (If) of the first regular hexagon (10).

2. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 1, wherein the projection (16) adjoins a long base side (12) of the first trapezoid (8) assigned to it and / or is arranged centrally with respect to the long base side (12) of the first trapezoid (8) assigned to it.

3. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer contour of the projection (16) comprises a portion formed by three short sides (22) of a second trapezoid (24), the second trapezoid (24) corresponding to one half of a second regular hexagon (26).

4. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 3, wherein the inner circle diameter (If) of the first regular hexagon (10) corresponds to a multiple, in particular twice, of the inner circle diameter (12) of the second regular hexagon (26).

5. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each of the three short sides (22) of the second trapezoid (24) runs parallel to a respective short side (14) of the first trapezoid (8) associated with this projection (16).

6. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a minimum distance (m) between mutually facing outer surfaces (34) of adjacent projections (16) of the toy building block (100-1600) corresponds to the inner circle diameter (12) of the second regular hexagon (26).

7. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the upper side (2) is designed such that, in a plan view of the toy building block (100-1600), it can be divided at least partially, in particular completely, into two or more first trapezoids (8) lying flush next to one another, the long base sides (12) of which run parallel and / or the long base sides (12) of which run congruently and / or which form one or more regular first hexagons (10).

8. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 7, wherein at least two of the projections (16) are assigned to the first trapezoids (8), the long base sides (12) of which extend congruently, merge seamlessly into one another and / or are formed in one piece.

9. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the projection (16) projects up to a height h from the upper side (2), wherein {a} the height of the side surfaces (6) of the toy building block (100-1600) corresponds to a multiple, in particular double or six times, of the height h and / or {b} the inner circle diameter (II) of the first regular hexagon (10) corresponds to a multiple, in particular six times, of the height ^.

10. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a pair of projections (16) forms a sleeve with a recess (27) accessible from above.

11. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 10, wherein the sleeve is at least partially, in particular completely, rotationally symmetrical and / or has, in plan view, an inner contour which is a scaled version of the outer contour of the projection (16).

12. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the projection (16) in plan view has an inner contour which comprises a section which is formed by three short sides (28) of a third trapezoid (30), wherein the third trapezoid (30) corresponds to one half of a third regular hexagon (32).

13. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 12, wherein each of the three short sides (28) of the third trapezoid (30) runs parallel to a respective short side (14) of the first trapezoid (8) associated with this projection (16).

14. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 12 or 13 and at least claim 3, wherein each of the three short sides (28) of the third trapezoid (30) runs parallel to a respective short side (22) of the second trapezoid (24) associated with this projection (16).

15. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the inner circle diameter (I ) of the first regular hexagon (10) corresponds to a multiple, in particular four times, of the inner circle diameter (13) of the third regular hexagon (32).

16. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the upper side (2) is spaced from the lower side (4) by a distance, wherein the inner circle diameter (II) of the first regular hexagon (10) corresponds to the distance d or a multiple, in particular three times, of the distance ^ / .

17. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 16, wherein a functional element is arranged on the upper side (2), on the lower side (4), between the upper side (2) and the lower side (4), and / or on one or more of the side surfaces (6).

18. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 17, wherein the functional element comprises a side projection (38) projecting from at least one of the side surfaces (6), a side slot (59) introduced into at least one of the side surfaces (6), a rotary bearing (52), a rotary coupling element (61), a magnet (35) and / or an electrical component.

19. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 18, wherein the side projection (38) is of the same type as the projection (16) projecting from the upper side (2).

20. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the side projection (38) has an outer and / or inner contour which corresponds to the outer and / or inner contour of the projection (16) projecting from the upper side (2).

21. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the side projection (38) is identical in shape to the projection (16) protruding from the top side (2) or is a scaled version of the projection (16) protruding from the top side (2).

22. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the side projection (38) and / or the side slot (50) is rotatably mounted by the rotary bearing (52), or wherein the projection (16) is rotatably mounted by the rotary bearing (52), or wherein a slot (36) formed by the slot structure (5) is rotatably mounted by the rotary bearing (52).

23. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the side slot (38) is designed to receive a projection (16) of this further generic toy building block when the toy building block (100-2500) is plugged together with another generic toy building block, wherein the projection (16) of the further generic toy building block in plan view in particular has the same outer contour as the projection (16) of the toy building block (100-1800).

24. Toy building block (100-1800) according to one of claims 1 to 23, wherein a slot (36) formed by the slot structure (5) is designed to at least partially accommodate a projection (16) of this further generic toy building block when the toy building block (100-1600) is plugged together with another generic toy building block, wherein the projection (16) of the further generic toy building block in plan view in particular has the same outer contour as the projection (16) of the toy building block (100-1600).

25. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 10 or any one of claims 11 to 24 when dependent on claim 10, wherein the projection (16) is designed to receive a projection (16) of another generic toy building block when the toy building block (100-2500) is plugged together with another generic toy building block, wherein the projection (16) of the another generic toy building block in plan view in particular has an outer contour which corresponds to an inner contour of the projection (16) of the toy building block (100-2500).

26. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 25, designed such that mutually facing outer surfaces (34) of adjacent projections (16) of the toy building block (100-2500) clamp two or more side walls (6) of a further generic toy building block when the further generic toy building block is placed on the upper side (2) of the toy building block (100-2500) in order to plug the toy building block (100-2500) together with the further generic toy building block.

27. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 26, designed such that after the toy building block (100-2500) has been plugged together with the further generic toy building block, the upper side (2) of the further generic toy building block lies in a plane with the upper sides (18) of the various projections (16) of the toy building block (100-2500).

28. Toy building block (100-2500) according to claim 26 or 27, designed such that after the toy building block (100-1600) has been plugged together with the further generic toy building block, the projection (16) of the further generic toy building block lies centrally between the various projections (16) of the toy building block (100-2500).

29. Toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 23 to 28, wherein the inner circle diameter Ila) of the first regular hexagon (10) of the toy building block (100-2500) corresponds to a multiple, in particular twice, of the inner circle diameter (77) of the first regular hexagon (10) of the further generic toy building block and / or the further generic toy building block is a scaled version of the toy building block (100-1800).

30. A building block set comprising: the toy building block (100-2500) according to any one of claims 23 to 29; and the generic further toy building block.

31. Building block set, including: a first toy building block (400) having a top side (2), a bottom side (4) opposite the top side (2), and a plurality of side surfaces (6) each extending from the top side (2) to the bottom side (4);and a second toy building block (800) having a top side (2), a bottom side (4) opposite the top side (2), and a plurality of side surfaces (6), each extending from the top side (2) to the bottom side (4), wherein at least one first projection (16) projects from the top side (2) of the first toy building block (400), wherein at least one second projection (16) projects from the top side (2) of the second toy building block (800), wherein the at least one first projection (16) is designed to receive the second projection (16) when the first toy building block (400) is plugged together with the second toy building block (800), so that the two toy building blocks (400, 800) can be plugged together with their top sides facing one another.; 32. Building block set according to claim 31, wherein the first toy building block (400) is designed such that mutually facing outer surfaces (34) of adjacent first projections (16) of the first toy building block (400) clamp two or more side walls (6) of the second toy building block (800) when the second toy building block (800) is placed on the top side (2) of the first toy building block (400) in order to plug the first toy building block (400) together with the second toy building block (800).

33. Building block system comprising two or more toy building blocks (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 29 and / or comprising the building block set according to one of claims 30 to 32, wherein: {a} one or more or all of the following dimensions differ between at least two toy bricks of the building block system, in particular by the same factor: Inner circle diameter (If) of the first regular hexagon (10); inner circle diameter (12) of the second regular hexagon (26); inner circle diameter (13) of the third regular hexagon (32); height h of the projection (16); Distance d between top (2) and bottom (4); {b} at least two toy building blocks (100-1800) of the building block system are scaled versions of each other; and / or {c} in a top view of the respective toy building block, the outer contours of the upper sides (2) of at least two toy building blocks (100-2500) of the building block system differ; and / or {d} the total number of projections (16) projecting from the top side differs between at least two toy building blocks (100-2500) of the building block system.

34. A component system comprising at least one toy building block (100-2500) according to one of claims 1 to 29 and / or comprising the building block set according to one of claims 30 to 32 and / or comprising the building block system according to claim 33, wherein the component system further comprises a component designed to be plugged together with at least one toy building block of the component system, in particular a connecting block (3200), a coupling block (3300), a capping block (3400-4200), a wheel (3050; 3100), a coupling strip (4300), a mat (4400) and / or a rod (4500).

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