US20180369707A1

US20180369707A1 - Assembly Block

Info

Publication number: US20180369707A1
Application number: US15/778,113
Authority: US
Inventors: Je Hong RYU; Dong Geun Kim
Original assignee: Probo Co Ltd
Current assignee: Probo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-11-24
Filing date: 2016-04-26
Publication date: 2018-12-27
Also published as: CN106999782A; KR101599347B1; CN106999782B; WO2017090846A1

Abstract

Disclosed is an assembly block including a plurality of frame bodies which have a flat panel shape and include a plurality of insertion holes having the same shape and size and passing therethrough at certain intervals along any one of a row direction and a column direction and a rivet key inserted into certain corresponding insertion holes of the overlapping frame bodies and rotated to couple the overlapping frame bodies.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2015-0164879, filed on Nov. 24, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an assembly block, and more particularly, to an assembly block in which since coupled frame bodies are not disassembled by a force applied from the outside, a phenomenon, in which an assembly shape is broken, may be prevented and the frame bodies are freely rotatable in mutually different directions while maintaining a coupled state.

BACKGROUND

Generally, assembly blocks which allow users to assemble or disassemble a variety of shapes of frame bodies in a desired shape have been used.
Such assembly blocks have been released at levels from being configured to be assembled in a simple form using a plurality of frame bodies having the same or similar shapes to being configured to embody more various shapes and to perform a variety of operations by providing frame bodies having a variety of shapes.
As assembly blocks for adults as wells as children or youths, for example, there is Korean Patent Registration No. 10-940029.
However, in the above patent, since a fixing pin and a socket are simply inserted into an insertion hole of a frame body, that is, a piece to be coupled such that the pieces to be coupled are coupled through only tension by a holding step, a coupling force thereof is poor and the pieces are easily disassembled by a force applied from the outside such that an assembly shape is easily broken.
Also, in the above patent, since a head portion of the fixing pin protrudes from the frame body coupled to be assembled, the frame bodies are not freely rotatable in different directions while maintaining a coupled state due to the protruding head portion.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to providing an assembly block in which since a coupling force between frame bodies coupled by inserting and rotating a rivet key in an insertion hole is strong such that the coupled frame bodies are not disassembled by a force applied from the outside, a phenomenon, in which an assembly shape is broken, may be prevented and the frame bodies are freely rotatable in mutually different directions while maintaining a coupled state such that a variety of assembly shapes may be embodied.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an assembly block includes a plurality of frame bodies which have a flat panel shape and include a plurality of insertion holes having the same shape and size and passing therethrough at certain intervals along any one of a row direction and a column direction and a rivet key inserted into certain corresponding insertion holes of the overlapping frame bodies and rotated to couple the overlapping frame bodies.
The overlapping frame bodies may be coupled by inserting the rivet key into the insertion holes such that an upper portion of the rivet key is held by a top surface of the insertion hole of the above-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies and by rotating the rivet key inserted in the insertion hole such that a lower portion of the rivet key is held by a bottom surface of the corresponding insertion hole of the below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies.
The rivet key may include a body portion having a cylindrical shape and a head portion which is formed at a top of the body portion, has a disc shape having a larger diameter than that of the body portion, and includes two head grooves recessed inward and facing each other.
The body portion may include a tension portion separated by a slit which passes through and halves the body portion to allow the rivet key to be easily inserted into the insertion hole.
The slit may be formed in a direction at right angles with the head grooves and be opened from a bottom end of the body portion to a certain height along a longitudinal direction of the body portion.
The tension portion may include a held protrusion and a coupled protrusion.
The held protrusion may protrude outward from a bottom end of the tension portion not to allow the rivet key to be separated from the insertion hole in a perpendicular direction.
The coupled protrusion may be formed above the held protrusion to protrude outward from an outer surface of the tension portion to allow the rivet key inserted in the insertion hole to be fixed and not rotated, and the held protrusion may further protrude than the coupled protrusion.
The held protrusion and the coupled protrusion may be formed perpendicularly below the head groove.
The insertion hole formed in the frame body may include a hollow holding protrusion, a guide hole, and a coupling groove.
The hollow holding protrusion may include a hollow having a diameter for allowing the body portion to be inserted therein, may be located in an intermediate portion of an inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole, and may protrude toward a center of the hollow.
The guide holes may be formed between the hollow holding protrusions along the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole to be symmetrical in one direction from the hollow to the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole.
The coupling groove may perpendicularly face the guide hole and may protrude from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole toward the center of the hollow to allow the coupled protrusion to be attached or detached as the rivet key is inserted into the insertion hole and rotated.
The insertion hole may include a first concave portion formed by a difference between heights of a top end of the insertion hole and the hollow holding protrusion and a second concave portion formed by a difference between heights of a bottom end of the insertion hole and the hollow holding protrusion, and the first concave portion and the second concave portion may be equally formed to allow the rivet key to be insertable in any directions of the frame body.
The hollow holding protrusion may have the same thickness as a thickness of the coupled protrusion such that the coupled protrusion is attached to or detached from the coupling groove as the rivet key is inserted into the insertion hole and rotated.
The overlapping frame bodies may be coupled by locating the head portion in the first concave portion of the above-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies and by locating the held protrusion in the corresponding second concave portion of the below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies such that the held protrusion and the head portion do not protrude from the frame bodies which are mutually coupled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing exemplary embodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating components included in an assembly block according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a rivet key of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the rivet key of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a pan view illustrating a frame body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an insertion hole of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are views illustrating an operation of the assembly block according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to one of ordinary skill in the art. The following embodiments may be modified in a variety of different forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. The embodiments are provided to make the disclosure more substantial and complete and to completely convey the concept of the present invention to those skilled in the art.
The terms used herein are to explain particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, singular forms, unless contextually defined otherwise, may include plural forms. Also, the terms “comprise” and/or “comprising” are used herein to specify the present of stated shapes, numbers, steps, operations, members, elements, and/or groups thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other shapes, numbers, operations, members, elements and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations or one of a plurality of associated listed items.
It is apparent that although the terms “first”, “second”, and the like are used herein to describe various members, areas, layers and/or portions, these members, areas, layers and/or portions are not limited by these terms. These terms do not mean particular order, top and bottom, or ratings and are used only to distinguish one member, area, or portion from another member, area, or portion. Accordingly, a first member, area, or portion which will be described below may be referred to as a second member, area, or portion without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings which schematically illustrate the embodiments. In the drawings, for example, depending on a manufacturing technology and/or tolerance, modifications of illustrated shapes may be made. Accordingly, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a particular shape of an area shown in the specification and may include, for example, a change in shape caused during a manufacturing process.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating components included in an assembly block according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the assembly block according to the embodiment includes a rivet key 10 and a frame body 30. Here, the assembly block according to the embodiment may be used for an assembly robot or a block plaything by coupling a plurality of frame bodies 30 using the rivet key 10 and may be formed of a plastic material.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the rivet key 10 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the rivet key 10 of FIG. 1.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rivet key 10 includes a body portion 11 and a head portion 13 and couples two or more overlapping frame bodies 30 by being inserted and rotated in a certain insertion hole 31 of a plurality of insertion holes included in the frame body 30 which will be described below. Here, the rivet key 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 31 such that an upper portion of the rivet key 10, that is, the head portion 13 is held by a top surface of the insertion hole 31 of the above-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30. The rivet key 10 inserted in the insertion hole 31 is rotated such that a lower portion of the rivet key 10, that is, a held protrusion 111 included in the body portion 11, which will be described below, is held by a bottom surface of the insertion hole 31 corresponding to the below-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies. Accordingly, the two or more overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled to one another.
The body portion 11 has a cylindrical shape and includes a tension portion 110 separated by a slit S, which passes through and halves the body portion 11, and allows the rivet key 10 to be easily inserted into the insertion hole 31. Here, the tension portion 110 may be divided by the slit S into two or more parts. The slit S is formed in a direction at right angles with a head groove 131 included in the head portion 13, which will be described below, and is opened to a certain height along a longitudinal direction of the body portion 11 from a bottom end of the body portion 11.
The tension portion 110 includes the held protrusion 111 and a coupled protrusion 113. The held protrusion 111 protrudes outward from a bottom end of the tension portion 110 to prevent the rivet key 10 from being perpendicularly separated from the insertion hole 31.
The coupled protrusion 113 is formed to prevent the rivet key 10 inserted in the insertion hole 31 from being rotated and protrudes outward from an outer surface of the tension portion 110. Here, the held protrusion 111 further protrudes than the coupled protrusion 113. Also, the held protrusion 111 further protrudes than the head portion 13.
The head portion 13 is formed at a top of the body portion 11, has a disc shape having a larger diameter than that of the body portion 11 overall, and includes two head grooves 131 recessed inward while facing each other in a direction in which the held protrusion 111 protrudes. Here, the held protrusion 111 and the coupled protrusion 113 are located perpendicularly below the head groove 131. Also, although not shown in the drawings, the head portion 13 may include a linear groove formed in a central part of the head portion 13 between the head grooves 131 in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the two head grooves 131 are symmetrical to rotate the rivet key 10 using an additional tool such as a driver.
FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the frame body of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the insertion hole of FIG. 4.
As shown in FIG. 4, the frame body 30 has a flat panel shape and includes the plurality of insertion holes 31 which have the same shape and size and pass therethrough at certain intervals along at least one of a row direction and a column direction. Here, the frame body 30 may include a variety of shapes such as a disc shape, an L shape, and the like.
The insertion hole 31 may include a hollow holding protrusion, a guide hole 330, and a coupling groove 350.
The hollow holding protrusion 310 includes a hollow 311 having a diameter to allow the body portion 11 to be inserted therein, is located in an intermediate part of an inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 31, and protrudes toward a center of the hollow 311.
The guide holes 330 are formed between the hollow holding protrusions 310 along the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 31 to be symmetrical in one direction from the hollow 311 to the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 31 such that the held protrusion 111 is inserted therein.
The coupling groove 350 protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 31 toward the center of the hollow 311 while facing each other in a direction perpendicular to the guide hole 330 such that the coupled protrusion 113 is detached as the rivet key 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 31 and rotates.
Here, the hollow holding protrusion 310, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is formed to be spaced upward apart from a bottom end of the insertion hole 31 by a distance of being spaced downward apart from a top end of the insertion hole 31.
That is, a first concave portion 313 formed by a difference between heights of the top end of the insertion hole 31 and the hollow holding protrusion 310 and a second concave portion 315 formed by a difference between heights of the bottom end of the insertion hole 31 and the hollow holding protrusion 310 are equally formed. Accordingly, since the first concave portion 313 and the second concave portion 315 are equal to each other, the rivet key 10 may be inserted in any one direction of the frame body 30.
Also, the hollow holding protrusion 310 may have the same thickness as a thickness of the coupled protrusion 113 of the rivet key 10. Also, a thickness of the held protrusion 111 of the rivet key 10 is equal to a thickness of the head portion 13 of the rivet key 10. Also, a difference between heights of the top end of the insertion hole 31, which is the first concave portion 313, and the hollow holding protrusion 310 and a difference between heights of the bottom end of the insertion hole 31, which is the second concave portion 315, and the hollow holding protrusion 310 are equal to each other.
Accordingly, when the rivet key 10 is inserted into the certain corresponding insertion holes 31 of the overlapping frame bodies 30 to couple the overlapping frame bodies 30, the head portion 13 is held by the first concave portion 313 of the hollow holding protrusion 310 of the above-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30 while the rivet key 10 is inserted. The held protrusion 111 is held by the second concave portion 315 of the hollow holding protrusion 310 corresponding to the below-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30 and the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled to the coupling groove 350 by a tensioning operation of the tension portion 110 while the rivet key 10 is inserted and then rotated.
According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the head portion 13 is held by the first concave portion 313, the rivet key 10 is inserted and rotated, the held protrusion 111 is held by the second concave portion 315, and the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled to the coupling groove 350 by the tensioning operation such that the head portion 13 and the held protrusion 111 are held by the top and bottom of the hollow holding protrusion 310, respectively. Accordingly, since the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled to the coupling groove 350 and the rivet key 10 is not separated from the insertion hole 31 in a perpendicular direction such that the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled to the coupling groove 350 and the rivet key 10 inserted in the insertion hole 31 is fixed and not rotated, in comparison to a conventional art in which a fixing pin and a socket are simply inserted into an insertion hole of a frame body, that is, a piece to be coupled, a phenomenon in which an assembly shape is broken may be prevented by a stronger coupling force thereof and the frame bodies 30 not disassembled by a force applied from the outside.
Also, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the hollow holding protrusion 310 is located below the top end of the insertion hole 31 by a thickness of the head portion 13 like the first concave portion 313 and is located above the bottom end of the insertion hole 31 by a thickness of the held protrusion 111, when the overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled, the head portion 13 or the held protrusion 111 does not protrude above the coupled frame bodies 30. Accordingly, the frame bodies 30 may freely move, for example, freely rotate in different directions while remaining in a coupled state such that a variety of assembly shapes may be embodied.
FIGS. 6A to 6C are views illustrating an operation of the assembly block according to the embodiment. Here, FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustrating the rivet key 10 located above the insertion hole 31, FIG. 6B is a perspective view illustrating that the rivet key 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 31, and FIG. 6C is a perspective view illustrating that the rivet key 10 is inserted in the insertion hole 31 and rotated therein such that the overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled to each other.
Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, an operation of the assembly block according to the embodiment will be described in detail.
First, when the overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the rivet key 10 is inserted into the certain corresponding insertion holes 31 of the overlapping frame bodies 30. Here, the body portion 11 of the rivet key 10 is inserted through the hollow 311 of the insertion hole 31, and the held protrusion 111 of the rivet key 10 is inserted through the guide hole 330 of the insertion hole 31. Also, the head portion 13 of the rivet key 10 is held by the first concave portion 313 of the insertion hole 31 of the above-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30.
Also, as shown in FIG. 6C, the rivet key 10 inserted in the insertion hole 31 is rotated such that the held protrusion 111 of the rivet key 10 is held by the second concave portion 315 of the insertion hole 31 corresponding to the below-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30. Here, a rotational direction of the rivet key 10 may be any one direction regardless of leftward or rightward.
Afterwards, the rivet key 10 is further rotated in the same direction as described while the held protrusion 111 is held by the second concave portion 315 such that the overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled by coupling the coupled protrusion 113 to the coupling groove 350 through the tensioning operation. Here, the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled to the coupling groove 350 with a click. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, an additional tool may be used for rotating the rivet key 10.
Meanwhile, the coupled frame bodies 30 are separated in reverse order of coupling the above-overlapping frame bodies 30. That is, when the coupled frame bodies 30 are separated, the coupled protrusion 113 may be separated from the coupling groove 350 by rotating the rivet key 10 and then the rivet key 10 may be further rotated to be separated from the insertion hole 31. Here, the body portion 11 may be separated through the hollow 311 and the held protrusion 111 may be separated through the guide hole 330. Here, a rotational direction of the rivet key 10 may be any one direction regardless of leftward or rightward.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a hollow holding protrusion is provided on an inner circumferential surface of an intermediate portion and includes a plurality of insertion holes formed on a frame body and a rivet key which includes a held protrusion and a coupled protrusion on the held protrusion at a lower portion and a head portion at an upper portion to be inserted into a certain corresponding insertion hole such that the head portion is held by a top surface of the hollow holding protrusion of the above-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies when the rivet key is inserted into the insertion holes. The held protrusion is held by a bottom surface of the corresponding hollow holding protrusion of the below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies as the rivet key is inserted therein and then rotated. Since the overlapping frame bodies are coupled by coupling the coupled protrusion to a coupling groove of the hollow holding protrusion, the head portion and the held protrusion are held by top and bottom of the hollow holding protrusion respectively such that the rivet key is not separated from the insertion holes in a perpendicular direction and the coupled protrusion is coupled to the coupling groove to fix the rivet key inserted in the insertion holes not to be rotated. Accordingly, since the coupled frame bodies are not disassembled by a force applied from the outside due to a coupling force thereof, an effect of preventing a phenomenon in which an assembly shape is broken is provided.
Also, since one surface of the hollow holding protrusion is located below a top end of the insertion hole by a thickness of the head portion and the other surface of the hollow holding protrusion is located above a bottom end of the insertion hole by a thickness of the held protrusion, when the overlapping frame bodies are coupled by inserting the rivet key into the insertion holes, the head portion or the held protrusion does not protrude from the coupled frame bodies. Accordingly, the frame bodies may freely move, for example, freely rotate in different directions while remaining in a coupled state such that an effect of embodying a variety of assembly shapes is provided.
Although the detailed embodiment of the assembly block according to the present invention has been described above, it is apparent that a variety of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiment and should be determined by the following claims and equivalents thereof.
That is, the above-described embodiment should be understood as being exemplary and not limitative in every aspect. The scope of the present invention is represented by the following claims rather than the detailed description. It should be understood that all changes and modifications derived from the meaning, scope, and equivalents of the claims are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly block comprising:

a plurality of frame bodies which have a flat panel shape and comprise a plurality of insertion holes having the same shape and size and passing therethrough at certain intervals along any one of a row direction and a column direction; and

a rivet key inserted into certain corresponding insertion holes of the overlapping frame bodies and rotated to couple the overlapping frame bodies.

2. The assembly block of claim 1, wherein the overlapping frame bodies are coupled by inserting the rivet key into the insertion holes such that an upper portion of the rivet key is held by a top surface of the insertion hole of the above-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies and by rotating the rivet key inserted in the insertion hole such that a lower portion of the rivet key is held by a bottom surface of the corresponding insertion hole of the below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies.

3. The assembly block of claim 1, wherein the rivet key comprises:

a body portion having a cylindrical shape; and

a head portion which is formed at a top of the body portion, has a disc shape having a larger diameter than that of the body portion, and comprises two head grooves recessed inward and facing each other,

wherein the body portion comprises a tension portion separated by a slit which passes through and halves the body portion to allow the rivet key to be easily inserted into the insertion hole, and

wherein the slit is formed in a direction at right angles with the head grooves and is opened from a bottom end of the body portion to a certain height along a longitudinal direction of the body portion.

4. The assembly block of claim 3, wherein the tension portion comprises a held protrusion and a coupled protrusion,

wherein the held protrusion protrudes outward from a bottom end of the tension portion not to allow the rivet key to be separated from the insertion hole in a perpendicular direction, and

wherein the coupled protrusion is formed above the held protrusion to protrude outward from an outer surface of the tension portion to allow the rivet key inserted in the insertion hole to be fixed and not rotated, and the held protrusion further protrudes than the coupled protrusion.

5. The assembly block of claim 4, wherein the held protrusion and the coupled protrusion are formed perpendicularly below the head groove.

6. The assembly block of claim 4, wherein the insertion hole formed in the frame body comprises a hollow holding protrusion, a guide hole, and a coupling groove,

wherein the hollow holding protrusion comprises a hollow having a diameter for allowing the body portion to be inserted therein, is located in an intermediate portion of an inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole, and protrudes toward a center of the hollow,

wherein the guide holes are formed between the hollow holding protrusions along the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole to be symmetrical in one direction from the hollow to the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole, and

wherein the coupling groove perpendicularly faces the guide hole and protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole toward the center of the hollow to allow the coupled protrusion to be attached or detached as the rivet key is inserted into the insertion hole and rotated.

7. The assembly block of claim 6, wherein the insertion hole comprises a first concave portion formed by a difference between heights of a top end of the insertion hole and the hollow holding protrusion and a second concave portion formed by a difference between heights of a bottom end of the insertion hole and the hollow holding protrusion, and

wherein the first concave portion and the second concave portion are equally formed to allow the rivet key to be insertable in any directions of the frame body.

8. The assembly block of claim 6, wherein the hollow holding protrusion has the same thickness as a thickness of the coupled protrusion such that the coupled protrusion is attached to or detached from the coupling groove as the rivet key is inserted into the insertion hole and rotated.

9. The assembly block of claim 8, wherein the overlapping frame bodies are coupled by locating the head portion in the first concave portion of the above-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies and by locating the held protrusion in the corresponding second concave portion of the below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies such that the held protrusion and the head portion do not protrude from the frame bodies which are mutually coupled.