Building blocks

1,985,992

Jan. 1, 1935.

Μ. E. HAYMAN building blocks ' Filed July 14, 1933

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Patented Jan. 1, 1935

1,985,992

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,985,992 BUILDING BLOCKS Milton E. Hayman, West Hartford, Conn. Application July 14, 1933, Serial No. 680,420 (Cl. 46—35) but one complete set of blocks forming an embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from 5 the spirit of the invention. .

Briefly, and in its preferred aspect, my invention may include the following principal parts: First, a number of unit blocks square in outline and of uniform thickness having dovetail grooves 10 within each end surface and extending completely around its periphery; second, interlocking auxiliary blocks as long as the unit blocks and having a square cross section, the sides of which are equal to the thickness of the unit blocks and 15 having dovetail grooves lengthwise within one or more side surfaces; third, strips having a cross section of double dovetail form adapted to enter grooves of juxtaposed unit and auxiliary blocks; and fourth, cover strips adapted to be positioned 20 adjacent other blocks and interlocked therewith.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing, I show in Fig. 1 a typical assembly of members forming the set of building blocks, the unit members 10 of which are disposed to form 25 intersecting walls. As shown, these unit blocks 10 have opposite parallel faces preferably flat and smoothly finished. Extending entirely around the blocks and cut into their edge surfaces are dovetail grooves 11. These grooves 11 are cen- 30 trally disposed between opposite sides so that the unit blocks 10 may be placed in position with either face in alignment with the faces of adjacent blocks. To interlock adjacent blocks 10 together locking strips' 12 are slidably entered 35 within grooves 11 along adjacent surfaces of the blocks. Preferably the locking strips 12 are substantially the same length as the sides of the blocks 10 or may be substantially as long as multiples of the blocks 10. To permit locking strips 40 to be provided in directions normal to each other the strips must be shorter than the sides of the blocks 10 so that the strips will not extend into intercepting grooves. In this manner walls of extended length and composed of blocks 10 may 45 have their blocks rigidly locked together in both directions. The strips should therefore have a length equal to the distance from one side of a block to the other or from one side to the other of a group of blocks when measured from the 50 bottom of the grooves in these sides.

In order to form walls at right angles to each other supplementary blocks 13 of smaller size than the unit blocks 10 are provided. These smaller blocks 13 are preferably as long as sides 55

Claims.

This invention relates to building blocks and particularly to a system of blocks preferably of wood for assembling miniature building structures of different types with all of the principal 5 parts interlocked and with the assembling means therefor concealed.

An object of the present invention is to provide blocks preferably of wood and conforming to a rectangular unit system, the unit blocks having 10 means for interconnection with other blocks upon all sides, the interconnecting means being concealed when -the blocks are assembled.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide covering or concealing strips for asso15 elation with grouped unit blocks so that assembled groups of blocks of different types may have their edge surfaces given a finished appearance.

It will be understood that a number of the unit blocks may be grouped to form walls of a struc20 ture, the walls being disposed at angles to each other by means of supplementary blocks of smaller cross section than the unit or principal blocks, these supplementary or runner blocks having interconnecting means for attachment to 25 other blocks upon one or more of their sides.

With the above and other objects in view my invention includes the features of construction and operation set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying 80 drawing.

In the accompanying drawing annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown my invention embodied in a small set of wooden blocks but it will be understood that the 85 invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a typical assembly built of the blocks forming the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are a mid-section and side elevational views respectively of the unit blocks 45 forming part of the invention.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are end, front and side views respectively of a cover strip forming part of the present invention.

Figg, 7 and 8 are sectional views of an assembly 50 of unit blocks with auxiliary blocks.

Figs. 9,10 and 11 are front, side and end views respectively of a locking strip, and

Figs. 12 and 13 are end views of interlocking mexubofSa

In the above mentioned drawing, I have shown

1,085,802 of the unit blocks 10 and in cross section are square and of the same dimension as the thickness of the unit blocks 10. On one or more of the sides of these smaller corner or runner blocks 5 13 are dovetail grooves 11 similar in every way to those provided on the unit blocks 10. In any set of blocks made according to the present invention runner or auxiliary blocks 13 would be Provided some of which had grooves extending longitudinally upon but one side, others having grooves upon two sides and so on. With these different forms of runner blocks 13 unit blocks 10 ^{may be added} *° others either in alignment therewith or at a right angle thereto on one or more sides of the runner blocks. _{ux M1}, ruxmer blocks 13 not having unit blocks 10 in· i5^°^ck^_l._i^mem^^ers engaging within said grooves within adjacent blocks, and covering strips having dovetail projections upon one side only and entering a dovetail groove and adapted Wnnv^Veri!^hei.^{eild surfaces} of a plurality of unit 5 blocks whereby assemblies of said blocks may be built up in permanent forms.

2. In combination with a set of building blocks yto.V5^Ve,^{taU grooves} within the end surfaces ^{t blocks} thereof, of cover strips 10 adapted to be disposed adjacent the end surfaces !^{eries of} “^{ld blocks}· ^said cover · strips having integral dovetail projections adapted to interengage with aligned grooves within said

The surfaces nf the h?? , , 7^s aligned grooves within said ____________g Wocks 5 ? toterlocking strips having projections 15 terlocked therewith will be uninterrupted by bk^ks ^h^ ^oppo“^{d grooves} in adjacent grooves 11 and their surfaces win form cSttaua- · “ ^oi “^{id blocks and} : ΧίηϊΧ^«^^ Wo^^{tUP to}-“^tiO«3SSSSand runner blocks forming a wall uuvewm ^tO_,^{giVe a flnished} appearance to exposed end surfaces of the unit blocks 10 and to simulate the trim about door ways, windows, etc. as showniiithe drawing, there are provided cover strips 14. These strips 14 are preferably as long ’“V* 52® ^more blocks 10 and as wide as the thickness of a unit block. On one iectinn^f i^^{e St}H^{PS 14}.^{is provlded a} dovetail projection 15 as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Preferably and as shown In these figures the projection 15 may be cut off a short distance from one end ^S?^rl^^{S 14 80 that thls} Portion of the strip may extend over the end surface of one toe nmner blocks 13 unprovided with a dovetail ©roove.

„ ^BL^Vai^10PS combinations of unit blocks 10, runn! nmu ^{13and 10ckin}g Strips 12 structures may be built up of any configuration and representing ΐη^° w ^{f struc}to^res and methods of bfflldto^g· h® ““^tood that various numbers of the different blocks 10,12,13 and 14 may form a set and that some of the blocks 13 may have othPrq^v ^{provlded with} a dovetail groove while others may have grooves provided on two, three or four sides. Also in building a large number 50 of unit blocks 10 into a flat surfaced wall the KS'S^{8 s,}.^{ps 13} -» KB fttsr *·*· ***