US20080200090A1

US20080200090A1 - Magnetic construction toy

Info

Publication number: US20080200090A1
Application number: US11/710,000
Authority: US
Inventors: Steven H. Balanchi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-21
Filing date: 2007-02-21
Publication date: 2008-08-21

Abstract

The invention relates to a geometric construction toy for building geometrical structures and consists of a multiplicity of spherical magnetizable bodies which may be magnetically coupled to a connecting member. The connecting member has an upper boundary surface which is a concave surface of revolution and a lower boundary surface which is also a concave surface of revolution. The lower boundary surface is the mirror image of the upper boundary surface. A permanent magnet is captively carried by the connecting member and so disposed therein such that the poles of the magnet are located adjacent to or interiorly of the respective boundary surface thereby permitting a stable coupling of magnetizable bodies to each pole of the permanent magnet.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a magnetic construction toy for building geometrical structures consisting of spherical magnetizable bodies and magnetic connecting members for magnetically coupling with the spherical magnetizable bodies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Connecting members for magnetic construction toys typically consist of arm like structures having a permanent magnet carried captively at each end of the arm extremeties. In building a geometrical structure, a magnetizable body of generally spherical shape magnetically couples to the pole of the magnet located at the arm extremety; the other pole of the magnet, which is of opposite polarity and capable of magnetically coupling with a magnetizable body is located near the same extremity but within the arm and consequently one of the magnet poles is unusable for magnetically coupling with a second magnetizable body to form a module of the geometrical structure. Thus, in the module building of the toy structure, only one pole of the permanent magnet can be used to magnetically couple. To facilitate omnidirectional coupling with the magnetizable body, a permanent magnet is captively held within the connecting arm a sufficient recessed distance from the extreme or terminal end of the arm. This precludes a single point contact and permits a more stable omnidirectional coupling.
It is desirable, therefore, to have a connecting member that provides a stable omnidirectional coupling with magnetizable bodies utilizing both poles of the magnet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a construction toy where the connecting arm between magnetizable bodies utilizes each pole of the connecting arm magnet to form a magnetic coupling with a respective magnetizable body.
The present invention is directed to a magnetic construction toy that consists of magnetizable bodies and connecting members that magnetically couple to form modules that are used to construct various geometrical shapes. The magnetizable body preferably is a thin walled sphere whose surface is a surface of revolution generated by rotating an arcuate segment about an axis passing through the geometrical center of the sphere. A connecting member has a vertical axis and an upper boundary surface extending laterally of the vertical axis and a lower boundary surface extending laterally of the vertical axis. The upper boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature substantially of like dimension as the radius of curvature of the surface of revolution of the magnetizable body. The lower boundary surface in the preferred embodiment is the mirror image of the upper boundary surface, namely a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature substantially of like dimension as the radius of the curvature of the surface of revolution of the magnetizable body coupled to it.
A permanent magnet is captively carried by the connecting member and extends axially within the connecting member and is so disposed therein such that the terminal end of the first end of the magnet is located adjacent to or interiorly of the upper concave boundary surface of revolution and the terminal second end of the magnet is located adjacent to or interiorly of the lower concave boundary surface of revolution. Thus the magnetic field associated with the first terminal end extends above and substantially across the upper concave boundary surface. Likewise, at the terminal second end of the magnet, the magnetic field extends above and substantially across the lower concave boundary surface of revolution. Both the upper and lower boundary surfaces having substantially the same radius of curvature as the spherical magnetizable body thereby providing a stable magnetic coupling between the connecting member and the magnetizable body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages will become appreciated as the same become better understood with reference to the following specification, claims and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a module of the magnetic construction toy of this invention illustrating the magnetic coupling of spherical magnetizable bodies and connecting arms.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connecting arm of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along the line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a spherical magnetizable body and multiple connecting arms.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4

FIG. 6 is a geometrical structure composed of a multiplicity of spherical magnetizable bodies coupled to interconnecting members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective a module 1 of a geometrical structure which is composed of a plurality of magnetizable bodies coupled magnetically to connecting members. As can be seen in FIG. 1, magnetizable body 2 has a geometrical center 3 which is at the intersection of a principle triad of axis X, Y, & Z. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the magnetizable bodies 2 are spherically shaped, each having a radius R. The intersection of XZ plane with the surface of the sphere will be a circle having a radius of curvature of R which when rotated about the Z axis will generate a spherical surface of revolution; likewise, the intersection of the Y-Z plane with the surface of magnetizable body 2 will be a circle having a radius of curvature of R which when rotated about the Z axis will generate a spherical surface of revolution.
As can further be seen by reference to FIG. 1, a connecting member 6 is shown having a concave upper boundary surface 7 which is a surface of revolution generated by rotating the arcuate generator 8 about vertical axis 9. The radius of curvature for concave upper boundary surface 7 is substantially identical to the radius of curvature for a magnetizable body 2.
FIG. 2 is a prospective view of connecting member 6 and illustrates the upper boundary surface 7 generated by revolving generator 8 about vertical axis 9. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the lower boundary surface of connecting member 6 is also a concave surface of revolution 11; FIG. 3 illustrates the concavity of both the upper and lower boundary surfaces and their lateral relationship to the vertical axis 9. It can also be seen that upper and lower boundary surfaces, 7 and 11 respectively, are mirror images of each other.
By reference to FIG. 3, it can be seen that a permanent magnet 12 is captively held within a connecting member 6 and has a first terminal end 13 which is located interiorly of concave upper boundary surface 7 and a second terminal end 14 which is located interiorly of concave lower boundary surface 11. This permits a broad bearing area and substantially flush magnetic coupling between the connecting member and magnetizable body and consequently renders a stable connection between the elements forming module 1. As can further be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, connecting member 6 is cylindrically shaped and symmetrical about vertical axis 9. Although not shown in drawings, magnetizable bodies having different radii may be magnetically coupled to a connecting member provided that each concave boundary surface of revolution of the connecting member has a radius of curvature substantially identical to the radius of curvature of the magnetizable body with which the surface is to magnetically couple.
FIG. 5 which is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, illustrates the magnetic coupling of a plurality of magnetizable bodies 2 with a plurality of connecting members 6. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the radius of curvature of the outer surface 13 of magnetizable body 2 has substantially the identical radius of curvature as that of the concave boundary surface of connecting member 6.
An example of one of a myriad of geometrical structures constructed by magnetically coupling modules 1 comprised of magnetizable bodies 2 and connecting members 6 is shown in FIG. 6. As can be appreciated the stability of the geometrical structure is enhanced by the flush surface area bearing between the boundary surface of the connecting member and the coupled portion of the magnetizable body.
While I have shown and described a magnetic construction toy having a connecting member with concave boundary surfaces of revolution, it is to be understood that the invention is subject to many modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the claims recited herein

Claims

1. A magnetic construction toy, comprising:

a) a magnetizable body having a surface which is at least in part a surface of revolution;

b) a connection member for magnetically coupling to said surface of revolution, said connecting member having a vertical axis, a laterally extending upper boundary surface and a laterally extending lower boundary surface where said upper boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature substantially of like dimension as said surface of revolution of said magnetizable body; and

c) a magnet captively carried by said connecting member, said magnet having a first and a second end where said first end is so disposed within said connecting member such that said first end is located adjacent to or interiorly of said upper boundary surface.

2. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 1 where said lower boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature substantially of like dimension as said surface of revolution of said magnetizable body.

3. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 1 where said magnetizable body is spherically shaped.

4. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 1 further comprising a second magnetizable body having a surface which is at least in part a surface of revolution where said lower boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature substantially of like dimension as said surface of revolution of said second magnetizable body.

5. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 4 where said second magnetizable body is spherically shaped.

6. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 2 where said second end of said magnet is so disposed within said connecting member such that said second end is located adjacent to or interiorly of said lower boundary surface.

7. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 6 further comprising a second magnetizable body having a surface which is at least in part a surface of revolution having a radius of curvature of like dimension as said concave surface of revolution of said lower boundary surface.

8. The magnetic construction toy recited in claim 7 where said magnetizable body is spherically shaped and where said second magnetizable body is spherically shaped.

9. A connecting member for magnetically coupling, with a magnetizable body said magnetizable body having at least in part a surface of revolution, where said connecting member comprises a vertical axis, a laterally extending upper boundary surface and a laterally extending lower boundary surface where said upper boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature of substantially like dimension as said surface of revolution of said magnetizable member, and a magnet captively carried within said connecting member where said said magnet has a first end and a second end and said first end is so disposed within said connecting member such that said first end is located adjacent to or interiorly of said upper boundary surface.

10. The connecting member recited in claim 9 where said lower boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution having a radius of curvature of substantially like dimension as said surface of revolution of said magnetizable body, and where said second end of said magnet is located adjacent to or interiorly of said lower boundary surface.

11. The connecting member recited in claim 9 where said lower boundary surface is a concave surface of revolution and where said second end of said magnet is located adjacent to or interiorly of said lower boundary surface.

12. The connecting member recited in claim 10 where said radius of curvature of said upper boundary surface is substantially equal to said radius of curvature of said lower boundary surface.