Toy construction set

Abstract

A toy construction set includes a toy figure set that includes toy figure building elements configured to repeatably connect and disconnect to each other to form at least a portion of a toy figure, the toy figure building elements including at least two core toy figure building elements, each of the core toy figure building elements including at least a first set of coupling elements separated relative to each other by a distance that is an integer multiple of a center-to-center spacing, where the coupling elements of the first set of coupling elements are configured to allow the core toy figure building elements to repeatably connect and disconnect to other building elements, and each of the core toy figure building elements comprises at least one coupling element configured to allow a connected building element to articulate in more than one plane.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A toy construction set comprising:
 a building element comprising coupling studs arranged in a grid, the center of any of the coupling studs being separated from the center of the nearest stud by a center-to-center spacing; and   a toy figure set comprising toy figure building elements configured to repeatably connect and disconnect to each other to form at least a portion of a toy figure, the toy figure building elements comprising at least two core toy figure building elements, each of the core toy figure building elements comprising at least a first set of coupling elements separated relative to each other by a distance that is an integer multiple of the center-to-center spacing, wherein   the coupling elements of the first set of coupling elements are configured to allow the core toy figure building elements to repeatably connect and disconnect to other building elements, and   each of the core toy figure building elements comprises at least one coupling element configured to allow a connected building element to articulate in more than one plane.   
     
     
         2 . The toy construction set of  claim 1 , wherein the toy figure is configured to be arranged in a human-like form. 
     
     
         3 . The toy construction set of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one coupling element configured to allow a connected building element to articulate in more than one plane is one of the coupling elements in the first set of coupling elements. 
     
     
         4 . The toy construction set of  claim 1 , wherein the coupling elements of the first set of coupling elements on at least one of the core toy figure building elements are identical. 
     
     
         5 . The toy construction set of  claim 4 , wherein
 the coupling elements of the first set of coupling elements on one of the core toy figure building elements comprise identical balls, the centers of the balls being separated by the center-to-center spacing, and   the coupling elements of the first set of coupling elements on another one of the core toy figure building elements comprise identical recesses, the centers of the recesses being separated by the center-to-center spacing.   
     
     
         6 . The toy construction set of  claim 5 , wherein the core toy figure building element that comprises the identical recesses further comprises at least one ball. 
     
     
         7 . The toy construction set of  claim 6 , further comprising a second building element comprising a line of studs, each stud being separated from the center of the closest stud by a second center-to-center distance, different from the center-to-center distance, and wherein
 the center of the at least one ball of the core toy figure building element that comprises the identical recesses is spaced from a surface of the core toy figure building element by an integer multiple of half of the second center-to-center distance.   
     
     
         8 . The toy construction set of  claim 1 , wherein the core toy figure building elements comprise a torso building element and a pelvis building element, the first set of coupling elements of the torso building element comprising two recesses, the centers of the recess being separated by the center-to-center spacing, and the first set of coupling elements of the pelvis building element comprising two balls, the centers of the balls being separated by the center-to-center spacing. 
     
     
         9 . The toy construction set of  claim 8 , further comprising at least two leg building elements, each of the leg building elements comprising a socket that connects to one of the balls of the pelvis building element with a snap fit. 
     
     
         10 . The toy construction set of  claim 9 , wherein, when one leg building element is connected to each of the two balls of the pelvis building element, the connected leg building elements are capable of being positioned to form an angle of at least 90 degrees in at least two different planes. 
     
     
         11 . The toy construction set of  claim 9 , wherein, when one leg building element is connected to each of the two balls of the pelvis building element, the connected leg building elements are capable of being positioned to form an angle of at least 180 degrees in at least two different planes. 
     
     
         12 . The toy construction set of  claim 9 , further comprising a head building element and arm building elements. 
     
     
         13 . A toy construction set comprising:
 a toy figure set comprising a first toy figure building element and a second toy figure building element, the first toy figure building element and the second toy figure building element configured to repeatably connect and disconnect to each other to form at a core toy assembly, each of the first and second toy figure building elements comprising at least two coupling elements configured to connect the toy figure building element to other building elements; and   a connection building element configured to connect to one or more of the first toy figure building element and the second toy figure building element, the connection building element comprising:
 a first surface in a first plane, the first surface comprising coupling studs arranged in a grid, the center of any of the coupling studs being separated from the center of the nearest stud by a center-to-center spacing, 
 a second surface in a second plane different from the first plane, wherein, 
 when the connection building element is connected to the first toy figure building element and the second toy figure building element, the centers of at least some of the coupling studs on the first surface are aligned with the centers of the coupling elements of the first toy building element and the coupling elements of the second toy building elements. 
   
     
     
         14 . The toy construction set of  claim 13 , wherein the centers of some of the coupling studs on the first surface of the connection building element are aligned with the coupling elements on the first toy figure building element, and the centers of all of the coupling studs on the first surface of the connection building element are aligned with the coupling elements on the second toy figure building element. 
     
     
         15 . The toy construction set of  claim 13 , wherein a coupling stud on the first surface of the connection building element is aligned with a coupling element on the first or second toy figure building element when the center of the coupling stud and the center of the coupling element form a line parallel or perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the toy building element. 
     
     
         16 . The toy construction set of  claim 13 , wherein, when the connection building element is connected to the first toy figure building element and the second toy figure building element, the centers of the coupling elements on one of the first toy figure building element or the second toy figure building element are spaced from the coupling studs on the connection building element in a direction that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the toy figure building element by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance. 
     
     
         17 . The toy construction set of  claim 13 , wherein the connection building element further comprises a third surface in a third plane, the third plane being different from the first plane and the second plane, and the third surface defining an opening. 
     
     
         18 . The toy construction set of  claim 16 , wherein the second and third planes are parallel to each other, and the second plane is orthogonal to the first and third planes. 
     
     
         19 . The toy construction set of  claim 18 , wherein the first and third surfaces extend from the second surface, and the connection building element is rigid such that the first and third surfaces do not articulate relative to the second surface. 
     
     
         20 . The toy construction set of  claim 18 , wherein
 the connection building element further comprises a fourth surface in a fourth plane, the fourth surface comprising coupling studs arranged in a grid, the center of any of the coupling studs being separated from the center of the nearest stud by the center-to-center spacing, and   when the connection building element is connected to the first and second toy figure building elements, the centers of some of the coupling studs on the fourth surface are aligned with the centers of the coupling elements of the first toy building element and the coupling elements of the second toy building elements.   
     
     
         21 . The toy construction set of  claim 19 , wherein, when the connection building element is connected to the first toy figure building element and the second toy figure building element, the centers of the coupling elements on one of the first toy figure building element or the second toy figure building element are spaced from the coupling studs on the first and fourth surfaces of the connection building element in a direction that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the toy figure building element by an integer multiple of the center-to-center distance. 
     
     
         22 . The toy construction set of  claim 14 , wherein the first toy figure building element comprises a torso building element, and the second toy figure building element comprises a pelvis building element. 
     
     
         23 . A hub building element comprising:
 a body defining a longitudinal axis and a recess, the recess being configured to receive and hold two different types of coupling elements, the two different types of coupling elements comprising a single coupling stud of another hub building element that, when connected to the body element along the longitudinal axis forms a portion of a toy figure, and two coupling studs that form part of a grid on a surface of a separate building element, the coupling studs being spaced with a center-to-center spacing;   a coupling stud extending from a surface and along the longitudinal axis toy figure building element; and   a plurality of coupling elements extending outward from the body, each of the coupling elements being configured to allow rotation of a connected building element in more than one plane, and each of the coupling elements being spaced from the surface by a distance that is half of a center-to-center spacing of the coupling studs arranged in a grid pattern that are received in the recess.   
     
     
         24 . The hub building element of  claim 23 , wherein the hub building element comprises a torso of the toy figure, and the other hub building element comprises a pelvis of the toy figure. 
     
     
         25 . The hub building element of  claim 23 , wherein the plurality of coupling elements extend outward from the body in opposite directions.