Nestable building blocks

Abstract

In one embodiment, an article of manufacture includes a plurality of nestable, identically sized building blocks, each block having at least one inward-slanting side wall connected to a top surface of the block at an edge of the block, wherein a first block defines a hollow interior space adapted to receive a second block in a nested configuration. One or more of the blocks have one or more recesses on the top surface that are each designed to receive a portion of the bottom edge of another block, thereby providing increased stability for non-nested configurations. A recess may have a curved shape that can receive a curved portion of another block at different angular orientations of the blocks. The recesses may engage another block's bottom edge in a non-interlocking manner or in an interlocking manner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of manufacture comprising a plurality of nestable, identically sized building blocks (e.g.,  110 ), each building block comprising at least one inward-slanting side wall (e.g.,  112 ) connected to a top surface (e.g.,  114 ) of the building block at an edge (e.g.,  116 ) of the building block, wherein a first said building block defines a hollow interior space adapted to receive a second said building block in a nested configuration. 
     
     
         2 . [ FIGS. 1A-1B ] The article of  claim 1 , wherein each building block (e.g.,  110 ) comprises four trapezoid-shaped side walls (e.g.,  112 ( 1 )- 112 ( 4 )) and a rectangle-shaped top surface (e.g.,  114 ) connected to each side wall at an edge (e.g.,  116 ) of the building block. 
     
     
         3 . [ FIG. 2A-2B, 3A-3G, 4A-4C ] The article of  claim 1 , wherein each building block (e.g.,  210 ) comprises:
 a racetrack-shaped top surface (e.g.,  214 ) comprising two opposing parallel sides separated by two opposing curved sides;   two opposing trapezoid-shaped side walls (e.g.,  212 ( 1 ),  212 ( 3 )) connected to the two opposing parallel sides of the top surface at two straight edges (e.g.,  216 ( 1 ),  216 ( 3 )) of the building block; and   two opposing partial frustum-shaped side walls (e.g.,  212 ( 2 ),  212 ( 4 )) connected to the two opposing curved sides of the top surface at two curved edges (e.g.,  216 ( 2 ),  216 ( 4 )) of the building block.   
     
     
         4 . [ FIG. 7 ] The article of  claim 1 , wherein each building block (e.g.,  710 ) comprises a frustum-shaped side wall (e.g.,  712 ) connected to a circular horizontal surface (e.g.,  714 ). 
     
     
         5 . [ FIG. 7 ] The article of  claim 4 , wherein each building block further comprises a second, cone-shaped side wall (e.g.,  714 ) connected to the circular horizontal surface such that the circular horizontal surface has an annular circular shape. 
     
     
         6 . [ FIGS. 3A-3G ] The article of  claim 1 , wherein the top surface (e.g.,  314 ) of a first said building block (e.g.,  310 ) comprises at least one recess (e.g.,  320 ) designed to receive a portion of a bottom edge (e.g.,  318 ) of the at least one side wall (e.g.,  312 ) of a second said building block (e.g.,  310 ), when the second said building block is stacked on top of the first said building block in a non-nested configuration. 
     
     
         7 . [ FIGS. 3A-3G ] The article of  claim 6 , wherein the top surface of the first said building block comprises a plurality of recesses (e.g.,  320 ), each different recess designed to receive a portion of the bottom edge of the at least one side wall of the second said building block in a different non-nested stacked configuration. 
     
     
         8 . [ FIG. 3A-3G ] The article of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the top surface of the first said building block comprises at least first and second said recesses; and   the first and second said recesses are designed to receive respectively and simultaneously (i) a portion of the bottom edge of the at least one side wall of the second said building block and (ii) a portion of a bottom edge of at least one side wall of a third said building block.   
     
     
         9 . [ FIG. 3A, 3F, 3G ] The article of  claim 6 , wherein a first said recess (e.g.,  320 ( 1 )) has a curved shape adapted to receive a curved portion of the bottom edge of the at least one side wall of the second said building block, such that the second said building block is stackable on top of the first said building block in a plurality of non-nested configurations having different angular orientations between the first and second said building blocks. 
     
     
         10 . [ FIGS. 3B-3D ] The article of  claim 6 , wherein a first said recess (e.g.,  320 ( 2 )) has a shape adapted to receive a portion of the bottom edge of the at least one side wall of the second said building block, such that the second said building block is stackable on top of the first said building block in only two non-nested configuration having only two different angular orientations between the first and second said building blocks. 
     
     
         11 . [ FIG. 3D ] The article of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one recess and the corresponding portion of the bottom edge of the at least one side wall of the second said building block are designed such that the at least one recess receives the corresponding portion in a detent-based interlocking configuration. 
     
     
         12 . [ FIG. 3C ] The article of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one recess and the corresponding portion of the bottom edge of the at least one side wall of the second said building block are designed such that the at least one recess receives the corresponding portion in a non-interlocking configuration. 
     
     
         13 . [ FIGS. 4A-4C ] The article of  claim 6 , wherein the portion of the bottom edge (e.g.,  418 ) of the at least one side wall of the second said building block (e.g.,  410 ( 1 ),  410 ( 3 )) has extending structure (e.g.,  422 ) that fits into the at least one recess (e.g.,  420 ) of the first building block (e.g.,  410 ( 1 ),  410 ( 2 )). 
     
     
         14 . [ FIGS. 4A-4C ] The article of  claim 13 , wherein the extending structure is a rectilinear tab and the at least one recess has a plus-sign shape adapted to receive the rectilinear tab in any of four different angular orientations between the first and second said building blocks. 
     
     
         15 . [ FIG. 5 ] The article of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom edge (e.g.,  518 ) of the at least one side wall of each building block (e.g.,  510 ) has at least one recess (e.g.,  520 ) such that first and second said building blocks (e.g.,  510 ( 1 ),  510 ( 2 )) can be stacked in a non-nested configuration with the first said building block upside down relative to the second said building block with the at least one recess of the first said building block engaging the at least one recess of the second said building block. 
     
     
         16 . [ FIG. 6 ] The article of  claim 1 , wherein each building block (e.g.,  610 ) comprises:
 at least one first inward-slanting side wall (e.g.,  612 ( a )) connected to an intermediate annular surface (e.g.,  614 ( 1 )); and   at least one second inward-slanting side wall (e.g.,  612 ( b )) connected between the intermediate annular surface and the top surface (e.g.,  614 ( 2 )), such that:
 first and second said building blocks are stackable in a first non-nested configuration (e.g.,  600 ) with the bottom edge (e.g.,  618 ) of the second said building block (e.g.,  610 ( 3 )) resting on the intermediate annular surface of the first said building block (e.g.,  610 ( 1 )); and 
 the first and second said building blocks are stackable in a second non-nested configuration with the bottom edge of the second said building block resting on the top surface of the first said building block. 
   
     
     
         17 . [ FIGS. 8A-8B ] The article of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of relatively flat structures (e.g.,  810 ), each useable as an intermediate structure in a stacked, non-nested configuration (e.g.,  800 ) of two or more said building blocks (e.g.,  210 ).