Apparatus, Method and Kit for Building Structures with Building Blocks

Abstract

An apparatus, method and kit for enabling the building of structures. A base is configured to receive at least one building block in a respective bay. The base includes a lip having sides protruding from the base surrounding the bay. The bay is slightly larger than the building block having a predetermined tolerance to allow the block to be received in the bay and supported by the lip so that the received block is retained within the base. The base can include arrangements of the bays in rows, as a corner or as a grid. A ramp or track can be associated with the base. One or more covers or inserts can be arranged over the at least one building block or the base.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for building a structure comprising:
 a base, said base including a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more bays included in one or more of the top surface or the bottom surface of the base, and   a lip extending from the base surrounding each of the one or more bays,   wherein each of the one or more bays is configured to be slightly larger than a size of a building block to allow the building block received in the bay to be supported by the lip to retain the building block in the bay.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the one or more bays have a square shape, the bay having a size in a range of about 1.15 square inches to about 1.25 square inches and the lip being formed of a plurality of sides, each of the sides of the lip having a width in a range of about 0.125 to about 0.25 inches. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  comprising a plurality of the bays aligned side by side in a row forming a bay row base. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the lip is formed of a plurality of outer sides, the outer sides surround the bays, an inner side of the lip is a spacer positioned between adjacent bays, the inner side of the lip having a width which is double the width of the outer sides. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a first of the bays is a corner bay having a first side of the corner bay adjacent to a second one of the bays and a second side of the corner bay adjacent to a third one of the bays, the first side and the second side of the corner bay being perpendicular to one another forming a bay corner base. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the lip is formed of a plurality of outer sides, the outer sides surround the bays, a connection lip side of the lip is positioned between the first side of the corner bay and the second side of the corner bay, the connection lip side having a width which is double the width of the outer sides. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  comprising a plurality of the bays aligned side by side in a plurality of adjacent rows forming a bay grid base. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a bay cover, the bay cover including a protrusion on one or more sides of the bay cover, the protrusion configured to be received in the bay for covering the bay or over a block for covering a top surface of the block. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the protrusion has a substantially similar circumference size as a circumference size of the bay. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a ramp base, the ramp base including a ramp extending at an angle from a top surface of the ramp base to a bottom surface of the ramp base, a bay cover portion adjacent to the ramp, the bay cover portion covering one or mort of the bays, optionally the bay cover portion comprising one or more protrusions. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a door insert, the door insert having a front wall formed as a door or a front wall having an opening and a door rotatable to open and close the opening, the door insert configured to be received in one of the bays, optionally the door including a door knob or handle, optionally a bottom of the door insert including a bay protrusion configured to be received in one of the bays and optionally a top of the door insert including a bay protrusion configured to be received in one of the bays. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising further comprising a window insert, a front wall formed as a window, the window insert configured to be received in one of the bays, optionally the window insert including a bay protrusion configured to be received in one of the bays and optionally a top of the window insert including a bay protrusion configured to be received in one of the bays. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a first row of bays aligned side by side, and a second row of bays aligned side by side, the first row aligned to a first side of a track and the second row aligned to a second side of the track forming a bay grid track base, optionally the track comprising indentations. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a gable insert, the gable comprising angled top walls extending from an apex  805 , a bottom support extending laterally between the angled top walls, the bottom support including one or more gable bays, configured to be received on one or more of the building blocks received in the bay of the base, optionally bay grid tabs extending from a top surface of the top walls. 
     
     
         15 . A method for building a structure comprising the steps of:
 placing an apparatus on a surface, the apparatus comprising at least one first base, the first base including a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more bays included in one or more of the top surface or the bottom surface of the at least one base, and a lip extending from the base surrounding each of the one or more bays; and   arranging at least one building block in the one or more bays to form the structure,   wherein each of the one or more bays is configured to be slightly larger than a size of a building block to allow the building block received in the bay to be supported by the lip to retain the building block in the bay.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein further comprises the step of:
 placing at least one second base or at least one bay cover over the at least one building block arranged in the one or more bays of the at least one first base; and 
 optionally placing one or more of a door insert, a window insert, a gable insert over the at least one building block arranged in the one or more bays of the at least one first base or the at least one second base or the at least one bay cover. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the first base or the second base are a bay row base, a bay corner base, a bay grid base or bay grid track base. 
     
     
         18 . A kit for building a structure comprising:
 one or more bases, the one or more bases including a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more bays included in one or more of the top surface or the bottom surface of the one or more base, and a lip extending from the base surrounding each of the one or more bays; and   optionally, one or more inserts selected from a door insert, a window insert. or a gable insert wherein each of the one or more bays is configured to be slightly larger than a size of a building block to allow the building block received in the bay to be supported by the lip to retain the building block in the bay.   
     
     
         19 . The kit of claim of  claim 18  wherein the one or bases comprise a bay row base, a bay corner base, a bay grid base, ramp base or bay grid track base. 
     
     
         20 . The kit of  claim 18  further comprising at least one block.