Snap-Together Building Block Set with Marble Tracks and Pieces Therefor

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/779,148, filed Mar. 27, 2025, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates generally to building block sets, and more specifically, to building block sets having pieces that snap together.

Snap-together building block sets are toys that allow for the user to build structures, either using directions or freeform. A common building block piece is in the form of a block, often but not always rectangular. The building block pieces have coupling studs and cavities for receiving the coupling studs of other building block pieces in frictional engagement. Examples of such toy building block pieces are shown and discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The studs are arranged in predetermined arrays, e.g. uniformly spaced rows and columns, of various sizes. The studs themselves have a uniform width or diameter. In this way, the cavities are configured to attach to any part of an array of studs on one or more building block pieces. Such systems are well known in the art.

It is also known to have constructable playsets with marble run elements, including marble tracks and specialty pieces that interact with marbles in various ways. Many of these sets are marble-track specific and do not interact with or otherwise facilitate general block construction play.

U.S. Pat. No. 11,478,694 discloses marble run blocks that can be used to construction non-marble run building structures, but also are connectable to standard marble run structures. However, each block is sized to contain and pass through a standard marble, which requires a minimum block dimension that is often substantially larger than standard building block pieces, thereby limiting flexibility in construction of structures.

The disclosure addresses the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a set of marble track pieces having coupling studs that can be smaller than a marble which may be used with standard dimension building block pieces.

A first embodiment is a marble track component kit that includes first and second connecting tracks, and a connector block. The first connecting track has a first rail and a second rail configured to cooperate to provide a first marble rolling path, and at least a first crosspiece extending between the first rail and the second rail. The second connecting track has a third rail and a fourth rail configured to cooperate to provide a second marble rolling path, and at least a second crosspiece extending between the third rail and the fourth rail. The connector block configured to releasably couple to the first connecting track and the second connecting track, and has a marble channel extending therethrough. The connector block has a first vertically facing side having a plurality of connecting studs having standard dimensions, and further including a second vertically facing side having a receptacle configured to receiving a further plurality of connecting studs having the standard dimensions. When the connector block is coupled to the first connecting track and the second connecting track, a continuous rolling path for a marble is defined by the first marble rolling path, the marble channel, and the second marble rolling path.

In some embodiments, the first connecting track and second connecting track have different configurations or shapes. In some embodiments, the connecting tracks have crossbars that are received in a snap fit by corresponding seats in the connector block. In some embodiments, the crossbars are configured to be rotatably and removably connected to the seats of the connector block.

The above-described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

1 FIG. 2 5 FIGS.to 10 10 12 14 16 12 12 14 14 12 14 a a shows a schematic block diagram of a marble track component kitaccording to a first embodiment. The kitincludes at least a first connecting trackand a second connecting track, and at least a connector block. The first connecting trackhas a first rail and a second rail configured to cooperate to provide a first marble rolling path, and at least a first crosspiece extending between the first rail and the second rail. Similarly, the second connecting trackhas a third rail and a fourth rail configured to cooperate to provide a second marble rolling path, and at least a second crosspiece extending between the third rail and the fourth rail. Exemplary embodiments of each of the first and second connecting tracks,are provided below in connection with.

16 12 14 16 12 14 16 16 16 16 a 6 7 FIGS.and The connector blockis configured to releasably couple to the first connecting trackand the second connecting track. In at least some embodiments, the connector blockis configured to releasably and rotatably couple to the first connecting trackand/or the second connecting rack. The connector blockhas a marble channelextending therethrough. The connector blockhas a first vertical side having a plurality of connecting studs having standard dimensions, and further includes a second vertical side having a receptacle configured to receiving a further plurality of connecting studs having the standard dimensions. An exemplary embodiment of the connector blockis described below in connection with.

1 FIG. 16 12 14 18 12 16 14 10 12 14 16 12 14 10 16 12 14 a a a As shown by way of non-limiting example in, when the connector blockis coupled to the first connecting trackand the second connecting track, a continuous rolling pathfor a marble is defined by the first marble rolling path, the marble channel, and the second marble rolling path. It will be appreciated that the kitmay contain multiple first connecting tracks, multiple second connecting tracks, and multiple connector blocksthat may be connected to form longer or more complex rolling paths. In some embodiments the first connecting trackand the second connecting trackhave identical constructions, but more advantageously have different designs, for example, having straight or curved rails. The kitmy suitable contain more than two different configurations of connecting tracks as well. The connector blocksare configured to facilitate expandability by connecting the connecting tracks,in any order, in daisy-chain fashion.

2 FIG. 1 FIG. 3 FIG. 4 5 FIGS.and 1 FIG. 6 FIG. 1 FIG. 7 FIG. 8 FIG. 110 12 110 140 14 170 16 170 100 110 170 140 shows a top plan view of an exemplary connecting trackthat may be used as one or more of the first connecting tracksof, andshows a bottom perspective view of the connecting track.show, respectively top and bottom views of an exemplary connecting trackthat may be used as one or more of the second connecting tracksof.shows a top perspective view of a connector blockthat may be used as one or more of the connector blocksof, andshows a bottom plan view of the connector block.shows an elevated side perspective view of an exemplary configuration of a marble trackformed of multiple first connecting tracks, multiple connector blocks, and one second connecting track.

2 3 8 FIGS.,and 8 FIG. 110 130 132 134 130 132 114 114 130 132 113 5 130 132 114 114 130 132 5 130 132 5 a a b a b With reference to, the first connecting trackincludes first and second parallel main rails,, a first crosspieceextending between the first railand the second rail, and first and second connection assemblies,. The rails,are spaced apart sufficiently to cooperate to provide a rolling track or marble rolling pathfor a standard marble(see). The rails,extend from and through the first connection assemblyto the second connection assembly. The rails,in this embodiment are straight, and parallel, and are spaced by a distance that is less than a diameter of the marble. However, it will be appreciated that the rails,may be slightly skewed to have the effect of increasing or decreasing the speed of the marble.

134 130 132 130 132 134 5 The first cross pieceextends from the first railto the second rail, and helps support the rails,in their relative positions. In this embodiment, the first cross pieceis in the form of a curved plate, which has a concave upward facing surface and a convex downward facing surface. The concave upward facing surface facilitates non-interference with the rolling marble. It will be appreciated that other shapes can be used that do not interfere with the rolling marble, so long as the areas intermediate the two rails are sufficient low so as to avoid marble contact when the marble passes over.

114 116 117 122 123 114 124 134 116 117 122 123 116 117 122 123 170 116 117 118 120 118 120 114 114 110 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a b 3 FIG. The first connector assemblyincludes two blocks,, and first and second crossbars,. In this embodiment, the first connector assemblyalso includes another cross piecesimilar to the cross piecein structure and function. The blocks,and crossbars,serve different purposes. The blocks,are configured to facility connection with other standard dimension building blocks and pieces. The crossbars,are configured to rotatably connect to the connector block. To this end, each of the blocks,has one or more coupling studson a top surface, coupling stud receiving cavitieson an underside (See). The coupling studs(and cavities) are sized and spaced to couple to any standard-grid block coupling stud/cavity array, similar to those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282. In general, it is via the connecting assemblies,that the connecting trackis intended to form a part of the universe of available pieces for construction with snap-together building blocks.

116 130 117 132 124 134 130 132 116 117 113 124 130 132 116 117 120 118 124 124 a a a a a a a a a a a a In this embodiment, the blockextends laterally outward from the first railand the blockextends laterally outward from the second rail. The cross piecethat is similar to the cross piece, and extends laterally between the two rails,and between the two blocks,, and further extends longitudinally, thereby extending under a part of the first marble path. It is noted that the cross piecenot only structurally reinforces the rails,, but also structurally reinforces the blocks,. The cavitiesare likewise disposed on the underside below the studs, but may in some cases also be directly below portions of the cross piece. In this case, the cross pieceis formed from a U-shaped structure of uniform with, such that the top or upward facing surface forms a concave channel and the bottom or downward facing surface forms a corresponding convex shape. Other shapes defining a channel may be used.

130 132 118 5 118 110 a a 8 FIG. It will be noted that the rails,are spaced apart sufficient to support a marble that has a diameter that is larger than the connecting studs. As shown in, the marblemay have a diameter that is more than twice the width or diameter of the connecting studs. This allows the straight track blockto be used with a building block set or schema that can be granularized to building blocks that are not bigger than the marble itself.

122 130 130 122 130 123 132 132 122 132 122 123 130 132 122 123 170 122 123 122 123 110 170 110 170 a a a b a a a a a a a a The first crossbarextends at an angle with respect to the first railand in this embodiment extends from an end of the first rail. The first crossbarin this embodiment extends at approximately a 90 degree angle, laterally outward, from the first rail. The second crossbarextends at an angle with respect to the second rail, and in this embodiment extends from an end of the second rail. The second crossbarin this embodiment extends at approximately a 90 degree angle, laterally outward, from the second rail. Moreover, the crossbars,are substantially collinear, and extend outward from the rails,in a symmetrical manner. As will be discussed below in detail, the crossbars,form a connector that connects to the connector block. As a result, the collinear confirmation of the crossbars,, the cross bars,form an axle about which the connecting trackcan rotate with respect to the connector block. This allows for the connecting trackto extend away from the connector blockin an inclined or declined manner.

110 170 110 170 It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, a different crossbar may be used as the connector, which may or may not allow relative rotation between the connecting trackand the connector block. In other embodiments, different structures (other than a crossbar) for connecting the connecting trackand connector blockmay be employed, rotatably or otherwise.

130 132 130 132 134 116 117 110 130 132 116 117 130 132 a a a a It will furthermore be appreciated that the first railand second railmay take a slightly different form along their lengths, so long as they collectively from a rolling guide for the marble. In this embodiment, the portions of the first and second rails,that extend past the crosspieceand through the blocks,appear as seamless rods or bars. In other cases they may have different appearances. In general, all of the pieces of the first connecting trackmay be formed of a single piece of injection molded polymer. Thus, portions of the rails,that extend past the blocks,may have a different appearance than the other portions of the rails,.

114 116 117 122 123 114 124 124 134 116 117 116 117 122 123 170 116 117 118 120 118 120 b b b b b b b a a a b b b b b b b b b b 3 FIG. In a similar manner, the second connector assemblyincludes blocks,, first and second crossbars,. In this embodiment, the second connector assemblyalso includes another cross piecesimilar to the cross pieces,in structure and function. Similar to the blocks,, the blocks,are configured to facilitate connection with other standard dimension building blocks and pieces. The crossbars,are configured to connect to the connector block. To this end, each of the blocks,has one or more coupling studson a top surface, and coupling stud receiving cavitieson an underside (See). The coupling studs(and cavities) are sized and spaced to couple to any standard-grid block coupling stud/cavity array, similar to those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282.

116 130 117 132 116 117 110 116 117 124 130 132 116 117 113 124 124 130 132 116 117 120 118 124 124 b b a a b b b b b a b a a b a b b In this embodiment, the blockextends laterally outward from the first railand the blockextends laterally outward from the second rail. It is noted that the blocks,are disposed proximate one end of the connecting track, while the blocks,are disposed proximate the other end. The cross pieceextends laterally between the two rails,and between the two blocks,, and further extends longitudinally, thereby extending under a part of the first marble path. Similar to the cross piece, the cross piecereinforces the rails,and the blocks,. The cavitiesare disposed on the underside below the studs, but may in some cases also be directly below portions of the cross piece. In this case, the cross pieceis formed from a U-shaped structure of uniform with, such that the top or upward facing surface forms a concave channel and the bottom or downward facing surface forms a corresponding convex shape.

122 130 130 122 130 123 132 132 123 132 122 123 130 132 122 123 170 122 123 170 122 123 122 123 122 123 b b b b b b b b b b b b a a b b The first crossbarextends at an angle with respect to the first railand in this embodiment extends from an end of the first rail. The first crossbarin this embodiment extends at approximately a 90 degree angle, laterally outward, from the first rail. The second crossbarextends at an angle with respect to the second rail, and in this embodiment extends from an end of the second rail. The second crossbarin this embodiment extends at approximately a 90 degree angle, laterally outward, from the second rail. Moreover, the crossbars,are substantially collinear, and extend outward from the rails,in a symmetrical manner. The crossbars,from a connector that connects to the connector block. The collinear extension of the crossbars,facilitates a rotational connection to the connector blockabout an axis defined by the collinear crossbars,. As with the crossbars,, the crossbars,can be circular in cross-section to further facilitate rotatability.

6 7 FIGS.and 1 FIG. 7 FIG. 170 16 170 172 174 174 170 180 182 184 186 a b show, respectively, top and bottom views of an exemplary connector blockthat may be used as one or more of the connector blocksof. In this embodiment, the connector blockis generally in the shape of a six-sided block formed by a travel channel, a first side block, and a second side block. In this embodiment, the connector blockhas a first vertically facing side or top surface, a side surface, an opposite side surface, an end surface, and an opposite end surface, and a second vertically facing side or bottom(see).

180 172 174 174 180 172 182 174 174 172 174 184 174 172 170 a b a b b a The top surfacedefines the top surfaces of the travel channeland the side blocks,. The top surfaceis generally planar, except that the travel channeldefines a concave portion therein that extends longitudinally from the side surfaceto the other side surface. The first side blockand the second side blockextend laterally outward from the travel channel, with the second side blockextending to the end surface, and the first side blockextending to the other end surface. It will be appreciated that the longitudinal dimension of the travel channel(i.e. the path of travel) is actually from side to side (width-wise, or the lateral dimension) of the overall six-sided block of the connector block.

174 174 188 174 174 189 188 188 174 172 188 174 172 a b a b a b In this embodiment, each of the first side blockand the second side blockincludes two coupling studs, which are sized and spaced to couple to any standard-grid block coupling cavity array, similar to those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282. The underside of each of the side blocks,includes cavitiesconfigured and spaced to couple to standard stud array, such as that of the studs. In this embodiment, the studsof the first side blockare in a row of two extending alongside the longitudinal travel direction of the travel channel, and the studsof the second side blockare similarly in a row of two extending alongside the travel channel.

174 187 122 123 187 122 123 170 110 174 187 122 123 187 187 191 190 191 190 122 123 122 123 187 187 172 a a a a a a a b b b b a b a a b b a b 2 3 FIGS.and 2 3 FIGS.and The first side blockalso includes two snap-seatsconfigured to receive in a snap friction fit respective bars or posts, for example, the crossbars,of. In this embodiment, the coaxial orientation of the snap-seatsand the cross bars,forms a rotatable connection between the connector blockand the connecting track. The second side blocksimilarly includes two snap-seatsconfigured to receive snap friction fit respective bars or posts, for example, of a pair of the crossbarsandof. Each of the snap-seats,in this embodiment is a curved receptacle having an openingfor receiving the bar or post, and at least in part defines an interior spacefor retaining the bar or post. Each openinghas a width that is less than the maximum width of the interior spacesuch that the crossbar,,orelastically deforms the snap-seat,when inserted and removed. Each snap-seat in this embodiment defines a longitudinal dimension that is angled, a preferably substantially perpendicular to, the longitudinal or travel direction of the travel channel.

8 FIG. 122 123 122 123 187 187 170 172 113 130 132 110 122 123 122 123 110 170 a a b b a b a a b b With reference to, it can be seen that the crossbars,,andare received by snap fit into one of the snap seats,on each side of the connector blocksuch that the travel channelforms a continuous marble passageway with the marble rolling pathformed by the rails,of the first connecting track. It can be seen that any of the pairs of cross bars,or,of the first connecting trackcan connect to either side of the connector blockbecause they both have a symmetrical design in this embodiment.

4 5 FIGS.and 2 3 FIGS.and 140 140 142 142 144 145 144 145 146 148 142 142 130 132 142 142 a b a a b b a b a b show the second connecting track. The second connecting trackincludes two curved rails,, four angled portions or crossbars,,,an outer wall, and a bridge portion or crosspiece. The curved rails,are configured to receive and guide a marble similar to the rails,of. However, each of the curved rails,defines a curved marble path that in this embodiment curves the path by 90 degrees, but may have other angles of curvature in other embodiments.

144 145 144 145 187 187 144 142 144 142 145 142 145 142 142 142 144 145 187 187 144 145 187 187 170 144 145 142 142 144 145 142 142 144 145 144 145 140 170 a a b b a b a a b a a b b b a b a a a b b b a b a a a b b b a b a a b b Each of the crossbars,,,is configured to be received by one of the snap seats,. The crossbarextends at an angle from one end of the curved rail, and the crossbarextends at an angle from the other end of the curved rail. Similarly, the crossbarextends at an angle from one end of the curved rail, and the crossbarextends at an angle from the other end of the curved rail. The curved rails,may take any form in between the ends so long as at the ends, so long as the crossbars,are configured to be received by one set of the snap seats(or) and the cross bars,are configured to be received by one set of the snap seats(or) on the connector block. To this end, in this embodiment, the crossbars,extend substantially collinearly with each other, and outward from their respective curved rail,. Similarly, in this embodiment, the crossbars,extend substantially collinearly with each other, and outward from their respective curved rail,. The collinear or coaxial nature of the pairs of crossbars,, and,facilitate a rotatable connection between the connecting trackand the connector block.

142 142 142 146 142 146 140 a a b a To facilitate the curved marble path in this embodiment, the outer curved railis longer and has a wider radius of curvature. The curved rails,are preferably concentric about a common radial point. The outer wallis a curved plate that extends upward from the outer edge of the outer curved rail. The outer wallis configured to assist in retaining the marble on the second connecting trackin the curved path. It will be appreciated that curve tracks with multiple curves may use multiple wall portions on the outer rail of each curve.

2 7 FIGS.- 8 FIG. 110 140 170 110 170 140 170 110 170 140 170 110 The above-described structures, shown in, thus provide a flexible connectable track system that allows track pieces to be connected to each other, and includes studs and cavities for connecting to other standard snap together building block pieces. It will be appreciated that a kit according to this disclosure can include several each of the pieces,and.shows a perspective side view of an exemplary track that includes two first connecting tracksoperably coupled to two first ends of two connector blocks. A single second connecting trackis coupled to the second ends of the two connector blocks. As such, a continuous marble path is defined through the one of the first connecting tracks, the adjoining connector block, the second connecting track, the other connector block, and the other first connecting track.

170 110 140 122 122 123 123 144 144 145 145 110 170 170 122 123 122 123 187 187 110 10 a b a b a b a b a a b b a b It can be appreciated that by alternating connectors blockswith first and second connecting tracks,, long and complex marble tracks can be configured. Moreover, by using crossbars,,,,,,,that are substantially collinear, the connecting tracksmay be inclined from one end (and one connector block) to the other end (and another connector block). The pairs of crossbars,,,and the snap seats,operate as hinges that allow for rotational movement and configuration of the ends of the connecting trackinto an inclined or declined position. Combining such vertical displaceability with the use of the ability to interconnect with other standard building blocks, via the studs and receptacles, can allow for the construction of complex marble paths that travel in three dimensions using the kitand a set of standard building blocks having corresponding standard dimension studs and receptacles.

It will be appreciated that the above-described features and advantages are merely illustrative, and that those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations and embodiments that incorporate the principles of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.