BUILDING CARD KIT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a building card kit containing at

least one character and a set of building cards for assembly into a structure that

relates to the character.

Brief Description of the Related Art

[0002] Building card sets have been known for many years. The cards in

these sets are typically rectangular in shape and contain at least six slots which

are used to interconnect one card to another and form a structure (i.e., a house of

cards). Each of the cards in the set are typically provided with random images

for purposes of decoration.

[0003] 3-D puzzles provide an alternative to building cards. 3-D puzzles,

however, are limited in that they can only be assembled into a single, pre-defined

structure. In other words, a typical 3-D puzzle has only one specific location for

each of the pieces in the puzzle. Thus, once a person assembles the 3-D puzzle

into its intended form, the fun generally ends and any re-assembly of the same

structure will be less satisfying to the person as they will not be as challenged

during the assembly process.

[0004] Each of the above described building cards and 3-D puzzles have

significant drawbacks in their entertainment and educational values. While the

building cards and 3-D puzzles both provide a challenge in assembly, they are

both limited in that the assembled structures are then not further utilized for

education and/or entertainment purposes.

[0005] Accordingly, there is a need to provide a building-type kit that will

not be limited in the number of structures that can be formed, as well as provide

for continued fun and interaction with the structure that has been formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention improves significantly over the prior art

building cards and 3-D puzzles. In particular, in order to have building cards be

more interesting, they are provided in a kit along with a character that is related

to an assembled form of the building cards, and/or at least one side of the cards

are printed with indicia relating to the character. Because of this combination, a

person can use their imagination to create an unlimited number of structures

with which the character can interact.

[0007] In a further embodiment, the building cards are provided unprinted.

In this manner, once a person assembles a structure, they are free to decorate the

unprinted portions of the building cards to make the assembled structure

artistically unique in its own right. With this second embodiment, a person is

also provided with an opportunity to express themselves artistically as well.

[0008] As used herein, the term "building cards" refers to cards that are

provided with slots that allow interconnection with slots of another building

card. As used herein, the term "character" means any object that interacts with

the structure formed by the building cards, such as a toy figure, an action figure,

a toy car, or the like, and that is not integral with the structure formed by the

building cards. For example, the character may be a posable or non-posable

figurine that is scaled to match the assembled structure, or other figurines and

structures in other building card kits.

[0009] As used herein the term "related to" refers to items, images or other

indicia that are related by a common story line, related in subject matter, or

related by a common theme.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the

drawings a form which is presently preferred, it being understood, however, that

the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a building card kit according to a preferred

embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a sample character included in the building card kit of

Fig. 1;

[0013] FIG. 3 shows a large rectangular shaped building card;

[0014] FIG. 4 shows a square shaped building card;

[0015] FIG. 5 shows a building card in the shape of an arc;

[0016] FIG. 6 shows a small rectangular shaped building card;

[0017] FIG. 7 shows a set of building cards having different indicia printed

on a side thereof; and

[0018] FIG. 8 shows an example of the printed material that can be

provided with the building card kit of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 show a preferred

embodiment of the building card kit 1 according to the present invention. The

building card kit 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 includes a character 2 and a plurality of

building cards 4. Additionally, the building card kit 1 may also include printed

material 6 such as a storybook, a pamphlet, a set of instructions or the like,

relating to the character 2 or the plurality of building cards 4.

[0020] As shown in Figs. 3-6, the plurality of building cards 4 can take

many different forms, shapes and/or sizes. For example, Fig. 3 shows a large

rectangular shaped building card 4a, Fig. 4 shows a square shaped building card

4b, Fig. 5 shows a building card 4c in the shape of an arc, and Fig. 6 shows a

small rectangular shaped building card 4d. The building cards are not limited to

the shapes shown, but can be any shape. Regardless of the shape, preferably

each of the building cards 4 are provided with at least one slot 5 which allows

that particular card to connect to the slot 5 of another card within the set to form

a structure. Accordingly, the cards can be assembled in any way a person wants

to create an unlimited number of free-standing structures.

[0021] The building cards 4 provided in the set are preferably comprised of

laminated or unlaminated chip board material, or can be any other similar type

of material such as cardboard, plastic, etc., and are bundled such that the cards 4

are attached together along perforations 7 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 7) which are

designed to break the cards into the different shapes shown in Figs. 3-6.

Alternatively, the cards can be packaged "loose" in that the are removed or

devoid of any frame or common sheet.

[0022] Preferably, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, it is preferred that at least one

side of each of the building cards 4 is provided with indicia which relates to

either the character 2 provided in the building card kit 1, the structure which is

formed by the building cards 4, or both. For example, in Fig. 7 the building cards

4 in the set are shown for use in assembling various types of structures

resembling castles. Thus, the building cards 4 are printed on at least one side

thereof with images resembling parts of a castle. These images include, for

example, doors, bricks, windows, turrets, flags, crests, wood planks, etc.

[0023] Although the preferred embodiment described herein shows a

building card kit 1 wherein the character 2 is a knight and the building cards 4

are printed with indicia relating to a castle, it will be readily apparent to those of

skill in the art that other characters and printed building card kits can be

provided such as, a pirate and building cards for assembling various boats, a

farmer and building cards for assembling barns and other farm structures, an

astronaut and building cards for assembling various types of space

stations/rockets and a soldier and building cards for assembling forts, a car and

building cards for assembling garages, to name a few. The type of character and

images printed on the cards are virtually limitless, and will thus only be limited

by the imagination of the designer of the building card set. For example,

multiple building card kits can be provided as related series or themes, such as

ancient ruins or wonders of the world, famous skylines or skyscrapers, fantasy /

futuristic themes, modern day heroes / superhero theme, exploration or

expedition adventure, haunted houses, doll houses; cowboy themes, samurai /

ninja themes, mystery / spy themes, famous battles / wars, national / city parks,

sports arenas / coliseums / racetracks, or famous literary locations, t name a few.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 1 and 8, it is preferred that the building card kit 1

also include printed material 6 such as a storybook, a pamphlet, a set of

instructions or the like, relating to the character 2 or the plurality of building

cards 4. In order to assist the person in assembling a structure, it is preferred that

the printed material 6 provided with the kit include instructions on how to

assemble one or more different types of free-standing structures with which the

character 2 can interact. In particular, the printed material can provide specific

guidelines for creating different parts of the free-standing structure, such as wall,

floors, roofs, towers, spires, bridges and other architectural elements which are

related to the character, as well as drawings and/or photographs of the various

possible structures. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the printed material 6 is in

the form of an instruction book that includes directions and drawings on how to

assemble the building cards 4 into various structures such as the tower shown.

Preferably, the assembled structures are sized for interaction with the character

provided in the kit.

[0025] Accordingly, with the building card kit according to the present

invention, a person is given a greater opportunity to express him or herself

creatively. In particular, the person is allowed to design their own structure with

the building cards that relates to the character provided in the kit. However,

unlike traditional building cards, once the structure is assembled the fun and

learning does not end because the person is now able to have the character

interact with the assembled structure in a role-playing manner. Accordingly, by

providing such a kit, a person's creativity is fostered as they are allowed to

actually play and interact with the finished structure that they themselves have

designed and assembled. Moreover, the user can change the structure and the

fun starts all over again.

[0026] In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the building

cards 4 in the kit are not provided with any printed matter or indicia (such as the

cards shown in Figs. 3-6). In other words, the building cards in the set are

unprinted and preferably colored white. With this type of building card kit of

the second embodiment, it is preferred that the kit be provided with printed

material which includes instructions on how to assemble the blank building

cards into a free-standing structure relating to a particular character, for example,

the knight shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Once a structure is assembled that is to the

liking of the person, the person can then proceed to decorate the blank building

cards with their own designs. Thus, not only will the blank building card

embodiment foster the creative abilities of the person in assembling structures, it

will also allow the person to express themselves in an artful manner when they

decorate the structure they created in a way that they desire, thus making each

structure unique in its own right. In addition, and similar to the pre-printed

building card sets, the structure assembled by the person is designed such that

the person can continue their learning or role-playing activities by having the

character interact with the assembled structure.

[0027] In alternate embodiments, stickers can be provided for further

decorating the printed or unprinted surfaces of the cards, the surfaces of the

cards can be adapted for use with dry-erase markers, the surfaces of the cards

can be made magnetic for use with magnetic-type stickers, the surfaces can be

adapted for use with reusable peel-and-stick decorations, etc. The building card

kit can also be provided with separate parts for decorating/attachment to the

slots in the cards, portions of the assembled structure, specific locations on the

assembled structure (i.e., preformed holes in the cards), or the character. These

separate parts can be molded of plastic or any other desired material, and have

printed or unprinted surfaces.

[0028] It is also contemplated that supplemental refill card sets will be

provided separately from the original set containing the character. The separate

building card sets can be printed with indicia on at least one side of each of the

building cards or left blank for future decoration by the person. The separate

sets can also be provided with stickers, dry-erase markers, magnets, etc.

[0029] The present invention has been described in connection with the

preferred embodiments. These embodiments, however, are merely examples

and the invention is not restricted thereto. It will be understood by those skilled

in the art that other variations and modifications can easily be made while

remaining within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.