Connector for magnetic modules and toy construction kits employing same

A toy construction kit, comprising:

• a plurality of connectors, each connector comprising an arm extending in a longitudinal direction from one end of said connector to an opposite end of said connector, said arm including a first arm piece located to one side of said connector and a second arm piece located to an opposite side of said connector and attached to said first arm piece;
• mechanical attachment means located at said one end of said connector, said mechanical attachment means including a pair of posts attached to said first arm piece and extending laterally from said one side of said connector in the same lateral direction, a first post of said pair of posts having a circular cross-sectional shape and a second post of said pair of posts having a rectangular cross-sectional shape;
• and magnetically-attractable attachment means located at said opposite end of said connector, said magnetically-attractable attachment means including a spherical steel ball surrounded by a hollow non-magnetic enclosure which extends longitudinally from said opposite end of said connector, said enclosure having a spherical shape and including a first enclosure part attached to said first arm piece and a second enclosure part attached to said second arm piece and to said first enclosure part;
• and
• a plurality of modules, each module having at least three legs cooperating to define a closed geometric figure having an open interior and at least three corners, each of said corners having receiving means for receiving said pair of posts of at least one of said plurality of connectors, each of said receiving means including an aperture, which has a circular cross-sectional shape that complements said cross-sectional shape of said first post of said at least one of said plurality of connectors, and a notch located between said aperture and said interior of said geometric figure defined by said legs, said notch having a rectangular cross-sectional shape that complements said cross-sectional shape of said second post of said at least one of said plurality of connectors.

A toy construction assembly, comprising:

• a module having at least three legs cooperating to define a closed geometric figure having an open interior and at least three corners, each of said corners including an aperture, which has a circular cross-sectional shape, and a notch, which is located between said aperture and said interior of said geometric figure defined by said legs, said notch having a rectangular cross-sectional shape;
• and
• a plurality of connectors, one for each of said at least three corners of said geometric figure defined by said legs of said module, each connector of said plurality of connectors including an arm extending in a longitudinal direction from one end of said connector to an opposite end of said connector, said arm including a first arm piece located to one side of said connector and a second arm piece located to an opposite side of said connector and attached to said first arm piece;
• mechanical attachment means located at said one end of said connector for removably attaching said connector to a corresponding one of said corners of said module, said mechanical attachment means including a pair of posts attached to said first arm piece and extending laterally from said one side of said connector in the same lateral direction, a first post of said pair of posts having a circular cross-sectional shape that complements said cross-sectional shape of said aperture of said corresponding one of said corners of said module, and a second post of said pair of posts having a rectangular cross-sectional shape that complements said cross-sectional shape of said notch of said corresponding one of said corners of said module;
• and a magnetically-attractable member located at said opposite end of said connector and lying in a second plane which is parallel to and spaced from said first plane, said magnetically-attractable member including a spherical steel ball surrounded by a hollow non-magnetic enclosure which extends longitudinally from said opposite end of said connector, said enclosure having a spherical shape and including a first enclosure part attached to said first arm piece and a second enclosure part attached to said second arm piece and to said first enclosure part.