Interconnection of toy building elements in a releasable secure engagement

A building element for a set of toy building elements that are capable of being interconnected in a releasable engagement, comprising

• a top, a bottom and side walls;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one groove having an entry opening of a given predominant width;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one tongue having a distal portion, with the distal portion having a predominant width that is greater than the given predominant width of the groove entry opening for interconnecting in a releasable restraining engagement with a said groove in another said building element;
• and
• wherein a said side wall including the at least one tongue has a primary surface that includes recesses adjacent the tongue so that the tongue extends outward from below the primary surface.

A building element for a set of toy building elements that are capable of being interconnected in a releasable engagement, comprising

• a top, a bottom and side walls, wherein the top includes a first type of coupling means and the bottom includes a second type of coupling means for interconnecting with the first type of coupling means on another said buildings element in a releasable frictional engagement;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one groove having an entry opening of a given predominant width;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one tongue having a distal portion, with the distal portion having a predominant width that is greater than the given predominant width of the groove entry opening for interconnecting in a releasable restraining engagement with a said groove in another said building element;
• wherein the tongue is flexible and split longitudinally so that the tongue can be compressed laterally in order to effect said restraining engagement by frontally pressing the tongue into a said groove in another said building element;
• and
• wherein at least one of an adjacent pair of side walls are disposed at an oblique angle to one another, with each of said obliquely disposed adjacent pair including at least one said groove and at least one said tongue.

A building element for a set of toy building elements that are capable of being interconnected in a releasable engagement, comprising

• a top, a bottom and side walls, wherein the top includes a first type of coupling means and the bottom includes a second type of coupling means for interconnecting with the first type of coupling means on another said building element in a releasable frictional engagement;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one groove having an entry opening of a given predominant width;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one tongue having a distal portion, with the distal portion having a predominant width that is greater than the given predominant width of the groove entry opening for interconnecting in a releasable restraining engagement with a said groove in another said building element;
• wherein the tongue is flexible and split longitudinally so that the tongue can be compressed laterally in order to effect said restraining engagement by frontally pressing the tongue into a said groove in another said building element;
• and
• wherein each of a plurality of the side walls includes a plurality of said grooves and a plurality of said tongues.

A building element for a set of toy building elements that are capable of being interconnected in a releasable engagement, comprising

• a top, a bottom and side walls;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one groove having an entry opening of a given predominant width and a base region of a greater width;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one tongue having a distal portion, with the distal portion having a predominant width that is greater than the given predominant width of the groove entry opening for interconnecting in a releasable restraining engagement with a said groove in another said building element;
• wherein the at least one tongue and/or the entry opening of the at least one groove is flexible so that said restraining engagement can be effected by frontally pressing the tongue into a said groove in another building element;
• and
• wherein one of an adjacent pair of side walls includes at least one said groove and the other of the adjacent pair includes at least one said tongue, and the adjacent pair are disposed at an oblique angle to one another;
• characterised in that (a) each of said obliquely disposed adjacent pair of side walls includes at least one said groove and at least one said tongue;
• or (b) the side walls define an octagon, each of a first set of every-second side wall includes a said groove but no tongue, and each of a second set of every-second side walls disposed between the side walls of the first set includes a said tongue but no groove;
• or (c) the side walls define an octagon, and each side wall includes at least one said groove and at least one said tongue;
• or (d) the side walls define a four-sided parallelogram having four oblique angles, with at least one of the side walls including at least one said groove and with at least one of the side walls including at least one said tongue.

A set of toy building elements that are capable of being interconnected side-by-side in a releasable restraining engagement, wherein a first building element and a second building element each comprises

• a top, a bottom and side walls;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one groove having an entry opening of a given predominant width and a base region of a greater width;
• wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one tongue having a distal portion, with the distal portion having a predominant width that is greater than the given predominant width of the groove entry opening for interconnecting in a releasable restraining engagement with a said groove in another said building element;
• wherein the at least one tongue and/or the entry opening of the at least one groove is flexible so that said restraining engagement can be effected by frontally pressing the tongue into a said groove in another said building element;
• wherein one of an adjacent pair of the side walls includes at least one said groove and the other of the adjacent pair includes at least one said tongue, and the adjacent pair are disposed at an oblique angle to one another;
• wherein in the first building element a said one adjacent pair of side walls are disposed at a first oblique angle to one another;
• and
• wherein in the second building element a said one adjacent pair of side walls are disposed at a second oblique angle to one another, with the second oblique angle being different than the first oblique angle.