{
  "patent_number": "US 3005282",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the Modern LEGO Brick Design Works",
  "original_title": "Toy building brick",
  "summary": "The 1958 patent that defined the iconic LEGO brick with hollow tubes inside, allowing bricks to lock together firmly.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes the structural design of a toy building brick that features hollow cylindrical tubes on its underside. These tubes are positioned to frictionally engage the walls of other bricks when pressed together. This specific arrangement allows for a stable, interlocking connection that remains secure even when the structure is moved or turned upside down. It transformed simple plastic blocks into a versatile construction system.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover bricks without the specific hollow tube configuration on the underside",
    "Does not cover non-plastic materials or different geometric shapes like spheres or pyramids",
    "Does not cover the specific chemical composition of the plastic used"
  ],
  "filed": "1958-07-28",
  "granted": "1961-10-24",
  "expires": "1978-10-24",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Interlego AG",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/interlego-ag",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Christiansen Godtfred Kirk",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/christiansen-godtfred-kirk"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 374,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3005282/lego-toy-brick",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3005282/lego-toy-brick/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3005282",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "1113371",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How TinkerToy's Original Wooden Construction Blocks Work",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1113371/tinkertoy-pajeau"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "1066809",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How A.C. Gilbert Designed Early Interlocking Toy Construction Blocks",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1066809/erector-set-gilbert"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "1351086",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "The Invention of Lincoln Logs",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1351086/lincoln-logs-wright"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "3079728",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the Hula Hoop Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3079728/hula-hoop-wham-o"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "2415012",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the Slinky Toy Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2415012/slinky-toy"
    }
  ]
}