Meccano Ltd. Patents & Designs
Patents - Meccano
Listed below are all those patents throughout the world which I have so far managed to discover relating to the Meccano system. Pdf copies of the actual patents can be downloaded for the vast majority of them by clicking on the links.
Updates
June 2017 - Copies of the early Canadian patents have now been added.
November 2017 - Pdf of the original New Zealand patent added and also another New Zealand patent added. Also a US patent for the robot,
NOTE - The original Meccano patents for several countries are quoted in the 1914 Meccano manual and are as noted below. However I can find no record of several of these patents (or any other patents of a similar date for that matter) in the on-line patent databases. Either they have got lost over the years or the older patents have not been entered into the online databases.
| Meccano Patents | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Country | Application No. | Patent No. | Patent Title | Date submitted | Date granted | Comments |
| Original Meccano Patent | UK | - | 587-1901 | Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People |
9 Jan 1901 |
30 Nov 1901 |
|
| France | - | 312704 | ??? | ??? | ??? | Patent No. from 1914 manual but can find no other info | |
| Belgium | - | 157984 | ??? | ??? | ??? | Patent No. from 1914 manual but can find no other info | |
| USA | 69311 | 810148 | Toy or Educational Device | 22 Jul 1901 |
16 Jan 1906 |
See Note 1 below | |
| Canada | 92014 | 78564 | Educational Toy | 3 Dec 1901 |
9 Dec 1902 |
PDF added 20 June 2017 |
|
| New Zealand | - | 14407 | Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People |
8 Jan 1902 |
14 Nov 1902 |
Pdf added November 2017 |
|
| Australia | - | 18850 ? and/or 11649 ? |
??? | ??? | ??? | Patent no's from 1914 manual but can find no other info | |
| Method of Fixing Bosses to Wheels | UK | - | 2085-1911 | Improved Method of and Means for Securing the Bosses to the Plates or Discs of Wheels. | 27 Jan 1911 |
1 Jun 1911 |
|
| France | - | 435853 | Système de fixation des moyeux sur les plaques ou disques des roues | 31 Oct 1911 |
12 Mar 1912 |
||
| 1913 Meccano Clockwork Motors | UK | - | 21117-1912 | Improvements in Spring Motors and Driving Trains of the Clockwork Type | 17 Sept 1912 |
24 Jul 1913 |
|
| France | - | 458842 | Perfectionnements aux moteurs à ressort et aux mouvements d'horlogerie | 4 Jun 1913 |
20 Oct 1913 |
||
| USA | 745928 | 1196238 | Motor for Structural Toys | 3 Feb 1913 |
20 Aug 1916 |
||
| Flanged Plates (Parts 52 & 54) |
Canada | 216098 | 151243 | Sheet Metal Plate | 29 Oct 1912 |
21 Oct 1913 |
PDF added 20 June 2017 |
| USA | 725653 | 1079245 | Perforated Plate | 14 Oct 1912 |
18 Nov 1913 |
See Note 1 below | |
| Coupling (Part 63) |
UK | - | 20535-1913 | Improvements in Couplings or the like Devices for Shafts, Rods, Axles or the like | 11 Sep 1913 |
13 Aug 1914 |
Initial prototype coupling with one crossbore |
| UK | - | 22962-1913 | Improvements in Couplings or the like Devices for Shafts, Rods, Axles or the like | 11 Oct 1913 |
13 Aug 1914 |
Update of patent 20535 - Now with two cross bores | |
| France | - | 471838 | Perfectionnements apportés aux éléments d'accouplement ou autres organes analogue pour arbres, tigres, essieux, etc. | 5 May 1914 |
12 Nov 1914 |
||
| USA | 821740 | 1166688 | Toy or Working Model | 28 Feb 1914 |
4 Jan 1916 |
||
| Australia | - | 14388/14 | An improved coupling or the like device for shafts, rods, axles or the like | 11 Sep 1914 |
14 Sep 1915 |
||
| Canada | 238137 | 156296 | Coupling for Shafts, Rods, etc | 4 May 1914 |
29 Sep 1914 |
PDF added 20 June 2017 |
|
| Double Bracket (Part 11) |
UK | - | 3869-1914 | An Improved Bracket, Guide, or the like Device for use in Building Constructional Toys or Models | 14 Feb 1914 |
16 Apr 1914 |
|
| France | - | 469580 | Console, guide ou autre pièce analogue pour jeux de constructions ou modèles | 12 Mar 1914 |
4 Aug 1914 |
||
| Crank (Part 62) |
UK | - | 4183-1914 | An Improved Element for use in Building Constructional Toys or Models | 18 Feb 1914 |
4 Jun 1914 |
|
| France | - | 469581 | Pièce pour jeux de constructions ou modèles | 12 Mar 1914 |
4 Aug 1914 |
||
| Canada | 238138 | 158101 | Toy | 4 May 1914 |
29 Sep 1914 |
PDF added 20 June 2017 |
|
| Australia | - | 15136/14 | An improved element for use in building constructional toys or models | 22 Dec 1914 |
11 May 1915 |
||
| USA | 821741 | 1161131 | Toy or Working Model | 28 Feb 1914 |
23 Nov 1915 |
||
| Meccano Electric Motor | UK | - | 4564-1915 | Improvements in and relating to Electric Motors | 24 Mar 1915 |
6 Jan 1916 |
|
| Australia | - | 18091/15 | Improvements in and relating to Electric Motors | 4 Dec 1915 |
18 Jan 1916 |
||
| France | - | 479989 | Perfectionnements apportés aux moteurs électriques | 12 Oct 1915 |
30 May 1916 |
||
| New Zealand | - | 37016 | Improvements in and relating to Electric Motors | 10 Dec 1915 |
27 Apr 1916 |
Patent added November 2017 | |
| USA | 20719 | 1202388 | Toy or Working Model | 12 Apr 1915 |
24 Oct 1916 |
||
| Pulley With Bent Metal Boss | UK | 1688/16 | 103537 | Improvements in the Construction of Small Wheels suitable for Constructional Toys, Model Building, and the like | 4 Feb 1916 |
1 Feb 1917 |
|
| Various Girder Type Frames (Similar to Part 113) |
UK | 8574/17 | 116370 | An Improved Element for use in Building Constructional Toys or Models | 15 Jun 1917 |
13 Jan 1918 |
|
| USA | 233502 | 1355975 | Element for use in building constructional toys or models | 9 May 1918 |
19 Oct 1920 |
||
| Loom Shuttle (Part 104) |
UK | 13159/19 | 139697 | Improvements in shuttles for weaving looms | 26 May 1919 |
11 Mar 1920 |
|
| Threaded Crank (Part 62A) |
UK | 24306/19 | 139125 | An element for use in building constructional toys or models | 6 Oct 1919 |
26 Feb 1920 |
|
| France | - | 469581-21784 | Pièce pour jeux de constructions ou modèles | 24 Oct 1919 |
29 Mar 1921 |
Addition to patent 469581 | |
| Australia | - | 13460/19 | An element for use in building constructional toys or models | 29 Nov 1919 |
18 May 1920 |
Addition to patent 15136/14 | |
| Girder Frame (Part 113) |
UK | 31451/19 | 145357 | An Improved Element for use in Building Constructional Toys or Models | 16 Dec 1919 |
2 Jul 1920 |
|
| Improvements in commutators for electric motors | UK | 10802/20 | 153234 | Improvements in commutators for electric motors | 19 Apr 1920 |
4 Nov 1920 |
|
| France | - | 514573 | Perfectionnements apportés aux commutateurs pour moteurs électriques | 27 Apr 1920 |
14 Mar 1921 |
||
| Meccano Electric Motor with Reversing Lever | UK | 11733/20 | 154130 | Improvements in toy electric motors | 28 Apr 1920 |
25 Nov 1920 |
|
| France | - | 515340 | Perfectionnements aux moteurs électriques-jouets | 10 May 1920 |
31 Mar 1921 |
||
| USA | 377169 | 1454969 | Motor | 28 April 1920 |
15 May 1923 |
||
| USA | 501324 | 1454970 | Reversing Switch for Electric Motor | 28 Apr 1920 |
15 May 1923 |
||
| Pawl (Part 33) |
UK | 1938/21 | 170785 | An element for use in building constructional toys or models | 13 Jan 1921 |
3 Nov 1921 |
|
| France | - | 534629 | Élément destiné è être employé dans les jouets de construction ou les petits modèles | 26 Apr 1921 |
29 Mar 1922 |
||
| Bell Crank (Parts 127 & 128) |
France | - | 535118 | Élément destiné à entrer dans la composition de jeux de construction | 6 May 1921 |
10 Apr 1922 |
|
| Rack Segment (Part 129) |
France | - | 535119 | Crémaillère courbe pour la composition de jeux de construction | 6 May 1921 |
10 Apr 1922 |
|
| USA | 497238 | 1412116 | Curved rack | 31 Aug 1921 |
11 Apr 1922 |
||
| Triple Throw Eccentric (Part 130) |
UK | 13345/21 | 177430 | An eccentric for use in building constructional toys | 11 May 1921 |
30 Mar 1922 |
|
| France | - | 535872 | Excentrique pour jeux de construction | 20 May 1921 |
22 Apr 1922 |
||
| Switzerland | - | 98337 | Excentrique pour jeux de constructions | 31 Aug 1921 |
1 Mar 1923 |
||
| USA | 497239 | 1412117 | Eccentric | 31 Aug 1921 |
11 Apr 1922 |
||
| Faceplate (Part 109) |
France | - | 538272 | Plateau de tour pour jouets de constructions | 15 Jul 1921 |
7 Jun 1922 |
|
| Threaded Coupling (Part 63C) |
France | - | 540648 | Manchon taraudé pour l'accouplement de petits axes, tiges ou similaires | 5 Sep 1921 |
13 Jul 1922 |
|
| Channel Segment (Part 119) |
France | - | 578869 | Pièce courbe en forme de gouttière, pour jeux de construction ou pour l'établissement de modèles | 19 Mar 1924 |
6 Oct 1924 |
|
| USA | 725104 | 1614958 | Curved channel section | 10 Jul 1924 |
18 Jan 1927 |
||
| Hub Disk and Circular Girder (Parts 118 & 143) |
France | - | 578870 | Pièce circulaire pour jeux de construction ou pour l'établissement de modèles | 19 Mar 1924 |
6 Oct 1924 |
|
| USA | 725103 | 1619298 | Circular girder | 10 Jul 1924 |
1 Mar 1927 |
||
| Roller Bearing (Parts 167 & 168) |
UK | 31723/27 | 290121 | Improvements in ball or roller bearings | 25 Nov 1927 |
10 May 1928 |
|
| France | - | 659178 | Perfectionnements apportés aux roulements à billes ou à rouleaux | 20 Aug 1928 |
26 Jun 1929 |
||
| USA | 274445 | 1828045 | Constructional toy | 2 May 1928 |
20 Oct 1931 |
||
| Dog Clutch and Socket Coupling (Parts 144 and 171) |
UK | 27691/28 | 323234 | Improvements in constructional toys | 27 Sep 1928 |
27 Dec 1929 |
|
| France | - | 684017 | Perfectionnements aux jeux de construction | 28 Oct 1929 |
20 Jun 1930 |
||
| Switzerland | - | 145183 | Dispositif d'accouplement pour jeux de construction | 30 Oct 1929 |
1 May 1931 |
||
| Meccano Steam Engine | UK | 33144/28 | 319160 | Improvements in and relating to toy steam engine units | 13 Nov 1928 |
19 Sep 1929 |
|
| Belgium | B.16389 | 364936 | Perfectionnements aux machines à vapeur utilisées dans les jeux de construction | 30 Oct 1929 |
30 Nov 1929 |
||
| France | - | 684016 | Perfectionnements aux machines à vapeur utilisées dans les jeux de construction | 28 Oct 1929 |
20 Jun 1930 |
||
| Switzerland | - | 143053 | Machine à vapeur destinée à étre utilisée avec un jeu de construction | 30 Oct 1929 |
2 Jan 1931 |
||
| Italy | - | 283527 | Perfezionamenti alle macchine a vapore giocattolo | 12 Nov 1929 |
13 Mar 1931 |
Noted in DMS. However can find no info on Italian patents of this date | |
| Outfit 000 Cardboard Parts | UK | 4504/31 | 369337 | Improvements in and relating to constructional toys | 13 Feb 1931 |
24 Mar 1932 |
|
| Belgium | B.21885 | 380123 | Perfectionnements aux jeux de construction | 27 May 1931 |
30 Jun 1931 |
||
| France | - | 717560 | Perfectionnements aux jeux de construction | 23 May 1931 |
11 Jan 1932 |
||
| Switzerland | - | 157070 | Accessoire de jeu de contruction | 28 May 1931 |
16 Nov 1932 |
||
| Italy | - | 303042 | Perfezionamenti ai giocattoli costruttivi | 8 Jul 1931 |
17 Nov 1932 |
Noted in DMS. However can find no info on Italian patents of this date | |
| Modern Plastic Meccano | Canada | - | 2139052 | Construction toy kit | 23 Dec 1994 |
7 Jan 1996 |
|
| USA | 781502 | 5816882 | Construction toy kit | 9 Jan 1997 |
6 Oct 1998 |
||
| Hand Tool in shape of a person for Plastic Meccano | USA | 267925 | 5454746 | Toy hand tool | 6 Jul 1994 |
3 Oct 1995 |
|
| Simple fixing for Plastic Meccano | France | 05 13428 | 2895270 | Jeu d'assemblage pour jeunes enfants | 28 Dec 2005 |
29 Jun 2007 |
|
| Portugal | - | 1803492 | Jogo de montagem para crianças | 20 Dec 2006 |
27 Mar 2009 |
||
| Spain | 1803492 | 2324625 | Juego de construcción para niños de corta edad | 20 Dec 2006 |
11 Aug 2009 |
||
| Robotic Figure | USA | 15/589763 | 2017/0239811 | Reconfigurable Robotic System | 8 May 2017 |
24 Oct 2017 |
Patent added November 2017 |
Note 1 - Kendrick Bisset, who is knowledgeable on American Meccano makes the following comment regarding US Patent 810148:-
Although the drawing shows the mobile crane, as used in other patents, the only claims relate to key fixing of wheels, etc. on axles. By the time the patent was granted, the described method was no longer used. My suspicion is that the original application claimed other features, similar to the UK patent. The US patent office rejected many of those claims, and the patent had to be revised and re-submitted. The resulting patent was essentially worthless. When Frank Hornby sued American Model Builder, the only patent he could then use was US 1079245 - and the court rejected the claims relating to part 52, leaving only the sector plate claims in effect. In 1917, AMB replaced their sector plate (a close copy of the Meccano part) with a pair of single flanged plates which could be bolted together to make a shape equivalent to the sector plate.
The following two patents are seen referenced in some American Meccano manuals. However they were not taken out by Meccano, but by the Structo Manufacturing Company.
Kendrick Bisset makes the following comments regarding Structo:-
The US Meccano Company bought the Structo line of construction toys in December of 1919. 1920-22 US Meccano outfits included some Structo parts, notably (and easily identified) their angle brackets. My supposition is that shipments from England were still erratic because of WW 1, and US Meccano were desperate for some common parts. Structo had been making compatible parts since about 1912; the purchase not only provided parts, but also eliminated a competitor.
Structo continued making auto construction outfits after the Meccano purchase; a few of the parts used were the same as the Meccano-like construction toys (fishplates and angle brackets, for example). Structo nuts and bolts were #8-32, not compatible with the #7-32 used by US Meccano at this time.
| Structo Patents | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Country | Application No. | Patent No. | Patent Title | Date submitted | Date granted | Comments |
| Commutator for Electric Motors | USA | 169395 | 1289014 | Commutator for Electric Motors | 18 May 1917 |
24 Dec 1918 |
|
| Commutator for Electric Motors | USA | 169394 | 1293973 | Switch and Brush Mounting for Electric Motors | 18 May 1917 |
11 Feb 1919 |
|