1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a block and method for constructing a decorative wall from a plurality of substrate blocks with or without mortar (“dry stacking”), and more particularly, to a plurality of stacked rigid or flexible building blocks that can be configured to cooperate to form a structure that receives a deformable material such as concrete, mortar or grout thereupon to form a predetermined visual display that ultimately transforms into a non-deformable visual display for viewing indoors or outside and exposed to the elements.
The blocks for constructing the structure include one or more grooved or “roughened” surfaces that receive a deformable adhesive member that secures an ornamental member to the substrate blocks to ultimately form a decorative wall. The decorative wall can be formed into a myriad of configurations that can include a series of bends that will cooperate with an undulating landscape.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Decorative walls for indoor and/or outdoor displays are common for both private and commercial locations. Prior art walls are fabricated from blocks that include relatively smooth surfaces that are not conducive for securing an adhesive when a respective surface is disposed in a substantially vertical plane. To enable an adhesive to be secured to the respective vertical surface, a “fence-type” or similar multiple aperture element is attached to the surface of the blocks that will receive the adhesive, thereby enabling the adhesive to be secured to the plurality of blocks such that the adhesive can ultimately receive and support the ornamental member until the adhesive hardens to permanently position the ornamental member upon the block structure.
The disadvantages of the prior art blocks and methods for constructing a decorative wall from a plurality of substrate blocks is that they require added elements or parts to enable an adhesive to be vertically retained upon the blocks; add labor and material costs to attach the added elements or parts to the blocks; and result in a relatively large amount of adhesive waste that must be disposed off.
A need exists for a block and method for constructing a decorative wall that includes a plurality of blocks having multiple horizontal recesses in vertically orientated surfaces of the blocks. A need further exists for the blocks to be relatively light weight and stackable without using mortar or similar binding material when the wall includes a relatively short vertical elevation; or if the elevation of the wall is relatively high, then the blocks need to include a recess on a top horizontal surface for receiving mortar or similar binding material to stabilize the blocks when assembled to form a structure for the decorative wall.
Further, in the event that the intended decorative wall is changed, a need exists for a device and method that is quickly and inexpensively modified to form a re-configured structure corresponding to the re-designed wall dimensions and decorations. A block and method that can be quickly and inexpensively modified would promote a re-configured structure that would receive the deformable material thereupon to secure the wall decorations thereto, resulting in a rigid decorative wall after the adhesive transforms into a rigid non-deformable material.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome many of the disadvantages associated with prior art blocks for constructing a decorative wall. A principal object of the present invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive block for building a structure or wall that receives and supports an adhesive that maintains the position of a decoration upon the structure until the adhesive becomes rigid, whereupon, the position of the decoration is permanently maintained. A feature of the block is that a relatively light-weight, inexpensive material such as Styrofoam, plastics, rubber and the like is used to fabricate the block. Another feature of the block is that a relatively heavy material such as concrete can be used to fabricate the block to provide stability to the structure or wall when reaching relatively tall vertical heights or exposed to relatively strong winds. Yet another feature of the block is that the blocks include a plurality of recesses in at least one longitudinal, vertically orientated side wall. An advantage of the blocks is that the they can be manually carried and positioned to form a predetermined structure. Another advantage of the blocks is that they can receive and retain an adhesive material in the recesses to enable the adhesive material to be spread across and cover the vertically orientated side wall to ultimately form a relatively thick layer of adhesive material across the entire side wall of the block. Still another advantage of the block is that the layer of adhesive material can receive and retain a selected position for a predetermined decoration that is manually urged into the adhesive material, which ultimately becomes rigid to permanently retain the position of the decoration.
Another object of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive method for building a structure or wall from blocks that receive and support an adhesive that maintains decorations upon the structure until the adhesive becomes rigid, whereupon, the position of the decoration is permanently maintained. A feature of the method is that the wall can be assembled with or without mortar or similar binding material. If the blocks used to construct the wall are fabricated from a light weight material and wall is relative short in height, then the wall can be assembled from the light weight blocks without mortar, because the adhesive material that is ultimately applied upon the surface or surfaces of the assembled wall is sufficient to bind and maintain the positions of the blocks together with a decorative member that is manually urged into the adhesive material after the adhesive material has somewhat hardened (“set-up”) to provide the rigidity required to support the decorative member. An advantage of the method is that by assembling the wall without mortar, material and labor costs are reduced while maintaining structural integrity via the adhesive covering the wall.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method to manufacture light-weight or relatively heavy blocks that maintain the relative position of an adhesive material applied to substantially vertical walls of the blocks assembled to form a wall or similar structure. A feature of the method is to provide a plurality of apertures in the respective vertical walls of the assembled blocks that receive the adhesive material such that a layer having a predetermined thickness is applied across the entire surface of the constructed wall that ultimately receives decorative members thereupon. An advantage of the method is that the apertures maintain the position of the relatively deformable adhesive material upon the block surfaces after the material is disposed upon the vertical block surfaces.
The foregoing invention and its advantages may be readily appreciated from the following Detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
a is a bottom elevation view of the substrate block of
b is a perspective view of the substrate block of
c is a second end elevation view of the substrate block of
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to
As an alternative to the decorative member 18, the adhesive material 16 can be allowed to Solidify without inserting decorative members 18 therein. After hardening, a diamond cutting device, well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, can be used to cut or otherwise configure the hardened adhesive material 16 into designs or figures on the visible surface of the decorative wall 10. Irrespective of a decorative member 18 or a cutting device being used to decorate the wall by inserting the member 18 into the material 16 or cutting designs into the material 16, the adhesive material 16 can be used as a binding agent to reinforce the structural integrity of the wall 10 by applying the material 16 upon substantially all surfaces of each exposed surface of each block 12 used to construct the wall 10.
The plurality of substrate blocks 12 can be individually joined without mortar or “dry-stacked” when using light-weight blocks 12 to construct a relatively “short” wall 10. Alternatively, the plurality of blocks 12 can be joined together by mortar 19 or similar binding compound when assembling heavy blocks or constructing a relatively “tall” wall 10 or when strong winds engage a decorative wall 10 disposed outdoors. Further, instead of mortar 19, a tongue and groove configuration (not depicted) can be utilized to secure the blocks 12 together. Alternatively, a binding compound 19 may be incorporated with selected substrate blocks 12 during the construction of the decorative wall 10 as the person assembling the wall 10 determines is necessary. A preferred binding compound 19 is a low viscosity grout slurry mix including 70% twenty mesh high quartz sand or torpedo sand, 30% Portland type I cement, 0.06% BASF 2651 super plasticizer and a water addition of 40% of cement weight. The ornamental member 18 includes but is not limited to cultured stone, natural stone, plaster, tile, vertical concrete and a myriad of other ornate finishing products.
The substrate blocks 12 include the standard dimensions of 16″×8″×8″ with two substantially square configured apertures therethrough, when taking a top elevation view, and are fabricated form a myriad of materials, including but not limited to cinder block, polymer foam, concrete, grout, composite concrete, lightweight concrete, clay, slate, brick and combinations thereof, so long as the material adheres to the binding compound. Further, the substrate blocks 12 can have a solid construction or one or more apertures with varying configurations. The adhesive member 16 that is applied to the rough surfaces 12 of the blocks 12, includes but is not limited to a polymer modified mortar, polyvinyl acetate, type N mortar or type S mortar.
Referring to
The recesses 24 can vary in configuration from substantially rectangular to trapezoid, when taking a right side elevation view (
Referring now to
The substrate blocks 12 include a plurality of upper interlocking tabs 50 integrally joined to an upper wall edge portion 52 of the vertically disposed apertures 40. The plurality of interlocking upper tabs 50 of the blocks 12 are disposed angularly upward to engage a lower wall edge portion 54 of a corresponding upper substrate block 56 disposed upon one or more a blocks 12. The plurality upper interlocking tabs 50 engage the lower wall edge portion 54 of the corresponding upper block 56 such that the upper block 56 is removably secured to the block 12. The upper block 56 has a plurality of lower interlocking tabs 58 integrally joined to the lower wall edge portion 54 such that the plurality of lower interlocking tabs 58 are disposed angularly downward to engage the upper wall edge portion 52 of a corresponding block 12 without engaging any of the plurality of upper tabs 50 integrally joined to the upper wall edge portion 52 of the block 12.
The substrate blocks 12 include a plurality of lower interlocking tabs 58 integrally joined to a lower wall edge portion 54 of the vertically disposed apertures 40. The plurality of lower interlocking tabs 58 of the blocks 12 are disposed angularly downward to engage an upper wall edge portion of a cooperating aperture in a corresponding lower block 62 disposed underneath and supporting a respective block 12. The lower interlocking tabs 58 engage the congruently aligned upper wall edge portion 52 of the aperture 40 of the corresponding lower block 62 such that the block 12 is removably secured to the lower block 62. The lower block 62 has a plurality of upper interlocking tabs 50 integrally joined to the upper wall edge portion 52 such that the plurality of upper interlocking tabs 50 are disposed angularly upward to engage the lower wall edge portion 54 of the corresponding block 12 without engaging any of the plurality of lower tabs 58 integrally joined to the lower wall edge portion 54 of the block 12.
The substrate blocks 12 include a plurality of interlocking first tabs 64 integrally joined to a first end wall edge portion 66 of the horizontally disposed aperture 45. The plurality of interlocking first tabs 64 of the blocks 12 are disposed angularly sideward to engage a second end wall edge portion 69 of a cooperating horizontal aperture 45 in a corresponding first side block 70 disposed adjacent to the first end wall 46 of the block 12. The plurality of interlocking first tabs 64 engage the second end wall edge portion 69 of the corresponding first side block 70 such that the first side block 70 is removably secured to a respective block 12. The first side block 70 has a plurality of second interlocking tabs 67 integrally joined to the second end wall edge portion 69 such that the plurality of second interlocking tabs 67 are disposed angularly sideward to engage the first end wall edge portion 66 of the corresponding block 12 without engaging any of the plurality of first tabs 64 integrally joined to the first end wall edge portion 66 of the block 12.
The substrate blocks 12 include a plurality of interlocking second tabs 67 integrally joined to a second end wall edge portion 69 of the horizontally disposed aperture 45. The plurality of interlocking second tabs 67 are disposed angularly sideward to engage a first end wall edge portion 66 of a corresponding second side block 82 disposed adjacent to the second end wall 48 of a block 12. The plurality of interlocking second tabs 67 of the block 12 engage the first end wall edge portion 66 of the corresponding second side block 82 such that the second side block 82 is removably secured to the respective block 12. The second side block 82 has a plurality of first interlocking tabs 64 integrally joined to the first end wall edge 66 portion such that the plurality of first interlocking tabs 64 are disposed angularly sideward to engage the second end wall edge portion 69 of the block 12 without engaging any of the plurality of second tabs 67 integrally joined to the second end wall edge portion 69 of the block 12.
Referring now to
All or any combination of vertical and horizontal substrate block apertures can receive a binding compound at any point during construction of the wall 10. Further, all or any combination of substrate blocks 12 can receive an adhesive member 16 upon a roughened surface 14 at any point during construction of the wall 10, however, once the adhesive member 16 has been applied to the surface 14, the ornamental members 18 must be applied to the adhesive member 16 in a relatively short period of time.
Referring now to
The triangle configured recesses 98 in a block 12 provide a vertical, longitudinal wall 20 with relatively small or narrow valleys 100 for receiving a relatively “free flowing” or easily deformable adhesive material 16 such that the material 16 is retained in the recesses 98 and upon the entire surface of the vertical wall 20 of the block 12. The free flowing deformable adhesive material 16 makes it easier for a person manually inserting decorative members 18 into a layer of material 16 disposed upon the blocks 12, and the triangle configured recesses 98 maintains the positions of the adhesive material 16 and the decorative members 18 inserted in the material 16 upon the blocks 12. Further, the triangle configured recesses 98 are the least expensive recess to form in the blocks 12 during the manufacturing process.
The foregoing description is for purpose of illustration only and is not intended to limit the scope of protection accorded this invention. The scope of protection is to be measured by the following claims, which should be interpreted as broadly as the inventive contribution permits.
This Utility Application is based on Provisional Application No. 61/999,786, filed on Aug. 6, 2014.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61999786 | Aug 2014 | US |