Patent Application
20090049788
1. Field of the Invention
A building block includes end recesses, that support studs, and grooves for reception of mortar and overflow and can have a decorative front face.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of recesses for studs, H. Palmer, U.S. Pat. No. 674,874, issued 28 May 1901; and Hood et al, U.S. Pat. No. 828,818, issued 14 Aug. 1906; and D. Thorpe, U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,479, issued 10 May 2005; and end protrusions and recesses, B. Van Camp, U.S. Pat. No. 738,643, issued 8 Sep. 1903; and V. Rowland, U.S. Pat. No. 1,567,085, issued 29 Dec. 1925; J. Barnhardt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,002, issued 11 Jan. 1977; and G. Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,326, issued 9 Oct. 1984; and D. Sherwood, U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,635, issued 10 Feb. 1998, per se is old. Placing a facade on a block face, per se, is old with R. Dula, U.S. Pat. No. 1,411,005, issued 28 Mar. 1922 and D. Forman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,751,272, issued 18 Mar. 1930, examples.
A building block has on each end recesses for reception of studs placed between two blocks placed end to end. The ends are also provided with vertical braces and vertical recesses and mortar overflow areas for strengthening the block ends using mortar in the recesses and overflow areas. A facade can be placed on the block front face and extend around the front face ends.
The building block 1 of the invention, shown in
The building block 1 is designed to be sturdy and capable of supporting a stud at its ends when a first block is laid end to end with a second block. The rear walls 2 of the blocks and end walls 4,5 are provided with stud recesses 11 at the upper rear areas perpendicular to the rear surface 6.
The end walls 4,5 both have a stud mortar recess 12 extending vertically parallel to the rear face 6 of the block, into which a seam of mortar can be placed during laying of the blocks. The stud mortar recesses 12 begin at the base surface 35 of the stud recesses 11 and extend vertically to the bottom surface 27 of the block. A similar vertical mortar recess 14 is provided adjacent the front face 7 in both end walls 4,5. These recesses extend from the top surface 26 of the block to the bottom surface 27 of the block. A seam of mortar is placed in the recesses 14 during block laying. As is standard practice during laying bricks and building blocks, an excess of mortar is placed on the base or bottom of the blocks along their front and back edges and along their end edges or at these locations on the previously laid blocks under these areas. To securely hold the ends together, the stud mortar recesses 12 and rear mortar recesses 14 are filled with excess mortar. The excess is necessary to provide for the gap, often deliberately formed between blocks, and to make up for the slightly varying size blocks. The excess mortar is squeezed out as the blocks are forced together and positioned to form a wall. The excess in the rear wall is removed as usual, except that the stud mortar recess 12 provides a column of mortar between the blocks that secure the blocks in place in addition to the standard thin seam of mortar that is usually provided between the block ends. This, in combination with the front bracers 15 and rear bracers 19, gives a firm hold to the blocks ends.
The front mortar recesses 14 provide the same function on the front ends of the blocks as the seam formed in the rear end mortar recesses 12. Mortar overflow areas 13 are provided inward to the rear of mortar recesses 14 by a mortar backing 16 that tapers back in an overflow taper 18 into the mortar overflow areas 13 to provide for additional mortar thickened areas. In this manner the blocks are firmly held together by the mortar and bracing provided on the building blocks to preclude the blocks from being slipped from each other. Each block end has four braces 15,16,17,19 and two mortar columns or recesses 12,14 in addition to the mortar overflow into taper areas 13 past the backings 16 and past the backings 17 also into the taper areas 13.
The stud recesses 11 are recessed areas in the block left end wall 4 and right end wall 5 at the block rear extending perpendicular to the block rear surface 6, designed to accommodate and support studs. The block ends at their lower rear have stud supports with stud base surfaces 35 that are part of the block end walls 4,5 and extend upward from the block bottom surface 27 from 10 to 50% the height of the block to provide support for a stud placed in a stud recess 11. The stud recess is open at the block back and sides and extends inwardly from the block back surface 6 from 15 to 50% of the block depth and the stud recess has a width of from ¼ to 2 the width of a stud or extend out from ¾ to 2½ inches from the vertical stud side surface 34. This width can accommodate ½ a stud with the block ends abutting or permit a wide seam of mortar and/or facade overlap, yet give a solid support. The surfaces for the stud recesses are the stud side end surfaces 34, that extend perpendicular to the rear surface 6 and parallel with the end wall surfaces 24,25, the stud base surfaces 35 that extend perpendicular to the rear surface and parallel with the block bottom surface 27 to support a stud, and the front surfaces 18 that extend parallel with the rear surface 6 and perpendicular to the block bottom surface 27. To insure that the block has maximum support for a stud and also, if desired, to accommodate facade end wrap-around 22,23 at the block ends, the stud recess base surfaces 35 and the side end surfaces 41 can be extended out from ⅛ to ½ inch beyond the other portions of the block ends. This extension allows adjacent blocks to abut in the rear, if desired, giving full support to a stud resting on the stud recess base 35, and/or the ends 22,23 of a facade facing 21 to abut giving the appearance of a continuous facade.
The rear braces 19 run vertically with a rear surface coextensive with the block rear surface 6 and are essentially protrusions on the blocks left rear wall 4 and right rear wall 5 extending vertically down from the bases 35 of the stud recesses 11 to the block bottom 27 with the front walls of the rear braces 19 being the rear surfaces 31 of the stud mortar recesses 12.
The stud mortar recesses 12 extend parallel to the rear surface 6 and inwardly from and adjacent to the rear face. They have rear surfaces 31 that extend parallel to the rear surface 6 and back vertical surfaces 32 that extend perpendicular to the rear surface 6 and the rear vertical surfaces 31, and have front vertical surfaces 33 that extend parallel to the rear surface 6 and perpendicular to the vertical back surfaces 32 with the rear surfaces being the front faces of the rear braces 19.
The stud wall protrusions 17 extend out from the block end walls below the top stud recess base surface 35 to the block bottom surface 27 and form the rear extremity of the tapered overflow area 13. They extend parallel to the rear surface 6 of the block and perpendicular to the block bottom surface 27. They have outer surfaces 37 and front surfaces 38. The front surfaces 38 of the stud wall protrusions 17 form rear walls for the mortar overflow areas 13.
The mortar overflow areas 13 extend from the stud walls 17 toward the front surface 7 of the block in the block ends 4,5. They are formed by the front surfaces 38 of the stud walls 17 side end surfaces 39 and overflow tapered surfaces 18 below the stud recess base surfaces 35.
The mortar backing braces 16 form backing supports and limited confinement for mortar used in the front mortar recesses 14 and protrude outward from the block ends and extend essentially parallel to the block front surface 7 and perpendicular to the block bottom surface 27. They have rear tapered surfaces 18, side end surfaces 41, and front face surfaces 42.
The front mortar recesses 14 present broadened and confining areas for mortar used to join blocks end to end. The recesses extend parallel to the front block surface 7 and perpendicular to the block bottom surface 27 adjacent the block ends. They are formed by the mortar backing braces front vertical face surfaces 42, back vertical surfaces 43 and front vertical surfaces 44 parallel to front surface 7.
The front braces 15 are essentially a continuation of the block front wall 8. They form the forward end of the front mortar recesses 14, and in part confine mortar within the mortar recesses 14. They run parallel to the front surface face 7 of the block and perpendicular to the bottom surface 27. They are defined by the front surfaces of the front mortar recesses 44, outer vertical end surfaces 45, and essentially area continuation of the block front wall 8 into the end walls 4,5.
It is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative only and that changes, variations, substitutions, modifications and equivalents will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and that such may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.
