Patent Application
20240110340
This application includes material which is subject or may be subject to copyright and/or trademark protection. The copyright and trademark owner(s) has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trademark rights whatsoever.
The invention generally relates to paver systems. More particularly, the invention relates to means and methods of creating tongue and groove interlocking paver systems using male and female blocks and various rebar configurations.
The known related art fails to anticipate or disclose the principles of the present invention.
In the related art, general paver systems are known, but fail to provide the interlocking tongue and groove systems of the disclosed embodiments.
U.S. Design Patent D639454 issued to Thomassen on Jun. 7, 2011 discloses vertical tabs and vertical tab voids.
U.S. Published Patent Application US 2014/0164525 published on Jun. 12, 2014 by Smith discloses singular layered wedges and wedge receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,052 issued on Jan. 9, 2007 to Weiss et al discloses a vertical puzzle system.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,106 issued on Sep. 16, 2008 to Altmann et al discloses a herringbone pattern of paver placement.
The known prior art fails to provide a multilayered approach to paver construction and placement. The known prior art fails to provide slanted or canted layers or protrusions that assist in insertion, especially when the sub strain in not perfectly flat or when precise movement or control of a paver is difficult due to the weight of the paver.
Thus, there is a need in the art for the presently disclosed embodiments.
The present invention overcomes shortfalls in the related art by presenting an unobvious and unique combination and configuration of methods and components to integrate tongue and groove connection components to create a toolless connection system. The disclosed pavers may be reused or otherwise reconfigured without harm to the pavers.
The invention overcomes shortfalls in the related art by using rebar or other construction pieces embedded in the disclosed male and female blocks.
The disclosed embodiments overcome shortfalls in the related art by providing a multi-layer system with alternating male and female parts along with canted or slanted edges or shelves to assist in placing the pavers together. The edge configurations of the disclosed pavers make them well suited to be secured by a paver mover system wherein the mover system is provided with cavities to secure a paver. The disclosed pavers overcome short falls in the art by providing male and female intersections and attachments on multiple layers of a paver and by proving canted or sloped ledges. The male and female components of a paver may be found on multiple layers of a paver and be adjacent to one another. Thus, one mold may be used, with the mold providing a first set of male and female layers on two adjacent sides that are kitty-corner or adjacent with a second set of male to female layers on an opposite the two opposite sides. Thus the disclosed embodiments achieve manufacturing efficiency.
The use of three layers, canted or slanted ledges or protrusions and canted female voids and other features overcomes shortfalls in the related art by providing an interlocking system well suited for interconnectivity, leveling and stability as well as ease of installation or placement. The disclosed embodiments may be made from porous concrete and are thus recyclable and eco-friendly, helping to protect the environment. The disclosed embodiments may be made of relatively porous concrete allowing some water or rain to stay on the surface to evaporate while the remaining water may be absorbed or otherwise pass through the paver and into the ground below, avoiding excess run off problems that are common in urban areas. The disclosed embodiments are well suited for specialized and hydraulic machinery that comports to the male and female protrusions and voids to obtain a superior grip or purchase upon the pavers.
These and other objects and advantages will be made apparent when considering the following detailed specification when taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims and their equivalents. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout.
Unless otherwise noted in this specification or in the claims, all of the terms used in the specification and the claims will have the meanings normally ascribed to these terms by workers in the art.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application.
The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while steps are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps in a different order. The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not only the systems described herein. The various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the detailed description.
Any and all the above references and U.S. patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions and concepts of the various patents and applications described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.
Referring to
The multilayered nature of the disclosed embodiments has an advantage over the prior art in that if a middle paver breaks or becomes out of level due to differential earth movement, the middle paver may be cut away with a concrete saw and then pulled away from the other pavers by virtue of the sloped female voids. Thus the sloped female voids and/or sloped protrusions that define female voids allow for a measure of differential earth movement, ease in installation and ease in removal as the pavers have tolerances in their frictional attachment.
The term “multilayered” may mean that the disclosed pavers comprise various features and geometry and described herein and/or as shown in the drawings. The use of multiple layers or multiple levels of protrusions and voids allows for multiple layers of frictional attachment to hold the pavers in place and sloped voids as discussed above to assist in both installation and deconstruction.
