Claims
- 1. A block for constructing walls, comprising:
an upper surface spaced apart from a substantially parallel lower surface, thereby defining a block height; opposed first and second faces; opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces; a first pin-receiving recess formed in the upper surface; and a first longitudinally extending pin-receiving channel formed in the lower surface, the channel intersecting the side surfaces and extending continuously therebetween.
- 2. The block of claim 1, wherein the first face has a surface area greater than that of the second face.
- 3. The block of claim 2, wherein the side surfaces converge from the first face to the second face.
- 4. The block of claim 3, wherein one of said side surfaces is substantially perpendicular to the first and second faces.
- 5. The block of claim 1, wherein the first face has a length extending between the side surfaces, the length being a multiple of the height of the block.
- 6. The block of claim 1, wherein the pin-receiving recess comprises an elongate slot extending substantially parallel to the first and second faces.
- 7. The block of claim 1, further comprising a second longitudinally extending pin-receiving channel formed in the lower surface and extending parallel to the first pin-receiving channel, the first and second pin-receiving channels being spaced equidistant from a longitudinal axis bisecting the lower surface.
- 8. The block of claim 7, further comprising second, third and fourth pin-receiving recesses formed in the upper surface, the first and second pin-receiving recesses being on opposing sides of the longitudinal axis and spaced a first distance from the longitudinal axis, the third and fourth pin-receiving recesses being on opposing sides of the longitudinal axis and spaced a second distance from the longitudinal axis, the second distance being less than the first distance.
- 9. The block of claim 8, wherein the first pin-receiving recess is tangent to a vertical plane defined by a side wall of the first pin-receiving channel and the second pin-receiving recess is tangent to a vertical plane defined by a side wall of the second pin-receiving channel.
- 10. A block for constructing walls, comprising:
an upper surface spaced apart from a substantially parallel lower surface, thereby defining a block height; opposed first and second faces, both faces having a roughened surface texture resembling natural stone to permit either face to be used in the exposed surface of a wall; opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces; at least one pin-receiving aperture formed in the upper surface; and first and second longitudinally extending pin-receiving channels formed in the lower surface, the first and second channels extending at least partially between the side surfaces.
- 11. The block of claim 10, wherein the first and second channels extend through the side surfaces of the block.
- 12. The block of claim 10, wherein the first channel is spaced from the first face by a first distance and the second channel is spaced from the second face by the first distance.
- 13. The block of claim 10, wherein the pin-receiving aperture in the upper surface has a side surface that is vertically aligned with a side surface of either the first or second channel.
- 14. The block of claim 10, further comprising a core formed in the lower surface of the block between the first and second channels.
- 15. The block of claim 10, wherein the side surfaces converge as they extend toward the second face.
- 16. The block of claim 15, wherein the at least one pin-receiving aperture comprises first, second, third and fourth rows of pin-receiving apertures, each row having at least one pin-receiving aperture, the first row being spaced from the first face a first distance, the second row being spaced from the first face a second distance greater than the first distance, the third row being spaced from the first face a third distance greater than the second distance, and the fourth row being spaced from the first face a fourth distance greater than the third distance.
- 17. The block of claim 10, wherein the first face has a length extending between the side surfaces, the length being a multiple of the height of the block.
- 18. A wall having a front surface and a rear surface, the wall comprising:
at least a first lower course and a second upper course, each course comprising a plurality of blocks; each block in the first and second courses having:
an upper surface spaced apart from a substantially parallel lower surface, thereby defining a block height; opposed first and second faces, the first face having a surface area greater than that of the second face; opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces; a first pin hole formed in the upper surface; a first trough formed in the lower surface, the trough extending at least partially between the side surfaces and being substantially parallel to the first and second faces; wherein the pin hole is tangent to a vertical plane defined by a side surface of the trough; and the blocks being positioned in the first and second courses such that the front surface of the wall comprises the first faces of a plurality of blocks and second faces of a plurality of blocks to thereby provide an irregular block pattern.
- 19. The wall of claim 18, wherein the first faces and second faces of the blocks have roughened surface textures to give the appearance of natural stone.
- 20. The wall of claim 19, wherein the side surfaces converge from the first face to the second face.
- 21. The wall of claim 19, wherein each block of the first and second courses has one side surface that is substantially perpendicular to its respective first and second faces.
- 22. The wall of claim 18, wherein the first face of each block of the first and second courses has a length extending between its respective side surfaces, the length being evenly divisible by the height of the block.
- 23. The wall of claim 18, wherein each block of the first and second courses has a second trough formed in its respective lower surface and extending parallel to the first trough, the first trough being spaced from the first face by a first distance and the second trough being spaced from the second face by the first distance, and wherein both the first and second trough extend continuously between the side surfaces.
- 24. The wall of claim 23, wherein each block of the first and second courses has first, second, third and fourth rows of pin holes in its respective upper surface extending substantially parallel to the first and second faces, each row having at least one pin hole, the first row of pin holes being spaced from the first face by the first distance, the second row of pin holes being spaced from the first face by a second distance less than the first distance, the third row of pin holes being spaced from the second face by the first distance, and the fourth row of pin holes being spaced from the second face by the second distance.
- 25. The wall of claim 24, wherein each row of pin holes comprises three pin holes.
- 26. A block system for constructing walls, the system comprising:
a first set of blocks comprising a small, medium and large block, each of which has an upper surface spaced apart from a substantially parallel lower surface defining a block height, opposed first and second faces, and opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces, and wherein each block in the first set has the same height; and a second set of blocks comprising a small, medium and large block, each of which has an upper surface spaced apart from a substantially parallel lower surface defining a block height, opposed first and second faces, and opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces, and wherein each block in the second set has the same height; wherein the height of the blocks of the second set is a multiple of the height of the blocks of the first set.
- 27. The block system of claim 26, wherein the first faces of the large blocks have a length that is a multiple of the height of the blocks in the first set and the second set.
- 28. The block system of claim 26, wherein the blocks of the first and second sets each have first and second parallel pin-receiving slots defined in the their lower surfaces.
- 29. The block system of claim 26, wherein the first faces of each of the blocks of the first and second sets have surface areas greater than their second faces.
- 30. The block system of claim 26, wherein the side surfaces of each of the blocks of the first and second sets converge from their first faces to their second faces.
- 31. A block for constructing walls comprising:
an upper surface spaced apart from a lower surface; opposed first and second faces; opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces; a first pin-receiving slot formed in the lower surface and extending longitudinally of the block; and a second pin-receiving slot formed in the upper surface and extending longitudinally of the block.
- 32. The block of claim 31, further comprising a third pin-receiving slot formed in the lower surface extending substantially parallel to one of the first and second pin-receiving slots, the third-pin receiving slot and one of the first and second pin-receiving slots being spaced equidistant from a vertical plane bisecting the block and extending between the side surfaces.
- 33. The block of claim 32, wherein the third pin-receiving slot and the first pin receiving slot intersect the side surfaces and extend continuously between the side surfaces.
- 34. The block of claim 32, further comprising a fourth pin-receiving slot formed in the upper surface extending substantially parallel to the second pin-receiving slot.
- 35. The block of claim 34, wherein the first pin-receiving slot in the lower surface is vertically aligned with the second pin-receiving slot in the upper surface and the third pin receiving slot in the lower surface is vertically aligned with the fourth pin receiving slot in the upper surface.
- 36. The block of claim 34, wherein the second pin-receiving slot and the fourth pin-receiving slot intersect a side surface and extend only partially across the length of the block.
- 37. The block of claim 31, wherein said side surfaces tapers converge in a direction from the first face toward the second face whereby the first face has a surface area greater than the second face.
- 38. The block of claim 37, wherein one of the side surfaces is substantially perpendicular to the first face.
- 39. The block of claim 31, wherein the first and second faces are non-perpendicular to both of the side surfaces.
- 40. A method of constructing a wall from blocks, the method comprising:
providing a first block having an upper surface spaced apart from a lower surface, opposed first and second faces, and opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces, wherein the first face has a surface area greater than the second face; positioning the first block in a first course with the lower surface facing the ground; providing a second block having an upper surface spaced apart from a lower surface, opposed first and second faces, and first and second opposed side surfaces extending between respective ends of the first and second faces, wherein the first face has a surface area greater than the second face; and positioning the second block in a second course on top of the first course in a vertical position so that the first side surface of the second block is juxtaposed to the upper surface of the first block.
- 41. The method of claim 40, wherein the first and second side surfaces of the second block converge from the first face to the second face and wherein positioning the second block in the second course further comprises inserting a pin into the first side surface of the second block to support the second block in a vertically upright position.
- 42. The method of claim 40, wherein the first side surface of the second block is perpendicular to the first and second faces of the second block and the side surfaces of the second block converge in a direction from the first face to the second face of the second block.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELA TED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/344,549, filed Oct. 18, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60344549 |
Oct 2001 |
US |