Abstract:
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide unitary building units having a cultured stone face and the method and apparatus for making such building units.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. provisional patent application 61/285,119 for “Cultured Stone Masonry Unit” filed on Dec. 9, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
       [0002]    The disclosure relates generally to construction materials, and in particular to concrete masonry units. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A concrete masonry unit (CMU), also known as cement block, concrete block, or foundation block, is a large rectangular brick with hollow centers used by the construction trade. Concrete Masonry units provide the basis of many simple structures, including walls for landscaping and buildings. 
         [0004]    The basic structure of a concrete masonry unit is a brick approximately 8 inches wide by 8 inches tall by 16 inches long typically having two hollow cores. The hollow cores allow for reinforcement and concrete to tie courses of CMU together to form load-bearing walls. CMU may also be stacked into columns and foundation walls. 
         [0005]    CMUs are used to create a wide variety of structures from buildings, referred to as concrete block structures, to retaining walls and decorative structures. CMUs are well known for providing a very secure structure when the reinforcement is properly tied to a good foundation. Therefore, CMUs are often used for industrial and commercial construction. 
         [0006]    One shortfall of CMUs is that they have a very drab appearance when left untreated and even when painted the appearance is not generally well liked. Therefore tile, decorative brick, decorative stone, or cultured stone are often applied to a CMU structure to provide a more aesthetic finish to a very functional structure. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide unitary building units having a cultured stone face. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cultured stone masonry unit; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of two cultured stone masonry units; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a cultured stone masonry unit used for pillar construction; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of a simple wall and pillar layout using cultured stone masonry units; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a wall made according to the layout of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6A  is a side view of floor used in making cultured stone masonry units; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6B  is a top view of the floor shown in  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6C  is a top view of a mold box used to make cultured stone masonry units; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7A  is a photo of a mold box with the floor positioned in the mold box; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7B  is a photo of the mold box of  FIG. 7A  with the floor lowered below the mold box; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 7C  is a photo of the mold box of  FIG. 7B  with the sides lowered. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The present disclosure generally provides: 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cultured stone masonry unit  10  having a top  12 , bottom  14 , sides  16 , ends  18  and holes  20 . The holes  20  extend from the top  12  to the bottom  14 . On side  16  visible in this perspective is a cultured surface  22 . The cultured surface  22  is cast in side  16 . The cultured surface  22  may be formed in both sides  16  of the unit  10  or only a single side  16  of the unit  10 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of two cultured stone masonry units  10  showing how the ends  18  abut cleanly when the units  10  are placed end  18  to end  18 , as is common in masonry construction. Ends  18  are as smooth as common concrete masonry units to provide ease of construction. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a cultured stone masonry unit  10  used for pillar construction. A side  16  and one end  18  of the unit  10  have a cultured surface  22 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a top view of a simple wall  24  and pillar layout using cultured stone masonry units  10 . In this layout the units  10  in the wall  24  have cultured surface  22  on both sides  16  while the units  10  in the pillar  26  have cultured surface  22  on one side  16  and one end  18  to allow for all exterior surfaces of the wall  24  and pillar  26  to have cultured surface  22 . A particular advantage of this layout is that wall  24  may be constructed and finished from one side of the wall  24 , without having to encroach on the land and landscaping on the other side of the wall  24 . This is particularly important where a wall  24  is to run along the property line. The adjacent land need not be disturbed to provide a finished cultured stone look on both sides of the wall  24 . This is in contrast to building a wall with conventional CMUs and then applying a cultured stone to the finished CMU. 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a wall  24  and pillar  26  made according to the layout of  FIG. 4 . Another advantage of using cultured stone units  10  in this particular layout is that the structural and decorative elements of the wall  24  and pillar  26  may be finished in a single day, without a need to let the structural elements set up before applying the aesthetic elements. This can save time and money for the contractor and owner. 
         [0026]      FIG. 6A  is a side view of floor  30  used in making cultured stone masonry units  10 . The floor has hole elements  32  that extend upward from the floor to form the holes in the units  10 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 6B  is a top view of the floor  30  shown in  FIG. 6A . This view shows the spacing of the elements  32 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 6C  is a top view of a mold box  34  used to make cultured stone masonry units  10 . The box  34  has a bottom  36  and hinged sides  38 . The bottom  36  has cutouts  40  to allow elements  32  of floor  30  to extend through the bottom  36  of box  34 . Dividers  42  extend between cutouts  40  to form the sides  16  and ends  18  of units  10 . Inserts  44  are placed along dividers to create a cultured surface  22  on sides  16  in the example shown. 
         [0029]    In use the floor  30  is placed on a level surface and box  34  is lowered over the floor  30  such that elements  32  extend through cutouts  40 . Hinged sides  38  are moved to an upright position and dividers  42  are placed within box  34 . Inserts  44  are placed along dividers  42  where cultured surface  22  is desired. The form box  34  is filled with concrete and the concrete is allowed to sure to a reasonable hardness. Form box  34  is lifted off of floor  30  and hinged sides  38  are lowered. The units  10  are removed from the form box  34  and allowed to continue curing before being used. A colorant may be added to the concrete, added to the form box prior to pouring the concrete, or added to the units  10  after removal from the form box  34 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7A  is a photo of a mold box  34  with the floor positioned in the mold box  34  with dividers  42  and hinged sides  38  in an upright position. In this configuration inserts  44  could be added and concrete could be poured to form CSMUs  10 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 7B  is a photo of the mold box  34  of  FIG. 7A  with the floor  30  lowered below the mold box  34 . In this setup the box  34  is held stable while the floor  30  moves down and out of the box  34  to release the CSMU  10 . The hinged sides  38  are still upright and the floor  30  has been lowered to a position slightly below the cutouts  40 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 7C  is a photo of the mold box  34  of  FIG. 7B  with the hinged sides  38  lowered to release the CSMU  10 . 
         [0033]    It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. 
         [0034]    The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. 
         [0035]    While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.