Abstract:
Disclosed is an economical and effective way of producing a double sided wall having a corner or closed end using facing panels having a face surface and a back surface with a retaining structure. The facing panels are stacked in a back-to-back arrangement into a pair of first and second wall components bridged by separate connectors. An end wall component forming an end or corner of the wall includes facing panels stacked to extend across the intermediate space. A branched connector and link are used for bridging a concrete facing panel in the end wall component with an adjacent concrete facing panel of the first or second wall component. The branched connector has a first connecting end and an opposite branched end with at least a pair of second connecting ends for attachment to the retaining structure of the adjacent facing panel and the link has a first end for attachment to a facing panel in the end wall component and a second end for linking to the branched connector.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation Application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/876,871, filed Oct. 7, 2015, which is a Continuation Application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/752,766, filed Apr. 1, 2010, issued Dec. 8, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,206,599, which is a Continuation-in-Part Application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/525,491, filed Jul. 31, 2009, which is a 371 of PCT/CA2007/002351, filed Dec. 21, 2007, which claims priority from U.S. Ser. No. 60/887,877, filed on Feb. 2, 2007, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed toward decorative walls such as retaining walls and freestanding walls having a decorative surface. In particular, the invention is directed to modular walls with a decorative facing and components of such walls. More specifically, the present invention is directed toward walls, which have a pair of decorative surfaces. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Retaining walls are used in landscaping around residential or commercial buildings. Retaining walls can be made of various materials, but for reasons of durability are most often either concrete structures cast in situ or walls formed of stacked courses of natural stone or masonry blocks. Concrete masonry blocks have become the most popular retaining wall components, due to their ease of manufacture, transport and handling. 
     Freestanding walls are often used as demarcation structures along roads, walkways or property lines. These walls can be cast in situ or modular, preferably made of stacked blocks, for added flexibility in shaping the wall. 
     Conventional concrete masonry blocks are generally molded in a dry cast process in which a concrete mixture is filled into a mold box and compressed to generate a pre-consolidated block. This pre-block is removed from the mold box and transported to a setting location at which the block is stored for setting of the concrete mixture. Due to the particularities of the molding process used, the pre-block can be provided with an embossed surface structure, but only on the top and bottom surfaces. Thus, this process does not allow for the molding of a dry cast concrete block with a front decorative surface. Several methods have been developed to provide hollow dry cast blocks with a textured front surface. Molding a slab including several blocks and subsequently braking the slab into individual blocks allows for the creation of an irregular, rough front surface similar to the surface of a split natural stone. Alternatively, the smooth front surface of a finished molded block can be subjected to a percussive treatment which brakes up and roughens the front surface. However, neither method allows for the manufacture of a hollow block with any decorative front surface, for example a surface having a regular surface structure, such as an embossed surface. 
     Thus, an economical and effective method is desired for providing a decorative finish on any building, retaining or freestanding wall, preferably on both sides of a freestanding wall. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore one object of the invention to provide an economical and effective way of producing a decorative facing surface on a wall or on wall components. 
     This object is achieved by a method including the steps of directly assembling decorative facing panels having a decorative face surface into a wall. Preferably, the facing panels are dry cast concrete panels having an irregular or regular surface structure, more preferably an embossed surface, most preferably a patterned, embossed surface structure. Preferably, the wall is made of stacked courses of facing panels forming a pair of walls connected in a back-to-back arrangement to expose the decorative surface of the facing panels. 
     Connecting decorative facing panels in a back-to-back arrangement provides several advantages. The resulting overall structure has opposite decorative facing surfaces, allowing the structure to be used as a decorative free-standing wall. In addition, the facing panels are normally intended to be mounted to a wall block and using a back-to-back arrangement of first and second facing panel walls allows for the omission of the wall block altogether, resulting in a more economical structure and permitting the construction of overall much thinner walls. 
     In a preferred method in accordance with the invention, a double sided decorative wall is built, preferably a retaining wall or a freestanding wall, by obtaining a plurality of facing panels respectively having a back surface and a decorative front surface, stacking the facing panels in a back-to-back orientation to form a first wall and a second wall and connecting the first and second walls for forming the double sided decorative wall by connecting at least one facing panel in the first wall with a least one facing panel in the second wall. The facing panels are preferably dry cast concrete panels, preferably with an embossed decorative surface, more preferably with an embossed, patterned decorative front surface. 
     The connecting is preferably achieved by obtaining a connector for fastening the facing panels to preferably removably, to one another. Preferably, the connector is attached first to the first wall and subsequently to the facing panel of the second wall. Preferably, at least every second facing panel of the first wall is connected with at least one facing panel in the second wall. It is preferred that the majority of the facing panels in the first wall are respectively connected with at least one facing panel in the second wall. Most preferably, every facing panel in the first wall, is connected with at least one facing panel in the second wall. 
     In another aspect, the invention provides a wall kit for a double sided decorative wall. The kit preferably includes at least a first facing panel having a back surface and a decorative front surface, at least a second facing panel having a back surface and a decorative front surface, and a connector for connecting the first and second facing panels in a back-to-back arrangement to form a double sided, decorative wall component. 
     Preferably, each facing panel has a retaining recess in its back surface and the connector has at least a pair of interlocking members for each engaging the retaining recess in one of the facing panels to connect the facing panels in a back to back arrangement. Most preferably, each facing panel further has a second retaining recess in the rear surface, and the connector has at least one second interlocking member for engaging the second retaining recess in one of the facing panels. The retaining recesses are preferably keyhole slots and the connector preferably has a central web with opposite, terminally positioned enlarged portions forming the first and second interlocking members respectively, with each interlocking member shaped and constructed for interlocking engagement with a keyhole slot. 
     In a further aspect, the invention provides a double sided decorative wall. The wall includes a plurality of stacked facing panels, preferably dry cast concrete panels, each decorative facing panel having a back surface and a decorative front surface, preferably an embossed decorative front surface. The facing panels are stacked in a back-to-back arrangement for forming a pair of first and second back-to-back walls. The wall further includes connectors for connecting at least one facing panel in the first wall to at least one facing panel in the second wall for forming a double sided decorative wall. 
     In yet another aspect, the invention provides a modular wall system for a double sided decorative wall. The modular wall system includes individual stackable wall components in the form of the facing panels discussed above and connectors for connecting the wall components in a back to back arrangement. The facing panels are of equal thickness, but may have different lengths, and widths. The facing panels of the wall system all have graduated lengths, each length being a multiple of a base length L which is equal to a base height of the panels. Thus, the panels have lengths of 2L, 3L, 4L, 5L etc. (2H, 3H, 4H, 5H . . . ). The panels preferably all have the same base height H, but panels having a height which is a multiple of the base height may also be used together with the base height panels. To facilitate the formation of walls with corners, such as right angled corners, the back-to-back arrangement preferably has an overall thickness which is equal to a multiple of L, most preferably 2L. The facing panels of the modular wall system are stackable in rows and each include at least one retaining groove in a back surface and each connector preferably has a body and opposing first and second interlocking members for respectively engaging a retaining groove in one of the facing panels for interconnecting the facing panels in the back-to-back arrangement. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the length of the connectors is variable to permit the selection of a desired spacing between the first and second partial walls. The resulting space between the back to back facing panel walls can be filled with loose materials such as gravel or soil or setting materials, such as concrete. 
     The wall in accordance with the invention can be built in situ, and preferably uses only the facing panels as wall components and their connectors. The connecting members are preferably constructed with multiple connecting ends to engage at least a pair of facing panels in a back-to-back arrangement. The connecting ends can be joined by interconnecting webs, preferably oriented in a crossing arrangement to provide lateral stability to the back-to-back arrangement. 
     In still another embodiment, the invention provides a kit for forming a freestanding wall having a pair of decorative facing surfaces. The kit includes facing panels which are stackable for forming a wall, and have a decorative surface and connectors for connecting the facing panels in a back-to-back arrangement. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be further described by way of example only and with reference to the attached drawings, wherein 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a pair of facing panels connected back-to-back to form a hollow wall with double sided decorative finish; 
         FIG. 2 a    is a perspective view of a facing panel for use in a wall in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2 b    is a schematic top view of the decorative wall of  FIG. 1  with facing panels connected in a back-to-back arrangement, and filled with gravel; 
         FIGS. 3 a  to 3 c    show different exemplary spacers in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of decorative wall components in accordance with the invention including a pair of decorative panels connected back-to-back with a modular connector system; 
         FIGS. 5 a  to 5 c    are perspective top views of decorative wall components in accordance with the invention including a pair of decorative facing panels connected back-to-back with an X-shaped connector; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective top view of a position of an exemplary wall in accordance with the invention having decorative facing panels on both sides and Y-shaped connectors; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a Y-shaped connector in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an X-shaped connector in accordance with the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  schematically illustrates a corner construction using facing panels and connectors, in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments contained herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways. It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the method in accordance with the invention of providing a decorative wall  100 , such as a retaining wall or freestanding wall, by connecting pairs of facing panels  110  having a decorative surface  112  in a back-to-back arrangement. In the illustrated embodiment, each facing panel  110  is connected by way of connectors  120 , with at least one other facing panel. The connectors respectively engage at least two facing panels. The preferred connectors  120 , which are discussed in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 3 a -3 c   ,  7  and  8  have at least a pair of spaced apart parallel, cylindrical stems  122  connected by an intermediate web  124 . The stems  122  form interlocking members, which engage and are reliably held in keyhole slots  102  respectively provided in the rear face  114  of the facing panels  110 . The connectors  120  are preferably inserted first into the keyhole slots  102  in one facing panel. This allows the installer to mount the second facing panel  110  by sliding it onto the already installed connector. The wall is preferably made of stacked facing panels  110  as illustrated. The weight of the facing panels  110  can be supported on a footing of the wall (not shown), or on a separate footing for each partial wall formed by the facing panels  110  of one side of the double sided decorative wall. For ease of use, the connectors  120  are preferably symmetrical, which means the cylindrical stems  122  are identical in cross-section and size, but non-symmetrical variants with stems  122  of different diameter and cross-sectional shape can also be used. 
       FIG. 2 a    illustrates a facing panel  110  for use in a wall in accordance with the invention. The facing panel  110  is a dry cast concrete block which was compressed in the top to bottom direction during manufacture and has a top surface  112  and a bottom surface  114 . The facing panel  110  preferably has an embossed decorative surface  112 , more preferably an embossed, patterned surface. The facing panel  110  has at least one keyhole slot  102 , preferably a pair of spaced apart parallel keyhole slots  102 , in its bottom surface  114  (bottom surface during molding of the panel). Each keyhole slot  102  has a slot portion  202  penetrating the back surface  114  of the facing panel  110  and a cylindrical bore portion  206  connected thereto. The stems  122  of the connectors  120  are respectively inserted into the keyhole slots  206  to mount the facing panels  110  in a back-to-back arrangement (see  FIG. 1 ). The facing panel  110  is preferably sized and shaped to permit stacking into a continuous wall  100 . 
       FIG. 2 b    illustrates the method in accordance with the invention for providing a wall  100  with a double-sided decorative finish  112 .  FIG. 2 b    is a schematic top view of a decorative wall  100  in accordance with the invention including two pairs of decorative facing panels  110  arranged side-by-side with each pair connected by connectors  120  to the other pair in a back-to-back orientation. Each facing panel  110 , preferably a facing panel intended for providing a decorative finish on a wall or wall block, is provided with an embossed decorative facing surface. The decorative wall  100  is preferably made of a multitude of facing panels  110  stacked in rows to form a pair of spaced apart walls connected in space apart back-to-back orientation by the intermediate connections  120 . The facing panels  110  are arranged in the back-to-back orientation so that all outside surfaces of the resulting wall  100  have a decorative finish. Facing panels  110  are dry cast concrete blocks which were compressed in the top to bottom direction during manufacture, but are mounted with their bottom surfaces  112  facing one another in the decorative wall  100  so that the top surface  114  of the facing panel  110  is facing outward in the wall and thereby forms the new facing surface(s) of the wall  100 . 
     Multiple facing panels  110  as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2   a ,  4 ,  5   a  to  5   c  and  6  can be used to build a decorative wall  100 . The decorative facing panels  110  are thereby stacked in rows, preferably staggered for additional stability, to form a decorative wall. For maximum installation flexibility and ease of handling, the decorative panels are preferably handled in the disassembled condition, which means some facing panels  110  are first separately stacked to form a partial first wall and then the facing panels are subsequently connected back-to-back to the already stacked panels to form a partial second wall spaced apart from the first partial wall and connected thereto by the connectors  120 . For that purpose, the invention provides a kit for a decorative wall, which kit includes a number of facing panels and connectors for connecting the facing panels back-to-back. The interconnection of the back-to-back facing panels is preferably carried out on a row by row basis, as each row of facing panels is finished, so that the connectors need not be forced through the keyhole slots of more than one panel. In the alternative, only the insertion of the connectors into one partial wall is done on a row by row basis. However, this will require moving facing panels for the other partial wall along several connectors, which may increase the time required for installation of the complete wall. Jumper panels can be included in the wall, which are larger in size than the remaining panels and possibly rotated by 90°. When jumper panels of the same principle construction as the surrounding panels are used, which are rotated by 90°, the facing panel back-to-back thereto is preferably installed immediately after placement of the jumper panel and before the rows of panels around the jumper panel are finished. Sliding of the facing panel onto the connector in the jumper panel may no longer be possible once the connectors of the adjoining panels are installed, due to their orientation perpendicular thereto. However, where jumper panels are used which have keyhole slots oriented 90° to those of regular panels, installation of the facing panel back-to-back onto the jumper panel can be carried out in the ordinary course of installation since the slots in the jumper panel are then parallel to those in the surrounding panels. For added stability of the decorative wall, the connectors can be inserted into the keyhole slots so that they engage the facing panels in vertically adjacent rows of facing panels and thereby not only connect the first and second walls, but also stacked rows. 
       FIG. 4  shows an alternate method of connecting the facing panels of the respective partial walls by using base connectors  140  which each engage only one facing panel  110 , but include an opening or eyelet  150  for engagement by a hook-shaped link  160 , which may be of adjustable length (not illustrated) and is shaped and constructed to engage a base connector  140  at each end. Alternatively, the link  160  may incorporate one base connector  140  at one end. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 a  to 5 c   , the keyhole slots  102  in the back surface of the facing panels  110  may be shaped to interface with a Y or X-shaped connector  120  (see  FIGS. 5 a  to 5 c    and  6 ) having webs  124  which are oriented at an acute angle to the rear surface  114  of the facing panel  110  when the connector and facing panel are interengaged. To accommodate the orientation of the webs  124 , the slot portion  202  of the keyhole slots  102  in the rear surface  114  of the facing panels are tapered inwardly, thereby forming an outwardly widening V-groove in the rear surface  114  (see  FIG. 5 b   ). Alternatively, the webs  124  of the X and Y-shaped connectors  120  may be crimped adjacent their stems  122  with the crimped portion  128  oriented to engage a slot portion  202  with parallel side walls (see  FIG. 5 c   ). 
     The keyhole slots  102  in the facing panels  110  will now be discussed in more detail with reference to  FIG. 2 a   . Each keyhole slot  102  has a slot portion  202  penetrating the rear surface  114  of the facing panel  110  and a cylindrical bore portion  206  connected thereto. The cylindrical bore portion  206  is sized and shaped for receiving one of the interconnecting members of the connectors, the stems  122  (see  FIGS. 3 a -3 c   ). The slot portion  202  is sized and shaped for receiving the web  124  of the connector  120  (see  FIGS. 3 a -3 c   ), the width of the slot portion  202  being less than the diameter of the stem  122  in order to prevent the connector  120  being pulled out of the keyhole slot  102 . For maximum flexibility in connecting the facing panels  110  to one another, the facing panels preferably have a pair of retaining slots  102  in the rear surface  114 . When multiple keyhole slots  102  are provided, the slots are preferably parallel and equidistantly spaced on the rear surface  114  of the facing panels  110 . The slots are preferably oriented vertically or horizontally and centered on the panels when in the installed condition. Although other orientations of the slots are possible those orientations may make assembly of the decorative wall more challenging. The keyhole slots  102  preferably extend completely across the rear surface  114  to the facing panel  110 . However, closed end keyhole slots  102  can also be used (not illustrated). 
       FIGS. 3 a -3 c    show connectors of different construction.  FIG. 3 a    illustrates the principle connector  120  in accordance with the invention, which is preferably of symmetrical construction to facilitate its use in the decorative wall of the invention in different orientations. The connector  120  includes a planar web  124  with opposite ends  125 ,  126  and a stem portion  122  at each of the ends. The stem portion  122  is preferably cylindrical, for interfacing with the keyhole slots  102  in the facing panels, but can be of any shape with allows engagement with the retaining recess in a facing panel and prevents the connector being pulled out of the retaining recess.  FIG. 3 b    shows a variant of the connector shown in  FIG. 3 a   , wherein the web  124  is longer than the height of the connector. This long connector is particularly suited for fillable decorative walls. The short connector of  FIG. 3 a    is suited for thin decorative walls with little spacing between the back-to-back panels. 
       FIG. 3 c    shows a base connector  140  shown in  FIGS. 3 a  and 3 b    which is a variant of connector  160 , wherein only one end of the web  112  is provided with a stem  122  and the web  112  is further provided with an opening or eyelet  150  for engagement by a link  160 , preferably of adjustable length (not shown). This allows the back-to-back connection of facing panels wherein the keyhole slots are staggered in the opposing blocks and, thus, not sufficiently aligned to permit the use of connectors  120  of planar construction. This base connector  140  in combination with link  160  is especially advantageous for the building of curved decorative walls, wherein, due to the spacing between the partial walls of facing panels, the keyhole slots  102  in the panels of one partial wall are misaligned with those in the other partial wall. 
     The connectors  120  can be made of any material sufficiently strong to reliably connect the facing panels  110  of the partial walls. The connectors are preferably made of any material which will be resistant to deterioration upon exposure to the elements, soil, gravel and the like. The most preferred material is plastic, although non-corroding metal alloys or metal connectors with a non-corroding surface finish can also be used. 
     Although all the preferred connectors  120 ,  140  described herein include interlocking members in the form of the cylindrical stems  122  intended for being mounted to the facing panels  110  by sliding them along the keyhole slots  102 , connectors with stems of different cross-section can also be used, the only requirement being that the stems have a shape and thickness which prevents the connection being pulled out of the keyhole slot in which it is engaged. Furthermore, connector and retaining groove combinations other than those particularly exemplified can be used without deviating from the present invention. For example connectors of the snap in type can be used (not shown). 
     Of course, it will be readily apparent to the art skilled person that a retaining structure other than keyhole slots can be provided in the panels  110  as long as a reliable interlocking engagement between the retaining structure and the connectors respectively used is ensured. For example, the retaining structure can be in the form of a slot or bore and the connector can be a compressible/expandable connector which is insertable into the slot or bore and locks in the slot or bore when fully inserted in order to reliably retain the connector in the slot. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a wall in accordance with the invention including facing panels  110  and connectors  120 . However, the connectors have three webs  124  which are arranged in a Y orientation and each include a stem  122  for interfacing with a keyhole slot  102  in a facing panel  110 . Y-shaped connectors provide two advantages, they provide the wall with lateral stability against shifting and they allow the connection of side-by-side facing panels  110  by inserting the stem  122  on each of the forked of the connector into a keyhole slot of a different one of a pair of side by side panels. This provides added strength to the wall and reduces buckling of the partial walls of facing panels. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a Y-shaped connector as shown in use in  FIG. 6 , wherein all three webs are of the same length and each include a cut-out or opening  129 , the structural purpose of which will be discussed in more detail in relation to  FIG. 9  below. Of course, providing the opening  129  also reduces the amount of material used for the connector, thereby reducing its unit cost. The webs  124  may also be of different length, with the webs in the forked end either being of equal length, for straight walls, or of different length, for curved walls (not illustrated). 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an X-shaped connector  120  in accordance with the invention. The connector includes a pair of intersecting webs  124  which each include a stem  122  at their respective ends for interconnection with a retaining recess or keyhole slot  102  in a facing panel  110 . The pair of stems  122  respectively located on opposite sides of the intersection can be engaged in the same facing panel  110  or respectively in one keyhole slot of laterally adjacent panels. As with the Y-shaped connector, each web  124  is preferably provided with a cut-out or opening  129 . 
       FIG. 9  schematically illustrates an exemplary corner arrangement of a double sided decorative wall in accordance with the invention. As is apparent, the facing panels  110  are stacked to form a corner in each of the parallel partial walls. Y-shaped connectors  120  are used as well as base connectors  140  and links  160  to provide multi-directional stability to the corner arrangement, in an effort to prevent buckling of the respective partial walls of facing panels. Maximum stability is achieve by placing the connectors  120 ,  140  into the keyhole slots of vertically adjacent rows of facing panels (not illustrated) in order to connect subsequent layers in each wall with one another. 
     The facing panels  110  are preferably provided with a bevel at their lateral ends in order to allow for a closer fit of the facing panels in curved wall applications. The curvature of the wall can then be adjusted by using facing panels of different length, longer panels being used in the outer partial wall of the decorative wall. Generally, the shorter the blocks, the tighter the radius that can be created. 
     While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element thereof is entitled. 
     The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.