Patent Publication Number: US-2006000179-A1

Title: Building block

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to static structures and, more particularly, to interconnecting modules having vertical and horizontal keys.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Assembling buildings from conventional cinderblocks has never been particularly easy. Moving blocks and mixing mortar, even in small quantities, can be backbreaking. Of course, constant vigilance is also required since improperly applying mortar or misaligning blocks can lead to a catastrophic failure of a building formed of cinderblocks. Thus, masonry work is usually performed by highly skilled laborers at great cost to their employer.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In light of the problems associated with assembling buildings from conventional cinderblocks, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a building block that requires no mortar to join it to an adjacent block. The block is constructed to interlock with a neighboring blocks of like kind that are positioned above, below, or to either side. The building blocks can be permanently joined together with adhesives or temporarily by friction. Either construction technique produces a strong building wall.  
      It is a further object of the invention to provide a building block of the type described that is self-aligning. Construction of a structure with the inventive building blocks can proceed at a rapid pace with a crew of minimally skilled laborers resulting in reduced costs to a builder.  
      It is still another object of the invention to provide a building block that requires neither prolonged training nor special tools to utilize. In fact, the inventive building block is believed to be particularly intuitive to employ.  
      It is another object of the invention to provide a building block of the type described that simulates the look of clapboards and helps to shed precipitation away from joints between courses of blocks. Thus, a building constructed with the inventive building blocks is particularly watertight and need not be sheathed in siding.  
      It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a building block for the purposes described that is lightweight in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and dependable in use.  
      Briefly, the building block in accordance with this invention achieves the intended objects by featuring a front wall that tapers in thickness from its bottom to its top and has a first horizontal fin extending upwardly from its top thereof and a first horizontal slot in its bottom. The front wall further has a first vertical fin extending outwardly from one of its ends and a first vertical slot in the other of its ends. A back wall is positioned adjacent to the front wall and has a second horizontal fin extending upwardly from its top and a second horizontal slot in its bottom. The back wall further has a second vertical fin extending outwardly from one of its ends and a second vertical slot in the other of its ends. A pair of side walls connects the front and back walls so as to form a rectangular box with an open top and an open bottom. One side wall has a key extending outwardly from its top and the other side wall has a notch in its top adapted to receive a key extending from another block. Holes penetrate the first and second horizontal slots for receiving connecting pegs extending upwardly from the first and second horizontal fins extending from another block.  
      The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention may be more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building block in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an inverted perspective view of the building block of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a top view showing the interconnection of several building blocks positioned side by side with the outermost blocks having portions broken away.  
       FIG. 4  is a side view showing the interconnection of several building blocks stacked atop one another with portions being broken away to reveal details thereof. 
    
    
      Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring now to the FIGS., a building block in accordance with the present invention is shown at  10 . Building block  10  includes opposed, front and back walls  12  and  14  connected at their ends by side walls  16  and  18  so as to form a rectangular box with an open top and an open bottom. Back and side walls  14 ,  16  and  18  have an even thickness, one sufficient to bear expected lodes. Front wall  12 , however, is twice as thick as walls  14 ,  16  and  18  at its bottom and tapers in thickness toward its top with its outer surface sloping inwardly. At its top, front wall  12  has the same thickness as walls  14 ,  16  and  18 .  
      Front wall  12  is provided with horizontal and vertical fins  20  and  22  for connecting to a pair of adjacent blocks. Horizontal fin  20  extends along the top of front wall  12  and vertical fin  22  extends along the end of front wall  12  proximate side wall  16 . Fins  20  and  22  intersect at a right angle, as shown at  24 , for mutual reinforcement.  
      Front wall  12  has horizontal and vertical slots  26  and  28  dimensioned to snugly receive fins  20  and  22  of adjacent blocks. Horizontal slot  26  extends along the bottom of front wall  12 . Vertical slot  28 , however, extends along the end of front wall  12  proximate side wall  18 .  
      Like front wall  12 , back wall  14  has horizontal and vertical fins  30  and  32  for connecting to a pair of adjacent blocks. Horizontal fin  30  extends along the top of back wall  14  and vertical fin  32  extends along the end of back wall  14  adjacent side wall  16 . Fins  30  and  32  intersect at a right angle, as shown at  34 , for purposes of reinforcement.  
      Back wall  14  has horizontal and vertical slots  36  and  38  dimensioned to snugly receive fins  30  and  32  of adjacent blocks. Horizontal slot  36  extends along the bottom of back wall  14 . On the other hand, vertical slot  38  extends along the end of back wall  14  proximate side wall  18 .  
      Fins  20 ,  22 ,  30  and  32  and slots  26 ,  28 ,  36  and  38  are positioned so that block  10  can easily be mated with adjacent counterparts as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Fins  20  and  22  and slots  26  and  28  are equally spaced apart and are parallel to one another. Similarly, fins  30  and  32  and slots  36  and  38  are equally spaced from one another and are parallel to one another.  
      Fin  20  is trisected into three fin segments  20   a ,  20   b  and  20   c  by a pair of pegs  40  that extend upwardly therefrom. As shown, pegs  40  are positioned inwardly of side walls  16  and  18 . Each peg  40  has a diameter measuring about one-half the thickness of front wall  12  at its top and has a height that is about two times the thickness of front wall  12  at its top. Each peg  40  is integrally formed with front wall  12  and fin  20 .  
      Fin  30  is trisected into three fin segments  30   a ,  30   b  and  30   c  by a pair of pegs  42  that extend upwardly therefrom. Pegs  42  are positioned inwardly of side walls  16  and  18  and are directly opposite pegs  40 . Each peg  42  has a diameter measuring about one-half the thickness of back wall  14  and has a height that is about two times the thickness of back wall  14 . Each peg  42  is integrally formed with back wall  14  and fin  30 .  
      A pair of holes  44  trisect slot  26  into three slot segments  26   a ,  26   b  and  26   c . Holes  44  are positioned inwardly of side walls  16  and  18  and directly beneath pegs  40 . Each hole  44  has a diameter measuring about one-half the thickness of front wall  12  at its top and a depth of about two times the thickness of front wall  12  at its top. Fin segments  20   a ,  20   b  and  20   c  fit, respectively, into slot segments  26   a ,  26   b  and  26   c  of another block.  
      Slot  36  is trisected into three slot segments  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c  by a pair of holes  46  in the bottom of back wall  14 . Holes  46  are positioned inwardly of side walls  16  and  18  and are directly opposite holes  44  and beneath pegs  42 . Each hole  46  has a diameter measuring about one-half the thickness of back wall  14  and a depth of about two times the thickness of back wall  14 . Fin segments  30   a ,  30   b  and  30   c  fit, respectively, into slot segments  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c  of another block.  
      A key  48  extends outwardly from the top of side wall  16  midway between fins  22  and  32 . As shown, key  48  is shaped like a trapezoid and has an outer, free end that is wider than its inner end. For strength, key  48  is integrally formed with wall  16  and the height or thickness thereof is substantially the same as the thickness of walls  14 ,  16  and  18 .  
      Side wall  18  has a notch  50  in its top midway between slots  28  and  38 . Notch  50  is shaped like a trapezoid to snugly accommodate a key  48  extending from an adjacent block and has an outer end that is narrower than its inner end. The depth of notch  50  is the same as the height of key  48  to fully receive a key  48  therein.  
      The use of building blocks  10  to construct a wall of a building structure is straightforward. First, a line of blocks  10  is placed upon, and attached to, a level footing in a desired location with front walls  12  facing the exterior of the structure. Then, vertical fins  22  and  32  of adjacent blocks  10  are positioned within vertical slots  28  and  38 . Next, keys  48  are slid into notches  50  of adjacent blocks  10  as shown in  FIG. 3  so as to form the first course of the wall. Then, the second and subsequent courses of blocks  10  are positioned atop the first by repeating the steps required to assemble the first course. It should be noted that as the second and other courses are stacked, pegs  40  and  42  are inserted into holes  44  and  46  and horizontal fins  20  and  30  are inserted into horizontal slots  26  and  36  as shown in  FIG. 4  making the assembled wall extremely rigid.  
      If desired, a suitable adhesive can be used to secure blocks  10  together. It is anticipated that the adhesive would be placed in slots  26 ,  28 ,  36  and  38 , holes  44  and  46 , and notch  50  at the time of assembly. After the adhesive has cured, the easy removal of: fins  20 ,  22 ,  30  and  32  from slots  26 ,  28 ,  36  and  38 ; pegs  40  and  42  from holes  44  and  46 ; and key  48  from notch  50  would not be possible. A structure formed from blocks  10  joined with an adhesive is believed to be stronger than one formed from conventional cinderblocks joined with mortar. Because the bottoms of front wall  12  overlap exterior joints, precipitation cannot penetrate into the structure.  
      While the invention has been described with a high degree of particularity, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto. For example, block  10  is preferably molded from Portland cement or reactive powder concrete, but could be made of any other suitable material. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.