Patent ID: 8733055

Claim:
A masonry system comprising: at least two spaced layers of bricks comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, the lower layer spaced below the upper layer providing a space between the layers, and a mortar joint in the space between the upper layer and lower layer having a height, wherein the mortar joint comprises a layer of mortar reinforced by a reinforcement strip, the reinforcement strip comprising at least two straight, spaced, continuous, substantially parallel, steel reinforcement wires, the steel reinforcement wires each having a top surface and connected to each other by a steel wire connecting structure that is glued or welded between the steel reinforcement wires, the steel reinforcement wires and steel wire connecting structure each having a height, wherein the steel wire connecting structure is provided with protuberances each protruding downwardly toward the lower layer of bricks from a plane comprising the at least two steel reinforcement wires and forming spacing elements configured such that the steel reinforcement wires are situated at a distance above an upper surface of the lower a layer of bricks below the reinforcement strip, each protuberance having a bottom surface supported on at least one of (1) the upper surface of the lower layer of bricks and (2) a layer of mortar on the upper surface of the lower layer of bricks, wherein the steel wire connecting structure and each protuberance are located below the top surface of the steel reinforcement wires such that the steel wire connecting structure, the protuberances and the steel reinforcement wires are each spaced from the upper layer of bricks, wherein the layer of mortar is applied on the reinforcement strip before application of the upper layer of bricks such that the steel reinforcement wires are each completely embedded in the mortar, and wherein the height of the mortar joint is greater than the height of the steel reinforcement wires and the height of the steel wire connecting structure of the reinforcement strip.