Patent ID: 6951086

Claim:
A brick panel assembly comprising: a plurality of bricks; a substratum having a front surface for supporting said plurality of bricks thereon, said substratum comprising a plurality of retaining projections spaced apart in a plurality of rows, each of said plurality of retaining projections extending in a direction away from said front surface defining a plurality of channels therebetween for accepting said plurality of bricks therein, each of said plurality of retaining projections having: a dovetail-shaped transverse cross section prior to acceptance of said plurality of bricks therebetween; and at least one interruption defining a cavity in said front surface of said substratum; said interruptions in each of said plurality of retaining projections arranged in a diagonal array from one row down to the next row of said plurality of rows for optimal migration of water; at least one mortar tie mounted to said front surface of said substratum, said at least one mortar tie having: one end portion extending in a direction towards said substratum such that upon mounting said at least one mortar tie to said front surface said one end portion embeds into said front surface of said substratum; and an opposite end portion extending in a direction away from said front surface, said opposite end portion of said at least one mortar tie disposed substantially aligned with respect to said interruption defining said cavity in said front surface of said substratum between said plurality of bricks, said opposite end portion of said at least one mortar tie having at least one aperture; and mortar disposed between said plurality of bricks and through said at least one aperture of said opposite end portion of said at least one mortar tie whereby upon curing said mortar interlocks with said at least one aperture in said opposite end portion of said at least one mortar tie to permanently hold said plurality of bricks and said substratum together further whereby said diagonal array of interruptions provide a continuous migration path for water from said brick panel assembly.