U.S. patent application number 11/964385 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-24 for natural stone simulated surface retaining wall systems.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kiltie Corporation. Invention is credited to Todd P. Strand, Peter P. Stroh.
Application Number | 20080095584 11/964385 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46329985 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080095584 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Strand; Todd P. ; et
al. |
April 24, 2008 |
NATURAL STONE SIMULATED SURFACE RETAINING WALL SYSTEMS
Abstract
A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus is built from of a
plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side
walls and two end walls, two or more masonry blocks being abutted
on respective side walls, at least one of the end walls of each
masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of
recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface. One or more of
the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end
wall to the other end wall, thus allowing either straight or curved
walls to be built by changing the relative orientation of the
tapers of adjoining blocks.
Inventors: |
Strand; Todd P.; (Chisago
City, MN) ; Stroh; Peter P.; (Mendota Heights,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BRIGGS AND MORGAN P.A.
2200 IDS CENTER
80 SOUTH 8TH ST
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Assignee: |
Kiltie Corporation
Oakdale
MN
|
Family ID: |
46329985 |
Appl. No.: |
11/964385 |
Filed: |
December 26, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11409669 |
Apr 24, 2006 |
|
|
|
11964385 |
Dec 26, 2007 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
405/284 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02D 29/0266 20130101;
E02D 29/025 20130101; E02B 3/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
405/284 |
International
Class: |
E02D 5/00 20060101
E02D005/00 |
Claims
1. A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus, comprised of a plurality
of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side walls and
two end walls, two or more masonry blocks being abutted on
respective side walls, and at least one of the end walls of each
masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of
recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two end walls of each
masonry block having a natural stone simulated surface.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the two end walls are
generally quadrilateral in shape.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the masonry
blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end wall to the
other end wall.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein two of the masonry blocks with
tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the
tapered sides having opposed tapers, thereby forming a straight
wall.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein two of the masonry blocks with
tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with the
tapered sides having matched tapers, thereby forming a curved
wall.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising masonry blocks of
four different types.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein three of the four types each
has a first height and the fourth type has a second height twice
that of the first height.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a panel of two rows
of blocks, each of the two rows having blocks of the first height
and an end block of the second height.
10. A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus, comprised of a
plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side
walls and two end walls, each end wall having a split texture
surface and a plurality of recesses creating a natural stone
simulated surface creating a natural stone simulated surface, each
end wall being generally quadrilateral in shape, two or more
masonry blocks being abutted on respective side walls, and wherein
one or more of the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers
from one end wall to the other end wall.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein two of the masonry blocks
with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with
the tapered sides having opposed tapers, thereby forming a straight
wall.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein two of the masonry blocks
with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with
the tapered sides having matched tapers, thereby forming a curved
wall.
13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising masonry blocks of
four different types.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein three of the four types each
has a first height and the fourth type has a second height twice
that of the first height.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a panel of two
rows of blocks, each of the two rows having blocks of the first
height and an end block of the second height.
16. A mortar-less and pin-less retaining wall apparatus, comprised
of a plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four
side walls and two end walls, at least one of the end walls of each
masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of
recesses creating a natural stone simulated surface, two or more
masonry blocks being abutted on respective side walls, one of the
end walls of each masonry block having a natural rock simulating
portion.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the two end walls of each
masonry block having a natural rock simulating portion.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the end walls are generally
quadrilateral in shape.
19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein one or more of the masonry
blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end wall to the
other end wall.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein two of the masonry blocks
with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with
the tapered sides having opposed tapers, thereby forming a straight
wall.
21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein two of the masonry blocks
with tapered side walls are abutted along the tapered sides, with
the tapered sides having matched tapers, thereby forming a curved
wall.
22. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising masonry blocks of
four different types.
23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein three of the four types each
has a first height and the fourth type has a second height twice
that of the first height.
24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a panel of two
rows of blocks, each of the two rows having blocks of the first
height and an end block of the second height.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application
Ser. No. 11/409,669, filed Apr. 24, 2006, entitled RETAINING WALL
SYSTEMS, which is co-pending. Priority is claimed thereto, and the
content thereof is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to segmented retaining wall
systems for soil retention or other environmental or aesthetic
uses. In particular, the invention relates to retaining wall
systems using masonry blocks to create modules resulting in a
random appearance of the face of a retaining wall. While the
application primarily is described as a retaining wall, it can also
be used as a freestanding seat wall, courtyard garden wall, garden
borders and edging, low fencing walls and also as a retaining wall
for low wall applications.
[0003] Segmented retaining wall systems are commonly used for
residential, commercial and government projects. Transportation
departments and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers routinely use
retaining wall systems to retain soil and other structures. These
systems can create straight or curved walls and can even be used
along shore lines where embankment control is desired.
[0004] Segmented retaining wall systems can be comprised of poured
slabs, bricks, natural stone, masonry blocks or other components.
Individual units can be held together by mortar, other adhesives,
gravity, pins, or other fasteners.
[0005] Uniform bricks or masonry blocks can provide a stable,
durable and attractive retaining wall. However, these walls tend to
have a very homogenous and uniform appearance that may not be
suitable for every project. Sometimes a more unique randomized
retaining wall or landscape is desired.
[0006] Natural stone can be used to provide a unique random
appearance to a landscape. However, without the use of mortar or
some other adhesive/sealant, natural stone retaining walls have
poor soil retention properties. Additionally, natural stone
retaining walls are expensive and cumbersome to construct. It is
therefore desired to create a retaining wall system that maintains
the unique random look of a natural stone wall surface with the
structural and soil retention properties, as well as the economic
efficiencies, of man-made masonry block walls. It is also desired
to create a retaining wall system without using mortar.
[0007] Working with masonry blocks of different sizes affects the
securing methods typically used during construction. A mortar-less
wall that uses pins to secure masonry blocks would require numerous
pins of different sizes corresponding to the size of the particular
masonry block. Installers have the burden of keeping track of the
appropriate pins and using them accordingly. It is desirable to
have a pin-less method or apparatus that could be used with
different sized masonry blocks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A mortar-less retaining wall apparatus having a unique
random quality of a natural stone wall surface is built from of a
plurality of masonry blocks, each masonry block having four side
walls and two end walls, two or more masonry blocks being abutted
on respective side walls, and at least one of the end walls of each
masonry block having a split texture surface and a plurality of
recesses creating a natural stone simulated portion. One or more of
the masonry blocks each has a side wall that tapers from one end
wall to the other end wall, thus allowing either straight or curved
walls to be built by changing the relative orientation of the
tapers of adjoining blocks.
[0009] An object and advantage of the present invention is that no
mortar is needed to construct the wall, the blocks being held
together by adhesive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] FIGS. 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a are perspective views of masonry
blocks of the present invention.
[0011] FIGS. 1b, 2b, 3b, and 4b are end views of masonry blocks of
the present invention.
[0012] FIGS. 1c, 2c, 3c, and 4c are plan views of masonry blocks of
the present invention.
[0013] FIGS. 1d, 2d, 3d, and 4d are opposite end views of masonry
blocks of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a retaining wall
constructed from the masonry blocks.
[0015] FIGS. 6a, 6d; 7a, 7d; 8a, 8d; and 9a, 9d are elevational
views of a panel constructed from the masonry blocks, showing each
side of the panel.
[0016] FIGS. 6c, 7c , 8c, and 9c are plan views of the top course
of two courses of masonry blocks in the panels.
[0017] FIGS. 6b, 7b, 8b, and 9b are cross-sections through the
assembled panel taken at the indicated lines.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] The present invention is shown in the drawings by reference
numeral 10.
[0019] The mortar-less retaining wall apparatus 10 (best seen in
FIG. 5) comprises a plurality of masonry blocks 12. As best seen in
FIGS. 1a-1c, 2a-2c, 3a-3c, and 4a-4c, each masonry block 12 has
four side walls 14 and two end walls 16. Two or more of the masonry
blocks 12 are abutted on respective side walls 14. At least one of
the end walls of each masonry block having a split texture surface
and a plurality of recesses creating a natural stone simulated
surface 18. The simulated surface 18 in the finished wall (FIG. 5)
gives the appearance of a natural stone retaining wall without the
use of mortar. It is preferred that each of the two end walls 16
have a natural stone simulated surface 18.
[0020] As best seen in the drawings, the end walls 16 are
preferably generally quadrilateral in shape.
[0021] As best seen if FIGS. 1c, 2c, and 3c, one or more of the
masonry blocks 12 has a side wall 14a that tapers from one end wall
16 to the other end wall 16. One of the blocks, as shown in FIG.
3c, has two tapering side walls 14a, 14b.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 6a and 6b, two of the masonry blocks 12
with tapered sides 14a can be abutted along the tapered sides, with
the tapered sides having opposed tapers, to create a straight
wall.
[0023] Alternatively, as seen in FIGS. 7a and 7b, two of the
masonry blocks 12 with tapered sides 14a can be abutted along the
tapered sides, with the tapered sides having matched tapers, to
form a curved wall.
[0024] FIGS. 1a-1d, 2a-2d, 3a-3d, and 4a-4d show four different
types of masonry blocks 12 used in the present invention. Three of
the four types (FIGS. 1a-1d, 2a-2d, and 3a-3d have a first height
H1 (height being defined as the dimension of the masonry block
that, when laid in the wall 10, is substantially perpendicular to
the top 11 of the wall 10). The fourth masonry block (FIGS. 4a-4d)
has a second height H2 twice that of the first height H1 (the block
shown in FIGS. 4a-4d would be rotated 90 degrees clockwise or
counterclockwise for insertion in the wall 10). See FIG. 5.
[0025] Looking at FIG. 7a as an example, the apparatus may further
comprise a panel 30 of two rows 32, 34 of blocks. Each of the two
rows has blocks S and M, for example, of the first height H1 and an
end block V of the second height H2. It will be appreciated that
many different combinations of the masonry blocks may be used to
form such panels 30, as illustrated, without exclusion, in FIGS.
8a-8d and 9a-9d. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, larger panels
using six blocks per panel between vertical units is one
combination. Another combination, not shown, uses four blocks per
panel between vertical units. Yet, another combination, not shown,
is a running bond using small, medium and large blocks only.
[0026] Use of various panels can create a random appearance using
natural stone simulated surface as shown in FIG. 5. The user can
flip and re-position the blocks to place the natural stone
simulated surface in different orientations to further generate a
natural stone appearance of randomness. This advantage is even more
pronounced when both end walls of the block have natural stone
simulated surfaces, thereby providing greater variability. Also,
the radius of curved walls can be varied depending on the use of
the particular blocks, as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 7c, 8c,
and 9c. It may be necessary to split or cut various blocks to
obtain the desired radius for a curved wall.
[0027] The various blocks are attached to each other by adhesive.
The appropriate types of adhesive are known to one of skill in the
art. For example, Versa-Lok.RTM. brand of Concrete Adhesive,
trademark owned by Kiltie Corporation, Oakdale, Minn., can be used
to attach the blocks, and is a preferred adhesive. Versa-Lok.RTM.
Concrete Adhesive remains flexible and retains its adhesive
properties to tolerate minor earth movement.
[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although
methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described
herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present
invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All
publications, patent applications, patents, and other references
mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to
the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. In case of
conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will
control.
[0029] The present invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes
thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be
considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive,
reference being made to the appended claims rather than to the
foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.
* * * * *