U.S. patent application number 13/763810 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-14 for building block for use in constructing a building.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PERLIS. The applicant listed for this patent is KING ABDUL AZIZ CITY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PERLIS. Invention is credited to Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah, Bader Saad Alnasban Saad Alnasban, Bader Zaid Bin Juwayr Zaid Bin Juwayr, Mohammed A. Binhussain, Abdulaziz Adel Kurdi, Mohammed Abdullah Muhawes, Mohammad Tamizi Selimin.
Application Number | 20140223848 13/763810 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48092731 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140223848 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Binhussain; Mohammed A. ; et
al. |
August 14, 2014 |
BUILDING BLOCK FOR USE IN CONSTRUCTING A BUILDING
Abstract
The invention is related to a building block for use in
interlocking with a plurality of similar building blocks for
constructing a building. The building block includes a front face,
a rear face, an upper face, a lower face, a first end and a second
end. The building block also includes at least one substantially
vertical hollow (web) and at least one substantially horizontal
channel, wherein the at least one horizontal channel is disposed
along one of the upper face and the lower face. In addition, each
of the first end and the second end includes at least one header
face, wherein at least one the header face can be one of a
substantially planar face, a male header face and a female header
face. Each of the male header face and the female header face
includes one or more patterns for interlocking.
Inventors: |
Binhussain; Mohammed A.;
(Riyadh, SA) ; Kurdi; Abdulaziz Adel; (Riyadh,
SA) ; Muhawes; Mohammed Abdullah; (Riyadh, SA)
; Alnasban; Bader Saad Alnasban Saad; (Riyadh, SA)
; Bin Juwayr; Bader Zaid Bin Juwayr Zaid; (Riyadh,
SA) ; Abdullah; Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri; (Arau, MY)
; Selimin; Mohammad Tamizi; (Arau, MY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; KING ABDUL AZIZ CITY
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PERLIS |
Arau |
|
US
MY |
|
|
Assignee: |
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PERLIS
Arau
MY
KING ABDUL AZIZ CITY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Riyadh
SA
|
Family ID: |
48092731 |
Appl. No.: |
13/763810 |
Filed: |
February 11, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/309.17 ;
52/604; 52/606 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 2002/023 20130101;
E04C 1/40 20130101; E04B 2002/0206 20130101; E04B 2/20 20130101;
E04B 2/18 20130101; E04C 1/397 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/309.17 ;
52/606; 52/604 |
International
Class: |
E04C 1/39 20060101
E04C001/39; E04C 1/40 20060101 E04C001/40 |
Claims
1. A building block for use in interlocking with a plurality of
similar building blocks for constructing a building, the building
block comprising: a front face; a rear face; an upper face; a lower
face; at least one substantially vertical hollow; at least one
substantially horizontal channel disposed along at least one of the
upper face and the lower face; a first end, an entirety of the
first end comprising a solid surface forming a male header face;
and a second end, the entire second end comprising a solid surface
forming a female header face; wherein the male header face
comprises a first stepped pattern projecting outwards at the first
end, wherein the female header face comprises a second stepped
pattern projecting inwards at the second end, wherein the second
stepped pattern is substantially complementary to the first stepped
pattern, wherein the male header face of the building block is
designed for interlocking with a female header face of a
cooperating interlocking building block without forming a vertical
opening between the male header face and the female header face,
and wherein the cooperating interlocking building block is
substantially similar to the building block.
2. The building block of claim 1, wherein the at least one
substantially vertical hollow is substantially cuboidal and extends
from the upper face to the lower face of the building block.
3. The building block of claim 1, wherein the at least one
substantially horizontal channel is substantially concave.
4. The building block of claim 1, wherein the at least one
substantially horizontal channel is disposed substantially at a
central portion of at least one of the upper face and the lower
face.
5. The building block of claim 1, wherein the building block and
the plurality of similar building blocks are designed to interlock
to form a network of vertical and horizontal channels.
6. The building block claim 5, wherein at least one of the vertical
and horizontal channels is designed to be used for addition of at
least one of a plurality of water pipes and a plurality of
electrical conduits.
7. The building block of claim 1, wherein the building block is at
least one of an end block, a T-block, a cross block, a corner block
and a connecting block.
8. The building block of claim 7, wherein the building block is a
corner block and the first end of the corner block is substantially
perpendicular to the second end of the corner block.
9. The building block of claim 7, wherein the building block is a
T-block and at least one of the first end and the second end of the
T-block comprises two header faces, wherein each of the two header
faces is a female header face.
10. The building block of claim 7, wherein the building block is a
cross block and at least one of the first end and the second end of
the cross block comprises three header faces, wherein each of the
three header faces is a female header face.
11. The building block of claim 7, wherein the building block is a
connecting block and each of the first end and the second end of
the connecting block comprises one header face, wherein the header
face is one of a male header face and a female header face.
12. The building block of claim 1, wherein the building block is
designed to be interlocked with the plurality of similar building
blocks to form a building wall.
13. The building block of claim 12, wherein the building block and
the plurality of similar building blocks are designed to be used
for constructing one of a stacking bond and a running bond by using
at least one of polymer based cementitious materials, and
geopolymer based cementitious materials.
14. The building block of claim 12, wherein the building block and
the plurality of similar building blocks are designed to be used
for constructing one of a stacking bond and a running bond without
using at least one of polymer based cementitious materials and
geopolymer based cementitious materials.
15. The building block of claim 1, wherein each of the male header
face and the female header face of the building blocks comprises a
complementary stepped pattern for interlocking with a complementary
header face.
16. The building block of claim 1, wherein the building block is
produced using one of natural raw materials, waste-derived
materials, polymers, clay, sand-cement, concrete, silica-lime, or a
geopolymer.
17. The building block of claim 1, wherein the building block is
produced by using at least one of uniaxially cold pressing, biaxial
cold pressing, dry pressing, semi-dry pressing, compacting, cold
isostatic pressing, hot pressing, extrusion molding, injection
molding, compression molding, gel casting, slip casting and tape
casting.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention generally relates to a building block for use
in construction. More specifically, the invention relates to a
building block for use in interlocking with similar blocks for
constructing a building.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Building blocks are widely used in the building and
construction industry. The building blocks are mainly used as
load-bearing and non-load bearing materials, wherein they are laid
on stack or running bond using cementitious materials. This is due
to properties of the building blocks such as, but not limited to,
high strength, toughness, stability and high chemical durability.
Interlocking building blocks are used in constructing buildings,
due to numerous advantages over conventional building blocks.
[0003] The building blocks are produced using different process.
Modern clay blocks are formed using processes such as, but not
limited to, soft mud process, dry press, and extrusion. The dry
press method is similar to mud blocks but starts with a much
thicker clay mix and therefore it forms more accurate,
sharper-edged blocks.
[0004] Currently, the blocks are manufactured using a fixed set of
materials which are expensive. The processes used in manufacturing
the blocks are also rigid and there is little scope for changing
the processes. For some applications, the properties of the block
may not satisfy all the requirements.
[0005] Currently, assembling interlocking building blocks requires
significant amount of effort. There are also several design issues
which hinders the assembly of the interlocking building blocks.
Also the interlocking building blocks need extra support such as,
an adhesive and a rebar for strengthening the construction. Also,
the usability of the interlocking blocks is limited due to the
inefficient designing of male and female interconnects to interlock
a plurality of interlocking blocks.
[0006] Therefore, there is a need to develop an interlocking block,
which is functional, easy to construct and cost effective.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0007] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals
refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the
separate views and which together with the detailed description
below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve
to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various
principles and advantages all in accordance with the invention.
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary representation of an upper
isometric view of a building block in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary representation of a lower
isometric view of the building block in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary representation of a plan
view of the building block in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary representation of an
elevation view of the building block in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0012] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate different perspective views of a
corner block in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIGS. 6A-6F illustrate different perspective views of a
T-block, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate different perspective views of a
cross block, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIGS. 8A-8F illustrate different perspective views of a
connecting block, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0016] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a building wall
constructed using a plurality of similar building blocks in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a network of
horizontal channels and vertical channels within the building wall
constructed using the plurality of similar building blocks in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0018] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the
figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not
necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of
some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to
other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Before describing in detail embodiments that are in
accordance with the invention, it should be observed that the
embodiments reside primarily in different aspects of a building
block for use in constructing a building. Accordingly, the
different aspects have been represented where appropriate by
conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific
details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the
invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that
will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
having the benefit of the description herein.
[0020] In this document, relational terms such as first and second,
top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one
entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily
requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between
such entities or actions. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or
any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive
inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that
comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements
but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to
such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded
by "comprises . . . a" does not, without more constraints, preclude
the existence of additional identical elements in the process,
method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
[0021] Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, the
invention provides details regarding the structure of a building
block for use in interlocking with a plurality of similar building
blocks for constructing a building.
[0022] Referring to the figures and in particular to FIGS. 1-4,
wherein FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary representation of an upper
isometric view of a building block 100 in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 illustrates a lower isometric
view of building block 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention, FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of building block 100 in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 4
illustrates an elevation view of building block 100 in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, building
block 100 includes a front face and a rear face, such as front face
102 and rear face 104. The front face and the rear face are
vertically oriented and are substantially planar surfaces. In some
exemplary implementations, the front face and the rear face can be
designed as one or more of, but not limited to, a smooth surface
and a patterned surface.
[0023] Building block 100 further includes an upper face and a
lower face such as an upper face 106 and a lower face 108 as shown
in FIG. 1. The upper face can be a horizontally inclined planar
surface as shown in FIG. 1. In an embodiment, the upper face can
include one or more horizontal surfaces at different elevations.
For example, the upper face includes a first portion 118 and a
second portion 120, where first portion 118 is placed at an
elevated level relative to second portion 120, as shown in FIG. 1.
In an exemplary embodiment, the lower face is substantially
complementary to the upper face, as shown in FIG. 2. In some
embodiments, the upper face and the lower face of building block
100 are suitably modified to form an interlocking bond with a
corresponding lower face and upper face of cooperating building
blocks when stacked upon each other, wherein the cooperating
building blocks are similar to building block 100. The upper face
and the lower face can have one or more patterns in order to
facilitate interlocking between the cooperating building blocks. In
an embodiment, the one or more patterns include one of, but not
limited to, a running pattern, a crossed pattern and a lobed
pattern.
[0024] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention,
building block 100 includes at least one substantially vertical
hollow (web) such as, but not limited to, a vertical hollow (web)
110a and a vertical hollow (web) 110b. Further, the at least one
substantially vertical hollow (web) extends from the upper face to
the lower face of building block 100 as shown in FIG. 1. In various
embodiments, parameters such as shape and size of the at least one
substantially vertical hollow (web) can be customized as desired.
For example, the at least one substantially vertical hollow (web)
can be designed to have a shape such as, cylindrical, cuboidal,
semi cylindrical shape and the like. For example, the at least one
substantially vertical hollow (web) has a cuboidal structure as
shown in FIG. 1. In accordance with the embodiment, the at least
one substantially vertical hollow (web) is designed to be
perpendicular to the upper surface and the lower face of building
block 100. The aforementioned design of the at least one
substantially vertical hollow (web) facilitates in the formation of
vertical channel, when a plurality of building blocks, similar to
building block 100, are stacked upon each other. Further, in
accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, building block 100
includes two substantially symmetrical vertical hollows (webs). It
will be apparent that building block 100 can include different
numbers of substantially vertical hollows (webs). For instance,
building block 100 can include one substantially vertical hollow
(web). Alternately, building block 100 can include three or more
than three substantially vertical hollows (webs).
[0025] Building block 100 further includes at least one
substantially horizontal channel such as, but not limited to, a
horizontal channel 112. Horizontal channel 112 is disposed along at
least one of the upper face and the lower face of building block
100. The at least one substantially horizontal channel can be
designed as one or more structures such as, a concave structure, a
concave polygonal structure and the like. Variations in design of
the at least one substantially horizontal channel would be apparent
to those ordinarily skilled in the art. In an exemplary embodiment,
the at least one substantially horizontal channel has a concave
structure as shown in FIG. 1. In an exemplary embodiment, the at
least one substantially horizontal channel is disposed on at least
one of the upper face and the lower face of building block 100. In
accordance with the embodiment, the at least one substantially
horizontal channel is disposed between the front face and the rear
face of building block 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the at
least one substantially horizontal channel is disposed at the
center portion of at least one of the upper face and lower face. In
the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, building block 100 includes
two substantially horizontal channels as shown, wherein each of the
upper face and the lower face comprises one substantially
horizontal channel that is of a concave structure. It is possible
that building block 100 includes only one substantially horizontal
channel, wherein the at least one substantially horizontal on one
of the upper face and the lower face of building block 100.
Further, the at least one substantially horizontal channel is
designed such that when a first building block and a second
building block similar to building block 100 are stacked, the upper
face of the first building block mates with the lower face of the
second building block resulting in the formation of a horizontal
channel such as a horizontal channel 152 as shown in FIG. 4.
[0026] Building block 100 further includes a first end and a second
end (not numbered in figures). At least one of the first end and
the second end includes at least one header face. The header face
is one of a substantially planar face, a male header face such as a
male header face 126 and a female header face such as a female
header face 128. Each of the first end and the second end can
include one or more header faces. For example, the first end can
include one male header face and the second end includes one female
header face as shown in FIG. 1. The male header face protrudes
outwards at one of the first end and the second end of building
block 100. For instance, the male header face protrudes outwards at
the first end as shown in FIG. 3. The female header face protrudes
inwards at one of the first end and the second end of building
block 100. For instance, the female header face protrudes inwards
at the second end of building block 100 as shown in FIG. 3. The
design of the male header face and the female header face is such
that the male header face of one building block can interlock with
the female header face of a cooperating building block, wherein the
blocks are identical or similar to building block 100. In various
embodiments, the male header face and the female header face
include one or more patterns in order to facilitate interlocking
between the cooperating building blocks. In an embodiment, the one
or more patterns include one of, but not limited to, a running
pattern, a crossed pattern and a lobed pattern. In an embodiment,
the male header includes a first stepped pattern projecting
outwards as shown in FIG. 3. In an embodiment, the first stepped
pattern includes a central contact surface such as a central
contact surface 130 and other contact surfaces disposed
symmetrically about the central contact surface such as, but not
limited to, a first contact surface 132 and a second contact
surface 134 as shown in FIG. 3. In an embodiment, the female header
face includes a second stepped pattern substantially complementary
to the male header face. In an embodiment, the second stepped
pattern includes a central groove such as a central groove 136 and
other grooves disposed symmetrically about the central groove such
as, but not limited to, a first groove 138 and a second groove 140
as shown in FIG. 3. It will be apparent that there could be
numerous variations in the design of the first stepped pattern and
the second stepped pattern and as such those variations would be
apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art. For instance, the
number of steps could be different than those illustrated in the
figures. Alternately, the design of the first stepped pattern and
the second stepped pattern can be other than that illustrated in
the figures.
[0027] In accordance with various embodiments of the invention,
when a first building block and a second building block similar to
building block 100 are mated adjacent to each other the
interlocking bond is formed. Precisely, when the male header face
of the first building block is mated with the female header face of
the second building block, the interlocking bond is formed due to
the complementary nature of the patterns between the male header
face and the female header face. In an exemplary embodiment, the
interlocking bond is formed when contact surfaces such as central
contact surface 130, first contact surface 132 and second contact
surface 134 of the male header face mate with grooves such as
central groove 136, first groove 138 and second groove 140 of the
female header face. In an exemplary embodiment, interlocking the
plurality of building blocks similar to building block 100 forms a
network of vertical and horizontal channels (described in
conjunction with the description of FIG. 10). In an exemplary
embodiment, at least one of the vertical and horizontal channels is
designed to be used for inserting at least one of a plurality of
water pipes and a plurality of electrical conduits.
[0028] Building block 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is a normal
building block for use in constructing the building in accordance
with various embodiments. There could be numerous variations in the
design of building block 100 based on end-use of building block
100. In various embodiments of the invention, building block 100 is
used to construct the normal portions of a building such as, but
not limited to, corners, intersections, crossings and connections.
Depending on the end-use, building block 100 has a particular
design, wherein building block 100 can be designed as one of, but
not limited to, a corner block, an intersection block, a cross
block and a connection block. For instance, if building block 100
is designed to be used for constructing a corner portion of the
building, building block 100 is designed as a corner block as
illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5D. FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate different views
of the corner block, wherein FIG. 5A illustrates an isometric view
of a left corner block 510 in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention, FIG. 5B illustrates a plan view of the left corner block
510 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5C
illustrates an isometric view of a right corner block 520 in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 5D
illustrates a plan view of the right corner block 520 in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention. In accordance with various
embodiments of the invention, the header face at the first end of
the corner block is at right angles to another header face at the
second end as shown in FIG. 5A. Further, the header face at one of
the first end and the second end is one of the male header face and
the female header face. For instance, the corner block can have
header faces as illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5D. In an exemplary
embodiment, the header face at the first end of the corner block
can be aligned at one or more of, a left side and a right side with
respect to the header face at the second end as shown in FIG. 5A
and FIG. 5C.
[0029] In another instance, building block 100 can be designed to
be used at one or more three way (T) intersections while
constructing the building. For example, building block 100 is
designed as a T-block that can be used at the one or more T
intersections as shown in FIGS. 6A-6F. Referring now to FIGS.
6A-6F, which illustrate different views of the T-block in
accordance with various embodiments of the invention. In
particular, FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an isometric view and a plan
view of a left T-block 600, FIGS. 6C and 6D illustrate an isometric
view and a plan view of a right T-block 610, and FIGS. 6E and 6F
illustrate an isometric view and a plan view of a normal T-block
620. In an exemplary embodiment, the T-block includes an additional
header face at one of the first end and second end. Further, the
additional header face is disposed at right angles to the header
face at one of first end and second end, as shown in FIGS. 6E. The
additional header face can be one of a male header face and a
female header face based on a requirement. In an exemplary
embodiment, the additional header face is a female header face 602
disposed at right angle to a female header face 604 at the first
end of the T-block, while the second end includes the male header
606 as shown in FIG. 6A.The T-block can have one or more variations
such as, but are not limited to, a left T-block as shown in FIG. 6A
and a right T-block as shown in FIG. 6C. The T-block is used at one
or more T-intersections while constructing the building. In an
exemplary embodiment, the additional header face is placed at an
angle of 180 degrees to the header face at one of the first end and
the second end, as shown in FIG. 6E and FIG. 6F. Other variations
in design of the T-block will be apparent to those ordinarily
skilled in the art.
[0030] In yet another instance, building block 100 can be designed
to be used at one or more four way intersections while constructing
the building. For example, building block 100 can be designed as a
cross block to be used at the one or more four way intersection as
illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7B, which illustrate different views of the
cross block in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. In particular, FIG. 7A illustrates an isometric view of
the cross block, and FIG. 7B illustrates a plan view of the cross
block. In an exemplary embodiment, the cross block includes two
additional header faces at one of the first end and the second end,
wherein the two additional header faces are at right angles to one
of the male header face and the female header face at the first
end, as shown in FIG. 7A. The two additional header faces can be
one or more of a male header face and a female header face similar
to the male header and the female header face of building block
100. In an exemplary embodiment, a first end of the cross block
includes a first female header face 702, a second female header
face 704 and a third female header face 706 as shown in FIG. 7A. In
accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A, second female
header face 704 and third female header face 706 are aligned at
right angles to first female header face 702. Furthermore, the
second end of the cross block includes a male header face 708 as
shown in FIG. 7A. In an exemplary embodiment, the cross block is
used at one or more four-way intersections during the construction
of the building.
[0031] In still another instance, building block 100 can be
designed to be used at one or more connecting points during the
construction of the building. In an example, building block 100 is
designed as a connecting block to be used at one or more connecting
points. The one or more connecting points include, but not limited
to, gaps of different dimensions at points of termination while
constructing the building. Turning now to FIGS. 8A-8F, which
illustrate perspective views of the connecting block in accordance
with various embodiments of the invention. In particular, FIG. 8A
illustrates an isometric view of a normal connecting block 800
while FIG. 8B illustrates a plan view of normal connecting block
800. FIG. 8C illustrates an isometric view of a negative connecting
block 810, while FIG. 8D illustrates a plan view of negative
connecting block 810. FIG. 8E illustrates an isometric view of a
positive connecting block 820, while FIG. 8F illustrates a plan
view of positive connecting block 820. The connecting block can be
at least one of a normal connecting block, a positive connecting
block and a negative connecting block. In an exemplary embodiment,
the normal connecting block, as shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B is a
compact version of building block 100 and includes a single
substantially vertical hollow (web) such as the substantially
vertical hollow (web) of building block 100. In another exemplary
embodiment, the positive connecting blocks (similar to that shown
in FIGS. 8E-8F) and negative connecting blocks (similar to that
shown in FIGS. 8C-8D) include identical header faces at the first
end and the second end. In an exemplary embodiment, the identical
header face can be one of a male header face (as shown in FIGS.
8E-8F) and a female header face (as shown in FIGS. 8C-8D). In an
exemplary scenario, the one or more connecting blocks are used to
fill small uneven gaps created at the one or more points of
termination while constructing the building.
[0032] Building block 100 can also be designed to be an end block
(not illustrated in figures), wherein one of the first end and the
second end includes a header face that is a substantially planar
face. Further, in such a design one of the upper face and lower
face can be a substantially planar face. In addition, in such a
design only one of the upper face and the lower face includes the
substantially hollow (web) channel. Numerous variations in design
of building block 100 are possible and as such those variations
would be apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 9, which illustrates a perspective
view of the building wall constructed using the plurality of
similar building blocks in accordance with various embodiments of
the invention. In order to enable the construction of the building
wall, one or more types of building block 100 are used. In an
exemplary construction of the building wall shown in FIG. 9,
building blocks similar to, but not limited to, a normal building
block for use at a normal position such as a normal position 902, a
corner block for use at a corner position such as a corner position
904, a T-block for use at an intersection such as an intersection
906a and an intersection 906b, a cross block for use at a crossing
such as a crossing 908 and a connecting block for use at a
connecting position such as a connecting position 910a, connecting
position 910b and connecting position 910c. In an embodiment of the
invention, a plurality of building blocks similar to building block
100, are designed to be used for constructing one of a stacking
bond and a running bond without the use of cementitious
materials.
[0034] Referring now to FIG. 10, which illustrates the perspective
view of a network of horizontal channels and vertical channels
within the building wall constructed using the plurality of similar
building blocks in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. In an exemplary scenario, at least one horizontal
channel such as a horizontal channel 152 is formed when the upper
face of building block 100 interlocks with the lower face of
another building block similar to building block 100. This occurs
when the building blocks are stacked upon each other as shown in
FIG. 4. In another exemplary scenario, the at least one
substantially vertical hollow (web) of building block 100 matches
with the at least one substantially vertical hollow (web) of the
plurality of building blocks, similar to building block 100,
concentrically when stacked upon each other, thereby creating at
least one vertical channel such as a vertical channel 150 as shown
in FIG. 10. The network of the vertical channels and the horizontal
channels is used for adding at least one of horizontal and vertical
reinforcements such as, but not limited to, water pipes and
electrical conduits.
[0035] In accordance with various embodiments, building block 100
can be produced using one or more of materials such as, but are not
limited to, natural raw materials, recycled materials, polymers,
clay, sand-cement, concrete, silica-lime, geopolymer and composite
materials. Further, in accordance with various embodiments,
building block 100 is produced using techniques such as, but are
not limited to, uniaxially cold pressing, biaxial cold pressing,
dry pressing, semi-dry pressing, compacting, cold isostatic
pressing, hot pressing, extrusion molding, injection molding,
compression molding, gel casting, slip casting and tape
casting.
[0036] Various embodiments of the invention described different
structural aspects of a building block for use in constructing a
building wall. The building block offers a convenient way to
construct buildings and structures. The building blocks interlock
with a plurality of similar building blocks and create a strong
bond without using cementitious materials. The plurality of
building blocks when assembled, readily form a network of vertical
and horizontal channels for installing reinforcements such as
electrical conduits and water pipes. The building blocks can be
manufactured using a variety of materials which enables a user to
use an appropriate material according to a desired application,
thereby reducing cost of the structure.
[0037] Those skilled in the art will realize that the above
recognized advantages and other advantages described herein are
merely exemplary and are not meant to be a complete rendering of
all of the advantages of the various embodiments of the
invention.
[0038] In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the
invention have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in
the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be
made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth
in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are
to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense,
and all such modifications are intended to be included within the
scope of the invention. The benefits, advantages, solutions to
problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage,
or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be
construed as a critical, required, or essential features or
elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely
by the appended claims including any amendments made during the
pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as
issued.
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