Building Structures And Method

Abstract

Building units for use with sand and other pulverulent material are provided which comprise shaped complemental edifices that are hollow and have top and bottom openings with a connecting passageway so that these edifices acan be assembled on a beach or other surface and filled through the top opening with sand or other pulverulent material and can be disassembled simply by lifting them so that the sand or other pulverulent material folws out from the bottom openings.

Parent Case Text

This invention is a streamline continuation of copending application Ser. No. 806,623, now abandoned.

Description

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

One of the objects of the invention is to provide simple structures that can be used on beaches or in other areas where sand or other pulverulent materials are available and which comprise complemental edifices that can be filled with sand or other pulverulent materials.

Another object of the invention is to provide building units that can be assembled in sand or other pulverulent material and readily disassembled.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of assembling building units in sand or other pulverulent material and a new and improved method of disassembling the assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide building units and structures of the type described which are made from molded plastic materials.

GENERAL DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an edifice in the form of a tower which represents one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an edifice in the form of an arch which represents another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an assembly embodying the structures shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the manner in which the structure shown in FIG. 1 can be stacked or nested upon itself;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, building units for use with sand and other pulverulent material are provided which comprise shaped complemental edifices, each edifice comprising at least two planar surfaces which extend in a generally vertical direction, each edifice also having a top with an opening therein and a base with an opening therein, said openings being connected by a passageway enclosed by the walls of said edifice, whereby said edifices can be assembled together on a beach or other surface and filled through said top openings with sand or other pulverulent material and can be disassembled and the sand or other pulverulent material removed simply by lifting said edifices thereby permitting said sand or other pulverulent material to flow out through said base openings.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the building units comprise towers and arches, at least one planar surface of each tower being complemental to at least one planar surface of each arch.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7, the tower 1 has four planar sides 2 which intersect each other and extend downwardly and outwardly at the same angle. The top of the tower 3 has an opening 4 and the base 5 of the tower 1 has an opening 6. The openings 4 and 6 are connected by a passageway 7.

Between the top of the tower and the bottom or base there is an intermediate offset portion generally indicated at 8. At the offset portion 8 the tower extends outwardly on all four sides to form a ledge 9, the transverse area at the ledge 9 being sufficiently larger than the transverse area of the base or bottom 5 so that the base or bottom 5 can be nested or stacked on the ledge 9 in the manner shown in FIG. 6. The sides 10 above the offset portion 8 should be vertical or taper outwardly slightly.

In FIGS. 2, 4 and 8 the arch structure generally indicated at 11 has two opposite exterior planar sides 12 and 13 which extend downwardly and inwardly at the same angle which angles are complementary to the angles formed by the sides 2 of the arches shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7. The arch 11 also has a front side 14 and a rear side 15 (FIG. 8) which intersects with sides 12 and 13 and with the walls 16 of the arch, the walls 16 forming an arch opening. The inside of the arch 11 is hollow and the arch has a top opening 17 and a pair of bottom openings 18 and 19.

The arches and towers can be used to make assemblies such as the one illustrated in FIG. 5 wherein four arches and four towers are assembled together in the manner shown by placing the downwardly and inwardly tapering sides 12 and 13 of each arch in contact with downwardly and outwardly tapering side 2 of a tower. In this way, a structure resembling a fortress can be formed as shown in FIG. 5. If desired the height of the towers can be increased by stacking one on top of another at each corner of the structure in the manner indicated by FIG. 6.

The invention is especially intended for use on a sandy beach or in a sandbox or in an area where a plentiful supply of sand or other pulverulent material is available. When used in such an area the arches and towers are placed on the sand or other pulverulent material in complemental relationship with their bases pressed firmly into said sand or pulverulent material. Thereafter they are filled with sand or other pulverulent material through their top openings. This holds them in place and provides additional rigidity to the resultant structure. When it is desired to disassemble the structure, the various building units or edifices are merely lifted from their assembled positions thereby causing the sand or other pulverulent material to be discharged through the openings in their bases.

The building units can be constructed of metal or plastic or any other suitable material but are preferably constructed of a moldable plastic material which can be transparent, translucent or opaque. The material can be molded either from sheets or by injection molding or in any other manner, or the construction of either or both units can be in two parts, vertically halved as snap-together units, which when assembled will produce units meeting all requirements and specifications herein. The thickness of the side walls of the edifices can be varied, depending upon the nature of the material and especially its strength and rigidity. Polyethylene or polypropylene polymers can be employed in making the edifices. Normally, it is preferable to employ thermoplastic polymers which can be readily molded. It is also desirable that the various units such as the towers and arches illustrated in the drawings be self-supporting and capable of withstanding pressure which would ordinarily be exerted when they are pressed into sand or pulverulent material. For the purpose of the invention the base portions 5 of the towers and the base portions of the arches or other building units constructed in accordance with the principle of the invention should preferably be free from lips or shoulders which would interfere with their penetration when they are pressed into sand or other pulverulent material.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling building units in sand or other pulverulent material which comprises placing shaped complemental edifices on said sand or other pulverulent material, each edifice comprising at least two planar surfaces which extend in a generally vertical direction, each edifice also having a top with an opening therein and a base with an opening therein, said openings being connected by a passageway enclosed by the walls of said edifice, with the further proviso that the top opening of some of said edifices extends laterally from the sides thereof and is completely unobstructed and of such size and shape that the base of an identical edifice will nest therein and be supported thereby adjacent said top opening, whereby identical such edifices can be nested one on top of the other vertically, assembling said edifices in complemental relationship with their bases pressed firmly into said sand or other pulverulent material, and thereafter filling said edifices with sand or other pulverulent material through said top openings in said edifices.

2. Building units for use with sand and other pulverulent material comprising shaped complemental edifices, each edifice comprising at least two planar surfaces which extend in a generally vertical direction, each edifice also having a top with an opening therein and a base with an opening therein, said openings being connected by a passageway enclosed by the walls of said edifice, whereby said edifices can be assembled together on a beach or other surface and filled through said top openings with sand or other pulverulent material and can be disassembled and the sand or other pulverulent material removed simply by lifting said edifices thereby permitting said sand or other pulverulent material to flow out through said base openings, with the further proviso that the top opening of some of said edifices extends laterally from the sides thereof and is completely unobstructed and of such size and shape that the base of an identical edifice will nest therein and be supported thereby adjacent said top opening, whereby identical such edifices can be nested one on top of the other vertically.

3. Building units as claimed in claim 2 in which said edifices comprise towers and arches, at least one planar surface of each tower being complemental to at least one planar surface of each arch.

4. Building units as claimed in claim 3 in which each tower has four planar sides which intersect each other and extend downwardly and outwardly at the same angle and each arch has two opposite exterior planar sides which extend downwardly and inwardly at the same angle, said tower side angles and said arch side angles being complementary.

5. Building units as claimed in claim 2 in which at least one of said edifices is a tower having a top and a base with an intermediate offset portion extending outwardly in the top portion of said tower, said base portion of one said tower being nestable in the offset portion of another said tower.