U.S. patent number RE37,278 [Application Number 08/076,290] was granted by the patent office on 2001-07-17 for retaining wall block.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Keystone Retaining Wall Systems. Invention is credited to Paul J. Forsberg.
United States Patent |
RE37,278 |
Forsberg |
July 17, 2001 |
Retaining wall block
Abstract
A retaining wall is made from a plurality of blocks arranged in
rows superimposed on each other and pinned together. Each block has
a body with an exterior face and rearwardly diverging side walls
joined to a neck. A head having outwardly directed ears is joined
to the neck. The body has holes and pockets for pins that interlock
overlapped blocks together.
Inventors: |
Forsberg; Paul J. (Prior Lake,
MN) |
Assignee: |
Keystone Retaining Wall Systems
(Edina, MN)
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Family
ID: |
26814011 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/076,290 |
Filed: |
June 11, 1993 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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652833 |
Feb 6, 1991 |
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907077 |
Sep 15, 1986 |
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Reissue of: |
116228 |
Nov 3, 1987 |
04802320 |
Feb 7, 1989 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/585.1; 52/604;
52/607; 52/608 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02D
29/025 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E02D
29/02 (20060101); E04C 001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/604,606,608,609,611 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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205452 |
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Dec 1939 |
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CH |
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2414202 |
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Oct 1975 |
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DE |
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3401629 |
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Jul 1984 |
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DE |
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170113 |
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Feb 1986 |
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EP |
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392474 |
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Nov 1908 |
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FR |
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1360872 |
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Apr 1964 |
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FR |
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2216823 |
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Aug 1974 |
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FR |
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336-2 |
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Dec 1871 |
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GB |
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1385207 |
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Dec 1974 |
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GB |
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2127872A |
|
Dec 1984 |
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GB |
|
84735 |
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Jun 1920 |
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SE |
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Other References
Standard Load Bearing Wall Tile; p. 11; The Hollow Building Tile
Assoc. Jan. 1924.* .
Concrete Masonry Pictorial, vol. 33, No. 3C; 1977; p. 35.* .
Standard Load Bearing Wall Tile; 1924, The Hollow Building Tile
Assoc.* .
Paving Stone New Look with Old World Charm; Besser Co.
Bulletin--Feb. 1985.* .
"How Big Is A Block" from May-Jun. 1972 issue of Building
Standards..
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Primary Examiner: Safavi; Michael
Parent Case Text
This .Iadd.is a continuation of reissue application Ser. No.
07/652,833, filed Feb. 6, 1991, now abandoned, which is a reissue
application of U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,320 which .Iaddend.is a
continuation of application Ser. No. 907,077 filed Sept. 15, 1986,
now abandoned.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A retaining wall block comprising:
a body including a convex curved front face having opposite ends, a
generally flat top surface, a generally flat bottom surface spaced
from and extended generally parallel to the top surface and side
walls extended between said top and bottom surfaces rearwardly and
inwardly from the opposite ends of the front face, said body having
a first generally elongate pocket and a second generally elongate
pocket open to the bottom surface thereof, said first pocket being
located adjacent one of said side walls, said second pocket being
located adjacent the other of said side walls, and a pair of holes
extended vertically through said body adapted to accommodate pins
having ends projected from the body said holes having opposite ends
open to said top and bottom surfaces of the body one of said holes
being located inwardly of and adjacent said first pocket, the other
of said holes being located inwardly of and adjacent said second
pocket whereby the ends of the pins projected from the body are
adapted to extend into pockets of similar adjacent retaining wall
blocks having front faces and locate the front faces of the
adjacent retaining wall blocks offset inwardly of the front face of
the retaining wall block,
a recess open to the bottom surface of the body spaced inwardly
from said convex curved front face thereof, a first opening
vertically through said body spaced inwardly from said recess, a
web separating said recess from said first opening, said holes
being located through said web, said pockets being located adjacent
opposite ends of said web, a neck joined to the side walls and
extended rearwardly therefrom, said neck having a width smaller
than the length of said front face, a head joined to the neck, said
head having ears projected laterally from opposite sides of the
neck, said neck and head having a second opening extended
vertically therethrough, and a second web separating the first
opening from the second opening.
2. The wall block of claim 1 wherein: said front face has a
plurality of grooves.
3. The wall block of claim 2 wherein: said grooves are generally
vertical grooves.
4. The wall block of claim 1 wherein: said first opening has a
generally trapezoidal shape and said second opening has a
rectangular shape.
5. The retaining wall block of claim 1 wherein: said pockets are
larger than the holes and extend outwardly toward opposite portions
of the front face of said body.
6. The retaining wall block of claim 1 wherein: said pockets are
layer than the holes and extend outwardly toward opposite portions
of the front face of said body, each of said pockets having inner
ends, said pair of holes comprising a first hole located adjacent
the inner end of the first pocket and a second hole located
adjacent the inner end of the second pocket.
7. The wall block of claim 1 wherein: said head has side walls
linearly aligned with the side walls of the body.
8. The retaining wall block of claim 1 wherein: each of said
pockets has an arcuate shape larger than the holes and extends
outwardly toward the front face of the body.
9. The wall block of claim 1 wherein: said head has a convex end
wall extended between said ears.
10. The retaining wall block of claim 1 wherein: each of said
pockets have inner ends, said pair of holes comprising a first hole
located adjacent the inner end of the first pocket and a second
hole located adjacent the inner end of the second pocket, said
inner ends of the pockets being located in general transverse
alignment with said holes.
11. A retaining wall block comprising:
a body including a front face having opposite ends, a top surface,
a bottom surface, and side walls extended between said top and
bottom surfaces rearwardly and inwardly from the opposite ends of
the front face, said body having a first generally elongate pocket
and a second generally elongate pocket open to one of said surfaces
thereof, .Iadd.said first and second pockets being elongated in a
direction parallel to said one surface and .Iaddend.said first
pocket being located adjacent one of said side walls, said second
pocket being located adjacent the other of said side walls, and a
plurality of holes extended vertically through said body adapted to
accommodate pins having ends projected from the body, said holes
having opposite ends open to said top and bottom surfaces, at least
one hole located adjacent said first pocket, at least another hole
located adjacent said second pocket, a neck joined to the side
walls and extended rearwardly therefrom, and a head joined to the
neck, said head having at least one ear projected laterally outward
from one side of the neck.
12. The wall block of claim 11 wherein: said front face has a
plurality of grooves.
13. The wall block of claim 12 wherein: said grooves are generally
vertical grooves.
14. The retaining wall block of claim 11 wherein: said pockets are
larger than the holes and extend outwardly toward opposite portions
of the front face of said body.
15. The retaining wall block of claim 11 wherein: said pockets are
larger than the holes and extend outwardly toward opposite portions
of the front face of said body, each of said pockets having inner
ends, said holes comprising a first hole located adjacent the inner
end of said first pocket and a second hole located adjacent the
inner end of the second pocket.
16. The wall block of claim 15 including:
a recess open to the bottom surface of the body spaced inwardly
from said front face thereof, an opening vertically through said
body spaced inwardly from said recess, a web separating said recess
from said opening, said holes being located through said web, said
pockets being located adjacent opposite ends of said web.
17. The retaining wall block of claim 11 wherein: each of said
pockets has an arcuate shape larger than the holes and extends
outwardly toward the front face of the body.
18. The wall block of claim 11 wherein: the entire block is made of
concrete.
19. A retaining wall block comprising:
a body having opposite end portions, a .[.convex curved.]. front
face having opposite ends, a top surface, a bottom surface, and
side walls extended between said top and bottom surfaces rearwardly
from said opposite ends of the front face, said side walls
converging inwardly from said opposite .[.sides.]. .Iadd.ends
.Iaddend.of the front face, .Iadd.said block having a lateral
direction defined by a line extending through said opposite ends of
said front face, .Iaddend.said body having hole means .[.in the
opposite end portions open to the top surface thereof, said hole
means.]. including a first pair of .Iadd.laterally spaced
.Iaddend.holes .[.spaced away from and adjacent one of said side
walls and inwardly of said front face,.]. and a second pair of
.Iadd.laterally spaced .Iaddend.holes .[.spaced from and adjacent
the other of said side walls and located inwardly of said front
face.]. , .[.at least one.]. .Iadd.of said first and second pairs
of holes being open to said top surface and at least the other of
said first and second pairs of holes being open to said bottom
surface, the lateral distance between said first pair of holes
being less than the lateral distance between said second pair of
holes and each .Iaddend.hole of said first and second pairs of
holes adapted to accommodate separate pins extended vertically into
said body to interlock the block with adjacent similar retaining
wall blocks.
20. The wall block of claim 19 wherein: said front face has a
plurality of grooves.
21. The wall block of claim 20 wherein: said grooves are generally
vertical grooves.
22. The wall block of claim 19 wherein.[.:.]. .Iadd.the holes of
one of .Iaddend.said .[.hole means includes a pair of holes.].
.Iadd.first and second pairs of holes are .Iaddend.open .Iadd.only
.Iaddend.to .Iadd.one of .Iaddend.the top .[.surface.]. .Iadd.and
bottom surfaces .Iaddend.of the body.
23. The retaining wall block of claim 19 including: a neck joined
to the side walls and extended rearwardly therefrom, and a head
joined to said neck, said head having ears projected laterally
outwardly from opposite sides of the neck.
24. The wall block of claim 23 including: an opening through said
neck and head.
25. The wall block of claim 23 including: an opening through said
body.
26. The wall block of claim 25 wherein: said opening has a
generally trapezoidal shape.
27. The wall block of claim 23 wherein: said body has a first
opening extended vertically therethrough, said neck and head having
a second opening extended vertically therethrough, and a web
separating the first opening from the second opening.
28. The wall block of claim 27 wherein: said first opening has a
generally trapezoidal shape and second opening has a generally
rectangular shape.
29. The wall block of claim 23 wherein: said head has side walls
linearly aligned with the side walls of the body.
30. The wall block of claim 19 including: wall means connected to
the opposite end portions of the body and extended rearwardly
therefrom, said wall means comprising a first wall extended
rearwardly from one end portion of the body, and a second wall
extended rearwardly from the other end portion of the body.
31. A retaining wall block comprising:
a body having .Iadd.opposite end portions, .Iaddend.a .[.convex
curved.]. front face having opposite ends, a top surface, a bottom
surface, and .[.opposite end portions having.]. side walls extended
between said top and bottom surfaces rearwardly from said opposite
ends of the front face, said side walls converging inwardly from
said opposite ends of the front face, .Iadd.said block having a
lateral direction defined by a line extending through said opposite
ends of said front face, .Iaddend.said body having hole means
.[.open to the top surface thereof, said hole means.]. including a
first pair of .Iadd.laterally spaced .Iaddend.holes .[.spaced away
from and adjacent one of said side walls and inwardly of said front
face,.]. and a second pair of .Iadd.laterally spaced .Iaddend.holes
.[.spaced away from and adjacent and inwardly of said front face.].
, at least one .Iadd.of said first and second pairs of holes being
open to said top surface and at least the other of said first and
second pairs of holes being open to said bottom surface, the
lateral distance between said first pair of holes being less than
the lateral distance between said second pair of holes and each
.Iaddend.hole of said first and second pair.Iadd.s .Iaddend.of
holes adapted to accommodate separate pins extended vertically into
said block to interlock the block with adjacent similar retaining
wall blocks, and .[.wall means connected to the body adjacent said
side wall and extended inwardly from each side wall.].
.Iadd.wherein at least a portion of each hole of said first and
second pairs of holes intersects a straight line extending in a
lateral direction.Iaddend..
32. The wall block of claim 31 wherein: said front face has a
plurality of general vertical grooves.
33. The wall block of claim 31 wherein: said first pair of holes
includes first holes open to the top surface of the body, and said
second pair of holes includes second holes open to the top surface
of the body.
34. The wall block of claim 31 wherein: said side walls converge
inwardly toward each other, and said wall means comprising a first
wall extended rearwardly from one end portion of the body and a
second wall extended rearwardly from the other end portion of the
body.
35. A retaining wall block comprising: a body including a front
face having opposite ends, a generally flat first surface, a
generally flat second surface laterally spaced from and extended
generally parallel to the first surface, and side walls extended
between said first and second surfaces, said side walls converging
inwardly toward each other from said opposite ends of the front
face, said first surface of the body having recess means adapted to
accommodate pin means to interlock the block with adjacent similar
retaining wall blocks, said recess means comprising a first
generally elongate recess spaced inwardly of the front face and
located adjacent one side wall, and a second generally elongate
recess spaced inwardly of the front face and located adjacent other
side wall, a first hole located adjacent the first recess extended
into said body between said first and second surfaces, and a second
hole located adjacent the second recess extended into said body
between said first and second surfaces, said first and second holes
adapted to accommodate pins having ends projected from the body
extended into said block to interlock with adjacent similar
retaining wall blocks locatable on top of said wall block whereby
the ends of the pins projected from the body are adapted to extend
into recess means of the adjacent similar retaining wall blocks and
locate the front faces of the adjacent retaining wall blocks offset
inwardly of the front face of the retaining wall block.
36. The retaining wall block of claim 35 wherein: said first and
second recesses are in general transverse alignment with each
other.
37. The retaining wall block of claim 35 wherein: the body is a
one-piece concrete unit.
38. The retaining wall block of claim 35 wherein: the first and
second holes are in general transverse alignment with each
other.
39. The retaining wall block of claim 35 wherein: said front face
has a non-smooth face pattern.
40. The wall block of claim 35 wherein: the first and second
recesses are in general transverse alignment with each other, and
the first and second holes are in general transverse alignment with
each other, said first and second recesses and first and second
holes are laterally spaced relative to each other..[.
41. A retaining wall block comprising: a body including a front
face having opposite ends, a generally flat first surface, a
generally flat second surface laterally spaced from and extended
generally parallel to the first surface, and side walls extended
between said first and second surfaces, said side walls extended
inwardly toward each other from said opposite ends of the front
face, a rear wall extended between said first and second surfaces
joined to said side walls, said rear wall having a length smaller
than the length of the front face, said first surface of the body
having recess means adapted to accommodate pin means to interlock
the block with an adjacent retaining wall block, and hole means
located adjacent the recess means extended into said body between
said first and second surfaces adapted to accommodate pin means
having an end projected from the body extended into said block to
interlock with an adjacent retaining wall block having a front face
locatable in a different horizontal plane than the retaining wall
block whereby the end of the pin means projected from the body is
adapted to extend into recess means of an adjacent retaining wall
block and locate the front face of the adjacent wall block offset
inwardly of the front face of the retaining wall block..]..[.
42. The retaining wall block of claim 41 wherein: the body is a
one-piece concrete unit..].
43. .[.The.]. .Iadd.A .Iaddend.retaining wall block .[.of claim
41.]. .Iadd.comprising:
a body including a front face having opposite ends, a generally
flat top surface, a generally flat bottom surface spaced from and
extended generally parallel to the top surface and side walls
extended between said top and bottom surfaces, said side walls
extended inwardly toward each other from said opposite ends of the
front face, a rear wall extended between said top and bottom
surfaces joined to said side walls, said rear wall having a length
smaller than the length of the front face, one of said top and
bottom surfaces of the body having recess means adapted to
accommodate pin means to interlock the block with an adjacent
retaining wall block, and hole means located adjacent the recess
means extended into said body between said top and bottom surface
adapted to accommodate pin means having an end projected from the
body extended into said block to interlock with an adjacent
retaining wall block having a front face locatable in a different
vertical plane than the retaining wall block whereby the end of the
pin means projected from the body is adapted to extend into recess
means of an adjacent retaining wall block and locate the front face
of the vertically adjacent wall block offset inwardly of the front
face of the retaining wall block,.Iaddend.wherein .[.:.]. the front
face has a convex curved shape and one of said side walls extends
linearly between said rear wall and one end of the front face.
.Iadd.
44. A retaining wall block comprising:
a body including a front face having opposite ends and top and
bottom edges and a length defined by the distance between said
opposite ends, a top surface, a bottom surface spaced from and
extending generally parallel to said top surface, said top and
bottom surfaces extending rearwardly from said top and bottom
edges, and side walls extending between said first and second
surfaces and rearwardly and inwardly from said opposite ends of the
front face, interlock means for interlocking adjacent retaining
wall blocks with one another, a neck joined to the side walls and
extending rearwardly therefrom, said neck having a length dimension
measured in a direction perpendicular to the length of said front
face and a lateral dimension measured in a direction parallel to
the length of said front face in which the lateral dimension of
said neck along the entirety of said length dimension is smaller
than the length of said front face, a head joined to the rearward
end of said neck and having a lateral dimension measured in a
direction parallel to the length of said front face in which the
lateral dimension of said head is greater than the lateral
dimension of said neck and less than the length of said front face
and an opening extending through at least a portion of said neck
and through at least one portion of said head..Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention is directed to the field of wall blocks and block
wall construction. The blocks are of the type used to make inclined
retaining walls to secure terraces and embankments.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Conventional retaining walls are used to secure earth embankments
against sliding and slumping. Retaining walls are made of various
types of concrete, solid masonry, wood ties, bricks, and blocks of
stone and concrete. The blocks are placed in rows and superimposed
on top of each other to form a wall. Examples of blocks used in the
construction of retaining walls are shown by Heinzmann in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,229,123 and Scheiwiller in U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,551. These
patents disclose a plurality of block elements stacked on each
other and located in rows to form retaining walls. The block
elements have tongue and groove structures which allow adjacent
rows of blocks to interengage each other to form generally upright
walls. The block elements also have hollow interiors with open tops
and bottoms for accommodating soil and plants. Solid walls use
considerable amounts of material. They are also expensive and
require considerable time and labor to construct. Block walls are
satisfactory where the pressure behind the wall is not too great or
the slope not to steep as the blocks are not connected together.
The disadvantages of the prior retaining walls are overcome with
the wall blocks of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a retaining wall block for constructing a
wall structure with a plurality of wall blocks interconnected
together. The wall blocks are placed side-by-side and stacked on
top of each other to form the wall structure. The wall structure
can have a variety of shapes, such as linear, concave and convex
curved, serpentine and circular to conform to the landscape
utilization. The wall block can be made in miniature form and used
as a construction toy. The wall structure is made of blocks formed
from high density concrete. Each block has an attractive and
decorative exterior face. A wall structure can be made with a
plurality of interlocking wall blocks without the use of special
tools with a minimum of time and labor. The wall block when used to
construct a retaining wall is self-anchoring and provides an
effective structure to retain the earth, including steep slopes, in
a desired location.
The retaining wall block has a body that has a convex curved front
face which is the exterior surface of the block. The external face
of the block can be smooth, serrated, horizontally grooved,
vertically grooved, diagonally grooved, checkerboard or have an
aggregate appearance. The block can be made of high density
concrete that may be of any desired color including gray or earth
tones and the like. The body has generally flat top and bottom
surfaces so that the rows of blocks can be stacked or superimposed
on top of each other. The adjacent rows of blocks are connected
together with pins. Each block has holes to accommodate the pins.
Rows of blocks overlap each other so that each block is pinned to a
pair of adjacent blocks.
In one embodiment of the retaining wall block, the body of the
block has a pair of pockets located adjacent the opposite side
walls thereof. The side walls extend rearwardly and taper inwardly
from opposite ends of the front face. Holes located adjacent the
pockets are used to accommodate pins that interconnect the adjacent
courses of blocks set together. The side walls of the body are
joined to a neck that terminates in the head. The head has
oppositely directed anchoring ears. In addition to the anchoring
ears, the body and neck are provided with upright openings to
accommodate fill to facilitate the retention of the wall blocks in
an earth embankment. The wall blocks of adjacent courses of the
wall structure overlap each other. Pins extended through the holes
in the body project into the pockets of the adjacent blocks to
interlock the wall blocks together. The objects and advantages of
the wall block and wall structure of the invention and additional
advantages thereof are embodied in the drawings and following
detailed description thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a retaining block wall constructed
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a block showing the bottom thereof
used to construct the wall of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the block of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the block of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a portion of the wall of FIG. 1
showing the overlapped rows of wall blocks;
FIG. 8 is a top view of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 9--9 of
FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10--10 of FIG.
8;
FIG. 11 shows an arrangement of the wall blocks to form a convex
curved wall;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modification of the block
showing the top thereof used to construct a wall according to the
invention;
FIG. 13 is a top view of the block of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the block of FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is a rear elevational view of the block of FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along the line 16--16 of FIG.
13;
FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along the line 17--17 of FIG.
14;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a starter block used in a
retaining wall of the invention;
FIG. 19 is a top view of FIG. 18;
FIG. 20 is a bottom view of FIG. 18; and
FIG. 21 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 18.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a retaining block wall
indicated generally at 10 located adjacent a bank of earth 11. Wall
10 comprises a plurality of overlapping blocks 12 that are
interlocked together. The blocks are located in rows which are
superimposed on each other. Blocks 12 used to make earth retaining
walls and residential and commercial landscape walls which can have
linear as well as convex and concave shapes. Block 12 is a high
density one-piece concrete member that is dense, strong, and
rugged. The blocks can be made of other rigid construction
materials, such as plastic, plastic reinforced with fibers,
ceramic, brick, wood, and metal. The following description of block
12 is directed to a concrete block.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, block 12 has a body 13 joined to a neck
14. A head 16 is joined to the inner end of neck 14. Body 13, neck
14, and head 16 form a one-piece concrete block. Body 13 has a
convex shaped exterior front face or front wall 17. Face 17 has a
convex arcuate shape with a radius center 25 located along the mid
line of the block at the longitudinal center of the block. Face 17
has a plurality of vertically spaced ribs. Exterior face 17 can
have face patterns that are smooth, serrated, horizontally grooved,
vertically grooved, diagonally grooved, checkerboard, or have an
aggregate surface. Examples of the types of outer surface
configurations on the exterior face 17 are shown in U.S. Pat. No.
Des. 297,464. The block disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 297,464 is
incorporated herein by reference.
Body 13 has inwardly converging side walls 18 and 19 that converge
to neck 14. Each side wall has an obtuse angular shape that
converges from an end of front face 17 to neck 14. A transverse
opening 21 having a generally trapezoidal shape is located between
side walls 18 and 19. A transverse rectangular recess 22 is located
between opening 21 and face 17. Recess 22 extends downwardly from
the top of block 12 toward the bottom thereof. The bottom of recess
22 is open. An upright web 12 separates recess 22 from opening
21.
Neck 14 and head 16 have a common linearly elongated opening 24.
Opening 24 has a rectangular shape orientated perpendicular or
normal to opening 21. A short center web 26 separates opening 24
from opening 21. The block center 25 is located in web 26.
Head 16 has a pair of side ears 27 and 28 that extend forwardly
from opposite ends of the convex curved end wall 29. End wall 29 is
a convex arcuate wall having a radius center at block center 25.
The radius of curvature of face 17 is the same as wall 29 as they
are equidistant from block center 25. Ears 27 and 28 have
rearwardly diverging side walls 31 and 32 that are generally in
alignment with side walls 18 and 19 of body 13. Ears 27 and 28
extend outwardly in opposite direction from the neck walls 33 and
34 to facilitate the anchoring or holding of the block in soil,
sand, gravel and the like.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, web 23 has grooves 36, 37, and 38 open
to the bottom surface 46 of block 12 to allow water to drain from
recess 22. A pair of holes 39 and 41 extend into head 16 from the
bottom of grooves 36 and 38, as seen in FIG. 5. Holes 39 and 41
extend through head 16 and accommodate pins 51 and 52 that
interlock layers of blocks together.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of cup-shaped pockets or recesses
43 and 44 are located in body 13. Pockets 43 and 44 are open to the
top surface 42 and are spaced outwardly from holes 39 and 41. As
shown in FIG. 4, pockets 43 and 44 have generally arcuate shapes
and extend outwardly toward face 17. The inner ends of pockets 43
and 44 are in general transverse alignment with holes 39 and 41.
The pockets can be open to the bottom surface 46 of body 13.
.Iadd.Accordingly, a portion of each of the pockets 43 and 44 and
the holes 39 and 41 intersect a straight line extending in a
lateral direction across the block..Iaddend.
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, wall 10 comprise a plurality of layers
or courses of blocks. Two block layers 48 and 49 are shown in FIGS.
7 to 10. Additional layers of blocks are used to complete the wall
to the desired height. The lower layer 48 comprises blocks 12A,
12B, and 12C. The top layer 49 comprises blocks 12D and 12E. Blocks
12A-12E are identical to block 12 shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. The parts
of block 12 that correspond with the parts of blocks 12A to 12E
have the same reference numbers with the suffixes A to E. The heads
of each block with their outwardly directed ears anchor the block
in the earth. Additional anchoring of the block is achieved with 49
located in openings 21 and 24.
A plurality of upright pins 51 interlock the row of blocks 12A,
12B, and 12C to the row of blocks 12D and 12E. Pins 51 are rigid
rods made of metal or reinforced plastic, such as glass fiber
impregnated plastic. As shown in FIG. 10, pins 52 extend downwardly
into ground 53 and are located in holes 39A, 39B, 39C and 41A, 41B,
41C. The lower end of pins 51 project into pockets 43B, 43C and
44A, 44B of blocks 12A, 12B, and 12C. The pocket 43C having a
generally arcuate shape allows block 12E to be longitudinally
positioned on top of block 12C in a desired position. As shown in
FIG. 9, the front face 17E is offset rearwardly from the front fact
17C of block 12C. FIG. 10 shows the remaining pins 51 interlocking
the stacked blocks together. A second set of pins mounted in holes
in a third layer of blocks fit into the pockets 43D, 44D, 43E and
44E. Additional pins are used to interlock additional layers of
blocks of wall 10. Alternate layers of blocks are positioned in
overlapping relation so that each block is pinned to two blocks.
This holds the rows of blocks together in side-by-side locations
and previous individual blocks from moving out away from the fill.
The pins 51 and 52 and additional pins in cooperation with the
pockets in the blocks allow adjacent blocks and layers of blocks to
be located in linear, convex, and concave curved relationships. The
layers of blocks can be vertically aligned on top of each other to
form a generally vertical wall. Alternatively, the layers of blocks
can be stepped or offset rearwardly to form rearwardly stepped
upright wall.
As shown in FIG. 11, blocks 12F, 12G, and 12H are identical to
block 12. They are located in a convex curved arrangement. The
adjacent side walls 18F, 19G, and 18G, 19H are located in
engagement with each other. This positions the adjacent side walls
32F, 31G and 32G and 31H in engagement with each. Each layer of
blocks can have a convex curved configuration to from a convex
curved wall.
A modification of the wall block, indicated generally as 112, is
shown in FIGS. 12 to 17. Block 112 is similar in shape and form to
block 12. Block 112 has a body 113 joined to a neck 114. The outer
end of neck 114 is integrally attached to an enlarged head 116
which forms anchoring structure for the block. Body 113, neck 114,
and head 116 are a one-piece concrete block. The block 112 is made
of high strength high density semi-wet molded concrete. Other
materials, such as plastic, ceramic, wood, and metal can be used to
make block 112.
Body 113 has a convex shaped exterior front face or front wall 117.
Face 117 has a convex arcuate shape with a radius center 125
located along the mid-line of the block at the longitudinal center
of the block. Face 117 is shown as having a smooth face pattern.
Other types of face patterns such as vertical or horizontal scored,
ribbed, exposed aggregate and the like can be used with the
block.
Body 113 has inwardly converging side walls 118 and 119 that are
joined to neck 114. Each side wall 118 and 119 has an obtuse
angular shape that converges from an end of front face 117 to neck
114. A transverse opening 121 having a generally trapezoidal shape
is located between side walls 118 and 119. A transverse generally
rectangular recess 122 is located between opening 121 and face 117.
Recess 122 extends downwardly from below the top of the block
toward the bottom. The bottom of recess 122 is open. An upright web
123 separates recess 122 from opening 121. Neck 114 and head 116
have a generally radial rectangular shaped opening 124 orientated
perpendicular or normal to opening 121. A short center web 126
separates opening 124 from opening 121. Block center 125 is located
in the mid-section of the web 126
Head 116 has a pair of outwardly directed side ears 127 and 128 and
a convex arcuate end wall 129. The radius of curvature of face 117
and end wall 129 is the same as they are equal distance from block
center 125. Each 127 and 128 extend outwardly in opposite
directions from the neck side walls 131 and 132 respectively and
form separate anchoring surfaces that cooperate with the compacted,
granular fill, such as coarse sand, pea gravel, and the like,
surrounding block 112 to anchor it in the fill.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a pair of holes 133 and 134 extend
through body 113 and are adapted to accommodate pins such as pins
51 and 52 used to interlock layers of blocks together. Preferably,
the pins are glass fiber rods that fit into holes 133 and 134. The
upper ends of the rods extend above the top surface 136 of block
112 and are adapted to fit into pockets or cup-shaped recesses 137
and 138 located in the bottom surface of the adjacent stacked
block. As shown in FIG. 14, pockets 137 and 138 have generally
arcuate shapes and are located adjacent opposite ends of web 123.
Pockets 137 and 138 are open to the bottom surface 139 of block
112.
A wall is made of a plurality of layers or courses of blocks 112.
Preferably, the wall is located on a layer of compacted granular
fill. The upright rods are forced into holes 133 and 134. The upper
ends of the rods project into the pockets in the bottom of blocks
to locate and interlock adjacent layers of blocks together. The
rods when located in the pockets limit outward and lateral movement
of the blocks relative to each other. The layers of blocks can have
a set back of about one half inch per course. Reinforcing tiebacks,
such as earth auger tiebacks, can be used with high retaining
walls. Wall backfill is placed behind the wall for each layer of
blocks. All voids in the blocks are filled with granular fill, such
as well draining compactable granular fill or pea gravel.
Referring to FIGS. 18 to 21, there is shown a starter block or
module, indicated generally at 212, used to start a wall adjacent a
vertical surface, such as a side of a building wall or the like.
Block 212 has a body 213 with a convex curved front face 214. Face
214 has a vertical groove pattern that corresponds with the pattern
of the remaining blocks of the wall. The opposite end of body 213
has a rear wall 216 joined to a straight side wall 217 and an
obtused angled side wall 218. Side wall 218 conforms to the shape
and size of the side wall 18 of the block 12. Body 213 has an
opening 219 and a hole 221 open to the top surface 222 thereof. As
shown in FIG. 20, the bottom of block 212 has a arcuate shaped
pocket 223 open to the bottom surface 224. The starter blocks are
made as right hand blocks and left hand blocks. The left hand
blocks are the mirror image of the right hand blocks.
While there has been shown and described preferred embodiments of
the retaining wall blocks of the invention, it is understood that
changes in the shape, structure, and form, as well as materials may
be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the
invention. The invention is defined in the following claims.
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