Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face... – With joining means of dissimilar material and separate from...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2001-10-09
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Module or panel having discrete edgewise or face-to-face...
With joining means of dissimilar material and separate from...
C052S590200, C052S600000, C052S604000, C052S605000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298628
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to blocks, specifically wooden blocks, which, by layer-building with a plurality thereof, are used to form the walls of houses and buildings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Buildings in which the walls are formed by layer-building with timbers have been widely employed in the form of log cabins and log houses. The increasing “outdoor” trend of recent years has led to an increased demand for log houses. Notwithstanding their appearance due to their natural wood grain, these types of log houses are advantageous in that the interior can be maintained at the proper humidity because the timbers which form the walls breath. Such advantages, which artificial building materials do not have, should not be overlooked.
Original log houses are quite difficult for an individual to construct: uniform timbers are difficult to procure, and specialists are needed to machine the materials as well as in the design and construction.
Accordingly, with the object of enabling non-specialists to construct a comparatively simple log house without the use of specialized technology or equipment, the applicant of the present invention disclosed the invention of “Wood Blocks” in Japanese Unexamined [Kokai] Patent Publication No. Hei. 2-17711 [1990] and Japanese Examined [Kokuku] Patent Publication No. Hei. 6-50007 [1994].
These wood blocks form walls similar to those that are obtained when long angular timbers are layered on each other. This is done by layer-building not with long timbers but by joining short block-like wooden materials together. Specifically, the blocks are horizontally linked at joints in both ends, the top and bottom of the blocks are linked by protrusions and grooves formed in the top and bottom surfaces thereof, and an slanting surface is formed in the protruding area in the top. As a result of such a construction, rainwater that has penetrated through the joining areas is drained.
In particular, the invention disclosed in Japanese Examined [KoKoKu] Patent Publication No. Hei. 2-6-50007[1994] has a construction in which the inside and outside are reversible. This is made by forming reciprocally slanting surfaces on each side of the block with an area in the vicinity of the centerline of the block acting as a boundary therebetween, so that regardless of the inside/outside orientation of the block, rainwater that has penetrated through the joining surfaces in the joints of the blocks is drained to the outside.
As a result of this construction, a wall that is resistant to wind and rain can be easily formed with a very simple procedure by relying on bolts that are established on the foundation.
Similar to the aforesaid invention disclosed by the applicant of the present invention, this invention also uses block-like building materials to form walls by layer-building. However, the object of the present invention is to provide blocks for walls in houses and buildings in which the structure of the walls formed are longitudinally reinforced, and in which the measures for keeping out rainwater are augmented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain this object, the present invention comprises a block, which, by layer-building with a plurality thereof, is used to form walls in houses and buildings. This block comprises: hook-shaped joints established at both of its ends; a linking protrusion established in the top of the block which protrudes in the direction of both ends; a linking groove established in the bottom of the block which links with the linking protrusion of another block positioned therebelow; a first slanting surface positioned on the top of said linking protrusion and to the right of the approximate center of said block, which is slanted away from one side and toward the other side; a second slanting surface positioned on the top of said linking protrusion to the left of the approximate center of said block, which is slanted toward the aforesaid one side and away from the aforesaid other side of the block; and whereby said block is characterized in that a flat surface that is higher than each of the slanting surfaces is established in both ends of the aforesaid linking protrusion of said block.
As a result of this construction, rainwater, which due to the hook-shaped joint, has penetrated through the linking area, is more reliably drained than it is in the prior invention disclosed by the applicant of the present invention. Moreover, the outflow of water to the inside wall side, that is a concern due to the capillary phenomenon, can be blocked using incomplete walls at both ends of the block. In addition, because the weight of the layered blocks is supported by adhering the flat surface of the linking protrusion to the linking groove, it is stronger than in the prior art in which the entire joining protrusion is formed on the slanted surface. Furthermore, because this block is inside/outside reversible, the joints of the blocks can easily be joined without having to pay attention to which side is the inside and which is the outside when layering the blocks.
On the other hand, a block that is not inside/outside reversible can also be formed by not establishing the aforesaid second slanting surface. In this case, one must confirm which side is the inside and which is the outside when layer-building using these blocks. However, because the area of the flat surface on the top of the linking protrusion is wider than it is in the aforesaid block, the block is strengthened in that area.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1448648 (1923-03-01), Wilkins
patent: 2847847 (1958-08-01), Moore
patent: 2902733 (1959-09-01), Justus
patent: 5-163771 (1993-06-01), None
Friedman Carl D.
Ross P.C. Sheridan
Slack N.
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