Hydraulic and earth engineering – Bank – shore – or bed protection – Revetment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-18
2001-07-31
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Bank, shore, or bed protection
Revetment
C405S019000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267533
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the construction and use of interlocking and layered elements to form a protective shield against shoreline erosion.
II. Description of Prior Art
Shoreline erosion is one of the foremost concerns of persons living in coastal regions. The natural movement of water over beaches, shorelines, lakes and ponds leads inexorably to the deterioration of the land, which presents a variety of serious problems for nearby residents, commercial fisherman and farmers, and sportsmen. Repairs to these shorelines can be quite expensive, often costing millions of dollars in the case of public beaches and coastal areas. Even in small areas controlled by private property owners, the costs and effort to arrest the continuous erosion of the land can be excessive.
A wide variety of revetment structures or systems to control erosion have been developed with varying degrees of success. Some approaches rely upon large sheets of interlocking blocks strung together with cables, which are laid upon the shoreline by heavy machinery, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,494. Other methods employ large numbers of “lock” blocks 20 having cavities formed along their perimeters which are connected to one another by “key” blocks, as depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,705. Still others, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,938, require blocks having portions which overlap but which do not interlock.
From a review of the foregoing patents and others related to them, there is a need for an erosion control system for shorelines that uses a standard block or element to construct substantially the entire system. Moreover, it would be desirable for those elements to overlap and interlock with one another to provide the maximum protection for the underlying soil, while being less subject to theft and vandalism. Also, there is a need for such an erosion control system that can be constructed by starting from the upper region of the shoreline and working down to the waterline. The elements to such a shoreline protection system should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and simple to install with little or no training or expertise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an erosion control system having elements which can be interlockingly and overlappingly connected to one another.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an erosion control system having elements which allow construction of the assembly by starting at an upper region of the shoreline to be protected.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an erosion control system that is relatively easy to assemble and economical to install.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an erosion control system that permits a variety of surface designs without departing from the interlocking and overlapping features.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the following description of the preferred embodiment which are contained in and illustrated by the various drawing figures.
Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, an erosion control element is provided, comprising a body formed of a substantially heavy material, said body having a base with a bottom surface shaped to contact a shoreline, first and second opposing sides, a front member, and a rear member; said front member comprising a downwardly extending convex terminal end, wherein said front member further includes a front concave recess adjacent to said downwardly extending convex terminal end; said rear member comprising an upwardly extending convex terminal end, wherein said rear member further includes a rear concave recess adjacent to said upwardly extending convex terminal end; wherein said downwardly extending convex terminal end of a first erosion control element is shaped and dimensioned to matably engage said rear concave recess of a second erosion control element; and wherein said upwardly extending convex terminal end of said first erosion control element is shaped and dimensioned to matably engage said front concave recess of a second erosion control element.
In a preferred embodiment, the front member includes an upper surface shaped in the form of a tile substantially parallel to said bottom surface of said base. In another embodiment, the front member includes an upper surface shaped in the form of a stair step. In all of the aforementioned embodiments, the invention is preferably constructed predominantly from a mixture of Portland cement and an aggregate material such as expanded clay, limestone granules, pea gravel, or other suitable filler material.
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Bagnell David
Ray David L.
Singh Sunil
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