Skirting wall system

Details Skirting wall system Skirting wall system

2000-04-12

2002-04-23

Canfield, Robert (Department: 3635)

Static structures (e.g., buildings)

Specified terranean relationship

Mobile home skirt

C052S098000, C052S477000, C052S482000, C052S779000, C052SDIG003

Reexamination Certificate

active

06374552

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mobile homes, trailer homes, and modular homes are residential structures that are not built on a foundation. As a result, in order to prevent shifting and sinking of these structures, and moreover to ensure the structure is level regardless of the ground's topography, they are placed on stilts or supports that protrude from the ground and elevate the structure thereabove. This causes a visible gap in some areas between the ground and the bottom of the structure. The present invention relates to a decorative and structural composite masonry block designed for the purpose of skirting these structures and covering any such gaps.
Mobile home skirting efforts, until now, have resulted in a variety of products which are either prohibitively expensive, or unattractive and unable to withstand sustained exposure to nature's elements. Attempts that fall into the latter category include such easily breakable products as wooden cross-hatching and plastic or foam panels that imitate a stone or brick wall. Solutions that tend to be prohibitively expensive or difficult to install include large, custom-made, cement slabs having a decorative face, and the use of standard cinder blocks and mortar to build a wall around the bottom of the structure.
There is a need for a sturdy, inexpensive alternative for skirting a mobile home which is easy to install.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a composite masonry block and wall system to be used to skirt elevated structures. The block is shaped to be stacked in vertically independent columns, held in place by specially shaped, lightweight, synthetic beams placed between adjacent columns, and also by synthetic U-shaped lateral supports which open downwardly and are attached to the bottom of the elevated structure.
The blocks comprise a split front face, a rear face, top and bottom surfaces, and side surfaces. The side surfaces comprise grooves for receiving supporting portions of the synthetic beams. The top and bottom surfaces are preferably shaped so that when an upper block is stacked on a lower block, the lower surface of the upper block sits on the upper surface of the lower block and the two blocks are relatively coplanar and vertical. This configuration is most easily accomplished using blocks having flat top surfaces and flat bottom surfaces that are relatively perpendicular to the front and rear faces. It would also be possible to accomplish this vertical block-to-block relationship using top and bottom surfaces comprised of complementary angles and/or curves.
The synthetic beams are preferably a weather resistant metal or plastic, nylon or other synthetic, durable, inexpensive material, such as poly-vinyl chloride (PVC). The purpose of the beams is to keep the independent vertical columns from buckling when subjected to a force normal to the plane of the wall. The rigidity of the blocks provides enough support to prevent failure in other directions. This purpose may be accomplished using relatively thin beams having lateral extensions for being received by the grooves in the sides of the blocks.
Preferably, these beams provide little to no support in a vertical direction. They merely maintain the blocks in independent vertical columns. The columns are considered independent because, unlike conventional brick or stone walls, one horizontal course of blocks is aligned with the adjacent upper and lower courses so that the blocks in each course are in line with the blocks above and below them, as opposed to being laterally offset. This results in the formation of vertical columns of blocks that can move up and down, due to forces exerted by the ever-shifting earth, without upsetting, or otherwise exerting forces on, adjacent columns of blocks.
The resulting wall of this system is surprisingly strong. It may even be used to provide support to the elevated structure. Once installed the elevated structure may be lowered onto the blocks. Alternatively, the blocks may merely serve as a skirt which improves the aesthetics of the structure and keeps unwanted birds and animals from nesting or otherwise residing under the structure. In this embodiment, it is not necessary that the blocks make actual contact with the structure.
The use of the lateral support beams also obviates the need for mortar between the blocks. This mortarless system is advantageous over traditional brick and mortar walls for obvious reasons. First, fewer materials are required to build a wall. Second, a wall can be easily constructed by one person at that person's leisure. There are no time constraints imposed by drying mortar. Third, the wall can be constructed regardless of weather conditions. Also, the loose block system can be constructed on any surface, including sand, gravel, dirt or concrete. It is not necessary to pour a foundation.
The lateral support beams also allow the use of relatively thin blocks. These thin, wafer-like blocks are relatively light-weight, resulting in ease of handling and shipping, and a reduction in material costs. The blocks are preferably between 1 and 4 inches thick, more preferably on the order of 2½ inches thick. As they are generally between 6 and 12 inches in height, it would be difficult to use such a tall thin block to create a brick wall using mortar. The tall, thin blocks would have to be held in place somehow to allow the mortar to dry. However, tall thin blocks provide certain advantageous and the present invention provides a way of incorporating the advantageous of such a block. These advantageous include an increased front face surface area, resulting in a more attractive wall. The design also provides increased lateral support, ideal for use with such a beam system.
The loose block system also allows the wall to be disassembled and reassembled. This not only gives flexibility during initial construction, but allows later renovations to be made easily and inexpensively. For instance, often it is desirable to vent skirting walls to prevent the buildup of moisture or condensation between the ground and the elevated structure. These vents can be easily installed into an existing wall, especially if they are of similar dimensions and configurations as the blocks. The blocks of a given column are simply removed and reinstalled, replacing one of the blocks with the vent. Other auxiliary items, such as an access door or lights, could be installed in a similar manner.
Finally, the wall design of the present invention allows a wall corner to be constructed without supporting beams or mortar. Two walls are simply aligned to form a butt joint and fasteners such as appropriate plastic pegs or screws and plastic inserts are used to fasten one wall to the other. Alternatively, construction mastic, a type of adhesive, may be applied instead of or in combination with the screws. Again, ease of installation is greatly improved by the loose block, mortarless system of the present invention.
These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views. And, although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.


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patent: 4214412 (1980-07-01), Barylski
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