Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
TITLE
MANUALLY BREAKABLE BLOCK
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a block which may be manually
broken into at
least two blocks which may be used to build structures such as walls or the
like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Stackable interengaging bricks for building mortarless walls or the like are
known in the art.
For example, PCT international application n~ PCT/CA96/00348 (international
publication
n~ WO 96/38636 indicating a publication date of 5 December 1996) discloses
wall building
blocks which may be stacked and interlocked without being held together by a
binding agent
such as mortar. The block has a top face which comprises a tongue element and
a bottom
face which comprises a mortise element. Both elements are configured in such
way that
when like blocks are stacked, the bottom face of a block engages with the top
face of a like
block disposed below while the top face of the block engages with the bottom
face of an
above-disposed block.
As disclosed in the above-mentioned PCT application, the blocks may be
obtained by
mechanically splitting a parent block comprising a pair of such blocks joined
at the front
faces thereof, the front faces being defined by a cleavage line running from
an upper groove
to a lower groove. A difficulty with the above-mentioned parent block is that
it is
mechanically split by pressing a splitting device comprising a blade or a
knife on one of such
grooves, thereby requiring considerable pressure. Mechanical splitting of like
parent blocks
requires bulky machinery which is expensive, necessitates maintenance and
requires several
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operators to which it may present a danger. Another difficulty is that the
type of block thus
obtained presents a front face inevitably having a broken stone appearance,
which may not
be desirable in all circumstances.
Other breakable blocks are also known which require the use of splitting tools
such as chisels
or machinery such as sputters in order to be split into a plurality of blocks.
For example,
reference may be made to U.S. Patent n~ 697,914 issued to Griffin, U.S. Patent
n~ 1,872,522
to Stuckey, U.S. Patent n~ 4,335,549 to Dean, U.S. Patent n~ 5,496,129 to
Dube, U.S. Patent
n~ 5,598,679 to Orton et al. and U.S. Patent n~ 5,688,079 to Bolduc et al.
It would be advantageous to have a breakable block which would be configured
in such way
that the breaking of such block would not necessitate block splitting
machinery.
It would in particular be advantageous to have a breakable block which may be
easily broken
on site such as by hand, without the use of splitting tools or machinery.
It would also be advantageous to have a manually breakable block which would
provide
block components with a smooth front wall surface.
It would in particular be advantageous to have a manually breakable block
which would
provide block components with a smooth front wall surface and which could be
manufactured using conventional machinery and moulds.
It would also be advantageous to have a manually breakable block which would
provide
block components and in which a breakable bridging means would keep the smooth
front
wall surface of each block component protected from rubbing against one
another during
shipping and handling.
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CA 02254517 1998-11-26
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention, in one aspect, provides a manually
breakable block
comprising a first block component, a second block component and a manually
breakable
joining means joining the first block component and the second block
component. The
manually breakable joining means is manually breakable so as to separate the
first block
component and the second block component by application of a manual levering
action on
one block component relative to the other block component.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable joining means
may for
example comprise a manually breakable bridge component.
In accordance with the present invention, each block component may for example
comprise
a front wall region and a rear wall region, and the manually breakable bridge
component may
for example connect the rear wall regions.
In accordance with the present invention, each block component may for example
comprise
a tongue interlock component and a mortise interlock component and the
manually breakable
bridge component may be disposed medially between the tongue interlock
component and
the mortise interlock component of each block component.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable bridge
component may for
example be disposed adjacent the tongue interlock components.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable bridge
component may for
example be disposed adjacent the mortise interlock component.
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In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable bridge
component may for
example connect the front wall regions.
In accordance with the present invention, the front wall region may for
example comprise
a front wall smooth surface part and a front wall rough surface part and the
manually
breakable bridge component may for example connect the front wall rough
surface parts.
In accordance with the present invention, each first and second block
component may for
example comprise a foot component and a ledge component and the manually
breakable
bridge component may for example be disposed medially between the ledge
component and
the foot component of each first and second block component.
In accordance with the present invention, each front wall smooth surface part
may for
example be divided by the front wall rough surface part.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable bridge
component may for
example be disposed adjacent the ledge components.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable bridge
component may be
disposed adjacent the foot components.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable block may for
example
comprise a pair of scoring notches disposed to define a break line along which
the manually
breakable bridge component is breakable.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable block may for
example
comprise a third block component and a second manually breakable bridge
component
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connecting the second block component and the third block component.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable joining means
may for
example comprise a manually breakable joint component.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable joint
component may for
example join the rear wall regions.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable joint
component may for
example be disposed adjacent the tongue interlock component.
In accordance with the present invention, each first and second block
component may for
example comprise an upper face and a lower face opposite the upper face, and
the manually
breakable bridge component may for example connect the lower face of the first
block
component and the upper face of the second block component.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable joint
component may for
example join the front wall regions.
In accordance with the present invention, the manually breakable joint
component may for
example be disposed adjacent the ledge components.
In accordance with the present invention, the pair of scoring notches disposed
to define a
break line along which the manually breakable joint component is breakable.
It is to be understood herein, that the expression "manually breakable" means
breakable by
hand, for example such as discussed hereinafter.
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It is to be understood herein that the expression "manual levering action"
means that the
block components may act to display a lever-like function and may even amplify
the force
applied thereto. The block components may for example be pivoted about a
longitudinal axis
passing through the manually breakable bridging means which acts as a pivot
point. A
respective part of each block component may for example be gripped by hand,
either directly
or indirectly, and force may be applied on the block components, either
inwardly, so as to
push the respective parts of the block components towards one another, or
outwardly, so as
to pull them away from one another. The stress thereby created exerts a
tension about the
manually breakable bridging means which overcomes its strength i.e.
cohesiveness at a break
line and causes breakage of the manually breakable bridging means and
subsequent
separation of one block component from the other. The parts of each block
component which
are gripped may for example be different i.e. one may grip an upper part of
the first block
component and a lower part of the second bloc component, as long as respective
parts are
pushed either towards one another or away from one another.
As mentioned above, the manually breakable bridging means may for example
comprise a
manually breakable bridge component which connects the block components at a
distance
from one another. The manually breakable bridging means may for example
comprise a
manually breakable joint component. In this case, the manually breakable joint
component
may join the block components such that they are flushed with one another i.e.
directly
abutting or immediately adjacent to one another.
It is to be understood that the manually breakable bridging means is
configured to facilitate
the manual breakage of the manually breakable bridging means and to provide
strength or
cohesiveness to hold the block components together during transport and
handling, prior to
their separation by a user.
The cohesiveness of the manually breakable bridging means may vary depending
on the
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CA 02254517 1998-11-26
material forming the manually breakable block. The manually breakable block
may be
formed of concrete, clay, aggregate or any other suitable material such as a
mouldable
material adapted to be broken. For example, the manually breakable block may
be formed
with a concrete mix of 61% sand, 27% aggregate, 8% cement and 2% adjuvant.
The cohesiveness of the manually breakable block is such that parts of same do
not fall off
during the breaking of the manually breakable bridging means. The manually
breakable
block may be symmetrical in shape relative to a longitudinal plane vertically
crossing the
manually breakable bridging means at its midpoint. However, the manually
breakable block
may also present another configuration such as an asymmetrical shape.
It is to be understood herein that the expression "front wall region" refers
to the surface of
the block component which is generally exposed when a structure such as a wall
or the like
is built using a plurality of such block components.
It is to be understood herein that the expression "smooth surface" refers to a
surface having
an appearance given by a mould. The surface given by the mould may be smooth,
i.e. of a
uniform appearance as opposed to a broken stone appearance.
The block components obtained with the present invention may have a front wall
region
comprising a front wall smooth surface part which covers in part or in
totality the front wall
region of the block component. In some cases as mentioned above, the front
wall smooth
surface part obtained after breaking the manually breakable block may have a
front wall
rough surface part. In some cases, the front wall smooth surface part may be
divided by the
front wall rough surface part.
It is to be understood herein that the expression "scoring notch" refers to an
indentation such
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as a line or a groove in a surface which by creating a discontinuous surface
localises the
breakage at a breakpoint and allows for a regular breakage along a break line
defined by a
pair of such scoring notches.
The present invention will now be described with respect to the drawings which
illustrate
example embodiments of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a lateral side elevation view of a parent block of the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example manually breakable block in
accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 3 is a lateral side elevation view of the example block shown in Figure
2;
FIG. 3A is a lateral side elevation view of the example block shown in FIG. 2,
shown in the
process of being broken;
FIG. 3B is a lateral side elevation view of the example block shown in FIG. 2,
shown in the
process of being broken;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the manually breakable bridging means of
the example
block shown in Figure 3;
FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the manually breakable bridging means shown in
Figure 3,
showing three different configurations for the example manually breakable
bridging means;
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FIG. 5 is a lateral side elevation view of another example manually breakable
block in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example manually
breakable block in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a lateral side elevation view of the example block of Figure 6 shown
in the process
of being broken;
FIG. 8 is a lateral side elevation view of a pair of block components obtained
from the
breaking of the example block shown in Figure 2;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of yet another example manually breakable block
in accordance
with the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a lateral side elevation view of the example block shown in Figure
9;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing the manually breakable bridging means of
the example
block shown in Figure 10;
FIG. 12 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example manually
breakable block in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example manually
breakable block in
accordance with the present invention;
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
FIG. 14 is a lateral side elevation view of the example block shown in Figure
9, shown in the
process of being broken;
FIG. 15 is a lateral side elevation view of the example block shown in Figure
9, showing an
alternate method of breaking;
FIG. 16 is a lateral side elevation view of a block component resulting from
the breaking of
the example block shown in Figure 9;
FIG. 17 is a lateral side elevation view of a pair of block components
obtained from the
breaking of the example block shown in Figure 9;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a portion of a wall comprising stacked block
components
such as the block components shown in Figure 17;
FIG. 19 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example block in
accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 20 is a top view of a mould used to obtain the example block shown in
Figure 9;
FIG. 21 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example block in
accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 22 is a lateral side elevation view of the block components obtained from
the breaking
of the example block illustrated in Figure 21;
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FIG. 23 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example block in
accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 24 is a lateral side elevation view of the block components obtained from
the breaking
of the example block illustrated in Figure 23; and
FIG. 25 is a lateral side elevation view of yet another example block in
accordance with the
present invention.
Refernng to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a
parent block 10
as described in the above-mentioned PCT international application. The parent
block 10
comprises a pair of blocks 11,12 joined at the front faces thereof, the front
faces being
defined by a cleavage line running from an upper groove 13 to a lower groove
14. The
blocks 11,12 each have a respective top face 15 comprising a tongue interlock
element 16
and a ledge element 17, and a respective bottom face 18 comprising a mortise
interlock
element 19 and a foot element 20. The tongue interlock element 16 and the
mortise interlock
element 19 may be configured in such way that when blocks 11 and 12 are
stacked one on
top of the other, the bottom face 18 of block 11 may engage with the top face
15 of block 12
disposed below while the top face 15 of block 11 may engage with the bottom
face 18 of an
above-disposed block.
Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, there is shown an example manually
breakable block
in accordance with the present invention. The manually breakable block 21
comprises a first
block component 22, a second block component 23 and a manually breakable
bridging
means 24 which joins the first block component 22 and the second block
component 23. In
the example shown herein, the manually breakable bridging means 24 is a
manually
breakable bridge component 24 connecting the first and second block
components. Since the
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first and second block components 22,23 are essentially similar once separated
one from
another, their components will hereinafter be designated by the same reference
numerals.
Each first and second block component 22,23 comprises a first lateral side
face 25 and a
second lateral side face 26 opposite the first lateral side face 25. Each
first and second block
component 22,23 comprises an upper face 27 longitudinally extending from the
first lateral
side face 25 to the second lateral side face 26. The upper face 27 defines a
tongue interlock
component 28, a ledge component 29 and a first intermediate face 30 which
connects the
tongue interlock component 28 and the ledge component 29. A lower face 31
opposite the
upper face 27 extends longitudinally from the first lateral side face 25 to
the second lateral
side face 26. The lower face 31 defines a mortise interlock component 32, a
foot component
33 and a second intermediate face 34 which connects the mortise interlock
component 32 and
the foot component 33.
A front wall region 35 longitudinally extends from the first lateral side face
25 to the second
lateral side face 26. The front wall region 35 connects the ledge component 29
of the upper
face 27 and the foot component 33 of the lower face 31. The front wall region
35 comprises
a front wall smooth surface part 36. In the example manually breakable block
21 shown
herein, the front wall smooth surface part 36 essentially covers in totality
the front wall
region 35, i.e. the front wall region 35 has an overall smooth surface.
Each first and second block component 22,23 also comprises a rear wall region
37. The rear
wall region 37 extends longitudinally from the first lateral side face 25 to
the second lateral
side face 26. The rear wall region 37 connects the mortise interlock component
32 of the
lower face 31 and the tongue interlock component 28 of the upper face 27. The
example
manually breakable block 21 shown herein is configured such that the rear wall
regions 37
face one another. Each rear wall region 37 comprises a rear wall smooth
surface part 38
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CA 02254517 1998-11-26
which in the example shown herein is divided in two parts by the manually
breakable bridge
component 24, i.e. both above and below the manually breakable bridge
component 24.
The manually breakable bridge component 24 extends longitudinally from the
first lateral
side face 25 to the second lateral side face 26. However, the manually
breakable bridge
component 24 may for example be shorter or discontinuous i.e. in two or more
spaced apart
bridge component sections. As may be seen, the manually breakable bridge
component 24
connects the rear wall regions 37, i.e. a part of each rear wall region 37 is
kept hidden by the
manually breakable bridge component 24. The hidden part only becomes visible
once the
manually breakable bridge component 24 is broken, as will be described further
below.
In the example shown herein, the manually breakable bridge component 24 is
disposed
medially between the mortise interlock component 32 and the tongue interlock
component
28 of each block component 22,23. However, the manually breakable bridge
component 24
may be disposed anywhere between the mortise interlock component 32 and the
tongue
interlock component 28 of each block component 22,23.
Refernng now to FIG. 4, this figure shows an enlarged view of the manually
breakable
bridge component 24 of the example manually breakable block 21 illustrated in
FIG. 3. As
may be seen, the manually breakable bridge component 24 comprises a first
scoring notch
39a which is disposed between the manually breakable bridge component 24 and
the rear
wall smooth surface part 38 adjacent the tongue interlock component 28 of the
first block
component 22. A second scoring notch 39b is disposed opposite the first
scoring notch 39a
between the manually breakable bridge component 24 and the rear wall smooth
surface part
38 adjacent the mortise interlock component 32 of the first block component
22. The first
and the second scoring notches 39a,39b form a first pair of opposed scoring
notches which
defines a first break line, as illustrated with the dotted line identified
with the letter A. A
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third scoring notch 39c is disposed between the manually breakable bridge
component 24
and the rear wall smooth surface part 38 adjacent the tongue interlock
component 28 of the
second block component 23. A fourth scoring notch 39d is disposed opposite the
third
scoring notch 39c between the manually breakable bridge component 24 and the
rear wall
smooth surface part 38 adjacent the mortise interlock component 32 of the
second block
component 23. The third and fourth scoring notches 39c, 39d form a second pair
of opposed
scoring notches which defines a second break line as shown with the dotted
line identified
with the letter B. In the example shown herein, the scoring notches 39a, 39b,
39c, 39d extend
longitudinally from the first lateral side face 25 to the second lateral side
face 26, i.e. along
the manually breakable bridge component 24. Although the example shown herein
is
provided with scoring notches 39a, 39b, 39c, 39d, the manually breakable block
21 may
alternatively not present such scoring notches.
Turning now to FIG. 4A, this figure shows an enlarged side view of the
manually breakable
bridge component 24 shown in FIG. 4. As mentioned above, the manually
breakable bridge
component 24 is configured to facilitate its manual breakage while at the same
time
providing sufficient strength, or cohesiveness, to hold the first and second
block components
22,23 together during transport and handling of the manually breakable block
21.
As mentioned above, the cohesiveness of the manually breakable bridge
component 24 may
vary depending on the material forming the manually breakable block.
Accordingly, the
manually breakable bridging means 24 will have dimensions which will vary
depending on
the material used and the composition of the material. For example, in the
case where the
manually breakable block 21 is formed with a concrete mix of 61 % sand, 27%
aggregate, 8%
cement and 2% adjuvant, the dimensions of the manually breakable bridge
component 24
may be as follows. These dimensions are given with respect to a manually
breakable bridge
component 24 extending from one lateral side face to the other as shown
herein. The
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
dimensions of the manually breakable bridge component may vary if the manually
breakable
bridge component 24 is shorter or discontinuous, as mentioned above. It is
important to note
that these dimensions are given with respect to an example block 21 having a
height of 150
mm indicated by the arrow P in FIG. 3, a block component thickness of 65 mm
indicated by
the arrow Q and a length of 230 mm which is measured between the first and
second lateral
side faces 25,26. The dimensions are given here by way of example only.
Returning now to FIG. 4A, the manually breakable bridge component 24 has a
length which
is identified with the arrow L and which may preferably vary up to about 55
mm. The length
L may preferably be of 8 mm. The manually breakable bridge component 24 has a
thickness
which is measured at a break line between the upper surface and the lower
surface. In the
example shown herein, the manually breakable block 21 comprise two such break
lines as
indicated by the arrows identified with the letter TA and TB. The thickness at
one break line
may vary from 4 mm to 25 mm and may preferably be of 6 mm. The thickness at
the first
break line TA and the thickness at the second break line TB may be similar as
shown herein.
However, the thickness at the first break line TA and the thickness at the
second break line
TB may differ as long as the manually breakable bridge component 24 is
manually breakable
at one break line; the manually breakable bridge component 24 may be broken at
the
remaining break line with a hand tool such as a hammer.
The thickness of the manually breakable bridge component 24 between the two
break lines
as indicated by the arrow identified with the letter T~ is greater than the
thickness of the
manually breakable bridge component 24 at the break line in the case where
there are more
than one break line or at break line which is thicker in the case where there
are two break
lines which differ in thickness. The thickness T~ may preferably be 1.4 times
greater than TA
or TB. In the example shown herein, the thickness Tc may preferably be of 12
mm.
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The manually breakable bridge component 24 may take any configuration which
allows the
manual breakage of same. For example, the manually breakable bridge component
24 may
take a configuration such as the configuration illustrated with the line D.
The manually
breakable bridge component 24 may also take a configuration such as the ones
illustrated
with the dashed line E or the dotted line F.
Returning now to FIG. 3, the example manually breakable block shown herein may
be
broken as follows. The first and second block components 22,23 may be gripped
for
example around their respective foot component 33. The block components 22,23
may be
gripped directly or indirectly. A manual levering action may be applied by
pressing onto the
block components 22,23 to direct the foots components 33 towards one another
such as
indicated by the arrows 13A. In this case, the block components 22,34 may act
to display a
lever-like function and may even amplify the force applied thereto. The manual
levering
action exel-ts a tension for example about the scoring notch 39a which
overcomes the
cohesive force of the manually breakable bridging means 24 at the first break
line. The block
components are pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the manually breakable
bridging
means which acts as a pivot point. Breakage of the manually breakable bridging
means 24
along the break line from the first scoring notch 39a to the second scoring
notch 39b occurs
with the subsequent separation of the first block component 22 from the second
block
component 23, as shown in FIG. 3A.
Alternatively, a force may be applied on the block components outwardly i.e.
in the direction
of the arrows 13B, so as to pull them away from one another. The stress
thereby created
would exert a tension about the second scoring notch 39b and cause breakage of
the
manually breakable bridge component from the second scoring notch 39b to along
the first
break line to the first scoring notch 39a and subsequent separation of the
block components
from one another. The gripped part of each block component may be different
i.e. one may
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CA 02254517 1998-11-26
grip an upper part of a first block component and a lower part of another
block component,
as long as respective parts are either pushed towards one another or pulled
away from one
another.
Turning now to FIG. 3A, the breaking of the manually breakable bridge
component 24
exposes a rough surface part 40 on the manually breakable bridge component 24
and a rear
wall rough surface part 41 on the first block component 22 where the manually
breakable
bridge component 24 was connected. In the case where the manually breakable
bridge
component or a portion thereof remains attached to one of the block
components, it may be
removed by knocking it off such as with a hammer. For example, the user may
knock the
manually breakable bridge component 24 off by hitting same such as in the
direction of the
arrow 14A, which would cause breakage of the manually breakable bridge
component 24
along the second break line and the removal of the manually breakable bridge
component 24
or the attached part thereof from the second block component 23, as shown in
FIG. 3B.
Other suitable means which would separate the manually breakable bridging
means 24 or a
part thereof which remained attached to one of the block components may also
be used.
As a result of the breaking of the manually breakable block 21, block
components may be
obtained of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned PCT international
application, the
entire content of which is incorporated herein for reference.
Turning now to FIG. 5, this figure shows another example manually breakable
block 21 in
accordance with the present invention which configuration differs from that of
the example
block illustrated in FIG. 2 in that the manually breakable bridge component
24b is disposed
adjacent the tongue interlock component 28 of each block component 22,23. In
the example
shown herein, the rear wall smooth surface part 38 of each rear wall region 37
is not divided
by the manually breakable bridge component 24b. The first and third scoring
notches
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39a',39c' are disposed between the manually breakable bridge component 24b and
the
tongue interlock component 28 of their respective block component 22,23 while
the second
and fourth scoring notches 39b',39d' are disposed between the manually
breakable bridge
component 24b and the rear wall rough surface part 36 of the respective block
components
22,23.
FIG. 6 shows yet another example manually breakable block 21 in accordance
with the
present invention which configuration differs from those of the example blocks
illustrated
previously in that the manually breakable bridge component 24c is disposed
adjacent the
mortise interlock component 32 of each block component 22,23. As in the
example block
illustrated in FIG. 5, the rear wall surface part 38 of each rear wall region
37 is not divided
by the manually breakable bridge component 24c. The first and third scoring
notches
39a",39c" are disposed between the manually breakable bridge component 24c and
the rear
wall smooth surface part 38 of their respective block component 22,23 while
the second and
fourth scoring notches 39b",39d" are disposed between the manually breakable
bridge
component 24c and the mortise interlock component 32 of their respective block
component
22,23.
The example manually breakable block 21 shown in FIG. 6 may be broken as
follows. The
first and second block components 22,23 is gripped for example around their
respective foot
component 33 and a manual levering action is applied by pressing onto the
block
components 22,23 so as to direct the foot components 33 towards one another as
shown by
the arrows 16A. The manual levering action exerts a tension for example about
the first
scoring notch 39a" which overcomes the cohesive force at the first break line
and causes
breakage of the manually breakable bridge component 24c along the first break
line from the
first scoring notch 39a" to the second scoring notch 39b" and subsequent
separation of the
first block component 22 from the second block component 23, as shown in FIG.
7. A
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similar result may be obtained by gripping each block component 22,23 around
their
respective tongue interlock component 28 and by pulling onto the block
components 22,23
so as to direct the tongue interlock components 28 away from one another as
shown by the
arrows 16B in FIG. 6.
Turning now to FIG. 7, the breaking of the manually breakable bridge component
24c
exposes a rough surface part 40' on the manually breakable bridge component
24c and a rear
wall rough surface part 41' on the block component 22 where the manually
breakable bridge
component 24c was connected.
The manually breakable bridge component 24c may then be removed by knocking it
off such
as described above with respect to FIG. 3A.
Refernng now to FIG. 8, this figure shows the block components 22,23 obtained
from the
breaking of the example manually breakable block 21 shown in FIG. 3. As
mentioned
above, the block components 22,23 are essentially the same after separation.
The orientation
of the first block component 22 has been laterally inverted such that its
second lateral side
face 26 is now facing the plane of the sheet. As may be seen, the first block
component 22
is disposed above the second block component 23 in a stackable interlocking
relationship.
The front wall smooth surface 36 covers in totality the front wall region 35
of each block
component 22,23 while their respective rear wall region 37 comprises a smooth
surface part
38 divided by a rough surface part 41.
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show yet another example block in accordance with the
present
invention. In this case, the manually breakable bridge component 24d connects
the
respective front wall regions 35, i.e. the rear wall regions 37 are not
connected with the
manually breakable bridge component 24d. The front wall regions 35 face one
another. The
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
manually breakable bridge component 24d is disposed adjacent the ledge
component 29 of
each block component 22,23. Each front wall region 35 is composed of the
smooth surface
part 36 which is disposed below the manually breakable bridge component 24d
and of a
rough surface part which is hidden by the manually breakable bridge component
24d.
However, the front wall regions 35 completely appear once the block components
22,23 are
separated, as will be better described further below.
FIG. 11 shows an enlarged view of the manually breakable bridge component 24d
of the
example manually breakable block 21 shown in FIG. 10. The manually breakable
bridge
component 24d includes a pair of scoring notches 43,44 opposed one another and
disposed
in an upper and lower orientation. The scoring notches 43,44 extend
longitudinally from the
first lateral side face 25 to the second lateral side face 26 as seen in FIG.
9. The scoring
notches 43,44 and define a break line going from the first scoring notch 43 to
the second
scoring notch 44 as indicated by the dotted line and along which the manually
breakable
bridge component 24d is breakable.
FIG. 12 shows yet another example manually breakable block 21 in accordance
with the
present invention which configuration differs from that of the example block
shown in FIG.
9 in that the manually breakable bridge component 24d is disposed adjacent the
foot
component 33 of each block component 22,23. The respective front wall smooth
surface
parts 36 are now disposed above the manually breakable bridge component 24d.
FIG. 13 shows yet another example of manually breakable block 21 in accordance
with the
present invention which differs from the example blocks shown in FIG. 9 and 12
in that the
manually breakable bridge component 24d is disposed medially i.e. at equal
distance
between the ledge component 29 and the foot component 33 of each block
component 22,23.
However, the manually breakable bridge component 24d may be disposed anywhere
between
21
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
the ledge component 29 and the foot component 33. The front wall smooth
surface part 36
of each block component 22,23 is divided by the manually breakable bridge
component 24d,
i.e. the front wall smooth surface part 36 is divided in two parts which are
disposed both
above and below the manually breakable bridge component 24d.
Turning now to FIG. 14, as described above, the manually breakable block 21
may be
broken by gripping each block component such as around its respective tongue
interlock
component 28 and by applying a manual levering action in the direction of the
arrows 14.
The breaking of the manually breakable bridge component 24d reveals a front
wall rough
surface part 42 for each block component 22,23. A similar result may be
obtained by
gripping the block components 22,23 around their respective foot component 33
and by
applying a levering action in the direction of the arrows 14B.
FIG. 15 shows another way of breaking the manually breakable block 21 into
first and
second block components 22,23. The block components 22,23 are gripped for
example
around their respective tongue interlock component 28 and a manual levering
action is
applied by pulling the tongue interlock components 28 away from one another in
the
direction of the arrows 1 SA. A similar result is obtained if the block
components 22,23 are
gripped such as around their respective foot component 33 and a manual
levering action is
applied by pushing the respective foot components 33 against one another as
shown with
arrows 15B.
Refernng now to FIG. 16, after separation of the block components 22,23 the
front wall
region 35 comprises the front wall smooth surface part 36 and the front wall
rough surface
part 42. The front wall rough surface part 42 projects from the front wall
region 35 and
extends longitudinally from the first lateral side face 25 to the second
lateral side face 26.
Since the front wall rough surface part 42 results from the breakage of the
manually
22
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
breakable bridge component 24d, it presents a broken stone appearance.
FIG. 17 illustrates the first block component 22 and the second block
component 23
obtained from the breaking of the manually breakable block 21 shown in FIG. 10
and
disposed in a stacked interlocking relationship with each other. The lateral
orientation of the
second block component 23 has been inverted with a 180 turn such that the
second lateral
side face 26 is now facing the plane of the sheet.
FIG. 18 illustrates how a plurality of like block components 22 and 23
obtained from the
breaking of the manually breakable block 21 illustrated in FIG. 10 may be
stacked so as to
build a wall or the like without using a binding agent such as mortar. As may
be seen
according to the example shown, the front wall rough surface part 42 presents
a broken stone
appearance, while the front wall smooth surface part 36 presents a smooth
appearance.
Turning now to FIG. 19, there is shown an example manually breakable block 21'
in
accordance with the present invention which comprises more than two block
components.
In the example shown in that figure, the manually breakable block 21'
comprises a first block
component 49 connected to a second block component 50 by a first manually
breakable
bridging means 51 in a configuration similar to that of the embodiment of the
manually
breakable block illustrated in FIG. 10. i.e. the manually breakable bridge
component 51
connects the front wall regions 35 of the first and second block components
49,50 adjacent
the ledge components thereof. However, the configuration of the manually
breakable block
21' differs in that a third block component 52 is connected to the second
block component
50 by a second manually breakable bridge component 53 i.e. the second manually
breakable
bridge component 53 connects the rear wall region 37 of the second block
component 50 and
the rear wall region 37 of the third block component 50 adjacent their mortise
interlock
component 32. A fourth block component 54 is connected to the third block
component 52
23
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
by a third manually breakable bridge component 55. The manually breakable
bridge
component 55 connects the front wall region 35 of the third block component 52
and the
front wall region 35 of fourth block component 54 adjacent their ledge
components 29.
Turning now to FIG. 20, an advantage of the example manually breakable blocks
21 shown
in FIG. 10, 12 and 13 is that they may be manufactured using conventional
manufacturing
machinery and moulds such as the machinery and moulds used to produce the
parent block
described in the above-mentioned PCT international application, i.e. a model
V3-12F
Vibrapac splitting machine manufactured by Besser. As may be seen in that
figure, a
modification to the mould of the prior art such as the insertion of a
projection 56 opposite
the scoring notch 43 inside the mould is needed to provide for the front wall
smooth surface
parts 36 of the front wall regions 37 of the example manually breakable block
21 shown in
FIG. 10.
Turning now to FIG. 21, there is illustrated yet another example manually
breakable block
21 in accordance with the present invention. The manually breakable bridging
means is a
manually breakable joint component 24e. As mentioned above, the manually
breakable joint
component joins the rear wall regions of the first and second block components
22,23 such
that they are flushed with one another i.e. directly abutting or immediately
adjacent to one
another. In the example shown herein, the manually breakable joint component
24e joins the
rear wall region 37 of the block components 22,23 adjacent their respective
tongue interlock
component 28. Opposed scoring notches 45,46 define a break line shown with a
dotted line
along which the manually breakable joint component 24e may be broken.
FIG. 22 shows the block components 22,23 obtained after breaking the example
block 21
illustrated in FIG. 21 and disposed in a stacked interlocking relationship.
24
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
FIG. 23 shows yet another example manually breakable block 21" in accordance
with the
present invention. The configuration of the example block 21" shown herein
differs from that
of the example blocks 21 described above in that the manually breakable joint
component
24f joins the lower surface 31 of the first block component 22 and the upper
surface 27 of
the second block component 22. More particularly, the manually breakable joint
component
24f joins the second intermediate face 34 of the lower face 31 of the first
block component
22 and the first intermediate face 30 of the upper face 27 of the second block
component 23.
The manually breakable joint component 24f comprises a first scoring notch 47
and a second
scoring notch 48 disposed opposite the first scoring notch 47 to define the
break line along
which the manually breakable joint component 24f may be broken.
FIG. 24 shows the block components 22,23 obtained after breaking the example
block 21"
illustrated in FIG. 23 and disposed in a stacked interlocking relationship
FIG. 25 shows yet another example manually breakable block 21 "' in accordance
with the
present invention. The manually breakable joint component 24g joins the front
wall regions
35 of the block components 22,23. The orientation of the first block component
22 is
longitudinally inverted compared to the example blocks 21 previously
described. In other
words, the upper face 27 of the first block component 22 is adjacent the lower
face 31 of the
second block component 23 and vice-versa. The first scoring notch 47 is
disposed adjacent
the front wall region 35 of the first block component and the upper face 27 of
the second
block component 23. The second scoring notch 48 is disposed opposite the first
scoring
notch 47 adjacent the upper face 27 of the first block component 22 and the
front wall region
35 of the second block component 23.
Another advantage of the blocks such as the example manually breakable blocks
21 shown
in FIG. 10, 12, 13 and 19, i.e. with the manually breakable bridging means 24
connecting the
CA 02254517 1998-11-26
front wall region 35 of each block component 22,23 is that the front wall
smooth surface part
36 of each front wall region 35 is protected from rubbing against one another
during
handling and shipping and is kept intact until usage by a user by the manually
breakable
bridging means 24 which connects the front wall regions 3 S at a distance from
one another.
Although particular examples of the breakable block in accordance with the
present
invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the
present
disclosure is made by way of example and that various other embodiments are
possible
without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the
following claims,
which subject matter is regarded as the invention.
26
