Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention is directed to a paving stone formed of
concrete or other substance capable of setting and the stone has an
approximately square base. The invention is also directed to a pavement made
up of a number of such stones.
Road and walkway construction in public and private outdoor
installations, such as in parks and the like, tend predominantly toward
free forms and curved lines. Apart from circular stones, rectangular or
square paving stones can be used for curved line patterns only if they are
laid abutting diagonally at their vertical edges. Such stones are not
intended for this purpose and, due to their form and function, they often
have technical shortcomings, such as tlle necessity of subsequently filling
open joints, trimming or cutting stones to a desired shape, and the like.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a
paving stone which permits such stones to be laid not only in parallel
rectilinear rows but also in curvilinear rows without any loss of mutual
contact of the individual stones in the paving plane.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a paving
stone formed of concrete or other substance capable of setting and having
a top face and an approximately square base witll four corners, four vertical
corner edges each extending upwardly from a different one of the corners of
said base, a pair of planar parallel vertically extending opposite first
sides and a pair of opposite second sides extending upwardly from said base
and between said pair of first sides, each said second side having a pair of
partial faces extending vertically up~Yardly from said base with each partial
face inclined outwardly from a vertical plane extending through the pair of
corner edges at the opposite vertical edges of said second side containing
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said partial faces, said partial faces intersecting along a vertical central
edge located in a vertical plane of symmetry of said paving stone extending
between said second sides, each said corner edge having a first corner edge
section extending vertically from said base for a portion of the height of
said paving stone and a second corner edge section inclined inwardly from
the vertical from the upper end of said first corner edge section to said
top face, said top face having an octagonally sllaped boundary witl- a pair of
top edge sections forming the intersection between said top face and each
of said firsc and second sides, each of said top edge sections angularly
disposed to the other top edge section along the intersection betl~een each
of said first sides and second sides with said top face, each of said first
sides and second sides upwardly from said first corner edge sections having
a pair of triangularly shaped gusset-like surfaces Wit]l each said gusset-like
surface defined along a first side by one of said second corner edge
sections, along a second side by one of said top edge sections and along a
third side by a line extending between the upper end of said first corner
edge section and the intersection of said top edge sections along the
intersection between said top face and the one of said first and second
sides on which said gusset-like section is located. Preferably, the upwardly
extending corner edges of the stone are inclined in~ardly for approximately
half of the height of the stone.
Further, the invention is directed to a pavement constructed with
such paving stones with tlle individual stones laid in parallel rows 50 that
adjacent stones in a row are in contact along the vertical central edges
between the partial faces of the stones and the stones in adjacent rows are
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in contact with one another along the upwardly extending sides which llave
full planar faces.
The basic concept of the paving stone according to the present
invention is to provide the stone, as it were, with a pivot point. This
pivot point or pivot line is formed by the vertical central edge defined
between the outwardly inclined partial faces on two opposi~ely disposed
side faces of the stone. With such a construction, adjacent stones are
always in contact at the same location when placed in a row and this is true
whether the cen-ter line of the row is rectilinear or curvilinear.
Accordingly3 a center line or central axis is formed in the row or in the
cas0 of multiple rows, the center lines extend parallel. Stones fomned in
this manner permit practically any curvature in accordance with different
size variations of the stone.
An essential feature of the paving stone embodying the present
invention is that the vertical central edges in two of the opposite sides of
the stone extend for substantially the full height of the stone, thereby
providing a contact edge for the full height of the pavement, while the other
two side faces also extend for the full height of the stone at least in the
central reg.ion of these faces beh~een their corner edges. As a result,
adjacent stones have the largest possible contact edges or surfaces for the
transmission of force not only within a single row, but also for the stones
of adjacent rows.
Due to the inwardly inclined gusset~ e surfaces in the upper
region of each of the sides of the paving stone, the stones offer a uniformly
pleasing appearance when arranged in different laying patterns. With the
inwardly inclined or bevelled arrangement of the upper portion of the vertical
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corner edges, the edges of the gusset-l.ike surface are formed between these
stones affording different opening widt}ls of the joint. Due to the shaped
configuration of the paving stone, a balanced harmony is afforded for the
individual stones which do not have any hard right-angle corners. This is
of particular importance especially when the stones are assembled as a
pavement surface. In addition~ the pattern of the joints varies due to the
curvature of the rows; however, such pattern always follows a certain
uniform arrangement. The joints formed by the paving stones are a part of
the pavement and of its appearance; however, they also afford a flowing
transition to planted areas along the pavement so that grass can grow in the
joints.
~le various features of novelty which characteri~e the invelltloll
are pointed out with particularlty in the claims anne~ed to and orming a part
of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its
operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference
sllould be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which
there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a paving stone embodying tlle present
invention;
Figure 2 is a vertical side view taken in the direction II-II in
Figure l;
Figure 3 is a vertical side view taken in the direction III-III in
Figure l;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the paving stone shown in
Figure l; and
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Figures 5 and 6 are schematic plan details o~ a pavement ormed
by the paving stones embodying the present invention.
In the drawing, a paving stone 1, formed of concrete, has an
approximately square base, note Figure 1. n~O opposite edges 2, 3 oE the
base 4 are parallel while the other two opposed edges 5, 6 are inclined
outwardly as compared to a straight line extending between the corresponding
ends of the edges 2, 3. Accordingly, the edges 5, 6 each have two edge
sections 5', 5" , and 6', 6" which intersect at the point 7 located on
the plane of symmetry S-S of the stone 1, note Figure 1. The plane of
symmetry S-S extends betweetl the opposite edges 5, 6 of the base o the stone
1, note Figure 1. The ~asic construction o the stone 1 is limited in thc
vertical directioTI by vertically extending first side faces 8 havillg
approximately the form o a gabled surface with the first side aces extending
upwardly from the opposite edges 2, 3 of the base 4. The other sides of the
s~one 1 are defined by second face surfaces each having a pair of partial
~aces 9, 10 having a shed-like configuration. Partial face 9 extends
vertically upwardly from the partial edge 5' and partial ~ace 10 extends
vertically upwardly from the partial edge 5" of the base edge 5. The
outwardly inclined partial faces 9, 10 intersect along a vertical central
edge 11 extending vertically upwardly from the intersection point 7 of the
partial edges 5', 5" , note Figures 3 and 4. The side faces 8 and the
partial aces 9, 10 intersect at the corners of the stone along vertical
corner edges 12.
The corner edges 12 extend vertically for a portion of ~he height
of the stone to a point 13, note Figure 4, which is located approximately
at the midpoint in the height of the stone. Above the point 13, the corner
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edge is inclined from the vertical inwardly to one of the upper corners 14
of the top surface 15 of the stone. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 4,
the peripheral boundary or edges of the top surface 15 of the stone define a
regular octagon. Due to the inwardly inclined corner edge sections 12' of
the stone, triangular gusset-like surfaces 16 are formed in the upper regions
of each of the side faces 8 and 9, 10. Each triangular gusset is fornled
along one side by the inwardly inclined corner edge section 12' and another
edge is formed by one of the edges of the top surface 15 of the stone.
The third side of each gusset is formed in the side faces 8 by lines extending
between the pOillt 13 ~here the upper corner edge section 12' con~lences and
extends Wit}l an upl~ard inclination to the midpoint 21 along tlle corresponding
edge of the top surface of the side face. On the partial faces 9, 10 an oblique
line 18 extends between the point 13 and the point of intersectlon 19 of the
central edge 11 with the top surface 15 of the stone. The triangularly shaped
gusset-like surfaces on the sides with the partial faces intersect at
point 19 where the central edge 11 meets the surface edges 20 of the top
surface or for the side faces 8 at the center 21 of the surface edges 22
of the top surace. The surface edges 20, 22 are chamered at 23 for easier
removal o the stone Erom a mold during manuEacture and to create a more
pleasing appearance ~hen the paving stone is used in the formation of a
pavement.
In the schematic illustrations in Figures 5 and 6, it is shown
hol~ the paving stones embodying the present invention can be laid with the
stones 1 displayed in straight or rectilinear rows in Figure 5 and in
curvilinear rows in Figure 6. In Figure 5, the center line or central axis M
extends through the central edges 11. The individual stones are in contact
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with one another along the central edges 11 so that a regular network o~
opening and closing joints 24 is formed. There~ore, the central edges 11
dcfine pivot points or lines and the stones can also be arranged so that the
central axis M is curvilinear as shown in Figure 6. In the extreme case
shown in Figure 6, the partial faces 9, 10 of the stones are in abutting
relation along with the central edges 11. The configuration o~ the stones
is exaggerated in Figures 5 and 6 as compared to Figure 1.
As can be seen in Figure 5, the joints in adjacent rows o the
paving stones can be offset. A typical paving stone measures approximately
16 centimeters along each side and the stone has a height o 10 centillleters.
Thirty-nine stones cover an area of one square meter.
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