Erosion control

Claim 2

An erosion-controlling protective surfacing applied to the soil, said surfacing comprising flexible liquid-permeable supporting sheet means conforming to the contour of the soil and a mat of blocks on Said supporting sheet means, said mat being constituted by a plurality of blocks in side-by-side substantially abutting arrangement, means securing each of said blocks to said sheet-supporting means, said mat having drainage passageways therethrough extending from an upper surface of said mat to the bottom surface thereof to provide communication from said upper surface to said supporting sheet means whereby liquid can pass, in either direction, between said upper surface and the soil through said supporting sheet means and said mat, no portion of any block overlying any portion of any block adjacent thereto so that each block can move vertically relative to each block adjacent thereto.

Claim 3

A surfacing according to claim 1, including filter means.

Claim 4

A surfacing according to claim 2, wherein said filter means comprises vegetation growing in said passageways.

Claim 5

A surfacing according to claim 2, wherein said filter means is a filter sheet beneath said mat of blocks.

Claim 6

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises an adhesive.

Claim 7

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises penetrating fastener means.

Claim 8

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein said supporting sheet means comprises a plurality of sheets.

Claim 9

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein said supporting sheet means includes at least one filter sheet.

Claim 10

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein said supporting sheet means includes at least one sheet of synthetic mesh.

Claim 11

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein there is another mat of blocks beneath said supporting sheet means.

Claim 12

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein there is a sheet secured to the top surface of the mat of blocks.

Claim 13

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein the periphery of each of said blocks is so shaped that portions of the peripheries of the blocks are spaced apart from portions of peripheries of adjacent blocks, such spaced-apart peripheries defining said passageways.

Claim 14

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein each block has a bottom surface and an upper surface and at least two intersecting grooves extending in the plane of said upper surface, at least one of said grooves being spaced from the edges of said block, and at least one channel extending from the bottom of the intersection of said grooves through said bottom surface, the channels of said blocks defining said passageways.

Claim 15

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein each block has a bottom surface and an upper surface and at least two intersecting grooves extending in the plane of said upper surface, at least one of said grooves being spaced from the edges of said block, and at least one channel extending from the bottom of the intersection of said grooves through said bottom surface, the channels of said blocks defining said passageways.

Claim 16

A surfacing according to claim 1, wherein said surfacing includes vegetation-growth-producing material.

Claim 17

An erosion-controlling protective surfacing to be applied to the soil to prevent erosion thereof, comprising a flexible liquid-permeable supporting sheet means positionable on the soil and a plurality of blocks in a side-by-side substantially abutting arrangement superposed on said supporting sheet means forming a mat of blocks thereon, each of said blocks being secured to said supporting sheet means, said mat having drainage passageways therethrough extending from an upper surface thereof to the bottom surface thereof to provide communication from said upper surface to said supporting sheet means whereby, when said assembly is applied to the soil, liquid can pass in either direction between said upper surface and the soil through said supporting sheet means and said mat, said assembly being sufficiently flexible to conform to the contour of said soil, no portion of any block overlying any portion of any block adjacent thereto so that each block can move vertically relative to each block adjacent thereto.

Claim 18

An erosion-controlling protective surfacing to be applied to the soil to prevent erosion thereof, comprising a flexible liquid-permeable supporting sheet means positionable on the soil and a plurality of blocks in a side-by-side substantially abutting arrangement superposed on said supporting sheet means forming a mat of blocks thereon, each of said blocks being secured to said supporting sheet means, said mat having drainage passageways therethrough extending from an upper surface thereof to the bottom surface thereof to provide communication from said upper surface to said supporting sheet means whereby, when said assembly is applied to the soil, liquid can pass in either direction between said upper surface and the soil through said supporting sheet means and said mat, said assembly being sufficiently flexible to conform to the contour of said soil, no portion of any block overlying any portion of any block adjacent thereto so that each block can move vertically relative to each block adjacent thereto.

Claim 19

A surfacing assembly According to claim 16, including filter means.

Claim 20

A surfacing according to claim 17, wherein said filter means is a filter sheet beneath said mat of blocks.

Claim 21

A surfacing according to claim 18, wherein said filter means comprises at least one filter sheet positioned beneath said mat of blocks.

Claim 22

A surfacing according to claim 16, wherein said supporting sheet means comprises a plurality of sheets.

Claim 23

A surfacing according to claim 16, wherein said supporting sheet means includes at least one filter sheet.

Claim 24

A surfacing according to claim 16, wherein said supporting sheet means includes at least one sheet of synthetic means.

Claim 25

A surfacing according to claim 16, wherein there is a sheet secured to the top surface of the mat of blocks.

Claim 26

A surfacing according to claim 16, wherein the periphery of each of said blocks is so shaped that portions of the peripheries of the blocks are spaced apart from portions of peripheries of adjacent blocks, such spaced-apart peripheries defining said passageways.

Claim 27

A surfacing according to claim 16, wherein each block has a bottom surface and an upper surface and at least two intersecting grooves extending in the plane of said upper surface, at least one of said groove being spaced from the edges of said block, and at least one channel extending from the bottom of the intersection of said grooves through said bottom surface, the channels of said blocks defining said passageways.

Claim 28

A surfacing surfacing according to claim 16, wherein each block has a bottom surface and an upper surface and at least two intersecting grooves extending in the plane of said upper surface, at least one of said grooves being spaced from the edges of said block, and at least one channel extending from the bottom of the intersection of said grooves through said bottom surface, the channels of said blocks defining said passageways.