Patent US3668832A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3668832A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Plastic building block
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1970-06-05
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Granted: 1972-06-13
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Expires: 1990-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A plastic building block comprising a pair of spaced side walls, a front end wall, a rear end wall, and a bottom wall that form a rectangular box-like shape with an open top. Each side wall has a thickened reinforced layer and a thinner border area. The rear end of each side wall has a cut-away section of reduced thickness and the forward end of each side wall includes a leading section that extends beyond the front end wall. Complementary, angularly oriented tongues and grooves are defined between the leading sections of a first block and the cut-away sections of a second block. Adjacent, identical blocks are assembled into wall sections by sliding the tongues of the first block into the grooves of the second block, or vice versa, so that the thinner leading sections of the first block straddle the cut-away sections of the second block and overlap the joints formed therebetween. THe thinner border area of an upper block, which is coextensive with the exterior face of said block, straddles the border area of a lower block, said border area being coextensive with the interior face of said block. Thus, the joints formed between the upper block and the lower block are overlapped.
Inventors
- 👤 James D Harman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 10:47
CPC Classifications
E; E04; E04B; E04B2/00; E04B2/02; E04B2/14; E04B2/16; E04B2/18; E04B2002/0202; E04B2002/0232; E04B2002/0234
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
223 words
A plastic, integrally molded building block comprising: a. a pair of spaced side walls, b. a front end wall, a rear end wall disposed perpendicular to said side walls, and a bottom wall joining said walls together to form a substantially rectangular box-like shape that is sealed at its bottom and open at its top, c. each of said side walls including a leading section that extends forwardly beyond the junction of said front wall, said bottom wall and said side walls, d. each of said side walls further including a central rectangular reinforced layer and a cut-away section located just forwardly of the junction between the junction of said rear wall and said side walls, e. said reinforced layer being surrounded on all sides by a border area, said border area having a thickness that is approximately one-half the thickness of said reinforced layer, f. the length and height dimensions of the cut-way section being equal to the length and height dimensions of the leading sections, and g. downwardly sloping complementary tongues and grooves located within said border area and defined between said leading sections of a first block and said cut-away sections of a second block, so that the leading sections of a first block can be slid into straddling and locking engagement with the cutaway sections of a second block.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
223 words
A plastic, integrally molded building block comprising: a. a pair of spaced side walls, b. a front end wall, a rear end wall disposed perpendicular to said side walls, and a bottom wall joining said walls together to form a substantially rectangular box-like shape that is sealed at its bottom and open at its top, c. each of said side walls including a leading section that extends forwardly beyond the junction of said front wall, said bottom wall and said side walls, d. each of said side walls further including a central rectangular reinforced layer and a cut-away section located just forwardly of the junction between the junction of said rear wall and said side walls, e. said reinforced layer being surrounded on all sides by a border area, said border area having a thickness that is approximately one-half the thickness of said reinforced layer, f. the length and height dimensions of the cut-way section being equal to the length and height dimensions of the leading sections, and g. downwardly sloping complementary tongues and grooves located within said border area and defined between said leading sections of a first block and said cut-away sections of a second block, so that the leading sections of a first block can be slid into straddling and locking engagement with the cutaway sections of a second block.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The building block as defined in claim 1 wherein said tongues are formed on the interior surfaces of said leading sections and said grooves are formed on the exterior surfaces of said cut-away sections.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The building block as defined in claim 1 wherein the interior surface of each side wall has slots formed therein and support plates are inserted therein for enhancing the structural rigidity of said block.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The building block as defined in claim 1 wherein the walls defining the grooves taper outwardly so that the grooves are widest at their bottoms and the tapered walls forming the tongues are narrowest at their bottoms.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The building block as defined in claim 1 wherein the corners of the border area are approximately one-half the thickness of the remainder of said border area.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
238 words
A plastic, integrally molded building block comprising: a. a pair of spaced side walls, b. a front end wall and a rear end wall disposed perpendicular to said side walls and joining said walls together, c. a bottom wall secured to said side walls, said front end wall and said rear end wall to form a substantially rectangular box-like shape with an open top, d. said bottom wall being spaced above the lower edges of said side walls so that depending sections are formed on said side walls, e. a leading section formed on each of said side walls that extends forwardly from the junction of said front wall and said side walls, f. said leading sections being equal in height to the height of said side walls, g. said leading sections and said depending sections being formed with a thickness approximately one-half of that of the remainder of said side walls, h. a border area of reduced thickness located just forwardly of the junction between said rear wall and said side walls, i. said border area being equal in thickness to said leading sections and Said depending sections, j. the height dimension of said border area being equal to the height of said side walls and the length dimension of said border area being equal to the length of said side walls, k. tongues formed on the interior surfaces of said leading sections and said depending sections,
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
238 words
A plastic, integrally molded building block comprising: a. a pair of spaced side walls, b. a front end wall and a rear end wall disposed perpendicular to said side walls and joining said walls together, c. a bottom wall secured to said side walls, said front end wall and said rear end wall to form a substantially rectangular box-like shape with an open top, d. said bottom wall being spaced above the lower edges of said side walls so that depending sections are formed on said side walls, e. a leading section formed on each of said side walls that extends forwardly from the junction of said front wall and said side walls, f. said leading sections being equal in height to the height of said side walls, g. said leading sections and said depending sections being formed with a thickness approximately one-half of that of the remainder of said side walls, h. a border area of reduced thickness located just forwardly of the junction between said rear wall and said side walls, i. said border area being equal in thickness to said leading sections and Said depending sections, j. the height dimension of said border area being equal to the height of said side walls and the length dimension of said border area being equal to the length of said side walls, k. tongues formed on the interior surfaces of said leading sections and said depending sections,
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-13 | 1975-12-13 | 1976-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-13 | 1979-12-13 | 1980-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-13 | 1983-12-13 | 1984-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |