Building construction gasket

Claim 1

In a mortar free joint in a wall construction having building blocks with opposed parallel edges and means for spacing such edges apart a predetermined distance with the edge of one block having a recessed channel extending inwardly away from the opposite block, the improvement comprising a gasket intermediate said opposed block edges, said gasket comprising an elongate strip of a resilient material having a cross-sectional configuration including a generally flat body portion, a head portion having a longitudinal axis parallel to said body portion and having a depth, prior to compression, greater than said predetermined distance such that placement between said blocks will tightly compress the adjacent faces of said head portion against the opposed parallel edges of said blocks, said head portion including a passage extending the length of said gasket strip, said passage in cross-section being substantially coextensive in length from the end of said head protion to said body portion and having a depth greater than the difference between the depth of said entire head and said predetermined block distance such that compression of said head portion between said blocks to a depth equal to said predetermined distance will not completely collapse said passage, the end of said head portion having an arcuate convex configuration extending between the upper and lower faces of said head portion, a tail portion extending from said body portion in an arcuate path downwardly and away from said heat portion with the upper surfaces of the head, body and tail providing a continuous upper surface, and a foot portion extending generally normal to said head, body and tail portions from the lower surface of said body portion intermediate said head and tail portions, said foot portion including at least one pair of opposed ribs extending laterally outwardly from said foot portion and having an uncompressed total width slightly larger than the width of said channel whereby insertion of said foot into said channel will distort said ribs causing them to bear against the faces of said channel.