Building brick and wall structure

Claim 1

A wall constructed of horizontal rows and vertical columns of similar bricks, in which each brick has: i. first and second spaced side members, each side member having a pair of vertical, parallel end edges and a pair of horizontal parallel upper and lower edges, the end edges and upper and lower edges of the first side member being coplanar with the corresponding end edges and upper and lower edges of the second side member, ii. first and second spaced connecting members extending between the first and second side members, the connecting members having lower edges coplanar with the lower edges of the side members, and upper edges spaced below the upper edges of the side members, the connecting members having outer faces spaced inwards of the end edges of the side members so that end portions of the side members extend outward from the brick beyond the connecting members, the four members of each brick defining a generally rectangular-sectioned hollow brick having side faces defined by the side members, open end faces defined in part by the end edges of the side members, an open upper face defined in part by the upper edges of the side member, and an open lower face defined by the lower edges of the side members and the lower edges of the connecting members, and in which each brick further includes: iii. a cover plate having a width defined by space between opposed faces of the side members and a length sufficient to support the plate on the connecting members, means being provided to prevent movement of the plate relative to the brick, the plate having an upper surface spaced below the upper edges of the side members sufficiently to provide a longitudinal cavity extending along the brick to ends thereof, the cover plate supported on the upper edges of the connecting members to define therebeneath an inner cavity within the brick, the inner cavity having an open lower end defined by the lower edges of the connecting members and portions of the lower edges of the side members; the bricks of the wall being disposed so that, in a particular column of bricks the end edges of upper bricks are aligned with the end edges of lower bricks so as to align the inner cavities vertically, and in particular row of bricks upper and lower edges of bricks are aligned so as to align the longitudinal cavities horizontally, and in a plane portion of the wall upper and lower faces of all the bricks are generally coplanar; the wall further including: iv. a rectangular grid of horizontal and vertical concrete supports provided in spaces defined by portions of adjacent bricks; the horizontal concrete supports being contained in the aligned longitudinal cavities and being defined in part by opposed faces of the side members above a cover plate, lower edges of connecting members of an adjacent upper brick and the upper surface of the cover plate; the vertical concrete supports extending between adjacent vertically aligned inner cavities and being defined in part by opposed inner faces of the end portions of the side members and opposed outer faces of the connecting members of adjacent bricks, the open lower end of the inner cavity within each brick being closed by a portion of an upper surface of a horizontal support of concrete within the adjacent lower brick.