Interlocking cementitious building blocks

Claim 2

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body of rectangular configuration having an upper horizontal surface and a lower horizontal surface; (b) a spaced pair of passages formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof, said passages formed with square in horizontal cross sectional configurations and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide eight open corners arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (c) eight corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said pair of passages at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel so as to extend in cantilever fashion toward the center of its respective one of said passages; and (d) eight projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 3

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 1 wherein: said cementitious body is formed with a height of the desired dimension in inches ±0.015, and a length of the desired dimension in inches less an amount in the range of from 0.006 to 0.090.

Claim 4

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 1 wherein the predetermined geometric array of the open corners provided by said passages comprises: said open corners arranged in two spaced apart longitudinally extending rows with each row having four (4) of said open corners equidistantly spacedly arranged therein, the four (4) open corners in one row being transversely aligned with the four (4) open corners in the other row with the space between each adjacent pair of longitudinally aligned open corners being equal to the space between said pair of rows so that four open corners of the two (2) rows at one end of said body will define an end square, the four (4) open corners of the two rows that are spaced from the end projections of said body will define an intermediate square, and the four (4) open corners of the two (2) rows at the other end of said body will define another end square, all of said squares being equally sized.

Claim 5

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of spaced passages is located within a different one of the end squares defined by said open corners.

Claim 6

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 1 wherein: (a) said upper horizontal surface is defined by a spaced parallel pair of longitudinal side edges and a spaced pair of parallel transverse end edges; (b) said projections are arranged in two spaced longitudinally extending rows with each row having four (4) of said projections equidistantly spacedly arranged therein, the four (4) projections in one row being transversely aligned with the four (4) projections in the other row with the space between each adjacent pair of longitudinally aligned projections being equal to the space between said pair of rows; and (c) each longitudinal row of projections being equally spaced inwardly from their respectively adjacent one of said side edges and the end projections of the rows being equally spaced inwardly from their respectively adjacent ones of said end edges.

Claim 7

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said eight (8) projections are of equally sized one-half frustro-conical configuration.

Claim 8

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said eight projections are equally sized with respect to each other, each of said projections configured to form one-half of a frustro-conical projection having a substantially planar vertical surface which is disposed to face toward the center of its respective one of said pair of passages.

Claim 9

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 1 wherein the corner corbels which support said shelves depend angularly from their respective ones of said shelves and merge with the interior walls of said body which define said passages.

Claim 10

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body of rectangular configuration having an upper horizontal surface and a lower horizontal surface; (b) a first passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof, said first passage formed with a square in horizontal cross sectional configuration and opening into the lower surface of said body to provide four open corners in the lower surface of said body; (c) a second passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof and having one open side to provide said body with an open end, said second passage substantially U-shaped in horizontal cross section and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide an additional two open corners in the lower surface of said body; (d) said four open corners provided by said first passage and said two additional open corners provided by said second passage being arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (e) six corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said first and said second passages at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel and extending in cantilever fashion toward the center of its respective one of said first and said second passages; and (f) six projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 11

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body of rectangular configuration having an upper horizontal surface and a lower horizontal surface; (b) a first passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof, said first passage formed with a square in horizontal cross sectional configuration and opening into the lower surface of said body to provide four open corners in the lower surface of said body; (c) a second passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof and having one open side to provide said body with an open end, said second passage substantially U-shaped in horizontal cross section and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide an additional two open corners in the lower surface of said body; (d) said four open corners provided by said first passage and said two additional open corners provided by said second passage being arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (e) six corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said first and said second passages at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel and extending in cantilever fashion toward the center of its respective one of said first and said second passages; and (f) six projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 12

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 9 wherein: (a) said upper surface is defined by a spaced parallel pair of longitudinal side edges, a transverse end edge and an interrupted transverse end edge; (b) said projections are arranged in two (2) spaced longitudinally extending rows with each row having three (3) of said projections equidistantly spacedly arranged therein, the three (3) projections in one row being transversely aligned with the three (3) projections in the other row with the space between each adjacent pair of longitudinally aligned projections being equal to the space between said pair of rows; and (c) each longitudinal row of projections being equally spaced inwardly from their respectively adjacent one of the side edges with two (2) transversely aligned end projections being spaced from the transverse end edge an amount equal to the space between the other two transversely aligned end projections and the interrupted transverse end edge.

Claim 13

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 9 wherein each of said six projections are of equally sized one-half frustro-conical configuration.

Claim 14

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 9 wherein each of said six projections are equally sized with respect to each other, each of said projections configured to form one-half of a frustro-conical projection having a substantially planar vertical surface which is disposed to face toward the center of its respective one of said first and said second passages.

Claim 15

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 9 wherein the corner corbels which support said shelves depend angularly from their respective ones of said shelves and merge with the interior walls of said body which define said passages.

Claim 16

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body having an upper horizontal surface, a lower horizontal surface, a pair of opposed vertical face surfaces, and an opposed pair of vertical end surfaces; (b) a passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces and having one open side extending to one of the vertical end surfaces of said body, said passage substantially U-shaped in horizontal cross section and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide a spaced pair of open corners in the lower surface of said body with those open corners arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (c) a pair of corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said passage at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel and extending in a cantilever fashion toward the center of said passage; and (d) a pair of projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 17

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body having an upper horizontal surface, a lower horizontal surface, a pair of opposed vertical face surfaces, and an opposed pair of vertical end surfaces; (b) a passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces and having one open side extending to one of the vertical end surfaces of said body, said passage substantially U-shaped in horizontal cross section and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide a spaced pair of open corners in the lower surface of said body with those open corners arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (c) a pair of corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said passage at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel and extending in a cantilever fashion toward the center of said passage; and (d) a pair of projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 18

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 14 wherein: (a) said upper horizontal surface of said body is defined by a spaced pair of opposed side edges, an end edge and an opposed interrupted end edge; and (b) said projections spacedly aligned with each other normally with respect to said opposed pair of side edges and equally spaced from said end edge and said interrupted end edge, each of said projections equally spaced from their respective adjacent ones of said opposed side edges.

Claim 19

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 14 wherein each of said pair of projections are of equally sized one-half frustro-conical configuration.

Claim 20

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 14 wherein each of said pair of projections are equally sized with respect to each other, each of said projections configured to form one-half of a frustro-conical projection having a substantially planar vertical surface which is disposed to face toward the center of said passage.

Claim 21

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 14 wherein the corner corbels which support said shelves depend angularly from their respective ones of said shelves and merge with the interior walls of said body which define said passage.

Claim 22

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body having an upper horizontal surface, a lower horizontal surface, an opposed pair of vertical face surfaces and an opposed pair of vertical end surfaces; (b) a passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof, said passage formed with a square in horizontal cross sectional configuration and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide four open corners in the lower surface of said body with those open corners arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (c) four corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said passage at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel and extending in cantilever fashion toward the center of said passage; and (d) four projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 23

An interlocking building block comprising: (a) a cementitious body having an upper horizontal surface, a lower horizontal surface, an opposed pair of vertical face surfaces and an opposed pair of vertical end surfaces; (b) a passage formed through said body so as to extend between the upper and lower surfaces thereof, said passage formed with a square in horizontal cross sectional configuration and opening onto the lower surface of said body to provide four open corners in the lower surface of said body with those open corners arranged in a predetermined array in the lower surface of said body; (c) four corner spanning shelves each located in a different corner of said passage at the upper surface of said body, each of said shelves supported on an integral corner corbel and extending in cantilever fashion toward the center of said passage; and (d) four projections each integrally formed to extend upwardly from a different one of said shelves so as to be arranged on the upper surface of said body in the same geometric array as said open corners are arranged in the lower surface of said body.

Claim 24

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 19 wherein: said projections define and locate the four corners of a square which is centrally located on the upper surface of said body.

Claim 25

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 19 wherein each of said pair of projections are of equally sized one-half frustro-conical configuration.

Claim 26

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 19 wherein each of said projections are equally sized with respect to each other, each of said projections configured to form one-half of a frustro-conical projection having a substantially planar vertical surface which is disposed to face toward the center of said passage.

Claim 27

An interlocking building block as claimed in claim 19 wherein the corner corbels which support said shelves depend angularly from their respective ones of said shelves and merge with the interior walls of said body which define said passage.