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Concrete retaining wall block

a technology of concrete blocks and retaining walls, applied in the field of concrete blocks, can solve the problems of block loss of natural appearance, block cannot form attractive retaining walls, and limited relief or texture is possibl

Inactive Publication Date: 2008-07-03
ROSETTA HARDSCAPES
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is about creating concrete blocks that look like natural stones. These blocks can be stacked without mortar to form a retaining wall. They have parallel top and bottom sides that allow them to form a stable wall. The top and bottom sides can have some texture to imitate the irregular texture of natural stones. The front, left, and right sides are irregular, with patterns that simulate natural stones. These sides may be deeply grooved. The front side is not parallel to the rear side and is not perpendicular to the top and bottom sides of the block. This makes the concrete block look more natural and rock-like."

Problems solved by technology

Although the blocks may have textured surfaces to improve their appearance, they do not form an attractive retaining wall.
When the sides of the wall blocks are all either parallel or trapezoidal, only limited relief or texture is possible, since the texture does not extend from the face or front side onto the left and right sides for a substantial portion or all of the depth of the block.
This causes the block to lose its natural appearance.

Method used

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Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0013]Referring to FIGS. 1-3 a cast concrete retaining wall block 10 is shown according to a first embodiment of the invention. As used herein, the term “retaining wall block” refers to large cast concrete blocks which are stacked to form landscape retaining walls. Typically, the concrete retaining wall blocks weigh from about 200 pounds to 2,000 pounds or more. The blocks 10 are cast from concrete and may have, for example, a maximum width of from about 2 feet to over 6 feet, a height of from about 6 inches to 2 feet or more, and a depth of from about 12 inches to 3 feet or more.

[0014]The block 10 is cast with a substantially flat back side 11 which is best seen in FIG. 3. The block 10 is cast in a form (not shown) having an open top. The back or rear side 11 is formed by an exposed surface of the concrete poured into the form and will have imperfections which are typically found in an unfinished concrete surface. A bent rod may be embedded in the concrete to form a loop 12 which e...

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PUM

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Abstract

A retaining wall block which simulates natural stone blocks and which can be dry stacked to form a landscape retaining wall. The block has a generally flat back and substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces which extend substantially perpendicular to the back. The front of the block and sides of the block are preferably textured with an irregular pattern which simulates natural stone. The front of the block is sufficiently irregular as to not be perpendicular to the top and bottom or parallel to the back of the block. Sides of the block are not parallel to each other and may be textured to have an appearance consistent with the front of the block.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Not Applicable.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not Applicable.TECHNICAL FIELD[0003]The invention relates to concrete blocks and more particularly to concrete blocks which imitate natural rock and are suitable for dry stacking to construct retaining walls.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]Various configurations are used for forming concrete blocks used to construct retaining walls. In the simplest form, blocks are formed having either rectangular or square sides. These blocks may be stacked to form a retaining wall. Although the blocks may have textured surfaces to improve their appearance, they do not form an attractive retaining wall. Retaining wall blocks also are formed to interlock when stacked to increase the strength of the retaining wall. In some cases, blocks are formed with parallel top and bottom sides and parallel front and back sides with left and right sides angles relative to the front sid...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): E02D29/02
CPCE02D29/0266E02D29/025
Inventor MANTHEI, JAMES A.MANTHEI, JEREMY L.
Owner ROSETTA HARDSCAPES