GB2269197A

GB2269197A - Paver incorporating direction indicating means

Info

Publication number: GB2269197A
Application number: GB9308357A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Malcolm Lees
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-07-28
Filing date: 1993-04-22
Publication date: 1994-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2013-04-22
Also published as: GB9215975D0; GB9308357D0; GB2269197B

Abstract

A pavement comprising a plurality of pavers, one of the pavers 10 comprising a body 11 having a socket 13 provided in a surface of the body and a direction indicating means 15 which is receivable in the socket in different angular orientations relative to an axis X-X which is normal to the surface of the body in which the socket is provided. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: New and Improved Paver Description of Invention This invention relates to a new and improved paver in or for a pavement.

According to one aspect of the present invention, we provide a paver comprising a body having a socket provided in a surface of the body and a direction indicating means which is receivable in the socket in different angular orientations relative to an axis which is normal to the surface of the body in which the socket is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, we provide a pavement comprising a plurality of pavers, one of the pavers comprising a body having a socket provided in a surface of the body and a direction indicating means which is receivable in the socket in different angular orientations relative to an axis which is normal to the surface of the body in which the socket is provided.

According to a third aspect of the invention, we provide a method of laying a pavement comprising laying a plurality of pavers in juxtaposition, one of said pavers comprising a body having a socket provided in a surface of the body and a direction indicating means which is receivable in the socket in a different angular orientation relative to an axis which is normal to the surface of the body in which the socket is provided, and disposing the direction indicating means in said socket in an angular orientation so as to indicate a predetermined geographical direction.

The socket may be a recess or a through aperture.

The socket may be formed directly in the material of the paver or the socket may be provided by an insert mounted in the paver.

The paver may comprise a paving stone, paving slab, paving tile, brick or the like.

The paving stone may be made of natural stone or reconstituted stone, the paving slab may be made of concrete or reconstituted stone, the paving tile may be made of clay or concrete, the brick may be made of clay.

Alternatively, any of the abovementioned forms of paver may be made of any other suitable material or combination of materials including, for example, metal or ceramic.

The paving stone, slab or tile may comprise a flat broad piece of material and may be square or rectangular or other polygonal shape or other shape adapted to be juxtaposed with other paving slabs or stones.

The socket may have a circumferentially extending surface centred on said axis and the direction indicating means may have a circumferentially extending surface centred on said axis, or a plurality of portions lying on a circle centred on said axis,, said surface or portions being adapted to co-operate with the circumferentially extending surface of the socket to enable the direction indicating means to be rotatably received in the socket.

Alternatively, the socket may have a circumferentially extending surface centred on said axis or a plurality of portions lying on a circle centred on said axis and the direction indicating means has a circular circumferentially extending surface adapted to co-operate with the circumferentially extending surface of the socket or said portions of the socket to enable the direction indicating means to be rotatably received in the socket.

The socket may be rebated.

Where the socket is rebated, said circumferentially extending surface or portions of the socket or direction indicating means may be provided by a wall of the rebate.

Means may be provided to maintain the direction indicating means in a fixed orientation in the socket. Said means may, for example, comprise adhesive means.

Alternatively, said means may comprise settable means.

The settable means may be adapted to mechanically engage with a key portion of the socket and a key portion of the direction indicating means.

Further alternatively, said means may comprise a screw threaded fastener passed through an aperture in the direction indicating means, which may be on said axis and threadedly received in an element engaged with the body of the paver.

The direction indicating means may comprise a metal disc which may be provided with an ornamental surface, the ornamental surface including a direction indicating element.

The pavement may comprise any paved surface such as a path, yard, street, floor, road, patio or other area formed with paving stones, paving slabs, paving tiles or bricks, juxtaposed and preferably fitted closely together so as to give a compact and relatively uniform and smooth surface.

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a paver embodying the invention; FIGURE la is a perspective view of a package containing the paver of Figure 1, FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a pavement embodying the invention; FIGURE 3 is a plan view of an alternative paver embodying the invention; FIGURE 4 is a plan view of another alternative paver embodying the invention; and FIGURES 5 and 6 are fragmentary cross-sections through another alternative paver embodying the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, a paver is shown at 10 and comprises a paving slab having a square body 11 having an upper surface 12 in which a socket 13 is cast or otherwise -formed, for example, by cutting. The socket 13 is a recess having a cylindrical circumferentially extending side surface 14 centred on an axis X-X which is normal to the surface 12 of the body 11 and a bottom wall 14a.

In the present example the body 11 is made of concrete but, if desired, the body 11 may be made of other materials such as reconstituted stone or natural stone and may be made of other shape than that illustrated. For example, it may be rectangular, hexagonal or other polygonal shape or indeed of any shape regular or irregular whereby the paver can be laid in a pavement with other pavers, which may be of the same or different shape, in a limited number of angular orientations.

A disc shaped direction indicating means 15 is adapted to be received within the socket 13. The direction indicating means 15 has a circumferentially extending side surface 16 which is of cylindrical configuration and slightly smaller diameter than the surface 14 so that the surfaces 14 and 16 cooperate to guide the direction indicating means 15 for angular rotation within the socket 13 about the axis X-X. The direction indicating means is made as a brass casting but may be made of any other suitable material formed in any suitable manner.

An upper surface 17 of the direction indicating means 15 is provided with a suitable direction indicating element 18 and may also be provided with a suitable decorative pattern as indicated at 19. The direction indicating element 18 is in the form of an arrow but may be labelled with a desired geographical direction such as North or may be some other suitable indicating means.

Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a section of a pavement which, in the present example, is a pathway but which may be any other form of pavement such as a street, path, yard, floor, road, patio or other area formed with paving stones, paving slabs, paving tiles, bricks, juxtaposed and preferably fitted closely together so as to give a compact and relatively uniform and smooth surface.

The pathway comprises a plurality of pavers 20 of the same overall shape as the paver 10 shown in Figure 1 but unprovided with the socket 13. The pavement is laid in conventional manner with the pavers oriented as required by the site.

When laying the pavement, incorporated in the pavement at a desired position, is the paver 10 of Figure 1. The orientation of the paver 10 to a particular geographical direction is governed by the need for the paver 10 to interfit with the other pavers 20.

However, by disposing the direction indicating means 15 in a suitable angular orientation relative to the axis X-X the indicating element 18 may be arranged to point in a selected geographical direction, for example North or East or in the direction of Mecca.

An aperture 21 is provided, for example, by casting or drilling, in the centre of the direction indicating means 15 and a fastener 22 is passed through the aperture 21 and engaged with the paver. The fastener 22 may comprise a thread forming screw such as a wood screw or self tapping screw and be gauged with an insert such as a rawl plug 23 provided in a bore 24 in the paver. The friction created when the fastener 21 is tightened is sufficient to hold the direction indicating means in the selected orientation.

If desired, the bore 24 may be drilled in the paver by the user as part of the laying operation.

Alternatively, the aperture may be pre-formed in the paver prior to purchase by the user and the insert may be pre-inserted or sold with the paver for insertion by the user. Further alternatively, the bore 24 may be a through bore and the fastener may comprise a bolt or set screw with a nut being engaged therewith, means being provided to prevent rotation of the nut on tightening of the threaded fastener. For example, the nut may be housed in a suitably shaped recess on the underside of the paver which cooperates with the nut to prevent rotation. Alternatively, a threaded insert may be provided mounted in the paver to receive the fastener. If desired, the paver may be sold with a threaded fastener engaged in such an insert and passing through the aperture 21 so as to retain the direction indicating means in the socket.

If desired, a spigot or the like may be provided to upstand from the bottom wall 14a of the socket and be received in a central aperture in the direction indicating means to guide the direction indicating means for rotation about the axis X-X. In this case no circumferential extending wall of the socket or direction indicating means need to inter-engage for guiding purposes.

The spigot may be provided with a retaining means to fix the direction indicating means in the selected orientation. For example, the spigot may be provided with an insert such as a rawl plug or a threaded insert to receive a suitable fastener which may be tightened into engagement with the direction indicating means in the region surrounding the central aperture.

Further alternatively, one, or a plurality of, apertures may be provided, for example by casting or drilling, at positions spaced from the centre of the direction indicating means and a corresponding number of apertures formed, for example by drilling, in the bottom wall 14a of the socket after the direction indicating means has been moved into selected orientation and a suitable insert such as a rawl plug engaged in the or each such aperture and a fastener such as the abovementioned thread forming screw engaged with the or each insert.

Alternatively, a suitable adhesive may be provided between the direction indicating means 15 and the side wall 14 or bottom wall 14a of the socket so as to fix the direction indicating means in the selected orientation.

If desired, a recess such as the recess shown at 25, may be provided in the bottom wall 14a of the recess to house one or more items, whilst the paver is, for example, offered for sale and transported between a place of manufacture and/or a place of sale and/or from the place of sale to a user's premises. The recess 25 may house items such as an adhesive and/or one or more thread forming screws and rawl plug type inserts and/or a compass to facilitate fixing of the direction indicating means in the selected orientation.

If desired, one or more key portions, such as the three recesses shown at 19a, 19 may be provided in the bottom wall 14a of the recess and the undersurface 17a of the direction indicating means respectively so that a mechanical key with an adhesive or a settable medium may be provided. If desired, the recess 25 may provide the or one such key portion.

Although in the above described and illustrated examples the case of a square in plan view paving slab has been described, the pavers may be of any other suitable configuration such as rectangular, hexagonal or other polygonal shape or indeed of any shape regular or irregular whereby the paver can be laid in a pavement with other pavers, which may be of the same or different shape, in a limited number of angular orientations.

In addition, the pavers may be made of any suitable material, a paving stone may be made of natural stone or reconstituted stone, the paving slab may be made of concrete or reconstituted stone, the paving tile may be made of clay or concrete, the brick may be made of clay.

Although in Figures 1 and 2 a socket having a cylindrical circumferential side surface 14 and direction indicating means having a cylindrical circumferential side surface 16 have been described, if desired, the surfaces 14 and 16 may be of frusto-conical co-operating configuration.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, in which the same reference numerals have been used for corresponding parts as were used in Figures 1 and 2, the side surface 13 of the direction indicating means 15 may be a continuous circular, in plan view, surface, the side surface 31 of the socket comprises at least three portions 32 arranged on a circle separated by portions 33 of greater diameter.

(Figure 3). Alternatively, the side surface 40 of the direction indicating means 15 may have at least three projections 41 which lie in a circle separated by parts 42 of smaller radial extent whilst the side surface of the socket 43 is circular, in plan view. (Figure 4).

Further alternatively, the socket 13 and the direction indicating means 15 may be provided with inter-engageable teeth so as to enable the direction indicating means 15 to be engaged in the socket 13 in a plurality but finite number of different angular orientations. Such an arrangement, whilst limiting the connection of the direction in which the indicating element 18 may be directed, may be suitable for certain applications.

If desired, the socket may be a through aperture as shown at 50 in Figure 5, in which the same reference numerals have been used for corresponding parts as are used in Figures 1 and 2.

If desired, the direction indicating means may be rebated as shown at 51 in Figure 5.

If desired, the socket may be rebated as shown at 52 in Figure 6.

Where the socket and/or the direction indicating means are rebated, the hereinbefore mentioned aperture or apertures and associated fasteners may be provided in the rebated portions 51, 52.

In all the previously described embodiments the socket may be provided in an insert member, which may be made of any desired shape, mounted in a recess or opening of suitable shape in the paver. Such an insert is shown at 53 in Figure 6.

The insert may be made of any suitable material. For example, it may be made of the same material as the paver, or the same material as the direction indicating means or of other material and it may be mounted in the paver in any desired manner.

If desired, suitable mechanical locking means, such as an eccentric, may be provided between the insert and the direction indicating means to enable the direction indicating means to be locked in any desired orientation relative to the insert and hence relative to the paver.

It is preferred that the direction indicating means is removably mounted in the socket so as to enable the insert to be removed so that it may be marked, for example by virtue of being engraved, with personal information, for example the date of birth of the owners' children and it is accordingly preferred removable fixing means such as a screw threaded means described hereinbefore are provided.

As shown in Figure la, the paver may be packed in a box 26 with the direction indicating means 15 in the socket 13 and any desired items in the recess 25. The box 26 has a circular opening or window 27 therein to display a desired part of the body and/or direction indicating means. Of course, the box may have a different shape of opening or window and/or position thereof than that illustrated, if desired.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in the terms or means for performing the desired function, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A paver comprising a body having a socket provided in a surface of the body and a direction indicating means which is receivable in the socket in different angular orientations relative to an axis which is normal to the surface of the body in which the socket is provided.

2. A paver according to Claim 1 wherein the socket is a recess.

3. A paver according to Claim 1 wherein the recess is a through aperture.

4. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the socket is formed directly in the material of the paver.

5. A paver according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the socket is provided by an insert mounted in the paver.

6. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the paver comprises a paving stone, a paving slab, a paving tile, a brick or the like.

7. A paver according to Claim 6 wherein the paver is of a shape adapted to be juxtaposed with other pavers.

8. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the socket is a circumferentially extending surface centred on said axis and the direction indicating means has a circumferentially extending surface centred on said axis, or a plurality of portions lying on a surface centred on said axis, said surface or portions being adapted to cooperate with the circumferentially extending surface of the socket to enable the direction indicating means to be rotatably received in the socket.

9. A paver according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the socket has a circumferentially extending surface centred on said axis or a plurality of portions lying on a circle centred on said axis and the direction indicating means has a circular circumferentially extending surface to cooperate with the circumferentially extending surface of the socket or said portions of the socket to enable the direction indicating means to be rotatable received in the socket.

10. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the socket is rebated.

11. A paver according to Claim 10 when dependent upon Claim 8 or Claim 9 wherein said circumferential surface or portions of the socket or direction indicating means are provided by a wall of the rebate.

12. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein means are be provided to maintain the direction indicating means in a fixed orientation in the socket.

13. A paver according to any one of the preceding claim 12 wherein said means comprises adhesive means.

14. A paver according to Claim 12 wherein said means comprises a screw threaded fastener passed through an aperture in the direction indicating means and threadedly received in an element engaged with the body of the paver.

15. A paver according to Claim 14 wherein the aperture is disposed on said axis.

16. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the direction indicating means comprises a metal disc including a direction indicating element.

17. A paver according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the socket is provided in a recess to provide a housing between the body and the direction indicating means when the direction indicating means is in the socket to house ancillary articles.

18. A paver substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A pavement comprising a plurality of pavers according to any one of Claims 1 to 18.

20. A method of laying a pavement comprising laying a plurality of pavers in juxtaposition, one of said pavers comprising a paver according to any one of Claims 1 to 18, and disposing of the direction indicating means in said socket in an angular orientation so as to indicate a pre-determined geographical direction.

21. A package comprising a box having a paver according to any one of Claims 1 to 18 housed therein, a side wall of the box having an opening therein to render part of the paver visible from the exterior of the package.

22. Any novel feature of novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawings.