GB2363807A - Dowel and block wall construction - Google Patents

Abstract

A wall construction comprising: a plurality of dowels 44; and a plurality of blocks 1, each block having and upper face and a lower face and a plurality of blind recesses 16, 26 formed in each of the upper and lower faces, the recesses being interconnected by insertion of a dowel into a recess in the upper face 16 of one block of the pair and into a recess in the lower face 26 of the other block of the pair. The dowels have a radial projection 36 limiting their insertion into recess 16, barbs 34 form a locking engagement with recess 16 and a slit 42 for insertion of a wedge 60 which spreads the end of the dowel providing a tight fit into recess 26.

Description

2363807 BLOCK CONSTRUCTION

Description

The present invention relates to a construction kit suitable for constructing a structure such as a wall.

It is known to construct a solid wall using bricks and mortar The bricks are typically substantially cuboid in shape, with a prism-shaped recess in the two largest faces, which lie opposite one another and which are also the top and bottom faces, for receiving mortar The bricks can be considered also to have front and rear faces which form the main external surfaces of the wall, and two side faces, which are the smallest faces Such a wall is constructed in a layered manner, the first layer being created by connecting bricks at their side faces with a layer of mortar The second layer is added by spreading mortar on the top faces of the first layer and the bottom faces of the bricks to be used for forming the second layer, and, typically, placing the second layer bricks on the top surface of the first layer bricks such that their side faces align with the vertical centrelines of the front and rear faces of the first layer bricks The third layer can be added in a similar manner, such that the third layer bricks are in alignment with the first layer bricks The fourth layer is added in a similar manner, such that the fourth layer bricks are in alignment with the second layer bricks Subsequent layers can be added so as to continue this alignment pattern Variations on this alignment pattern may be used.

This type of wall is most suitable for permanent buildings, such as houses and offices, or other places where a very strong and permanent wall is required One reason for this is that it is relatively time-consuming and expensive to construct such a wall This is firstly because the bricks must be manufactured from clay by a process which includes baking It is of course possible to buy them ready-made but the cost is dictated by the manufacturing process Secondly, mortar must be mixed This mixture rapidly deteriorates in air, therefore it must either be used quickly or kept in motion, by, for example, a cement mixer This requirement, together with the difficulty of accurately aligning the bricks, makes it awkward for unskilled people to construct a wall themselves.

Another reason for using a brick and mortar wall as a permanent structure is that once the mortar has set it is very difficult to de-construct the wall, especially if the bricks are to be kept intact for re-use A further reason is that a brick wall is fairly heavy and therefore requires foundations in order to be safely stable.

If a less permanent structure is required, or a permanent structure is to be constructed in a situation where it would be difficult to provide foundations, one known solution is to use a wooden fence Wooden fences can be constructed in a variety of styles, but in general they are constructed from long, thin sections of wood which are held together by nails or the like This tends to make them cheaper than brick walls, and therefore suitable for applications such as garden sheds or fencing between gardens However, they are much less sturdy than brick walls Secondly, they are not easy to construct, since the sections of wood must be correctly aligned and the nails or other fixings applied in whilst retaining the correct alignment Thirdly, de-construction is not particularly easy, since it would involve removal of the nails or other fixings, which may well have begun to rust by that time.

There is therefore a need for a wall which can be easily and cheaply constructed in a variety of locations Ideally such a wall would be stronger than a wooden fence, and capable of being de-constructed if required This would be useful for non-professional builders who wish to construct walls, or structures comprising walls, themselves, for example in their gardens Preferably, it would be possible to buy ready-made components for constructing such a wall.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a construction kit suitable for constructing a wail comprising: a plurality of dowels; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of blind recesses formed in each of the upper and lower faces, the recesses being sized to snugly receive the dowels; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected by insertion of a dowel into a recess in the upper face of one block of the pair and into a recess in the lower face of the other block of the pair.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided A construction kit suitable for constructing a wall, comprising: a plurality of dowels; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes extending between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels; each dowel having a radial projection for limiting insertion of the dowel into the blocks; and the holes including, at at least one of the upper and lower faces, a radially extending recess sized to receive the radial projections; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected with the upper face of the first block and the lower face of the second block in contact by insertion of a dowel into a first hole of a first block of the pair so as to project from the upper face of that block and into a second hole of a second block of the pair so as to project from the lower face of that block, with the radial projection of the dowel received in the recess.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a construction kit, suitable for constructing a wall, comprising: a plurality of dowels each having a first generally cylindrical portion at one end which includes a slot and a second generally cylindrical portion at the other end; a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes extending between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels; and a plurality of incompressible pegs sized to be received in the slot of a dowel; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected by insertion of a second portion of a dowel into a hole of a first block of the pair and the insertion of the first portion of the dowel into a hole in the lower face of a second block of the pair, the shapes of the walls of the slot and of the pegs co- operating such that insertion of a peg into the slot is capable of spreading the said one end of the dowel to a size that fits tightly into the hole.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a wall comprising: a plurality of dowels; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of blind recesses formed in each of the upper and lower faces, the recesses being sized to snugly receive the dowels; wherein pairs of the blocks are interconnected by a dowel inserted into a recess in the upper face of one block of the pair and into a recess in the lower face of the other block of the pair.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a wall comprising: a plurality of dowels having a radial projection; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes formed between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels and at the upper face having a recess shaped to receive the radial projection; wherein pairs of the blocks are interconnected by a dowel inserted into a hole from the upper face of a first block of the pair and into a hole from the lower face of a second block of the pair, such that the radial projection is received by the recess, thereby limiting the insertion of the dowel in the hole of the first block.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a wall comprising: a plurality of dowels each having a first generally cylindrical portion at one end which includes a slot and a second generally cylindrical portion at the other end; a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes formed between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels; and a plurality of incompressible pegs sized to be received in the slot of a dowel; wherein pairs of the blocks are interconnected by a second portion of a dowel inserted into a hole from the upper face of a first block of the pair and a first portion of the dowel inserted into a hole from the lower face of a second block of the pair, and the shapes of the walls of the slot and of the pegs co-operate such that a peg inserted into the slot is capable of spreading the said one end of the dowel to a size that fits tightly into the hole.

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a 3rd angle projection of a block used in construction of a wall according to first and second embodiments of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a dowel suitable for use in constructing a wall according to first and second embodiments of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a wall constructed according to the invention.

Figure 4 shows two blocks being fitted together in a permanent fashion according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 shows front views of some differently sized blocks suitable for use in first and second embodiments of the invention Figure 6 shows a block suitable for use at a corner or T-junction in first and second embodiments of the invention.

Figure 7 shows an exploded three-dimensional view of the construction of a corner of a wall, which is three blocks high.

Figure 8 shows the construction of a T junction.

Figure 9 shows ground plates for anchoring a wall built with the invention.

Figure 10 shows various capping sections.

Figure 11 is a third angle projection of a block used in construction of a wall according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Figure 12 shows front views of some differently sized blocks suitable for use in the third embodiment of the invention.

Figure 13 shows a dowel suitable for use in constructing a wall according to the third embodiment of the invention.

Figure 14 shows two blocks being fitted together according to the third embodiment of the invention.

Figure 15 shows a block suitable for use at a corner according to the third embodiment of the invention.

In the figures, like reference numerals indicate like parts and lowercase letters are used to distinguish between several like parts.

Figure 1 shows three views of a standard block, indicated generally by reference numeral 1, of a first embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 a is a front view, figure 1 b is a top view and figure 1 c is a side view of a block whose length is six times its width W.

The block 1 is made of wood A number of different types of wood would be suitable for making the block; the appropriate one would be chosen for the intended application of the wall to be constructed The wood of the blocks could be treated to improve its durability or to have a decorative finish It would of course be possible to use different materials, but wood is probably the most convenient for most applications.

Block 1 is substantially cuboid in shape It has a width W, a vertical depth D and a length L The dimensions may vary but in this embodiment the length L is selected to be 6 (figures 1 a-c), 8 (block 100 in Fig 1 d) or 10 (block 110 in Fig 1 e) x W for every main block It has a top face 4, a front face 6, a right hand side face 8, a left hand side face 10,and a bottom face 12 It will be appreciated that the block has respective equivalent rear and opposite side faces.

Perpendicular to the top face 4 and centred across the width of the block are drilled four blind holes which have a depth of 2/5 D measured from the top face 4 and a diameter of W Referring specifically to block 1, the first hole 12 is centred /2 W from the left hand side face 8 The second hole 14 is centred 1/2 W from the right hand side face 10 The third hole 16 is centred Y W to the left of the centreline CIL of the block as measured along the length L, and the fourth hole 18 is centred 1/2 W to the right of the centreline CIL The distance between the centres of holes 16 and 18 is therefore 1 W The holes all lie on the longitudinal centre line of the top face 4, with their centres therefore 1/2 W from front face 6 Each of these holes has a seat 20 cut around them suitable for accepting the collar 36 on the dowel 2, as will be described below with reference to figure 2.

Equivalent holes, aligned similarly to holes 12, 14, 16, 18 and also having a depth of 215 D and a diameter of W are drilled upwards from the bottom face 12 of the block These are indicated by reference numerals 22, 24, 26, 28 respectively.

These holes do not have a seat cut round them.

Thus it can be appreciated that (ignoring the seats 20) the block is symmetrical about all of its three central axes.

Referring to figures 1 d and 1 e, blocks 100 and 110 can be described in a similar manner except the distance between the centrelines of the first holes 12, 22 and the holes 16, 26 is 3 W and 4 W respectively Similarly the distance between the centrelines of holes 18,28 and 14, 24 is 3 W and 4 W respectively Thus the total length of block 100 is 8 W and the total length of block 110 is 1 o W.

Figure 2 shows a dowel 2 made from plastic, suitable for use in the invention It would be possible to use other materials such as wood to make such a dowel.

This dowel is generally circular in cross-section and has a total length of 4/5 D It has a bottom portion 30 and a top portion 32, both of which are 2/5 D in length.

The bottom portion 30 has a core diameter of 1/3 W and has triangularshaped grooves 34 around its circumference which extend along most, but not all, the length of the portion It also has a collar 36 around its top circumference where it meets top portion 32, which is of a size that fits neatly into the seats 20 on holes 12,14,16 and 18 The triangular grooves 34 allow the dowel 2 to be easily driven into these holes but make it difficult to remove accidentally The top portion 32 of the dowel 2 has a core diameter slightly less than 1/3 W and has shallow ribs 38 around its circumference for resisting removal of the dowel once locked in a hole.

Three such ribs 38 are shown in figure 2, disposed at intervals from a top face 40 of the dowel 2, but more or less ribs could be provided Out of top face 40 is cut a slot 42 across the full width of the dowel 2, thus leaving side cheeks 44 and 46 which can be forced apart The depth of slot 42 is a little less than half the length of the dowel 2.

The dowel 2 is designed so that when the bottom portion 30 is driven into holes 12, 14, 16, and 18 it becomes fixed such that the collar 36 sits in the seat 20 and the top of the collar 36 is flush with the upper surface 4 of the block 1, 100, 110.

Thus the top portion 32 of the dowel 2 is in a position to receive holes 22, 24, 26, 28.

Figure 3 shows a plurality of blocks similar to block 1 connected to form a wall 48.

The wall is pictured so that the front faces 6 of the blocks are visible Figure 3 a is general view, showing that the wall comprises five layers of blocks 1 The first layer (on the bottom) is layer 50, and the remaining layers are numbered upwards 52, 54, 56 and 58 Layer 58 is a capping section, which will be discussed in more detail below.

In order to construct the wall in accordance with the first embodiment, dowels 2 are hammered into holes 12, 14, 16, 18 of blocks 1 in row 50 The blocks of row 52 are then hammered into place such that the edges align with the horizontal centre line of the blocks of row 50 This means that there will be dowels 2 connecting holes 12 of the row 50 blocks with holes 28 of the row 52 blocks, dowels 2 connecting holes 14 of the row 50 blocks with holes 26 of the row 52 blocks, dowels 2 connecting holes 16 of the row 50 blocks with holes 24 of the row 52 blocks, and dowels 2 connecting holes 18 of the row 50 blocks with holes 22 of the row 52 blocks.

Figure 3 b shows this arrangement in greater detail than figure 3 a In figure 3 b the holes are shown as dotted lines and the dowels 2 are shown as dot-dash lines.

Next, dowels 2 are hammered into holes 12, 14, 16, 18 of blocks 1 in row 52.

The blocks of row 54 are then hammered into place such that the edges align with the horizontal centre line of the blocks of row 52, so that they are in vertical alignment with the blocks of row 50.

The remaining rows are added in a similar manner so that alternate rows are in vertical alignment.

It can be appreciated that the dowels 2 are sized so that they have a total length of 4/5 D, such that the blocks are held tight together, in order to produce a solid wall They are substantially cylindrical in shape so as to be suitable for fitting in the drilled holes, with a diameter which allows a snug fit, but which is small enough to not require excessive hammering force to construct the wall It may be preferable for the holes in the blocks to be slightly deeper than 4/5 D so as to ensure that the blocks can seat properly on each other even if there are some manufacturing inaccuracies.

Furthermore, since the blocks are merely hammered together and the dowels are suitably sized, whilst the wall is secure for as long as it is needed, it is possible to de-construct it easily, by simply levering the blocks apart There are no bonding agents such as glue or cement involved, and no metal fixtures such as nails to go rusty.

If a more permanent wall is required, the second embodiment of the invention would be used This second embodiment uses blocks which are the same as blocks 1, 100, 1 10 and dowels which are the same as dowels 2 but uses a wedge to force apart the side cheeks 44 and 46 to fix the dowel in its receiving hole, thereby locking the blocks.

Figure 4 shows how the dowel 2 together with a wedge 60 is used to join blocks 1 together, in accordance with the second embodiment Both figures 4 a and 4 b show a section through holes 16 and 26, but equivalent pairs of holes along the length of the block would be joined in a similar manner As previously described dowels 2 are hammered into the top holes 12, 14, 16, and 18 in the lower block 1.

This stage is shown in figure 4 a Then a wedge piece 60 is placed in slot 42 of the top portion 32 of dowel 2, and hole 26 (and equivalent holes not shown in figure 4 along the length of the block) of the upper block 1 is placed on top of the wedge piece 60 As the upper block 1 is hammered into place, the wedge piece is pushed down into slot 42, and in so doing, causes side cheeks 44 and 46 to be pushed outwards towards the edges of hole 26 (and equivalent holes) of the upper block When upper block 1 has been sufficiently hammered that it has met lower block 1, wedge piece 60 is fully inserted in slot 42 and side cheeks 44, 46 are pressed firmly against the sides of hole 26 (and equivalent holes) This means the two blocks are held together more strongly than the blocks of the first embodiment, and of course would be harder to disassemble.

It can also be seen from figure 4 that the top portion 32 of the dowel 2 is slightly smaller than holes 22, 24, 26, 28 This allows room for the outward movement of portions 44, 46 Furthermore, wedge piece 60 is slightly wider than the slot 42, so that when the upper block is hammered into place, it will force portions 44, 46 outwards.

The wedge pieces 60 could be sized so as not to need to travel fully into the slots 42 in order to provide satisfactory locking It is not necessary for the slots 42 and the wedges 60 to be shaped as shown One of them could be of another shape.

It will be appreciated that an entire wall can be created using the blocks 1, 100, 110, dowels 2 and wedge pieces 60 and that when constructed the wall will assume a similar appearance to the wall of the first embodiment as shown in figure 3 a.

The invention is not limited to the sizes of standard blocks shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows examples of other possible lengths of blocks These other lengths could be used as "fill-in" blocks together with standard blocks in order to vary the resulting length of the wall being built In the top surface the holes are recessed, the same as holes 12,14,16 and 18 in the standard blocks 1, and in the bottom surface the holes are not recessed, the same as holes 22,24,26, and 28 in standard blocks 1.

Figure 5 a shows fill-in block 62 of length 2 W, with two holes drilled in the top and bottom, centred 1/2 W from the ends of the block and W apart.

Figure 5 b shows fill-in block 64 of length 3 W, with two holes drilled in the top each centred 1/2 W from the ends of the block, and three holes drilled in the bottom, the first centred Y/2 W from the end of the block, the second centred W from the first hole and the third centred W from the second hole, which is also 1/2 W from the far end of the block.

Figure 5 c shows fill-in block 66 of length 4 W, with two holes drilled in the top each centred 2 W from the ends of the block, and four holes drilled in the bottom, the first centred 2 W from the end of the block, the second centred W from the first, the third centred W from the second and the fourth centred W from the third, which is also 2 W from the far end of the block.

Figure 5 d shows fill-in block 68 of length 5 W, with two holes drilled in the top each entered Y 2 W from the ends of the block, and five holes drilled in the bottom The first of these is centred 2 W from the end of the block, the second is centred W from the first hole, the third is centred W from the second hole, the fourth is centred W from the third hole and the fifth is centred W from the fourth hole which is also 2 W from the far end of the block.

These fill-in blocks 62, 64, 66, and 68 could be used to create a wall to within a tolerance of 1 W in length.

Fill-in blocks 64, 66, and 68 could be used to square off the end of the wall of Fig 3 a as they are half the length of the standard Blocks shown in Fig 1.

Fill-in Block 62, 64, and 66 are essential for the construction of corners and T- junctions as will be explained below.

It should also be noted that blocks 62, 64, 66 and 68 demonstrate an important principal of the invention, in that the differently-sized blocks are designed to be compatible with one another so that when they are joined together, there are always the correct number of holes on the upper surface 4 of the block all of which are filled by dowels 2, thus preventing them filling with water, should the wall be exposed to rain or other liquids.

The building of any rectilinear or interlocking rectilinear structure requires the construction of corners and 'T' Junctions Figure 6 shows a corner block 70 that allows this It has the same dimensions as a standard block 100 and holes of the same dimensions, shape and position as in the standard block 100 However, there is an additional hole 72 on the top face 4, and an additional hole 74 on the bottom face 12 These additional holes 72, 74 have the same dimensions and shape as the holes on the top and bottom faces of the standard block 100 They are centred 1 W to the right along the length of the block of hole 12 on the top face 4 and 1 W to the right of hole 22 on the bottom face 12 It therefore follows that holes 72 and 74 are centred 11/2 x W from the left hand edge 8.

Like the standard block 1 as shown in figure 1, in this embodiment the corner block 70 can be one of three lengths, that is 6, 8, or 10 times W The corner blocks are used in conjunction with standard block 1, 100, 110 of the same length and the appropriate fill-in blocks 62, 64, and 66 to form corners and T- junctions.

Figure 7 shows three layers of blocks forming a corner in isometric projection and exploded for clarity It will be appreciated that the layers extend beyond the parts shown in the figure The bottom layer is labelled 72, the second layer is labelled 74 and the top layer is labelled 76 The principle of construction could be extended to more layers as required Each layer can be considered to be constructed from a right hand wall as viewed and a left hand wall Thus layer 72 is constructed from right-hand wall 82 and left hand wall 83 Similarly, layer 74 is constructed from right-hand wall 84 and left hand wall 85 and layer 76 is constructed from right-hand wall 86 and left hand wall 87 The construction method of each wall is the same as described for wall 3 a.

In order to construct the corner a corner block 70 a is used as the last block of the right hand wall 82 on the first layer 72 and the corner is turned using fill-in block 64 a the length of which is half the length of a standard block 100 minus W, thus forming the end of left hand wall 83 If a standard block 1 of length 6 x W were being used fill-in block 62 which has a length of 2 x W would be used instead of fill-in block 64 a If the standard block 110 of length 10 x W were being used then fill-in block 66, which has a length of 4 x W, would be used.

Similarly, fill-in block 64 b is used as the last block of the right hand wall 84 of layer 74 and the corner turned using a corner Block 70 b, arranged such that its holes 12,22 are on the corner, thus forming the end of left hand wall 85 Layer 76 is identical to layer 72 In each layer the use of a corner block 70 and an appropriate fill in block 64 ensures a locked corner with three holes for dowels It can be seen how the design of the corner blocks and fill-in blocks ensures alignment of holes in adjacent layers in the corner region For example, hole 12 of block 70 a aligns with hole 22 of block 70 b, hole 72 of block 70 a aligns with a hole of block 64 b and a hole of block 64 a aligns with hole 74 of block 70 b This further means that the blocks lie flush with one another to make a neat corner.

For example, the end face of block 70 a and the side face of block 64 a are aligned flush with one another, and they are also flush with the side face of block 70 b in the layer 74 above.

The blocks fitted adjacent to blocks 70 a, 70 b, 64 a, 64 b are standard blocks 1, such that the walls are continued in a normal manner as described with reference to figure 3 a.

Figure 8 shows two walls 80 and 81 meeting at an angle of ninety degrees, thus forming a T-junction The construction of each of these two walls is the same as described with reference to Figure 3 a It will be appreciated that the walls can extend for any length beyond that shown in the figure.

Figure 8 d shows a front view of the T-junction, in which only wall 81 is visible.

Five layers of blocks are shown, but of course the walls 80, 81 could be extended to form more layers The bottom layer is labelled with reference numeral 150, and the subsequent layers are labelled 152, 154, 156, 158.

Figure 8 a shows the bottom layer 150 viewed from above As viewed, wall 81 is horizontal and wall 80 meets it at right angles and extends vertically up the page.

Three corner blocks 70 form the T-junction As viewed, the last block 70 c in wall is a corner block 70 positioned so that its end face 8 with the double dowel holes 12, 72 is flush with the front face of wall 81 Each side of block 70 c are two corner blocks, 70 d on the left hand side and 70 e on the right hand side This means that in this layer 150, wall 81 is effectively split into two portions by wall 80.

Blocks 70 d, 70 e are positioned so that their front faces 6 are in line with the end face 8 of block 70 c and their end faces, nearest the double holes 12, 72, abut block 70 c, giving a row of five dowel holes 72 d, 12 d, 12 c, 12 e, 72 e along the line of wall 80, with the centre hole 12 c in line with the centre lines of both walls 80, 81.

Figure 8 b shows the second layer 152 viewed from above A fill-in block 64 c, which has receiving holes for three dowels in its bottom face, is fixed over the centre three dowels 12 d, 12 c, 12 e of layer 150 Thus the reasonfor the centre hole in the bottom face of fill-in block 64 shown in figure 5 b can be appreciated.

Adjacent each side of block 64 c along the line of wall 81 are fixed further fill-in blocks 64 Block 64 d is on the left hand side as viewed, and is fixed to layer 150 over the centre of holes 18 and 72 d of block 70 d with the outermost two of the holes in its bottom face (not visible in figure) Similarly, block 64 e on the right hand side as viewed, is fixed to layer 150 over the centre of holes 18 and 72 e of block 70 e with the outermost two of the holes in its bottom face (not visible in figure) At right angles to block 64 c along the line of wall 80 is fixed fill-in block 64 f This is fitted over holes 72 c and 18 of block 70 c with the outermost two of the holes in its bottom face (not visible in figure).

Figure 8 c shows the third layer 154 viewed from the top, which is identical to the first layer 150 shown in figure 8 a.

The blocks adjacent to the above-mentioned corner and fill-in blocks are standard blocks 1, thus continuing the layers in the normal manner.

It will be appreciated that the use of corner blocks 70 and fill-in Blocks 62, 64, 66, 68 will allow the construction of strengthening pillars, alcoves and other features in the wall, and will allow projections from the wall which will allow the attachment to the wall of seats and other equipment.

Figure 9 shows ground plates which will allow any wall or structure, constructed using the invention, to be fixed in position.

Figure 9 a shows the side and end elevation of a ground plate 96 which has a width preferably between 1/2 W and 3/4 W and a length of 2 W Two half dowels 92, of a size that will fit into the holes on the bottom face 12 of the standard block 1, are permanently fixed to the plate 96, centred 1 W apart and W from the ends of the plate In the centre of plate 96 is a threaded countersunk hole 98 into which a ground spike 94 of generally conical shape can be screwed before being driven into the ground in the required position This makes an ideal way of securing a wall constructed in accordance with the invention into, for example, grass.

Alternatively if the structure is to be erected on a surface into which it is impossible to drive ground spikes then a countersunk screw can be used, being screwed into a pre drilled hole into which a rawl plug or similar device has been fitted Alternatively the ground plate could be held in place by the weight of the structure alone, but this would not be a suitable arrangement for a large wall for safety reasons.

Figure 9 b shows a top view of a right-angled ground plate 93 with three half dowels 92 positioned to correspond to the position of the bottom holes at a corner, and two countersunk threaded holes 98 It is for use at corners of the type described with reference to figures 6 & 7 and is used in a similar way as straight ground plate 96 of figure 9 a.

Figure 9 c shows the top view of a T shaped ground plate 95 with four half dowels positioned to correspond to the position of the bottom holes at a T- junction, and three countersunk holes 98 It is for use at T-junctions of the type described with reference to figure 8 and is used in a similar way as straight ground plate 96 of figure 9 a.

The plates, half dowels and the ground spikes would be constructed from a suitable plastic or from steel It would probably be most convenient to manufacture the plates with the half-dowels pre-attached, but this is not strictly necessary.

Figure 10 shows various capping sections in end views of walls These are for use as the top layer of a wall, and therefore do not have upper holes drilled in them The arrangement of lower holes would correspond to the blocks being used to construct the wall Their length matches the blocks being used.

Figure 10 a shows a block capping section 102 attached to a block 1 with a dowel 2 Figure 10 b shows a flat capping section 104 and figure 10 c shows a biased capping section 106 Other shapes of capping section would be possible Any capping section could be used with the standard blocks 1, 100, 110 Capping corner sections and T-junction sections could also be provided and used in accordance with the construction pattern explained with reference to Figures 7 & 8.

Once constructed, the wood of the blocks and capping sections could be sealed or painted as desired Alternatively, the blocks and capping sections could be supplied pre-sealed or pre-painted.

Figure 11 shows three views of a standard block 200 for use in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 1 a is a front view, figure 1 1 b is a top view and figure 11 c is a side view This block has the same general properties of blocks 1, 100 and 110 and can have a length of 6 W, 8 W or 1 o W in this embodiment, although the invention is not limited to these three lengths.

The difference between block 200 and blocks 1, 100, 110 is in the form of the holes 212, 214, 216, 218 These are drilled in the same locations as the holes of blocks 1, 100, 110, that is, 1/2 W from each end of the block 200 and 1/2 W either side of the centreline COL, but instead of being blind holes, they are drilled through the entire depth of the block 200 They have seat 20 cut out at the upper surface of the block 200 Holes drilled in this way would allow an even greater economy of manufacture than the holes of the first and second embodiments and would be suitable if the dimensions of the block were too small to support blind holes A further advantage is provided when fixing the blocks together, as will be discussed below.

Figure 12 shows examples of other possible lengths of blocks, which are suitable for use as fill-in blocks in accordance with the third embodiment in a similar way as the fill-in blocks of figure 5 are used in accordance with the first and second embodiments These blocks differ from fill-in blocks 62, 64, 66, 68 in that the holes are drilled through the entire depth of the block.

Figure 13 shows a dowel 202 for use in the third embodiment which differs from dowel 2 of figure 2 in its length Instead of each portion of the dowel being 2/5 D in length, each portion is just slightly less than 1/2 D in length The top portion is indicated with reference numeral 232 and the bottom portion is indicated with reference numeral 230 Bottom portion 230 bears collar 36 around its top circumference for fitting neatly into seat 20 Top portion 232 has a slot 242 which is similar in shape to slot 42 but whose length is increased in proportion with the overall difference in length between dowels 2 and 202.

Turning now to figure 14, the fitting together of two blocks 200 a and 200 b can be understood The first stage is shown in figure 14 a, in which the bottom portion 230 of a first dowel 202 a is hammered into a hole 212 in block 200 a Despite the fact that hole 212 is not a blind hole, the dowel 202 a is stopped in the correct vertical position by virtue of collar 36 fitting into seat 20 The upper portion 232 of dowel 202 a rests above the upper surface of block 200 a A wedge piece 260 is then gently hammered into slot 242 in the upper portion 232 of dowel 202 a The dimensions of wedge piece 260 may be similar or slightly different to those of wedge piece 60.

Figure 14 b shows the second stage of the process in which a second block 200 b is placed on top of block 200 a, such that hole 218 of block 200 b is in alignment with hole 212 of block 200 a, in accordance with the alignment requirements as explained with reference to figure 3 This means that the hole 218 of block 200 b is placed on top of upper portion 232 of dowel 202 a containing wedge piece 260.

Then a second dowel 202 b is placed into hole 218 at the upper surface of block b.

Figure 14 c shows that the final stage is to hammer dowel 202 b downwards towards dowel 202 a and wedge piece 218 As dowel 202 b is hammered into place, wedge piece 260 is pushed downwards into slot 242 such that it forces side cheeks 244 and 246 outwards When dowel 202 b is seated in seat 20 of block 200 b by virtue of collar 36, cheeks 244 and 246 have been sufficiently forced outwards to afford a permanent fixing of blocks 200 a and 200 b, in a similar way to the second embodiment shown in figure 4.

It can be understood from figure 14 and the description above that the two portions 232, 230 of dowel 202 are sized at slightly less than 1/2 D so that when in position fixing two blocks 200 as shown in figure 14 c, the two dowels do not touch, but rather leave room for the wedge 260 not being fully flush in slot 242.

If it is desired to construct a less permanent wall, the blocks 200 could be connected without using the wedges 260 Since the collar 36 is designed to sit in seat 20, the blocks will be held flush together even though there is not a blind recess for the dowels 202 to sit on.

If an even greater economy of manufacture is desired, the holes 212, 214, 216, 218 could be provided without seat 20, thus they would be simple drilled holes.

Accordingly, dowels 202 would not be provided with collar 36 The abovedescribed embodiment would still allow the blocks to be fixed together because instead of the dowel 202 b resting on seat 20, it would rest on wedge 260.

However, so as to avoid damage to the components, there would need to be provided some sort of indication, for example a visual indication such as a mark or groove, of the mid-length point of the dowel, so that a user would know when to stop hammering, otherwise wedge 260 could be hammered too far into slot 242.

If this option were to be implemented for the construction of a less permanent wall, one or both portions of the dowel would need to be lengthened to make the total length of the dowel equal to D, so that the dowels would be held in place by resting on top of one another This option may be less preferred when selling wall construction kits because it would require such a kit to be provided with two sets of dowels, one for a permanent wall and the other for a less permanent wall.

The process would be the same for the equivalent holes in blocks 200 a and 200 b and the process could furthermore be used to construct a wall in accordance with figure 3 The advantage that this process brings over the first and second embodiments is that there is no need to hammer the blocks themselves, but rather it is always the dowels 202 which are hammered This is useful if it is undesirable to hammer the blocks directly, for example if they are pre- painted and damage to the paint needs to be avoided.

Figure 15 shows a corner block 170 suitable for use in accordance with the third embodiment This block differs from corner block 70 in that the holes 212, 214, 216, 218, 272 are drilled through the entire depth of the block as opposed to being blind holes.

It will be appreciated that fill-in block 264 of figure 12 and corner block 170 of figure 15 can be used to construct a corner in accordance with figure 7, using the method described above with reference to figure 14.

When constructing a wall in accordance with the third embodiment, the same ground plates and capping sections of figures 9 and 10 are used, as described above with reference to those figures.

It will be appreciated that other sizes of blocks can be used, with different arrangements of holes It would also be possible to use holes and dowels of a different shape, for example square Furthermore, if desired, the blocks could be constructed with dowels incorporated, for example, just in the upper faces, although this would be likely to make a kit more expensive The holes could of course be formed by a method other than drilling In certain forms, the construction kit would be suitable for use as a toy.

The actual dimensions of the blocks and dowels could be widely varied, depending on the intended application Furthermore, it is not necessary for all the holes in a particular block to be the same size, although since suitably sized dowels are needed for proper construction of a wall, economy of manufacture and packing is maximised by using identically sized holes Although wood is the most suitable material for the blocks, other materials such as plastics or metals could be used The blocks and dowels could be sold as a kit for building a particular- sized wall, or could be sold loose, so that customers could buy exactly the number required and could vary the dimensions of the wall and the choice of capping section In the second and third embodiments the shape of the wedges and wedge pieces could be varied within the scope of the invention.

It is not necessary for the dowels to have a diameter in the region of 1/3 of the width of a block It may be more convenient for them to have, for example a diameter in the region of 1/4 of the width of a block In this instance, the block might have a depth of 4 W and a width of 4 W, but the same dowels as those for the block having a width of 3 W could be used, and hence these dowels would have a diameter in the region of 1/4 of the diameter of the block with a width of 4 W It is not necessary for the width and depth to be the same, for example, the width could be 3 W and the depth 4 W Thus different sized blocks could be used for different applications, but it could still be possible to use common dowels.

A further possibility when constructing a wall in accordance with the invention, is to construct the wall entirely from the corner blocks of figures 6 and 15 This would mean that the additional holes 72, 172 (additional to those provided in the standard blocks) would be present in all the blocks This variation would be most advantageously used in the embodiment having the holes drilled through the entire depth of the block, so that there would be no build-up of rainwater in unused holes Another way of avoiding build-up of rainwater would be to use the capping sections.

It would also be possible to use a wall constructed in this way for many other applications In particular, such a wall could be used horizontally for decking and tabletops.

Claims (1)

1 A construction kit suitable for constructing a wall comprising:

a plurality of dowels; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of blind recesses formed in each of the upper and lower faces, the recesses being sized to snugly receive the dowels; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected by insertion of a dowel into a recess in the upper face of one block of the pair and into a recess in the lower face of the other block of the pair.

2 A construction kit as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the dowels has a first generally cylindrical portion at one end for snug reception by the recesses in the upper faces of the blocks and a second generally cylindrical portion at the other end for snug reception by the recesses in the lower faces of the blocks.

3 A construction kit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first generally cylindrical portions are sized for freely sliding reception by the recesses in the upper faces of the blocks.

4 A construction kit as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein each dowel includes a slot in its said one end, and the kit includes a plurality of incompressible pegs sized to be received in the slot of a dowel, the shapes of the walls of the slot and of the pegs cooperating such that insertion of a peg into the slot is capable of spreading the said one end of the dowel to a size that fits tightly into the blind recess in the lower face of a block.

A construction kit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pegs and the dowels are cooperatively dimensioned such that insertion of a peg into the slot for spreading the said end of the dowel may be effected by pressure applied by the blind end of the lower recess.

6 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims claim 3 to 5, wherein the walls of the slot are substantially parallel to the sides of an inserted dowel.

7 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the peg is wedge- shaped.

8 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the second generally cylindrical portions are sized for locking reception into the recesses in the upper faces of the blocks.

9 A construction kit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second generally cylindrical portions include barbs for locking engagement with the recesses in the upper faces of the blocks.

A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the dowels include a radial projection for limiting insertion of the dowels into the recesses.

11 A construction kit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the recesses formed in the upper surfaces of the blocks and/or the recesses formed in the lower surfaces of the blocks are shaped so as to receive the radial projection.

12 A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the top and bottom faces of the block each include:

a first blind recess formed a distance from an end of the block; a second blind recess formed half the length of the block minus the said distance from the end of the block; a third blind recess formed half the length of the block plus the said distance from the end of the block; and a fourth blind recess formed the length of the block minus the said distance from the end of the block; the first, second, third and fourth recesses all being equidistant from the side faces of the block.

13 A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each recess has a depth equal to two fifths of the depth of the block.

14 A construction kit suitable for constructing a wall, comprising:

a plurality of dowels; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes extending between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels; each dowel having a radial projection for limiting insertion of the dowel into the blocks; and the holes including, at at least one of the upper and lower faces, a radially extending recess sized to receive the radial projections; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected with the upper face of the first block and the lower face of the second block in contact by insertion of a dowel into a first hole of a first block of the pair so as to project from the upper face of that block and into a second hole of a second block of the pair so as to project from the lower face of that block, with the radial projection of the dowel received in the recess.

A construction kit as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the dowels has a first generally cylindrical portion at one end and a second generally cylindrical portion at the other end for snug reception by the holes.

16 A construction kit as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first generally cylindrical portions are sized for freely sliding reception into the holes so as to project from the upper faces of the blocks.

17 A construction kit as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein each of the first generally cylindrical portions includes a slot; and the kit includes a plurality of incompressible pegs sized to be received in the slot of a dowel; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected by insertion of a second portion of a dowel into a hole of a first block of the pair and the insertion of the first portion of the dowel into a hole in the lower face of a second block of the pair, the shapes of the walls of the slot and of the pegs co-operating such that insertion of a peg into the slot is capable of spreading the said one end of the dowel to a size that fits tightly into the hole.

18 A construction kit, suitable for constructing a wall, comprising:

a plurality of dowels each having a first generally cylindrical portion at one end which includes a slot and a second generally cylindrical portion at the other end; a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes extending between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels; and a plurality of incompressible pegs sized to be received in the slot of a dowel; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected by insertion of a second portion of a dowel into a hole of a first block of the pair and the insertion of the first portion of the dowel into a hole in the lower face of a second block of the pair, the shapes of the walls of the slot and of the pegs co-operating such that insertion of a peg into the slot is capable of spreading the said one end of the dowel to a size that fits tightly into the hole.

19 A construction kit as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first generally cylindrical portions are sized for freely sliding reception into the holes from the upper faces of the blocks.

A construction kit as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein the pegs and the dowels are cooperatively dimensioned such that insertion of a peg into the slot for spreading the said end of the dowel may be effected by pressure applied by a second dowel inserted from the upper face of the second block.

21 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 18 to 20, wherein the walls of the slot are substantially parallel to the sides of an inserted dowel.

22 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 18 to 21, wherein the peg is wedge-shaped.

23 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 18 to 22, wherein each dowel has a radial projection for limiting insertion of the dowel into the blocks; and the holes include, at at least one of the upper and lower faces, a radially extending recess sized to receive the radial projections; whereby a pair of the blocks may be interconnected with the upper face of the first block and the lower face of the second block in contact with the radial projection of the dowel received in the recess.

24 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 15 to 23, wherein the second generally cylindrical portions are sized for locking reception into the holes.

A construction kit as claimed in claim 24, wherein the second generally cylindrical portions include barbs for locking engagement with the holes.

26 A construction kit as claimed in any of claims 14 to 25, wherein each block includes:

a first hole formed a distance from an end of the block; a second hole formed at half the length of the block minus the said distance from the end of the block; a third hole formed at half the length of the block plus the said distance from the end of the block; and a fourth hole formed at the length of the block minus the said distance from the end of the block; the first, second, third and fourth holes all being equidistant from the side faces of the block.

27 A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each block is cuboid in shape.

28 A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the blocks are made of wood.

29 A construction kit claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the dowels are made of plastic.

A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising cap pieces for attachment to the upper surfaces of the blocks.

31 A construction kit as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising ground plates suitable for attachment to the lower surfaces of the blocks and for securing attachment to ground.

32 A wall comprising:

a plurality of dowels; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of blind recesses formed in each of the upper and lower faces, the recesses being sized to snugly receive the dowels; wherein pairs of the blocks are interconnected by a dowel inserted into a recess in the upper face of one block of the pair and into a recess in the lower face of the other block of the pair.

33 A wall comprising:

a plurality of dowels having a radial projection; and a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes formed between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels and at the upper face having a recess shaped to receive the radial projection; wherein pairs of the blocks are interconnected by a dowel inserted into a hole from the upper face of a first block of the pair and into a hole from the lower face of a second block of the pair, such that the radial projection is received by the recess, thereby limiting the insertion of the dowel in the hole of the first block.

34 A wall comprising:

a plurality of dowels each having a first generally cylindrical portion at one end which includes a slot and a second generally cylindrical portion at the other end; a plurality of blocks, each block having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of holes formed between the upper and lower faces, the holes being sized to snugly receive the dowels; and a plurality of incompressible pegs sized to be received in the slot of a dowel; wherein pairs of the blocks are interconnected by a second portion of a dowel inserted into a hole from the upper face of a first block of the pair and a first portion of the dowel inserted into a hole from the lower face of a second block of the pair, and the shapes of the walls of the slot and of the pegs co- operate such that a peg inserted into the slot is capable of spreading the said one end of the dowel to a size that fits tightly into the hole.

A construction kit substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

36 A wall substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.