IES84464Y1 - Mould for a block and building and method of construction of building - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a mould (1) for a block comprising a main body portion (2), having a substantially triangular inner surface (3); and a bottom wall (4) and two side walls (5), each having a substantially quadrangular inner surface (6,7). At least one wall (4,5) is moveable between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, adjacent edges (10) of the side walls (5) and bottom wall (4) about one another to provide a substantially prism shaped mould in which the inner surface of the bottom wall of the mould is disposed at an angle of less the 900 to the inner surface of the main body portion of the mould and which is adapted to receive material to form a block of that material. In the open position, the edges (10) of the at least one wall (4,5) are detached from the adjacent edges (10) of the other walls (4,5) to allow removal of the block (15) from the mould (1). The present invention also relates to a building (16) and a method of constructing a building.

Description

Title Mould for a block and Building and Method of Construction of Building Field of the Invention The present invention relates to moulds for creating shaped blocks, especially from snow. In particular, the invention relates to a mould which may be used to create blocks suitable to construct a building made from snow.

Background to the Invention Snow houses or igloos have been built by native peoples in Arctic regions for thousands of years. lgloos are constructed from blocks of ice or hard snow cut with a snow saw and arranged in a dome shape. Construction of an igloo in this way requires considerable skill in shaping the blocks in order to achieve the required dome shape, because the blocks of snow must reduce in size with each row. Obtaining a dome shape without the structure collapsing is difficult and requires practice.

Construction of objects from snow is also a popular winter play activity for children.

The mouldability of snow means that objects such as snowmen and snow animals may easily by created by children where snow is plentiful. Children also often attempt to construct rudimentary structures or buildings from snow, such as snow forts. However, given the skill required to construct an igloo in the traditional manner, children are often limited to construction of roofless buildings, as attempts to cover the building usually result in collapse.

Because show “shelters are much warmer than tents, they are often used by winter campers to provide a more comfortable temporary home. However, the same problems outlined above are encountered in attempting to achieve an igloo or dome shape.

Several snow moulds are currently available which are intended to allow children or winter camping enthusiasts to produce snow blocks suitable for building a dome-shaped igloo. However, as stated above, the dome shape is traditionally achieved by reducing the size of the blocks as each row is built. Thus, a single mould is insufficient to create the different sized blocks required to build a dome-shaped igloo. " {$84464 It is therefore desirable to provide a mould which can be used to create a shaped block.

In particular, it is desirable to provide a snow mould which can be used to create a snow block suitable for constructing a snow building. It is also desirable to provide a simple method of construction of a snow building using a single size of snow block. It is also desirable to provide a method for building a simple snow structure with a roof, which is easy and simple to use and does not require the application of a significant degree of skill.

Object of the Invention An object of the invention is to provide a mould which can be used to create a shaped block. Another object of the invention is provide a snow mould which can be used to create a snow block suitable for constructing a snow building. Another object of the invention is to provide a simple method of construction of a snow building using a single size of snow block created using the mould. A further object of the invention is to provide a snow building constructed using the snow blocks created using the mould.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a mould for a block comprising a main body portion, having a substantially triangular inner surface; and a bottom wall and two side walls, each having a substantially quadrangular inner surface, wherein at least one wall is moveable between a closed position, in which adjacent edges of the bottom wall and side walls abut one another to provide a substantially prism»: shaped mould in which the inner surface of the bottom wall of the mould is disposed at afiangle of less than 90° to the inner surface of the main body portion of the mould and which adapted to receive a material to fomi a block of that material; and an open position, in which the edges of the at least one wall are detached from the adjacent edges of the other walls to allow removal of the snow block from the mould.

Preferably, the mould is a snow mould.

Preferably, said at least one wall is hingedly attached to the main body portion. Said at least one wall may be releasably attached to the main body portion.

Preferably, the inner surface of the bottom wall of the mould is disposed at an angle of between about 50° and about 70° to the inner surface of the main body portion of the mould.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the walls is hingedly attached along one edge to one edge of the main body portion, such that the side walls and bottom wall are moveable between the closed position, in which adjacent edges of the side walls and bottom wall are releasably attached to one another, and the open position, in which the edges of the side walls and bottom wall are detached from one another such that the mould is substantially planar.

An advantage of this arrangement is that snow, or another material such as sand or concrete, may be tightly packed into the closed mould to create a solid block. The mould may then be opened to allow the finished block to be easily removed. A further advantage of this arrangement lies in the shape of the mould. The prism shape, wherein the bottom wall is disposed at an angle of less than 90°, means that when the finished block is placed on the ground to begin construction of the building, it naturally tilts inwards. When rows of these blocks are built up, one on top of the other, the resulting structure naturally converges to a point in the centre. Thus, a complete building with a roof can be easily constructed from a single mould, Only one size of block is required to construct the building.

/Siccording to 3 preferred embodiment, the bottom wall has a substantially rectangular inner surface; andqhe side walls are substantially identical, and each of the side walls has a substantially parallelogram shaped inner surface; and the angle between two adjacent edges of each parallelogram is about 60°, such that in the closed position, the inner surface of the bottom wall is disposed at an angle of about 60° to the inner surface of the main body portion. In this arrangement, the mould is particularly suitable for creating a six-sided building.

Preferably, the mould further comprises releasable fastening means provided on at least one of the side walls and bottom wall for releasably attaching the adjacent free edges of the side walls and bottom wall to one another. The fastening ‘means may comprise a hook and loop fastener or a clip. In one embodiment, the fastening means is integrally formed with the wall of the mould.

In one embodiment, the fastening means comprises at least one hole formed at a free edge of a wall of the mould and a corresponding projection formed at an adjacent free edge of another wall of the mould, wherein the projection is adapted to be inserted into the hole and the projection is formed with a shoulder to engage the periphery of the hole.

The fastening means allow the bottom wall and side walls to be easily retained in the closed position when required. Since the fastening means are releasable, the walls are easily moved to the open position when the snow block is complete, or for storage of the mould.

Preferably, the mould is formed from a rigid material. More preferably, the mould is formed from a rigid plastics material. This prevents bending and flexing of the snow mould while it is being packed with snow, and thus prevents cracking of the snow block formed by the mould. The main body portion and the walls of the mould may be integrally formed in a single piece. Reinforcing ribs may also be provided on the outer surface of the main body portion or at least one wall of the mould to further strengthen the mould and improve its rigidity.

‘ Qptionally, the inner surface of the main body portion of the mould is smooth or waxed /\ ‘ ‘I’ or polishedlto facilitate removal of the block from the mould. This reduces the friction between the block and the mould, and allows the block to be slid from the mould with @2186.

The outer surface of the main body portion or at least one wall of the mould may be textured or provided with a plurality of projections or protrusions. This increases the friction between the mould and the ground or the mould and the gloved hands of the user and thus improves the grip on the mould. The projections may also serve to strengthen the mould and improve its rigidity.

Accordingly to an optional feature of the invention, the side walls of the mould are shaped such that the sides of the block fomied by the mould are engageable with the sides of another block. The side walls of the mould may be saw-toothed or wavy in profile, such that the sides of the block formed by the mould are saw-toothed or wavy and are engageable with the sides of another block.

Similarly, the bottom wall of the mould may be shaped such that the bottom of the block formed by the mould is engageable with the bottom of another block. The bottom wall of the mould may be saw-toothed or wavy in profile, such that the bottom of the block formed by the mould is saw-toothed or wavy and is engageable with the bottom of another block.

An advantage of this arrangement is that interlocking between adjacent blocks is possible when constructing a building with the blocks created using the mould. The quality of the construction finish and the structural integrity of the building are thus improved. The saw-tooth arrangement of the walls may also help to strengthen the mould and improve its rigidity.

In one embodiment, a raised pattern is provided on the inner surface of the main body portion, such that an impression of the pattern is created in the block. The raised pattern may be provided on a stamp removably attached to the inner surface of the main body . portion of the mould. Alternatively, the raised pattern may be integrally formed with the main body portion of the mould. The raised pattern may be a mirror image of a letter or a number or a logo or an image.

‘\ Preferably, the bottom wall is hingedly attached to the main body portion such that the bottom wall is pivotable through at least l80°. This allows the bottom wall of the snow mould to be folded back fully to allow the block to be placed in the desired position before removal from the mould.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of constructing a building, comprising the steps of creating a plurality of blocks using the mould claimed in claims 1 to 23 and described above, and arranging the blocks in rows to create a building which tapers to a point at its upper end.

Ideally, the arranging step comprises arranging a first row of blocks on a surface to form a plurality of sides of the building, each side comprising the same number of blocks; arranging a second row of blocks on top of the first row of blocks, wherein the blocks in the second row are inverted relative to the blocks in the first row and wherein the second row of blocks comprises one fewer block per side of the building than the first row; and arranging further rows of blocks on top of the second row of blocks. such that the blocks in successive rows are inverted relative to one another and such that the number of blocks per side of the building decreases by one block every two rows, such that the final two rows of blocks each comprise one block per side of the building.

Advantageously, arranging the first row of blocks comprises arranging a first set of blocks in a straight line to form a first side of the building; arranging a next block adjacent to the first set of blocks such that an inner edge of the next block is in contact with an inner edge of the end block in the first set of blocks; arranging further blocks in a straight line with the next block to form a second set of blocks, wherein the second set of blocks comprises the same number of blocks as the first set and the second set of blocks forms a second side of the building; and repeating the above steps for each side of the building to form the first row of blocks.

In a preferred embodiment, the creating step comprises creating a plurality of blocks using the mould claimed in claim 5, and said arranging step comprises arranging the blocks to form a‘six-sided snow building.

The building may be finished by packing material such as snow into the comers of the building to seal the building. An entrance opening may be cut through a wall of the building.

An advantage of this method is that a complete snow building with a roof may be constructed from a single sized snow mould. The method is simple to perform and does not require a significant degree of skill or practice.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building comprising a plurality of blocks created using the mould described above, and arranged in rows.

Preferably, the building is constructed according to the method of construction described above.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of the inner surface of a snow mould according to the invention in the open position; Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of the outer surface of the snow mould of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front elevation View of the snow mould of Figure 1; F igurc 4 is a rear elevation View of the snow mould of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a left side elevation view ofthe snow mould of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a top plan view from above of the snow mould of Figure 1 in the closed position; Figure 7 is a right side elevation view ofthe snow mould of Figure 6 filled with snow; Figure 8 is a perspective view from above of the snow mould of Figure 6 filled with snow; Figure 9 is a perspective View of a snow block formed using the snow mould of Figures to8; . Figure 10 is a top plan view ofa snow tepee constructed from snow blocks created using the mould of Figures 1 to 8; Figure 1 l is a partially cut-away top plan view of the snow tepee of Figure 10; Figure 12 is front elevation View of the snow tepee of Figure 10; Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the snow tepee of Figure 10, showing a person inside the tepee; Figure 14 is a side elevational view ofthe snow tepee of Figure 10; Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the snow tepee of Figure 10, showing a person inside the tepee; and Figure 16 is a top plan view ofthe snow tepee of Figure 10 with its corners filled.. ‘:5? Detailed Description of the Drawmgg Referring to Figures 1 to 8, there is illustrated a mould for a snow block 1 according to the present invention. The snow mould 1 comprises a main body portion 2, having a substantially triangular inner surface 3. The mould 1 further comprises a bottom wall 4 and two side walls 5, each having a substantially quadrangular inner surface 6, 7. Each of the side walls 5 and bottom wall 4 is hingedly attached along one edge 8 to one edge of the main body portion 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8, the bottom wall 4 has a substantially rectangular inner surface 6. The side walls 5 are substantially identical to one another, and each side wall has a substantially parallelogram shaped inner surface 7. The angle between two adjacent edges of each parallelogram is about 60°.

The side walls 5 and the bottom wall 4 are moveable between an open position as shown in Figures 1 to 5 and a closed position as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8. Referring first to Figures 1 to 5, in the open position, the free edges 10 ofthe side walls 5 and bottom wall 4 are detached from one another. Thus, the mould l is substantially planar as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. This allows the snow block 15 to be easily removed from the mould 1.

In an alternative embodiment, the bottom wall 4 is hingedly attached to the main body portion 2 as described above but the side walls 5 are fixedly attached to the main body portion 2, such that only the bottom wall 4 is moveable between the open and closed In the closed positidh, {Be mould 1 is adapted to receive snow as shown in Figures 7 and 8, to form a snow block as shown in Figure 9. As shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, adjacent free edges 10 of the side walls 5 and bottom wall 4 are releasably attached to one another, such that they abut one another to provide a substantially prism shaped mould l. The inner surface 6 of the bottom wall 4 is disposed at an angle of about 60° to the inner surface 3 ofthe main body portion 2.

The snow mould 1 further comprises releasable fastening means 11 provided on the bottom wall 4 and on each side wall 5 for releasably attaching the adjacent free edges of the side walls 5 and the bottom wall 4 to one another. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8, the fastening means 1 1 and the walls 2, 4, 5 of the mould are integrally formed in a single piece from a rigid plastics material. Hinges are formed in the plastic at edges 8, 9 so that the bottom wall 4 and side walls 5 can be moved to allow the mould to be opened and closed. The walls 2, 4, 5 of the mould are provided with reinforcing ribs 24 on their outer surfaces.

In an altemative embodiment, the walls 4, 5 of the mould and the main body portion 2 of the mould are formed separately and are attached by means of hinges or other suitable attachment means. The walls may be releasable from the main body portion ton allow disassembly ofthe mould.

One releasable fastener ll is provided on each pair of free edges 10 ofthe side walls and bottom wall. Each fastener comprises a pair of holes 12 formed in one wall and a pair of projections 13 formed on the opposite wall. Each projection 13 is provided with a shoulder 14. In order to retain the mould l in the closed position, opposing walls are brought together and the projection 13 is inserted into the corresponding hole 12 on the opposite wall. The shoulder 14 engages the periphery of the hole 12 and prevents the projection from slipping back out of the hole. To open the fastener 1 1, the pair of projections 13 is squeezed together to allow the shoulder 14 to pass through the hole 12.

To produce a snow block 15 as shown in Figure 9 from the mould l, the closed mould is placed withfhe outer surface of the main body portion 2 on the ground, so that the open side of the mould faces upwards. The mould is then filled with snow as shown in Figures 7 and 8. This may be done using gloved hands or a suitable tool such as a spade or trowel. In order to obtain a strong, tightly packed snow block, it may be helpful to spray vaporized water onto the snow as the mould is filled. A simple spray bottle filled with water may be used to provide the vaporised water. The water helps to ‘glue’ the snow together as the mould is packed.

The mould 1 should be filled until it is overflowing with snow. Then, the snow must be compacted, for example, by patting down with a gloved hand or spade. Care should be taken to apply even pressure to the snow in the mould to avoid cracks occurring in the snow block. In order to obtain a perfect finish to the snow block, excess snow may be scraped away from the top of the mould, using the upper edges of the mould as a guide.

The mould can then be opened and the snow block 15 removed.

The snow blocks 15 created using the mould 1 can be used to build a snow building.

The building takes the form of a snow teepee as shown in Figures 10 to 15.

The method of constructing the snow tepee 16 comprises the step of creating a plurality of snow blocks 15 using the snow mould 1 described above. The snow block shown in Figure 9 is especially suitable for creating a six-sided snow tepee. The method further comprises arranging the snow blocks in layers as described below to create a snow building which tapers to a point at its upper end.

The mould 1 is filled and the snow compacted as described above. The closed mould 1 is then transported to the site where the snow tepee is to be constructed. The mould may then be opened and the snow block 15 is slid into position. The snow tepee may be made as large or as small as desired by choosing the number of snow blocks in the first row per side of the tepee. The snow tepee shown in Figures 10 to 15 comprises five snow blocks per side.

:Fhe'Tirs.(rro\y.pf s'now‘l:locks 15 are placed on their bottom ends in the orientation shown in Figure 9. The first five blocks are placed next to one another so that their bottom edges 22 fonn a straight line. Once the first five snow blocks have been positioned, work begins on the next side of the tepee. This is done by placing the sixth block 17 next to the previous block 15 so that their inner edges 18 are in contact with one another. The next four blocks are then arranged in line with the sixth block to create the second side of the tepee. This procedure is repeated for the other four sides of the tepee as shown in Figure 11.

The second row of snow blocks 19 is then placed on top of the first row. These snow blocks 19 are inverted relative to the first row of snow blocks 15, 17. In the tepee shown in Figures 10 to 15, the second row of snow blocks 19 comprises four blocks per side of the tepee.

The third row of snow blocks 20 is then positioned on top ofthe second row. The snow blocks 20 are inverted relative to snow blocks 19 in the second row and are thus in the same orientation as the blocks 15, 17 in the first row. The third row of snow blocks comprises the same number of blocks per side as the second row.

Construction continues in this manner, with blocks in alternate rows being inverted relative to one another and the number of blocks per side decreasing by one block every two rows. Because the inner surface 6 of the bottom wall of the snow mould 1 (and thus the bottom wall of snow block 15) is arranged at an angle of 60° to the inner surface 3 of the main body portion 2 of the snow mould (and thus the front wall of the snow block), the tepee 16 naturally tapers inwards as successive rows are added. As shown in Figure , this results in a snow tepee 16 made up of nine rows of snow blocks, which tapers to a point at its upper end.

The tepee 16 has six wedge shaped gaps 21 at the corners between the side walls. As shown in Figure 16, a corner mould may be used to create snow blocks of the required size and shape to fill the gaps 21. The comer mould is shaped to create wedge-shaped blocks 26, which fit into the comers between the side walls. Additionally, a top mould may be used to create a cap 25 for the snow tepee. The top mould is shaped to create a block 25 which can be placed on the apex of the snow tepee to give a perfectly pointed However, the comer mould and top mould are optional and a fully enclosed snow tepee may be built without them. The gaps 21 can be packed with loose snow which can be compacted, using vaporised water if necessary, to seal the snow tepee.

An entrance to the snow tepee can be created by cutting an opening 23 through one of the walls of the tepee as shown in Figure 12. Further openings 24 should be cut through the walls of the tepee near the upper end thereof to provide ventilation.

The words “comprises/comprising” and the words “having/including” when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, Various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Claims (4)

Claims

1. A mould for a block comprising: a main body portion, having a substantially triangular inner surface; and a bottom wall and two side walls, each having a substantially quadrangular inner surface; wherein at least one wall is moveable between: a closed position, in which adjacent edges of the side walls and bottom wall abut one another to provide a substantially prism shaped mould in which the inner surface of the bottom wall of the mould is disposed at an angle of less than 90° to the inner surface ofthe main body portion of the mould and which is adapted to receive a material to form a block of that material; and an open position, in which the edges of the at least one wall are detached from the adjacent edges of the other walls to allow removal of the block from the mould.

2. A mould as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the walls is hingedly attached along one edge to one edge of the main body portion, such that the side walls and bottom wall are moveable between the closed position, in which adjacent edges of the side walls and bottom wall are releasably attached to one another, and the open position, in which the edges of the side walls and bottom wall are detached from one another such that the mould is substantially planar.

3. A mould as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: the bottom wall has a substantially rectangular inner surface; and the side walls are substantially identical, and each side wall has a substantially parallelogram shaped inner surface; and the angle between two adjacent edges of each parallelogram is about 60°, such that in the closed position, the inner surface of the bottom wall is disposed at an angle of about 60° to the inner surface of the main body portion.

4. A mould substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in