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Patent 7419327 Click For Printable Version of This Patent
Patent Information:  USPTO Site Listing

Patent Number: 7419327
Case ID: 0
Patent Title: Method for fabricating and employing a paving system using arrays of vertically interlocking paving blocks
Status: ACTIVE
Status Date: 10/12/2009 7:17:39 AM
Issue Date: 9/2/2008
Filed Date: 11/22/2006
Serial #: 1/603,431
Assignee Name: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army (Washington, DC)
Inventor(s): Weiss, Jr., Charles A.
Lab Information:  View Lab Profile

Lab Name: ERDC Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory
Location: CEERD-OT
Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199
Contact: Contact Lab About This Patent
   
Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of prior co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/923,889, Paving System Using Arrays of Vertically Interlocking Paving Blocks, by Weiss et al., filed Aug. 24, 2004, incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Heretofore, providing a lateral attachment between laterally adjacent elements in a paving system has been a problem. U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,253, Rigid Grating Mat with Unidirectional Elements, to Bedics, Oct. 8, 1991, describes a system for building a mat that has separate plank-like elements that are joined laterally by a tongue and groove construction. This makes for a complicated extrusion that is difficult to construct and is easily extended laterally only in one direction.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,451, Grid Matrix System Including Interconnected Revetment Blocks, to Pettee, Jul. 4, 1995, describes a grid matrix system that has interconnected revetment blocks. These square or  . . . . More
Abstract:
A method for fabricating and forming a continuous covered area, such as a sidewalk or patio, employing vertically interlocking tessellated components. One embodiment, termed PORTAPAVE.TM., achieves this interlocking via an array of uniquely configured two-sectioned pavers. Each paver has a first section of a first shape and a second section of a second shape impressed upon the first section and bonded together. In one embodiment, first sections of pavers are installed in a bottom layer to form a cavity between them having the same shape as the second section of a paver that is inverted onto the pavers of the bottom layer, thus providing a top layer. Each inverted paver in this top layer is fitted to interlock in that cavity formed between the un-inverted pavers in the bottom layer.
Claims:
I claim:

1. A method for covering a pre-specified area with vertically interlocking pavers, comprising: leveling said pre-specified area; providing components for a pre-specified array of said pavers, said components comprising: a first section having first sides parallel to a first plane containing a first bearing surface and a first thickness in a second plane orthogonal to said first plane, said first thickness of a dimension less than that of any of said first sides; and a second section having second sides parallel to both said first plane and a second plane containing a second bearing surface, said second plane parallel to said first plane, said second section contacting said first section uniformly along a part of said first plane, said second section oriented to said first section such that said second sides are contained entirely within the perimeter formed by said first sides; arranging four said components in said pre-specified array in a first plane parallel to  . . . . More