A building system

This invention relates to a building system and in particular to a kit or set of building components which can be arranged in a variety of ways in order to create structures of various forms or configurations.

In particular, the invention is concerned with interlocking building components, where the components are shaped so that they fit together and are locked in place without the need for mortar or fixing elements such as bolts or the like.

According to the present invention, there is provided a kit of parts for assembling a building wall structure, the kit comprising a plurality of horizontal elongated frame members and a plurality of vertical elongated frame members, which members can be interlocked together with the members crossing one another to form a rectilinear frame, a plurality of lock members which can be fitted at the places where a vertical member crosses a horizontal member to lock the members together, and a plurality of filler members which can be engaged with one of the horizontal or vertical members to locate in the rectilinear frame, to fill the space within the frame and thus to form a continuous wall structure.

The horizontal frame members and the vertical frame members are preferably indistinguishable, and each frame member may be in the form of a continuous beam of constant cross- section with- spaced apart projections extending from one side of the beam, the spacing between the projections being substantially equal to the dimension of the projections parallel to the length of the beam.

The height, of the projections extending out from the beam is preferably equal to the length of the projections parallel to the length of the beam and also to the width of the projection measured at right angles to the length of the beam.

The frame members and/or the lock and filler members may be of hollow construction.

Those faces of the lock members and of the filler members which will, in use, form the outer faces of the wall can be provided with features to prevent rain water penetration between the blocks. To do this, the top and bottom faces of the outer ends of the members may be angled downwardly.

The lock members may comprise two end portions joined by a bridge portion which has a smaller cross-sectional area than the end portions. The bridge region may be of circular section so that it can be rotated between locking and unlocking positions.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a set of building components, the set comprising a plurality of building blocks with each block having an end region adapted to mate with a corresponding end region of another block, the end regions being arranged so that, when placed parallel with one another, they define a slot the axis of which lies parallel to the facing surfaces of the two blocks, and a groove closely adjacent to the slot and which extends across the facing surfaces of the two blocks, the system also comprising a connector piece and a lock piece for each joint between two blocks, both the connector piece and the lock piece having a neck of reduced thickness which can be placed respectively in the groove or in the slot and shoulders either side of the neck which prevent movement of the connector piece or the lock piece

respectively along the groove or along the slot, and wherein the neck of the lock piece is cylindrical to allow rotation of the lock piece relative to the slot between a position in which one of the lock piece shoulders overlies, at least in part, the connector piece, and a position in which the lock piece allows the connector piece to be placed in or removed from the groove.

The shoulders on either side of the neck of the lock piece are preferably arranged coaxially, and the axis of the neck is offset but parallel to the axis of the shoulders. Preferably the shoulders are square when seen in cross section perpendicular to the axis, and the axis of the neck is offset towards one side or one corner of the square cross section.

The lock piece itself may be one composite .unit or a compactum of a shaft i.e. the cylinder (solid or hollow) at the two ends of which may be fixed two lock squares/rectangles/plates and further, either both or one of these ends may 'rotate' to lock. The rotation to 'lock' may be made easier for large constructions by the use of bearings especially in space remote control (in-built electro-mechanism) and fail-safe manual action option.

Each building block preferably has at least two and possibly three or four end regions arranged as set forth above, and the end regions may extend parallel to one another, at right angles to one another or at any other convenient angle.

The depth of the groove is preferably equal to half the height of the block end region, and the slot formed when two end regions are placed parallel with one another is preferably of square cross section.

Each end region preferably has one end of full width, a portion of gradually reducing width, a parallel sided region where the slot and the grooves will be found and a second portion of gradually reducing width which tapers to the end of the end region. Complementary end regions can therefore be placed against one another so that they overlap but do not occupy more that the full building block width at any point. Preferably the portions of reducing width taper at 45° relative to the length of the end regions.

Where a block has two or more end regions, it may have an intermediate region of any desired shape or form between the end regions.

All the components are preferably of a modular nature, ie they all have a shape which is a multiple of a basic unit shape, and the basic unit shape is preferably a cube. Where two end regions are joined at right angles, they may be joined by triangular shaped ribs.

Any or all of the components may be constructed as hollow bodies, and it may be possible to assemble them from flat pieces. This has an advantage in that components for a building may be transported to a building site in a flat condition. Also, the hollow bodies may be filled with insulation material.

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

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively side elevation, front elevation and perspective views of a frame member for use in the invention;

Figure 4 illustrates how the various components fit together;

Figures 5 and 6 show two alternative wall constructions;

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a set of building components consisting of two building block end regions, one connection piece and one lock piece;

Figure 8 is a plan view showing four building components interlinked;

Figures 9a and 9b are respectively plan and cross sectional views of a first form of lock piece in accordance with the invention;

Figures 10a and 10b are respectively plan and sectional views of a second form of lock piece in accordance with the invention;

Figures 11a and lib are respectively plan and cross sectional views of a connection piece in accordance with the invention;

Figures 12a, 12b and 12c are respectively plan, end elevation and side elevation views of a first form of building block end region in accordance with the invention;

Figures 13a, 13b and 13c are respectively plan, end elevation and side elevation views of a second form of building block end region in accordance with the invention;

Figures 14, 15, 16 and 17 show plan views of building blocks with two parallel end regions in accordance with the invention;

Figures 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 show further alternative forms of building block in accordance with the invention;

Figure 25 shows yet another form of building block in accordance with the invention and Figures 25a and 25b show two alternative sections through the corner of the block shown in Figure 25;

Figures 26, 27, 28 and 29 show building structures made using components in accordance with the invention;

Figures 30a, 30b, 30c and 30d show four different end pieces;

Figures 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d show four different connector pieces;

Figures 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 show plan and elevational views of five further building components for use in accordance with the invention;

Figures 39, 40 and 41 show three further pieces.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a basic frame member 110 which can be used either as a horizontal or as a vertical frame member. The member has a beam portion 112 which is elongate and of constant square cross-section and five projections 114. Frame members can however be constructed with a greater or lesser number of projections 114. The volume of the space 116 between each projection 114 is the same as

the volume of the projection, and the width of each projection is the same as that of the beam portion 112, with due allowance being made so that the members can actually be fitted together in the manner to be described.

Figure 4 shows two frame members 110 fitted together, and a locking member 120 ready to be fitted around the joint between the locking members to secure the joint. The figure also shows a filler member 122 which will be fitted over the horizontal frame member, and will be slid along the frame member to butt up against the locking member 120 so that their outward facing ends form a continuous wall. The filler member 122 shown in Figure 4 has the same end cross- sectional area as the locking member 120. However filler members of different dimensions can be used such as the half-size member 123 shown in Figure 6.

Figures 5 and 6 show segments of walls which have been constructed using these components. In these figures, the outward facing ends of filler blocks 122 are indicated with shading lines running in one direction only whilst the outward facing ends of the locking blocks 120 are indicated with crossed shading lines. Figure 5 shows a wall segment with two vertical members 124, 126 and three horizontals 128, 130, 132, and with the spaces between these frame members completely filled. Figure 6 shows a construction with two verticals 134, 136 and four horizontals 138, 140, 142, 144. Here some gaps have been left between the frame members and window and door openings can be formed in this way. Door and window frames may be secured by blocks specifically designed to hold the frames secure in position. Floors and/or ceilings and roofs may be accommodated within the structure and their loads may be transferred directly to the vertical frame members.

Special surface blocks may be used to link up with service channels or conduits exiting either to the inside or the outside of the structure. Furthermore, the outward and inward facing end faces of the blocks can be given a decorative and/or weather-resistant finish.

In order to produce a non-permeable wall, suitable seals can be arranged between the blocks. To prevent rainwater penetration from the outside to the inside. The outer edges of the blocks can be shaped as shown in Figure 7 with the chamfered outer edge of the block 12 being positioned so that the chamfer is inclined downwards.

A double walling construction can be produced by placing vertical members back to back, and building on both of the members to produce a cavity wall.

Where a higher wall is to be constructed, further vertical frame members can be located above existing frame members, to form a vertical continuation in the same line. The further frame members will be held in place by the surrounding lock and filler blocks and by the interengaging horizontals. It is not necessary to positively join the verticals to the adjacent verticals above and/or below.

In the exploded view of Figure 7, a first building block end region 10 and a second, complementary building block end region 12 are shown. The end regions 10 and 12 may form the entire extent of a building block as shown in Figures 12 and 13, or may form the end region only of a block as shown in any one of Figures 14 to 25. In addition to the end regions 10 and 12, Figure 7 shows a connector piece 14 and a lock piece 16. It will be seen that the lock piece 16 has a cylindrical neck 18 joining two shoulders 20 and 22. The connector piece 14 also has a neck, but this time the neck 24 is square in cross section

(see Figure lib) and is again arranged between shoulders 26 and 28.

To complete a joint between the building block end regions 10 and 12, the lock piece 16 is placed between the two end regions, with the neck 18 arranged so that it will be located in a slot formed by channels 30 and 32 on the two end regions. The end regions are then brought together so that the channels 30 and 32 form an enclosed slot which holds the block piece 16 captive, but allows this lock piece to rotate about the axis of the neck 18. At this point, the lock piece is rotated so that the shoulder 20 does not obstruct any part of the two grooves 34 and 36 which are formed in the two end regions.

Once the end regions are in contact with one another, the connector piece 14 is put in place so that its neck 24 lies in the grooves 34, 36. The shoulders 26 and 28 then prevent the block end regions- from separating.

Finally, to prevent the connector piece 14 from coming out of position the lock piece 16 is rotated so that the upper shoulder 20 overlies the neck 24 of the connector. Once this sequence of steps has been taken, a solid structure is obtained which can only be dismantled by intentional rotation of the lock piece 16 to the position where it allows the connection piece 14 to be removed again.

Figure 8 shows the assembly from above, and in this Figure the position of the top shoulder 20 of the locking piece 16 is shown in dotted lines. It will be seen from this Figure that when the end regions 10 and 12 are brought into contact with one another, they form together a wall of a thickness equal to the width of the shoulders 20, 22, 26 and 28 of the connector and lock pieces and equal to other parts of the structure which will be described later in

this specification. Both end regions have tapering tips at 38 which mate with tapering shoulders 40 at the opposite ends of the end regions.

Figures 9a and 9b show the connector piece 16 in more detail, with Figure 9b being a section on the line III-III from Figure 9a. The block piece 16 shown in Figure 9a is suitable for use where a groove 30, 32 is formed centrally in the wall in the way shown in Figure 8. An alternative lock piece 16a where the neck 18a is offset to one corner of the shoulders 20a, 22a- is suitable for use in other embodiments.

Figures 12 and 13 show more details of the end regions 10 and 12 and in particular illustrate embodiments where the end regions themselves form entire building blocks.

In Figures 14, 15, 16 and 17 two end regions 10 and 12 are joined by a central portion 42 which varies in size between the figures. However in all cases the end portions 10 and 12 are parallel to one another.

In Figures 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 the end portions 10 and 12 are joined by a central portion 44 which takes various different forms and joins end regions 10 and 12 at various different angles to one another. In particular in Figure 18, four and in Figure 22, three end regions are connected together.

In Figure 25, the two end regions are joined by a triangular region 46. This triangular region may be solid or, as shown in Figures 25a and 25b, it may consist of one central web 48 or two spaced webs 50 and 52.

Figures 26 and 27 show two structures which are made using the building blocks of the present invention. In Figure

26, the outside shell of the structure is completed using the building blocks of Figure 19, suitably joined to form a closed shape. In Figure 27, blocks of a variety of different configurations are used.

Figures 28 and 29 are further examples of structures which may be formed in accordance with the invention.

Figures 30 illustrate new "end" pieces for developments of the "straight" pieces for both "straight" and "angular" constructions.

Figures 31 illustrate new "connector" pieces for use with the end pieces shown in Figure 30.

The pieces shown in Figures 30 and 31 would permit constructions combining the "angular" pieces with the lock pieces of Figure 9, and the "straight" pieces with the lock pieces of Figure 10.

A stacking pattern construction where the layers described so far are stacked one upon another and interlocked with each other can be achieved by interlocking pieces with compatible designed pieces. For example, in place of the connector piece 14, one could use the piece 60 shown in Figure 36, the piece 62 shown in Figure 34, the piece 64 shown in Figure 33, the piece 66 shown in Figure 35 or the piece 68 shown in Figure 36

It will be noted that any desired construction is now possible as a development on the foundation of any one of the above pieces 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, etc.

A construction of this type may be designed for incorporation with either single straight length pieces or angular pieces which may be either piece 14 shown in Figure

8 or for example piece 44 shown in Figure 19, provided that the primary interlocking designed configuration as shown in piece 14 and pieces 70 and 72 (Figure 40 is present.

So a requirement necessitating satisfaction of choice of construction anywhere along its length would be met with a series of pieces designed to be employed as the foundation pieces permitting lock-on construction (by random choice as suitable to the specific requirement) at any "modular point" along its interlocking combinations.

For example, a structure made up of the following pieces Quantity Component Number

1 74

2 76 1 68 4 18a would enable construction of a foundation of an interlocked square geometric shape. This can now be developed as a platform plus its sides etc, or independent constructions alongside with each of the sides of the foundation, whilst being mindful of the liberty of design with these foundation pieces both in length and size.

Finally, it should be noted that the pieces 24a and 25c shown in Figures 37 and 38 (and which are related to the components shown in Figures 30a and 31c) can be extended within reasonable practical limits, and the extended part can have any desired form to interlock with additional pieces as desired.

By means of the building components illustrated and described here, buildings can be constructed in a wide variety of shapes with the final shape being locked in place by a simple turning action.