BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional concrete block construction uses rectangular blocks, generally having one or more cavities through the blocks from top to bottom. A layer of mortar is thrilled onto a foundation and a course of closely spaced blocks are laid on the layer, with additional mortar applied between the contiguous block ends. Another layer of mortar is applied to the top of the first course and additional courses are similarly laid, generally staggering the block ends from course to course. Great care and skill is required to achieve level courses and a truly vertical wall. Because of the time and skill required for such construction, costs are high.

These blocks have vertically aligned cavities that can be filled with rebar and concrete to reinforce the wall.

Various types of mortarless interlocking blocks have been devised in the past to facilitate the construction of block walls and other structures. Most such blocks have been very expensive to produce since the interlocking portions, usually grooves or protrusions, are normally cut into the blocks after

they have been formed by molding. Further, it is difficult to maintain the required tight tolerances required for accurate construction of large walls or other structures through the molding and cutting steps. The prior blocks often required additional finishing or grinding steps to meet the require tolerances.

Excellent interlocking mortarless building blocks overcoming many of these deficiencies are describe in U.S.

Patent No. 3,888,060, and 4,640,071, both granted to the inventor of the present invention. Those blocks have been used successfully for many years. These blocks are assembled in courses, with the block joints staggered and continuous vertical open cells into which reinforcing bars ("rebar") and wet concrete can be inserted. While highly effective, these blocks require that rebar be inserted in lower courses, with blocks in later courses lifted over the ends of the rebar as the structure advances and wet concrete is periodically poured into the cells containing the rebar. Thus installing blocks over rebar can be a significant problem with tall structures.

Also, three or more different block configurations may be required for many structures, such as walls, buildings with openings and floor panels connected to the block wall.

Additional block configurations require the manufacture of additional expensive molds and increased cost and time in changing molds in a block making machine and maintaining and inventory of the different block configurations.

Many of building walls made from these blocks have excessive thermal conductivity across the wall, which is a particular problem in cold climates where the interior is heated or in hot climates where the interior is cooled. Heat transmission across such a wall varies between areas where the blocks have large open internal cavities and areas where the cavities are filled with concrete and rebar reinforcements.

In addition to the undesirable loss of interior heating or cooling through the wall, with heated buildings, cold spots may form on the interior of the wall that condense water from the inside atmosphere and run down the wall.

Attempts have been made to fill the block cavities with loose fiberglass insulation, loose foam particles, foamed in place materials, etc. Loose insulation tends to settle and provide very uneven insulation with resulting cold spots. The insulation cannot be placed in block cavities that are to be filled with concrete and rebar reinforcements, again resulting in thermal gradients along the wall, with widely varying interior wall temperatures at insulated and uninsulated areas.

Therefore, there is a continuing need for improvements in these successful block systems to permit lower cost block manufacture and lower cost, more rapid structure assembly from the blocks, the ability to provide thermal insulation in all blocks while still permitting the introduction of reinforcing concrete and rebar into all or some of the blocks and to place such reinforcement with insulation already in place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above noted problems are overcome, and advantages achieved, by a block system which includes two basic block configurations including a first, full, block, typically having a length at least twice the block height, and a second, half, block, typically no more than half the length of the long block, for filling in at wall ends and openings.

Each block includes an interior cavity extending the full block length between endwalls, with means along the endwalls for supporting and holding in place thermal insulation panels.

Each of said first, long, blocks has a pair of spaced, upright sidewalls each having flat top and bottom surfaces and generally parallel outermost side surfaces. The block face surfaces may have various decorative designs, as desired.

Block end interlock means, typically cooperating vertically oriented tongue-and-groove arrangements, are provided at the ends of the sidewalls. Endwalls close the ends of the block between the sidewalls.

Two inwardly extending vertical ridges are provided along one sidewall which extend slightly above the block upper surface, forming protrusions that interlock with the lower ends of the ridges on the block laid in the next, above, course.

Half blocks are provided for filling the ends of walls between staggered full block courses. The half blocks are dimensioned the same as the full blocks, but are half the length of the full blocks and have a generally U-shaped plan,

with a pair of spaced parallel sidewalls connected by an endwall at one end. The half block further includes tapered ridges running vertically along the inside surfaces of the sidewalls, arranged to interlock with an upwardly extending ridge protrusion on the next full block below the half block.

Insulation may be placed along the sidewalls and endwall of the half block.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Details of the invention, and of preferred embodiments thereof, will be further understood upon reference to the drawing, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wall built using the block system of this invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a full block; Figure 3 is a section view taken on line 3--3 in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section view taken on line 4--4 in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a plan view of a half block; Figure 6 is a section view taken on line 6--6 in Figure 2; and Figure 7 is a section view taken on line 7--7 in Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to Figure 1, there is seen a wall 10 primarily

laid up in a staggered array from a plurality of full blocks 12. Each full block has a width equal to one-half its length.

At the ends of a wall, every other course will have an opening equal to half a block 12. Half blocks 14 are provided to fill these spaces. Similar spaces will occur at the vertical edges of doors, windows and the like.

As best seen in Figure 2, the full blocks 12 each have two sidewalls 16 joined with two endwalls 18. The bottom surface of each block is substantially flat. Each full block 12 has a pair of inwardly extending vertical ridges on the inside of a first sidewall 16. Each ridge 20 has a distal protrusion 22 extending above the otherwise flat upper surface of each full block 12. Ridges 20 are located so that a protrusion 37 of a lower block 35 (as shown in broken lines in Figure 2) will engage the proximal end of a ridge 20 as seen in Figure 2 when the lower block extends half way along the upper block. Protrusion 37 is locked in place between the inner sidewall surface, the side of a ridge 20 and a tapered extension 24 along each ridge.

Since most of the block interior is open, cement grout 23 and rebar 25 can be easily be placed vertically through vertically aligned openings through blocks making up wall 10.

As seen in Figure 1, the entire interior of uppermost block 12 is filled with grout 23. The next lower blocks have endwalls meeting below the center of the upper block, with two spaced cavities that will fill with grout. The rebar 25 will extend through these cavities, together with the grout 23

poured in from above.

Preferably, each block 12 includes tongue-and-groove interlocking means 26 at each to further hold blocks along a course in the proper position. Grooves 27 (Figures 2 and 3) may be provided in the upper inner edge of each endwall 18 so that a portion of the upper edge may be easily broke away to allow rebar to extend along the length of the course.

Each sidewall 18 has a vertical groove, continuous with second sidewall 28 to receive an end of an insulation panel 30 which is sized to cover the inner surface of sidewall 28.

Where a particular full block has an end exposed at an end of a wall a small insulation panel 32 can be inserted along the exposed endwall 18, as seen in Figure 2. If desired a recess 34 may be provided in insulation panel 30 into which an end of small panel 32 could be fitted. The opposite end of small panel is held in place between ridge 20 and the adjacent endwall.

A half block 14 as seen in Figure 5-7 is provided to fill in along wall ends, as mentioned above. Half block 14 has two parallel sidewalls 36 connected by an endwall. The half block sidewalls 36 have the same general configuration as full block sidewalls 16, except that they have half the length. A vertical tapered ridge 40 is provided along the inner surface of each sidewall 16, located to interlock with a protrusion 40 from a full block 12 immediately below a half block 14.

A tapered ridge 40 is provided on each sidewall 40, so that the half block can be used at either a left or a right wall

end.

A half block side insulation material 42 may be positioned along the interior of each sidewall 40, and a small panel 44 may be fitted between panels 42 across the interior of endwall 38 between panels 42. If desired, recesses may be provided in the inside edges of endwall 38, similar to recesses 34 shown in Figure 2, and recesses could be provide in side insulation material 42 to receive ends of small insulation material sheets 44. The insulation material 42 can be molded to accommodate ridges 40 and protrusion 37, which extend into volumes occupied by the insulation, or soft foam or fibrous insulation may be used that will simply compress when pressed into place over ridges and protrusions.

As each course is laid up, the various insulation panels are inserted before the next course is laid. If desired, the panels could be further adhesively bonded in place at the block manufacturing facility and shipped to the construction site. Once the wall is constructed to a suitable level, grout and rebar may be used to fill the vertical channel provided by the aligned openings in the blocks. Since the interior of the blocks are free of any structure, filling is easy and complete filling is assured. The final wall is sturdy and thermally insulated.

While certain specific relationships, materials and other parameters have been detailed in the above description of preferred embodiments, those can be varied, where suitable, with similar results. Other applications, variations and ramifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure. Those are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.