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US 6,557,818 B2Granted
Form for manufacturing concrete retaining wall blocks
AssigneeRedi-Rock International, LLC
InventorJames A. Manthci
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeRedi-Rock International, LLC
InventorJames A. Manthci
Estimating the term…
A form for manufacturing concrete retaining wall blocks. The blocks are cast in the form with a front face of the block down. A resilient face insert at the bottom of the form imparts an ornamental appearance to the front face of the block. The form has four sides which pivot at their bottom between a closed position for casting a block and an open position which permits removing the cast block from the form. Preferably, the cast block has parallel top and bottom surfaces and angled sides. Sides of the form form a groove in the bottom of the block which extends parallel to and spaced from the front face and form knobs which project above the top of the block for alignment with a grooves on adjacent stacked blocks forming a retaining wall. The block is formed with two lifting points, one for removal of the block from the form and one for moving the block when constructing a retaining wall. Inserts may be attached to the form for casting half blocks, blocks for the top and bottom tiers of a retaining wall, and other block configurations.
A form for casting a concrete retaining wall block having a front, a top, a bottom, two sides and a rear, said form including a base, four form sides mounted to pivot relative to said base between closed and open positions, said four form sides forming a cavity having an open top and a closed bottom, said bottom forming the front of a block cast in said cavity, a first of said form sides forming a top of a block cast in said cavity, a second of said form sides forming a bottom of a block cast in said cavity, a third of said form sides forming one side of a block cast in said cavity, and the fourth of said form sides forming the other side of a block cast in said cavity, and a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock said form sides in said closed position, and including a resilient face insert in said cavity supported on said base, said resilient face insert having a surface defining said cavity bottom and adapted to form a front on a retaining wall block cast in said cavity.
A form for casting a concrete retaining wall block having a front, a top, a bottom, two sides and a rear, said form including a base, four form sides mounted to pivot relative to said base between closed and open positions, said four form sides forming a cavity having an open top and a closed bottom, said bottom forming the front of a block cast in said cavity, a first of said form sides forming a top of a block cast in said cavity, a second of said form sides forming a bottom of a block cast in said cavity, a third of said form sides forming one side of a block cast in said cavity, and the fourth of said form sides forming the other side of a block cast in said cavity, and a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock said form sides in said closed position, and including a rail mounted on said base to surrounding said form sides, and wherein said form sides are spaced from said rail when in said closed position and abut said rail when in said open position.
A form for casting a concrete retaining wall block having a front, a top, a bottom, two sides and a rear, said form including a base, four form sides mounted to pivot relative to said base between closed and open positions, said four form sides forming a cavity having an open top and a closed bottom, said bottom forming the front of a block cast in said cavity, a first of said form sides forming a top of a block cast in said cavity, a second of said form sides forming a bottom of a block cast in said cavity, a third of said form sides forming one side of a block cast in said cavity, and the fourth of said form sides forming the other side of a block cast in said cavity, and a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock said form sides in said closed position, and wherein said first side includes at least one knob former for forming at least one raised knob on the top surface of a block cast in said cavity.
A form for casting a concrete retaining wall block having a front, a top, a bottom, two sides and a rear, said form including a base, four form sides mounted to pivot relative to said base between closed and open positions, said four form sides forming a cavity having an open top and a closed bottom, said bottom forming the front of a block cast in said cavity, a first of said form sides forming a top of a block cast in said cavity, a second of said form sides forming a bottom of a block cast in said cavity, a third of said form sides forming one side of a block cast in said cavity, and the fourth of said form sides forming the other side of a block cast in said cavity, and a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock said form sides in said closed position, and further including a resilient lift hook recess forming insert mounted on said first side, said lift hook recess forming insert having a groove adapted for engaging and resiliently holding a rod which is to be embedded in a block cast in said form, said lift hook recess forming insert forming a recess in the top of a block cast in said cavity and positioning such rod in such block to extend across such recess.
A form for casting a concrete retaining wall block having a front, a top, a bottom, two sides and a rear, said form including a base, four form sides mounted to pivot relative to said base between closed and open positions, said four form sides forming a cavity having an open top and a closed bottom, said bottom forming the front of a block cast in said cavity, a first of said form sides forming a top of a block cast in said cavity, a second of said form sides forming a bottom of a block cast in said cavity, a third of said form sides forming one side of a block cast in said cavity, and the fourth of said form sides forming the other side of a block cast in said cavity, and a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock said form sides in said closed position, and further including a top block insert mounted on said first form side, said top block insert forming a top surface which is recessed below an upper edge of a front of a block cast in said form cavity.
A form for casting a concrete retaining wall block having a textured front, a top, a bottom, two sides and a rear, said form including a base, four form sides mounted to pivot relative to said base between closed and open positions, said four form sides when in said closed position forming a cavity having an open top, an insert forming a closed bottom to said cavity, said insert having a textured surface forming a side of said cavity and adapted for forming the textured front of a block cast in said cavity, a first of said form sides forming a top of a block cast in said cavity, a second of said form sides forming a bottom of a block cast in said cavity, a third of said form sides forming one side of a block cast in said cavity, and a fourth of said form sides forming the other side of a block cast in said cavity, and a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock said form sides in said closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.