Interlocking Building Blocks and System of Construction Therewith

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

See Application Data Sheet for reference to provisional patent application #63/650,838

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A LARGE TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX ON READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of residential and light commercial building structural envelope construction and the materials and systems typically used to frame such structures both by professional construction tradespeople and non-professional Do-It-Yourself (DIY) builders.

Background Art

Contemporary residential and light commercial building envelopes are regularly constructed using commonly available dimensional lumber as stick-built framing or by using pre-fabricated structural insulated panels (SIP). Both systems are well understood by builders and each provides unique benefits with regard to design flexibility, ease of onsite assembly, structural integrity, and energy efficiency. Stick-built framing provides the ultimate flexibility during construction. As long as design, structural, and building code requirements are met, builders can choose their preferred framing materials and layouts and can readily make modifications onsite as needed. Stick framing also provides easy access to open wall stud bays for installation and inspection of plumbing, electrical, and mechanical services during construction. These aspects along with the availability, affordability, and transportability of standard dimensional lumber and associated supplies make stick-built framing the most popular method of construction in the United States.

Unfortunately, as energy efficiency has become more important in all construction projects, stick-built framing has proven to be more challenging in achieving the levels of air-tightness and insulation value that are required for highly energy-efficient buildings. This is because stick-built envelopes lack an inherent continuous air and insulation barrier. To compensate for this, meticulous design and care must be taken to ensure that thermal and air transfer control measures are applied and not compromised throughout all stages of construction. Because the science behind air, water, vapor, and heat transfer are not well understood by most construction workers, it is common for the designed controls to be unintentionally compromised during the building process. For example, subcontractors like electricians and plumbers can easily displace insulation or bore oversized holes through the building envelope elements to route wiring, piping, and fixtures. Worse, inattention to detail while insulating and sheathing results in gaps, voids or compressed insulation that reduces efficiency. These are common conditions that can seem insignificant to the build process but result in greatly reduced building performance.

To address some of the shortcomings of stick-built construction, SIP framing has been adopted by many builders over the last few decades. A SIP unit typically consists of two sheets of structural engineered wood sheathing sandwiching a layer of continuous rigid foam insulation. Some SIP fabricators also embed dimensional lumber members or metallic members or sheets of various profiles and sizes within the units. The main advantages of SIP framing are ease of assembly and energy efficiency. SIP units are fabricated offsite according to the architectural and structural design of the building envelope. Each panel is typically full story height and has precut rough openings for doors and windows. After delivery to the construction site, panels are lifted into place and inter-connected by sheathing splines or dimensional lumber members and standard fasteners or proprietary connectors.

SIP building envelopes are usually custom-built for the specific building envelope design, which makes assembly on-site relatively fast and easy. Units should fit nicely together to result in the proper design. If there is an error in the manufacturing or modification is required on-site, SIP framing can cause delays and complicate the building process. In some cases, the SIP units delivered to the building site may not be custom-fabricated panels and all customization must be done onsite by the builders. This adds additional time and cost to construction and requires tradespeople to have a higher level of skill.

A major benefit of SIP framing is the inherent continuous air and insulation barrier created by tightly joining panels together. Thermal bridging is greatly reduced by the internal layer of rigid foam insulation and when installed properly, this provides a high level of air and thermal control.

Although SIP framing provides these benefits, it also suffers from some inherent flaws. As with stick-built framing, the air and thermal controls can be easily compromised by electrical, plumbing, and mechanical lines and fixtures. Holes must be drilled through the structural panels and tunnels must be bored through the internal insulation in order to route these components. This can make installation and inspection more difficult and costly and can introduce the same compromises to air and thermal control that can happen with stick-built framing. Although some SIP panels may be manufactured with internal utility channels and pre-bored access holes, these still make installation and inspection difficult and often the installed wires and pipes require larger channels than have been provided or irregular paths. As a result, these manufactured routes are enlarged or bypassed. More importantly, the structural integrity of the SIP unit can be compromised if lateral cuts are made in the SIP sheathing to more easily accommodate these routes. Although SIP manufacturers advise against running any service lines within the units, and instead advise to run all lines through interior, stick-built walls, that is unrealistic and it is common to find these lines in all exterior walls of a structure.

In addition to the above issues that building tradespeople encounter with stick-built and SIP building envelope construction, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) builders encounter additional burdens caused by a lack of specialized knowledge and of practiced skills required to construct building envelopes. Stick-built framing requires know-how for acquiring the necessary materials, for cutting and layout, and for assembly. Although the materials for stick-built framing are readily available and easily transportable, structural mistakes can be made in laying out components and built assemblies can be unwieldly for individual builders to lift into place and secure.

Custom, pre-fabricated SIP units can reduce the knowledge and skill required by DIY builders to layout and assemble a building envelope, but the custom fabrication and transport of SIP units adds additional cost and logistics. Also, SIP units are too large and heavy for an individual builder to layout and any changes required due to design mistakes or unique build conditions are hard to remedy by a DIY builder and usually require the SIP fabricator to replace the affected units.

Lastly, for DIY builders who want to perform plumbing, electrical, and mechanical work within the walls of the building envelope, both stick-built and SIP framing pose similar challenges as described above but to a greater extent due to lack of specialized tools and knowledge. DIY builders are more likely to compromise structural and insulation integrity by cutting through assemblies with less skill and care in order to install these components.

The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded as subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.

The present invention is an apparatus and system of a plurality of interlocking, structural building blocks and accessory components of various types and sizes that can be assembled, ad hoc in the field, in various quantities and combinations to construct a residential or light commercial building wall envelope of various lengths, widths, and heights that consists of, (a) a contiguous outer wall section providing structural integrity, air tightness, and continuous insulation and (b) an inner wall section providing additional structural support, consisting of open stud bays with multiple open horizontal channels between bays for installation of electrical, plumbing, and mechanical components without requiring boring or cutting of envelope members and providing a standard-width, open cavity for insulation with vertical studs for attaching interior wallboard or other finished wall materials.

This double-wall building block apparatus and system combines the unique benefits of both traditional stick-built framing and SIP building envelopes and is comprised of individual components that can be easily transported, laid out, and assembled by a single person with simple hand tools and without prior knowledge of standard building framing concepts or practiced skill in cutting, laying out, and assembling traditional stick-built or SIP wall structures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partial building envelope constructed using the building block system showing typical wall envelope intersections with foundation, slab, floor/ceiling, and rafter/truss components.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a partial building block system wall showing how the plurality of stacked building blocks form a continuous double wall with inner and outer sections.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a partial building block system wall showing the outer section and inner section of the double wall system.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the interior side of a partial building block wall showing how the plurality of stacked blocks creates an open bay stud wall section on the inner section of the wall in which plumbing and electrical lines can be easily installed and inspected without requiring any cutting or boring of holes into the wall members.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the interior side of one type and size of a building block showing unique features shared by blocks in the system.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the interior side of one type and size of a building block showing unique features shared by blocks in the system with dashed lines showing the obscured surface features of the block and a vertical channel stud.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a building block showing how various parts of the apparatus may be assembled.

FIG. 8 is a perspective interior-facing view showing how building blocks stack vertically and connect in an interlocking fashion in a running bond brick pattern.

FIG. 9 is a perspective interior-facing view showing how building blocks stack vertically and connect in an interlocking fashion in a single-column pattern.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of types of channel stud members that can be installed on the interior wall section to create the internal open wall stud bays.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side and exterior-facing side of a fill block type of building block.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side and exterior-facing side of a plate block type of building block.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of a top plate block type of building block and a fill block type of building block showing how the two block types are joined using one or more columnar fill struts.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a corner fill block type of building block of two sizes.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a corner sill plate block type of building block.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a corner top plate block type of building block and a corner fill block type of building block showing how the two block types are joined using one or more columnar fill struts.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a building block wall section showing a typical connection between the block wall and a concrete foundation.

FIG. 18 is a side view of a building block wall section showing a typical connection between the block wall and a floor joist assembly.

FIG. 19 is a side view of a of a building block wall section showing a typical connection between the block wall and a roof rafter/truss assembly.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a building block wall section showing a typical door rough opening.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a building block wall section showing a typical window rough opening.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of a standardized building block type of shorter length.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of shorter length with columnar struts spaced further apart.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length with columnar struts spaced further apart.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length with a larger height.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length with a larger height.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length with columnar struts spaced further apart and with a larger height.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block type of longer length with columnar struts spaced further apart and with a larger height.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a standardized building block type with a narrower profile.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a standardized building block type without internal insulation.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the interior section of a building block without an interior-facing sheathing component.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of one possible alternative type of columnar strut profile.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of several columnar struts each with their own unique extended portion profile.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a building block showing an alternative interlocking mechanism between blocks.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of a building block showing an alternative metal columnar strut composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises unique attributes of the individual building block types embodied and the prescribed system of assembly of building blocks which combines the attributes of the plurality of building blocks to create a new and original type of building envelope. Features of the building block apparatus and system include:

• • (a) building blocks of various standard sizes and shapes that can be arranged and combined and connected with or without customization, at the building site to form a building envelope;
  • (b) building blocks that interlock such that each block is laterally and longitudinally aligned with the adjacent blocks and mechanically and/or adhesively attached to each adjacent block;
  • (c) building blocks that consist of a first outer wall section and a second inner wall section;
  • (d) building blocks with a first outer wall section consisting of a first exterior sheet of solid or engineered wood, a second interior sheet of solid or engineered wood, a contiguous filling between the two sheets of rigid insulating foam, one or more internal columnar struts of solid or engineered wood placed vertically between the two sheets and spaced evenly, one or more columnar struts of solid or engineered wood placed vertically between the two sheets and spaced evenly, a portion of each extending past the second interior sheet of the outer wall section into a second inner wall section, and a vertical channel stud of solid or engineered wood attached mechanically and/or adhesively the end of a columnar strut extending into the second inner wall section;
  • (e) a system of building blocks wherein individual block units are stacked in any combination and arrangement to create a variety of building envelope lengths, widths, and heights; and,
  • (f) a system of building blocks wherein by fact of stacking a plurality of blocks, a contiguous building envelope wall consisting of a first outer wall section with continuous sheathing and insulation and a second inner wall section with open stud bays is created.

An overview of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus and system is shown in FIG. 1 where an assembly of stacked building blocks makes up an exemplary section of a building envelope, including 1 a wall plane section of stacked blocks, 2 a corner assembly of stacked blocks, 3 attachment of the block system to the building foundation and slab, 4 attachment of the block system to an assembly of floor/ceiling joists, and 5 attachment of the block system to an assembly of roof trusses/rafters.

The system, when combining the attributes of the plurality of building blocks, is meant to attach to other common building assemblies including, but not limited to, foundations, floor and ceiling joists, and truss and stick-built roofs, using typical, building code-approved methods and readily available mechanical and/or adhesive products known to those familiar with the field of art.

A perspective view of a building interior-facing section of a single-story wall plane made up of the preferred embodiment of stacked building blocks 1 is shown in FIG. 2. The plurality of individual building blocks when stacked creates a building envelope with an outer section 6 forming a continuously insulated structural wall and an inner section 7 which forms an open stud bay wall. The double-section structure of the system is further shown in the side view of a section of stacked building blocks in FIG. 3, where the plurality of stacked building blocks 1 creates a wall envelope consisting of an outer wall section 6 and an inner wall section 7. The inner wall section consisting of open stud bays as shown in the interior-facing view of a section of stacked building blocks in FIG. 4 provides easy access to install electric 8A and plumbing 8B service lines without requiring drilling holes or boring through any of the components of the wall. These service lines 8A and 8B and other mechanical lines and their associated components can also be more easily tested and inspected before batt insulation and final wall coverings are installed.

The individual blocks in the preferred embodiment share standard features and construction as exemplified by the interior-facing perspective view in FIG. 5, wherein the outer section of each block consists of an exterior-facing first sheet of solid or engineered wood 9, an interior-facing second sheet of solid or engineered wood 10, a continuous layer of rigid foam insulation 11A and 11B that fills all spatial voids between the sheets of the outer section, one or more first internal columnar struts 12 spanning the space between the sheets of the outer section and extending vertically past the common bottom plane of the sheets, and one or more second columnar struts 13 spanning the space between the sheets of the outer section and extending vertically past the common bottom plane of the sheets, a portion of which extends 14 inward past the second sheet 10 to form a structural member of the inner section. One or more of a vertical channel stud 15 is attached mechanically and/or adhesively to the end of the extending portion 14 of each second columnar strut 13 to create an inner section consisting of vertically parallel open stud bays along the completed wall. The connection plane between the extended portion 14 of the columnar strut 13 and vertical channel stud 15 is shown in dotted lines.

A similar perspective view of an exemplary block is shown in FIG. 6 where the obscured surface details of the block and vertical channel stud are outlined in dashed lines.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of one size and type of block of the preferred embodiment. The exterior-facing first sheet 9 is mechanically and/or adhesively attached to, the pieces of rigid foam insulation 11A and 11B, the first internal columnar strut 12, and the second columnar strut 13 and may be mechanically attached to the interior-facing second sheet 10. The second interior-facing sheet 10 is mechanically and/or adhesively attached to, the pieces of rigid foam insulation 11A and 11B, the first internal columnar strut 12, and the second columnar strut 13 and may be mechanically attached to the exterior-facing first sheet 9. The first internal columnar strut 12 is mechanically and/or adhesively attached to, the first external-facing sheet 9, the second internal-facing sheet 10, and the pieces of rigid foam insulation 11A and 11B. The second columnar strut 13 is mechanically and/or adhesively attached to, the first external-facing sheet 9, the second internal-facing sheet 10, and the rigid foam insulation 11B.

One aspect of the system and individual apparatus is that when a plurality of building blocks is stacked in a variety of configurations, all blocks interlock, one atop the other, and side-by-side to create a contiguous wall section. The preferred embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a section of blocks which has been partially exploded and which displays obscured surfaces in dashed lines to show how the individual building block surfaces meet to form a continuous wall. The upper portion of the image 16 shows one block stacked upon another in a pattern known to those familiar with the field of art as a running bond brick pattern. In this pattern, a columnar strut 13 of the upper block mates with an internal columnar strut 12 of the lower block. In the preferred embodiment, the shape profiles of the internal columnar strut 12 and columnar strut 13 are such that when blocks are stacked, the shape profiles of the struts of the upper and lower blocks mate on all or some opposing surfaces to form a continuous vertical column extending from the bottommost block in the stack through the topmost block in the stack. The meeting surfaces of the opposing struts are mechanically and/or adhesively attached to one another.

The lower portion of the image 17 in FIG. 8 shows a lower row of two building blocks, connected side-by-side with vertical dotted lines indicating how the building block above the row aligns with the surfaces of the lower row when mated in a running bond brick pattern. The internal columnar strut 12 of the upper block mates with the columnar strut 13 of the lower block and the columnar strut 13 of the upper block mates with the internal columnar strut 12 of the lower block. The meeting surfaces of the opposing struts are mechanically and/or adhesively attached to one another.

One alternative embodiment of the system is shown in FIG. 9 wherein the upper and lower rows of blocks are stacked on top of one another in single-column form. In this configuration each internal columnar strut 12 of the upper block mates with an internal columnar strut 12 of the lower block and each columnar strut 13 of the upper block mates with a columnar strut 13 of the lower block. The meeting surfaces of the opposing struts are mechanically and/or adhesively attached to one another. The upper portion 18 of FIG. 9 shows an upper and lower block stacked in a straight column. The lower portion 19 of FIG. 9 shows an upper and lower block connection in an exploded view with dotted lines indicating how the upper and lower blocks align in a straight column when stacked.

Various embodiments of the apparatus can employ different types of channel studs. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of some options. The preferred embodiment channel stud 15 is made of a dimensional lumber, nominal 2×3 member. Various alternatives can be employed, including, but not limited to, dimensional lumber, nominal 2×4 21, 1×4 22, and 1×3 23 members. Engineered wood, metal, and fibrous members could also be employed. The preferred embodiment of the channel stud includes a ¼″×1½″ dado cut channel centered on one long side of the member as shown in FIGS. 10, 15, 21, 22, and 23 which assists in alignment and strengthening of the connection between channel stud and columnar strut, but alternate embodiments may not include a dado cut channel or may employ an alternate method of alignment for the channel stud.

The preferred embodiment of the apparatus and system includes several types and sizes of interlocking building blocks. These include, but are not limited to, a fill block type, a plate block type, a corner fill block type, a corner sill plate block type, and a corner top plate block type. The most used block type in a plurality of stacked blocks is a fill block type. In FIG. 11, interior-facing 24 and exterior-facing 25 perspective views with dashed lines representing obscured surfaces of a fill block type building block show the components of the preferred embodiment. The outer section of each block consists of an exterior-facing first sheet of solid or engineered wood 9, an interior-facing second sheet of solid or engineered wood 10, a continuous layer of rigid foam insulation 11A and 11B that fills all spatial voids between the sheets of the outer section, one or more first internal columnar struts 12 spanning the space between the sheets of the outer section and extending vertically past the common bottom plane of the sheets, and one or more second columnar struts 13 spanning the space between the sheets of the outer section and extending vertically past the common bottom plane of the sheets, a portion of which extends 14 inward past the second sheet 10 to form a structural member of the inner section.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view with dashed lines representing obscured surfaces of the interior-facing 26 and exterior-facing 27 sides of a plate block type of the preferred embodiment. A plate block type building block is utilized in the preferred embodiment of the system to form the bottommost and topmost rows of blocks in a single-story wall. The plate block type building block of the preferred embodiment includes an internal plate member 28 between and mechanically and/or adhesively attached to the two sheets 9 and 10, spanning the length of the block. Meeting the plate member 28 are one or more internal columnar plate struts 29 that mate with the adjoining blocks' internal columnar struts and columnar struts. Continuous rigid foam insulation 30A and 30B abuts the internal columnar plate struts and fills the voids between the sheets 9 and 10. The plate block type building block of the preferred embodiment can be used in the orientation shown in FIG. 12 as the bottommost block in a stack where a sill plate on the current floor is placed within the gap 31 below the block's internal plate member 28. Those familiar with the field of art recognize the industry-standard practice of building walls atop a floor sill plate. The sill plate resides within the gap 31 when the block is placed atop it and is attached mechanically and/or adhesively to the sheets 9 and 10.

The preferred embodiment of the plate block type building block can be used as the topmost block in a wall section as well. FIG. 13 is a perspective view with dashed lines representing obscured surfaces of a plate block type block that has been inverted 32 and an exterior-facing view of a fill block type block 33. The upper inverted plate block type block 32 and the lower fill block type block 33 are joined using one or more columnar fill struts 34 which mate into the matching surfaces of the one or more opposing upper internal columnar plate struts 29 and the one or more opposing lower internal columnar struts 12 and the one or more columnar struts 13. When utilized as the topmost block in a wall section, a top plate member is inserted into the gap 31 and attached mechanically and/or adhesively to the internal plate member 28 and to the two sheets 9 and 10. Note that because the plate block type 32 has been inverted in FIG. 13, the exterior-facing first sheet 9 as shown is facing the interior of the wall envelope and the interior-facing second sheet 10 as shown is facing the exterior of the wall envelope.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the interior-facing sides of two corner fill block type building blocks of the preferred embodiment. The upper portion 35 represents a longer block length and the lower portion 36 represents a shorter block length of the corner fill block type building blocks. The two blocks represented are 90 degree inside corners. However, the preferred embodiment includes, but is not limited to, inside and outside corners of 22½ degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees. The corner fill block type building blocks are constructed in a similar layout and with components shared with other block types. The outer section of each block consists of an exterior-facing first sheet of solid or engineered wood 9A and 9C, an exterior-facing second sheet of solid or engineered wood 9B and 9D, an interior-facing third sheet of solid or engineered wood 10A and 10C, an interior-facing fourth sheet of solid or engineered wood 10B and 10D, a continuous layer of rigid foam insulation 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D that fills all spatial voids between the sheets of the outer section, one or more first internal columnar struts 12 spanning the space between the sheets of the outer section and extending vertically past the common bottom plane of the sheets, and one or more second columnar struts 13 spanning the space between the sheets of the outer section and extending vertically past the common bottom plane of the sheets, a portion of which extends 14 inward past the fourth sheet 10B and 10D to form a structural member of the inner section. One or more third internal columnar corner struts 37 are placed in the corner of the outer section of the block and are mechanically and/or adhesively attached to the sheets 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D and the rigid foam insulation 11C and 11D.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the interior-facing sides of a corner sill plate block type building block of the preferred embodiment with dashed lines representing obscured surfaces. Similar to the plate block type building block shown in FIG. 12, the corner sill plate block type building block shown in FIG. 15 rests on and is attached to a floor sill plate which resides in the gap 31 between the sheets 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B at the bottom of the block. The floor sill plate meets the internal plate member 28A between and is mechanically and/or adhesively attached to the sheets 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B, spanning the length of the block. Meeting the plate member 28A are one or more internal columnar plate struts 29 that mate with the adjoining blocks' internal columnar struts and columnar struts. Continuous rigid foam insulation 30A, 30B, 30C and 30D abuts the columnar struts and fills the voids between the sheets 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B. One or more third internal columnar corner plate struts 38 are placed in the corner of the outer section of the block and are mechanically and/or adhesively attached to the sheets 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B and the rigid foam insulation 30C and 30D. As with the corner fill block type building block represented in FIG. 14, the corner sill plate block type building block represented in FIG. 15 is an inside corner of 90 degrees. However, the preferred embodiment includes, but is not limited to, inside and outside corner sill plate block type building blocks of 22½ degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees of various lengths.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view with dashed lines representing obscured surfaces of the interior-facing sides of a corner top plate block type building block 40 and interior-facing sides of a corner fill block type building block 41. The corner top plate block type building block 40 and the corner fill block type building block 41 are joined using one or more columnar fill struts 34 which mate into the matching surfaces of the one or more opposing upper internal columnar plate struts 29 and the one or more opposing lower internal columnar struts 12 and the one or more columnar struts 13. One or more corner columnar fill struts 39 mate into the matching surfaces of the one or more opposing upper internal columnar corner plate struts 38 and the one or more opposing lower internal columnar corner struts 37. A top plate member is inserted into the gap 31 and attached mechanically and/or adhesively to the internal plate member 28A and to the sheets 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B. As with the corner fill block represented in FIG. 14, the corner top plate block type building block represented in FIG. 16 is an inside corner of 90 degrees. However, the preferred embodiment includes, but is not limited to, inside and outside corner top plate block type building blocks of 22½ degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees of various lengths.

One aspect of the apparatus and system of building blocks is that it can be combined with typical building assemblies in industry-standard ways that are known to those familiar with the field of art. One such typical building assembly is the foundation wall/slab intersection with a building envelope. An exterior wall envelope sits on top of and is connected to the foundation to provide lateral and uplift resistance to the structure. FIG. 17 is a side view of a partial assembly of blocks in the preferred embodiment system showing the components and how they connect to a building foundation and slab. A concrete foundation wall 42 abuts a concrete slab-on-grade 43. A pressure-treated nominal 2×4 sill plate member 44 is anchored to the foundation wall 42 at regular intervals using building code-approved concrete anchors (not shown). A plate block type building block 45 is placed over the 2×4 sill plate such that the sill plate resides within the gap 31 between the exterior-facing first sheet 9 and interior-facing second sheet 10 of the outer section 6 of the constructed wall envelope and sits beneath the internal plate member 28 of the plate block type building block 45. A plurality of other blocks are stacked on top of the plate block type building block 45 and the internal columnar struts 12, columnar struts 13, and internal columnar plate struts 29 form a continuous structural column within the outer section 6 of the constructed wall envelope. A building code-approved hold-down tie/anchor 47 is anchored to the foundation wall 42 and/or slab 43 and is attached to the interior-facing sheet 10 and internal columnar plate struts 29 of the plate block type building block 45. Within the inner section 7 of the constructed wall envelope a channel stud 15 is attached to the extended portion 14 of the columnar struts 13 and attached to a horizontal pressure-treated 2×4 sill member 46 which is, in turn, anchored (not shown) to the concrete slab 43. The inner section 7 provides additional structural strength and an open stud bay wall to the constructed wall envelope.

Another typical building assembly intersection occurs where a floor/ceiling joist meets the top of the wall below and the bottom of the wall above the floor/ceiling joist. FIG. 18 is a side view of a partial assembly of building blocks and their intersection with a typical floor/ceiling joist assembly. Those familiar with the field of art will recognize how the apparatus and system integrate with these components in industry-standard and building code-approved ways. A floor/ceiling joist member 48 is attached to a building code-approved metal joist hanger 49 which is, in turn, attached to a plate block type building block 45. The top surface of the floor/ceiling joist member 48 is at the same elevation as the upper surface of a 2×4 top plate member 50 that has been placed within the gap 31 between the two sheets 9 and 10 on top of and attached to the internal plate member 28 of the lower plate block type building block 45. The floor/ceiling joist member 48 rests upon and is attached to a 2×4 top plate member 51 which is attached horizontally atop the vertical channel stud 15. A sub-floor structural sheathing 52 is attached to the top of the floor/ceiling joist 48 and extends to the outer edge of the upper plate block type building block 45. A 2×4 sill plate member 44 is attached to the top of the sub-floor 52 and the upper plate block type building block 45 sits atop the sill plate 44, straddling the sill plate within the gap 31 between the two sheets 9 and 10. An internal plate member 28 sits atop the sill plate 44. On top of the sub-floor structural sheathing 52 sits a horizontal 2×4 sill plate member 46 which is attached to the channel stud 15 of the inner section 7 of the constructed wall.

The struts 12, 13, 29 and 34 combined with the internal plates 28 and the 2×4 top and sill plate members 50 and 44 and the sub-floor structural sheathing 52 when assembled in the preferred embodiment of the system combine to create a continuous structural column in the outer section 6 of the constructed building envelope. The channel studs 15 combined with the top and sill plates 46 and 51 and the floor/ceiling joist 48 and the sub-floor structural sheathing 52 when assembled in the preferred embodiment of the system combine to create a continuous structural column and an open stud bay wall in the inner section 7 of the constructed building envelope.

FIG. 19 is a side view of a partial assembly of building blocks and their intersection with a typical roof truss assembly. A roof truss sits atop a plate block type building block 45 and is attached to the block with a building code-approved roof truss tie (not shown). A 2×4 top plate member 50 is inserted into the gap 31 between the sheets 9 and 10 of the outer wall section and attached to the internal plate member 28. The load of the truss 53 is carried by the structural column that is created by the combination of the 2×4 top plate member 50, internal plate member 28, and the combined struts 29, 34, 12 and 13 in the constructed outer wall section 6 of the building envelope. The top plate member 51 is attached to the roof truss with a building code-approved roof truss tie (not shown) and to the channel stud 15 which is attached to the extending portion 14 of each columnar strut 13 creating an additional structural column and an open stud bay wall in the inner section 7 of the constructed building envelope.

In the preferred embodiment of the system, window and door rough opening penetrations can be framed as the plurality of building blocks are stacked to create a building envelope, which may require trimming the short or long edges of the blocks that surround the penetration on-site, or a penetration may be cut into the completed building envelope. In either case, the framing layout of the penetration uses industry-standard methods. Those familiar with the field of art will recognize the use of king studs, trimmer/jack studs, cripple studs, and headers and saddle members to frame out the penetrations in the building block envelope assembly. FIG. 20 is an upward looking perspective view of the interior-facing side of a partial building block wall envelope with a roughed-in door penetration. A typical 2× header assembly 54 is attached to the interior-facing side of the outer section of the block wall and rests on and is attached to studs 55 on the inner section of the wall. Additional studs 56 and a 2×4 header 57 are inserted between the first exterior-facing sheet 9 and second interior-facing sheet 10 of the stacked building blocks. FIG. 21 is an upward looking perspective view of the interior-facing side of a partial building block wall envelope with a roughed-in window penetration. A typical 2× header assembly 54 is attached to the interior-facing side of the outer section of the block wall and rests on and is attached to studs 55 on the inner section of the wall. A saddle member 58 is placed at the lower side of the window penetration on top of cripple/trimmer studs 59. The channel studs 15 of the building block assembly provide additional support to the saddle member 58. Additional studs 56 and a 2×4 header 57 are inserted between the first exterior-facing sheet 9 and second interior-facing sheet 10 of the stacked building blocks.

The preferred embodiment of the building block apparatus consists of various types of blocks in various shapes and sizes. This provides the ability to mix a plurality of blocks in arrangements and configurations that create building envelopes of various lengths, widths, and heights.

FIG. 22 shows a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of one type of building block that, when combined with other building blocks, creates a pattern of columnar struts and open stud bays that are spaced on 16″ centers. Those familiar with the field of art will recognize that building framing is commonly based on framing member spacing of 16″ on center. The block shown in FIG. 22 has a height of 12″.

FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of one type of building block that consists of two struts that, when combined with other building blocks, creates a pattern of columnar struts and open stud bays that are spaced on 16″ centers. The block shown in FIG. 23 has a height of 12″.

FIG. 24 shows a perspective view of the interior-facing side of one type of building block that consists of four struts that, when combined with other building blocks, creates a pattern of columnar struts and an open stud bay that are spaced on 16″ centers. The block shown in FIG. 24 has a height of 12″.

Another common framing system used in the construction of buildings is to have framing members placed on 24″ centers. FIG. 25 shows one embodiment of a building block that, when combined with other building blocks in the system, creates a pattern of columnar struts and open stud bays on 24″ centers. The building block shown in FIG. 25 is 12″ in height.

FIG. 26 shows a view of the interior side of one type of building block that consists of two struts spaced on 24″ centers. The height of the block in FIG. 26 is 12″.

In addition to consisting of blocks of various lengths and various on-center spacings of columnar struts and channel studs, the preferred embodiment of building blocks consists of various heights of building blocks of various types.

FIG. 27 shows a perspective view of the interior side of one type of building block that consists of two struts spaced on 16″ centers where the height of the building block is 24″.

FIG. 28 shows a perspective view of the interior side of one type of building block that consists of two struts spaced on 16″ centers where the height of the building block is 48″.

FIG. 29 shows a perspective view of the interior side of one type of building block that consists if two struts spaced on 24″ centers where the height of the building block is 24″.

FIG. 30 shows a perspective view of the interior side of one type of building block that consists if two struts spaced on 24″ centers where the height of the building block is 48″.

The above examples of various block lengths and heights and columnar strut and channel stud spacings are just some of the configurations possible in embodiments of the building block apparatus and system invention and are not meant to limit the number of embodied variations.

In some building scenarios the overall thickness of the building envelope must be reduced to accommodate design requirements or other conditions. Another embodiment of the system and apparatus of building blocks is one in which either the outer section or inner section or both sections of the assembled building block wall are less thick. FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a standardized building block showing a narrower space filled with insulation 60 between the first exterior-facing sheet 9 and the second interior-facing sheet 10 of the outer section of the building block. An overall narrower one or more internal columnar struts 61 is sandwiched between the sheets 9 and 10 and one or more narrower columnar struts 62 is sandwiched between the sheets 9 and 10 a portion of which extends 63 past the second interior-facing sheet 10. When assembled with a plurality of building blocks, the extended portion 63 attached to the channel stud 15 creates a narrower open bay stud wall in the inner section of the constructed building block wall.

Another aspect of the building block system and apparatus is that it provides an outer section of continuous insulation throughout the constructed building envelope. The preferred embodiment achieves this by including segments of rigid foam insulation within the space between the first exterior-facing and second interior-facing sheets of structural sheeting which make up the bounds of the outer section of the building block wall. There may be scenarios where a builder prefers to use an alternative to rigid foam insulation such as loose or blown-in mineral wool, fiberglass, hemp or a polyurethane or other petrochemical or natural fiber substances. In an alternate embodiment, to accommodate this need, FIG. 32 shows a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a standardized building block that does not include insulation between the first exterior-facing sheet 9 and the second interior-facing sheet 10. Using this embodiment, after constructing a portion of the wall, the builder will fill in the voids with loose fill, blown-in, or other insulating matter to create a continuous envelope of insulation for the outer section of the wall.

To reduce the overall weight or cost of the building envelope structure, it may be advantageous to omit the second interior-facing sheet from the outer section composition. FIG. 33 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a building block without a second interior-facing sheet. In this configuration, the first exterior-facing sheet 9 is attached mechanically and/or adhesively to the adjacent rigid foam insulation 11A and 11B and to the adjacent one or more internal columnar struts 12 and to the adjacent one or more columnar struts 13.

Another aspect of the apparatus that can be altered among the various embodiments is the profile of the strut members. As long as the opposing faces of the upper and lower struts meet substantially enough to provide the required structural strength of the continuous structural column created by stacking struts there is flexibility to vary the profile of the faces of the struts. One such alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 34 where a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of a building block is shown. Here the one or more first internal columnar struts 64 and the second one or more columnar struts 65 have a 90 degree stepped profile on the surfaces of the struts that meet with the opposing block's struts. This is one of many possible configurations. FIG. 35 is a perspective view of four different profiles of the extended portion 14A, 14B, 14C, and 14D of a columnar strut. As long as the extended portion of the strut is strong enough to supply the structural integrity for the channel stud to connect to and to provide the required lateral force resistance to the building block wall when assembled, a variety of columnar strut extended portion profiles is possible.

Another aspect of the apparatus that can be altered among the various embodiments is the orientation and profile of the interlocking portion of the building blocks. As long as the struts meet sufficiently to maintain structural integrity with other structural members within the building block, other members may be utilized to make the interlocking connection between the building blocks in an assembly of the system. FIG. 36 shows one such alternative embodiment in a perspective view of the exterior-facing side of a building block where dashed lines represent obscured surfaces. Rather than the one or more internal columnar struts 66 and/or the one or more columnar struts 67 extending past the lower plane of the two sheets 9 and 10, they terminate against an upper connecting plate member 68 and a lower connecting plate member 69. When blocks are stacked one atop another, an upper connecting plate 68 of the lower block mates with a lower connecting plate 69 of the upper block. The two are then mechanically and/or adhesively joined together. Because the columnar struts maintain structural integrity through contact with the connecting plates, the loads on the building block wall are resisted appropriately.

In some embodiments of the apparatus it may be desirable due to material availability, cost considerations, and structural requirements, to utilize alternative materials for the struts and/or plate members, and/or connecting plate members. One such material could be a shaped sheet metal as commonly used in the manufacturing of metal studs. FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the interior-facing side of a building block wherein the one or more internal columnar struts 70 and the one or more columnar struts 71 consist of a sheet metal material.

It also may be desirable in some cases to utilize alternate materials for the structural sheets that form the outer bounds of the outer section of the building block. Virgin and recycled plastics, wood composites, natural or synthetic fibrous or cementitious materials may be suitable materials to meet specific builder requirements.