Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7241095 | Dowel with locking features and method of using the same A hollow dowel pin adapted to secure together at least two mating components during the assembly thereof includes an elongate generally cylindrical main body portion, first and second mating edges, and at least one outwardly extending tab. The elongate generally cyl... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7234275 | Barrier and barrier system One version of the barrier system may include a first barrier and a second barrier, in which each of the first and second barriers may have a support structure and an upwardly-extending structure. In addition, the first barrier may have a retaining structure adapted... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7207146 | Multiple purpose wall block A block used to construct a wall. The block has a front and rear surfaces, top and bottom surfaces, and side surfaces. The bottom surface of the block has a projection that extends downwardly therefrom and which is configured to engage one or more blocks in an adjac... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7191571 | Modular construction blocks, building structures, kits, and methods for forming building structures The modular construction blocks include a preform having a plurality of passageways therethrough. The preforms may by formed from a plastic material and filled with concrete and steel reinforcing bars to form footings, foundations, girders, walls, and roofs. The mod... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7168218 | Mortarless fence block system Concrete molded fence blocks are provided having cores for receiving mortar or aggregate, and pin openings for receiving pins that interlock and align abutting courses of blocks in a fence block system. Groups of a column of blocks form a column support. Standard bl... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7160052 | Paving system using arrays of vertically interlocking paving blocks A continuous covered area, such as a sidewalk or patio, is formed by vertically interlocking tessellated components. One embodiment, termed PORTAPAVE™, achieves this interlocking via an array of uniquely configured two-sectioned pavers. Each paver has a first sect... | 01/09/2007 |
| 6996945 | Self interlocking block system A self interlocking block system wherein blocks with one or more apertures are interconnected by inserting a hollow peg through the aligned apertures of two vertically adjacent blocks such that a portion of the hollow peg extends into the aperture of the top block a... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6960048 | Modular segmented retaining wall A modular retaining wall system uses a plurality of different sized masonry blocks to form uniform sized modules for constructing a segmented retaining wall. Each module has the same overall dimensions of height, width and depth, while the masonry blocks used to def... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6941720 | Composite building material This invention generally pertains to a composite building material comprising a lightweight core with a thin fiber cement facing on one side of the core and a second facing material on the other side. The fiber cement facing that is used on at least one of the faces... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6912823 | Multi-channel retaining wall block and system A retaining wall block system having multiple sizes and shapes of blocks with differently dimensioned, interchangeable front and back faces. The blocks are used to construct an irregularly textured wall having a weathered, natural appearance. Multiple channels in th... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6735913 | Block wall system A masonry block wall system is disclosed comprising a plurality of piers positioned at predetermined intervals with a pilaster mounted on each of the piers. The pilasters are formed by vertically stacked masonry blocks that are attached to the pier by a reinforcing ... | 05/18/2004 |
| 6550207 | Modular element for crawl spaces and floor structures Modular element for floor structures or crawl spaces used in self-supporting structures, the modular element including an upper surface (11) and supporting legs (13), the modular element defining, either alone or in combination with one or more identical ... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6539682 | Building elements and methods in relation to same A dry wall building system comprises courses of building blocks where the building blocks are joined end to end by keys. Each of the blocks comprising sidewalls, endwalls and at least one vertical cavity or slot, at least one first channel in the upper su... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6397549 | Building block with a wooden attachment layer A concrete-based building block has an attached wooden attachment layer on one or both exterior surfaces of the block that can receive and hold a penetrating fastener such as a nail, screw, staple, or the like. This allows surficial coverings such as wall... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6305142 | Apparatus and method for installing prefabricated building system for walls roofs and floors using a foam core building pane A building assembly for efficiently and economically constructing walls and roofs for a building assembly that utilizes a prefabricated building panel. The prefabricated panels utilize miter-cuts when joined, form cores, interior and exterior walls, and r... | 10/23/2001 |
| 6195946 | Forming apparatus and method for thermally insulated concrete wall A construction form for building an insulated concrete reinforced wall includes separable and independently usable lintel block and post block sections, made from injection molding Styrofoam. The lintel block section includes a channel extending horizonta... | 03/06/2001 |
| 6119432 | Concrete form wall building system An insulated concrete form wall building system includes a pair of spaced apart elongated expanded polystyrene sidewalls, each having opposed inner surfaces that are formed with longitudinally spaced apart vertically oriented ribs that terminate in substa... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6105326 | Building, comprising prefabricated components The invention relates to a building comprising prefabricated components formed as wall and ceiling panels which are produced with a frame; the frame is an assembly of beam and angle parts which are held together and filled with a building material, such a... | 08/22/2000 |
| 6085480 | Building block having a wooden attachment layer A concrete-based building block has an integrally-formed wooden attachment layer on one or both exterior surfaces of the block that can receive and hold a penetrating fastener such as a nail, screw, staple, or the like. This allows surficial coverings suc... | 07/11/2000 |
| 6041562 | Composite wall construction and dwelling therefrom A construction wall system comprising, an inner rigid panel and an outer rigid panel of rectangular shape and defining length and breadth dimensions and defining side edges on either side and end edges on ends. The panels being spaced apart from one anoth... | 03/28/2000 |
| 5992102 | Cellular resin block and structural unit for an exterior structure using such block This invention is to provide a structure unit comprising a lightweight cellular resign block and plural bricks laid thereon. A cellular resign block 1 is integrally molded from suitable foamable resign so as to include vertical grooves 3 at the transverse... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5950397 | Building panels A building panel (1) has an upper edge (4) adapted to interlock with a lower edge (6) of a vertically adjacent substantially identical panel (1). The lower edge (6) of the panel (1) is adapted to interlock with a vertically adjacent substantially identica... | 09/14/1999 |
| 5946872 | Method and apparatus for constructing suspended concrete floors and roofs A horizontal diaphragm for the generation of floor and roof structures includes a plurality of construction units arranged in rows and integrated joists by clip ties, wherein a load transferring material fills spaces between adjacent construction units in... | 09/07/1999 |
| 5913791 | Building block, method for making the same, and method for building a wall using the same A building block has a cement-based attachment layer on one or both exterior surfaces of the block that receives and holds a penetrating fastener such as a nail, screw, staple, or the like. This allows surficial coverings such as wallboard, siding or othe... | 06/22/1999 |
| 5771654 | Method of construction using molded polymer blocks A method wherein structures can be assembled using blocks that form a lattice network which can be filled with a reinforcing material, said blocks being capable of serving as a permanent form that provides a finished exterior surface.... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5741571 | Double skin composite panels A double skin composite panel comprising two steel facing plates of thickness between 2 mm and 32 mm is joined together by cross-members. Each cross-member is aligned generally normal to the facing plates and is spaced from its neighboring members by a di... | 04/21/1998 |
| 5729942 | Wall assembly of foam blocks with internal concrete grid and integral window frame A stack of expanded foam blocks form a wall and define interconnected vertical and horizontal internal cavities which receive reinforcing rods, and concrete is pumped into the cavities to form an internal grid of reinforced concrete posts and beams. A set... | 03/24/1998 |
| 5713166 | Monocoque staircase and method for joining wooden pieces A staircase of monocoque construction comprises a pair of stringers, a series of successive and alternating treads and risers and nosings which are all made of solid wood or of composite wood such as O.S.B., pyrock, plywood, particle board, etc. At locati... | 02/03/1998 |
| 5617686 | Insulating polymer wall panels A insulating foamed polymer wall panel comprising a sheet of foamed polymer having sizable dimensions to form a substantial part of a wall when assembled. Adjacent wall panels are coupled using splines which, together with the side edges of the panels, fo... | 04/08/1997 |
| 5526625 | Building panel and buildings using the panel A building panel (10, 85) having a core (13, 85) between facing sheets (11, 12, 88, 89) with parallel channels through the core (13, 85) which are used for structural framework (23, 26) of the building. Either of framing such as timber and steel, or concr... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5511350 | Block wall system A block wall system is presented for use in building construction whereby a foundation wall can be quickly and economically prepared for a metal or other type building. A unique top wall block which has a notched face section and a laterally offset horizo... | 04/30/1996 |
| 5471806 | Construction panel with plurality of cells A construction panel comprises two plates spaced from one another by a predetermined distance, and a plurality of strips extending transversely to one another and between the plates and connected with the plates so as to form a plurality of cells between ... | 12/05/1995 |
| 5410851 | Slotted floor slab for the two-stage construction of level concrete plates Shuttering floor slab for the two-phase construction of level concrete plates, which is thin and rectangular or polygonal in shape and contains the bending reinforcement of the final slab, used to form a level monolithic structure by assembly and embedded... | 05/02/1995 |
| 5050290 | Process for manufacturing of a lost casing from modular frames A method is disclosed for manufacturing a double-walled hollow lost casing for use in the production of marine engineering civil works having inner and outer walls each made of pre-cut plates of such size and shape that the lost casing has a polygonal cro... | 09/24/1991 |
| 5048250 | Building block A relatively simple, inexpensive building block for use in self-supporting walls includes a rectangular parallelepipedic body formed of a mixture of three parts by weight cement to two parts by weight wood fiber. Vertically extending grooves and in some c... | 09/17/1991 |
| 4939881 | Reinforcing apparatus for a masonry wall, as well as masonry wall A reinforcing apparatus (8) is fitted in each n-th bed joint (4). The horizontal reinforement (10) of the reinforcing apparatus is embedded in a mortar layer (20) of the bed joint (4). Vertical reinforcing elements (16, 18) of adjacent reinforcing apparat... | 07/10/1990 |
| 4923334 | Lost casing for constructing a rigid structure upon the bottom of a body of water This invention is a method and casing (1) for constructing a rigid structure upon the bottom of the water. The casing to be used is a lost pillar casing of particular shape. It is larger at the bottom than at a higher level and preferably is composed of f... | 05/08/1990 |
| 4824290 | Method of constructing a rigid structure upon the bottom of a water as well as lost casing for performing said method This invention is a method and casing (1) for constructing a rigid structure upon the bottom of the water. The casing to be used is a lost pillar casing of particular shape. It is larger at the bottom than at a higher level and preferably is composed of f... | 04/25/1989 |
| 4769961 | Building block and structure made therefrom There is described a building block, notably shuttering blocks to be laid dry, having at the one end thereof a fork and at the other end thereof, adjacent the side edges thereof, recesses wherein the free fork ends from another block substantially of the ... | 09/13/1988 |
| 4703600 | Vertically assembling box type blocks A box-type masonry block comprising a quadrangular or H-type concrete block body provided at the interior thereof with a space. The block also includes an engaging step formed at inner upper surface of said block body, an engaging protrusion formed at low... | 11/03/1987 |
