Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: A coloring system and a manufacturing process for coloring artificial covering stones are provided. A board layout represents a board of artificial covering stones. Several natural stone color patterns are provided, each being different from one another. The natural stone color patterns are associated with selected artificial stones of the board layout. Graphic parameters represent the natural stone color and are converted into coloring instructions. A conveyor conveys the board of artificial covering stones, and a positioning system determines respective positions of the artificial covering stones of the board, relative to a reference position. An in-line coloring device colors the artificial covering stones with the natural stone patterns, according to the coloring instructions and to the positions of the artificial stones. The selected artificial stones colored by the system are thus different from other stones of the board, and have a distinct, natural random-look.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: A set of artificial stones is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. Each artificial stone preferably includes a base portion for placement on the supporting surface, which base portion is shaped as a right regular prism for patterned, fitting arrangement of the flagstone with like flagstones in the set to produce a continuous surface covering. The base portion has a regular base contour. The stone further includes a top portion with a facing surface, the facing surface having an irregularly shaped top contour different from the base contour and an intermediate portion connecting the top portion with the base portion. The intermediate portion has an inclined wall extending between the top portion and a sidewall of the base portion. The irregular top contours of the stones, simulate the appearance of natural stone.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a base portion for placement on the supporting surface, which base portion is shaped as a right regular prism for patterned, fitting arrangement of the flagstone with like flagstones to produce a continuous surface covering. The base portion has a regular base contour. The stone further includes a top portion with a facing surface, the facing surface having an irregularly shaped top contour different from the base contour and an intermediate portion connecting the top portion with the base portion. The intermediate portion has an inclined wall extending between the top portion and a sidewall of the base portion. Stones of this construction can easily be arranged in a regular, repeated pattern to generate a continuous covering for the supporting surface without the surface of the resulting covering having a regular, patterned appearance.

Abstract: A stackable concrete wall block is disclosed having a prism shaped body with front, rear top and bottom faces, in a stacked condition, and at least a pair of side walls for placement opposite a like block placed side by side to the wall block, whereby a lip protrudes from at least one of the sidewalls and is coplanar with the front face for spacing the body of the block from that of a like block placed adjacent thereto. As is the case with tapered blocks known in the art, this spacing allows the assembly of curved walls. However, a prism shaped block with parallel side walls and a lip is more easily manufactured than a tapered block with angled side walls, since no movable mold walls are required, when the block is made in a dry casting process. The front face and lip can have an embossed surface structure.

Abstract: Disclosed is an economical and effective way of producing a modular retaining wall, using only blocks which in and of themselves are of insufficient thickness to function as retaining wall blocks. The modular wall includes backer blocks and facing blocks which are connected by connectors in a back to back, spaced apart arrangement, thereby forming a hollow retaining wall. The hollow wall can be filled with loose filler material to increase the mass and retaining capacity of the wall. Further disclosed are wall components and a wall kit for a modular retaining wall. A double sided decorative wall is also disclosed. The modular wall system allows for the construction of retaining walls and freestanding, double sided, decorative walls forming both straight and curved walls.

Abstract: An apparatus for molding dry cast products having a textured side surface is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an open compartment for receiving a dry concrete mixture and a plurality of walls laterally enclosing the compartment. At least one of the walls has a multilevel surface with a plurality of sections in an overhanging relationship with each other and transitional curvilinear steps bridging adjacent one of the sections to impart a textured side surface resembling a natural rockface and allowing stripping of the dry cast products from an open bottom side of the compartment.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: Disclosed is an economical and effective way of producing a double sided decorative wall using facing panels having a decorative face surface, in particular dry cast concrete panels having a regular surface structure, more preferably an embossed surface, most preferably a patterned surface. Further disclosed are wall components and a wall kit for a double sided decorative wall. The facing panels in the wall are stacked in a back-to-back arrangement into a pair of first and second back-to-back walls, which walls are interconnected by connectors which link at least one facing panel in the first wall to at least one facing panel in the second wall for forming the double sided decorative wall. The connecting members can be in individual connectors, or a combination of connectors for linking multiple facing panels or linking facing panels at corners or curves in the wall. The connectors can be of different length to enable the construction of decorative walls of different thickness.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a decorative finish on a wall, whereby a facing panel is provided to attach to a backing surface by way of a coupling means Dry cast panels are connected to the wall by way of a key way connector.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a base portion for placement on the supporting surface, which base portion is shaped as a right regular prism for patterned, fitting arrangement of the flagstone with like flagstones to produce a continuous surface covering. The base portion has a regular base contour. The stone further includes a top portion with a facing surface, the facing surface having an irregularly shaped top contour different from the base contour and an intermediate portion connecting the top portion with the base portion. The intermediate portion has an inclined wall extending between the top portion and a sidewall of the base portion. Stones of this construction can easily be arranged in a regular, repeated pattern to generate a continuous covering for the supporting surface without the surface of the resulting covering having a regular, patterned appearance.

Abstract: An apparatus for molding dry cast products having a textured side surface is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an open compartment for receiving a dry concrete mixture and a plurality of walls laterally enclosing the compartment. At least one of the walls has a multilevel surface with a plurality of sections in an overhanging relationship with each other and transitional curvilinear steps bridging adjacent one of the sections to impart a textured side surface resembling a natural rockface and allowing stripping of the dry cast products from an open bottom side of the compartment.

Abstract: An apparatus for deboning a piece of meat having an elongate bone portion, such as a loin piece provided with a spine portion, comprises an elongate support mounted on a frame for receiving the loin its spine portion being substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis defined by the support, and a plurality of press devices mounted on the frame for maintaining the piece of meat in a predetermined cutting position on the support. A first embodiment makes use of a cutting tool including an elongate shearing knife having a base portion pivotally mounted on the frame and an inwardly arcuate section defining a longitudinally extending cutting edge.

Abstract: An automatic disc handling system and method for retrieving and positioning information carrying discs between a storage position to a position of use is described. A displaceable robot having a pair of robotic arms is controlled by a computer connected to a robot controller and instructed to move to discrete positions, either in front of storage racks where a plurality of superposed sliding trays containing one or more discs are stored, or to a plurality of playback units disposed at a position of use to move selected ones of the disc to and from these positions as requested by a person accessing the discs from a remote station. The robot is provided with a tray engaging element to move the tray in and out of its storage position, and the robotic arms of the robot are each provided with a picker mechanism to engage and remove the discs from the trays or the playback units and transport them to effect a function as dictated by the computer and the robot controller.