MASONRY STRUCTURE

Abstract

An apparatus and a method of producing the same are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a panel, a plurality of fasteners, and a plurality of bricks secured to the panel by the fastener.

Description

The patent application claims priority to and herein incorporates by reference Provisional Patent Application No. 61/106,057, entitled “Masonry Structure” and filed on Oct. 16, 2008.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure is related to the field of masonry structures, and more specifically to factory-built masonry structures.

2. Background

Traditional masonry structures such as fireplaces, countertops, brick walls and other hearth products are constructed by a mason and thus can be expensive. Furthermore, they are built on-site and can require significant time to be completed. Because of the above, in recent years, pre-built fireplaces have become popular. Also, factory built fireplaces are an attractive alternative because they can be installed in multi-level buildings.

In designing factory-built fireplace, one goal has been to design fireplaces that resemble traditional masonry built fireplaces. For example, recent designs of factory-built fireplaces have incorporated refractory panels. However, such refractory panels, and other similar designs, have been incapable of achieving the desired masonry look. In an attempt to create a better masonry look, designers have added bricks to the firebox areas of the factory built fireplaces. However, such construction designs have shown to be structurally unstable, often falling and breaking, and thus unable to provide an adequate retention of the bricks. Additionally, in such designs, bricks are usually poorly aligned and do not tend to be capable of providing multiple brick pattern arrangements.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus includes a panel, a plurality of fasteners, and a plurality of bricks secured to the panel by the fasteners.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of assembling a masonry structure includes arranging a plurality of bricks with a panel, and securing the bricks to the panel with a plurality of fasteners.

In yet another aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus includes a panel, a plurality of bricks, and means for fastening the bricks to the panel.

In a further aspect of the disclosure, a fireplace includes a firebox having a plurality of walls defining an area for a fire, each of the walls having a panel, a plurality of fasteners, and a plurality of bricks secured to the panel by the fasteners.

It is understood that other aspects of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described only exemplary aspects of the disclosure by way of illustration. As will be realized, the disclosure includes other and different aspects and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is an elevated frontal view of a factory-built fireplace having masonry panels installed therein.

FIG. 1B is a side view of the fireplace of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the fireplace illustrated in FIG. 1A illustrating the masonry panels installed on the rear wall, sidewalls and base of the fireplace cavity.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a masonry panel for the base of the fireplace having a herringbone pattern.

FIG. 4 illustrates a secure placement of a plurality of bricks on a panel

FIG. 5 shows a rivet inserted into a brick.

FIG. 6 shows the rivet of FIG. 5 after it has been expanded due to the full insertion of its mandrel.

FIG. 7 shows the rear view of the panel of FIG. 4. The panel comprises a plurality of stiffeners.

FIG. 8 illustrates a structure of one of the stiffeners from FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of fastening bricks 95a onto the panel of FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 illustrates one method of cutting of the panel with installed bricks.

FIG. 11 illustrates another method of cutting the panel with installed bricks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various aspects of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent all ways in which the present disclosure may be practiced. The detailed description may include specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the present disclosure; however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are summarily described and/or shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, masonry fireplace 100 according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated therein, in this configuration, the panels 40b, 50b, and 60b are factory built, and the whole structure can be assembled on site using the factory built panels. The fireplace 100 generally comprises a firebox 10 having a front end 12 and a rear end 14. The firebox 10 defines a cavity 30 and panels 40b, 50b, 60b are preferably disposed in the cavity 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the fireplace 100 has a chimney outlet 20. However, the fireplace 100 can be vent free, thus not requiring a chimney outlet. The fireplace 100 can be adapted to burn various types of materials. For example, the fireplace 100 can be a wood and/or gas burning fireplace.

FIG. 2 illustrates the fireplace 100 of FIG. 1 with the panels 40b, 50b, 60b removed. The cavity 30 has a frame with a rear area 40a, side areas 50a and a base area 60a. The frame can comprise of at least one rail that defines the periphery of the cavity 30. The frame can optionally comprise a plurality of panels, such as a rear wall 40a, sidewalls 50a and a base 60a. Optionally, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can comprise the frame areas 40a, 50a, 60a.

The panels 40b, 50b, 60b are preferably removably attached to the rear area 40a, side areas 50a, and base area 60a, respectively. For example, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can be riveted, bolted, screwed, welded, or connected with other connectors or fasteners to the cavity frame areas 40a, 50a, 60a. In the illustrated embodiment, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b are in the form of masonry panels configured to receive bricks.

The panels 40b, 50b, 60b are preferably made of metal. For example, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can be made of steel. Optionally, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can be made of a sheet metal commonly used in the fireplace industry. However, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can optionally be made of any material providing the necessary structural, thermal, and other characteristics required in fireplace construction.

The panels 40b, 50b, 60b are preferably sized to substantially cover the entire frame areas 40a, 50a, 60a, respectively. Additionally, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b are preferably configured to provide adequate structural support to masonry material disposed thereon. For example, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can have a thickness capable of providing said structural support.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b comprise a running bond pattern. However, the panels 40b, 50b, 60b can comprise other patterns, such as a herringbone pattern, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates a secure placement of bricks 95a on a panel 90. The panel 90 provides a means for holding the bricks 92. The panel may be made of metal, similar to the panels 40b, 50b, and 60b described in FIG. 2. The panel 90 comprises a number of holes 91. The bricks 95a are attached to the panel 92 by rivets 96. At least one rivet 96 gets inserted into each brick 95a. At least one blind hole 93 in each brick 95a is aligned with one hole 91 in the panel 90. Through each aligned pair of holes 91 and 93, a rivet 96 is passed to fasten one brick 95a to the panel 90. The rivets provide means for fastening the bricks to the panel.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the rivet 96 as inserted into a brick 95a of the panel 90, through the hole of the brick 93 and the hole of the panel 91. Each rivet 96 has a shaft 97 and a mandrel 98. The rivet 96 has a head 80, and may be made of aluminum. The dimension of the hole of the brick 93, in an area adjacent to the hole of the panel 91, is wider than the dimension of the hole of panel 91. The hole of the panel 91 extends from one side 102 to another side 103. For example, the hole of the brick 93 may be approximately ¼″ wide and the diameter of the hole in the panel may be approximately 3/16″. The diameters of the holes 91 and 93 with respect to one another would have to be selected carefully to assure that adequate support is obtained, especially in view of the size of the rivet 96 and the size of brick 95a being used The brick 95a has an upper gap 200 which its diameter extends from one side 104 to another side 105 surrounding the tail 70 of the rivet 96. As shown in FIG. 6, once the top 75 of the mandrel 98, gets fully inserted into the shaft 97, it 98 causes the tail 70 of the rivet 96 to expand. The expanded tail 70 portion of the rivet 96, forms a lock 99 inside each brick 95a, and thereby further secures the brick 95a to the panel 90. The brick 95a is locked into place when the tail 70 expands because it wedges against the side of the hole 93 in the brick 95a and the tail 70 expands to a diameter larger than the diameter of the hole in the panel 91.

FIG. 7 shows the rear view of the panel 90 of FIG. 4. The panel 90 may be reinforced with a number of stiffeners 85. The stiffeners 85 provide means for stiffening the panel so that the panel can securely and without bending, hold the bricks 95a attached to it on the other side. An exemplary structure of a stiffener 85 is shown in FIG. 8. The stiffener 85 may be formed as a channel and may be made of metal or another substitute material. The stiffeners 85 runs along the grouting on the opposite side of the bricks.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of fastening bricks 95a onto the panel 90 of FIG. 4. The method illustrated in FIG. 11 entails placing a number of bricks 95a on the panel 90 in the following way. For each brick 95a, the side with at least one blind hole 93, must face the panel 90. Next the holes of the bricks 93 need to be aligned with the holes of the panel 91. To help the alignment process, a frame 95 may be used. First, the frame 95 is placed on the panel and then the bricks 95a are placed in each of the holders 95b of the frame 95. At this point, the holes of the panel 91 are aligned with the holes of the bricks 93, and the rivets 96 are passed through the holes of the panel 91 and then through the holes of the bricks 93. Once the bricks 95a are fastened, then the frame 95 is removed. Next, the area in between the bricks 86, may be grouted by a grouting material such as cement.

FIG. 10 illustrates one method of cutting of the panel 90 once the bricks 95a are installed. As shown, a cut is made to form an edge 88 which is at an angle. This is done to fit the cut panel 90 in an area which has an edge with a similar angle. For example, each side of the lower panel 60b in FIG. 2 is cut at an angle to fit the lower base part 60a of the fireplace 100. FIG. 11 illustrates another method of cutting the panel 90 with installed bricks 95a. Here the cut is made along an edge 77 that is tapered. This for placing two panels 90 side to side at an angle with respect to one another. For example, in FIG. 2, the back panel 40b and one of the side panels 50b may be cut along an edge 77 to stand next to one another.

In general, some of the configurations described above are for factory-built secured masonry surface coverings, so that they could be installed in a time and cost efficient manner, for various applications. The configurations are specially suited for fireplaces wherein the on-site building of such structures are difficult and/or prohibited by local safety regulations.

While the configurations described above are directed towards fireplaces, it should be construed that the configurations are in no way limited to fireplace implementation. The various configuration disclosed herein can be used to form fire pits, brick walls, brick counters, and other structures that can be made of bricks. For example, disclosed embodiments can form at least a portion of a countertop of an outdoor barbecue.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described though out this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a panel;

a plurality of fasteners; and

a plurality of bricks secured to the panel by the fasteners.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a grouting material between the bricks.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the fasteners comprises a rivet.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of the rivets comprises aluminum.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of the bricks comprises a surface in contact with the panel and at least one blind hole in the surface, wherein each of said at least one blind hole surrounds a tail portion of one of the rivets.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the panel comprises a plurality of holes, and wherein each of said at least one blind hole in each of the bricks is aligned with one of the holes in the panel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said at least one blind hole in each of the bricks comprises a diameter greater than a diameter of the said one of the holes in the panel aligned therewith.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the diameter for each of said at least one blind hole in each of the bricks is approximately ¼″ and the diameter for each of the holes in the panel is approximately 3/16″.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the panel comprises a first surface in contact with the bricks and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface comprising one or more stiffeners.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the panel with the bricks secured thereon is cut along one edge at an angle with respect to an adjoining edge.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the bricks along one edge of the panel comprises a tapered side.

12. A method of assembling a masonry structure, comprising:

arranging a plurality of bricks with a panel; and

securing the bricks to the panel with a plurality of fasteners.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing a grouting material between the bricks.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein each of the fasteners comprises a rivet.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the rivets comprises aluminum.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the bricks are arranged with the panel by aligning at least one blind hole in each of the bricks with a hole in the panel, and wherein the bricks are secured to the panel by passing one of the rivets through one of the holes in the panel into said at least one blind hole aligned therewith.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the bricks are arranged with the panel using a frame.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising forming each of the holes in the panel with a diameter and forming each of said at least one blind hole in each of the bricks with a diameter greater than the diameter of said one of the holes in the panel aligned therewith.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising forming each of said at least one blind hole in each of the bricks with an approximately ¼″ diameter and forming each of the holes in the panel with an approximately 3/16″ diameter.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the bricks are arranged with a first surface of the panel, the method further comprising attaching one or more stiffeners to a second surface of the panel opposite the first surface.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising cutting the panel with the bricks secured thereon at an angle with respect to an adjoining edge.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising cutting each of the bricks along one edge of the panel to form a tapered side.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

a panel;

a plurality of bricks; and

means for fastening the bricks to the panel.

24. A fireplace, comprising:

a firebox having a plurality of walls defining an area for a fire, each of the walls having a panel, a plurality of fasteners, and a plurality of bricks secured to the panel by the fasteners.