Masonry lawn edging block assembly

• US 20020078636A1
• Filed: 09/30/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bend Industries Inc. (CRH PLC)
• Original Assignee: Bend Industries Inc. (CRH PLC)
• Inventors: Whitson, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,594,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/102
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/28 Raised beds; Planting beds; Edging elements for beds, lawn or the like, e.g. tiles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a masonry lawn edging block assembly for a multi-grade landscape setting where the ground level of the lawn is lower than the adjacent areas. The assembly includes a plurality of like-shaped straight blocks, outside cornering blocks and like-shaped inside cornering blocks that create a border between the lawn and the adjacent area. The present invention has an L-shaped cross section that includes a vertically extending wall portion and a horizontally extending base portion. Dowels are used to connect adjacent blocks. A series of like-shaped blocks are connected in an end-to-end, end-to-side and end-to-rear arrangements to form the border. The base of each block includes a platform, and these platforms form a continuous deck upon which a conventional lawnmower can travel to cut the grass along the edging block assembly in an even manner and to the same desired height as the rest of the lawn.

Claims

1. A masonry lawn edging block assembly for forming a mowable border along a multi-grade landscape setting having a specific configuration and including a lawn area and an adjacent raised area, the lawn area having a first ground elevation and being mowable by a lawn mowing implement, the adjacent raised area having a second ground elevation, the second ground elevation being higher than the first ground elevation, the modular masonry lawn edging block assembly comprising:

a plurality of like-shaped straight blocks, each of said straight blocks having front and rear ends that define its block width and opposed longitudinal ends that define its block length, each of said blocks having a base with an outwardly extending portion and a wall with an upwardly extending portion, said base having an upper platform and a front surface, said front surface being adapted to abut the lawn area, and said platform having a predetermined platform width and a front end adapted to be substantially even with the first ground elevation, said wall having forward and rearward surfaces and a top end, said forward surface being spaced a predetermined wall thickness from said rearward surface, said rearward surface being adapted to abut the raised area, said top end being adapted to be one of either above and substantially even with the second ground elevation, and said platform and wall extending said length of said block;

a plurality of like-shaped corner blocks, each of said corner blocks having front and rear ends that define its block width and opposed longitudinal ends that define its block length, each of said blocks having a base with an outwardly extending portion and a wall with an upwardly extending portion, said base having an upper platform and a front surface, said front surface being adapted to abut the lawn area, and said platform having said predetermined platform width and a front end adapted to be substantially even with the first ground elevation, said wall having forward and rearward surfaces and a top end, said forward surface being spaced said predetermined wall thickness from said rearward surface, said rearward surface being adapted to abut the raised area, said top end being adapted to be one of either above and substantially even with the second ground elevation, said wall extending from said one end of said block to a terminal end spaced substantially one platform width from said other end of said block, said platform extending said length of said block and including a side portion traversing said block width from said terminal end of said wall to said other end of said block;

wherein said straight and corner blocks have substantially equal block widths, block lengths, platform widths and wall thicknesses, adjacent straight blocks aligning in an end-to-end alignment to form linear segments, each linear segment having a desired length, each of said corner blocks aligning in an end-to-end alignment with a first adjacent straight block and in an end-to-rear alignment with a second adjacent straight block to form a corner at a desired location, said linear segments and corner being located to accommodate the specific configuration of the multi-grade landscape setting, wherein said walls of said straight and corner blocks combine to form a continuous wall adapted to maintain the raised area at the second ground elevation, and wherein said platforms of said straight and corner blocks combine to form a continuous deck adapted to support the lawn mowing implement and allowing it to smoothly travel from one block to another and to smoothly travel from the first ground elevation onto said deck.

2. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 1, and further comprising a plurality of like-shaped inside cornering blocks, each of said cornering blocks having adjacent first and second side ends and adjacent first and second rear ends, said cornering block having a substantially square shape with each of its side ends having a width substantially equal to said block width of said straight blocks, each of said blocks having a base with an outwardly extending portion and first and second walls with upwardly extending portions, said base having an upper platform with first and second end surfaces, each of said end surfaces aligning with one of said longitudinal ends of an adjacent straight block in an end-to-side end alignment, said platform having said predetermined platform width, and each of said first and second walls having forward and rearward surfaces and a top end, said forward surface being spaced said predetermined wall thickness from said rearward surface, said rearward surface being adapted to abut the raised area, said top end being adapted to be one of either above and substantially even with the second ground elevation, said walls being adapted to maintain the second ground elevation, and said first wall extending said entire block width along said first rear end and, and said second wall extending said entire block width along said second rear end.

3. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 1, and wherein each of said straight and corner blocks has an L-shaped cross section.

4. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 3, and wherein said L-shaped cross section remains substantially constant for each of said straight blocks from one end of said straight block to said other end of said straight block, and wherein said L-shaped cross section remains substantially constant for each of said corner blocks from one end of said corner block to said terminal end of its said wall.

5. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 1, and wherein the lawn area has a lawn that is mowable to a desired substantially even height, and each of said straight and corner blocks is adapted to align its said platform in a substantially planar alignment with the first ground elevation to enable the lawn mowing implement to mow the lawn to the desired substantially even height along the border.

6. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 1, and wherein said platform extends from said forward surface of said wall to said front end of said block.

7. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 6, and wherein said base has a bottom surface that forms a footprint of said block, and wherein said footprint of each of said straight and corner blocks is substantially equal.

8. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 1, and wherein said forward surface of said wall is substantially parallel to said rearward surface of said wall, said rearward surface is substantially perpendicular to said bottom surface of said base, and said bottom surface is substantially parallel to said platform.

9. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 1, and wherein said adjacent blocks are joined together by a pair of flexible dowels.

10. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 7, and wherein said forward surface of said wall and said platform of said base of each of said straight blocks have uniformly spaced grooves extending from one of said longitudinal ends to said other longitudinal end of said block.

11. A masonry lawn edging block assembly for forming a mowable border along a multi-grade landscape setting having a specific configuration and including a lawn area and an adjacent raised area, the lawn area having a first ground elevation and being mowable by a lawn mowing implement, the adjacent raised area having a second ground elevation, the second ground elevation being higher than the first ground elevation, the modular masonry lawn edging block assembly comprising:

a plurality of like-shaped straight blocks, each of said straight blocks having front and rear ends that define its block width and opposed longitudinal ends that define its block length, each of said blocks having a base with an outwardly extending portion and a wall with an upwardly extending portion, said base having an upper platform and a front surface, said front surface being adapted to abut the lawn area, and said platform having a predetermined platform width and a front end adapted to be substantially even with the first ground elevation, said wall having forward and rearward surfaces and a top end, said forward surface being spaced a predetermined wall thickness from said rearward surface, said rearward surface being adapted to abut the raised area, said top end being adapted to be one of either above and substantially even with the second ground elevation, and said platform and wall extending said length of said block;

wherein said straight blocks are adapted to be miter cut at a predetermined angle proximal one of said longitudinal ends to form a mitered end block with a mitered end;

wherein adjacent straight blocks align in an end-to-end alignment to form at least two adjacent linear segments, each of said linear segments having a desired length and opposed ends, at least one of said opposed ends of each linear segment being formed by one of said mitered end blocks, said mitered ends of said mitered end blocks of said two adjacent linear segments forming a corner, said adjacent mitered end blocks aligning in a mitered end-to-mitered end alignment, said linear segments and corner being located to accommodate the specific configuration of the multi-grade landscape setting, wherein said walls of said straight and mitered end blocks combine to form a continuous wall adapted to maintain the raised area at the second ground elevation, and wherein said platforms of said straight and mitered end blocks combine to form a continuous deck adapted to support the lawn mowing implement and allowing it to smoothly travel from one block to another and to smoothly travel from the first ground elevation onto said deck.

12. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 11, and wherein said blocks have an L-shaped cross section with a predetermined height dimension and a predetermined width dimension, said height dimension being different from said width dimension, and wherein said blocks in said border assembly are adapted to be rotated to reveres said height and width dimensions of said block and said border assembly, and wherein rotating said blocks enables said border assembly to accommodate an increase the ground elevation of the raised area.

13. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 12, and wherein said L-shaped cross section remaining substantially constant for each straight block from one end of said straight block to said other end of said straight block.

14. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 13, and wherein the lawn area has a lawn that is mowable to a desired substantially even height, and each of said straight and mitered end blocks is adapted to align its said platform in a substantially planar alignment with the first ground elevation to enable the lawn mowing implement to mow the lawn to the desired substantially even height along the border.

15. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 14, and wherein said platform extends from about said forward surface of said wall to about said front end of said block.

16. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 14, and wherein said forward surface is substantially parallel to said rearward surface, said rearward surface is substantially perpendicular to said bottom surface, and said bottom surface is substantially parallel to said platform.

17. The masonry lawn edging block assembly of claim 14, and wherein said adjacent blocks are joined together by a pair of flexible dowels.