Translucent building blocks

• US 3,954,326 A
• Filed: 02/25/1974
• Issued: 05/04/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maximilian Gustav Alfred Cecil Michaelis
• Original Assignee: Maximilian Gustav Alfred Cecil Michaelis
• Inventors: Michaelis, Maximilian Gustav Alfred Cecil
• Primary Examiner(s): Hix, L. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mathews, Alan
• Application Number:
  US05/445,699
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 350/258, 350/259, 350/260, 350/261, 350/262, 350/264, 350/265, 240/106 R, 240/107, 52/171, 52/172, 52/306, 52/307, 52/308
• US Class Current: 359/598
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/023 with rabbets, e.g. stepped
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 1/40 built-up from parts of different materials, e.g. composed of layers of different materials or stones with filling material or with insulating inserts
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 1/42 of glass or other transparent material panels made of glass bricks E04C2/546

Abstract

A hollow building block of transparent material comprises four perpendicular walls defining a rectangle, and a partition wall extending obliquely with respect to a plane at right angles to said perpendicular walls, said partition wall forming a boundary of a hollow space within said building block for containing liquid and the arrangement being such that when said hollow space is partially filled with a transparent liquid, light incident upon one of said perpendicular walls of the block can be reflected through said block by total internal reflection at a portion of said oblique wall immersed in said liquid.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture in the form of a hollow translucent block having vertical parallel side walls connected to vertical parallel end walls, the side walls being longer than the end walls, the upper surfaces of said side walls and end walls being at least partially flat for engagement with mating structure on another block adapted to be superimposed thereabove, the lower surfaces of said side walls and end walls being at least partially flat for engagement with mating structure on another block adapted for supporting the same from below, said block having a bottom wall and lacking a top wall, the improvement comprising said bottom wall being partially defined by a horizontal portion and partially defined by a portion oblique to the planes of said side walls, liquid within said block with the upper level of the liquid being below, the upper edge of said side walls and in contact with said oblique portion of the bottom wall, such that said liquid cooperates with said oblique portion to transmit at least some light incident on said side walls through said block by total internal reflection.

2. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the upper edge of said oblique portion is connected to one of said side walls adjacent the upper end thereof.

3. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said liquid is colored.

4. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said liquid is water.

5. An article in accordance with claim 1 including a colored gas above the liquid within said block.

6. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said oblique portion is defined by a solid transparent prism.

7. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the transverse dimension of said bottom wall horizontal portion is greater than the corresponding dimension of said oblique portion.

8. A wall structure of at least two superimposed blocks, said blocks being hollow translucent blocks having vertical parallel side walls connected to vertical parallel end walls, the side walls being longer than the end walls, the upper surfaces of said side walls and end walls on one of said blocks being at least partially flat for engagement with mating structure on another block superimposed thereabove, the lower surfaces of said side walls and end walls on said one block being at least partially flat for engagement with mating structure on another block for supporting the same from below, said blocks lacking a top wall, said blocks having a bottom wall which is partially defined by a horizontal portion and partially defined by a portion oblique to the planes of said side walls and end walls, liquid within said blocks with the upper level of the liquid in said blocks being below the upper edge of said side walls and in contact with said oblique portion of the bottom wall, such that said liquid cooperates with said oblique portion to transmit at least some light incident on said side walls through said blocks by total internal reflection.

9. A wall structure in accordance with claim 8 wherein the upper edge of said oblique portion on said one block is connected to one of said side walls of said one block adjacent the upper end thereof.