Insulated Concrete Form Blocks

Abstract

An insulated concrete form block includes front and rear wall portions, left and right end walls extending between the front and rear wall portions, spacer ribs positioned to extend between the front and rear wall portions in a spaced-apart relation to define apertures therebetween.

1 . An insulated concrete form block comprising: 
 a front wall portion and a rear wall portion spaced apart from the front wall portion, the front wall portion and the rear wall portion each having an upper surface, a lower surface, a left end, and a right end,    a left end wall and a right end wall each extending between the front wall portion and the rear wall portion,    a plurality of spacer ribs extending between the front and rear wall portions, each of the plurality of spacer ribs being spaced apart from each other to define apertures adapted to receive concrete therebetween, and    connecting means integral with the front and rear wall portions and left and right ends for connecting adjacent insulated concrete form blocks to form a unitary structure.    
   
   
       2 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 1 , wherein the connecting means includes: 
 a first connector unit and a second connector unit, the first connector unit being formed to include a female connector positioned between a pair of male connectors and the second connector unit being formed to include a male connector positioned between a pair of female connectors and configured to receive another pair of male connectors from an adjacent insulated concrete form block, and    a male end connector coupled to the right end wall and a female end connector integral with the left end wall.    
   
   
       3 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 2 , wherein the upper surface of the front wall portion is formed to include the second connector unit, the lower surface of the front wall portion is formed to include the first connector unit.  
   
   
       4 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 2 , wherein the upper surface of the rear wall portion is formed to include the first connector unit, the lower surface of the rear wall portion is formed to include the second connector unit.  
   
   
       5 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 1 , wherein the connecting means includes a first plurality of first connector units positioned on the upper surface of the rear wall portion, a second plurality of first connector units positioned on the lower surface of the front wall portion, a first plurality of second connector units positioned on the upper surface of the front wall portion, and a second plurality of second connector units positioned on the lower surface of the rear wall portion.  
   
   
       6 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 5 , wherein each of the first connector units from the first and second pluralities of first connector units includes a female connector positioned between two male connectors and each of the second connector units from the first and second pluralities of second connector units includes a male connector positioned between a pair of female connectors configured to receive another pair of male connectors from an adjacent insulated concrete form block.  
   
   
       7 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 1 , wherein the apertures formed between the spacer ribs are generally hourglass-shaped.  
   
   
       8 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 1 , further comprising a façade mount configured to support a facial surface, wherein the façade mount includes an angled wall portion coupled to the rear wall portion to define a channel therebetween.  
   
   
       9 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 1 , wherein the front wall portion includes a first front segment and a second front segment perpendicular to the first front segment, and the rear wall portion includes a first rear segment parallel to the first front segment and a second rear segment perpendicular to the first rear segment and parallel to the second front segment such that the second front segment and the second rear segment cooperate to define a 90°-turn portion of the insulated concrete form block  
   
   
       10 . An insulated concrete form block comprising: 
 a front wall portion, a rear wall portion spaced apart from the front wall portion, and a plurality of spacer ribs extending between the front and rear wall portions, each front wall portion and each rear wall portion having an upper surface, a lower surface, a left end, and a right end,    a male end connector coupled to each right end and a female end connector coupled to each left end, each male end connector configured to extend into a female end connector of an adjacent insulated concrete form block, and    a pair of first connector units and a pair of second connector units, wherein one of the pair of first connector units is coupled to the upper surface of the rear wall and the other pair of first connector units is coupled to the lower surface of the front wall, and wherein one of the pair of second connector units is coupled to the lower surface of the rear wall and the other pair of second connector units is coupled to the upper surface of the front wall    a first plurality of first connector units positioned on the upper surface of the rear wall portion, a second plurality of first connector units positioned on the lower surface of the front wall portion, a first plurality of second connector units positioned on the upper surface of the front wall portion, and a second plurality of second connector units positioned on the lower surface of the rear wall portion.    
   
   
       11 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 10 , wherein the first plurality of first connector units is configured to mate with a second plurality of second connector units of an adjacent insulated concrete form block and the second plurality of first connector units is configured to mate with a first plurality of second connector units of an adjacent insulated concrete form block.  
   
   
       12 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 10 , further comprising a façade mount configured to support a facial surface, wherein the façade mount includes an angled wall portion coupled to and spaced apart from the rear wall portion to define a channel therebetween.  
   
   
       13 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 10 , wherein the front wall portion includes a first front segment, and a second front segment perpendicular to the first front segment, and the rear wall portion includes a first rear segment parallel to the first front segment and a second rear segment perpendicular to the first rear segment and parallel to the second front segment such that the second front segment and the second rear segment cooperate to define a 90°-turn portion of the insulated concrete form block  
   
   
       14 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 10 , wherein the adjacent spacer ribs cooperate to define a generally hourglass-shaped aperture therebetween.  
   
   
       15 . An insulated concrete form block comprising: 
 a front wall and a rear wall spaced apart from the front wall, each front wall and each rear wall having an upper surface, a lower surface, a right end, and a left end, and a plurality of ribs extending between the front wall and the rear wall to define apertures adapted for receiving concrete therein, and    a first plurality of first connector units coupled to the rear wall upper surface, a second plurality of first connector units coupled to the front wall lower surface, a first plurality of second connector units coupled to the front wall upper surface, a second plurality of second connector units coupled to the rear wall lower surface,    wherein the front wall further includes a first front segment, a second front segment perpendicular to the first front segment, and the rear wall portion including a first rear segment parallel to the first front segment and a second rear segment perpendicular to the first rear segment and parallel to the second front segment such that the second front segment and the second rear segment cooperate to define a 90°-turn portion.    
   
   
       16 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of first connector units is configured to mate with a second connector unit formed on a first adjacent insulated concrete form block and the male end connector is configured to mate with a female end connector formed on a second adjacent insulated concrete form block.  
   
   
       17 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 16 , further comprising a façade mount configured to support a facial surface, wherein the façade mount includes a generally Z-shaped angled wall portion coupled parallel to and spaced apart from the rear wall portion.  
   
   
       18 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 17 , wherein the generally Z-shaped angled wall portion and the rear wall portion cooperate to define a channel therebetween.  
   
   
       19 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 15 , wherein: 
 each of the first connector units includes a pair of rectangular tabs spaced apart from one another and extending away from the respective upper or lower mounting surface and a rectangular aperture formed in the respective upper or lower mounting surface and longitudinally positioned between the pair of rectangular tabs, and    each of the second connector units includes a pair of rectangular apertures formed in the respective upper or lower mounting surface and spaced apart from one another, and a rectangular tab longitudinally positioned between the pair of rectangular apertures.    
   
   
       20 . The insulated concrete form block of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of ribs cooperate to define a generally hourglass-shaped aperture therebetween.