ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY BUILDING SYSTEM UTILIZING RECYCLED/UPCYCLED, COLLAPSED, PRE-FORMED & POST CONSUMER PLASTIC MATERIAL
An environmentally friendly building system ( 20 ) for promoting long term carbon capture and sequestration of roofing and siding by utilizing recycled/upcycled, collapsed, preformed, and post consumer plastic material ( 32 ). The system includes a plurality of tiles ( 22 ). The plurality of tiles ( 22 ) interlock with each other to form overlapping courses of laterally staggered roofing or siding ( 24 ). Each tile ( 22 ) includes a bottle ( 28 ) and a cap connector ( 30 ). The cap connector ( 30 ) of each tile ( 22 ) caps off the bottle ( 28 ) of an associated tile, and hooks into the bottle laying on top thereof so as to hold the overlapping courses of the laterally staggered roofing or siding in place ( 24 ). The bottle ( 28 ) of each tile ( 22 ) is made from recycled/upcycled, collapsed, preformed, and post consumer plastic material ( 32 ) for promoting the long term carbon capture and sequestration of the laterally staggered roofing or siding so as to be environmentally friendly.
1 .- 55 . (canceled)
56 . A plastic bottle comprising:
a neck; and
a main body integrally formed with the neck, the main body being convertible from an expanded configuration in which the main body defines an internal cavity to store fluid to a selected collapsed configuration in which the main body forms a tile configured to couple with other collapsed plastic bottles to form an array of tiles.
57 . The plastic bottle of claim 56 wherein the main body includes opposing side surfaces that define an upper tile surface and a lower tile surface when the plastic bottle is in the selected collapsed configuration.
58 . The plastic bottle of claim 57 wherein at least one of the opposing side surfaces includes a fold line to assist the plastic bottle in collapsing from the expanded configuration to the selected collapsed configuration.
59 . The plastic bottle of claim 58 wherein both of the opposing side surfaces include a respective fold line to assist the plastic bottle in collapsing from the expanded configuration to the selected collapsed configuration.
60 . The plastic bottle of claim 58 wherein the fold line is positioned in a middle region of the side surface between the neck and a bottom of the plastic bottle.
61 . The plastic bottle of claim 56 wherein, when in the selected collapsed configuration, the main body includes an engagement feature at a lower portion thereof to enable the tile to couple to at least one other collapsed plastic bottle.
62 . The plastic bottle of claim 56 , further comprising:
a cap removably coupled to the neck of the plastic bottle, the cap defining a connector that is configured to couple to an engagement feature of another collapsed plastic bottle.
63 . The plastic bottle of claim 62 wherein the connector includes a connector arm configured to hook into the engagement feature.
64 . A collection of plastic bottles, each plastic bottle comprising:
a neck portion; and
a main body integrally formed with the neck, the main body being convertible from an expanded configuration in which the main body defines an internal cavity to store fluid and a selected collapsed configuration in which the main body forms a tile configured to couple to other collapsed plastic bottles to form an array of tiles.
65 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 64 wherein the main body of each plastic bottle includes opposing side surfaces that define an upper tile surface and a lower tile surface when each respective plastic bottle is in the selected collapsed configuration.
66 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 65 wherein, for each plastic bottle, at least one of the opposing side surfaces includes a fold line to assist the plastic bottle in collapsing from the expanded configuration to the selected collapsed configuration.
67 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 66 wherein, for each plastic bottle, both of the opposing side surfaces include a respective fold line to assist the plastic bottle in collapsing from the expanded configuration to the selected collapsed configuration.
68 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 66 wherein, for each plastic bottle, the fold line is positioned in a middle region of the side surface between the neck and a bottom of the plastic bottle.
69 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 64 wherein, when in the selected collapsed configuration, the main body of each plastic bottle includes an engagement feature to enable the tile to couple to the other collapsed plastic bottles to form the array of tiles.
70 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 64 , wherein each plastic bottle further comprises:
a cap removably coupled to the neck of the plastic bottle, the cap defining a connector that is configured to couple to a respective engagement feature of the other collapsed plastic bottles.
71 . The collection of plastic bottles of claim 70 wherein the connector defined by the cap of each plastic bottle includes a connector arm configured to hook into the respective engagement feature of the other collapsed plastic bottles.
72 . A system of interlocked tiles comprising:
a plurality of plastic bottles, each of the plastic bottles including
a neck; and
a main body integrally formed with the neck, the main body being convertible from an expanded configuration in which the main body defines an internal cavity to store fluid and a selected collapsed configuration in which the main body forms a tile.
73 . The system of interlocked tiles of claim 72 wherein, when in the selected collapsed configuration, the main body of each plastic bottle includes a respective engagement feature, and wherein each of at least some of the plastic bottles further includes a respective cap coupled to the neck thereof and hooked into the respective engagement feature of an adjacent plastic bottle.
74 . The system of interlocked tiles of claim 72 wherein, for each plastic bottle, the main body of each plastic bottle includes opposing side surfaces that define an upper tile surface and a lower tile surface when each respective plastic bottle is in the selected collapsed configuration.
75 . The system of interlocked tiles of claim 74 wherein, for each plastic bottle, at least one of the opposing side surfaces includes a fold line to assist the plastic bottle in collapsing from the expanded configuration to the selected collapsed configuration.
76 . The system of interlocked tiles of claim 75 wherein, for each plastic bottle, both of the opposing side surfaces include a respective fold line to assist the plastic bottle in collapsing from the expanded configuration to the selected collapsed configuration.
77 . The system of interlocked tiles of claim 76 wherein, for each plastic bottle, the fold line is positioned in a middle region of the side surface between the neck and a bottom of the plastic bottle.