ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,352,046, issued on July 8.
"Fixture-ready block" was invented by John Clinton Carter (Tuscumbia, Ala.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Brick or block walls are often constructed before fixtures, such as faucets, are installed. Sometimes this occurs because the fixture has not yet been selected, or because an installation location for the fixture is unknown. Thus, workers often need to modify the wall to receive fixtures once selected. However, other times, a builder may know where a fixture should be installed, and the type of fixture it will be. In these instances, a fixture-ready block may be selected based on the type and location of the...