Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Assembled in situ-type anchor or tie – Sheet or wire tie
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-27
2001-10-16
Stephan, Beth A. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Assembled in situ-type anchor or tie
Sheet or wire tie
C052S714000, C052S543000, C052S552000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301856
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Panels of a variety of structural designs for use in siding or covering the exterior walls of buildings have been known for a long time. These siding elements are generally constructed of a metal, typically aluminum, or a thermoplastic material. In the latter case, poly(vinyl chloride) or “PVC” is typically employed because of its superior resistance to weathering.
In order to simulate the clapboard wooden siding commonly used in home construction, metal or thermoplastic siding elements are typically constructed with so-called “declinations” or downwardly and outwardly extending flat portions which are connected by horizontal shoulders. Additionally, structural features are provided on the siding elements including an uppermost nailing strip and elements which permit interlocking panels above or below one another. These siding panels are typically supplied commercially in so-called “two-wide” and “three-wide” versions. In two-wide panels, there are two declinations: an upper declination and a lower declination, connected by a short horizontal shoulder. Three-wide siding panels have three such declinations, with horizontal shoulder regions connecting the upper to the middle declination and another horizontal shoulder connecting the middle declination to the lowest declination.
The rear or building-facing view of one such siding panel
100
, which finds current wide use in the building trades, is illustrated in
FIG. 1
in rear perspective view. The panels are commercially provided in long sections, typically in lengths of 12 feet (3.66 meters) to 16 feet (4.88 meters). In
FIG. 1
, the center portion of the illustrated panel has been removed to show only the first
102
and second
104
end regions of the panel.
The panel
100
comprises a first upper
106
and a second lower
108
substantially flat declination region. The upper declination
106
is connected to the lower declination
108
by substantially horizontal shoulder region
110
. A similar shoulder region
112
is attached to lower declination
108
. The shoulder
112
attached to the lower declination
108
is further provided with a re-curved edge region
114
which extends upwardly and slightly inwardly toward the back or inside face of lower declination
108
. This re-curved edge of lower shoulder
114
is designed to fit into a substantially S-shaped recurve on the next lower panel in a manner shown in FIG.
4
and further described below.
The upper declination
106
of the siding panel
100
is surmounted by an integral nailing strip and clamping region. The nailing strip and clamping region of the siding panel is made up of an upper flat nailing strip
116
which is perforated by nailing holes
120
As the flat nailing strip merges with the upper declination
106
, the panel forms a clamping region
118
which forms, in side view, a substantially S-shared recurve
122
. The lower end of this S-shaped clip region
118
merges with the upper declination
106
. The nailing strip
116
and S-shaped recurve portion of the first
102
and second
104
ends of panel
100
are trimmed at the factory to form first
124
and second
126
cut-outs, respectively, in the upper nailing strip
116
and S-shaped recurve
122
. Similar cut-outs
128
and
130
are made in the lower shoulder region
112
and its recurve portion
114
.
When siding panels of this type are applied to a building, a special initial nailing strip or “starter strip” shown in
FIG. 2
is first attached at the bottom of the wall being sided. This starter strip
200
comprises the nailing strip portion
216
, an S-recurve portion
222
, and nail holes
220
of a siding panel, but lacks the declination portions.
FIG. 3
depicts, in cross-sectional side view, how a first siding panel of the type shown in
FIG. 1
is attached to a building wall. Following attachment of the starter strip
200
, of
FIG. 2
, to the building wall
310
by means of nails
306
, the recurve
114
of the lower shoulder
112
of a first siding panel is inserted into the S-shaped recurve
222
of the starter strip. The panel is pulled firmly upward, and nailed (through nailing holes
120
in its top nailing strip
116
, not shown in
FIG. 3
) to the building wall
310
. Subsequent siding panels are similarly attached to the wall of the building, proceeding upwardly, clipping the lower shoulder recurve
114
of each successive panel into the upper S-shaped clamping region
118
of the siding panel immediately below.
This arrangement can be seen in
FIG. 4
where a cross-sectional side view of two vertically adjacent siding panels are shown fastened to the wall of a building. In
FIG. 4
, the lower declination
108
a
of an upper siding panel and the upper declination
106
of a lower siding panel, both of the type shown in
FIG. 1
, are shown fastened to a building wall
310
. The lower shoulder region
112
a
of the upper panel, with its recurve
114
a
, is shown clipped into the S-recurve
122
of the lower panel. Both the nails holding the starter strip and the nails securing the siding panels to the building wall are not completely driven into the building wall
310
through the elongated nail holes. This permits lateral thermal expansion and contraction of the siding panels after being mounted to the building wall.
As the siding is laid up, the lateral joints between adjacent sets of attached siding panels are staggered, rather than being vertically aligned, to provide a pleasing appearance. Typically, the nailing strips and bottom declination shoulders of commercially available siding panels are notched during manufacture to assist in the side-by-side interlocking of adjacent panels. These cut-outs can be seen as elements
124
,
126
,
128
and
130
in FIG.
1
. By clipping the notched lower shoulder of one panel and its recurve of each siding panel into the S-recurve clamp of the panel (or starter strip) immediately adjacent below, horizontally adjacent siding panels can be overlapped making use of these cut-outs. This arrangement can be seen in
FIG. 5
where two siding panels,
102
and
102
a
of the type depicted in
FIG. 1
are shown overlapping.
In
FIG. 5
, for purposes of illustration, the two panels are shown as abbreviated in length. Panel
102
a
is shown overlapped behind panel
102
. The terms “front” and “rear” or “in front of” or “behind,” “up” and “down,” “inwardly” and “outwardly” with regard to the siding panels or elements thereof, as used throughout this specification and the appended claims refer, respectively, to the faces and orientation of the panels and panel elements once the panels are applied to a building.
In the following discussion, reference numerals without prime marks are used in referring to elements of panel
102
and the same reference numerals with prime marks are used for corresponding elements of panel
102
a
. As can be seen in
FIG. 5
, the overlap is achieved by inserting the cut-out
128
′ in the lower left-hand rear face of panel
102
a
into the cut-out
130
in the lower right-hand rear -ace of panel
102
. In a similar manner, the cut-out
126
in the nailing strip and S-recurve at the upper right-hand face of panel
102
is inserted into the cut-out
124
′ in the upper left-hand rear face of panel
102
a
. As a result of this overlap, a portion of cut-out
126
in panel
102
is clipped into the S-recurve at the top of panel
102
a
. During installation of the siding, the two panels are overlapped, retaining a gap
550
in the cut-outs between horizontally adjacent panels to permit thermal expansion and contraction of the panels. The overlap is indicated by the dotted line in
FIG. 5
which represents the hidden rearward right-hand edge
560
of panel
102
.
This prior art combination of lateral overlapping of horizontally adjacent siding panels, and vertical interlocking and nailing (in the manner described above) results in the firm attachment of each siding panel to a building wall at the upper and lower extremities of each panel. However, this arrangement does not provide for adequ
Stephan Beth A.
Wilhelm Thomas D.
Wilhelm Law Service
LandOfFree
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