Unitary modular shake-siding panels, and methods for making and using such shake-siding panels

• US 20030110729A1
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Tools & Instruments LLC (Kellogg Company)
• Original Assignee: Pactool International Ltd
• Inventors: Waggoner, Kurt, Fladgard, Scott, Fladgard, Lloyd
• Granted Patent: US 7,575,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/554
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/08 composed of a plurality of similar covering or lining elements, E04F13/072 takes precedence; borders, skirtings E04F19/02; of webs or fabrics E04F13/002; fixing strips E04F19/06; separate provisional spacers between adjacent tiles E04F21/0092; implements or means for setting tiles E04F21/18
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/141 with an outer layer of concrete E04F13/147 takes precedence

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed toward unitary modular shake panels, and methods for making and using such shake panels. In one aspect of the invention, a unitary modular shake panel includes an interconnecting section composed of a siding material and several integral shake sections projecting from the interconnecting section. The panel preferably has a quadrilateral shape with first and second edges along a longitudinal dimension that are separated from each other by a width of the panel along a transverse dimension. Additionally, the shake sections are separated from one another by slots extending from the second edge to an intermediate width in the panel. In a preferred embodiment, the panel is composed of a unitary piece of fiber-cement siding with a simulated wood grain running along the transverse dimension. The interconnecting section is preferably a web portion of the fiber-cement siding piece, and the shake sections are different portions of the same fiber-cement siding piece defined by the slots extending in the transverse dimension from the web portion to the second edge of the panel. Modular shake panels in accordance with the invention may be made using several different processes. In one embodiment, for example, a unitary modular shake panel is manufactured by the cutting planks from a sheet of siding material, and then forming slots in the panel to define the web portion and the shake sections. The planks are preferably cut from the sheet in a direction transverse to a wood grain on the surface of the sheet. The slots are preferably cut in the planks in the direction of the wood grain from a longitudinal edge to an intermediate depth within the plank.

Claims

1. A modular shake panel comprising:

a panel of siding material having first and second longitudinal edges extending along a longitudinal dimension, the first and second edges being spaced apart from one another by a width transverse to the longitudinal dimension, and a plurality of slots extending transverse to the longitudinal dimension from the second edge to an intermediate location in the panel between the first and second edges to define an interconnecting section of the panel and a plurality of integral shake sections projecting from the interconnecting section.

2. The modular shake panel of claim 1 wherein the slots have widths from approximately 0.1 inches to approximately 0.3 inches.

3. The modular shake panel of claim 1 wherein the slots are irregularly spaced in the longitudinal direction.

4. The modular shake panel of claim 1 wherein the slots are regularly spaced in the longitudinal direction.

5. The modular shake panel of claim 1 wherein the panel of siding material comprises fiber-cement siding.

6. The modular shake panel of claim 5 wherein the fiber-cement panel has a simulated wood grain running generally in a direction along the transverse dimension.

7. The modular shake panel of claim 6 wherein the panel has a length of at least six feet along the longitudinal dimension, the grain running transverse to the longitudinal dimension.

29. The method of claim 2, further comprising cutting a plurality of planks from a sheet of fiber-cement siding material having a longitudinal dimension, a transverse dimension and a wood grain running in a grain direction along the transverse dimension, wherein the planks are cut along the longitudinal dimension from the sheet of siding material.

8. A unitary modular shake panel comprising:

a web portion having a length along a longitudinal dimension and a width along a transverse dimension; and

a plurality of shake sections projecting transversely from the web, the shake sections being integral with the web, and the shake sections being spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal dimension of the web.

9. The unitary modular shake panel of claim 8 wherein a length of the shake sections along the transverse dimension is a selected portion of the width of the panel.

10. The unitary modular shake panel of claim 8 wherein the shake sections have widths along the longitudinal dimension from approximately 1.0 inch to approximately 16 inches.

11. The unitary modular shake panel of claim 8 wherein the shake panel has at least a first shake section and a second shake section, the first shake section having a different width than the second shake section.

12. The unitary modular shake panel of claim 8 wherein the shake panel has at least a first shake section and a second shake section, the first shake section having a width at least substantially equal to the width of the second shake section.

13. The unitary modular shake panel of claim 8 wherein the panel comprises fiber-cement siding.

14. The unitary modular shake panel of claim 13 wherein the shake panel has a simulated wood grain running generally across the panel in a grain direction along the transverse dimension.

15. A unitary modular shake panel having a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension, comprising:

an interconnecting section defined by a first portion of the panel extending in the longitudinal dimension between a first longitudinal edge of the panel and an intermediate width of the panel; and

a plurality of shake sections defined by a second portion of the panel integral with the interconnecting section, each shake section projecting from the interconnecting section along the transverse dimension, and the shake sections being spaced apart from one another by gaps extending from the intermediate width of the panel.

16. The modular shake panel of claim 15 wherein the gaps have widths from approximately 0.1 inches to approximately 0.3 inches.

17. The modular shake panel of claim 15 wherein the gaps are irregularly spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal dimension.

18. The modular shake panel of claim 15 wherein the gaps are regularly spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal dimension.

19. The modular shake panel of claim 15 wherein the panel comprises fiber-cement siding material.

20. The modular shake panel of claim 19 wherein the fiber-cement panel has a simulated wood grain.

21. The modular shake panel of claim 20 wherein the panel has a length at least six feet long along the longitudinal dimension, the simulated grain running transverse to the longitudinal dimension.

22. A method of manufacturing unitary modular shake panels, comprising:

forming a plurality of slots in a plank of siding material having first and second longitudinal edges extending along a longitudinal dimension and spaced apart from one another by a width transverse to the longitudinal dimension, the slots extending transversely from the second longitudinal edge of the plank to an intermediate width within the plank, and the slots being located at different longitudinal positions along the second longitudinal edge to define an interconnecting section of the plank and a plurality of integral shake sections projecting from the interconnecting section.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein forming the slots comprises cutting the slots in the plank from the second longitudinal edge to the intermediate width.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein forming the slots comprises molding the slots in the plank from the second longitudinal edge to the intermediate width.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein forming the slots comprises stamping the slots in the plank from the second longitudinal edge to the intermediate width.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising forming the slots at a plurality of regularly spaced longitudinal positions along the second longitudinal edge of the plank.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising forming the slots at a plurality of irregularly spaced longitudinal positions along the second longitudinal edge of the plank.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising cutting a plurality of planks from a sheet of fiber-cement siding material having a longitudinal dimension, a transverse dimension and a simulated wood grain running in a grain direction along the longitudinal dimension, wherein the planks are cut along the transverse dimension from the sheet of siding material.

30. A method of manufacturing unitary modular shake panels, comprising:

forming a plurality of shake sections along a web portion, each shake section being an integral projection of the web portion, and each shake having side edges extending at least substantially perpendicular to the web portion.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein forming the shake sections comprises cutting a plurality of slots in a plank to leave the web portion and the shake sections projecting from the web portion.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein forming the shake sections comprises molding a plurality of slots in a portion of a plank to leave the web portion and the shake sections projecting from the web portion.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein forming the shake sections comprises stamping a plurality of slots in a plank to leave the web portion and the shake sections projecting from the web portion.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising forming the shake sections at a plurality of regularly spaced positions along a plank to leave the web portion and the shake sections projecting from the web portion.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising forming the shake sections at a plurality of irregularly spaced positions along a plank to leave the web portion and the shake sections projecting from the web portion.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising cutting a plurality of planks from a sheet of fiber-cement siding material having a longitudinal dimension, a transverse dimension and a simulated wood grain running in a grain direction along the longitudinal dimension, wherein the planks are cut along the transverse dimension from the sheet of siding material.

37. The method of claim 30, further comprising cutting a plurality of planks from a sheet of fiber-cement siding material having a longitudinal dimension, a transverse dimension and a simulated wood grain running in a grain direction along the transverse dimension, wherein the planks are cut along the longitudinal dimension from the sheet of siding material.

38. A method of manufacturing unitary modular shake panels comprising:

embossing a simulated wood grain onto a surface of a fiber-cement siding sheet so that the grain runs in a grain direction transverse to a longitudinal dimension of the sheet;

cutting a plurality of planks from the sheet along the longitudinal dimension of the sheet, each plank having a length at least approximately equal to the longitudinal dimension of the sheet and a width transverse to the longitudinal dimension; and

forming a plurality of slots in at least a first plank cut from the sheet, each slot extending transversely from a longitudinal edge of the first plank to an intermediate width within the first plank, and the slots being spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal edge to define an interconnecting section of the first plank and a plurality of integral shake sections projecting from the interconnecting section.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein forming the slots in the first plank comprises cutting the first plank from the longitudinal edge to an intermediate point within the first plank.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein forming the slots in the first plank comprises molding the slots in the first plank.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein forming the slots in the first plank comprises stamping the slots in the first plank.

42. A method of using unitary modular shake panels comprising:

attaching a first row of unitary modular shake panels to a wall, each shake panel having first and second longitudinal edges extending along a longitudinal panel dimension and being separated by a panel width, each shake panel having side edges along a transverse dimension separated by the first and second longitudinal edges, each panel having a longitudinal overlap zone between a first intermediate panel width and a second intermediate panel width, and each shake panel having a web portion and a plurality of shake sections integral with the web portion and projecting from the web portion, wherein the first row of panels is attached to the wall such that a side edge of one panel abuts a side edge of an adjacent panel; and

attaching a second row of unitary modular shake panels to the wall, wherein the second row of shake panels are attached to the wall to overlap the first row of shake panels to a location in the overlap zone of the first row of shake panels.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising positioning each panel of the second row such that a shake section in the second row overlaps the abutting side edges of a pair of panels in the first row.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising trimming a selected unitary modular shake panel into a selected size and shape such that the selected shake panel fits in a wall space less than a full length panel.

45. A unitary modular shake panel produced by a process, comprising:

embossing a simulated wood grain onto a surface of a fiber-cement siding sheet so that the grain generally runs in a grain direction transverse to a longitudinal dimension of the sheet;

cutting a plurality of planks from the sheet along the longitudinal dimension of the sheet, each plank having a length at least approximately equal to the longitudinal dimension of the sheet and a width equal to a desired panel width; and

forming a plurality of slots in at least a first plank cut from the sheet, the slots extending transversely from a longitudinal edge of the first plank to an intermediate width within the first plank, and the slots being located at different longitudinal positions along the longitudinal edge to define an interconnecting section of the plank and a plurality of integral shake sections projecting from the interconnecting section.

46. A unitary modular shake panel made by a process, comprising:

forming a plurality of slots in a plank of siding material having first and second longitudinal edges extending along a longitudinal dimension and spaced apart from one another by a width transverse to the longitudinal dimension, the slots extending transversely from the second longitudinal edge of the sheet to an intermediate width within the sheet and being located at different longitudinal positions along the edge to define an interconnecting section of the sheet and a plurality of integral shake sections projecting from the interconnecting section.