Building panel as a covering for building surfaces and method of applying

• US 20030154664A1
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barbara E. Dennis, David H. Beck, Robert W. Werner
• Original Assignee: Barbara E. Dennis, David H. Beck, Robert W. Werner
• Inventors: Dennis, Barbara E., Beck, David H., Werner, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,715,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/105
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 15/025 Templates, gauges or spacers for installing roof tiles or roof laths templates for rafters E04G21/1891
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 3/30 of metal
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 3/32 of plastics, fibrous materials, or asbestos cement
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 3/34 of specified materials, or of combinations of materials, not covered by any one of groups E04D3/26 - E04D3/32
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/0864 composed of superposed elements which overlap each other and of which the flat outer surface includes an acute angle with the surface to cover

Abstract

Building panels are provided, for applying panels, such as siding, roofing or the like to studs, to roofing rafters, or the like, wherein indicia is provided along a panel, giving spaced-apart markings, for guiding one who is applying panels to a building surface, to the location of a next support capable of supporting the panel when a fastener is applied thereto, a fixed or pre-set distance from a support such as stud, roofing rafter or the like. Thus, when adjacent studs, rafters, or the like, are spaced apart a known distance, the indicia will serve to guide the installer to a location where a fastener will engage a support to which the panel is to be applied, even if the visual location of the underlying support is visually obscured, such as by means of a sheet building material between the structural support and the panel. The indicia may take on various forms.

Claims

1. A siding or roofing panel adapted to be applied to a building and secured to a plurality of spaced apart supports, comprising:

a sheet of panel having upper and lower edges and right and left edges, with an upper lip adjacent the upper edge;

with the upper lip including a fastener area adapted to receive fasteners therein for securing the panel to supports, with indicia means on the upper lip for providing a visual indication on the upper lip of the spacing between supports, for guiding the placement of fasteners through the lip into the supports.

2. The panel of claim 1, wherein the indicia means is adapted to be covered by another panel applied to the supports.

3. The panel of claim 1, wherein the indicia means comprise numerical indicator means.

4. The panel of claim 1, wherein the indicia means comprise indicator means approximately every 16 inches along the lip.

5. The panel of claim 1, wherein the indicia means comprise periodic spaced apart markings corresponding to the spacing of adjacent supports.

6. The panel of claim 1, wherein the indicia means comprise letter markings.

7. The panel of claim 1, wherein the panel is adapted to be applied to the building by being fastened to supports through sheet building material carried by the building, to supports, behind the sheet building material.

8. A covering for a building comprising a plurality of siding or roofing panels, each panel being applied to a building and secured to a plurality of spaced apart supports of the building only by fasteners and comprising:

a sheet of panel having upper and lower edges and right and left edges, with an upper lip adjacent the upper edge;

with the upper lip including a fastener area adapted to receive fasteners therein for securing the panel to supports, with indicia means on the upper lip for providing a visual indication on the upper lip of the spacing between supports, for guiding the placement of fasteners through the lip into the supports.

9. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means of each panel is covered by another panel, also applied to the building by fasteners.

10. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise numerical indicator means.

11. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise indicator means approximately every 16 inches along the lip.

12. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise periodic spaced apart markings corresponding to the spacing of adjacent supports.

13. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise letter markings.

14. The covering of claim 8, wherein each panel is applied to the building by being fastened to supports through sheet building material carried by the building, to supports behind the sheet building material.

15. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise indicator means approximately every 8 inches along the lip.

16. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise indicator means in multiples of approximately every 8 inches along the lip.

17. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise indicator means approximately every 36 inches along the lip.

18. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise distinctively shaped configurations along the panel, as periodic spaced apart markings corresponding to the spacing of adjacent supports.

19. The covering of claim 8, wherein the indicia means comprise distinctively shaped nailing openings appearing as periodic spaced apart markings corresponding to the spacing of the adjacent supports.

20. A method of applying siding or roofing panels to a building structure comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of panels, each having upper and lower edges and right and left edges, with an upper lip adjacent the upper edge, with the upper lip including a fastener area adapted to receive fasteners therein for securing the panel to supports, with indicia means on the upper lip for providing a visual indication on the upper lip of the spacing between supports, for guiding the placement of fasteners through the lip into supports;

(b) providing a plurality of spaced apart supports;

(c) providing sheet building material;

(d) securing the sheet building material to the supports;

(e) fastening a first panel at one location to a support, by driving one or more fasteners through the lip of the first panel, through the sheet building material, and into a support;

(f) continuing to fasten the first panel through the sheet building material to a plurality of supports, by driving fasteners through the lip of the first panel, through the sheet building material, and into supports;

(g) covering the lip of the first panel, including the fasteners and indicia thereof by applying a second panel over the lip of the first panel over another portion of sheet building material and fastening the second panel through the sheet building material to supports by driving fasteners through a lip thereof into supports;

(h) continuing to apply successive panels by driving fasteners through lips thereof, through sheet building material, and into supports, with each successively applied panel covering the lip, including fasteners and indicia of a next-previously-applied panel.