Fastening member

A fastening member which comprises a substrate; a horizontal portion perpendicularly projected from the substrate; an upwardly inclined hook portion obliquely extended upward from a distal edge of the horizontal portion; a downwardly inclined hook portion obliquely extended downward from the distal edge of the horizontal portion; and a flat plate portion extended parallel with the substrate from a distal edge of the upwardly inclined hook portion and/or of the downwardly inclined hook portion. The substrate may be provided with an urging means for pressing the back surface of a siding board to prevent slipping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to a fastening member to be employed for
 connecting boards such as siding boards to each other.
 Recently, a large number of decorative siding boards having various surface
 patterns and designs are now put on the market in order to meet the
 consumer's demands for a more sophisticatedly designed external wall of
 housing.
 In related arts, conventionally, the decorative siding boards are attached,
 via a underlayment using screws or nails, to the external wall of housing
 with the longitudinal direction of the siding boards being orientated in
 the horizontal or vertical direction. However, when the decorative siding
 boards are fastened using screws or nails, the decorative surface of the
 decorative siding boards may be damaged due to the screws or nails,
 thereby spoiling the decorative design of the siding boards.
 In a prior art, with a view to overcome the aforementioned problems, a
 fastening member 30 as shown in FIG. 7 has been proposed as a fastening
 member for the horizontal installing of the siding boards (for example,
 Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication H9-203184). This fastening member
 30 comprises a substrate 31, a horizontal portion 32 perpendicularly
 projected from the substrate 31, an upwardly inclined hook portion 33A
 obliquely extended upward from the distal edge of the horizontal portion
 32, and a downwardly inclined hook portion 33B obliquely extended downward
 from the distal edge of the horizontal portion 32.
 As shown in FIG. 8, a large number of the fastening members 30 (metallic
 fastening members) are adapted to be arrayed horizontally and fixed to a
 backing member 61 such as corner posts and studs by making use of screws
 62 which are to be applied through vis holes 34 formed in the substrate
 31. In this case, the siding boards 40A and 40B are respectively formed of
 a laterally elongated shape, four sides of which are respectively formed
 into a shiplap configuration. Specifically, the upper side and one lateral
 side of these siding boards 40A and 40B are respectively formed into an
 underlying rabbeted portion, while the lower side and the other lateral
 side these siding boards 40A and 40B are respectively formed into an
 overlying rabbeted portion. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the lower
 side of the upper siding board 40A to be joined is formed into an
 overlying rabbeted portion, while the upper side of the lower siding board
 40B is formed into an underlying rabbeted portion. The overlying rabbeted
 portion is consisted of a overlying tongue patterning portion 41
 constituting the front side of the overlying rabbeted portion, an
 overlying tongue engaging portion 42 constituting the back side of the
 overlying rabbeted portion, and a groove portion 43 formed between the
 overlying tongue patterning portion 41 and the overlying tongue engaging
 portion 42. On the other hand, the underlying rabbeted portion is
 consisted of an underlying tongue engaging portion 44 constituting the
 back side of the underlying rabbeted portion and adapted to face the
 overlying tongue engaging portion 42.
 The installation of the siding boards 40A and 40B can be performed as
 follows. First of all, the distal edge portion of the underlying tongue
 engaging portion 44 of a lower siding board 40B is fitted in the lower
 engaging portion 50B (which is formed with a substrate 31, a horizontal
 portion 32 and a downwardly inclined hook portion 33B) of the metallic
 fastening member 30 which has been attached in advance to the backing
 member 61, thereby securing the lower siding board 40B in a lateral state
 to the backing member 61.
 Then, the overlying tongue engaging portion 42 of an upper siding board 40A
 is fitted in the upper engaging portion 50A (which is formed with a
 substrate 31, a horizontal portion 32 and an upwardly inclined hook
 portion 33A) of the metallic fastening member 30, thereby securing the
 upper siding board 40A to the underlayment 61. Since the upper siding
 board 40A and the lower siding board 40B are connected in this manner,
 there is little possibility that the surfaces of these siding boards are
 damaged as in the case of fastening with screws or vises, and at the same
 time, the existence of the metallic fastening member 30 cannot be
 externally recognized, thus making it possible to provide a very
 preferable external appearance of board siding.
 By the way, FIG. 9 shows a siding board 40 as viewed from the front surface
 side thereof (the side to which a design is applied), the siding board 40
 being provided with underlying rabbeted portions 44A,44B at the top side
 and right side thereof and with overlying rabbeted portions 41A, 41B at
 the bottom side and left side thereof. More specifically, an underlying
 rabbeted portion 44A is formed horizontally at the top side of the siding
 board 40, while an underlying rabbeted portion 44B is formed
 perpendicularly at the right side of the siding board 40. A caulking agent
 45A or 45B is coated on a front surface portion of each of the underlying
 rabbeted portions 44A and 44B, which is spaced apart by a predetermined
 distance from the inner corner portion of each of the underlying tongue
 engaging portions 44A and 44B. This caulking agent may be applied also to
 a back surface portion of each of the horizontally extending overlying
 tongue patterning portion 41A and the vertically extending overlying
 tongue patterning portion 41B (which constitute the bottom side and left
 side of the siding board 40, respectively), which is spaced apart by a
 predetermined distance from the inner corner portion of each of the
 overlying tongue patterning portions 41A and 41B.
 FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating partially a connected state of
 siding boards which are piled in the vertical direction. In this case, the
 overlying rabbeted portion formed at the bottom side of the upper siding
 board 40A is fittingly connected with the underlying rabbeted portion
 formed at the top side of the lower siding board 40B. At this occasion, a
 gap S is formed at the connected portion between these siding boards 40A
 and 40B. Further, a number of the siding boards are designed to be
 laterally placed on both sides (right and left sides) of the these siding
 boards 40A and 40B. In this case, the overlying rabbeted portion formed at
 the left side of the siding board is fittingly connected with the
 underlying rabbeted portion formed at the right side of the upper siding
 board 40A (and of the lower siding board 40B). On this occasion, a gap S2
 is also formed at the connected portion between these siding boards. As
 seen from FIG. 10, the gap S1 extending horizontally becomes contiguous
 with the gap S2 extending vertically.
 There is a possibility that rain water may leak into these gaps S1 and S2.
 Since the caulking agent 45A applied to the front surface portion of the
 underlying rabbeted portion 44A of the top side of the lower siding board
 40B is caused to contact with the back surface of the overlying tongue
 patterning portion 41A of the bottom side of the upper siding board 40A so
 as to form a sealing portion, it is possible to prevent the rain water
 that has been entered into the horizontal gap S1 from slipping vertically
 into the back surface side of the siding board 40A and 40B. Likewise, it
 is also possible to prevent the rain water that has been entered into the
 vertical gap S2 from slipping laterally into the back surface side of the
 siding board 40A and 40B.
 On the other hand, the rain water that has been entered into the horizontal
 gap S1 is caused to move horizontally to reach the vertical gap S2 and to
 flow downward through this vertical gap S2. By the way, as shown in FIG.
 8, although the metallic fastening member 30 is disposed at the junction
 between the siding boards 40A and 40B, since the inner surface of the
 upwardly inclined hook portion 33A of the metallic fastening member 30 is
 closely contacted with the inclined surface of the overlying tongue
 engaging portion 42 of the upper siding board 40A, there is little
 possibility that the rain water flowing downward through the vertically
 extending gap S2 may slip or leak into the interior of the upper engaging
 portion 50A (a trace amount even if there is any leakage), so that the
 rain water is possibly caused to flow downward after passing over the top
 side of the upwardly inclined hook portion 33A, thereby allowing the rain
 water to enter into the space Sa having a triangular cross-section, which
 is encircled by the front surface of the upwardly inclined hook portion
 33A, the front surface of the downwardly inclined hook portion 33B and the
 back surface of the overlying tongue patterning portion 41 of the upper
 siding board 40A.
 As mentioned above, since a seal portion is formed between the back surface
 of the overlying tongue patterning portion 41 A of the bottom side of the
 upper siding board 40A and the front surface of the underlying
 tongue-attached portion 44A of the upper side of the lower siding board
 40B, the rain water that has been entered into the space Sa having a
 triangular cross-section as mentioned above is caused to temporarily
 retain inside the space Sa without immediately flowing downward from the
 space Sa. The rain water retaining inside the space Sa is caused to move
 right and left, and then leaks out from the side edges of the hook
 portions 33A and 33B, thereby causing the rain water to flow into a space
 which is formed higher than the caulking agent 45A that has been applied
 horizontally to the front surface of the underlying tongue-attached
 portion 44A of the upper side of the lower siding board 40B. Likewise, the
 rain water that has been leaked into the upper engaging portion 50A is
 also caused to leak out from the side edges of the hook portions 33A and
 33B or of the horizontal portion 32, thereby causing the rain water to
 flow into the aforementioned space. Since this space is communicated with
 the back side of the siding boards 40A and 40B, the rain water leaked into
 the space is allowed to enter into the back side of the siding boards 40A
 and 40B, thus damaging the siding boards.
 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved
 fastening member which is capable of positively preventing rain water from
 leaking into the back side of the siding board, which the conventional
 fastening member has failed to prevent so far.
 With a view to realize the aforementioned objects, the present invention
 provides a fastening member which comprises;
 a substrate; a horizontal portion perpendicularly projected from the
 substrate; an upwardly inclined hook portion obliquely extended upward
 from a distal edge of the horizontal portion; a downwardly inclined hook
 portion obliquely extended downward from the distal edge of the horizontal
 portion; and a flat plate portion extended parallel with the substrate
 from a distal edge of the upwardly inclined hook portion and/or of the
 downwardly inclined hook portion.
 In the case of the fastening member according to the present invention, the
 rain water flowing downward through the vertical gap S2 and then passing
 over the distal edge of the upwardly inclined hook portion is allowed to
 flow downward along the front surface of the flat plate portion formed
 contiguous with the distal edge of the upwardly inclined hook portion.
 Since this flat plate portion is designed to be kept contacted with the
 back surface of the overlying tongue patterning portion of the upper
 siding board, the rain water flowing downward is caused to be discharged
 positively toward the front side of the siding board through the gap
 formed at the vertically connected portion between the right and left
 siding boards without causing the rain water to spread laterally.
 Therefore, the rain water that has been entered through the horizontal and
 vertical gaps can be prevented from leaking into the back side of the
 siding board.
 The flat plate portion must be a flat surface which is parallel with the
 substrate, and such a flat surface can be made by cutting and bending the
 substrate, or by extrusive molding. In the case of the latter, the contact
 of the flat plate portion with the back surface of the overlying tongue
 patterning portion of the upper siding board can be further ensured, thus
 more completely preventing rain water from leaking into the back surface
 of the siding board.
 According to a preferable embodiment of this fastening member, the
 substrate is featured in that it is provided with an urging means for
 pressing the back surface of a siding board to prevent slipping. As a
 result, the engagement between the siding board and the fastening member
 can be more stabilized. Further, according to another preferable
 embodiment of this fastening member, the substrate is featured in that it
 is provided with an upstanding portion at the upper edge and at the lower
 edge thereof, the upstanding portion being projected backward from the
 back surface of the substrate. As a result, an air flow passageway can be
 easily formed between the siding board fastened and a underlayment
 attached to the building frame, thus making it possible to easily prevent
 the generation of dropwise condensation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
 Preferable embodiments of the fastening member according to the present
 invention will be explained in details below with reference to the
 drawings.
 FIG. 1 shows a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the
 fastening member according to the present invention. This fastening member
 is made of a metallic material such as iron and stainless steel. The lower
 fringe portion of the square substrate 11 is bent backward thereby forming
 an upstanding portion 1, and the upper fringe portion of the square
 substrate 11 is obliquely bent backward thereby forming an upstanding
 portion 2 as well as a vertical portion 3 which is formed contiguous to
 the distal edge of the upstanding portion 2. The upstanding portion 2 and
 the vertical portion 3 are provided with a plurality of through-holes 4
 and 5, respectively, for nailing the fastening member a stud through a
 underlayment 61.
 The central portion of the substrate 11 is cut in a U-shape and raised
 therefrom. Specifically, this cut portion is initially bent forward by an
 angle of 90 degrees thereby forming a horizontal portion 12A, and then,
 the portion extending forward from this horizontal portion 12A is further
 bent obliquely upward thereby forming an upwardly inclined hook portion
 13A, and finally, the portion extending forward from this upwardly
 inclined hook portion 13A is further bent downward thereby forming a flat
 plate portion 14. The horizontal portion 12A and the upwardly inclined
 hook portion 13A are designed to function in the same manner as the
 horizontal portion 32 and the upwardly inclined hook portion 33A of the
 conventional fastening member 30 shown in FIG. 7.
 The right and left portions of the substrate 11 are also cut in a U-shape
 and raised, respectively. These cut portions are initially bent forward by
 an angle of 90 degrees at approximately the same level as that of the
 location of the horizontal portion 12A thereby forming a horizontal
 portion 12B, and then, the portion extending forward from this horizontal
 portion 12B is further bent obliquely downward thereby forming a
 downwardly inclined hook portion 13B. The horizontal portion 12B and the
 downwardly inclined hook portion 13B are designed to function in the same
 manner as the horizontal portion 32 and the downwardly inclined hook
 portion 33B of the conventional fastening member 30 shown in FIG. 7.
 The two cut and raised portions located below the aforementioned right and
 left U-shaped cut and raised portions 12B, 12B of the substrate 11 are
 also cut in a U-shape and raised, forming cantilever-like raised cut
 portions 6, 6, the free ends of which being extended laterally so as to
 render them to act as an urging means. Furthermore, these raised cut
 portions 6, 6 are respectively twisted such that the upper edges 6b, 6b
 thereof are protruded forward as compared with the positions of the lower
 edges 6a, 6a thereof. Additionally, a recessed portion 7 which is recessed
 backward is formed over the aforementioned central raised cut portion, and
 is provided in the bottom thereof with a through-hole 8. The depth of the
 recessed portion 7 is made approximately identical with the height of the
 upstanding portion 1 of the substrate 11. The reference numeral 9
 represents a U- shaped groove which is provided for ensuring the strength
 of the substrate 11.
 FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a fastened state of the siding boards 40A and 40B,
 such as the siding board 40 shown in FIG. 9, which are installed by making
 use of the fastening member 10. Specifically, these siding boards 40A and
 40B are fastened in the same manner as illustrated with reference to FIG.
 8. The relationship between these siding boards 40A and 40B in the
 fastened state thereof is the same as illustrated with reference to FIGS.
 8 and 10. Therefore, the same members as indicated in FIGS. 8 and 10 are
 identified by the same reference numerals thereby to omit the detailed
 explanation thereof.
 As shown in FIG. 2, in the case of this fastening member 10, the portion
 extending forward from the upwardly inclined hook portion 13A is bent
 downward thereby forming a flat plate portion 14, so that when the siding
 board 40A is fastened, this flat plate portion 14 is kept contacted with
 the back surface of the overlying tongue patterning portion 41 A of the
 upper siding board 40A. Therefore, there is no possibility of creating the
 space Sa of triangular cross-section as shown in FIG. 8 between the
 fastening member 10 and the siding board 40A, so that the rain water
 flowing downward through the vertical gap S2 formed at the joint portion
 between the right and left siding boards is caused to flow down through
 the flat plate portion 14 and discharged toward the front side of the
 siding board 40A. Therefore, the retention of rain water in the vicinity
 of the hook portion that has been frequently experienced in the case of
 the conventional fastening member can be prevented to occur, thus making
 it possible to reliably prevent the rain water from leaking into the back
 side of the siding board 40A.
 Further, since the siding board 40A is kept pressed toward the back surface
 of the downwardly inclined hook portion 13B by the presence of the raised
 cut portions 6 extending laterally and functioning as an urging means, the
 engagement between the siding board 40A and the fastening member 10 can be
 stabilized. Additionally, since these raised cut portions 6 are
 respectively twisted such that the upper edge 6b thereof is protruded
 forward as compared with the position of the lower edge 6a thereof, the
 insertion of the siding board 40A into the fastening member 10 can be
 facilitated. Moreover, since the substrate 11 is provided with upstanding
 portions 1 and 2 at the upper edge and at the lower edge thereof, the
 upstanding portions being projected backward from the back surface of the
 substrate 11, an air flow passageway Sc (see FIG. 2) is caused to be
 formed between the siding boards 40A and 40B fastened and the building
 frame 61, thus making it possible to prevent the generation of dropwise
 condensation on the back surface of the siding boards 40A and 40B.
 FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a fastening member representing
 another embodiment of the present invention. This fastening member 10A
 mainly differs from the fastening member 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that the
 portions below the right and left raised cut portions are widely cut out.
 In FIG. 4, the members having the same function as those shown in FIG. 1
 are identified by the same reference numerals. Since the portions below
 the right and left raised cut portions are widely cut out in this
 fastening member 10A, the raised cut portions 6 extending laterally and
 functioning as an urging means as seen in the fastening member shown in
 FIG. 1 cannot be formed. However, since a lower outer side portion of each
 of the downwardly inclined hook portions 13B which are formed together
 with the horizontal portions 12B from the right and left raised cut pieces
 of the substrate 11 is bent inward to thereby form a bent portion 13C, the
 strength of the downwardly inclined hook portions 13B can be enhanced,
 thus ensuring the stability of the engagement between the siding board 40
 and the fastening member 10.
 Further, the recessed portion 7 which is formed over the central raised cut
 portion and recessed backward is made longer than the recessed portion 7
 of the substrate 11 shown in FIG. 1, thereby enhancing the resistivity to
 the twisting of the entire body of the fastening member 10A as well as to
 the external pressure. In this case, since the fastening member 10A can be
 attached to a underlayment by nailing it at a portion which is close to
 the center thereof, the fastening strength of the fastening member 10A to
 a stud through a underlayment 61 can be greatly improved as compared with
 the conventional method of nailing the fastening member mainly through the
 vertical portion 3 thereof. As a result, the retaining strength of the
 siding boards can be greatly improved. Further, since the recessed portion
 7 is laterally elongated, it becomes possible to provide the recessed
 portion 7 with a plural number of through-holes 8 (three in this
 embodiment shown in FIG. 4), thus enhancing the degree of freedom at the
 occasion of attaching the fastening member 10A to a underlayment 61.
 Accordingly, it is no more required to form the nailing holes 5 at the
 distal vertical portion 3.
 The manner of using this fastening member 10A is substantially the same as
 that illustrated with reference to FIG. 1. Namely, due to the presence of
 the flat plate portion 14, the rain water flowing downward through the
 vertical gap S2 formed at the connection between the right and left siding
 boards is caused to flow toward the front side of the siding board 40,
 thus making it possible to reliably prevent the rain water from leaking
 into the back side of the siding board 40.
 FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a fastening member representing
 still another embodiment of the present invention. In the case of this
 fastening member 10B, the central portion of the substrate 11 is cut in a
 U-shape and raised therefrom, thereby forming a single U-shaped cut and
 raised portion. Specifically, this cut and raised portion is initially
 bent forward by an angle of 90 degrees thereby forming a horizontal
 portion 12A, then, the portion extending forward from this horizontal
 portion 12A is further bent obliquely upward thereby forming an upwardly
 inclined hook portion 13A, further, the portion extending forward from
 this upwardly inclined hook portion 13A is further bent downward thereby
 forming a flat plate portion 14, and finally, the lower portion of the
 flat plate portion 14 is bent backward and at the same time, obliquely
 upward thereby forming a downwardly inclined hook portion 13B. The
 structures other than those mentioned above are almost the same as those
 of the fastening member 10 shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the
 aforementioned downwardly inclined hook portion 13B is designed to
 function in the same manner as the downwardly inclined hook portion 33B of
 the conventional fastening member 30 shown in FIG. 7.
 The manner of using this fastening member 10B is substantially the same as
 that illustrated with reference to FIG. 1. Namely, the rain water flowing
 downward through the vertical gap S2 formed at the connection between the
 right and left siding boards is reliably prevented from leaking into the
 back side of the siding board 40.
 FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a fastening member representing
 still another embodiment of the present invention. In the case of this
 fastening member 10C, a single U-shaped cut and raised portion is formed
 to extend throughout almost the entire width of the lower half portion of
 the substrate 11. Specifically, this cut portion is initially bent forward
 by an angle of 90 degrees thereby forming a horizontal portion 12, then,
 the portion extending forward from this horizontal portion is further bent
 obliquely downward thereby forming a downwardly inclined hook portion 13B,
 and further, the portion extending forward from this downwardly inclined
 hook portion 13B is further bent upward thereby forming a flat plate
 portion 14. These horizontal portion 12 and the downwardly inclined hook
 portion 13B are designed to function in the same manner as the horizontal
 portion 32 and the downwardly inclined hook portion 33B of the
 conventional fastening member 30 shown in FIG. 7.
 The central portion of the downwardly inclined hook portion 13B is cut in a
 U-shape thereby forming a cut portion having a proximal end in the
 vicinity of the bent portion between the horizontal portion 12 and the
 downwardly inclined hook portion 13B, the free end portion of this cut
 portion that extends from the proximal end thereof is obliquely bent
 upward, thereby forming an upwardly inclined hook portion 13A. This
 upwardly inclined hook portion 13A functions in the same manner as the
 upwardly inclined hook portion 33A of the conventional fastening member 30
 shown in FIG. 7.
 A recessed portion 7 which is laterally elongated in the same manner as
 that of the fastening member 10A shown in FIG. 4 is integrally formed over
 the aforementioned raised cut portion of the substrate 11, and is provided
 in the bottom thereof with a plurality of nailing through-hole 8 (three in
 the embodiment shown in FIG. 6).
 The manner of using this fastening member 10C is also substantially the
 same as that illustrated with reference to FIG. 1. Namely, the rain water
 flowing downward through the vertical gap S2 formed at the connection
 between the right and left siding boards is reliably prevented from
 leaking into the back side of the siding board 40.
 Particularly, in the case of this fastening member 10C, since the flat
 plate portion 14 is formed by bending upward the distal portion of the
 downwardly inclined hook portion 13B and at the same time, the upwardly
 inclined hook portion 13A is formed by cutting a portion of the downwardly
 inclined hook portion 13B and then by obliquely bending the cut portion
 upward, the formation of such a curved portion (a radius portion) at the
 upper edge of the flat plate portion 14 as seen in the case of the
 fastening member 10 shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 can be avoided as shown in
 FIG. 6. As a result, the entire surface of the flat plate portion 14 can
 be closely contacted, without fail, with the back surface of the overlying
 tongue patterning portion 41A of the upper siding board 40A. Additionally,
 the breadth of the substrate 11 can be made smaller without inviting the
 deterioration in strength. Therefore, it is possible to cause the rain
 water flowing downward through the vertical gap S2 to reliably pass over
 the upper edge of the flat plate portion 14 and to flow downward.
 Accordingly, the rain water can be reliably prevented from leaking into
 the back side of the siding board 40, and at the same time, the fastening
 member can be miniaturized as a whole.
 By the way, according to the fastening member of the present invention, the
 number of nailing hole (for example, through-holes 4 and 5 to be formed in
 the inclined upstanding portion 2 and in the vertical portion 3 extended
 from the upstanding portion 2) for attaching the fastening member to a
 underlayment, or the location of the nailing holes may be optionally
 determined, so that they may be suitably determined depending on the
 fastening strength demanded for the fastening member. Further, the
 selection of the through-holes for nailing the fastening member is also
 optional.