A spacer panel is incorporated into building walls to drain accumulated moisture from the wall structure. The spacer panel is formed with spacer members that project on opposing sides of a central planar web member. Each spacer member is formed independently and has a planar portion extending around the spacer member to provide a location for the insertion of apertures to allow moisture to pass from one side of the panel to the other. Each spacer member includes a planar surface that facilitates an application of adhesive for attachment of a barrier member thereto. The spacer members can be oriented in a herringbone pattern alternating on opposing sides of the central web member. The spacer members can be formed as a circular projection extending on one side of the central web with a truncated conical member projecting to the opposing side of the central web from the circular projection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/026,506, filed Feb. 6, 2008, and entitled “Moisture Drainage Spacer Panel for Building Walls”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to the construction of exterior building walls in a manner to retard deterioration of the wall and the building substructure supporting the wall, and, more particularly, to a plastic film spacer that resists compression while maintaining a drainage path between the exterior building material and the interior building substructure. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Building walls are constructed with an interior building substructure that is often formed of vertical wood studs and a sheathing material that can be plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), particularly in a residential dwelling, or other known building structural materials, and an exterior covering which can be masonry construction or siding manufactured from vinyl, aluminum, wood and other known materials. This interior building substructure is typically wrapped with a plastic sheeting, such as Tyvek® barriers produced by Dupont, that provide a barrier to the passage of air and moisture to the building substructure. For masonry exteriors, a wire mesh is attached to the protective barrier, such as by stapling, and the masonry covering is added, incorporating the wire mesh to help secure the exterior masonry covering to the interior building structure. 
         [0004]    Typically, there is a difference between the ambient atmospheric temperature and the temperature of the interior of the building. This temperature differential can result in the formation of condensation along the protective barrier. In masonry exteriors, particularly stucco and dryvet coverings, the masonry material can absorb the condensation and cause deterioration of the masonry exterior covering. To provide an air space between the exterior covering material and the interior building substructure, a spacer member can be placed between the interior and exterior substructures. This spacer member is intended to provide a drainage path for moisture; however, when the exterior covering material compresses the spacer member, the drainage path is reduced and becomes less effective. Even masonry coverings can result in the collapse of the spacer member as the attachment of the wire mesh to the building substructure can result in the compression of the spacer member, as can the attachment of siding materials to the building substructure. 
         [0005]    Trapping moisture is a particular problem with building walls utilizing a protective barrier material wrapped around the building substructure. Some of these protective barrier materials are designed to permit the passage of moisture through the barrier material in one direction so that moisture can escape the building but cannot enter the building. Such moisture vapor permitted to pass through the protective barrier must be provided with a drainage path to prevent the moisture from being trapped within the building wall structure. Thus, these plastic spacer members need to provide a drainage ability on both sides of the spacer member to prevent the accumulation of moisture within the building wall structure. 
         [0006]    One form of a spacer member can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,620, granted to Michael Hatzinikolas on Oct. 9, 2001, wherein the moisture control panel is formed with a number of spaced bosses on one side of the base member and a plurality of downwardly oriented weep holes to allow the passage of moisture from one side of the base sheet to the other. Such a spacer member only provides an effective drainage path on one side of the base sheet. Furthermore, the weep holes or perforations formed into the base sheet can become filled with masonry material that can be applied to the perforated side of the base sheet. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,259, granted to Walter Laska on Jan. 19, 1999, a similar spacer member is provided with a porous drain section and an insulating section; however, an air space or drainage path is only provided on one side of the spacer member. 
         [0007]    A corrugated plastic film spacer member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,775, issued to John Koester on Jan. 31, 2006, in which the grooves or channels are vertically oriented to provide vertical drainage paths for accumulated moisture, and in which perforations allow for the flow of moisture from one side of the spacer member to the other. In the Koester spacer member, a sheet of water resistant material is preferably attached by adhesive to the outer side of the spacer member to keep masonry material from plugging the channels and preventing the passage of moisture along the channels. The corrugated shape of the undulating ridges and channels are not resistant to compression when exterior materials are nailed or stapled to the interior building substructure. Thus, contractors utilizing such a spacer member would need to be careful of crushing the spacer member when applying the exterior covering materials. 
         [0008]    The spacer material in U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,006 granted on Jul. 13, 2004, to John Lubker, and other related patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,901, granted on Mar. 22, 2005, are directed to a woven type of a drainage wrap material that is capable of being rolled and applied like the protective barrier on the interior building substructure. The Lubker drainage wrap material provides a three dimensional spacer function while the woven nature of the material allows the passage of moisture from one side of the drainage material to the other. This type of drainage wrap material is subject to being plugged with masonry materials as the outer surface of the drainage wrap material is not conducive to mounting a protective barrier to prevent the passage of masonry materials into the drainage material. As a result, the drainage wrap material can become blocked to prevent the flow of accumulated moisture downwardly. 
         [0009]    The spacer material disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,965, issued on Jul. 22, 2003, to Michael Coulton is manufactured from a woven fiber material formed in a configuration incorporating vertically oriented ridges and channels. Like the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,775, these channels are not resistant to compression when the exterior covering material is affixed to the building substructure. The formation of the spacer member from woven fiber material is particularly subject to being compressed. 
         [0010]    The spacer member disclosed by Michael Coulton in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,013, granted on Sep. 7, 2004, does include compression resistant spacer elements that project in opposing directions in a continuous integral formation. While this integral formation of the spacer elements is resistant to compression and does provide a drainage path on both opposing sides of the spacer member, the compression resistant capability is reliant on the interconnected, integrally formed spacer elements. Although this spacer member configuration is capable of being rolled for shipping and handling purposes, the structure of the spacer member does not provide for a good location to form perforations into the spacer member to permit the passage of moisture from one side of the spacer member to the other. Although apertures are disclosed on the apices of the spacer elements, such a location does not provide a good communication from one side of the spacer member to the other. Placing perforations or apertures on the sides of the spacer elements will weaken the integrally formed spacer elements and reduce the compression resistance of the spacer member. Furthermore, the placement of apertures on the apices of the spacer elements restricts the ability to attach a barrier member on the spacer member to prevent the intrusion of masonry material within the valleys formed between spacer elements, and without a barrier member masonry material would fill the spacer voids on one side of the spacer member and disrupt drainage of moisture. 
         [0011]    Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a spacer member for use in constructing exterior walls of buildings to provide drainage paths on opposing sides of the spacer member while providing resistance to compression of the spacer member and the ability to attach an optional barrier member on one side of the spacer member and to incorporate perforations that will allow for flow communication from one side of the spacer member to the other without compromising the compression resistance of the spacer member. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a moisture spacer panel for building walls. 
         [0013]    It is another object of this invention to provide a spacer panel that is formed with spacer members that maintain a spacing between the exterior covering materials and the interior sheathing. 
         [0014]    It is a feature of this invention that the spacer members are formed with a generally planar surface to facilitate the attachment of a barrier member. 
         [0015]    It is an advantage of this invention that a barrier member can be securely affixed to the spacer members. 
         [0016]    It is another advantage of this invention that the planar surfaces of the spacer members provide a surface for the application of adhesive for the attachment of a barrier member thereto. 
         [0017]    It is another feature of this invention that the spacer members are independently formed on the spacer panel. 
         [0018]    It is still another feature of this invention that the spacer members are tapered. 
         [0019]    It is another advantage of this invention that the resistance to compression for the spacer members is not dependent on the integrity of the adjacent spacer member. 
         [0020]    It is still another advantage of this invention that the spacer members are configured to permit the spacer panel to be rolled or stacked to facilitate shipping. 
         [0021]    It is still another feature of this invention that the spacer panel is formed with spacer members projecting from opposing sides of a central web member. 
         [0022]    It is another feature of this invention that the spacer members can be arranged in a herringbone pattern. 
         [0023]    It is yet another feature of this invention that each respective spacer member is formed with a planar portion of the central web member extending around the spacer member. 
         [0024]    It is yet another advantage of this invention that the spacer panel is omni-directional to facilitate application of the spacer panel to building walls. 
         [0025]    It is a further feature of this invention that the spacer member can be formed as a truncated conical member that has a portion thereof on opposing sides of a central web member. 
         [0026]    It is still a further feature of this invention that the spacer member can be formed with a circular portion on one side of the central web member with the circular portion including a truncated conical portion that projects therefrom to the opposing side of the central web member. 
         [0027]    It is a further advantage of this invention that the truncated conical portions stack into the circular portions to permit sheets of spacer panels to stack. 
         [0028]    It is still a further advantage of this invention that the truncated conical portions of the spacer members provide planar portions for the application of adhesive and the attachment of a barrier member thereto. 
         [0029]    It is another feature of this invention that the planar portions of the central web member surrounding each independently formed spacer member can be perforated to provide a passage for moisture from one side of the spacer panel to the other. 
         [0030]    It is yet another advantage of this invention that the perforations will not detrimentally affect the ability of the spacer members to resist compression. 
         [0031]    It is still another advantage of this invention that the perforations can be formed in regular or irregular patterns. 
         [0032]    It is yet another object of this invention to provide a baffle vent for use in manufactured housing, which is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use. 
         [0033]    These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a spacer panel is incorporated into building walls to drain accumulated moisture from the wall structure. The spacer panel is formed with spacer members that project on opposing sides of a central planar web member. Each spacer member is formed independently and has a planar portion extending around the spacer member to provide a location for the insertion of apertures to allow moisture to pass from one side of the panel to the other. Each spacer member includes a planar surface that facilitates an application of adhesive for attachment of a barrier member thereto. The spacer members can be oriented in a herringbone pattern alternating on opposing sides of the central web member. The spacer members can be formed as a circular projection extending on one side of the central web with a truncated conical member projecting to the opposing side of the central web from the circular projection. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0034]    The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0035]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a spacer panel incorporating the principles of the instant invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the spacer panel shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is a partial end view of the spacer panel depicted in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a spacer panel incorporating the principles of the instant invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the spacer panel shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the spacer panel taken through the line of spacer members corresponding to lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the spacer panel similar to that of  FIG. 6 , but incorporating a barrier member affixed to the spacer members; 
           [0042]      FIG. 8  is an end view of the first embodiment of the spacer panel as shown in  FIG. 3 , but incorporating a barrier member affixed to the spacer members; and 
           [0043]      FIG. 9  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a representative building wall incorporating the spacer member shown in  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0044]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a spacer panel incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. The spacer panel  10  is preferably formed from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film (not shown) having a thickness of about 12 to 16 mil through a conventional vacuum molding process in which the film is placed over a mold (not shown) and heated. A vacuum applied to the film draws the PVC film over a mold to cause the PVC film to assume the shape of the mold. While PVC film is the preferred material from which the spacer panel  10  is formed through the thermal molding, vacuum forming manufacturing process, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other materials may be used in the manufacture of the spacer panel  10 , such as thermoplastics and composite materials composed of fibers impregnated with thermoplastic materials. Thermoplastic materials that can be used in the present invention in addition to PVC film are, for example, polystyrenes, acetals, nylons, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), polyphenylene oxides, polycarbonates, polyether sulfones, polyaryl sulfones, polyethylene, polystyrene, terephthalates, polyetherketones, polypropylenes, polysilicones, polyphenylene sulfides, polyionomers, polyepoxides, polyvinylidene halides, and derivatives and/or mixtures thereof. The particular material used may depend upon the desired end use and the application conditions associated with that use, as is well known in the art. 
         [0045]    The spacer panel  10  is preferably formed in a sheet configuration to conform to conventional building materials typically handled by contractors, such as plywood and OSB sheeting, in order to provide a comfort level to the installers of the spacer panel  10 . The first embodiment of the instant invention shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is not capable of being rolled; however, the second embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4-6  includes flat areas between the spacer members, as will be described in greater detail below, and could be formed in a continuous web that is rolled for shipment and handling at the job site. 
         [0046]    The first embodiment of the spacer panel  10  is formed with a set of first spacer members  12  projecting upwardly from a central panel member  15  and a set of second spacer members  17  extending downwardly from the central panel member  15 . The reference to upward and downward are used as a matter of convenience and reflect only that the set of first spacer members  12  project out of the central panel member  15  from one face while the set of second spacer members  17  project out of the central panel member  15  from the opposing face of the panel member  10 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the first and second panel members  12 ,  17  are arranged in a herringbone pattern that orients the spacer members  12 ,  17  at approximately forty-five degrees to either major axis of the spacer panel  10 . 
         [0047]    Furthermore, with respect to either major axis of the spacer panel  10 , the first and second spacer members  12 ,  17  overlap, which eliminates any open path of the central panel  15  that would extend along either major axis. As a result, the first embodiment of the spacer panel  10  will not be able to be rolled and, thus, must be formed as a generally flat panel. The first and second spacer members  12 ,  17  are tapered to be slightly narrower as they project from the central panel  15  and, thus, are shaped to permit nesting so that the spacer panels  10  can be compactly stacked on top of one another for efficient shipping and handling. 
         [0048]    Each spacer member  12 ,  17  is formed independently of each other spacer member  12 ,  17 , so the resistance to compression is not dependent on the integrity of the adjacent spacer element  12 ,  17 . Accordingly, each spacer member  12 ,  17  is surrounded by a planar portion  16  of the central panel member  15 . The planar portions  16  of the central panel member  15  provide a location at which perforations can be positioned to provide a flow communication between the opposing faces of the spacer panel  10 . These perforations (not shown) can be formed in a regular pattern throughout the spacer panel  10  or in a random pattern. 
         [0049]    The top surface  13  of each spacer member  12 ,  17  provides a large planar surface on which an adhesive can be applied to the spacer panel  10  in order to mount a barrier member  19 , formed of paper or plastic film, that would be operable to keep masonry material out of contact with the spacer panel  10 , as can be seen in  FIG. 8 . The barrier member  19  can be applied on the job site before or after the spacer panel  10  is mounted on the building substructure, or the barrier member  19  can be applied to the spacer panel  10  by the manufacturer, although such application of the barrier member  19  will prevent the spacer panels  10  from nesting and achieving a compact shipping configuration. 
         [0050]    Furthermore, the spacer panel  10  is omni-directional in that the spacer panel  10  can be mounted on the building substructure with either major axis of the spacer panel  10  being oriented vertically. The independently formed spacer members  12 ,  17  with planar portions  16  of the central panel member  15  surrounding each spacer member  12 ,  17  define a flow path along both faces of the spacer panel  10  to permit moisture to flow downwardly along the central panel member  15 . Perforations along the planar portions  16  of the central panel member  15  allow moisture to migrate from one side of the central panel member  15  to the other. 
         [0051]    One skilled in the art will recognize that the tapered rectangular spacer members  12 ,  17  provide a shape and configuration that establishes a resistance to compression from the mounting of the exterior covering materials, as will be described in greater detail below, while establishing a substantial surface on which a barrier member  19  can be mounted. However, other shapes and orientations of spacer members  12 ,  17  will fall within the scope of the instant invention, including round, oval, triangular or any other geometric shapes. Furthermore, the orientation of the spacer members  12 ,  17  can be in patterns other than the herringbone pattern as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , including a horizontally and vertically linear pattern. 
         [0052]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4-6 , the second embodiment of a spacer panel  20  can best be seen. The spacer members  22  are formed with a component that projects to either side of the central panel member  25 , as will be described in greater detail below. The spacer members  22  are generally circular in shape and are arranged in a horizontally and vertically linear pattern with each succeeding row being located in an offset manner with respect to the rows of spacer members  22  in the adjacent rows. As with the first embodiment of the spacer panel  10 , each spacer member  22  is independently formed and a planar portion  26  of the central panel member  25  surrounds each spacer member  22 . Depending on the ultimate size of the spacer members  22  and the compactness of the rows of spacer members  22 , an open path of the central panel member  25  can be established in the direction of either major axis of the panel member  20 , which could enable the panel member  20  to be rolled. As will be described below, the spacer members  22  are configured to nest, which would enable the panel member  20  to be either rolled or stacked in a compact arrangement. 
         [0053]    Each spacer member  22  is formed, as can best be seen in  FIG. 6 , with a first circular component  24  the projects downwardly from the central panel member  25  and a second truncated conical member  27  that extends upwardly from the first circular component  24  to project above the central panel member  25 . Thus, each spacer member  22  extends on both sides of the central panel member  25 . This spacer member  22  configuration presents a shape that is highly resistant to compression. The upwardly extending truncated conical component  27  is tapered, narrowing upwardly, so that the spacer members  22  will nest into one another whether rolled or stacked. 
         [0054]    As with the first embodiment of the spacer panel  10 , the planar portions  26  of the central panel member  25  provide an appropriate location for the insertion of perforations to permit moisture to migrate from one side of the central panel member  25  to the other. These perforations can be formed in a regular pattern over the spacer panel  20  or irregularly without diminishing the capability of the spacer members to resist compression from the attachment of the exterior surface materials to construct the building wall. Each of the truncated conical components  27  terminates in a planar top surface  23  which provides an adequate surface area for holding adhesive for mounting a barrier member  19 , as is depicted in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0055]    The arrangement of the spacer members  22  over the central panel member  25  provides a flow path for moisture on either side of the central panel member  25 . Each of the circular first components  24  are also tapered to allow nesting of the spacer members  25 ; however, this tapered wall of the first circular component  24 , which is best seen in  FIG. 6 , will also provide a downward slope for the drainage of any moisture that might enter into the circular depression formed by the first component  24 , irrespective of the direction the spacer panel  20  is mounted on the building substructure. 
         [0056]    Looking now at the schematic section of a representative wall construction depicted in  FIG. 9 , one skilled in the art will note that the spacer panel  10  or  20 , the second embodiment being depicted, is placed between the building substructure  30  which is formed of vertical studs  31  supported on a wall plate  32  and having sheathing material  33  fastened with nails or screws, or other fastening devices, to the vertical studs  31  on the outside surface thereof. A protective barrier  34  is wrapped around the sheathing material  33  to stop air and moisture infiltration into the building substructure  30 . The spacer panel  20  is then attached to the sheathing material  33  on the outside of the protective barrier  34  by nails, staples or other appropriate fastening devices. 
         [0057]    Preferably, for masonry exterior coverings  35 , the spacer panel  20  will have a barrier member  19  attached to the top surfaces  23  of the spacer members  22 , preferably through the application of adhesives to bond the barrier member  19  to the spacer members  22 . The application of masonry material  35 , shown schematically as bricks with mortar joints, starts with the attachment of a wire mesh to the barrier member  19  by inserting fasteners (not shown) that extend through the barrier member  19  and the spacer panel  20  into the sheathing material  33 . Thus, the resistance to compression for the spacer panel  20  becomes quite critical in the future operation of the spacer panel  20 . If the driving of the fasteners to attach the wire mesh collapses the spacer panel  20 , the drainage paths created by the spacer members  22  will be destroyed allowing moisture to accumulate behind the masonry material  35 . 
         [0058]    Since the spacer members  22 , and  12 ,  17  on the first embodiment of the spacer panel  10 , are highly resistant to compression, the attachment of the wire mesh does not collapse the spacer panel  20 . The masonry exterior in the form of brick or stone with mortar joints, or stucco or related material, cannot pass through the barrier member  19  to clog the drainage paths between the conical components  27  of the spacer members  22 . For siding exterior materials (not shown), the wire mesh is not attached to the sheathing material  33 , but nails or other fasteners are driven through the siding materials to engage the sheathing material  33 , passing through the spacer panel  20 . Again, the resistance to compression in the spacer panel  20  is able to prevent the collapse of the drainage paths on either side of the central panel member  25 . 
         [0059]    It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.