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This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/588,162 filed Jul. 15, 2004. 

   FIELD OF INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to construction tools, and more specifically, to a tool for spacing and applying siding to a surface. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Lap siding is a common type of siding for buildings. Lap siding refers generally to siding in which multiple pieces of siding are attached to a building in a partially overlapping fashion. More specifically, a first piece is attached at the lower extent of the face of the building to be sided and then additional pieces are attached above it, with each additional piece at least partially overlapping the piece below it. 
   Siding panels used on buildings often are long and unwieldy. Siding panels can be very cumbersome to handle and to maneuver into a desired position on the building. In many situations, it requires two or more workers to maneuver a siding panel into a desired position and then to fix that panel to the building. Still further, it may be difficult for a worker to manipulate tools while supporting a siding panel. Again, the worker generally requires assistance. Such situations can be very wasteful of time and resources. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a lap siding installation device for spacing and applying lap siding to a surface. Anchoring means is provided for releasably anchoring the device to a surface, and connection means is also provided to house the anchoring means. A first elongate member and a second elongate member extend from the connection means in substantially the same direction. The second elongate member has a length greater than the first elongate member, and includes a protrusion with a ledge to receive and hold a piece of siding between the first and second elongate members. 
   Also included as part of the present invention are methods for spacing and applying lap siding to a surface. The methods include placing and fastening a strip of lap siding to surface. In so doing, the bottom edge of the back spacer member is aligned to the strip of siding, and the device is anchored to the surface by the anchoring means. A second strip of lap siding is then slid between the back spacer member and the support member so that the strip rests on a ledge of the support member. The second strip of siding is fastened to the surface, and the device is removed from the surface. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of the invention and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The figures are for illustration purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The invention itself, however, may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a tool in accordance with the present invention for installation of lap siding; and 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the tool in use with a spike extended; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the front features with parts normally not visible in shadow; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the back features with parts normally not visible in shadow; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the back features; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the front features; 
       FIG. 7A  is a top view of the tool; 
       FIG. 7B  is a side view of the tool; 
       FIG. 7C  is a right-side view of the tool; 
       FIG. 8  is a side view of the tool in use; 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the tool in use and ready to be detached from a wall; 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the tool having a lengthwise slit along the back spacer member; and 
       FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of an adjustable back spacer member. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of the siding installation tool of the present invention. Specifically,  FIG. 1  shows siding tool  100  having a first elongate member, namely back spacer member (also referred as back gauge)  110 , and a second elongate member, namely support member  120 . Support member  120 , in this embodiment, has a ledge  125  which extends in the direction of back spacer member  110 . Also shown is tab  130  which extends from support member  120  in a direction away from back spacer member  110 . It can be seen that back spacer member  110  and support member  120  together define a space which is sized to receive a piece of lap siding for which hanging is desired. The end of back spacer member  110  closest to ledge  125  has a bottom edge  112 . Edge  112  is used to space the overlapping pieces of siding. 
   Also shown in  FIG. 1  is connection means  140 . In this embodiment, connection means  140  comprises a support bracket that houses an anchoring means. The anchoring means is comprised of a spike  142  having head  144 . Spike  142  extends through support bracket  150 . In this embodiment, support bracket  150  is rectangular and spike  142  extends through two holes in support bracket  150 . In an alternative embodiment, a support bracket could take a different form, such as an L-shape, U-shape, or other suitable structure to support a spike or other anchoring means. It is only necessary that whatever connection means is selected, it be mechanically coupled to back spacer member  110  and support member  120 . Both the connection means and the support member must be structurally adequate to support at least a desired weight, such as a portion of a piece of lap siding. As such, the connection means, the support member, as well as the back spacer member can be fashioned from a polymer or metal of sufficient mechanical strength. Such materials would include carbon or stainless steel, alloys of various types known to those skilled in the art, and polymeric, plastic, or resinous materials having adequate strength. The manufacture of the device would be determined in accordance with the materials selected, and it should be noted that a combination of material could be used, such as aluminum spacer and support members, a plastic support bracket, and a stainless steel spike used for anchoring. Other combinations could be determined by one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , spike  142  is housed in support bracket  150 . Spike  142  passes through aperture  152  in the top support bracket  150  and through aperture  154 , which goes through the bottom of support bracket  150 , the top of back spacer member  110 , and support member  120 . Also attached to the spike is spike stop  146 , which stops the spike from fully extending through apertures  152  and  154  (in addition to head  144 ). Furthermore, spike stop  146  allows a gap  147  to be left between the side of support bracket  150  and spike head  144  when the spike is in its inward position (such as is shown in  FIG. 2 ). Spring  148  is disposed around spike  142  between the bottom of support bracket  150  and spike stop  146 . Spring  148  allows for the head of spike  142  to be partially recessed in aperture  154  when spike  142  is not in use. Spike stop  146  allows for this recess without spring  148  fully ejecting spike  142 . It is appreciated by one of skill in the art that spike stop  146 , spring  148 , gap  147 , and spike  142  may be of various lengths and that the head of spike  142  does not have to be recessed in aperture  154 . 
     FIG. 1  also shows optional extension  160 . This optional extension protrudes from connection means  140  in a direction different from back spacer member  110  and support member  120 . The purpose of extension  160  will be addressed in the third exemplary embodiment. 
     FIG. 2  shows a side view of siding tool  100  with a strip of siding  210  and a second strip of siding  220  to be installed.  FIG. 2  also shows spike  142  in its inward position, such as into a building wall. As seen in  FIG. 2 , back spacer edge  112  is disposed against the top edge surface of a strip of siding  210 . The length between back spacer edge  112  and ledge  125  of support member  120 , namely spacing distance  202 , can be of any predetermined length that would be appropriate for the desired lap siding overlap. It also may be adjustable by configuring the tool to allow for on-site adjustment of the length of back spacer member  110  and/or support member  120 . Also shown in  FIG. 2  is second strip of siding  220  disposed between ledge  125  and a edge  156  of support member  120  as defined by support length  204 . 
   Support length  204  may be of any length to fit a desired piece of siding. Support member  120  of a given length  204  can support siding of various sizes because it is not necessary that the siding have a length equal to support length  204 . For example, in  FIG. 2  the second piece of siding  220  is shown to be the same height as length  204 . However, the second piece of siding  220  could be of any height that would allow ledge  125  of support member  120  and back spacer member  110  to partially support the second piece of siding  220 . The second piece of siding  220  does not have to press against edge  156  as long as the aforementioned criteria is met. This quality allows length  204  to be one predetermined length, yet still allow siding of multiple lengths to be used with the tool without having to adjust length  204 . However, in an alternate embodiment, support member  120  may be adapted to be adjustable. This alternate configuration would allow for an even greater variety of heights of siding to be accommodated by the siding tool. 
     FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6  are alternate views of that which is shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the front features with parts normally not visible in shadow.  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the back features with parts normally not visible in shadow.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the back features.  FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the tool in use to show the front features. 
     FIGS. 7A ,  7 B and  7 C are alternate views of what is shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 7A  is a top view of the tool.  FIG. 7B  is a side view of the tool.  FIG. 7C  is a right-side view of the tool. 
     FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but shows spike  142  in its rested position. When spike  142  is not in use, spring  148  applies a force against spike stop  146  which keeps the spike retracted. Gap  147  is larger when the spike is retracted, compared to when the spike is fully extended in its inward position. 
     FIG. 9  is a side view of the tool in use and ready to be detached from a wall. As an example, hammer  904  is shown removing connection means  140  by placing hammer claw  906  into gap  147  to move spike head  144  away from support bracket  150  thereby removing spike  142  from wall  902 . 
     FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the tool with a lengthwise slit  115  extending from the bottom portion of the back spacer member.  FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the back spacer member with a fastening means  114  to adjust the length of back spacer member. The back spacer member also includes a guide member  116  and a sliding member  117  that can be adjusted to a desired length. 
   In one embodiment, such as is shown in  FIG. 9 , back spacer member  110  and support member  120  are attached to connection means  140 . Connection means  140  consists of a flat plate of material with aperture  154 . Support member  120  has ledge  125  for supporting a strip of siding. After a strip of siding  210  has been placed on a wall (e.g., wall  902 ), spacer edge  112  is placed on the top edge of the strip of siding  210 . The siding tool  100  is then fastened to wall  902  by anchoring means  142  that would support all or part of the weight of siding. Depending on the length and weight of the siding, more than one tool may be used to correctly align the second strip of siding  220 . If more than one tool is used, the process mentioned above is repeated until the necessary number of siding tools  100  have been put into position. Once the siding tools  100  are in position, the next strip of siding  220  is slid between back spacer member  110  and support member  120  until the bottom of the second strip of siding is rested on ledge  125 . The second strip of siding  220  is then fastened to wall  902 . Once the strip of siding is in place, the anchoring means is retracted from the wall  902  and the siding tool  100  is removed after ledge  125  is cleared from the bottom edge of the second strip of siding. 
   As seen in  FIG. 7B , back spacer member  110  and support member  120  are tapered towards one another. This taper allows a piece of siding to be held in place on ledge  125  of siding tool  100 . This aspect allows the tool to be used in the aforementioned manner. However, this is not the only manner in which the tool may be used. 
   In a second exemplary embodiment, it is also possible to attach siding tool  100  to a second piece of siding  220  before siding tool  100  is anchored to wall  902 . For example, before attaching siding tool  100  to wall  902 , one or more siding tools (the number of tools used depends on the length of siding) would be attached to the second piece of siding  220 . The second piece of siding  220  would be slid between support member  120  and back spacer member  110 . After the second piece of siding  220  is supported by ledge  125 , it would be lifted to the approximate spot where the bottom edge  112  of back spacer member  110  would be used to get the desired amount of overlap. Once the second piece of siding  220  is in place, the siding tools would be anchored to the wall  902 . Then the second piece of siding  220  would be fastened to the wall  902 . Finally, the siding tools would be detached from wall  902  and removed from the piece of siding that was just put into place. These last steps could be accomplished by any means previously stated. 
   In a third exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , connection means  140  consists of a support bracket  150  housing anchoring means, spike  142 , spring  148 , and spike stop  146 . This configuration of the connection means  140  allows for the tool to be used without any additional materials and with a minimal number of additional tools (e.g., only a hammer). Spacer edge  112  is placed on a previous strip of siding (already hung). After placement, spike  142  is forced into a wall (e.g., wall  902 , as shown in  FIG. 9 ) by any means that would provide enough force for spike  142  to pierce wall  902  and be driven into wall  902  until spike stop  146  prevents the spike from further entry. Once spike  142  is fully embedded in wall  902 , gap  147  is left, which later, in addition with spike head  144 , assists in the removal of spike  142  from the wall  902  (as seen in  FIG. 9 ). Once one or more siding tools  100  have been fastened to wall  902 ; the second strip of siding  220  is slid in between back spacer member  110  and support member  120  until the bottom edge of the second strip of siding  220  is resting on ledge  125 . After the second strip of siding  220  has been fastened to wall  902 , spike  142  is retracted from wall  902 . Spike  142  can be retracted by any means that would provide enough torque to remove spike  142  from wall  902  (e.g., claw end of hammer can be slid into gap  147  and then pried forward, as shown in  FIG. 9 ). In this exemplary embodiment, the siding tool  100  may have an extension  160 . Extension  160  helps keep siding tool  100  in place by providing leverage against wall  902  to which the tool is attached and thereby provides a larger moment arm for prying the tool away from the wall during removal. After spike  142  has been retracted from wall  902 , tab  130  is used to clear ledge  125  from the siding. Lastly, siding tool  100  is pulled up or sideways out from the strip of siding. 
   In a fourth exemplary embodiment, the back spacer member and the support member are adjustable. For example, the back spacer member is made out of two pieces of metal that are bolted together. One of the pieces has a slit in the center that allows the bolt to be tightened at various lengths. This configuration would allow the spacing distance to be variable. In a similar manner, the support member could be made adjustable, which would allow for the support length to be variable. By the support length being variable, not only could different heights of siding be accommodated by the siding tool, it could be used in conjunction with the length of the back spacer member to have a broader range of spacer distances. It is appreciated by one of skill in the art that there are various ways in which the back spacer member and the support member could be made adjustable and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. 
   In another embodiment as seen in  FIG. 10 , siding tool  100  has a back spacer member  110  with a slit extending lengthwise along the bottom portion of the back spacer member, the slit dividing the bottom portion into two lengthwise portions. The inside edges of the two lengthwise portions are tapered towards the support member and allow less friction between the second piece of siding and the back spacer member. This allows for easier removal of the siding tool from the wall and enhanced grip on the top edge of a piece of siding. 
   In an alternative embodiment as seen in  FIG. 11 , the siding tool has a back spacer member  110  with a fastening means  114  to adjust the length of the back spacer member. In this embodiment, the back spacer member also includes a guide member  116  and a sliding member  117 . The guide member is fixed to the connection means, and guides the sliding member  117  so that the sliding member remains stable while adjusting the back spacer member to a desired length. In one embodiment, the guide member has a slot which allows relative movement between the pieces when fastening means  114  is not secured. In another embodiment, both the guide member and the sliding member have a plurality of apertures, so that fastening means  114  can be fastened through an aperture on the guide member and an aperture on the extension. Thus, the fastening means can fix the sliding member to the guide member at any desired length. It is appreciated by one of skill in the art that there are various ways in which the fastening means  114  can fix the guide member  116  and the sliding member  117  to a desired length. As such, in this embodiment, the fastening means include, but are not limited to pins, screws, or bolts. 
   Although the present invention has been particularly described in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications, and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Summary:
A lap siding installation device for spacing and applying lap siding to a surface. Anchoring mechanisms are provided for releasably anchoring the device to a surface, and connection mechanisms are also provided to house the anchoring mechanisms. A first elongate member and a second elongate member extend from the connection mechanism in substantially the same direction. The second elongate member has a length greater than the first elongate member, and includes a protrusion with a ledge to receive and hold a piece of lap siding between the first and second elongate members. Methods are also included for spacing and applying lap siding to a surface.