Patent Publication Number: US-7581364-B2

Title: Clip for attaching siding

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to building siding attachment clips, and more particularly, to attachment clips able to withstand the temperature extremes of weather conditions while permitting the building siding attached by the clips to freely expand and contract and not affect the attachment. 
   2. Background Art 
   Attachment of building siding to outer or external walls is required to meet several criteria, among which is the ability to maintain the integrity of the siding attachment, even when experiencing extremes in weather conditions, such as temperature or high winds. Siding for buildings may comprise any of a number of materials, such as aluminum, wood, vinyl, etc., and the expansion and contraction of these materials may often affect the siding attachment or connection by repeated stresses on the attachment mechanism that retains the siding against the wall to which it is attached. Especially in temperate climates, where temperature may range from well below 0° F. to over 100° F., the repeated stress on the attachment mechanism may externally detach one or more attachment means so that it becomes possible for a strong wind to blow off one or more siding strips, thereby risking further damage and requiring repair or replacement of the siding. 
   Most external walls require attachment mechanisms, e.g., screws, nails, etc., which may be easily inserted, for example, into walls having a wood panel or similar underlayment. However, it has been especially difficult to attach siding to walls made of concrete blocks, bricks, stucco, stone or similar materials, hereinafter referred to as concrete walls. In order to ensure the integrity of the attachment mechanism to concrete walls, it has been general practice to provide a secondary structural framework comprising an easily attachable material, such as wood, to the underlying concrete wall, and then to attach the siding onto the secondary framework. One preferred form of this type of framework, referred to in the siding installation industry as firring, includes attaching or firring a plurality of wood strips, usually 1″×4″ in dimension, vertically to the concrete wall at regular intervals, to provide an attachment framework to which the siding is then horizontally attached in overlying layers. To fir all of the external walls of a building in order to provide the framework for siding attachment can become an overly expensive proposition, for example, costing approximately $4,000.00 for a typical residential building. 
   Although conventional clips, normally used for attaching siding to underlying surfaces made of wood are available, these mechanisms do not provide the integrity to the attachment when applied to a concrete wall. The conventional clips do not take into account the relative differences in expansion characteristics of the concrete wall, when compared to that of the siding, so that stresses develop as a result of the weather extremes described above. Moreover, the design of conventional attachment clips was not considered as suitable for use with concrete walls, and the shape and configuration of such clips cause the clips to come crack or otherwise deform when installing in concrete walls, as to contact the adjacent or overlying strip of siding, which contact adds significantly to the stresses which the attachment mechanism experiences. Especially in hot weather, such contact may even cause the siding itself to deform. What has been found necessary is an attachment clip that is designed specifically for attaching siding to concrete walls that significantly reduces or substantially eliminates stresses on the attachment mechanism, especially those generated by weather extremes. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Thus, what is described below, and claimed herein is an attachment clip for attaching siding to a wall, the siding having an attachment groove, comprising a nail attachment portion including a body having at least one part extending in a plane and having at least a predetermined thickness and a central nail attachment aperture, a siding engagement portion including a tongue configured and oriented for engagement with the siding attachment groove; and a connecting portion for connecting the nail attachment portion to the siding engagement portion, the connecting portion having at least one part extending away from the plane of the body at a first end and being connected to the siding engagement portion at a second end. Preferably the connection portion extends away from the plane defined by the body at an oblique angle, for example, between 120° to 150°, and most preferably about 135°. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  illustrates in a partially cut-away perspective view clips according to the present invention as used for installing sidings; 
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of a first embodiment of the clips according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of a clip according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of a clip according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the clips shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the use of the inventive clips  10  is illustrated in the installation of representative siding  12  attached to concrete or cinder blocks  14 . The clips are usually attached to the concrete wall by a fastener, such as masonry or concrete nails  16 , by an appropriate means, or by use of a ramset gun. However, when high stress methods of attaching the fasteners  16  to the wall are used, e.g., ramset gun, conventional clips have been known to crack or otherwise fail in their intended function, that is, they are unable to retain the siding  12  against the wall as closely as possible to avoid exposure to the elements. Ideally, the clips  10  are configured and oriented such that the siding  12  installed over the previous or underlying strip of siding does not come into contact with the clips  10  retaining the previous strip  12  on the wall. 
   Most standard siding  12  for installation on walls comprised slats or strips made from wood or other natural materials. More recently, strips of siding  12  have become available that are pre-formed, that is, that have a standard shape and size to facilitate their installation. For example, the siding  12  in  FIG. 1  includes the standard features available. These siding strips may comprise aluminum or vinyl, or other plastic materials. 
   The siding  12  usually comprises an undulating surface  22  which includes a first curve  24 , and a second curve  26 , disposed below the first curve  24 . The second curve terminates in a rim  28 , that attaches into a crevice  30  formed in the undulating top portion of the next adjacent siding  12 . Thus, the clips  10  hold down one siding strip  12 , as shown, but through the attachment between the rim  28  of one strip  12  and the crevice  30  of the adjacent lower strip  12 , also retain the ends of both strips  12  against the wall, while only actually coming into physical contact with one of the strip of siding  12 . 
   The undulating upper portion of the siding strip  12  extends upwardly from the crevice  30  to double back and present a flat narrow portion or band  32  that is flush with the surface of the blocks  14 , so as to retain the siding immediately adjacent the concrete wall. The narrow band  32  is essentially a flat narrow band having a width much narrower than the width of the strip  12 , and includes a series of plural apertures  34  that extend through the material forming the strip  12 . The apertures  34  provide the means for attachment of the clips  10  to connect the strip  12  to the blocks  14  on the wall, as will be explained below. 
   As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , the first curve  24  mimics the outer surface profile of the second curve  28 , so that the strips  12  can take the place of two separate slats that may have been required when using the prior art siding arrangements, for example, wood siding. The materials that are available for the siding strips  12  are also standard, and may include aluminum, vinyl, composites or other appropriate materials. Although standard siding arrangements has been described above, the clips  10  used in attaching the siding  12  to the concrete wall have only been generally described as relating to conventional attachment methods. 
   The inventive features of the clips  10  will now be described, as well as the advantages and benefits deriving from those features. Specifically, the clips  10  are shaped and configured to provide a tight attachment to the siding, especially of the narrow band  32 , to the outer surface of blocks  14 . That is, the dimensions of the elements comprising the clip  10  are also predetermined to fit within a standard siding strip  12  and to withstand the impact stresses and strains of installation and attachment of the clip  10  to the blocks, as well as the stresses that result from weather extremes, such as excessive temperature and wind that are experienced in most localities, but especially more recently in temperature zones close to the sea. 
   The clip  10 , in order to withstand expected stresses, comprises a plastic material that has high resistance to deformation or cracking and can maintain its shape and integrity without losing its ability to perform its function. That is, the inventive clip  10  will retain the attachment of the siding  12  to the blocks  14  in all types of conditions, including high winds and repeated fluctuations between excessively high and low temperatures and still maintain its integrity. An especially notable feature of the clips  10  is that the construction and materials tend to avoid nail pull through the nail slot aperture of the clip  10 , and because the clip  10  is constructed to be attached with concrete or masonry nails, the nails can also withstand weather extremes without pulling loose from the attachment to the blocks  14 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a first preferred embodiment of the inventive clip  10  is shown, having three portions, a siding engagement portion  42  for insertion into one of the multiple grooves  34  ( FIG. 1 ) a nail attachment portion  52  and an intermediate connection portion  62 , also referred to herein as a nose portion  62 , which connects the two section  42 ,  52  to each other. The siding engagement portion  42  includes a rectangular tongue  44  that engages the edges of one of the grooves  34  so as to fix the retention point of the siding strip  12 , and thus to hold the narrow band  32  flush against the concrete blocks  14 . Preferably, the dimensions of tongue  44  are suitable for the purpose thereof, that is, thickness large enough to have some ability to retain the siding strip  12  with which it is engaged, but also small enough to fit within the groove  34 . For most siding, the width is approximately ⅛″, but slight variations in the width may be made, for example, a small tolerance to provide for easier insertion, or a slight amount in excess of the width of the groove, to provide for an interference fit therebetween. 
   The length dimension of the tongue  44  should be long enough to hold the siding in place, but also not so long as to severely deform the clip  10  when the nail attachment section  52  has been attached to the blocks  14  forming the wall due to the tongue stresses placed on the clip  10 . Excessive deformation may result in the tongue  44  being unable to retain the siding  12  against the concrete wall  14 . 
   The nail attachment section  52  preferably also comprises a sturdy and generally circular bead  54 , including a concentric, circular aperture  56 , for receiving the fastener  16  ( FIG. 1 ) and a transitional tab  58  that connects the circular bead  54  to the connection portion  62 , as described below. The bead  54  is shown having a thickness that is larger than the thickness of the transitional tab  58 , so that it may be better able to withstand the impact of heavier duty fasteners and methods, for example, a ramset gun or masonry nails pounded in by a heavier duty hammer. These dimensions, however, are only preferred in this embodiment, and other modifications may become evident to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, although shown as a circular bead  54  to evenly distribute stresses, the nail attachment portion  52  may be octagonal, rectangular or a square. The nail aperture  56  may also be octagonal (not shown), for example, to better provide an interference fit of the fastener to the bead. 
   The connecting portion  62  incline with respect to the plane defined by the nail attachment portion  52 , and extends from the portion  52  at a predetermined oblique angle defined at a first bend  64 . The angle may be between 120° and 150° relative to the surface of portion  52 , and is preferably about 135° relative thereto. After it reaches a predetermined height h from the surface of the bead  54 , another oblique angle of the same magnitude located at a bend  66  smoothly changes the direction of the connecting  62  to a projection  70  that is essentially parallel to the plane of the bead  54 , as shown. 
   A preferred high impact plastic materials, such as amorphous thermoplastic materials, are well suited to provide the desirable characteristics for manufacture of the clips  10 . It has been found that high flow polycarbonate materials are ideally suited for the clips  10 , and such materials are available from Bayer Material Science, Klein Chemical Corporation, a subsidiary Division of Bayer Corporation, located in Trenton, N.J. and Whately, Mass., being sold under the names Bayer Polymers Makrolon® 2458 Polycarbonate. 
   These materials may be injection molded to the desired shape and are able to withstand temperature extremes without excessive shrinkage or deformation. 
   That is, when the clip  10  is placed upon the concrete wall  14  with the tongue  44  extending through a groove  34  ( FIG. 1 ), the terminal end  46  is flush with the surface of the concrete wall  14 . When the nail or other fastener  16  is inserted into the aperture  56  and pounded into the concrete wall  14 , the back surface of the bead  54  also will become flush with the concrete wall  14 , thereby causing the connection portion  62  between the other two portions  42 ,  52  to buckle because of the resistance of the wall  14  to any penetration by the terminal end  46 . However, because of the natural resiliency of the plastic material comprising clip  10 , and especially the connecting portion  62 , the nail attachment portion  52  being flush with the concrete wall will continue to exert a transverse force on the tongue  44  to retain the terminal end  46  against the concrete wall  14 . 
   A second embodiment that includes a number of variants in design relative to the clip  10  is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Clip  110  is similar in design to the clip  10 , but has variant design elements but which is also considered to be within the scope of the present invention. 
   Clip  110  also comprises three portions, including a siding engagement portion  142 , a nail attachment portion  152  and a transition portion  162 , connecting the two portions  142 ,  152 . Subtle differences are evident when comprising the clip  10  with the clip  110 . First, the nail attachment section  152  does not have a circular shape, but is semicircular at the top around a central aperture  156 , but distinct transitional tab is present, the bead  154  running smoothly together into the first bead  164  of connection section  162 , as shown. A second difference exists in the nose extension  168 , extending beyond the attachment of the siding strip engagement portion  142  to the flat downwardly extending projection  170 . Yet another design variant lies in the width of the rearwardly extending tongue  144 , which is shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 5  to have a width equal to the width of the projection  170 , in contrast to the tongue  42  of the clip  10 , which only has a width that is significantly smaller than that of the corresponding projection  70 . Also, the distal end  146  of tongue  144  is in the same plane as the back surface of the nail attachment portion  132 , as shown. Of course, the salient features of the invention are still present, for example, the flat nail attachment portion  142  having a thickened bead to provide added integrity, and so as to absorb the impact of heavy duty fasteners, as described above. Also, the angle of the connecting portion  162  and the total depth of the siding strip engagement section  142  have the characteristics described above. 
   Other modifications, alterations or variants may be utilized by those having ordinary skill, for example, by utilizing some other material or shape, or for use with other building materials, as described above, to retain the siding against the wall or to provide for more automated installation, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the above description has been directed mostly toward the use of the inventive clip for attaching siding to concrete or cinder block walls, it is possible to use these types of clips in building having wood or other conventional materials, which can be utilized in extreme conditions. For example, the clip can be used on wood installations in areas that are subject to frequent high winds, e.g., the areas of the Mexican Gulf during hurricane season. Modification, for example using a screw to connect the inventive clip to a wood wall, may be required, so as to enable conventional wood installations to withstand the high winds experienced in such areas. Accordingly, the above embodiments are to be considered as being illustrative only, the invention being limited only by the following claims.