Abstract:
A moisture and vapor barrier strip of polymeric rubber material of preselected length, width and thickness is inserted between gaps of vinyl siding panels on each level of a home vinyl installation to restrict the passage of air, rain and snow around the vinyl siding panels into the interior of the home as weather conditions change.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Research and development of this invention and application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to vinyl siding attachments to the outer surface of a house, and, more particularly, to a barrier for restricting the passage of rain, snow and moisture in general into the interior of a home. 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    As is known and understood, vinyl siding has become more and more popular among homeowners because of the advantages it offers over other exterior wall solutions. As an attractive, durable and exterior solution to the use of wood or similar types of siding, one feature of the vinyl siding installation is its elimination of painting and maintenance headaches, to ensure the home&#39;s aesthetic appeal for many years. Offering a relative quick way to update the look of the home in a manner that the exterior will not peel, blister, flake, crack or corrode, the vinyl sidings available offer a variety of styles, colors and accessories to create the desired look. Besides offering substantially only a periodic washing to maintain the look of freshly painted wood, the vinyl siding industry has sought to promote the conversion to it by asserting its energy efficiency; by adding an insulating layer to the home&#39;s exterior to help cut heating and cooling costs. 
         [0008]    While all of this may be so, investigation and analysis has shown that typical vinyl siding installations are susceptible to moisture, rain and snow leakages on inside floor surfaces. Specifically, after eliminating the allowance of such leakages from chimney, facia or soffit installations, a focus on the vinyl siding itself led to the discovery that the siding expands and contracts in accordance with changes in weather patterns. Specifically, testing and review have shown that such problems present themselves at the ends of the siding strips, where they terminate both at inside and outside corners of the home installation. Suggestions of dealing with the situation through the use of silicon sealants are not generally long term solutions as their expectancies normally are approximately two years. Nor are they short term solutions as they generally do not blend invisibly with the color or style of the siding selected for the installation, but generally contrast with it. And, moreover, the seal provided by a silicone caulk would generally tend to open as the siding contracts with colder temperatures, and crack the siding as it expands with hotter temperatures. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a vinyl siding sealer system solution to the problem of air and moisture penetration in vinyl siding installations at a home or other like structure. 
         [0010]    It is object of the present invention, also, to provide such a vinyl siding sealant solution to obviate the possibility of air and moisture leakage penetration around the ends of the siding both at inside and outside corner couplings with the structure itself. 
         [0011]    It is another object of the present invention to provide this type of vinyl siding sealant solution which can be easily implemented as part of an initial vinyl siding installation, as well as one which could be added to one already existing and in place. 
         [0012]    It is a further object of the invention to provide this type of sealant solution which can be put in place simply and easily, by a homeowner himself/herself, without any need for specialized training beforehand. 
         [0013]    It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide this vinyl siding sealant solution characterized by requiring little to no clean-up afterwards and with minimal waste—both, at the same time as creating a barrier against moisture, rain and snow so as to protect the inner structure of the home. 
         [0014]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a vinyl siding sealant solution to provide this barrier and insulation where the vinyl siding terminates by window and door locations at the home, and where the vinyl siding “J” channels meet as well. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    In order to appreciate the advantages of the present invention, a recognition must first be understood that previous prior art descriptions exist of barriers in a construction of a home to restrict the passage of liquid water and air into the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,415 to Fisher et al., for instance, describes the acknowledgment that vinyl siding typically has configurations that tend to cause water to collect behind it, particularly if the siding has not been installed or caulked carefully. Noting that moisture could then easily penetrate into the building interior walls and other structures, recognition is made that caulking the joints between the siding and the window or door trim is helpful in preventing water collection and moisture penetration. Asserting that if the caulking is improperly applied or cracks as it ages, and the water collection and moisture penetration problems return—, Fisher et al., describes a unitary device which allows its easy installation adjacent to a window or door frame in conjunction with the installation of exterior siding to provide an effective watertight seal. 
         [0016]    However, references exist in the litigation field that specific ones of these barriers have not worked as claimed. Realizing that this would generally necessitate the removal of the window or door frame installation to start anew, and that not all vinyl siding installations are caulked properly to begin with, the present invention deals with the problem simply and inexpensively through the use of polymeric rubber materials cut from off a roll to be compressed into the airspace where the vinyl siding couples to an inside corner or outside corner of the home, or to the “J” channel which joins the strips together. As such, all that is required, according to the invention, is the pressure insertion of a properly sized polymeric rubber material into the air space to obtain the desired results of the invention and satisfy its intended objectives. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0018]      FIGS. 1   a - 1   d  are front, rear, right side and top views of a vinyl siding sealant embodying the invention, with a left side view and bottom view thereof being mirror images of the views of  FIGS. 1   c  and  1   d , respectively; and 
           [0019]      FIGS. 2   a - 2   c  are illustrations of the insertion of the invention sealant at various placements of a home vinyl siding installation. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    In  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d , the vinyl siding sealant of the invention is in the form of a moisture and vapor barrier strip—preferably of a polymeric rubber material of either natural or synthetic rubber—available as a strip cut from a roll of such material, for example. The strip  10  is of a length  12  selected to extend between bottom surfaces of adjacent vertically positioned parallel running vinyl siding pieces or panels. Ledge portions  14  of the strip  10 , in this respect, are upwardly angled to receive the bottom surfaces of each vinyl siding piece—with the depiction of  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d  being that which is based upon a double-dutch lap vinyl siding as commonly installed on a home as an attractive, durable and exterior alternative to the use of wood or similar types of siding. The front view of the strip as shown in  FIG. 1   a  and the rear view as shown in  FIG. 1   b  illustrate the width of the moisture and vapor barrier strip  10  as  16 , with the top view of  FIG. 1   d  likewise showing the width as  16 , and the thickness of the ledge portions  14  as  18 . The side view of  FIG. 1   c  of the barrier strip more specifically shows the ledge portions  14  and the thickness of the strip at its narrowest as  20 . Recognizing that vinyl siding expands as temperatures rise and contracts as temperatures fall, the material selected for the barrier strip is one sufficiently malleable to be compressed inward in response to forces exerted upon it, and to rebound to its original thickness when such forces are released. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 2   a - 2   c  illustrate the insertion of the vapor barrier strip of  FIGS. 1   a - 1   d  at various placements of the vinyl siding installation. In the outside corner installation of  FIG. 2   a , the strip  10  is dimensioned for insertion between the corner frame  30  and the vinyl siding panels  32 - 35  such that the bottom surface of each ( 37 ) rest upon the upwardly angled ledges  14  of the strip. In an original installation, the vapor barrier strip may be positioned in place, and the corner frame  30  thereafter secured over it by nailing. For existing installations, the corner frame  30  can simply be pried somewhat rearwardly from its nail securements and the vapor barrier strip then force fitted into place to be followed by simply pressing the cover frame  30  back to its original position. Alternatively, where space between the vinyl siding panels and the cover frame  30  already exists, it becomes but simple manner of forcing the barrier into position. 
         [0022]    The same situation will be understood to present itself in the arrangement of  FIG. 2   b  where a corner installation of vinyl siding exists at the home installation. The strips could then be squeezed into position at the opposite side locations of the cover frame  40 , where they abut with the vinyl siding panels  42 - 45 . As with  FIG. 2   a , the moisture and vapor barrier strips could be installed as part of an initial siding installation or pressed between the cover frame and panel piece of those already in place. 
         [0023]    In the configuration of  FIG. 2   c , where individual vinyl siding panels in a given level are to be joined together in a “J” channel, the vapor barrier strip  50  could again be inserted on either side of the “J” channel  51 , coupling left and right side panels  52 - 55  together. 
         [0024]    As will be understood, the resilient nature of the moisture vapor barrier strip allows acceptance of an expanding vinyl siding panel to compress it as the characteristics of the vinyl expand the siding linearly, when external temperatures rise. At the same time, when the vinyl contracts as temperatures fall, the resilience of the moisture and vapor barrier strip just returns its appearance and dimension to that existing at the time of its initial placement. In all arrangements, however, the barrier will be seen to restrict the flow of air, rain or snow around the sides of the vinyl piece or panel, to prevent the occurrence in many instances of pools of water on the inside of a home where the vinyl siding was installed. In this respect, it will be apparent to the skilled artisan that the upwardly angled ledge of the polymeric rubber strip configures with and wraps to the contour of the bottom surfaces of each vinyl siding panel. Such polymeric strip preferably could be one of a natural or synthetic rubber composition, cut from a roll or otherwise. 
         [0025]    While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the invention.