Patent ID: 7712270

Claim:
A wall-surface building panel securable to a structural building frame having vertical connector strips connected thereto, said panel comprising: a generally planar panel body having elongate opposite upper and lower edge-defining structures, and elongate opposite first and second lateral edge-defining structures extending therebetween, said panel body having an outer width and an inner width; an elongate protuberant structure operatively associated with, and extending along, the upper edge-defining structure generally in a plane of the body; an elongate groove structure operatively associated with, and extending along, the lower edge-defining structure generally in the plane of the body, and being generally complementarily compatible with said protuberant structure; oblique vertical mating structures operatively associated with, and extending along, the first and second lateral edge-defining structures, complementarily compatible with the corresponding vertical connector strips, wherein the oblique vertical mating structures are arranged so that the outer width of the planar panel body is greater than the inner width thereof; wherein the elongate protuberant structure of a subjacent panel is shaped to releasably, pivotally and load-supportively interface with the elongate groove structure of said panel, said interfacing enabling a range of motion of said panel relative to the subjacent panel; wherein said range of motion ranges from a first position non-coplanar with the wall surface, to a second position generally coplanar with the wall surface; wherein said range of motion substantially reduces sliding contact between each said oblique vertical mating structures and corresponding said vertical connector strip; and wherein said elongate protuberant structure and said generally complementarily compatible elongate groove structure have cross-sectional shapes that provide outer edges that are lower than inner edges.