Patent ID: 8677709

Claim:
A siding panel for securing to the wall of a structure, the siding panel comprising: a front face and a back face; a top edge and a bottom edge; a top portion and bottom portion of the panel that are separated by an inflection point wherein the top and bottom portions directionally diverge; a locking leg extending longitudinally along the entire back face of the panel, the locking leg including a front side, a back side and a flat, the locking leg extending outwardly from the bottom portion of the back face and in the direction of the bottom edge, the locking leg and the panel back face forming a pocket for insertion of the top edge of a panel positioned therebelow; a flange with a face, the flange face substantially perpendicular to the panel bottom edge, the flange extending substantially perpendicularly from the back face of the panel adjacent the bottom edge, wherein when a second panel course is installed on a wall above a first panel course the flange of the second course rests upon the first panel top portion front face sealing both panels against infiltration of wind and water; a nail strip extending longitudinally along the entire front face of the panel proximate the top edge of the panel; a full contact strip with an upper and lower boundary, the full contact strip extending longitudinally along the entire back face of the panel proximate the top edge of the panel, the full contact strip disposed opposite the nail strip on the front face of the panel; at least one weep slot with a diameter in the range of about 0.10 to about 0.20 inches extending from the full contact strip upper boundary to below the inflection point, the at least one weep slot facilitating the downward migration of moisture; wherein when the panel is secured to the structure through the nail strip the full contact strip lays flat against the wall causing the bottom portion of the panel to raise up off the wall thereby creating a gap between the bottom portion of the panel back face including the locking leg flat in order to facilitate downward movement of moisture past the locking leg.