Patent ID: 8919070

Claim:
A spacer configured to retain a cladding element on a building element in a spaced apart relationship, the spacer having a spacer body formed from a polymer material and comprising: at least one exterior wall extending in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the spacer body and defining an interior space that is open at opposite ends of the spacer body in the longitudinal direction, the at least one exterior wall having a constant cross-section in the longitudinal direction and enclosing the interior space in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the at least one exterior wall being comprised of a plurality of side wall segments that are integrally connected together without a seam therebetween, a first plurality of bars, each extending in a cantilever or a substantially cantilever manner from an interior surface of the at least one exterior wall into the interior space towards a first fastener insertion axis that is parallel to the longitudinal direction, wherein each of the first plurality of bars has a constant cross-section in the longitudinal direction and terminates before the first fastener insertion axis, such that terminal ends of the first plurality of bars together define a first fastener insertion path having a first predetermined width in a direction perpendicular to the first fastener insertion axis, and a second plurality of bars, each extending in a cantilever or a substantially cantilever manner from the interior surface of the at least one exterior wall into the interior space towards a second fastener insertion axis that is parallel to the longitudinal direction and to the first fastener insertion axis, wherein each of the second plurality of bars has a constant cross-section in the longitudinal direction and terminates before the second fastener insertion axis, such that terminal ends of the second plurality of bars together define a second fastener insertion path having the first predetermined width in a direction perpendicular to the second fastener insertion axis, wherein the side wall segments define two parallel end faces, which are perpendicular to the first fastener insertion axis and to the second fastener insertion axis, the first fastener insertion path and the second fastener insertion path are respectively configured to widen to receive and squeeze a fastener having a second predetermined width that is greater than the first predetermined width, and the first fastener insertion path and the second fastener insertion path are respectively configured to be widenable within a widening range that is between 0.5%-50% of the first predetermined width.