Patent ID: 7765754

Claim:
In combination an outer wall for a building comprising an underlying structure having a vertical outer surface, siding having opposite front and rear surfaces generally coextensive with said vertical outer surface extending from a lower end to an upper end; a spacing strip between the outer surface of the underlying structure and the rear surface of the siding; and means for fastening the siding to the underlying structure through said spacing strip, said spacing strip providing a ventilation space between the outer surface of the underlying structure and the rear surface of the siding, said spacing strip being an elongate extrusion of polymeric material having opposite generally parallel edges extending between opposite longitudinally spaced ends of the strip and having wall portions comprising a transverse wall portion having opposite outer and inner major surfaces extending between said ends and between said opposite edges of the spacing strip, the outer surface of the transverse wall portion being generally planar and positioned along the rear surface of the siding, said wall portions of said spacing strip further including elongate projections from the inner surface of said transverse wall portion including two outer projections with one of said outer projections along each of the edges of the spacing strip, and a central projection between and generally parallel to said outer projections, said outer and central projections having distal end portions and said distal end portions having rear surfaces opposite said transverse wall portion, said rear surfaces on said outer and central projections being generally in a plane parallel to the outer surface of said transverse wall portion and being adapted to be supported against the outer surface of said underlying structure, said spacing strip having transversely extending channels through the projections between the edges of the spacing strip, said channels being spaced along the length of the spacing strip so that air can circulate through the channels in the ventilation space.