Patent ID: 7748188

Claim:
A fastening member for fastening exterior panels, comprising: raised left and fight side supporting portions having at least a raised side wall perpendicular to a front face of the fastening member, raised relative to an indented base plate portion, configured to be brought into contact with a rear surface of an upper exterior panel at the time of fastening the exterior panels; the indented base plate portion located at an intermediate region between the raised left and fight side supporting portions and indented relative to the raised left and right side supporting portions, the indented base plate portion functioning as a fastening portion to a building frame side; a raised central supporting portion, raised relative to the indented base plate portion, configured to be brought into contact with the rear surface of the upper exterior panel at the time of fastening the upper exterior panel, the raised central supporting portion being located between the raised left and right side supporting portions and on one side of the indented base plate portion; an engaging portion extended from a lower end of the raised central supporting portion, the engaging portion being configured to be engaged with upper and lower ends of upper and lower exterior panels at the time of fastening the exterior panels; and a raised lower side supporting portion having at least a raised side wall perpendicular to the front face, raised relative to the indented base plate portion, configured to be brought into contact with a rear surface of a lower exterior panel at the time of fastening the lower exterior panel, the raised lower side supporting portion being located below the engaging portion, wherein the raised left, fight, central and lower supporting portions define ridges connected in the center and lower part of the fastening member forming an unbroken surface connecting tops of the raised left, fight, central and lower supporting portions; wherein the fastening member is formed of a single steel plate, wherein the base plate portion is formed by denting the intermediate region of the steel plate between the raised left and right side supporting portions, wherein the engaging portion is formed by cutting a part of a lower region of the steel plate and bending the cut portion frontward, and is provided with at least one cutout extending from a basal end of the engaging portion or its vicinity to a tip end of the engaging portion, and wherein an upwardly extended portion is formed at a tip end of the engaging portion at one side of the cutout and a downwardly extended portion is formed at a tip end of the engaging portion at the other side of the cutout.