Fastening member and siding boards attachment structure

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fastening member which causes hardly any differences in fastening force of siding boards owing to differences in means for fixing the fittings to a building frame, an exterior wall construction structure using the same, a starter member, and further a method of attaching siding boards. The present invention relates to a fastening member for mounting siding boards to a framework of a building with underlayments being interposed between. The fastening member comprises a base plate portion abutting on rear side surfaces of siding boards that are vertically disposed, a support portion that is provided to erect frontward from the base plate portion, an upper board engaging portion that is bent in an oblique upward direction from the support portion, and a lower board engaging portion that is bent in an oblique downward direction from the support portion. The base plate portion comprises a nail hole and a screw hole through which a nail and a screw are respectively pierced for fixing the fastening member to the framework. The nail hole and the screw hole are provided at position at which a distance from the nail hole to the support portion and a distance from the screw hole to the support portion become substantially equal.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the united states is:  
     
         1 . A fastening member that is disposed to bridge over an upper rabbeted horizontal edge of a lower siding board and a lower rabbeted horizontal edge of an upper siding board for mounting the siding boards to a framework of a building with an underlayment being interposed between, 
 wherein the fastening member comprises a base plate portion abutting against rear side surfaces of siding boards that are vertically disposed, a support portion that is provided to erect frontward from the base plate portion, an upper board engaging portion that is bent in an oblique upward direction from the support portion, and a lower board engaging portion that is bent in an oblique downward direction from the support portion,    wherein the base plate portion comprises a nail hole and a screw hole through which a nail and a screw are respectively pierced for fixing the fastening member to the framework, and    wherein the nail hole and the screw hole are provided at position at which a distance from the nail hole to the support portion and a distance from the screw hole to the support portion are substantially equal.    
     
     
         2 . The fastening member according to  claim 1 , wherein the base plate portion comprises an upper abutting portion and a lower abutting portion that abut the underlayment at its upper and lower portion, an upper rising portion and a lower rising portion that are respectively formed in a frontward rising manner from the upper abutting portion and the lower abutting portion, and a central plate portion being installed to connect the upper rising portion and the lower rising portion and abutting against the rear side surfaces of the siding boards, wherein the support portion is formed to be erected from the central plate portion.  
     
     
         3 . The fastening member according to  claim 1 , wherein an upper rising portion and a lower rising portion comprise a horizontal plane portion that is arranged to form a substantially right angle with respect to the central plate portion.  
     
     
         4 . The fastening member according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening member comprises protruding portions projecting frontward from an upper end of the upper abutting portion and from a lower end of the lower abutting portion.  
     
     
         5 . The fastening member according to  claim 1 , wherein an upper rising portion comprises a sloped portion wherein the nail hole is formed on the sloped portion.  
     
     
         6 . The fastening member according to  claim 1 , wherein an upper abutting portion and the lower abutting portion comprise an abutting surface that is substantially horizontal to the central plate portion.  
     
     
         7 . The fastening member according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening member is of a shape that is elongated in lateral directions such that a plurality of studs of the framework that are disposed in a laterally aligned manner may be connected and fixed.  
     
     
         8 . A siding boards attachment structure comprises a fastening member being disposed on an upper rabbeted horizontal edge and a lower rabbeted horizontal edge of a siding board for mounting the siding board to a framework of a building with an underlayment being interposed between, 
 wherein the fastening member comprises a base plate portion abutting against rear side surfaces of siding boards that are vertically disposed, a support portion that is provided to erect frontward from the base plate portion, an upper board engaging portion that is bent in an oblique upward direction from a front end portion of the support portion, and a lower board engaging portion that is bent in an oblique downward direction from the support portion,    wherein the base plate portion comprises a nail hole and a screw hole through which a nail and a screw for fixing the fastening member to the framework are pierced and that are disposed at positions at which a distance from the nail hole to the support portion and a distance from the screw hole to the support portion become substantially equal,    wherein the fastening member is arranged such that the nail hole is disposed upward of the support portion with the nail being fixed while being pierced through the nail hole in case of that the fastening member is fixed to the framework by the nail, and    wherein the fastening member is arranged such that the screw hole is disposed upward of the support portion with the screw being fixed while being pierced through the screw hole in case of that the fastening member is fixed to the framework by the screw.    
     
     
         9 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein the base plate portion of the fastening member comprises an upper abutting portion and a lower abutting portion that abut the underlayment at its upper and lower portion, an upper rising portion and a lower rising portion that are respectively formed in a frontward rising manner from the upper abutting portion and the lower abutting portion, and a central plate portion for connecting between the upper rising portion and the lower rising portion and further abutting against the rear side surfaces of the siding boards, wherein the support portion is formed to erect from the central plate portion.  
     
     
         10 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein an upper rising portion and a lower rising portion comprise a horizontal plane portion that is arranged to form a substantially right angle with respect to the central plate portion.  
     
     
         11 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein the fastening member comprises a protruding portion projecting frontward from an upper end of the upper abutting portion and from a lower end of the lower abutting portion.  
     
     
         12 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein an upper rising portion comprises a sloped portion wherein the nail hole is formed on the sloped portion.  
     
     
         13 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein an upper abutting portion and a lower abutting portion comprise an abutting surface that is substantially horizontal to the central plate portion.  
     
     
         14 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein the fastening member is fixed to connect a plurality of studs of the framework that are disposed to be laterally aligned such that two adjoining siding boards are engaged by a single fastening member.  
     
     
         15 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein the siding boards attachment structure is a constructing structure employing a framework wall construction method.  
     
     
         16 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , wherein a lower rabbeted horizontal edge of a lowermost siding board is located to be remote from the ground surface.  
     
     
         17 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 16 , wherein a starter member that is fixed to the framework together with the lowermost fastening member is disposed at a lowermost end of the siding boards attachment structure.  
     
     
         18 . The siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 17 , wherein the starter member comprises a leg plate that is located to be proximate to the ground surface, a bottom plate abutting against a lower end portion of the fastening member, and a back plate to be fixed to the framework, 
 wherein the leg plate is of a length that is substantially identical to a distance between the exterior wall plate mounted to the fastening member and the ground surface.    
     
     
         19 . A starter member that is used together with a lowermost fastening member and is disposed at a lower end portion of a siding boards attachment structure, 
 wherein the starter member comprises a leg plate that is located proximate to the ground surface, a bottom plate abutting against a lower end portion of the fastening member, and a back plate to be fixed to the framework,    wherein the leg plate is of a length that is substantially identical to a distance between the exterior wall plate mounted to the fastening member and the ground surface.    
     
     
         20 . The starter member according to  claim 19 , wherein the starter member comprises a crown plate projecting frontward from the back plate for abutting against a rear side surface of the siding board.  
     
     
         21 . The starter member according to  claim 19 , wherein a crown plate comprises ventilating holes.  
     
     
         22 . The starter member according to  claim 21 , wherein the ventilating holes are covered with mesh-like bodies.  
     
     
         23 . The starter member according to  claim 19 , wherein the leg plate is formed with a notched groove for adjusting its length.  
     
     
         24 . A method for constructing the siding boards attachment structure according to  claim 8 , the method comprising 
 a first process of fixing a fastening member at a lowermost stage of the siding boards attachment structure to a framework with an underlayment being interposed between by a nail or a screw,    a second process of engaging a lower rabbeted horizontal edge of a siding board at the fastening member for disposing the siding board with the rear side surface thereof opposing to the framework, and    a third process of disposing another fastening member to an upper rabbeted horizontal edge of the siding board and fixing the fastening member to the framework with the underlayment being interposed between by a nail or a screw,    wherein the second process and third process are sequentially repeated after performing the third process,    wherein in case of that nails are used in the first process and third process, the nail hole is disposed upward of the support portion for engaging the fastening member to a lower siding board and the nail is pierced through the nail hole for fixing the fastening member to the framework with the underlayment being interposed between,    while in case of that screws are used in the first process and third process, the screw hole is disposed upward of the support portion for engaging the fastening member to a lower siding board and the screw is pierced through the screw hole for fixing the fastening member to the framework with the underlayment being interposed between.