Siding with integrated rainscreen for wall or block construction

Abstract

A wood or manufactured wood-composite based siding used on wall construction (including, but not limited to, insulated concrete form construction) with an integrated rainscreen feature. The rainscreen feature or component is applied to, or integrated into or with, the back of the siding (i.e., the inner surface) during the manufacturing process, or in a secondary process thereafter. The features may include raised elements, strips, ridges, or wedges, with one or more channels or spaces. No job-site assembly is required, thereby reducing time and cost.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A siding product for installation on a wall or wall unit, comprising:
 a piece of siding with a front face, a back face, a top edge, and a bottom edge, configured for installation on a wall or wall unit;   a rainscreen strip with an outer face and an inner face extending laterally across the back face proximate the top edge, the rainscreen strip configured to contact the wall or wall unit and prevent the piece of siding from coming into contact with the wall or wall unit when installed thereon; and   one or more drainage channels extending across a width of the strip.   
     
     
         2 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the rainscreen strip is substantially incompressible. 
     
     
         3 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more drainage channels are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strip. 
     
     
         4 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more drainage channels are located on the outer face of the strip. 
     
     
         5 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more drainage channels vary in depth. 
     
     
         6 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the outer face is rounded. 
     
     
         7 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the inner face is integrated with the back face of the piece of siding. 
     
     
         8 . The siding product of  claim 1 , further wherein the entire inner face of the strip is disposed in a lateral channel in the back face of the piece of siding. 
     
     
         9 . The siding product of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more splines disposed on the inner face of the strip, and one or more grooves or holes configured to receive said one or more splines. 
     
     
         10 . The siding product of  claim 1 , wherein the splines comprise barbs. 
     
     
         11 . The siding product of  claim 1 , further comprising a second rainscreen strip with an outer face and an inner face extending laterally across the back face below the first rainscreen strip; and
 one or more drainage channels extending across a width of the second strip.   
     
     
         12 . The siding product of  claim 1 , further comprising at least two or more rainscreen strips, each with an outer face and an inner face and extending laterally across the back face below the first rainscreen strip at spaced intervals. 
     
     
         13 . A siding product for installation on a wall or wall unit, comprising:
 a piece of siding with a front face, a back face, a top edge, and a bottom edge, configured for installation on a wall or wall unit;   one or more rainscreen components, each with an outer face and an inner face, disposed across the back face proximate the top edge, the one or more rainscreen components configured to contact the wall or wall unit and prevent the piece of siding from coming into contact with the wall or wall unit when installed thereon.   
     
     
         14 . The siding product of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more rainscreen components is substantially incompressible. 
     
     
         15 . The siding product of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more rainscreen components comprise one or more drainage channels extending across a width of the strip. 
     
     
         16 . The siding product of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more drainage channels vary in depth. 
     
     
         17 . The siding product of  claim 13 , wherein each of the one or more rainscreen components comprise a wedge. 
     
     
         18 . The siding product of  claim 17 , wherein the wedge is thinnest proximate the top edge, and the wedge gradually increases in thickness as it extends toward the bottom edge. 
     
     
         19 . The siding product of  claim 13 , wherein the piece of siding is a piece of lap siding, and one or more rainscreen components are self-indexing with respect to a second piece of lap siding.