US20100263316A1

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Info

Publication number: US20100263316A1
Application number: US12/590,710
Authority: US
Inventors: Leopold Bruneau
Original assignee: Gestion S Crete Inc
Current assignee: Gestion S Crete Inc
Priority date: 2009-04-21
Filing date: 2009-11-12
Publication date: 2010-10-21
Also published as: CA2663469A1; CA2683988C; CA2683988A1

Abstract

Embodiments of a bracket for mounting to furring strips or to any other surface exterior or interior siding elements such as clapboards are described herein, the clapboards having first and second opposite transversal end sides. Each bracket is in the form of a body having: first and second opposite sides; the second side of the body being configured for complementary abutment with the second transversal end side of a first clapboard; a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of a second clapboard so as to mount the second clapboard onto the surface generally parallel therefrom. Brackets according to embodiments of the present invention allow mounting siding elements onto any exterior or interior surfaces without requiring the insertion of nails or fasteners through the siding elements. The brackets allow minimizing deformation in the siding and improve the overall look thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND

Many methods and means are known in the art for mounting sidings such as clapboards to furring strips or wall studs. The most commonly used method includes securing the clapboards using nails.

A first drawback of such a method is that the clapboards tend to deform over time, for example under variable or adverse climatic conditions. Also, with the nails rusting, the overall look of the sidings worsens over time.

A further drawback, which often results from the previous two above, is that the attachments of the sidings tend to slack, thereby increasing maintenance of the linings.

Many brackets or attachment systems are known that allow better mounting of siding elements to a surface. While most of these brackets and systems allow easier or more securely mounting of clapboards or other sidings, they fail in achieving all of the following:

ease of installation;

securely mounting of the sidings; and

saving the sidings from being perforated during their mounting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a bracket for mounting clapboards according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of brackets fromFIG. 1, illustrated mounting clapboards to a furring strip;

FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the assembly fromFIG. 2, the assembly being illustrated without the furring strip for clarity purpose;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bracket for mounting clapboards according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bracket for mounting clapboards according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of brackets fromFIG. 5, illustrated mounting clapboards to a furring strip;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of clapboards mounted to furring strips using brackets according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of clapboards mounted to furring strips using brackets according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a precedent figure.

According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a bracket for mounting first and second clapboards to a surface, each of the first and second clapboards having first and second opposite transversal end sides; the bracket comprising a body having:

first and second opposite sides; the second side of the body being configured for complementary abutment with the second transversal end side of the first clapboard;

a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and

a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of the second clapboard so as to mount the second clapboard onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.

According to embodiments of a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a siding kit for covering a surface, the kit comprising:

a plurality of clapboards, each having first and second transversal end sides;

a plurality of brackets, each including:

first and second opposite sides; the second side of the bracket being configured for complementary abutment with the second transversal end side of a first one of the plurality of clapboards;

a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of a second one of the plurality of clapboards so as to mount the second one of the plurality of clapboards onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.

Brackets according to embodiments of the present invention allow mounting clapboards or other siding elements such as bevel coatings, wall sheeting, etc, onto any exterior or interior surfaces without requiring the insertion of nails or fasteners through the siding elements. The brackets allow minimizing deformation in the siding and improve the overall look thereof.

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more.

As used in this specification, the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “include” and “includes”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contain” and “contains”), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements.

The expression “surface” should be construed broadly herein as including a substantially flat portion of any structure which can be vertical, horizontal or positioned at an angle relative to the ground. A non-limiting example of such a structure is a furring strip or a stud .

Also, the expression “clapboard” is to be construed broadly as including any board-like construction element intended for siding.

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of illustrative embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Abracket10 for mounting

clapboards

9 and9′ to a surface according to a first embodiment is illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 3. According to the first illustrated embodiment ofFIGS. 1 to 3, thebracket10 is used in mounting theclapboards9 ontofurring strips11.

As will be described hereinbelow in more detail, the

clapboards

9 and9′ have first and second

transversal end sides

13 and15 that are profiled for complimentary abutment to two different portions of thebracket10.

As will become more apparent upon reading the following description, the complimentary abutment needs not to be complete and partial complimentary abutments are also foreseen.

With reference now toFIG. 1, thebracket10 is a one-piece body having two generally parallel elongated flat support portions12-14 extending perpendicularly from abridge portion16 at a respective lateral side thereof. Thebody10 has a generally H-shaped cross-section.

The two parallel support portions12-14 have unequal length and thefirst support portion12 is connected to thebridge portion16 so as to be offset from its center thereby yielding anasymmetrical body10.

The two generally parallel support portions12-14 together define a first clapboard-receivingslot18 with thebridge portion16 on a first side thereof from which the longer side of thefirst support portion12 extends.

As will be explained hereinbelow in more detail, thefirst support portion12 defines anail receiving portion22 on the first side of thebody10.

The operation of thebracket10 will now be explained with reference toFIGS. 2 and 3.

Thebracket10 is secured to afurring strip11 by anail23 or any other fastening means. More specifically, thenail23 is inserted in the nail-receiving portion of thebracket10. As will be explained hereinbelow, both thenail23 and thebracket20 are concealed by theclapboards9′ after installation thereof.

First, theclapboard9 is firmly inserted from itsbottom edge24 in the first clapboard-receivingslot18 of thebracket10 in a tongue and groove joint. For that purpose, the top and bottom

longitudinal edges

15 and13 of the

clapboards

9 and9′ are profiled so as to complimentary abutting respectively the second and first clapboard-receiving

slots

20 and18 in a tongue and groove manner.

Of course, as it is well-known in the art, it may be more advantageous to mount the

clapboards

9 and9′ in series. Therefore, in the above-described first step, a series ofbrackets10 are first mounted on thefurring strip11 and then a first series ofclapboard9 are inserted therein so as to be aligned.

A second series ofbrackets10, that can be registered or not with the first series ofbrackets10, are each firmly inserted via the second clapboard-receivingslot20 on theupper edge15 of a respective one of thefirst clapboards9. Each of the second series ofbrackets10 is nailed to thefurring11 as described hereinabove.

Then, a second series ofclapboards9′ is firmly inserted via their bottom edges in the first clapboard-receivingslots18 of the second series ofbrackets10.

A third series of brackets10 (not shown) is mounted to thefurring11 to secure the upper edges of the second series ofclapboards9 and the clapboard mounting process continues as described above for any other layers of clapboard.

Thebracket10 is made of a polymeric material such as polypropylene. It can also be made of another material such as a metal or a metal alloy. In this last case, holes (not shown) can be provided to receive fasteners or nails. When thebracket10 is made of a ductile metal such as aluminum or galvanized steel, pre-perforation of holes can be omitted.

The number ofnails11 andbracket10 required to mount adjacent pieces of sidings depends for example on the size and material of the sidings and of those of thebrackets10.

The width of thebracket10 is typically 27 mm or 64 mm to support wider or heavier boards. The heights of the first and second support portions are respectively typically 26 mm and 19 mm. Thebrackets10 are however not limited to those dimension and the height and relative dimensions of the two support portions12-14 may also differ to accommodate different types of siding.

Even though thebracket10 has been illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 3 in mounting

clapboard

9 and9′ tofurring strips11, thebracket10 can be used to mount any type of siding to any type of surface. Such mounting can be horizontal or vertical.

According to a further embodiment (not shown), thebracket10 has a width sufficient to receive a plurality of aligned

clapboards

9 and9′ in a row.

The fastening means can be in the form of nails, screws, glue, etc.

Also, the profiled ends13 and15 can be shaped so as to only partially complement the first and

second slots

18 and20 while still preventing the

clapboards

9 and9′ from falling from thesurface11 when they abut abracket10 at each of their

end sides

13 and15.

Even though thebracket10 has been described as a one-piece body, it can be assembled from a plurality of parts using for example fasteners or welding.

Also, as will now be described with reference to further embodiments of the bracket, the two opposite sides thereof can be configured differently than those of thebracket10.

Turning now toFIG. 4, abracket30 for mounting exterior or interior clapboard to a surface according to a second embodiment will be described. Since thebracket30 is very similar to thebracket10, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the two

brackets

10 and30 will be described herein.

Thesecond support portion14 includes asemi-circular recess32 on the side of the first siding-receiving slot1. Thisrecess32 allows facilitating access to the lower portion of the nail-receivingportion22 to receive thenail23.

With reference now toFIGS. 5 and 6, abracket40 for mounting

clapboards

41 and41′ to asurface11 according to a third embodiment will be described.

Since thebracket40 is very similar to thebracket10, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the two

brackets

40 and10 will be described herein.

Contrarily to thefirst support portion12 of thebracket10, thefirst support portion42 of thebracket40 extends only from one of the two sides of thebridge16 so as to define thenail receiving portion22. It results that thebracket40 includes only one clapboard-receivingslot18.

Thesecond support portion44, which is similar to thesecond support portion14 of thebracket10, includes arectangular recess46 on the side of the clapboard-receivingslot18 to allow access to the lower portion of the nail-receivingportion22. Therecess46 is provided withrounded corners48.

As can be seen inFIG. 6, thebracket40 is used in mounting

clapboards

41 and41′ having first and second transversal end sides47 and49 that are profiled for complimentary abutment to respectively the first and second

opposite sides

50 and52 of thebracket40.

Thesecond support portion44 of thebracket40 defines a clapboard-receivingslot54 on thesecond side52 of thebracket40. Further support for maintaining the upper portion ofclapboard41 on thesurface11 is provided by the secondtransversal end side47 of theclapboard41′, saidside47 extending towards theclapboard41 beyond thebracket40.

FIG. 7 illustrates abracket60 according to a third embodiment. Since thebracket60 is similar to thebracket40, and for concision purposes, only the differences between these two

brackets

60 and40 will be described herein.

While two

sides

62 and64 of thebracket60 are configured for complementary abutment with respective lateral end sides63 and65 of theclapboard61, only thefirst side62 of thebracket60 is configured so as to include a clapboard-receivingslot66. Indeed, thebrackets60 are configured to mountclapboards61 wherein thefirst end side63 thereof is configured and sized with aportion67 which extends laterally beyond thebracket60 and which partially overlaps the secondlateral end side65 of theclapboard61, thereby providing support to maintain the upper portion of theclapboard61 onto thesurface69

Even though the

brackets

10,40 and60 have been described as including two support portions assembled in a generally parallel relationship via a bridge, a bracket according to a further embodiment can be provided for example without a bridge and wherein the two support portions are positioned so as to define an angle therebetween. Such abracket70 is illustrated inFIG. 8.

Since thebracket70 is similar to thebracket60, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the

bracket

70 and60 will be described herein.

Thebracket70 comprises first and second

integral support portions

72 and74 so positioned as to define i) an angle therebetween and ii) a clapboard-receivingslot76. Thefirst support portion72 defines a nail-receiving portion and includes a generallyplanar side face78.

Thelower end side75 of each

clapboard

73 or73′ is configured for complementary abutment with theupper side80 of thebracket70 in a tongue and groove relationship. More specifically, theclapboard71 includes atongue portion77 that is configured to be received in theslot76. Thelower end side75 of theclapboard71 further includes a flatkey portion79 which defines, with thetongue77, aslot79 for receiving thesecond support portion74 of thebracket70. Flat key79 extends downwardly beyond thebracket70 when thelower end side75 of theclapboard73 is complementary mounted on theupper side80 of thebracket70.

As mentioned hereinabove, theflat key79 provides further support for the higher portion of anotherclapboard73′ abutting thelower side82 of thebracket70 in defining a clapboard-receivingslot84 with thesurface71.

It is to be noted that thebracket70 and more specifically thelower side82 thereof, is not configured to complementary received theupper end side81 of a

10,40,60 and70 have been illustrated mounted to vertical surfaces via nails, a bracket according to embodiments of the present invention can be mounted to a vertical, horizontal or defining an angle with the ground using other fastening means, such as, without limitations, fasteners, glue or any other adhesive.

The clapboards can be made of woods, polymers, aluminum, composite material, etc.

Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of illustrated embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bracket for mounting first and second clapboards to a surface, each of the first and second clapboards having first and second opposite transversal end sides; the bracket comprising a body having:

first and second opposite sides; the second side of the body being configured for abutment with the second transversal end side of the first clapboard;

a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a first clapboard receiving slot for receiving the first transversal end side of the second clapboard so as to mount the second clapboard onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.

2. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the second portion on the first side includes a recess for improving access to the second portion of the first side.

3. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portions on the first side of the body is generally flat.

4. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the first and second portions on the first side are distanced by a bridge portion.

5. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the first and second portions on the first side are relatively positioned so as to define an angle therebetween.

6. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the second side of the body is configured for complimentary abutment with the second transversal end side of the first clapboard.

7. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the first clapboard receiving slot and the first transversal end side of the second clapboard are complimentary.

8. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the second side of the body includes a second clapboard receiving slot for receiving the second transversal end side of the first clapboard.

9. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the second side of the body includes a clapboard support element which creates a second clapboard receiving slot with the surface.

10. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the first portion of the bracket includes at least one hole for receiving a nail or a fastener.

11. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second transversal end sides of the clapboard are profiled for complementary abutment to respectively the first and second opposite sides of the bracket.

12. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the body is one piece.

13. A bracket as recited inclaim 1, wherein the body is assembled from a plurality of parts.

14. A siding kit for covering a surface, the kit comprising:

a plurality of clapboards, each having first and second transversal end sides;

a plurality of brackets, each including:

first and second opposite sides; the second side of the bracket being configured for abutment with the second transversal end side of a first one of the plurality of clapboards;

15. A bracket as recited inclaim 14, wherein the second transversal end side of at least one clapboard includes a flat key to extend beyond one of the brackets when said one of the brackets is secured on the surface and when the at least one clapboard is received in the clapboard receiving slot in the first side of the bracket.