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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for securing
sheeting to a wall surface and, in particular, for indicating preferred
locations of attachment of sheeting to the wall surface so that the
tearing of the sheeting from the wall surface and the penetration of
moisture through the sheeting at the locations of attachment is reduced.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During the construction of a building, plastic sheeting or a similar
membrane is secured to an exterior wall surface (i.e., the wall substrate
or underlayment) prior to the application of a final exterior wall
covering, such as aluminum, wood or vinyl siding. This plastic sheeting
resists moisture that may penetrate through gaps existing in the exterior
wall covering, thereby protecting the underlying wall structure from
moisture damage.
Several approaches for securing plastic sheeting to a wall structure have
been proposed in the past. One common method for securing plastic sheeting
to a wall structure includes the use of staples. A use of staples simply
involves driving a staple through the plastic sheeting into the underlying
structure.
However, several disadvantages exist when using staples to secure plastic
sheeting to a wall structure. Moisture can easily migrate through the
holes in the sheeting created by the staples, thus causing damage to the
underlying wall structure. Also, because the surface area of a staple is
minimal, the staple provides little resistance to tearing of the plastic
sheeting from the wall structure. Furthermore, using staples, as opposed
to other fasteners, will result in a minimum of 50% more punctures in the
sheeting due to the fact that each staple has two shanks.
Another common method for securing plastic sheeting to a wall structure
includes the use of nails driven through plastic washers placed between
the sheeting and the head of the nail. The plastic washer increases the
surface area of the nail head at the point of attachment, thereby
providing an increased resistance to tearing of the plastic sheeting from
the wall structure.
However, like staples, several disadvantages exist when using nails, with
or without washers, to secure plastic sheeting to a wall structure. Holes
created in the plastic sheeting (where the nail is driven into the wall)
may allow moisture to penetrate the sheeting and damage the underlying
structure. Furthermore, the placement of a washer below a nail before
driving the nail into the wall structure, particularly on a repetitive
basis in a construction setting, can be cumbersome and time consuming.
A third method for securing plastic sheeting to a wall structure includes
the use of battens. Battens, typically comprised of metal, wooden or
plastic strips, are placed over the exterior surface of a wall structure
with the plastic sheet located between the wall underlayment and the
batten. Mechanical fasteners, such as screws, nails or staples, are driven
through the batten and into the wall structure. The battens may be
pre-punched to accommodate placement of the fasteners.
Several disadvantages exist when using battens to secure plastic sheeting
to a wall structure. Holes created in the sheeting by the fasteners,
driven through the batten, may allow moisture to penetrate the sheeting
and damage the underlying structure. Also, a typical batten does not
indicate the most desirable location to drive a given nail into the wall.
When driving nails through a batten to secure plastic sheeting, it is
desirable to drive the nails into an area of the wall where the
underlayment is directly supported by a stud or other supporting member.
Although a typical wall has a stud vertically placed every 16 inches on
center along its length, the stud is nonetheless difficult to locate when
driving nails because it is covered by the underlayment of the wall
structure.
Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that indicates preferred locations
of attachment to a wall structure and reduces both the tearing of the
sheeting from the wall surface and the penetration of moisture through
such sheeting at locations of attachment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a novel and improved batten which reduces
the foregoing disadvantages associated with the prior art and provides
advantages in construction, mode of operation and use.
To achieve the foregoing, in one form of the invention, the batten
comprises a plastic strip (or similar material); for example, about 1/16
inch thick and 3/4 inch wide. The strip has an extended "fastening
surface" placed at multiples of a preselected distance (for example, about
16 inches on center) along its length. The center of the fastening surface
may be pre-punched with a hole to accommodate a nail or similar fastener
driven therethrough.
The fastening surfaces, located along the length of the strip at multiples
of the preselected distance, indicate the desired location for driving a
fastener. Although the batten can be applied to a wall structure
vertically, one applying the batten horizontally can thus locate
underlying studs and drive the fastener through the sheeting and
underlayment and into the stud, assuming the studs are positioned in
accordance with preselected distance.
The extended "fastening surfaces" of the batten also provide an increased
surface area between the fastener and the sheeting at the points of
attachment. Such increased surface areas thus prevent a tearing of the
sheeting from the wall where the fasteners are driven into the wall
structure.
In addition, the underside of each extended fastening surface can include a
compressible moisture barrier attached thereto such that, when the batten
is placed over the plastic sheeting, the moisture barrier lies between the
batten and sheeting. The moisture barrier is preferably not pre-punched to
accommodate the insertion of a fastener therethrough.
In operation, the fastener is driven through the batten and moisture
barrier, resulting in a resistance-fit between the moisture barrier and
fastener. When the fastener is seated against the batten, the moisture
barrier is compressed between the extended fastening surface and sheet,
creating a moisture-tight fit at the point of attachment of the batten to
the wall structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings,
FIG. 1 is a perspective elevational view of a flat wall structure on which
a sheeting is positioned;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the batten in accordance with one
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the batten in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3A is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing an alternative embodiment
of the batten; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective elevational view of a flat wall structure on which
a sheeting is positioned and mechanically attached to the underlying wall
structure with the securing apparatus of the present invention. Although
FIG. 4 illustrates a batten mounted horizontally to the wall structure, it
is contemplated that the batten can be mounted vertically as well.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention disclosed herein is, of course, susceptible of embodiment in
many different forms. Shown in the drawings and described hereinbelow in
detail are preferred embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood,
however, that the present disclosure is an exemplification of the
principles of the invention and does not limit the invention to the
illustrated embodiments.
Referring to FIG. 1, a flat wall structure 10 is shown upon which a
sheeting 12 is located. The wall structure 10 may be comprised of an
underlayment 14 supported by a plurality of structural members 13 spaced
apart a preselected distance A (for example, about 16 inches on center).
The underlayment 14 may take any suitable form, such as a metal or wood
panels or the like. The structural members 13 comprise vertically
extending columns or studs. The structural members 13 may be comprised of
metal, wood, or other material capable of providing adequate structural
support to the underlayment 14.
The sheeting 12, typically comprised of a water-impervious material, can
also take a variety of forms. The sheeting 12 may be comprised of plastic,
rubber, tar-paper, polystyrene or other similar material. The sheeting 12
is placed on top of the exterior surface 18 of the underlayment 14 by the
positioning of unrolled sections from a suitable roll or the positioning
of individual sheets or panels from a suitable stack. The sheeting 12 is
properly positioned on top of the underlayment 14 with the edges thereof
overlapping that of adjacent sheeting.
To secure the sheeting 12 to the wall structure 10, the securing apparatus
of the present invention is utilized. One embodiment of the invention,
illustrated in FIG. 2, shows a securing apparatus 20 which includes an
elongated strip 22 of resilient material comprising paper, plastic or
other similar material. Upon further inspection of FIG. 2, it will be seen
that the strip 22 includes a plurality of fastening surfaces 24 (only two
are illustrated for clarity) contiguous with the strip 22 and located on
the lower surface 26 of the strip in a spaced relationship along the
length of the strip.
The fastening surfaces 24 should preferably be made of a water-impervious
material such as plastic or the like. The extended fastening surfaces are
attached to the lower surface 26 of the strip 22 at the appropriate
locations, as discussed below. Attachment of the extended fastening
surfaces 24 to the strip 22 can occur through any number of methods
including, but not limited to gluing, sewing, stamping, or bonding of the
plastic fastening surfaces to the strip through heat application methods.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, an additional embodiment of the securing
apparatus or batten 30 includes both the strip 32 and extended fastening
surfaces 34 comprised of a conventional water-impervious material (i.e.
plastic), with the material of the extended fastening surfaces 34 being
integral with the strip 32. The batten 30, having the strip 32 with
extended fastening surfaces 34 integral therein, may be stamped from a
common sheet of plastic material. The batten 30 may also be created
through a molding process or the like.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fastening surfaces 24 and 34,
respectively, each have a surface dimension that exceeds the width of the
respective strips 22 and 32. This extended surface dimension provides an
increased surface area between a given fastener and the sheeting at the
points of attachment. Such increased surface areas thus resist a tearing
of the sheeting from the surface of the underlayment where fasteners are
driven through the batten and into the wall structure.
To form the extended surface area requisite of a fastening surface, the
fastening surface can have any shape, so long as the dimension of the
fastening surface extends beyond the width of the strip. For example,
although the battens 20 and 30 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively,
show fastening surfaces 24 and 34 having a square shape, the fastening
surfaces 24 and 34 can have a circular, hexagonal, octagonal, triangular,
or other shape. In addition, although FIGS. 2 and 3 each illustrate a
batten having fastening surfaces comprised of the same shape, each batten
can also have fastening surfaces comprised of a combination of two or more
different shapes.
Furthermore, battens 20 and 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3,
respectively, may include pre-formed holes 25 and 35, respectively,
provided therein to accommodate the driving of fasteners 27 and 37
therethrough. Such holes coincide with the center of fastening surfaces 24
and 34, respectively, and are dimensioned to permit the shanks 29 and 39
of the fastener, but not to the fastener heads 28 and 38, to pass through
the respective batten.
Attention is again drawn to FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrating that the fastening
surfaces 24 and 34 are located along the length of the respective strips
20 and 30 at preselected distances A. This distance coincides with the
spacial relationship of the structural members 13, illustrated in FIG. 1,
that support the underlayment 14 of wall structure 10. It is noted,
however, that although FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a preselected distance A,
the interval can be any multiple thereof (i.e., 2A, 3A, etc.).
The interval between fastening surfaces is typically a multiple of 16
inches because various building standards within the United States require
that the structural members of a given wall structure be vertically
located along the length of a wall structure at a center-to-center
distance from each other of 16 inches. Wall structures in compliance with
such standards, as illustrated in FIG. 1, typically have a series of
structural members vertically located every 16 inches along the length of
the wall, with the first structural member of the series usually being
located at a starting edge of the wall.
Because the structural members provide structural support to the
underlayment of a wall structure, it is desirable when securing plastic to
the exterior surface of such underlayment to drive the fasteners into
locations of the underlayment that are directly supported by structural
members. However, one applying sheeting to the exterior surface of a wall
structure usually cannot see the locations of the structural members
because the structural members lie behind the underlayment, out of the
applicator's view.
FIG. 3A illustrates an alternative embodiment 30' of the inventive batten.
Embodiment 30' is similar to embodiment 30 and similar parts are
correspondingly numbered but with the addition of prime marks thereto for
convenient identification purposes. In embodiment 30', a grommet 40 is
located at each extended edge surface region of the batten 30' so that the
shank 39' of the fastener can pass therethrough but retain the head 38'
thereof, thus reinforcing the structure of batten 30' under use
conditions. Preferably, the grommet 40 is comprised of resilient material
which also aids in contributing resistance to moisture penetration.
Thus, in keeping with one of the principal advantages of the invention, the
fastening surfaces function as indicators of the desired locations along
the strip through which to drive a fastener into the wall structure when
securing sheeting. Because the fastening surfaces are located, for
example, at multiples of 16 inches along the length of the strip, one
applying the batten horizontally can locate each underlying structural
member of a given series, positioned every 16 inches on center along the
length of the wall.
FIG. 4 illustrates how the fastening surfaces of a batten indicate the
position of the structural members of a wall structure and thus the
desired location through which to drive a fastener. Wall structure 40 is
comprised of a series of structural members 43, vertically located from
each other by a preselected distance A. Attached to the structural members
is underlayment 44, with sheeting 42 located on the outer surface 48 of
the underlayment. Outer edge 46 of underlayment 44 is located on the first
structural member 43' of the series of structural members 43.
As shown in FIG. 4, batten 41 is horizontally located across the outer
surface 49 of the sheeting 42. In accordance with the teachings of this
invention, batten 41 has fastening surfaces 45 located from each other by
the preselected distance A. By placing a first fastening surface 45', one
of the extended fastening surfaces 45, over the center of first structural
member 43', one can locate the remaining structural members of series 43
within the wall structure 40 by identifying the location of the remaining
fastening surfaces 45 of the batten 41. As a result, when one drives a
fastener (not shown) through the batten 41 and into the wall structure 40,
the fastener will enter the underlayment in a location directly supported
by a structural member of the series 43 (the desired location for
attaching the batten 41 to the wall structure 40).
Although FIG. 4 illustrates a batten mounted horizontally to the wall
structure 40, one can also mount the batten 41 vertically, driving all
fasteners into a common structural member of the series 43.
The present invention is also concerned with preventing moisture from
penetrating through the sheeting at attachment locations of the batten to
the wall. Moisture penetration is possible at attachment locations due to
the fact that fasteners penetrate the sheeting when driven through the
batten and into the wall structure. Moisture, if allowed to penetrate the
sheeting, can cause damage to the underlying wall structure. To prevent
such moisture penetration from occurring, provision is made in the present
invention for a moisture barrier at each fastening surface.
Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, in one embodiment of the invention, the
moisture barrier may comprise gaskets 21a and 31a, respectively, located
adjacent to the lower surfaces 23 and 33 of fastening surfaces 24 and 34,
all lying on a common side of the battens 20 and 30. The gaskets 21a and
31a may be fabricated of a compressible, water-proof rubber material. The
gaskets 21a and 31a are sandwiched between, and in intimate contact with,
both the lower surfaces 23 and 33 of the fastening surfaces 24 and 34 and
the upper surface of the sheeting (not shown) underlying the battens 20
and 30, respectively.
In another embodiment, again illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the moisture
barrier may comprise a water-impervious foam coating, 21b and 31b, applied
to the lower surfaces 23 and 33 of the fastening surfaces 24 and 34,
respectively. The foam coating composition and application may be formed
by any known mechanical or chemical foaming process. For purposes of the
invention, a coating thickness of between about 0.045 to about 0.055
inches is preferred. The foam is applied to the fastening surfaces of the
batten and may be "wet" or dry when the batten is placed upon the
sheeting.
Both the foam and gasket embodiments of the moisture barrier may have
adhesion properties which allow the gasket or foam to adhere to both the
fastening surfaces of the batten and the sheeting of the wall structure.
In operation, after the sheeting has been laid across the outer surface of
the wall structure underlayment, the battens, with their fastening
surfaces and associated moisture barriers, are horizontally placed on top
of the sheeting at the desired locations with the moisture barriers
between the sheeting and the fastening surfaces of the batten.
Once the battens are placed in their desired locations on the wall
structure surface, the fasteners are then driven down through the extended
fastening surfaces, through the associated moisture barriers, through the
underlying sheeting, and finally into the wall structure therebelow. Since
the moisture barriers, positioned between the sheeting and the fastening
surfaces of the batten, do not include pre-formed holes to receive the
fasteners driven therethrough, the openings created in the moisture
barrier by the fastener will tightly embrace the shank of the fastener.
Thus, when the head of the fastener is seated against the exterior surface
of the fastening surface, the moisture barrier is compressed between the
lower surface of the fastening surface and exterior surface of the
sheeting and around the shank of the fastener to create a water-tight
compression seal around the fastener at the fastening site.
The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are illustrative of
the present invention. Still other variations and arrangements of parts
are possible without departing from the spirit-and scope of this
invention.
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