Fastener guide for siding

Abstract

A system for attaching siding to an exterior wall through use of a fastener rip that is held within or against the nailing hem of a siding panel so as to allow the slide along the guide strip during thermally induced expansion and contraction of the panel.

1 . A fastener guide member for attaching siding panels to an attachment substrate, comprising: 
 a main body formed as an elongated strip of resilient material, said body having a generally rectangular cross sectional profile, said body comprising relatively wide front and rear faces and relatively narrow top and bottom edges, said body sized to fit against a securement flange of a siding panel,    a plurality of guides formed on said body and spaced apart along the length of said body to align with corresponding apertures in said securement flange,    whereby, fasteners may be driven through aligned guides on said main body of said fastener guide member and apertures in said securement flange to engage said substrate.    
   
   
       2 . The fastener guide member of  claim 1 , wherein said guides comprise holes sized to receive a fastener.  
   
   
       3 . The fastener guide member as in  claim 2  wherein said holes are defined by corresponding collars projecting from the rear face of said body.  
   
   
       4 . The fastener guide member of  claim 2 , wherein said collars project from said front and rear face of said body in axial alignment.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein said collars projecting from said rear face of said body engage said substrate to maintain said securement flange in a spaced relationship with said substrate.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein said collars projecting from said front face of said body include a frustoconical recess to accept the head of a fastener.  
   
   
       7 . A siding panel assembly securable to a wall comprising a siding panel having a securement flange extending along an edge thereof and having a plurality of elongate slots formed in said securement flange in equally spaced alignment; said siding panel assembly further comprising a fastener guide member comprising an elongated strip having a plurality of fastener guides on said elongated strip in equally spaced alignment, said fastener guides having centers spaced apart a distance corresponding to the distance between centers of said elongate slots in said securement flange and wherein said siding panel further includes means for slidably associating said fastener guide member with said securement flange of said siding panel.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein said means for slidably associating said fastener guide member with said securement flange comprises a lip formed in said securement flange for receiving at least a portion of said fastener guide member.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein said means for slidably associating said fastener guide member with said securement flange includes a ridge extending from said panel proximate to a lower portion of said securement flange.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of said fastener guides comprises a fastener receiving hole sized to receive a fastener.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of said fastener guides comprises a collar projecting from a face of said fastener guide member, each said collar surrounding and at least partially defining a fastener receiving hole sized to receive a fastener.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , said collar of each of said fastener guides is sized to be received in one of said elongate slots in said securement flange.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of said fastener guides comprises a first collar projecting from a first face of said fastener guide member and a second collar projecting from a second face of said fastener guide member; a fastener receiving hole extending through said first and second collars in axial alignment and sized to receive a fastener; said first collar sized to be received in one of said elongate slots in said securement flange.