Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CONSTRUCTION INSECT INSECT SCREEN
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to building construction and in
particular
to an insect screen system utilizing an adhesive for installation.
2. Description of Related Art
Exterior walls of both residential and commercial buildings are typically
constructed in layers. The inside layers of the walls support the floors,
interior
walls and roof, while the outside layers protect the inside of the building
from
the outdoors. Many buildings utilize building siding on the exterior walls to
both
protect the building from the weather as well as provide an aesthetic
covering.
Building siding may be formed of horizontal or vertical boards, shingles or
sheet
materials, and may be formed using a variety of materials. To improve the
ability of the siding to keep the walls dry, rainscreen construction methods
are
required by many current building codes. With a rainscreen, an air gap is
formed between the outer siding and the moisture barrier. The most common
method to create a rainscreen is to fasten furring vertically to the exterior
wall,
which spaces the siding apart from the wall and allows airflow therebetween.
As a result, a passage is created behind the siding to allow any water that
does
penetrate the siding to drain out at the bottom.
When utilizing rainscreen construction methods, precautions are taken to
prevent insects and other pests from entering the air gap between the outer
siding and the moisture barrier, while still permitting air and moisture to
vent
through the gap. As illustrated generally at 10 in Figure 1, typically,
builders
staple a length of horizontal insect screen 12 to the top and bottom of the
walls
8 prior to installing furring strips 6, then, once the furring strips 6 are
installed,
the insect screen 12 is folded up onto the outside of the furring strips 6 and
stapled in place prior to the building siding panel 4 installation.
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Disadvantageously, the typical insect screen method is time consuming and
requires installation prior to the attachment of the furring strips, with
excessive
nail penetrations through the house wrap. Additionally, it relies on the
presence
of the furring strips to be effective, and thus alternate siding methods which
don't include furring strips render this system unusable. Additionally, it
will be
appreciated that such conventional insect screens require the use of nails or
other fasteners which may provide an opening for water or the like to enter
the
house.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed an
apparatus for preventing entry of insects and other pests behind building
siding
comprising an elongate strip of porous compressible material extending
between first and second ends, and between top and bottom edges, the
elongate strip of fibrous material having front and rear surfaces, an adhesive
bonding material applied to at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the
elongate strip of porous compressible material and peel and stick release
liners
disposed on the adhesive bonding material.
The elongate strip of porous compressible material may be formed with a
synthetic fibre web mesh. The elongate strip of porous compressible material
has a thickness between the front and rear surfaces of at between 1/2" and 1".
The adhesive bonding material may extend in a continuous strip. The adhesive
bonding material may comprise a layer of adhesive. The adhesive bonding
material may extend between the first and second ends.
The peel and stick release liners may be selected from a group consisting of
coated paper and plastic film. The adhesive bonding material may be applied
to both of the front and rear surfaces of the elongate strip of porous
compressible material.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed
a
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method for preventing entry of insects and other pests behind building siding
comprising providing an elongate strip of porous compressible material
extending between first and second ends, and between top and bottom edges,
the elongate strip of fibrous material having front and rear surfaces and
removing peel and stick release liners from an adhesive bonding material
applied to at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the elongate strip
of
porous compressible material. The method further comprises adhesively
applying one of the front or rear surface of the elongate strip of porous
compressible material to a wall, and attaching building siding to a wall,
adhesively applying the other of the front or rear surface of the elongate
strip of
porous compressible material to a rear surface of the building siding.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to
those
ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of
specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar
characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prior art insect screen used in wall
construction.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an insect screen for use in wall
construction
according to a first embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the insect screen of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a starter strip having an insect screen
incorporated thereinto according to a further embodiment of the
present invention.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a starter strip having an insect
screen
secured thereto according to a further embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a j-strip having an insect screen
secured
thereto according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
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Figure 7 is a perspective view of a j-strip having an insect screen
incorporated thereinto according to a further embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to Figure 2, an insect screen for use in wall construction according
to
a first embodiment of the invention is shown generally at 20. The insect
screen
20 is installed between a wall 8 and building siding panels 4 to allow air and
moisture to vent therethrough to the gap 2 between the building siding panels
4 and the wall 8, while preventing the ingress of insects and other pests.
Turning to Figure 3, the insect screen 20 extends between first and second
ends, 22 and 24, respectively, and between top and bottom edges, 26 and 28,
respectively, and includes front and rear surfaces, 30 and 32, respectively.
The
insect screen 20 is formed with a compressible porous material, such as, by
way of non-limiting example, a synthetic fibre nylon mesh, allowing air and
moisture to pass therethrough. The thickness of the insect screen between the
front and rear surfaces, 30 and 32, may in the range of 1/2" to 1" (13 mm to
25
mm), although it will be appreciated that other thicknesses may be useful, as
well.
An adhesive bonding material 40 is applied to at least one of the front and
rear
surfaces 30 and 32. It will also be appreciated that the adhesive bonding
material 40 may be applied to both of the front and rear surfaces 30 and 32.
The adhesive bonding material 40 may extend continuously between the first
and second ends, 22 and 24, as illustrated, although it will be appreciated
that
the adhesive bonding material 40 may extend only partially between the first
and second ends 22 and 24. The adhesive bonding material may be, such as,
by way of non-limiting example, a butyl compound or other waterproofing
compound such as single component PVAc (polyvinyl acetate) water-resistant
adhesive, water-resistant polyvinyl acetate adhesive, EVA (ethylene vinyl
acetate)-hot melt adhesives, pressure sensitive hot melt adhesive atactic
polypropylene (APP) base pressure sensitive tapes, polyurethane adhesives,
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thermoplastic adhesive film based with co-polyamides, thermoplastic adhesive
film based with mixed polyolefin and co-polyamide, animal base adhesive,
asphaltic base adhesive styrol or verstat acrylate types, or neoprene rubber
cementic base adhesive, although other adhesive types may be useful, as well.
A peel and stick release liner 42 is positioned on the adhesive bonding
material
40, on the front and rear surfaces, 30 and 32. The release liner 42 includes a
release surface 44 and may be formed with such as, by way of non-limiting
example, a coated paper or plastic film, although other sheet materials may be
useful, as well. The release liner 42 is positioned such that the release
surface
44 engages with the adhesive bonding material 40, such that the release liner
42 may be easily peeled away from the adhesive bonding material 40.
When installing an insect screen 20 onto a building, the thickness of the
screen,
as set out above, is selected to be at least as thick as a furring strip 6 to
ensure
that it can be adhered to both the wall 8 and the building siding panels 4. To
install the insect screen 20 on a building, the release liners 42 are peeled
and
removed from the front and rear surfaces, 30 and 32, as illustrated in Figure
3,
discarding the release liners 42. Referring now to Figure 2, the insect screen
20 is positioned on the wall 8 with the rear surface 32 aligned on the wall 8
such
that the adhesive bonding material 40 engages with the wall 8 and attaches the
insect screen 20 thereto. As illustrated in Figure 2, the insect screen 20 may
be
positioned below the furring strips 6, such that the top edge 26 is aligned
with
the bottom edge of the furring strip 6, although it will be appreciated that
the
insect screen 20 may be positioned snugly between two furring strips 6 such
that the first and second ends 22 and 24 engage upon the sides of the furring
strips 6. The building siding panels 4 are then installed onto the building,
as is
commonly known, such as by nailing the building siding panels 4 to the furring
strips 6. The insect screen 20 is compressible, as set out above, and may be
compressed between the wall 8 and the building siding panels 4, thereby
engaging the adhesive bonding material 40 on the front surface 30 with the
rear
of the building siding panels 4.
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Turning now to Figure 4, a according to a further embodiment, a starter strip
100, as is commonly known in the art may be formed of a rear portion 106
adapted to be secured to a wall and a bottom planar portion 102 as is commonly
known. The bottom planar portion 102 may include a plurality of holes 104
sized to prevent the passage of insects therethrough. By way of non-limiting
example, the holes 104 may be sized to have a diameter selected to prevent
insects from passing therethrough such as, by way of non-limiting example, up
to 1/1" inches (6 mm) depending on the size of insects to be controlled.
Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 5, a conventional starter strip 100 may
also
have the insect screen 20 secured to a rear surface thereof to prevent insects
from passing thereunder.
Turning now to Figure 6, a according to a further embodiment, a j-strip 200,
as
is commonly known in the art may be formed of a rear portion 202 adapted to
be secured to a wall and a bottom planar portion 204 as is commonly known.
The bottom planar portion 204 may include a plurality of holes 206 sized to
prevent the passage of insects therethrough. By way of non-limiting example,
the holes 206 may be sized to have a diameter selected to prevent insects from
passing therethrough such as, by way of non-limiting example, up to 1/4"
inches
(6 mm) depending on the size of insects to be controlled. Furthermore, as
illustrated in Figure 7, a conventional j-strip 200 may also have the insect
screen
20 secured to a rear surface thereof to prevent insects from passing
thereunder.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and
illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the
invention
only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the
accompanying claims.
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