Siding panel system with modular insulating and mounting units

In a siding system for a wall or the like, for use with an overlapping interlocked array of horizontally elongated siding panels disposed in successive courses, one above another, each of said siding panels having a top edge with a first longitudinal locking projection and bottom edge with a second longitudinal locking projection for interlocking with the first projection of an immediately subjecent siding panel in the array, a modular insulating and mounting unit comprising

• (a) a semi-rigid insulating panel with flat parallel major inner and outer surfaces mountable on the wall inwardly of the array of siding panels, said outer surface having a vertical extent corresponding to the height of a plurality of said courses of siding panels in the array;
• and
• (b) means, mountable in predetermined position on said outer surface for positioning and mounting siding panels, comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated retainer strips mountable on the outer surface of said insulating panel and each having a hook portion of snap-fittingly engaging a first locking projection of one of said siding panels along the length thereof to secure said siding panel to the outer surface of said insulating panel;
• (c) each of said retainer strips including a horizontally extending, inwardly projecting portion and said insulating panel defining a plurality of recesses extending inwardly from said outer surface for receiving the inwardly projecting portions of said strips to properly position said strips, said recesses being spaced apart vertically by distances equal to the distances between the second locking projections of siding panels in successive courses of said array, and said strips being disposed on the outer surface of said insulating panel with their inwardly projecting portions respectively received in said recesses.

On a building wall or the like, a siding system comprising:

• (a) an array of horizontally elongated siding panels disposed outwardly of the wall in overlapping interlocked relation in successive courses, one above another, each of said panels having a top edge with an outwardly projecting longitudinal lip and a bottom edge with an inwardly projecting longitudinal channel flange for interlocking with the lip of an immediately subjacent panel in the array;
• (b) a plurality of flat semi-rigid insulating panels disposed in coplanar, edge-abutting relation between the array of siding panels and the wall, each of said insulating panels having an outer surface corresponding in vertical extent to the height of a plurality of said courses of siding panels;
• and
• (c) for each of said insulating panels means mounted in predetermined position on the outer surface of each of said insulating panels for positioning and mounting a plurality of said siding panels on said outer surface, said means comprising a plurality of horizontally elongated resiliently flexible retainer strips, each of said strips including an inwardly opening longitudinally extending hook for snap-fittingly engaging and retaining the lip of one of said siding panels to hold the siding panel on the wall and for being received with the channel flange of a second siding panel interlocked with said last-mentioned lip;
• (d) each of said insulating panels including a plurality of upwardly- facing seat surfaces extending horizontally along and inwardly from said insulating panel outer surface in parallel relation to each other, said seat surfaces corresponding in number to said plurality of courses of siding panels, and adjacent seat surfaces being spaced apart vertically by a distance equal to the vertical distance between the bottom flanges of two successive courses of siding panels in said array;
• and each of said retainer strips including a top edge having an inwardly projecting longitudinal leg extending therealong for overlying and engaging a seat surface of one of said insulating panels thereby to properly position the strip on said last-mentioned insulating panel.