Siding panel systems and methods of installation

A siding panel assembly mounted on a wall and comprising, in combination,

• (a) a plurality of courses of horizontally elongated siding panels secured to the wall, said siding panels being disposed one above another on the wall in parallel, overlapping array, each of said panels having a top margin along which it is attached to the wall, a bottom margin, and complementary first and second locking means respectively adjacent said top and bottom margins for interlocking vertically adjacent overlapping panels by engagement of the first locking means of one overlapped panel with the second locking means of an overlapping panel immediately above it in the array, said assembly including vertically spaced upper and lower courses of the panels and at least one other panel interposed between the upper and lower courses, the vertical distance between the second locking means of said upper course and the first locking means of said lower course being less than the vertical distance between the first and second locking means of said interposed panel;
• (b) clip means fixedly mounted on the wall and interlocked with the second locking means of a panel of said upper course for securing the bottom margin of the upper-course panel to the wall;
• and
• (c) retaining means secured to the wall and having a portion engaging the first locking means of the interposed panel, at a location behind the last-mentioned upper-course panel and above the elevation at which the first locking means of the interposed panel would interlockingly engage the second locking means of said last-mentioned upper-course panel, for holding the first locking means of the interposed panel against downward movement below said location and to secure the top margin of the interposed panel to the wall, with said clip means and said retaining means both concealed behind the upper-course and interposed panels,
• (d) said clip means being shaped and dimensioned to permit the top margin of the interposed panel to be inserted upwardly behind the last-mentioned upper-course panel at least sufficiently to position the first locking means of the interposed panel at said location.

A method of mounting, on a wall, a horizontally elongated siding panel in interposed relation to vertically spaced upper and lower courses of like panels already secured to the wall, said siding panels being of a type that are disposed one above another on a wall in parallel, overlapping array, each of said panels having a top margin along which it is attached to the wall, a bottom margin, and complementary first and second locking means respectively adjacent said top and bottom margins for interlocking vertically adjacent overlapping panels by engagement of the first locking means of one overlapped panel with the second locking means of an overlapping panel immediately above it in the array, the vertical distance between the second locking means of said upper course and the first locking means of said lower course being less than the vertical distance between the first and second locking means of said interposed panel, said method comprising the steps of

• (a) inserting the top margin of the interposed panel upwardly behind the bottom margin of the upper panel course until the first locking means of the interposed panel reaches a predetermined elevation higher than that at which it would interlock with the second locking means of the upper course of panels,
• (b) fixedly securing the interposed panel to the wall at that elevation by engagement of the first locking means thereof with a retainer structure fixedly mounted on the wall, and
• (c) securing the bottom margin of the interposed panel to the wall, in overlapping relation to the top margin of the lower course of panels, by engagement of the second locking means of the interposed panel with an interlocking structure fixedly mounted on the wall.