Claims
- 1. An exterior finishing panel, comprising:
- an elongated thermoplastic sheet including a hook-like lip for fastening said finishing panel to an adjoining finishing panel, an outwardly-facing surface having an aesthetic appearance and an inwardly-facing surface; and
- a rigid support member co-extruded or molded along a portion of the length of said thermoplastic sheet, said rigid support member having a flexural modulus substantially greater than the flexural modulus of said thermoplastic sheet.
- 2. The exterior finishing panel of claim 1, wherein said elongated thermoplastic sheet comprises a polyvinyl chloride extrusion including a plurality of simulated board members.
- 3. The exterior finishing panel of claim 2, wherein said rigid support member comprises a polymeric material having a flexural modulus of at least 50% greater than the flexural modulus of the thermoplastic sheet.
- 4. The exterior finishing panel of claim 3, wherein said rigid support member is co-extruded through a die along with said exterior finishing panel.
- 5. The exterior finishing panel of claim 1, wherein said rigid support member is disposed proximate to said hook-like lip.
- 6. The exterior finishing panel of claim 5, wherein said rigid support member comprises fibrous reinforcement.
- 7. The exterior finishing panel of claim 1, wherein said elongated thermoplastic sheet comprises a plurality of rectangular sheathing sections having lateral marginal flanges.
- 8. The exterior finishing panel of claim 1, wherein said rigid support member comprises a rigid polymeric material containing a reinforcement in a polymer matrix.
- 9. The exterior finishing panel of claim 8 wherein said polymeric material comprises a polymer matrix composite.
- 10. The exterior finishing panel of claim 9 wherein said polymer matrix composite is co-extruded onto said inwardly-facing surface of said elongated thermoplastic sheet.
- 11. The exterior finishing panel of claim 8 wherein said rigid support member comprises a relatively rigid elongated member coextruded along at least a portion of the length of said thermoplastic sheet, said elongated member comprising a rigid polyvinyl chloride composition.
- 12. An exterior finishing panel, comprising:
- an elongated thermoplastic sheet comprising a first outwardly-facing surface and a second inwardly-facing surface; and
- an elongated reinforcing member co-extruded along said exterior finishing panel, said thermoplastic sheet and elongated reinforcing member capable of being cut by a steel saw blade;
- said elongated reinforcing member having a flexural modulus substantially greater than the flexural modulus of said thermoplastic sheet.
- 13. The exterior finishing panel of claim 12 wherein said elongated reinforcing member comprises a strip of thermoplastic material containing a reinforcement material.
- 14. The exterior finishing panel of claim 12 wherein said reinforcement material contains a fiber.
- 15. An elongated thermoplastic sheet including hook-and-groove fastening means for permitting said siding panel to be joined in overlapping fashion to an adjoining panel; and
- a rigid strip of reinforced thermoplastic material melt bonded along said elongated thermoplastic sheet, said rigid strip and said elongated thermoplastic sheet being capable of being cut by a steel saw blade, said rigid strip having a flexural modulus which is at least 50% greater than the flexural modulus of said elongated thermoplastic sheet.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/197,487, filed Nov. 20, 1998, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/644,135, filed May 10, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,247, issued on Nov. 24, 1998; which in turn is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/456,249 filed May 31, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,627, issued on Jun. 18, 1996; which in turn is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/171,726, filed on Dec. 22, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,839, issued on Oct. 31, 1995.
US Referenced Citations (80)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
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197487 |
Nov 1998 |
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Continuations (3)
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Number |
Date |
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644135 |
May 1996 |
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Parent |
456249 |
May 1995 |
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Parent |
171726 |
Dec 1993 |
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