Building insulation and sheathing

Claim 1

A building sheathing adapted to be attached to the outside surfaces of the structural members of a building, said building sheathing comprising a material of a pre-selected length, width and thickness, said material having high thermal insulating characteristics, said sheathing material having a flat surface on one side thereof and adapted for abutting contact with the outside surface of said building structural members, the side of said sheathing material opposite said flat surface having a contoured shape adapted to receive and mate with the inside surface of an exterior covering of said building, said contoured side of said sheathing material having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rows separated by horizontal slots, each row having a flat surface disposed in an inclined plane such that the lower edge of each flat surface is associated with the slot immediately therebelow and the upper edge of each flat surface is associated with the slot immediately thereabove; the flat surface of each row receiving in an abutting contact relationship the inner surface of a similarly shaped exterior covering, said exterior covering having inwardly bent upper and lower ends respectively receivable in said slots immediately above and below said flat surface on which said exterior covering is positioned, each slot having mounted therewithin attachment means independent of the exterior covering immediately therebelow for attaching to said sheathing the bent lower end of the exterior covering immediately thereabove which is received therein, the bent upper ends of said last mentioned exterior covering being received in the frequencies upper slot and engaged by the bent lower end of the covering immediately thereabove and maintained in said slot by said bent lower end independent of said attachment means; and three wherein each of said attachment means within each of said sheathing slots comprises an elongated member disposed in said slots and extending the full length of said sheathing, said member having a U-shaped cross section including a base with horizontally disposed legs that extend toward the slot opening, the upper leg having an inwardly inclined tab means extending the full length of said leg and being of a flexible material; the lower bent end of said exterior coverings having an upwardly disposed tab, said flexible tab means being so disposed as to permit said bent end tab to pass thereby and into said slot and restrain said bent end tab from being removed from stand slot.