Fastening system

Claim 3

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the fastening strips have substantially flat planar top and bottom surfaces.

Claim 4

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein a layer of insulating material is the building member affixed to said substrate.

Claim 5

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein a layer of insulating material is the building member affixed to a roof substrate.

Claim 6

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein a layer of insulating material is the building member affixed to said substrate which is a vertically extending building wall.

Claim 7

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein flashing is the building member affixed to said substrate.

Claim 8

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thickness of the individual plastic batten strips is less than 200 mils.

Claim 9

A method as set forth in claim 5, wherein: said roof substrate comprises a corrugated metal roof deck.

Claim 10

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips are fabricated from a plastic material chosen from the group of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, nylon, and polyester.

Claim 11

A building structure system, comprising: a building structure substrate; a building member disposed upon said building structure substrate; a flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane disposed upon said building member so as to seal said building member and said building structure substrate against liquid penetration, and capable of being affixed to said building structure substrate by means of a plurality of mechanical fasteners arranged in a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows; a plurality of narrow, elongated, superimposed, flexibly resilient, plastic batten fastening strips, separate and distinct from said sheet membrane and identical with respect to each other in that said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips exhibit the same flexibility, resiliency, and bendability properties, disposed atop said sheet membrane at locations where said mechanical fasteners are disposed such that at least one of said superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips extends longitudinally between successive ones of said mechanical fasteners disposed within said plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows; and a plurality of mechanical fasteners for penetrating said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips, said sheet membrane, said building member, and said substrate, so as to fix said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips, said sheet membrane, and said building member to said substrate, in such a manner that sidewall portions of holes defined within said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips and disposed about shank portions of said mechanical fasteners all flexibly and resiliently engage said shank portions of said mechanical fasteners in order to increase pull-out resistance of said mechanical fasteners with respect to said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips.

Claim 12

A building structure system, comprising: a building structure substrate; a building member disposed upon said building structure substrate; a flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane disposed upon said building member so as to seal said building member and said building structure substrate against liquid penetration, and capable of being affixed to said building structure substrate by means of a plurality of mechanical fasteners arranged in a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows; a plurality of narrow, elongated, superimposed, flexibly resilient, plastic batten fastening strips, separate and distinct from said sheet membrane and identical with respect to each other in that said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips exhibit the same flexibility, resiliency, and bendability properties, disposed atop said sheet membrane at locations where said mechanical fasteners are disposed such that at least one of said superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips extends longitudinally between successive ones of said mechanical fasteners disposed within said plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows; and a plurality of mechanical fasteners for penetrating said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips, said sheet membrane, said building member, and said substrate, so as to fix said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips, said sheet membrane, and said building member to said substrate, in such a manner that sidewall portions of holes defined within said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips and disposed about shank portions of said mechanical fasteners all flexibly and resiliently engage said shank portions of said mechanical fasteners in order to increase pull-out resistance of said mechanical fasteners with respect to said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips.

Claim 13

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein: said substrate comprises a corrugated metal roof deck.

Claim 14

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein: said fastening strips have substantially flat planar top and bottom surfaces.

Claim 15

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein: said fastening strips each have a thickness of less than 200 mils.

Claim 16

A system as set forth in claim 13, wherein: said thickness of each one of said separate and distinct fastening strips is approximately 25 mils.

Claim 17

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein: said building member comprises insulation.

Claim 18

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein each one of said fastening strips comprises a strip of an extruded and oriented composition comprising 80-97% by weight of polyethylene terephthalate, 3-20% of polypropylene, and 1-5% of a carboxylated polyolefin.

Claim 19

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein: each one of said fastening strips is approximately one inch wide.

Claim 20

A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein: said plurality of superimposed, plastic batten fastening strips comprise a plastic material selected from the group of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, nylon, and polyester.

Claim 23

A method as set forth in claim 19, wherein: said substrate is a roofing substrate and said building structure is a roofing structure.

Claim 24

A method as set forth in claim 19, wherein: said plastic batten fastening strip means is fabricated from a plastic material selected from the group of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, nylon, and polyester.

Claim 25

A building structure system, comprising: a building structure substrate; a flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane disposed upon said building structure substrate so as to seal said substrate against liquid penetration, said flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane being capable of being affixed to said substrate by means of a plurality of mechanical fasteners arranged in a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows; a flexibly resilient, plastic batten fastening strip means disposed upon said flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane and comprising at least two distinct layers identical with respect to each other, in cross-section at locations at which said mechanical fasteners are disposed, in that said at least two distinct layers of said plastic batten fastening strip means exhibit the same flexibility, resiliency, and bendability properties; and a plurality of mechanical fasteners for penetrating said plastic batten fastening strip means comprising said at least two distinct layers of said plastic batten fastening strip means, said underlying water-impervious sheet membrane, and said substrate so as to securely fasten said water-impervious sheet membrane to said substrate.

Claim 26

A building structure system, comprising: a building structure substrate; a flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane disposed upon said building structure substrate so as to seal said substrate against liquid penetration, said flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane being capable of being affixed to said substrate by means of a plurality of mechanical fasteners arranged in a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rows; a flexibly resilient, plastic batten fastening strip means disposed upon said flexible, water-impervious sheet membrane and comprising at least two distinct layers identical with respect to each other, in cross-section at locations at which said mechanical fasteners are disposed, in that said at least two distinct layers of said plastic batten fastening strip means exhibit the same flexibility, resiliency, and bendability properties; and a plurality of mechanical fasteners for penetrating said plastic batten fastening strip means comprising said at least two distinct layers of said plastic batten fastening strip means, said underlying water-impervious sheet membrane, and said substrate so as to securely fasten said water-impervious sheet membrane to said substrate.

Claim 27

A building structure system as set forth in claim 22, wherein: said substrate is a roofing substrate and said building structure is a roofing structure.

Claim 28

A system as set forth in claim 22, wherein: said plastic batten fastening strip means comprises a plastic material selected from the group of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, nylon, and polyester.