METAL SHINGLE SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIOISI

There have been various designs for metal- roofing shingles. These metal shingles typically attempt to replicate the aesthetic properties of traditional slate and cedar shingles while maintaining a degree of weather resistance expected with steep slope roofing products. Numerous patents have been granted on variations of these shingles, all of which attempt to create a substantially weather resistant metal shingle. Examples of these shingles can be found in U.S. Patent 503,173 (Spahmer) , 1,597,993 (Meurer) , 1,743,206 (Fulenwider et al) , 1,876,597 (Bennett), 5,469,680 (Hunt), and 5,832,686 (Plath et al) .

The Spahmer patent discloses a single course shingle system where the opposing sides of each shingle are bent to create interlocking folds. Similarly, the top and bottom edge of each shingle are optionally bent to create interlocking folds. These shingles can tlien be assembled together by inserting the left edge of "the shingle into the right edge of a previously installed shingle, while inserting the bottom edge into the top edge of a second previously installed shingle. The Spahmer patent discloses cutting the metal away in each, of the corners to facilitate the process of creating folds along each edge. As a result, the corners of the shingles are susceptible to leakage in the event of: severe weather conditions.

The Meurer patent discloses a single course shingle system where the left side of each sh±ngle contains a tongue and the right side of each shiLngle contains a corresponding groove. Also present on the right side is a nailing strip designed so as to facilitate the

installation process. In this patent, upper rows of shingles overlap the adjacent lower row, however, there is no interlocking mechanism between these two rows . As a result, the shingle is susceptible to leakage during severe weather conditions when water may be blown upwardly between the rows .

The Fulenwider patent discloses a single course shingle system where each shingle has opposing side edg ^~ es that define corresponding shoulders, an underturαed bottom edge and an overturned top edge. The overturn,ed top edge is secured to a separately formed lock fastener. The slightly upturned lip of the lock fastener engag ^~ es with the underturned bottom edge of the shingle directly above it. However, the lock fastener does not create an adequate seal and therefore the shingle is susceptible to leakage during severe weather conditions.

The Bennett patent discloses a single course shing ^~ le system where each shingle has opposing overturned and underturned side edges and an underturned bottom edge. A dam strip is used to secure the top edge of the shinc _f le to the roof. Nail holes are provided in the flat surface of the shingle, where they are overlapped by the adjacent upper row of shingles. This system is susceptible to leakage through the nail holes and along the dam strrip during server weather conditions, when water may be blown upwardly between the rows.

The Hunt patent discloses a single course shincjle system where each shingle has an overturned top edge and a corresponding underturned bottom edge, which is used to interlock adjacent rows of shingles. A joint pan is placed under adjacent shingles. This joint pan guides any water that leaks through onto the lower row of shingles. However, this system is still susceptible to leakage whien water is blown upwardly on the joint pan.

The Plath patent discloses a single course shingle system in which a gutter is formed in the trailing edge by creating an "s" shaped fold. The opposing edge is not folded and is inserted into the "s" shaped fold as the shingles are installed. The top edge is overturned, and the bottom edge has a corresponding underturn. The underturn at the bottom edge of each row of shingles interconnects with the overturn at the top edge of the lower row of shingles. The gutter helps guide water from between adjacent shingles down onto the outer surface of the lower row. However, the upper edge of the gutter is not folded, so leakage can occur if water is blown upwardly through the gutter during severe weather conditions.

Because of the inherent stiffness and formability of metal, creating a water-resistant metal shingle system that does not leak is a difficult undertaking. The installation of such a roofing system is also difficult. Each of the aforementioned patents attempts to solve some aspect of these shortcomings. ,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems of the prior art have been overcome by the present invention, which provides a metal shingle system which is resistant to leakage, even under severe weather conditions. The key attribute of the new system occurs at the intersection point between the top edge and the side edge of the shingle. This design innovation ensures that moisture (or water) cannot flow upward and seep under the shingle course above. Briefly, the top edcfe is overturned and the bottom edge is underturned such that each row of shingles can be horizontally

interconnected. In addition, one side edge is folded to form a gutter area into which water that seeps between laterally adjacent shingles is collected and drained onto the lower row of shingles. By overturning the top edge, as well as the top of the gutter area, this ^' moisture block is extended into the gutter region and ensures that moisture is collected and drained onto the lower row of shingles . Also disclosed is a useful tool for forming the cut edge of the shingles, such as is needed at the end of the roofline and around roof penetrations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a top view of a shingle in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of a shingle in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the shingle in

Figure 1 taken along line A-A;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the shingle in

Figure 1 taken along line B-B;

Figure 5 is a perspective cross sectional view of a mounting tab of the shingle in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a perspective cross sectional view showing the interconnection of two shingles in adjacent rows;

Figure 7 is a side view showing the interconnection of two shingles at the mounting tab;

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the upper right edge of the shingle in Figure 1;

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the lower right edge of the shingle in Figure 1;

Figure 10 is a side view showing the interconnection of two adjacent shingles in the same row;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the pliers used in the present invention to bend the shingle of Figure 1;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the pliers used in the present invention to bend the shingle of Figure 1; and

Figure 13 is a perspective view of a shingle bent using the pliers of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows a top view of a first embodiment of the metal shingle of the present invention. Metal shingle 10 is designed such that preferably about 8.625 inches of each metal shingle, as measured from top to bottom is exposed., and is preferably about 40.75 inches wide, although other sizes and ratios are acceptable. The preferred height and width of the exposed area are selected to simulate the appearance of traditional shingles. It provides installers with a metal shingle that is dimensionally similar to that which they use today. The width of the shingle can vary, if desired. Greater widths allow faster installation, since there are fewer shingles to install. Greater widths also allow higher metal utilization. However, greater shingle widths can be awkward to work with, especially in cases where there are gables and other irregularities in the roofing surface.

Shingle 10 has a top surface 15, which may be unfinished as in the case of copper, or preferably painted or otherwise decorated so as to resemble a cedar shingle. In the preferred embodiment, the top surface has a plurality of indentations 40 oriented longitudinally from the top edge 20 to the bottom edge 30 so as to give

the appearance of multiple individual shingles, each roughly 4 to 8 inches in width, although these dimension can. vary.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of metal shingle 10. In this embodiment, the dimensions are the same as those in Figure 1. However, the longitudinal indentations are spaced at different intervals than those of the first embodiment. In the preferred implementation, roofing installations would employ a combination of these embodiments so as to provide a random appearance when installed. While two specific embodiments are shown here, many others are possible, and the invention is not limited to solely these two embodiments. Additionally, more than two different embodiments can be employed to provide a more random appearance, if desired.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of metal shingle 10. Top edge 11 is folded over top surface 15 so as to form a first C shape 21. Bottom edge 12 is folded under top surface 15 so as to form a second C shape 22. During installation, the C shape 22 created by the bottom edge 12 of one shingle is engaged with the C shape 21 created by the top edge 11 of the shingle on the next lower row, which was previously installed. This interconnection method is well known to those skilled in the art. Figure 6 illustrates this interconnection, with the C shape 21 of the lower shingle 70 interlocking with the C shape 22 of the upper shingle 71.

As is best seen in Figure 5, mounting ■ tabs 50 protrude from top edge 11. Mounting tab 50 has a top edge 51 _r near which a hole 52 is located. The top surface 54 of the mounting tab 50 has an inclined portion 55 below the hole 52 so as to be raised above the roofing surface. A second level portion 56 is formed below the inclined portion 55. The tab is then folded under the second level

surface 56 so as to form a protrusion 57 at roughly a 45 degree angle to level surface 56. The metal is then folded onto itself, along the underside of protrusion 57. At this point, the metal is bent to form C shape 21 of metal shingle 10, as exists along the remainder of the top edge of the metal shingle as shown in Figure 2. The assembly is secured to the roofing surface by nailing through hole 52. In the preferred embodiment, mounting bracket 50 i_s an integral part of metal shingle 10. However, other embodiments are envisioned. In an attempt to optimize trie use of sheet metal, the mounting tabs can be produced as separate pieces and secured to the metal shingles in a. number of ways, such as, but not limited to, welding, pressure fitting, and gluing. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although the mounting tabs 50 are preferred for securing each shingle to the roof, they are shown for illustrative purposes .only and other means of securing the shingles to the roofing could be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention..

In the preferred embodiment, the metal shingle of the upper row "clicks" into place when interconnected with the metal shingle of the previous row. Figure 7 illustrates the relative placement of the two shingles when they are locked in place. Lower shingle 70 is attached to the roofing surface using mounting tab 50. The C shape 22 of upper shingle 71 is appropriately positioned on lower shingle 70 and then moved toward C shape 21 of lower shingle 70 (i.e., upper shingle 71 is moved in the direction of arrow 75 in Figure 7) . As it moves into position, top edge 12 contacts protrusion 57 of the lower shingle. Further movement of the upper shingle 70 causes the protrusion to contract, and once top edge 12 has moved past protrusion 57, the protrusion

will return to its natural position. Typically, as the protrusion returns to its natural position, a "click" will be heard and/or felt, thus alerting the installer that the shingles are properly interconnected.

Referring to Figure 4, metal shingle 10 has a left, or trailing, edge 13, -which is not folded, except along the top edge 11 and bottom edge 12 as described above. The right, or leading, edge 14 is first turned up in the direction of the top suxface 15 of the shingle. The right side is then bent to form an S fold 60 approximately 1.5 inches from the edge. This S fold 60 receives the left edge of the adjacent shingle. Figure 4 shows S fold 60 and upturned fold 61 at right edge 14. The area between S fold 60 and upturned fold 61 creates a gutter 62 into which water that has leaked between adjacent shingles is captured. This S fold is created along the entire edge (length) of shingle IO, including the areas where top edge 11 is folded over and bottom edge 12 is folded under. Thus, gutter 62 extends the entire length of the shingle. At the top edge 11, the gutter 62 combines with overturn C shape 21, as shown in Figure 8. At the bottom edge 12, the gutter combines with underturned C shape 22, as shown in Figure 9. Since the bottom edge 12 is underturned, water that has accumulated in the gutter 62 is able to spill onto the top surface 15 of the shingle in the lower row.

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the upper right corner of shingle 10. As described earlier, an S shaped fold 60 is created at a location spaced from the right edge. The right edge of the metal shingle is then folded to form upturned fold 61. The space between the S fold on one side and the upturned right edge on the other side defines the gutter 62. As a result, the particular spacing of the S shaped fold defines the width of gutter

62. A unique feature of this roofing- shingle is that both S fold 60 and upturned edge 61 are also incorporated in the bending operation that creates C shape 21 along top edge 11. To create this shingle,- the blank travels through a multi-station tooling di_e that performs the folding in a series of sequential operations . In each of the stations there is one or more folds being accomplished and in most instances ^■ work is being done to both the vertical and horizontal edges . The folding operation comprises a number of stations to complete the edges.

In many previous metal shingles, this gutter extended only to the point at whLch the C shape fold begins. With such conventional shingles, in severe weather conditions, water that is collected in the gutter can be blown upward. Therefore, since the C shape bend does not exist in traditional shingles, there is nothing to block this upward movement of the water. ^' Thus, it simply drips off the top edge of the gutter and therefore contacts the roofing surface, resulting in potential leaks.

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the lower right corner of shingle 10. Gutter 62 is formed between S fold 60 and upturned edge 61. Near the bottom of the metal shingle, the right edge meets the C shape 22 formed at the bottom edge 12. As in the case of the upper right corner, the gutter is also formed into the same underturned C shape 22 as the rest of the bottom edge. Using this configuration, any water that is captured in the gutter 62 will be directed onto the top surface of the shingle in the adjacent lower row. This prevents leakage, as the water always remains on top of the shingles.

Figure 10 illustrates the connection between two adjacent shingles in a row when installed on a roofing

surface. The left edge 13 of right shingle 100 is inserted into the S fold 60. The upturned right end 61 of left shingle 101 creates a barrier which prevents water from escape from the gutter 62. Typically, upturned right end 61 contacts the bottom surface 16 of right sh.ingle 100, providing a further barrier to leakage between the mated shingles .

A second shortcoming to the metal shingle systems currently available is maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the roofing materials along the edge o f the roof and around roof penetrations when the metal is terminated (cut), exposing an undesirable cut edge. This exposed cut must be hemmed or concealed to prevent rust from forming along the cut edge. Simply hemming the edge back on itself is not aesthetically accepted in residential roofing. Metal shingles are typd_cally designed in such a way that the lower portion o± the shingle is formed to sit above the roofing surfage, while the upper portions rests directly on the roofing surface, as shown in Figure 3. In this figure, the top surface of the shingle near C shape 21 rests directly on the roofing surface, while the top surface of the shingle near C shape 22 is elevated above the roofing surface. This gives the appearance of cascaded cedar shingles, where each rests on the one below it. A specific shortcoming with this implementation is the shape of the shingle near the edges, specifically when the shingle needs "to be trimmed to fit into the desired space.

Traditional bending devices are made with long, flat edges. While preferable in most applications, it creates a misshaped, aesthetically displeasing edge on the shingle during installation. It is preferably that the shingle retains its asymmetric appearance, wherre it appears thicker toward the bottom edge than at th_e top

edge. This is not possible using traditional flat edged bending devices .

A solution to this shortcoming is the development of bending devices, such as the pliers shown in Figure 11, that are designed to bend the shingle in such a way so as to retain the asymmetric appearance as shown in Figure 13. Preferably, this is done by having the thickness of either the upper or lower jaw of the pliers increase linearly from one side to the other. In this way, the edge is gripped by the pliers, which then bend the metal into two angles. As an example, using the pliers of Figure 11, the metal shingle is gripped between the jaws, with the top surface of the shingle in contact with the lower jaw 150. As shown in Figure 13, this gripped portion becomes folded-under edge 170. As the pliers are rotated downwardly with respect to the top surface of the shingle, a first angle 174 is created between folded- under edge 170 and sidewall 171, which corresponds to the angle between the flat surface 152 and the front surface 153 of the upper jaw 151. As the pliers continue rotating, a second angle 175 is created between sidewall 171 and top surface 176, which corresponds to the angle between the front surface 153 and the top surface 154 of the upper jaw 151. Since the upper jaw is thicker at end 156 than at end 155, the shingle is bent such that it is thicker on that end than on the other. Thus, the sidewall 171 is thicker at end 173 than it is at end 172, thereby preserving the asymmetric appearance of the shingle. Knowing that the shingle was placed in the pliers with its top surface in contact with the lower jaw, this plier is properly configured to create the proper angle when used on the left side of the metal shingle.

In order to properly bend the right edge of a metal shingle, it is necessary that a tool be created in which

the upper jaw is formed with the thicker side at 155 and the thinner side at 156. While possible, it presents a drawback to installers, who are now forced to carry two similar, but different, bending tools in order to properly install a metal shingle system.

Figure 12 illustrates a second embodiment of these pliers. Figure 12 shows a single set of pliers that can be used to create a suitable bend for both the left and right edges of a metal shingle. Lower jaw 150 of the pliers remains unchanged in this embodiment. However, upper jaw 160 is modified. The upper jaw 160 increases in thickness from end 155 toward the center. Similarly, it increases in thickness from end 156 toward the center. Rotationally affixed to the center of upper jaw 160 is rotating block 161. Rotating block 161 is designed to pivot about axis 162 such that it can positioned toward side 155 or on side 156. Structurally, its lower edge is sloped downward at the same angle as the portion of the upper jaw upon which it rests. Its upper edge is sloped upward at the same angle as the portion of the upper jaw which remains exposed. In this manner, the rotating block 161, in conjunction with the exposed portion of the upper jaw create a flat inclined surface. When the rotating block 161 is rotated to cover the previously exposed part of the upper jaw 160, it creates a second inclined flat surface. By rotating the block in this manner, the pliers can be readily adapted to bend either side of the metal shingle.

As previously described, rotating block 161 has two utilitarian positions. Preferably, a mechanism exists by which the rotating block 161 is held in place in each of these positions. One such mechanism is illustrated in Figure 12. In this embodiment, rotating block 161 is held in place via a fastener 163, which extends through a hole

164 in the rotating block and a hole 165 in the upper jaw 160. Preferably, a keyhole-shaped hole is used such that the fastener can fit through the hole and then slidingly engage. While this is the preferred embodiment, others are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.