Patent Application
20070068108
This invention relates to an improved roofing product, and in particular, to a single layer roofing material having color gradients or gradations to create the illusion of thickness or depth on a relatively flat surface.
Asphalt roofing products are often divided into three broad groups: shingles, roll roofing and underlayment. Shingles and roll roofing typically function as outer roof coverings designed to withstand exposure to weather and the elements. Shingles and roll roofing generally contain the same basic components which provide protection and long term wear associated with asphalt roofing products. These components include a base material made from an organic felt or fiberglass mat which serves as a matrix to support the other components and gives the product the required strength to withstand manufacturing, handling, installation and service in the intended environment. An asphalt coating formulated for the particular service application is often applied to the base material to provide the desired long-term ability to resist weathering and to provide stability under the anticipated temperature extremes. An outer layer of mineral granules is also commonly applied to the asphalt coating to form a surface exposed to the weather which shields the asphalt coating from the sun's rays, adds color to the final product and provides fire resistance.
Asphalt shingles are one of the most commonly used roofing materials. Such shingles are typically manufactured as single layer strip shingles, laminated shingles having two or more layers, interlocking shingles and large individual shingles in a variety of weights and colors. Such asphalt shingles are also often referred to as composite shingles. Even though composite and/or asphalt shingles offer significant cost, service life and flammability advantages over wood shingles, wood shingles are still often preferred due to the pleasing aesthetic appearance of a wood shingled roof. An important aesthetic advantage of such wood shingles is their greater thickness as compared to composite shingles. The thickness of wood shingles results in a more pleasing, layered look for the finished roof.
Various composite shingles have been developed to provide an appearance of thickness comparable to wood shingles. Examples of such composite or asphalt shingles are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,456 entitled Roofing Composite; U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,020 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0097811 entitled Multi-layered Shingle and Method of Making Same; U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,235 entitled Method and Apparatus for Making a Thick-Appearing Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,648 entitled Laminated Roofing Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,843 entitled Thick-Appearing Shingle and Method and Apparatus for Making Same; U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,847 entitled Laminated Roofing Shingle Having Staggered Shadow Lines and Method of Making the Same; U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,858 entitled Multihued Shingle Sheet; U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,943 entitled Hurricane Resistant Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,776 entitled Laminated Roofing Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,385 entitled Shingle With Slots and Method of Making Same; U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,186 entitled Laminated Roofing Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,929 entitled Laminated Roofing Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,530 entitled Method of Making a Thick Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,614 entitled Asphalt Shingle; U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,358 entitled Composite Shingle; and design and U.S. Pat. No. D309,027 entitled Tab Portion of a Shingle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,456 describes a roofing composite including a roofing material and an interply material attached to the roofing material. The interplay material is attached to an edge of the roofing material and is scored to permit a major portion of the interply material to be folded away from the roofing material for application to a roof. The drawings of the '456 patent include embodiments that show coloration to enhance the appearance of thickness in the laminated roofing shingles attached to the interply material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,020 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0097811 describe laminated shingles having dragon teeth, wherein the laminated portion of the shingle enhances the thickness of the dragon teeth region.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,467,235 and 6,212,843 describe shingles with tabs that have a thickened appearance. The tabs include visually distinct shading areas that are transverse and vertical to a center region of the tab, which gives the tab a thicker appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,847 describes a laminated shingle having an underlay and an overlay. The overlay has a plurality of spaced apart tabs and portions of the underlay are exposed between the spaces of the tabs. The tabs of the overlay have granules that provide an alternating pattern of color from top to bottom of dark, light and dark. The portion of the underlay that is exposed between the spaces of the tabs has a granule pattern such that from top to bottom the pattern is dark then light. The laminated shingles have an enhanced three-dimensional appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,858 describes a shingle having spaced apart tabs. The shingle includes a top section that has an upper un-exposable portion and a lower exposable portion. The lower exposable portion has a horizontal band of distinguishable color patterns. The shingle also has a tab portion with a plurality of tabs wherein each of the tabs is of a distinguishable color pattern. When the shingle is applied to a structure, the exposable portion of the top section is seen between tabs such that different colors are seen from tab to the exposed lower portion of the top section, to the tab, etc., thus providing a multi-hued appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,943 describes a hurricane resistant laminated shingle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,369,929, 5,666,776 and 6,289,648 describe laminated shingles having a headlap section and a buttlap section with a least one portion of the buttlap section being relatively uniform in color and another portion of the buttlap section having a color gradient or gradation from light to dark, wherein an illusion of depth is created on the portion of the buttlap section having the color gradient. The relatively uniform color section of the buttlap may be formed on tabs or dragon teeth on an overlay of the laminated section whereas the color gradient is formed on an underlay of the laminated shingle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,385 describes a shingle having areas of differing colors that are disposed horizontally on an exposable lower portion of the shingle. Slots are created between the differing colors to create tabs with a visual demarcation of color between the adjacent areas. The upper portion of the shingle, which is largely unexposable, is darker in color than the lower portion. When the shingle is applied to the roof the lower portion overlaps the upper portion and the darker color of the upper portion is visible through the slots, thus creating a greater visual demarcation between adjacent tabs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,186 describes a laminated shingle having a headlap section and a buttlap section with a least one portion of the buttlap section being relatively uniform in color and another portion of the buttlap section having a value gradation from light to dark, wherein an illusion of depth is created on the portion of the buttlap section having the color gradient. A desired value gradation is achieved with a plurality of horizontal striations with transition stripes disposed between adjacent horizontal striations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,232,530, 4,717,614 and 3,921,358 describe laminated shingles with a thickened appearance due to the backing adhered to the shingle.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D309,027 describes a single layer shingle with tabs having varying color bands.
Each of the above-referenced patents is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes within this application.
In accordance with the present invention, a single layer roofing material is provided which, when installed on a roof, creates the illusion of an enhanced thickness laminated shingle. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a color gradient or gradation is placed on a portion of the roofing material to create the illusion of thickness or depth on a relatively flat surface. The resulting roofing material, when installed, has the appearance of depth or thickness associated with, for example, wood shingles. The single layer or single layer roofing materials of the present invention have tabs or dragon teeth extending from a headlap portion of the roofing material.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a roofing material is provided having tabs and a headlap wherein the tabs and a portion of the headlap, when the roofing material is installed on a roof, are exposed surfaces or weather surfaces. The tabs have alternating portions of relatively uniform color adjacent to exposed headlap portions having a colored gradient from light to dark. If desired, the relatively uniform color portions of the tabs may vary in contrast with respect to each other. In one embodiment of the present invention the tab portion of the roofing material has a plurality of dragon teeth or tabs with openings therebetween. Each dragon tooth preferably has a relatively uniform color. In other embodiments, each dragon tooth may have color variations. When the single layer roofing material of the invention is applied to a roof deck in the form of a shingle, the headlap of a first shingle is partially covered by the dragon teeth of the tab portion of a second shingle and partially exposed by the openings between the dragon teeth. The exposed portions of the headlap preferably have a color gradient from light to dark to create the illusion of depth. The color gradient may be formed by a plurality of horizontal striations on the headlap. The number and width of horizontal striations formed on the headlap may be varied to provide the desired transition in color and contrast from light to dark to create the illusion of depth or thickness. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, transition stripes may be disposed between horizontal striations to provide a value gradation with enhanced differences in contrast on portions of the headlap. The use of transition stripes can prevent the enhanced difference in contrast from presenting a confused or disjointed appearance.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in which:
The preferred embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to
Single layer shingle 10 incorporating one embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Referring again to
Depending upon the desired application and appearance of each shingle 10, tabs 32 may have equal or different widths and may have a square, rectangular, trapezoidal, or any other desired geometric configuration. In the same respect, openings 34 may have equal or different widths and may have a square, rectangular, trapezoidal or any other desired geometric configuration. As will be explained later in more detail, single layer shingles 10 may be formed from a single sheet 80 of roofing material with tabs 32 and openings 34 formed as a “reverse image” of each other, as shown in
For one embodiment of the present invention, single layer shingle 10 may be formed from a fiberglass mat (not shown) with an asphalt coating on both sides of the mat. If desired, the present invention may also be used with shingles formed from organic felt or other types of base material, including but not limited to synthetic mats or synthetic glass/hybrid mats having an appropriate coating. Nonlimiting embodiments of coatings include, asphalt and modified bituminous coatings based on atactic polypropylene (APP), styrene-butadiane-styrene (SBS), styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS), amorphous polyalpha olefin (APAO), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), synthetic rubber or other asphaltic modifiers.
Referring to
An important feature of the present invention includes providing a plurality of horizontal striations on the surface of headlap 20 which is exposed through openings 34. For the embodiment of the present invention shown in
The number of horizontal striations and the width of each striation on headlap 20 may be varied depending upon the desired aesthetic appearance of the resulting single layer shingle 10. In certain embodiments, the color gradient formed on headlap 20 may include as few as two striations or more than a dozen striations, with each striation having a width of one quarter of an inch to one half of an inch. However, it is appreciated by the skilled artisan that the number and width of each striation will differ depending on the particular desired appearance and depending on the size and shape of the roofing material. Also, each striation may have a different color and tone to establish the desired amount of contrast. Contrast for purposes of this patent application is defined as the degree of difference in the tone or shading between areas of lightest and darkest color.
In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in
For some applications, a gradual change in contrast associated with a large number of striations may provide the appearance of depth or thickness associated with wood or other natural products. Also, the amount or degree of contrast in the color-value gradient exposed in each opening 34 may be varied depending upon the desired aesthetic appearance. An important feature of the present invention is the ability to vary the color gradient and the amount of contrast to provide the desired illusion or appearance of thickness on the finished roof.
Referring now to
As best shown in
Sheet 80 is preferably formed from a fiberglass mat placed on a jumbo roll (not shown) having a width corresponding to sheet 80. Single layer shingles 10 are typically fabricated in a continuous process starting with the jumbo roll of fiberglass mat. As previously noted, single layer shingle 10 may also be fabricated using organic felt or other types of base material.
Sheet 80 shown in
Top surface 82 is preferably coated with a layer of mineral granules such as ceramic-coated stone granules to provide the desired uniform color portions and the color gradient portions associated with weather surface 42.
For the embodiment shown in
As illustrated in
As shown by dotted line 84 in
The cut along dotted line 86 corresponds with the desired pattern for dragon teeth 32 and associated openings 34. For some applications, six horizontal lengths or lanes may be cut from a sheet of roofing material similar to sheet 80. The number of lanes is dependent upon the width of the respective sheet of roofing material and the desired width of the resulting shingles.
As shown in
As shown in
It is important to note that conventional procedures for fabricating shingles having an exterior surface formed by mineral granules include the use of granule blenders and color mixers, along with other sophisticated equipment to ensure a constant uniform color at each location on the exposed portions of the shingles. Procedures may be used to ensure that each color drop on a sheet of roofing material is uniform. The color drop between shingles may be varied to provide different shades or tones in color.
The difference in calorimetric readings between the lightest and the darkest value or the contrast between horizontal striations 22 and 26 may vary substantially. A colorimeter or other suitable testing equipment may be used to measure the value of light or dark contrast associated with horizontal striations 22 and 26 to evaluate the desired difference in value or contrast between the respective striations. The colorimeter measures units of color (L) as a measure of light reflectance from 0 (black) to 100 (white). L is a standard measurement unit of color that has been defined by the International Commission on Illumination (abbreviated CIE based on its French name). In one embodiment, the difference in calorimeter readings between the lightest value and the darkest value or the contrast between horizontal striations 22 and 26 may vary from approximately two (2) L to approximately thirty (30) L depending on the selected generic color and its associated tone. In another embodiment, the contrast between horizontal striations 22 and 26 may vary from approximately four (4) L to approximately twelve (12) L depending on the selected generic color and its associated tone.
Transition stripe 122 may be formed from a relatively uniform mixture of approximately fifty percent (50%) ceramic coated mineral granules associated with horizontal striation 22 and approximately fifty percent (50%) ceramic coated mineral granules associated with horizontal striation 24. In the same respect, transition stripe 124 may be formed from a relatively uniform mixture of the respective ceramic-coated mineral granules used to form horizontal striations 24 and 26.
For other applications, the ratio of ceramic coated mineral granules from adjacent horizontal striations may be varied from twenty-five percent (25%) to seventy-five percent (75%). The present invention allows the specific ratio of mineral granules used to form each transition stripe to be varied depending upon the specific color and value of the adjacent horizontal striations. Thus, the present invention allows the use of transition stripes 122 and 124 to provide a subtle graduation or change in value between of the adjacent horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26.
Each horizontal striation 22, 24 and 26 along with the associated transition stripes 122 and 124, may be formed from mineral granules having the same generic color or tone, such as brown, gray, red, blue, yellow or black. Horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26 are preferably formed from the selected generic color having respective variations of the generic color with a light, medium and dark value. As noted above, a colorimeter or other suitable testing equipment may be used to measure the value of light or dark contrast associated with horizontal striations 22 and 26.
Generally, the greater the difference in contrast the more aesthetically appealing the resulting shingle. However, for some applications, a large difference in contrast or value between horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26 without an appropriate gradation in value between these striations will create a confused and disjointed appearance. The unpleasant appearance may be a striped or “zebra” effect. Therefore, an important feature of the present invention includes providing transition stripes 122 and 124 between the associated horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26.
The acceptable difference in contrast between horizontal striations 22 and 26 depends in part upon the generic color and tone selected for the specific laminated shingle 10. For example, the preferred contrast in value for some color tones may be as high as eighteen (18) while for other color tones, the contrast value may be eight (8) or nine (9).
The present invention includes the ability to vary the mixture of the ceramic coated mineral granules used to form transition stripes 122 and 124 to provide the desired subtle, gradual change in value between horizontal striations 22 and 26, while at the same time having a large value gradation. For a typical group of color tones, such as brown, gray, red, blue, yellow and black, an acceptable range of color contrast or value gradation may be from six (6) to eleven (11). By including transition stripes 122 and 124 between horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26, the acceptable range for the value gradation for the same family of colors may be increased from nine (9) to eighteen (18). Thus, the use of transition stripes in accordance with the teachings of the present inventions allows use of a higher value gradation for the same color tone.
Each tab 32 may have essentially the same uniform value and/or color or may be of a differing value and/or color. The present invention allows shingle 10 to have a weather surface 42 with enhanced value gradations represented by horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26 and their associated transition stripes 122 and 124 disposed between relatively uniform value portions represented by tabs 32.
As previously noted transition stripe 122 is preferably disposed between horizontal striations 22 and 24 and transition stripe 124 is preferably disposed between horizontal striations 24 and 26. For purposes of illustration only, horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26 are shown in
Transitions stripes 122 and 124, as best shown in
Different colored mineral granules corresponding to the desired horizontal striations 22, 24 and 26 may be placed in the appropriate compartments 92, 94 and 96 for one embodiment of the present invention. As sheet 80 passes under hopper 90, mineral granules from the appropriate compartment in hopper 90 will fall onto top surface 82 of sheet 80. Roller 86 will then press the mineral granules into the associated asphalt coating. The volume or pounds per square foot of mineral granules placed on surface 82 is preferably the same throughout the full width of sheet 80. However, by dividing hopper bin 90 into compartments, the color and/or value of various portions of sheet 80 may be varied including providing horizontal striations 22, 24, and 26 and transition stripes 122 and 124 for headlap 20.
It is important to note that conventional procedures for fabricating shingles having an exterior surface formed by mineral granules include the use of granule blenders and color mixers, along with sophisticated equipment to ensure a constant uniform color drop at each location on the exposed portions of the shingles. Extensive procedures are used to ensure that each color drop on a sheet of roofing material is uniform. The color drop between shingles may be varied to provide different shades or tones in color. However, within each color drop, concerted efforts have traditionally been made to insure uniformity of the color on the resulting shingle associated with each color drop.
As shown by dotted line 84 in
The cut along dotted line 84 corresponds with the desired pattern for dragon teeth 32 and associated openings 34. For some applications, six lanes may be cut from a sheet of roofing material similar to sheet 80. The number of lanes is dependent upon the width of the respective sheet of roofing material and the desired width of the resulting shingles.
As shown in
In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in
In accordance with the invention, the exposure zone 224 comprises a color gradient thereon which is preferably comprised of a plurality of horizontal striations. The non-exposure zone 222 may be covered with roofing granules in any manner known in the art. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the width of the headlap portion is approximately 2 inches greater than the width of the tab portion. For example, the single layer shingle of the invention may be 12 inches wide having a tab portion 30 that is 5 inches wide and a headlap portion 20 that is 7 inches wide, wherein the exposure zone 224 of the headlap portion is 5 inches wide and the non-exposure zone 222 of the headlap portion is 2 inches wide.
Because the roofing material of the present invention can be made from a single sheet of roofing material, i.e. not a composite or a laminated shingle, the roofing material of the present invention has several advantages, such as ease of manufacturing, packaging, and installing. The roofing material may also be less costly to manufacture and transport than laminated shingles that seek to achieve the same visual result. The single layer roofing material of the present invention may also be manufactured in the form of roll roofing, which further improves the advantages indicated above.
In one embodiment, the roofing material of the present invention is manufactured as roll roofing (i.e. a continuous sheet) with a self-adhesive backing for ease of installation on a roof deck or other surface. A protective membrane or release paper may be included that covers the self-adhesive coating. This membrane may be removed during installation to provide a peel and stick roofing product. The self-adhesive backing may be any type of material that can act as a water barrier, such as asphalt, preferably an aggressive asphalt sealant. Examples of asphalt that can be used include oxidized, unoxidized, rubberized, filled and unfilled, virtually any asphaltic compound which can be coated, mopped or sprayed and can act as an adhesive. One example of adhesive asphalt is peel-and-stick asphalt, also known as ice and snow shield, which is sold by numerous manufacturers including Koppers Industries, GAF Materials Corp., and G. S. Roofing. Peel-and-stick asphalt is traditionally a styrene-butadiene-styrene (“SBS”) modified very low viscosity asphalt that is typically employed with a release paper on one side of the asphalt.
In one embodiment, the self-adhesive backing may be applied to the entire underside of the roofing material of the present invention. In another embodiment, the self-adhesive backing may be applied to only a portion of the underside of the roofing material of the invention. Preferably, the self-adhesive backing is applied at least to the tab portion of the shingle. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the self-adhesive backing is applied to the tab portion and to part of the headlap portion above the tab portion. For example, the self-adhesive backing may be applied to the tab portion and to a continuous horizontal band of approximately one inch on the headlap portion adjacent to the tab portion on the headlap portion.
In one embodiment, the single layer roofing material is applied to a roof deck by nailing one end of the material to the roof deck, rolling the material out so that it is flat, aligning the material as desired, placing a few nails on the headlap to keep the material in the desired place, removing the release paper from the back of the roofing material, and sealing the roofing material to the roof deck via the self-adhesive backing.
The thickness of the single layer roofing material of the present invention may be enhanced by adding additional webs or membranes to the roofing material. For example, after a roll of membrane has passed under the granule hopper, as described above for
In one embodiment, the roofing material of the invention may have an exposure such as that described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/212,012, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
