Patent Application
20120036792
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to roofs and, more particularly, to a novel and highly effective roof that combines important advantages of flat roofs and pitched roofs and has features that make it especially desirable in situations where construction costs must be kept to a minimum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Roofs can be flat or pitched. Each type has advantages and disadvantages.
If other factors are equal, a flat roof is easier and less expensive to construct than a pitched roof. At the highest level of the supporting walls, a minimum of material and labor is required to construct a flat roof covering the space enclosed by the walls and protecting it against weather.
On the other hand, flat roofs do not shed rain very well. Rainwater accumulates in small pockets or indentations in a flat roof that are inevitable even in expensive structures and often quite noticeable in low-cost structures. Overlapping of tiles, shingles or rolls of roofing material in a flat roof provides inadequate protection against rain. This places a heavy burden on the waterproofing material employed.
A pitched roof sheds rain efficiently. Rainwater flows by gravity from a higher elevation, often but not necessarily near a midline of the roof, to a lower elevation at the roof's edge and falls from the roof's edge into a gutter or onto the ground.
On the other hand, a pitched roof requires for its support the construction atop the walls of one or more gables or similar structures, which are unnecessary in the case of a flat roof. Moreover, a pitched roof must have an area larger than the area of the space it covers; the steeper the pitch the greater the disparity between the roof area and the covered area. A pitched roof is also more dangerous to construct and repair than a flat roof because of the greater risk that a worker will slip and fall to the ground.
There is a need for a roof combining the advantages of flat and pitched roofs and avoiding their disadvantages, especially in situations where costs must be kept to a minimum.
An object of the invention is to provide a roof that remedies the deficiencies of the prior art noted above and in particular to provide a roof that has important advantages of both flat and pitched roofs while avoiding their major disadvantages.
In more detail, objects of the invention include providing a roof that:
A better understanding of the objects, features and advantages of the invention can be gained from a consideration of the following detailed description of its preferred embodiments, together with the appended drawings, wherein:
The roof 10 is typically not large, for example on the order of 3 by 7 meters, though of course it is in proportion to the area of the space it is designed to cover and protect. If the roof 10 has an overhang forming eves, which is a possibility but not a necessity in accordance with the invention, its area is somewhat larger than the area of the space it is designed to cover and protect, but smaller than the area of a pitched roof having the same overhang and designed to cover and protect the same area.
The roof 10 is substantially flat and comprises a plurality (34 in the example of
The contoured upper surfaces 14 of adjacent members 12 define between them a space 16 (
In accordance with the invention, a plurality (33 in the example of
The inserts 22 taper in abutting relation to the adjacent pair of contoured surfaces 14 to a narrow portion 28 that abuts the contoured surfaces 14 at a relatively low elevation 30 substantially at the ends 32 of the adjacent pair of log-shaped members 12. The inserts 22 therefore slope downward from the midline of the roof towards either opposite edge.
Even though the roof 10 is substantially flat, rain falling on it drains by gravity from the respective contoured upper surfaces 14 to the respective inserts 22 and from the inserts 22 towards the respective narrow portions 28 of the inserts and falls from the roof.
The shape of the contoured upper surfaces 14 is variable in accordance with the design of the building architect or contractor, but the choice of a cylindrical curvature simplifies manufacture of the log-shaped members at the building site. In any event, it is upwardly convex so that water flows by gravity from the surfaces 14 to the inserts 22.
If it is desired to drain rainwater to opposite edges 34 and 36 of the roof 10, as in
It provides a further advantage that can be seen in
That makes the inserts 22 usable in any of four positions: either side can face up and either end can be at either edge of the roof. This reduces the demands on the workers and speeds up and simplifies the construction.
It is of course also within the scope of the invention to displace the wide portions 24 of the inserts 22 towards or even at one edge 34 or 36 of the roof 10.
The inserts 22 are manufactured flat and have straight tapers. The spaces 16 have curved sides. This helps to ensure a snug fit between the inserts 22 and the logs 12. The taper of the inserts 22 is gradual, and both the inserts 22 and the logs 12 are made of one or more thin, flexible, elastic materials such as a light-gauge sheet metal or plastic that readily deforms as the inserts 22 are forced into the spaces 16.
Depending on the relative flexibility of the inserts 22 and the logs 12, either or both will deform. Specifically, either the inserts 22 may assume a trough shape with the concave side facing up, or the logs 12, if originally cylindrical in cross section, may assume a slightly oval shape. Or both effects may occur. Regardless of which effect occurs, the resulting elastic restoration force will hold the inserts 22 and the logs 12 tightly together.
It is also within the scope of the invention to make the edges of the inserts 22 between the wide portion 24 and each narrow portion 28 slightly concave, so that they fit into the spaces 16 without deforming either the inserts 22 or the logs 12.
The narrow portions 28 of the inserts 22 terminate in structure 38 enabling securing the ends of the inserts 22 adjacent to connectors 40. Applicant's patents identified above disclose connectors for “metalog” construction, and improvements therein may become the subject of one or more new patent applications.
To finish the roof, a conventional waterproofing material (not shown) is applied to the roof atop the log-shaped members 12 and the inserts 22.
Thus there is provided in accordance with the invention a novel and highly effective roof that combines important advantages of flat roofs and pitched roofs and has features that make it especially desirable in situations where construction costs must be kept to a minimum. Many modifications of the preferred embodiments of the roof disclosed herein will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of this disclosure. The invention extends to all structures and methods that fall within the scope of the appended claims.
