Patent Application
20230117195
The present invention relates to roofing products and methods, and more specifically to an ice and water shield having a sealable drip edge pocket.
Roof maintenance is important and may be difficult. Two risks that a roof is exposed to are ice dams and wind-driven rain. A roofing underlayment known as an ice and water shield may be used to protect several roof areas. Various products exist including Grace brand Ice and Water Shield™, Owens Corning brand WeatherLock™, Atlas brand WeatherMaster™, MFM IB3 IceBuster™, Alco Products 24/7 Ice and Water Shield™, and FT Synthetics Cobalt Ultra HT Ice and Water Shield™.
Also referred to as an ice and water protector, an ice and water shield is a self-adhesive waterproofing roof underlayment that acts as a shield against water and ice damage. An ice and water shield may be made of modified bitumen or asphalt (slip-resistant), which provides a watertight seal around the shingles and around roofing nail penetrations. Asphalt is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum.
Homeowners who live in colder climates are potentially more at risk when it comes to ice dam formation. Ice dams form because of the continuous melting and freezing of snow caused by the heat that escapes from your home. When the snow melts, this melted water runs down until it reaches the unheated bottom edge or soffit area of your roof. Once this melted water freezes, it becomes an ice dam. Without the proper roofing underlayment, ice dams can damage your roofing structure and walls.
Installing an ice and water shield allows the water to be drained safely off the roof, thus protecting your roof from damage. This water shield roofing underlayment can significantly improve water issues and ice dams.
Wind-driven rain is linked to ice dam formation and may even increase the likelihood of it. The cause of wind-driven rain is usually a strong storm such as a supercell or hurricane. The wind can push rainwater to flow beneath your roofing shingles. Having a typical ice and water shield installed may not entirely prevent this from happening, although it may lessen the chances of a water leak significantly.
An ice and water shield may include a rubberized membrane that sticks to and adheres to the roof deck. With a self-adhesive feature, an ice and water shield will stick to the roof sheathing, provide waterproofing, and protects the roof. For example, the ice and water shield may be a self-adhered roofing underlayment that is a membrane composed of two waterproofing materials, a rubberized asphalt adhesive backed by a layer of slip resistant coated high density cross laminated polyethylene film. The rubberized asphalt surface is backed with a release paper that protects its adhesive quality. During application, the release paper is removed, allowing the rubberized asphalt to bond to the roof deck. The product may be supplied in 3 ft wide rolls of varying lengths.
The eaves and roof edges are especially vulnerable to ice dams that will form near the gutter. An ice and water shield may be critical to have in these areas to help direct water into the gutter rather than penetrate through the nails and into your roofing structure. Installing an ice and water protector may be essential in the areas of chimneys, vents, skylights and flashings to protect the roof from wind-driven rain.
It is believed that the ice and water shield should be installed underneath the flashing or shingles to prevent these from entirely overlapping.
Roof drip edge flashing serves multiple functions on a building, the foremost of which is to assist water in leaving the roof edge with minimum damage to other building components by directing the water off of the roof and into the gutter. Without this detail, water leaving the roof edge may run down building fascias, soffits, and walls, sometimes even entering and damaging the structure. The drip edge also provides a nice straight edge with which to align roof shingles, slates or other roofing material. Drip edge varies in dimensions but typically the flange that nails to the roof surface is about 2.5″ wide and the vertical edge that directs roof runoff down and away is about 1.5″ in depth. Lengths of drip edge vary but typically it's sold in ten foot lengths (120″).
Some manufacturers of ice and water shield 10 recommend installing the product on the roof sheathing 12 under the drip edge 14 on eaves (e.g. as shown in
Thus, there is disagreement about the ice and water shield being installed over or under the drip edge, regardless of manufacturer recommendations. Whether the product is only installed under the drip edge, or over the drip edge, complete protection from damage caused by ice-damming is not achieved.
It may be desired to provide a better way of protecting against water intrusion to roof eaves and fascia than the products currently on the market.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.
With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to the protection against ice-damming and water intrusion to roof eaves and fascia.
This and other objects, advantages and features in accordance with the present embodiments may be provided by a roof ice and water shield including a bottom layer of asphalt material configured to lay against a roof surface following installation on a perimeter of the roof surface, the bottom layer having a terminal lower section configured to be adjacent a roof edge at the perimeter of the roof surface following installation, and the bottom layer having a terminal upper section opposite the terminal lower section. A top layer of asphalt material extends from the terminal lower section of the bottom layer in a direction towards the terminal upper section of the bottom layer, an upper section of the top layer is configured to create a watertight seal with the terminal upper section of the bottom layer, and a lower section of the top layer defines a flap configured to overlap the terminal lower section of the bottom layer during installation. A sealable drip edge pocket is between the flap and the bottom layer and configured to sealably envelop a top portion of a drip edge following installation.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, a first releasable adhesion protection layer may back an underside of the flap, and a second releasable adhesion protection layer may back a topside of the bottom layer, wherein the first and second releasable adhesion protection layers are removable to expose adhesive qualities of the bottom and top layers of asphalt material. The first and second releasable adhesion protection layers may be release paper.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, the upper section of the top layer may adjoin the terminal upper section of the bottom layer, and/or the upper section of the top layer may be bonded with the terminal upper section of the bottom layer.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, a topside of the upper layer with a slip-resistant surface and/or a granular surface.
Another embodiment is directed to a roof ice and water shield including a self-adhesive membrane configured to lay against a roof surface following installation on a perimeter of the roof surface, the membrane having a terminal lower section configured to be adjacent a roof edge at the perimeter of the roof surface following installation, and the membrane having a terminal upper section opposite the terminal lower section. A sealable drip edge pocket is within the terminal lower section of the membrane and includes a flap configured to be closed and sealably envelop a top portion of a drip edge following installation. The sealable drip edge pocket includes at least one releasable adhesion protection layer that is removable to expose adhesive qualities of the sealable drip edge area.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, the membrane has a bottom layer of asphalt material configured to lay against a roof surface following installation on a perimeter of the roof surface, and a top layer of asphalt material extending from the terminal lower section in a direction towards the terminal upper section, an upper section of the top layer being configured to create a watertight seal with the terminal upper section of the bottom layer, and a lower section of the top layer defining a flap configured to overlap the terminal lower section of the bottom layer during installation.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, the at least one releasable adhesion protection layer is release paper.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, a topside of the membrane includes a slip-resistant surface and/or a granular surface.
Another embodiment is directed to a method of making a roof ice and water shield, the method including: forming a self-adhesive membrane for securing against a roof surface on a perimeter of the roof surface, the membrane having a terminal lower section to be adjacent a roof edge at the perimeter of the roof surface, and the membrane having a terminal upper section opposite the terminal lower section; forming a sealable drip edge pocket within the terminal lower section of the membrane and including a flap configured to be closed and sealably envelop a top portion of a drip edge following installation; and providing releasable adhesion protection layers at the sealable drip edge pocket to cover adhesive qualities of the sealable drip edge area.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, the membrane may include a bottom layer of asphalt material configured to lay against a roof surface following installation on a perimeter of the roof surface, and a top layer of asphalt material extending from the terminal lower section in a direction towards the terminal upper section, an upper section of the top layer being configured to create a watertight seal with the terminal upper section of the bottom layer, and a lower section of the top layer defining a flap configured to overlap the terminal lower section of the bottom layer during installation.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, providing releasable adhesion protection layers may include providing a first releasable adhesion protection layer on an underside of the flap, and providing a second releasable adhesion protection layer on a topside of the bottom layer, wherein the first and second releasable adhesion protection layers are removable to expose adhesive qualities of the bottom and top layers of asphalt material. The first and second releasable adhesion protection layers may comprise release paper.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, the upper section of the top layer may adjoin the terminal upper section of the bottom layer, and/or the upper section of the top layer may be bonded with the bottom layer using heat and applied pressure.
Additionally, and/or alternatively, a topside of the upper layer may include a slip-resistant surface and/or a granular surface.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Before describing the present disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to parameters of the particularly exemplified systems, methods, apparatus, products, processes, and/or kits, which may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any particular manner. Thus, while the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, features, aspects, configurations, etc., the descriptions are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention. Various modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments, features, aspects, configurations, etc. without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Thus, while various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments are contemplated.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. While a number of methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present disclosure, only certain exemplary materials and methods are described herein.
Various aspects of the present disclosure, including devices, systems, methods, etc., may be illustrated with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments or implementations. As used herein, the terms “embodiment,” “alternative embodiment” and/or “exemplary implementation” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or implementations disclosed herein. In addition, reference to an “implementation” of the present disclosure or invention includes a specific reference to one or more embodiments thereof, and vice versa, and is intended to provide illustrative examples without limiting the scope of the invention, which is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the following description.
It will be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “sensor” includes one, two, or more sensors.
As used throughout this application the words “can” and “may” are used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Additionally, the terms “including,” “having,” “involving,” “containing,” “characterized by,” variants thereof (e.g., “includes,” “has,” and “involves,” “contains,” etc.), and similar terms as used herein, including the claims, shall be inclusive and/or open-ended, shall have the same meaning as the word “comprising” and variants thereof (e.g., “comprise” and “comprises”), and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements or method steps, illustratively.
Various aspects of the present disclosure can be illustrated by describing components that are coupled, attached, connected, and/or joined together. As used herein, the terms “coupled”, “attached”, “connected,” and/or “joined” are used to indicate either a direct connection between two components or, where appropriate, an indirect connection to one another through intervening or intermediate components. In contrast, when a component is referred to as being “directly coupled”, “directly attached”, “directly connected,” and/or “directly joined” to another component, no intervening elements are present or contemplated. Thus, as used herein, the terms “connection,” “connected,” and the like do not necessarily imply direct contact between the two or more elements. In addition, components that are coupled, attached, connected, and/or joined together are not necessarily (reversibly or permanently) secured to one another. For instance, coupling, attaching, connecting, and/or joining can comprise placing, positioning, and/or disposing the components together or otherwise adjacent in some implementations.
As used herein, directional and/or arbitrary terms, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “up,” “down,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “outer,” “internal,” “external,” “interior,” “exterior,” “proximal,” “distal” and the like can be used solely to indicate relative directions and/or orientations and may not otherwise be intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, including the specification, invention, and/or claims.
Where possible, like numbering of elements have been used in various figures. In addition, similar elements and/or elements having similar functions may be designated by similar numbering. Furthermore, alternative configurations of a particular element may each include separate letters appended to the element number. Accordingly, an appended letter can be used to designate an alternative design, structure, function, implementation, and/or embodiment of an element or feature without an appended letter. Similarly, multiple instances of an element and or sub-elements of a parent element may each include separate letters appended to the element number. In each case, the element label may be used without an appended letter to generally refer to instances of the element or any one of the alternative elements. Element labels including an appended letter can be used to refer to a specific instance of the element or to distinguish or draw attention to multiple uses of the element. However, element labels including an appended letter are not meant to be limited to the specific and/or particular embodiment(s) in which they are illustrated. In other words, reference to a specific feature in relation to one embodiment should not be construed as being limited to applications only within said embodiment.
It will also be appreciated that where a range of values (e.g., less than, greater than, at least, and/or up to a certain value, and/or between two recited values) is disclosed or recited, any specific value or range of values falling within the disclosed range of values is likewise disclosed and contemplated herein.
It is also noted that systems, methods, apparatus, devices, products, processes, compositions, and/or kits, etc., according to certain embodiments of the present invention may include, incorporate, or otherwise comprise properties, features, aspects, steps, components, members, and/or elements described in other embodiments disclosed and/or described herein. Thus, reference to a specific feature, aspect, steps, component, member, element, etc. in relation to one embodiment should not be construed as being limited to applications only within said embodiment. In addition, reference to a specific benefit, advantage, problem, solution, method of use, etc. in relation to one embodiment should not be construed as being limited to applications only within said embodiment.
The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures.
An object of the present embodiments may be to provide reliable protection against ice-damming and water intrusion to roof eaves and fascia via the use of a sealable drip edge feature within an ice and water shield barrier.
Referring to
Structural features of a typical building (e.g., house) roof perimeter may include the fascia 34, sub-fascia 35, roof sheathing 36, and a drip edge 38, for example, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Of course other structural arrangements may include framing, soffits and gutters (not shown). The drip edge 38, or roof drip edge flashing, helps water to leave the roof edge with minimum damage to other building components by directing the water off the roof edge, e.g. into the gutter. Without the drip edge 38, water leaving the roof may run down the fascia 34, or soffits and walls, sometimes even entering and damaging the building structure. The drip edge 38 also provides a nice straight edge with which to align roof shingles, slates or other roofing material. The drip edge 38 may vary in dimensions but typically the flange (or top portion 39) that nails to the roof surface is about 2.5″ wide and the vertical edge that directs roof runoff down and away is about 1.5″ in depth. Lengths of drip edge 38 vary but typically it's available in ten foot lengths.
The roof ice and water shield 30/30′ may be a self-adhesive membrane (e.g. rubberized membrane such as asphalt) configured to lay against, and adhere to, a roof surface (e.g., the roof sheathing 36) following installation on a perimeter of the roof surface. The roof ice and water shield 30/30′ has a terminal lower section 40 configured to be adjacent a roof edge at the perimeter of the roof surface following installation. The roof ice and water shield 30/30′ has a terminal upper section 41 opposite the terminal lower section 40. As shown in
With the self-adhesive feature, the roof ice and water shield 30/30′ will stick to the roof surface, provide waterproofing, and protecting the roof and associated building structure. For example, the roof ice and water shield 30/30′ may be a self-adhesive roofing underlayment that is a membrane composed of two waterproofing materials, a rubberized asphalt adhesive backed by a layer of slip resistant coated high density cross laminated polyethylene film, for example. A granular surface may also be included. The rubberized asphalt adhesive surface may be backed with a release paper 50 (
Referring more specifically to
The sealable drip edge pocket 32 is within the terminal lower section 40 of the roof ice and water shield 30/30′ and includes a flap 60 configured to be closed and sealably envelop a top portion of a drip edge following installation.
The roof ice and water shield 30/30′ may have a bottom layer 56 of asphalt material configured to lay against a roof surface following installation on a perimeter of the roof surface, and a top layer 57 of asphalt material extending from the terminal lower section 40 in a direction towards the terminal upper section 41. The top layer 57 creates a watertight seal 58 (e.g. adjoined and/or bonded) with the bottom layer 56. For example, the watertight seal 58 may be formed using heat and applied pressure to the bottom and top layers 56/57. A lower section, or edge area, of the top layer 57 defines the flap 60 configured to overlap a lower section of the bottom layer 56 before installation, and to sealably envelop the top portion 39 of the drip edge 38 following installation. One of the benefits of having the bottom layer 56 (e.g. an asphalt layer) under the drip edge 38 is that it seals any nails that attach the top portion 39 of the drip edge to the sheathing. When the conventional ice and water shield is installed over a drip edge, this benefit is lost.
As described above, the roof ice and water shield 30/30′ may be installed by removing the release paper 50 on the underside of bottom layer 57 to adhere the roof ice and water shield 30/30′ to the roof surface. Then, the flap 60 may be lifted so that the releasable adhesion protection layers 52/54 may be removed. With the flap 60 open, the top portion 39 of the drip edge 38 is positioned and adhered within the sealable drip edge pocket 32. Nails may be used to secure the top portion 39 of the drip edge 38 to the roof surface. The flap 60 is then pressed down against the top portion 39 of drip edge 38 to sealably envelop the top portion 39 of the drip edge 38 and complete installation thereof. The layers 56/57 may also be separately installed and subsequently bonded to each other.
The present invention has been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating the performance of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functional building blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. Further, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries could be defined as long as the certain significant functions are appropriately performed. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also have been arbitrarily defined herein to illustrate certain significant functionality. To the extent used, the flow diagram block boundaries and sequence could have been defined otherwise and still perform the certain significant functionality. Such alternate definitions of both functional building blocks and flow diagram blocks and sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. One of average skill in the art will also recognize that the functional building blocks, and other illustrative blocks, modules and components herein, can be implemented as illustrated or by discrete components, application specific integrated circuits, processors executing appropriate software and the like or any combination thereof.
The present invention may have also been described, at least in part, in terms of one or more embodiments. An embodiment of the present invention is used herein to illustrate the present invention, an aspect thereof, a feature thereof, a concept thereof, and/or an example thereof. A physical embodiment of an apparatus, an article of manufacture, a machine, and/or of a process that embodies the present invention may include one or more of the aspects, features, concepts, examples, etc. described with reference to one or more of the embodiments discussed herein. Further, from figure to figure, the embodiments may incorporate the same or similarly named functions, steps, modules, etc. that may use the same or different reference numbers and, as such, the functions, steps, modules, etc. may be the same or similar functions, steps, modules, etc. or different ones.
The above description provides specific details, such as material types and processing conditions to provide a thorough description of example embodiments. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the embodiments may be practiced without using these specific details.
Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan. While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
