Patent Application
20100275527
This invention relates to the field of roofing and more particularly to a metal faced roofing shingle.
There are many advantages of metal roofing over the prior materials such as stone, asphalt, wood, clay, etc. These advantages include lower weight, lower cost, better protection to storm damage and ability to be recycled. Metal shingles weigh less than most stone, asphalt, wood, clay, etc. shingles because the material (e.g., steel) is either lighter (e.g., lighter than stone) or thinner (e.g., thin steel is lighter than thick wood). Therefore, such metal roofing shingles use less energy to deliver and are easier to hoist up to the roof level. Metal shingles cost less to produce than most stone, asphalt, wood, clay, etc. shingles and are less likely to be damaged at or on route to the installation site. Metal shingles provide better protection from storm damage than most stone, asphalt, wood, clay, etc. shingles, in particular wind and hail damage. Metal shingles can be recycled, therefore, use less landfill and have value after removal from a roof which will lead to increased recycling of old roofing product.
There have been various attempts to replace stone, asphalt, wood, and clay roofing shingles with metal roofing. Some attempts don't use shingles and instead, cover the roof with sheets or rolls of corrugated metal, resulting in a look that is different from the aesthetic properties of traditional asphalt, wood, slate and cedar shingles.
Some attempts use metal shingles to replicate the aesthetic properties of traditional slate and cedar shingles while maintaining a degree of weather resistance expected with sloped roof shingles. Numerous patents have been granted on various ways to create a substantially weather resistant metal shingle. Examples of these shingles can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 503,173 to Spahmer, U.S. Pat. No. 1,597,993 to Meurer, U.S. Pat. No. 1,743,206 to Fulenwider et al, U.S. Pat. No. 1,876,597 to Bennett, U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,680 to Hunt, U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,474 to Dombek, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,686 to Plath et al. These patents concentrate on different production and sealing systems for metal shingles.
Existing metal roofing shingle systems provide aesthetically pleasing end products, but require a new infrastructure to be developed. The metal roofing products currently on the market will require retraining of the extensive roofing workforce in order to create a pool of installers that are able to successfully install roofing systems that don't leak. Each system has a different architecture, a different order in which shingles are installed, a different sealing mechanism, a different overlap requirement, a different type of fastener, etc.
These metal roofing products currently on the market are sized and/or shaped differently than the most popular existing roofing technology, asphalt shingles. Therefore, these products cannot effectively take advantage of storage facilities, transportation facilities, etc. Furthermore, since they are of a different size and have varying overlap requirements, they cover a different surface area, changing the material requirement calculations that are currently used by many installers in providing estimates and in ordering proper amounts of material.
What is needed is a metal roofing system that will meet all of the objectives of any roofing system while taking advantage of the lower weight and cost of metal.
A metal faced roofing shingle includes a metal face affixed to a substrate, the substrate being of similar size to existing asphalt roofing shingles. The metal faced roofing shingle is designed to be installed in an overlap pattern similar to that of existing asphalt roofing shingles. A decorative pattern covers an outside surface of all of the metal face or the part of the metal face that is not covered by the overlap, providing, in some embodiments, a look that simulates prior asphalt, wood, clay or stone roofing systems.
In one embodiment, a metal faced roofing shingle is disclosed including a planar substrate and a metal face. The planar substrate has a substrate face, a substrate back and substrate edges. The substrate has a substrate height, a substrate width and a substrate thickness whereas the substrate width is a width of the substrate face, the substrate height is a height of the substrate face and the substrate thickness is a thickness of the substrate edges. The metal face has an outer surface, a back surface and edges. The metal face has a metal face height, a metal face width and a metal face thickness whereas the metal face width is a width of the outer surface, the metal face height is a height of the outer surface and the metal face thickness is a thickness of the edges. The back surface of the metal face is affixed to the substrate face whereas the metal face height is less than the substrate height.
In another embodiment, a metal faced roofing shingle is disclosed including a planar substrate and a metal face. The planar substrate has a substrate face, a substrate back and substrate edges. The substrate has a substrate height, a substrate width and a substrate thickness whereas the substrate width is the width of the substrate face, the substrate height is the height of the substrate face and the substrate thickness is the thickness of the substrate edges. The metal face has an outer surface, a back surface and edges. The metal face has a metal face height, a metal face width and a metal face thickness whereas the metal face width is the width of the outer surface, the metal face height is the height of the outer surface and the metal face thickness is the thickness of the edges. The back surface of the metal face is affixed to the substrate face whereas the metal face height is less than the substrate height a facade covers at least a portion of the outer surface of the metal face.
In another embodiment, a metal faced roofing shingle is disclosed including a planar substrate and a metal face. The planar substrate has a substrate face, a substrate back and substrate edges. The planar substrate has a substrate height, a substrate width and a substrate thickness. The substrate width is the width of the substrate face, the substrate height is the height of the substrate face and the substrate thickness is a thickness of the substrate edges. The metal face has an outer surface, a back surface and edges. The metal face has a metal face height, a metal face width and a metal face thickness. The metal face width is the width of the outer surface and the metal face height is the height of the outer surface and the metal face thickness is the thickness of the edges. The back surface of the metal face is affixed to the substrate face whereas the metal face height is less than the substrate height and a facade covers at least a portion of the outer surface of the metal face whereas the facade is painted onto the outer surface of the metal face.
The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.
Referring to
In some embodiments, slits 13 are made or formed in the metal faced roofing shingle 10, similar to that of some asphalt shingles. In some embodiments either holes or markings 18 are provided to guide proper application of fasteners during installation.
It is anticipated that the metal face 14 is fabricated from any known metal, for example, steel, aluminum and copper.
The substrate 12 is made from a sheet of material that is somewhat flexible along the Z axis, yet maintains the predominately X and Y axis rectangular shape. It is preferred that the substrate 12 be made of a material that is approved for roofing having sufficient tensile/tear strength and complying with various building codes. In one embodiment, the substrate 12 is a wet laid non-woven fiberglass material on one side and a polyester fabric on the other sidewith an asphalt coating to bind and seal the substrate. In one embodiment, the planar substrate 12 is made of a polyester fabric, the polyester fabric having an asphalt coating on the face of the substrate to bind the polyester fabric to the metal face 14. In another embodiment, the planar substrate 12 is made from a polyester fabric coated with asphalt. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is a glass fiber reinforced sheet sandwiched between two layers of a heavy coating of bituminous resins modified with synthetic resins. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is sheet of fiberglass. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is a sheet of metal such as aluminum. Many materials of many layering structures, either woven, cloth or solid are anticipated and all are included here within.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the metal faced roofing shingle 10 is contiguous without slots 13, similar to that of many asphalt shingles. In some embodiments either holes or markings 18 are provided to guide proper application of fasteners during installation.
It is anticipated that the metal face 14 is fabricated from any known metal, for example, steel, aluminum and copper.
The substrate 12 is made from a sheet of material that is somewhat flexible along the Z axis, yet maintains the predominately X and Y axis rectangular shape. It is preferred that the substrate 12 be made of a material that is approved for roofing having sufficient tensile/tear strength and complying with various building codes. In one embodiment, the substrate 12 is a wet laid non-woven fiberglass substrate on one side and a polyester fabric on the other sidewith an asphalt coating to bind and seal the fabric. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is a polyester fabric coated with asphalt. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is a glass fiber reinforced sheet sandwiched between two layers of a heavy coating of bituminous resins modified with synthetic resins. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is sheet of fiberglass, woven or non-woven. In another embodiment, the substrate 12 is a sheet of metal such as aluminum. Many materials of many layering structures, either woven, cloth or solid are anticipated and all are included here within. The use of a material for the substrate 12 that is different from the metal face 14 provides for the use of less costly materials and/or lighter-weight materials. For example, the metal face 14 is made of copper, which is relatively expensive and heavy (dense) and the substrate 12 is made of aluminum which is relatively light-weight (lower density) and considerably less expensive.
Referring to
Referring to
In this embodiment, a seal 6 is affixed to a back surface of the substrate 12. The seal 6 is made of a material such as tar or an asphalt-based adhesive material, as known in the industry. To prevent layers of metal faced roofing shingle 10 from sticking to subsequent layers of metal faced roofing shingle 10 during packaging and transportation, in one embodiment, a removable cover 7 covers the seal 6 and is easily removed just before installation of the metal faced roofing shingle 10. The removable cover 7 is made of materials as known in the industry such as silicone coated paper, cellophane or the like.
Referring to
In this embodiment, a seal 8 is affixed to an upper front surface of the metal face 14. The seal 8 is made of a material such as tar or an asphalt-based adhesive material, as known in the industry. To prevent layers of metal faced roofing shingle 10 from sticking to subsequent layers of metal faced roofing shingle 10 during packaging and transportation, in one embodiment, a removable cover 9 covers the seal 8 and is easily removed just before installation of the metal faced roofing shingle 10. The removable cover 9 is made of materials as known in the industry such as silicone coated paper, cellophane or the like.
Referring to
Referring to
The substrate 12 is planar having a substrate width, a substrate height and a substrate thickness. The substrate width is preferably greater than the substrate height, although not required to be such. In some embodiments, the substrate width is approximately 39 inches, the substrate height is approximately 13 inches and the substrate thickness is approximately less than ¼ of an inch.
The metal face 14 is also planar having a width, a height and a thickness. The width is preferably equal to the substrate width, although not required to be such. The height is less than the substrate height. In some embodiments, the width of the metal face and the width of the substrate are both approximately 39 inches, the substrate height is approximately 13 inches, the metal face height is approximately 8 inches and the total thickness of the substrate 12 and the metal face 14 is approximately ¼ of an inch. In such an embodiment, when the metal faced roofing shingles 10 are installed in an overlapping pattern, approximately one inch of the metal face 14 of a lower metal faced roofing shingle 10 is covered by a subsequent metal faced roofing shingle 10, thereby exposing approximately the lower 7 inches of the facade 16 of the lower metal faced roofing shingle 10.
The facade 16 is painted, sprayed, printed, rolled, silk screened, adhered, etc. to the exposed surface of the metal face 14, as known in the industry. The metal face 14 is affixed to the substrate 12 in ways known in the industry including, but not limited to, affixed by adhesive, tack welding, electrostatic charge, fasteners, etc.
In the example shown, slits 13 are made or formed in the metal faced roofing shingle 10, similar to that of some asphalt shingles. Fasteners (e.g., roofing nails) 19 are shown passing through markings or pre-drilled holes 18 and into the roof (not shown). In some embodiments, there are no holes 18 and, in some embodiments, there are markings to indicate proper application locations of fasteners while in other embodiments, no markings exist.
Referring to
In the example shown, slits 13 are made or formed in the metal faced roofing shingle 10, similar to that of asphalt shingles. Fasteners (e.g., roofing nails) 19 are shown holding the metal faced roofing shingle 10 onto the roof (not shown).
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In a typical installation, each row of shingles 10 is offset by the next row of shingles 10 by four to eight inches covering the seam between two shingles 10 of a first row with a shingle 10 of the next row. Typically, the exposed metal face 14 is around 5⅝ inches high and the total height of the metal face 14 is around 6⅞ inches providing for an overlap of approximately 1¼ inch. In this example, the facade 16 either covers the entire outer surface of the metal face 14 (6⅞ inches high) or only the exposed area of the metal face 14 (5⅝ inches high).
Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result.
It is believed that the system and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.
