ROLLED HIP AND RIDGE SHINGLE

Abstract

A strip of material for covering a ridge of a roof. The strip includes a color pattern applied to a surface of the strip to simulate multiple individual ridge shingles overlapping one another. The strip may be folded to simulate a layered effect created by the multiple individual ridge shingles. Adhesive may be applied to a surface of the strip to secure the strip to the ridge of the roof. The strip may also be attached over installed shingles with nails or staples.

Description

FIELD

The general inventive concepts relate generally to composite roofing materials.

BACKGROUND

Roofing shingles (shingles) are used to protect a roof portion of a structure from damage caused by rain or snow exposure. Generally, shingles are nailed, stapled, glued, or otherwise attached to the roof portion of a structure to prevent water, snow, and other substances from damaging wood or other materials used to form the roof portion of a structure. Shingles are positioned on the roof in horizontal rows (known as courses) such that they overlap a previously applied row, causing water (rain, snow, etc.) to flow from an upper shingle to a lower shingle without contacting the structure underneath the shingles. Generally, a roof is formed from two sloped sections that meet along an upper edge. This upper edge is referred to as a ridge or hip depending upon where the upper edge is located on a roof. Because shingles are applied to a roof with an overlap, as the shingles approach the ridge or hip portion of a roof, there comes a position on the roof that doesn't allow for shingles to be applied to overlap the previous course of shingles. In order to protect the ridge or hip, a series of shingles, either cut from ordinary roof shingles or formed specifically for use along a ridge or hip are applied such that they overlap the upper edge of shingles along each of the sections that meet to form the ridge. In order to protect the entire ridge (which can extend across the entire structure) or hip, a series of shingle pieces are overlapped horizontally (rather than vertically as with ordinary courses) to protect the ridge. Installation of these shingle pieces requires that an installer place each shingle in place and secure it with nails, staples, or adhesive as the installer moves along the ridge or hip. This can be a time-consuming process and may create reliability problems because of the number of pieces used. In order to improve the reliability and reduce the installation time, an improvement to the conventional approach of using individual shingles to protect a roof ridge or hip is needed.

SUMMARY

In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of ridge or hip shingles are simulated using a strip that is sufficiently wide to wrap over the ridge or hip portion of a roof such that the upper portions of shingles found along each side of the ridge or hip are covered by the strip as the strip is folded lengthwise along the ridge. In order to simplify the description hereinafter, the term “ridge” is intended to encompass both the ridge and hip portions of a roof, as the exemplary embodiments described herein are applicable to both.

In some exemplary embodiments, the strip that forms the cap shingles extends along the ridge from end to end.

In some exemplary embodiments the strip is attached to the roof using nails placed at regular intervals. In some exemplary embodiments, the strip is attached to the roof using an adhesive material (i.e., to the upper portions of overlapped shingles that cover the roof on either side of the ridge).

In some exemplary embodiments, a pattern is formed by applying colored granules to the strip such that the colored granules further simulate the appearance of conventional overlapping ridge shingles.

In some exemplary embodiments, the strip forming the cap shingles is folded to at least partially overlap upon itself multiple times to simulate the appearance of a series of individual shingle pieces that are nailed along a ridge. The folded strip may be affixed to the roof in any suitable manner, such as by using nails or adhesive. In those exemplary embodiments where the strip is nailed to the roof, the portions of the strip that are folded back upon themselves create an overlap similar to shingles used on non-ridge or hip portions of the roof. This overlap can be used to cover nails used to attach the strip to a ridge of a roof in order to provide greater resistance to leaks that could be caused by the nails puncturing the strip substrate.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method of covering a ridge of a roof is disclosed. The method comprises providing a strip of material comprising a body with a first surface and a second surface, said strip of material having an asphalt coating on at least one of the first surface and the second surface; positioning the strip of material on the ridge with the first surface facing the roof and the second surface facing away from the roof; manipulating (e.g., bending) the strip of material so that a first portion of the strip is on a first side of the ridge and a second portion of the strip is on a second side of the ridge; and securing the strip of material to the roof, wherein the second surface comprises a plurality of granules, and wherein the granules are arranged in a pattern that simulates the appearance of a plurality of discrete cap shingles.

Typically, the strip of material is substantially planar. The strip of material will often have a rectangular shape, wherein a length of the strip (e.g., 50 feet) is much greater than a width of the strip (e.g., 1 foot).

In some exemplary embodiments, during the positioning step, the ridge bisects the strip of material.

In some exemplary embodiments, a length of the strip of material is at least 5 ft. In some exemplary embodiments, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 50% a length of the ridge. In some exemplary embodiments, the length of the strip of material is at least 70% a length of the ridge. In some exemplary embodiments, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 95% a length of the ridge. In some exemplary embodiments, the length of the strip of material is in the range of 10 ft to 80 ft. In some exemplary embodiments, a width of the strip of material is in the range of 8 inches to 16 inches.

In some exemplary embodiments, the strip of material is secured to the roof using at least one of a plurality of nails, a plurality of staples, and an adhesive.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method of covering a ridge of a roof is disclosed. The method comprises providing a strip of material comprising a body with a first surface and a second surface, said strip of material having an asphalt coating on at least one of the first surface and the second surface; positioning a first portion of the strip of material on the ridge; manipulating (e.g., bending) the first portion of the strip of material so that a first portion of the first portion of the strip is on a first side of the ridge and a second portion of the first portion of the strip is on a second side of the ridge; securing the first portion of the strip of material to the roof; folding the strip of material to create a second portion of the strip of material; positioning the second portion of the strip of material on the ridge, wherein a portion of the second portion of the strip overlaps the first portion of the strip; manipulating (e.g., bending) the second portion of the strip of material so that a first portion of the second portion of the strip is on the first side of the ridge and a second portion of the second portion of the strip is on the second side of the ridge; and securing the second portion of the strip of material to the roof.

In some exemplary embodiments, the body includes a plurality of relief cuts which facilitate the folding of the strip of material.

In some exemplary embodiments, during the positioning steps, the ridge bisects the strip of material.

In some exemplary embodiments, a length of the strip of material is at least 5 ft. In some exemplary embodiments, the length of the strip of material is at least 50% a length of the ridge. In some exemplary embodiments, the length of the strip of material is at least 70% the length of the ridge. In some exemplary embodiments, the length of the strip of material is at least 95% the length of the ridge. In some exemplary embodiments, the length of the strip of material is in the range of 10 ft to 80 ft. In some exemplary embodiments, a width of the strip of material is in the range of 8 inches to 16 inches.

In some exemplary embodiments, the strip of material is secured to the roof using at least one of a plurality of nails, a plurality of staples, and an adhesive.

In an exemplary embodiment, a roll of material for covering a ridge of a roof is provided.

The material on the roll comprises a body with a first surface and a second surface, wherein the body has an asphalt coating on at least one of the first surface and the second surface; and wherein the body includes a plurality of relief cuts therein to facilitate folding of the body.

In some exemplary embodiments, a length of the material on the roll is at least 50 feet.

The above and other aspects and advantages of the general inventive concepts will become more readily apparent from the following description and figures, illustrating by way of example, the principles of the general inventive concepts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the general inventive concept will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the top plan view of a section of roof covered with shingles;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the top plan view of two sections of roof as they are ordinarily arranged to form a ridge;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an end elevation view of the two sections of the roof of FIG. 2, shown with a series of cap shingles covering the ridge;

FIG. 4 is diagram showing a top plan view of the two sections of the roof with the cap shingles of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a top plan view of a section of the roof covered with a rollable roof ridge cap, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an end elevation view of the rollable roof ridge cap of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an end elevation view of a layered rollable roof ridge cap prior to the forming of the individual layers, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a top plan view of a roof ridge cap prior to folding according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a side elevational view of the roof ridge cap of FIG. 8 with several longitudinal folds, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an end elevational view of the roof ridge cap of FIG. 9 installed on a roof ridge;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a bottom plan view of a roof ridge cap with adhesive applied thereto according to two exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a side elevational view of a portion of the roof ridge cap of FIG. 9 shown with a nail applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This detailed description merely describes exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the general inventive concepts. Indeed, the contemplated invention is broader than the exemplary embodiments. The terms used the claims have their full ordinary meaning unless a definition is expressly provided herein.

Roofing is applied to structures to prevent damage caused by rain, snow, and other types of precipitation. While there are various types of roofing materials, the following disclosure will focus on asphalt shingles. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the general inventive concepts may be equally applicable to other types of shingles. An asphalt shingle is commonly formed from a fibrous substrate to which an asphalt or similar material has been applied. Granules are applied to a side of the substrate that is intended to face outward from the roof (and thus be exposed to the elements). The granules function to protect the substrate from damage due to heavy rain, hail, impacts, and other damaging circumstances. These granules can also form a decorative surface feature (e.g., pattern, color) on the shingle. The side of the shingle opposite the granules is often coated with a substance intended to prevent the shingle from adhering to other shingles during shipment and storage.

Shingles are ordinarily applied to a roof in horizontal rows, also known as courses. The shingles are often secured to the roof structure (the deck or decking) using nails or staples. An illustration of an exemplary first section 100 of a roof is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, a first course 102 is applied at a lower edge 104 of the first section 100 of the roof. A second course 106 is applied to overlap the first course 102. This overlap covers the nails or staples used to secure the shingles of the first course 102 to the decking. The overlap serves to prevent water from infiltrating through the nail or staple holes formed in the first section of the roof and also directs water over (rather than underneath) the shingles on the lower course. Courses are applied in this overlapping manner until the first section of the roof is covered. This process could also be applied to another section of the roof that abuts the first section 100. This is illustrated by the second section 200 of the roof as shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the first roof section 100 of the roof abuts a second section 200 of the roof. This abutment typically forms the point of a triangle referred to as a ridge 300 which is illustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the ridge consists of two adjacent courses of shingles 206, 208 that are positioned such that the upper portions 210 of the shingles 206, 208 would be exposed without additional covering materials. Additionally, a seam 212 is formed where the decking of the first section 100 of the roof abuts the second section 200 of the roof. The exposed upper portions 210 and the seam 212 represent potential routes for water infiltration, causing leaks. A conventional approach to solving this problem involves applying a series of cap shingles 402 along the ridge 400, as shown in FIG. 4. The cap shingles 402 are applied individually along the ridge 400. This method is time consuming in that each cap shingle 402 must be individually transported to and installed on the roof. Furthermore, because each cap shingle 402 is applied individually, there is a greater risk of wind damage. Referring to FIG. 3, the cap shingles 402 are bent (i.e., manipulated from a relatively flat shape into one that conforms to the ridge 300 to cover the upper portion 210 of the shingles and the seam 212 between the roof sections (100, 200).

In an exemplary embodiment, a single strip of shingle material is applied to a ridge instead of the multiple individual cap shingles 402 of FIGS. 3 and 4. Such a strip 502 is shown installed on the roof 500 of FIG. 5. In an exemplary embodiment, the strip 502 may be covered with granules arranged in a pattern 504 that simulates the appearance of the individual cap shingles 402 of FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown, the pattern may introduce a shading 504 effect as well as lines 506 that simulate the appearance of a series of individual cap shingles 402. This strip 502 may be formed from a substrate that is sufficiently flexible that the strip 502 can be rolled for transportation and storage before installation on the roof 500. In an exemplary embodiment, an installer can simply position the rolled strip (not shown) into place, unroll it, and secure the unrolled strip 502 to the roof. As shown in FIG. 6, the strip 502 is bent over the ridge 510 of the roof 500.

In some exemplary embodiments, the strip 502 may be folded to simulate multiple layers. This is illustrated in FIG. 7 as an upper layer 702 and a lower layer 704. Because the strip 502 is folded as illustrated in FIG. 7, stress relief cuts may be helpful to prevent the substrate from tearing or the folded substrate being too inflexible to bend over the ridge 510 as shown in FIG. 7. An exemplary embodiment of such stress relief cuts 802 is shown in the unfolded strip 800 of FIG. 8. When the cuts 802 are formed in the unfolded strip 800, the strip may be folded to form the layers 702, 704 of FIG. 7 to simulate the presence of distinct shingles. An exemplary embodiment of a folded strip 900 is shown in FIG. 9. The strip 900 is folded such that the lower fold 902 is formed in the portion of the strip 900 at which the cuts 802 are formed. An upper fold 904 forms the “nose” that simulates the individual cap shingles. Not only does this upper fold 904 simulate individual cap shingles as shown in FIG. 10, depending upon the characteristics of the substrate used, the upper fold 904 can also provide an appearance of thickness that may be desirable when used on roofs constructed with multi-layer (dimensional) shingles.

In certain exemplary embodiments, adhesive 1102 may be applied to portions of a lower face of a strip 1100, as shown in FIG. 11A. The adhesive 1102 may then be pressed against the upper portions 210 of roofing shingles to secure the strip 1100 to other shingles on the roof. This provides an easy method of attachment that avoids the need to apply nails or staples through the strip. This adhesive 1102 may also be used to secure the strip 1100 to a ridge vent material (not shown) located at a peak of the roof. In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 11B, an adhesive 1104 is applied to an area that is substantially all of the lower face of the strip 1101. In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 11A and 11B, a release strip may be used to prevent the strip 1100 and 1101 from adhering to itself or other surfaces prior to installation on the roof.

In an exemplary embodiment in which the folded strip 900 of FIG. 9 is applied to a roof, nails or staples may be used to secure the folded strip 900 to the roof. As shown in FIG. 12, nails 1202 may be applied near the lower fold 902 to secure the folded strip 900 to the roof. As with the strip 502 of FIGS. 5 and 6, the strip 900 of FIG. 12 may be rolled for transportation or storage before the strip 900 is applied to a roof. As with the strip 502 shown in FIG. 6, the lower fold of the ridge strip 900 is secured to a first roof portion with a first nail 1202, as shown in FIG. 9, and a second nail (not shown) is used to hold the strip 900 into a bent arrangement, similar to that shown in FIG. 6.

While the present invention and associated inventive concepts have been illustrated by the description of various embodiments thereof, and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Moreover, in some instances, elements described with one embodiment may be readily adapted for use with other embodiments. Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concepts.

Claims

1. A method of covering a hip or a ridge of a roof, the method comprising: providing a strip of material comprising a body with a first surface and a second surface, said strip of material having an asphalt coating on at least one of the first surface and the second surface;positioning the strip of material on the hip or ridge with the first surface facing the roof and the second surface facing away from the roof;manipulating the strip of material so that a first portion of the strip is on a first side of the hip or ridge and a second portion of the strip is on a second side of the hip or ridge; andsecuring the strip of material to the roof,wherein the second surface comprises a plurality of granules, andwherein the granules are arranged in a pattern that simulates the appearance of a plurality of discrete cap shingles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hip or ridge bisects the strip of material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of the strip of material is at least 5 ft.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 50% a length of the hip or the ridge.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 70% a length of the hip or the ridge.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 95% a length of the hip or the ridge.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of the strip of material is in the range of 10 ft to 80 ft.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a width of the strip of material is in the range of 8 inches to 16 inches.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the strip of material is secured to the roof using at least one of a plurality of nails, a plurality of staples, and an adhesive.

10. A method of covering a hip or a ridge of a roof, the method comprising: providing a strip of material comprising a body with a first surface and a second surface, said strip of material having an asphalt coating on at least one of the first surface and the second surface;positioning a first portion of the strip of material on the hip or ridge;manipulating the first portion of the strip of material so that a first portion of the first portion of the strip is on a first side of the hip or ridge and a second portion of the first portion of the strip is on a second side of the hip or ridge;securing the first portion of the strip of material to the roof;folding the strip of material to create a second portion of the strip of material;positioning the second portion of the strip of material on the hip or ridge, wherein a portion of the second portion of the strip overlaps the first portion of the strip;manipulating the second portion of the strip of material so that a first portion of the second portion of the strip is on the first side of the hip or ridge and a second portion of the second portion of the strip is on the second side of the hip or ridge; andsecuring the second portion of the strip of material to the roof.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the body includes a plurality of relief cuts which facilitate folding of the strip of material.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the hip or ridge bisects the strip of material.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein a length of the strip of material is at least 5 ft.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 50% a length of the hip or the ridge.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 70% a length of the hip or the ridge.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the length of the strip of material is at least 95% a length of the hip or the ridge.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein a length of the strip of material is in the range of 10 ft to 80 ft.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein a width of the strip of material is in the range of 8 inches to 16 inches.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the strip of material is secured to the roof using at least one of a plurality of nails, a plurality of staples, and an adhesive.

20. A roll of material for covering a hip or a ridge of a roof, the material comprising a body with a first surface and a second surface, wherein the body has an asphalt coating on at least one of the first surface and the second surface; and wherein the body includes a plurality of relief cuts therein to facilitate folding of the body.