Patent Application
20120096990
The present invention relates to an apparatus which facilitates semi-automated removal of shingles from a roof by an operator.
In the prior art, a variety of tools and/or other devices are well know which assist with removal of shingles from a roof. However, most of those tools and/or other devices are generally completely manually operated and thus are tedious to use and very labor intensive.
Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks associated with the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shingle removal apparatus which operates in a semiautomatic manner and is relatively easy to operate so as to increase the rate at which shingles are removed from a roof.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a shingle removal apparatus which is powered by compressed air which is a power source commonly used by roofers for powering other associated equipment, such as a pneumatic air hammer, when applying shingles to a roof.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shingle removal apparatus which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and operate but is reliable and durable in order to permit continuous operation of the shingle removal apparatus for a prolonged period of time and under extreme operating conditions.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a shingle removal apparatus with an accumulation chamber, typically formed within an interior of the handle, which permits a sufficiently large quantity of pressurized fluid to be stored closer to the actuator of the shingle removal apparatus so that the actuator may be cycled at a faster rate and thereby increase the speed at which the shingle removal apparatus can be operated.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a shingle removal apparatus with a safety mechanism which facilitates attaching a safety line for securing the shingle removal apparatus to either a belt worn by an operator or to some other area of the roof so as to prevent the shingle removal apparatus from inadvertently falling, rolling and/or being pushed off the roof.
The present invention also relates to a shingle removal apparatus comprising: a handle having opposed first and second ends; a handle grip located at the first end of the handle; a base located at the second end of the handle; a pivotable shingle removal blade being pivotally attached to the base; and at least one actuating mechanism coupling the pivotable shingle removal blade to the base, to facilitate pivoting the pivotable shingle removal blade from a horizontal normal first position into an inclined second position, which assists with removing shingles from a roof.
The present invention also relates to a method of removing shingles with a shingle removal apparatus comprising a handle having opposed first and second ends, a handle grip located at the first end of the handle, a base located at the second end of the handle, a pivotable shingle removal blade being pivotally attached to the base; and at least one actuating mechanism coupling the pivotable shingle removal blade to the base, to facilitate pivoting the pivotable shingle removal blade from a horizontal normal first position into an inclined second position, which assists with removing shingles from a roof, the method comprising the steps of: initiating a command from an operator of the shingle removal apparatus to the at least one actuating mechanism; pivoting, via the at least one actuator mechanism, the pivotable shingle removal blade from the first position into the second position via in response to the command initiated by an operator; and exerting a prying force, via the pivotable shingle removal blade, on shingles overlying the pivotable shingle removal blade as the pivotable shingle removal blade is pivoted from the first position into the second position to remove fasteners securing shingles to the roof, and thereby separate the shingles from the roof.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Turning now
The base 10 typically has a length of between about 1 inch to about 15 inches, preferably about 10 inches, and a width of between about 3 inches and about 18 inches, preferably about 9.5 inches. The rolling member 14 generally spaces a bottom surface of the base 10 of the shingle removal apparatus 2 a desired distance, e.g., between about ⅛ of an inch to about 1 inch or so more preferably about ¾ of an inch or so, from a work surface such as a roof 16. Such spacing facilitates manipulation of the shingle removal apparatus 2 by an operator.
A leading portion 18 of the base 10 supports, via a horizontal hinge 22, a pivotable shingle removal blade 20. That is, a first hinge section 24 of the horizontal hinge 22 is fixedly supported, e.g., by bolts, screws or welding for example, by the leading portion 18 of the base 10 while a second hinge section 26 of the horizontal hinge 22 is fixedly supported, e.g., by bolts, screws or welding for example, by a trailing, rear surface 28 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20. A conventional rod 30 is located between and couples the first and second hinge sections 24, 26 with one another and defines the hinge axis. The rod 30 facilitates pivoting movement of the horizontal hinge 22 and thus pivoting movement of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 relative to the base 10, and a further description concerning the purpose and function of the same will follow. The base 10 preferably spaces the horizontal hinge 22 sufficiently away from the rolling member 14 so that when the shingle removal blade 20 is actuated, as described below, the prying force of the shingle removal blade 20 is absorbed by the leading end of the base 10 and transfer primarily to the roof instead of to the rolling member 14 and possibly causing damage thereto.
The pivotable shingle removal blade 20 generally comprises a relatively thin and flat but relatively strong and durable plate section 32. A leading edge 38 of the plate section 32 is generally slightly tapered to assist with penetration of the leading edge 38 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 between overlapped shingles. Preferably, the leading end 38 of the plate section 32 will be contoured or shaped so as to assist with inserting or sliding the plate section 32 between partially overlapped shingles 36 so as to facilitate removal of the top most shingles from the lower shingles by the shingle removal apparatus 2 as will be discussed below.
A first inclined section 34 is connected to a trailing end of the plate section 32. The first inclined section 34 is shaped and/or contoured so as to assist with further peeling, rolling or otherwise separating the partially or fully removed top most shingles 36 from the roof 16 and thereby assist with efficient operation of the shingle removal apparatus 2.
As shown in
A transition section 44 covers the joint formed between the plate section 32 and the first inclined section 34 so as to smooth out the interface between those two surfaces and avoid any corners or other sharp angle areas where any removed shingle 36 may catch or abut against and thereby hinder operation of the shingle removal apparatus 2. In addition, the transition section 44 typically increases the overall structural integrity of the shingle removal blade 20 and also assists with rolling and folding of the removed shingles 36 toward the leading edge 42 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20.
In order to control desired pivoting movement of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 relative to the base 10, at least one actuating mechanism, such as an actuator 48 interconnects the base 10 with the pivotable shingle removal blade 20. As shown in
It is to be appreciated the actuator 48 may be, for example, one of a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, an electric motor, a battery powered motor, a gas powered motor, etc. The important aspect of the actuator 48 is that it must at least be capable of exerting a sufficient biasing or prying force on the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 so as to pivot the shingle removal blade 20 from its normal biased first position 54 into its actuated second position 56. It is to be appreciated that return of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20, back to its normal biased first position 54 from the actuated second position 56, can either be accomplished by the return stroke of the actuator 48 or by an energy storage element 58, e.g., such as a compression spring, located between the base 10 and the shingle removal blade 20.
As shown in
According to one embodiment of the invention as shown in
As a result of this arrangement, when the pneumatic valve 72 is actuated by the operator depressing the button 110 so that pressurized air flows from the accumulation chamber 66 along the first flow path 84 to the first end 82 of each pneumatic cylinder 60, an internal piston 94, located within each pneumatic cylinder 60, is forced toward the opposite, second end 90 of the pneumatic cylinder 60. Since the opposite end of each piston 94 is pivotally connected, in a conventional manner, with the first inclined section 34, this motion, in turn, forces the first inclined section 34 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 to be pulled or otherwise biased, about the horizontal hinge 22, toward the base 10 and into the actuated second position 56 (see
When the pneumatic valve 72 is actuated so that pressurized air then flows from the accumulation chamber 66 along the second flow path 92 to the second end 90 of each pneumatic cylinder 60, e.g., the operator releases the button 110 so that a spring biases the button 110 back into is normal position, each internal piston 94, located within each pneumatic cylinder 60, is forced toward the opposite first end 82 of each pneumatic cylinder 60 and such supplied air pressure, in turn, forces the first inclined section 34 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 to be biased away from the base 10 and back into the normal first position 54 (as shown in
According to another embodiment of the invention, as shown in
A first outlet 102 of the pneumatic valve 98 is coupled, via a first supply conduit 80, to a first end 82 of each pneumatic cylinder 60 to form a flow path 84 which supplies the pressurized air to the first end 82 of each actuator 48. An opposite, second end 90 of each pneumatic cylinder 60 is coupled to an exhaust outlet 104 which facilitates venting, to the surrounding environment, of any air contained within the second end of the cylinder 60 when the piston 94 is biased from the first end toward the second end of the cylinder 60. A second inlet 100 of the pneumatic valve 98 is coupled to an exhaust vent or valve 76, e.g., such as a one-way valve, which vents the pressurized air from the flow path 84 into the surrounding environment.
As a result of this arrangement, when the pneumatic valve 98 is actuated by the operator depressing the button 110 so that pressurized air flows from the accumulation chamber 66 to the first end 82 of each pneumatic cylinder 60, the internal piston 94, located within each pneumatic cylinder 60, is forced toward the opposite, second end 90 of each pneumatic cylinder 60, and air is forced out of the second end 90 of each pneumatic cylinder 60 through the exhaust outlet 104. As each internal piston 94 is forced toward the second end 90 of each pneumatic cylinder 60, such motion, in turn, forces the first inclined section 34 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20, which is pivotal connected with the piston 94 in a conventional manner, to be pivoted about the horizontal hinge 22 and biased toward the base 10 and into the pivoted second position 56 (as shown in
As long as pressurized air continues to be supplied along the flow path 84 to the first end 82 of each pneumatic cylinder 60, each internal piston 94 will remain located adjacent the opposite, second end 90 of each pneumatic cylinder 60 and retain the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 in its elevated position. Once the flow of pressurized air along the flow path 84 is terminated, e.g., the operator releases the button 110 so that the button 110 automatically returns back into its normal first position, the pressurized air contained within the first end of the cylinder 60 can be exhausted along the flow path 84 and discharged out through the second outlet 100 of the pneumatic valve 98 via the exhaust vent or valve 76 so as not hinder the return motion (e.g., back to
It is to be noted that while
When the pneumatic valve 98 is actuated so that pressurized air ceases to flow from the accumulation chamber 66 to the first flow path 84, the mechanical energy stored in the spring or other mechanical energy storage element 58 is released. This released energy forces the first inclined section 34 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 to be biased away from the base 10, about the horizontal hinge 22, back toward and into the normal first position 54 (as shown in
It is to be appreciated that the pneumatic valve 72, 98 may be directly connected to the pressured air source 64 through the first inlet 70, but the use of the accumulation chamber 66 generally allows the shingle removal apparatus 2 to “recover” faster and operate at more cycles per minute.
For any embodiment utilizing two or more of pneumatic cylinders 60 as the actuator 48, the pressurized air flow from the first supply conduit 80 will be divided by a first dividing element 114 into a separate first supply conduit 116 for each of the pneumatic cylinders 60. Each first supply conduit 116 will then couple with the first end 82 of each respective pneumatic cylinder 60. It is noted that the first dividing element 114 may be coupled directly to the pneumatic valve 72, 98, or may be, as shown in
As shown in
To provide additional structural integrity to the plate section 32 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 and minimize flexing or bending thereof during use, one or more smooth impressions, depressions, deformations, groves, indentations or other surface contours 122 are formed in the surface of the plate section 32. The formation of such smooth impressions, depressions, deformations, groves, indentations or other surface contours 122, within the surface 124 of the plate section 32 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20, increase the overall rigidity of the plate section 32 and thereby improve its durability as well as minimizing deflection and/or flexing of the plate section 32 as the plate section 32 is pivoted into its actuated second position to remove nails, staples, tacks, other securing fasteners, tar paper, shingles, etc., from the roof 16.
In addition, as shown in
To assist with deeper penetration of the plate section 32 between overlapped shingles, the leading edge of the plate section 32 may have a progressively tapered teeth 125 as shown in
As shown in
It is to be appreciated that as the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 is pivoted to its pivoted second position 56, by the actuator 48, the leading edge 42 of the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 exerts a prying or removal force on any nails, shingles, staples, etc., engaged with the leading edge 42 thereof, while the base 10 of the shingle removal apparatus 2 is, in turn, generally forced downwardly against the roof 16 or other support surface so as to absorb the prying or removal force being generated by the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 on the nails, staples fasteners and/or shingles being removed. Preferably the bottom surface 126 of the base 10 is sufficiently ridged and has sufficient structural integrity so as to be able to readily absorb and transfer such force to the roof over prolonged periods of time, e.g., many months or many years, without any detrimental impact to the base 10 or other components of the shingle removal apparatus 2.
The pressurized air source 64 is preferably a pneumatic air compressor which is capable of generating between about 50 and about 250 psi of pressure and more preferably generating an operating pressure of about 100 psi. Depending on the size, the length and the stroke of each pneumatic cylinder 60, one or more pneumatic cylinders 60 may be required in order to exert the desired pivoted force on the shingle removal blade 20 relative to the remainder of the shingle removal apparatus 2.
The handle 4 typically has a hook, eye hook or some other attachment mechanism 128 which facilitates attaching a safety line, for example, to secure the shingle removal apparatus 2 to safety belt worn by an operator or possibly to the peak or some other area of the roof 16, for example, and prevent the shingle removal apparatus 2 from inadvertently falling, rolling and/or being pushed off the roof 16 and possibly causing injury to an individual or property damage.
It is to be appreciated that lifting or prying force, to be generated by the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 and the base 10 of the shingle removal apparatus 2, can be quite high. Accordingly, at least the pivotable shingle removal blade 20 and the shingle removal apparatus 2 are manufactured from a sufficiently ridged material such as steel, and possibly reinforced aluminum depending on the thickness and shape of the aluminum. If aluminum is utilized, the various components must have sufficient structural integrity to withstand prolonged use under extreme conditions.
Since certain changes may be made in the above described improved the shingle removal apparatus, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting the invention.
