Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Asphalt and wood shingles covering the roofs of
buildings must be removed and replaced from time-to-time to
ensure protection against the weather.
The relval of shingles of either type from a roo~
requires considerable time and effort and is effected by inserting
a tool under shingles and then manipulating the tool to pry the
shingles loose. While some nails are pulled free along with the
shingles, usually with shingles of two or more courses, it is
always necessary to make sure that none remains when the new
shingles are to be applied.
While a wide variety of tools may be used to remove
shingles, it has been long recognized that in prying a group of
shingles loose, a tool is more effective with a fulcrum rearwardly
of its front edge than it is when the front edge is employed as
the fulcrum.
As a consequence, tools have been proposed provided with
a properly located fulcrum but these have failed to provide
features enabling them to be efficiently used and without the risk
of injuries ~o the hands of users and without undue fatigue.
The general objective of the invention is to provide a
tool, primarily for use in removing wood and asphalt shingles from
a roof but wseable for other purposes, that is more eficien~ and
safer in use than prior proposals and while of a -relatively light
weight construction is well adapted to withstand the substantial
stresses and strains attendant its use.
In accordance with -the invention, this general objective
is attained with a tool having a flat base plate the front edge
of which is in the form o~ a transverse series of teeth and which
includes an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear portion estab-
lishing a fulcrum. A handl0 of substantial length is secured to
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the rear portion o~ the plate and has an upper rearwardly disposed
hand grip, and a front portion bridging the fulcrum and secured
to the flat plate adJacent the teeth. The handle defines with
the flat plate an included angle of appxoximately 135 enabling
the tool to be used to force the plate under shingles and then
depress the handle to pry them loose while the user is standing
in a position which is comfortable and can be maintained without
being a source of discomfort and excessive fatigue.
A related objective is to provide that the rear portion
of the foot plate defines therewith an included angle of approxi-
mately 135 and the major portion of the handle is straight and
the lower end of the straight portion welded against the upwardly
inclined rear portion of the plate and including a forwardly
inclined portion which bridges the fulcrum area and is welded to
the flat plate adjacent the teeth. The forwardly inclined portion
defines an angle of approximately 150 with the straight portion
of the handle.
Another objective of the invention is to enable a group
of such tools to be stacked, an objective attained by providing
the base plate and its rear portion with a slot accommodative of
the forwardly inclined handle portion of another tool when the
flat base plate is formed with stiffening corrugations to enable
it to be formed o~ relatively thin~ light weight sheet metal these
do not interfere with nesting.
Yet another objective of the invention is to ensure that
the flat plate can be readily forced under the shingles with
engaged teeth entered between the teeth~ an objective attained
with the teeth spaced apart at an angle o~ 60 and wi~h the base
plate tapering inwardly and rearwardly from the ou-tside teeth~
Other objectives, novel features and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent from the following description
of a preferred embodiment thereof and from the appended claims.
rief Description_ f the Drawin~s~
The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred
embodiment of the invention and -
Fig. 1 is a side view of the tool;
Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;
Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a substantial
increase in scale, of the flat base plate and
portions of the handle;
Fig~ 4 is a side view of the parts of the
tool shown in Figure 3; and
Figo 5 is a fragmentary view, on an
increase in scale of the tip end of a tooth.
The Preferred Embodiment of the Inven_ion
The embodiment of the invention illustrated by thedrawings has a flat base plate 5 the front edge of which is in
~he form of a transverse series of teeth 6. The plate 5 includes
a rear portion 5A and its sides taper inwardly towards each other
so that the base, including its rear portion is a truncated
isosceles triangle in shape but the rear portion 5A is bent
upwardly to establish a fulcrum, generally indicated at 7 with
the included angle established by the rear portion 5A and the
flat base plate 5 approximately 135.
The handle of the tool is generally indicated at 8 and
is of tubular metal stockO The handle 8 has a straight main
portion 8A and upper, rearwardly inclined handle portion 8B,
shown as having a hand grip 9~ in practice, a vinyl hand grip
with the extremity of the hand grip defining with the plate 5 an
included angle of approximately 139 and a lower, forwardly
inclined portion ~C defining with the main portion 8A an included
angle o~ approximately 150 with the main portion 8~ bridging the
fulcrum 7.
The lower or forward end of the handle portion 8~ is
welded against the upper part of the rear portion 5A of the base
plate and the end of the handle portion 8C is welde~ to the base
plate 5 adjacent the teeth 6 and thus bridges the zone of the
fulcrum 7. To ens~re s~ ness of the flat plate 5, it is shown
as having corrugations 1~ and 11 on both sides of the handle
portion 8C and in order to have a substantial length of the
handle portion 8A in contact with the rear portion 5A, the length
o~ the rear portion is approximately 60% of the length of the
fl~t plate 5. The weld between the handle portion 8A and the
plate portion 5A is indicated a~ 12 and that between the end of
the handle por-tion 8C and the plate 5 is indica~ed at 13. In
practice, the plate 5 and its rear portion 5A are formed with a
central slot 1~ to enable the tools to be compactly stacked by
accommodating the bridging handle portion 8C or an underlying
tool.
In order to ensure maximum ease and convenience in the
use of the tool~ a side handle 15, in practice provided with a
vinyl grip 16, is preferably provided. The handle 15 is threaded
on the shank of a ring 17 which encircles the upper end of the
handle portion 8A and can be loosened so that i~ may be shif~ed
from side-to-side or left or right hand engagement.
In use, the flat base plate 5 is forced under the
shingles and it will be no~ed that the fact that the teeth 6
extend from side-to side of the plate S prevents the shearing of
nails. The teeth 6 are V-shaped and preferably define angles of
60 with the sides o~ the base plate tapering rearwardly and
inwardly from the base of the outside teeth. Desirably and as
shown, the teeth are so dimensioned that they are spaced an inch
apart. Desirably and as shown the teeth are ro~mded as are the
junctions between them and the undersurfaces of the -tips of the
teeth are forwardly and upwardly inclined at a slight angle as at
6A, say 15, and their upper surfaces are forwardly ancl downwardly
inclined ~or a short distance as at 6B and at a lesser angle, say
12~
Once the plate 5 has been forced under shingles, the
user depresses the handle and the shinglés, usually with all the
nails securing them, are pulled free. Because of the angular
relation of the handle 8 relative to the flat base plate S and
because of the length of the handle 8, which in practice is about
fourand one-half feet in length, the tool may be thus used with
the operator in a position that avoids crouching or bending over.
The user may start removing shingles from the eaves, which is the
conventional starting point, but with tools in accordance wi~h
the present invention, he may start ~rom the ridge thus keeping
2~ the space behind him clear. The user may also remove shingles
working ~rom slde-to-side of a roof.
While tools in accordance with the invention are
primarily for use in shingle removing, they may also be effective-
ly employed in removing roll roofing, scraping tar and gravel and
insulation from flat roofs. They may also be used ~o remove
plaster from wood lathes on walls and ceilings, linoleum and floor
tiles, block ceilings, siding, and ice and packed snowO
