ROOFING SHINGLE

BARDEAU DE TOIT

English Abstract

A roofing shingle is provided for shingling a roof with
overlapped shingles, wherein the exposed portion of the shingle
is selected to be of a height in the installed condition relative
to the overall height of the shingle that enhances material
utilization, to be at least approximately 44.4% efficient. This
is accomplished by using an exposure height of 8 inches relative
to an overall shingle height of 18 inches. The shingles are
preferably constructed to have either 3 or 4 tabs, thereby having
a ratio of exposure height to tab width of either 0.667 or 0.889,
respectively. A larger exposure allows one to obtain 200
shingles for each 300 lineal feet of sheet shingle material, when
the shingles have 18 inch overall height, and further allows an
overall saving in the number of nails required to install a roof.
The invention also contemplates variations in tab width within a
given shingle and variations in number of tabs from about one to
nine tabs in a given shingle.

Claims

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A roof surfaced with shingles each having upper ends
and lower ends and each having 18 inch overall height, and being
laid-up in partially overlapping courses to leave lower ends of
shingles exposed to a predetermined exposed height, with
successive courses of said shingles overlapping upper ends of
next underlying courses of shingles in amounts sufficient to
provide 8 inch exposed height at lower ends of applied shingles.
2. The roof of claim 1, wherein the exposed portion of
each shingle is divided into a plurality of tabs of
substantially even width; wherein the ratio of exposed height to
tab width is defined by the ratio <IMG>
where n = number of tabs across shingle width
W = nominal shingle width in inches of the shingle
across all of its tabs and where E = the exposed height in
inches.
3. The roof of claim 2, wherein said ratio is
approximately 0.889 in the case of a four-tab 36 inch wide
shingle.
4. The roof of claim 2, wherein said ratio is
approximately 0.667 in the case of a three-tab 36 inch wide
shingle.
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5. A roof surfaced with shingles each having upper ends
and lower ends, and being laid-up in partially overlapping
courses to have lower shingles exposed to a predetermined
height, with successive courses of said shingles partially
overlapping upper ends of next underlying courses of shingles
to provide shingle exposure of lower ends of said shingles in
said next underlying course, with material utilization
efficiency being approximately 44.4 percent when said
efficiency is defined as the ratio of shingle exposed height
to overall height of a shingle, wherein said overall height is
nominally 18 inches, whereby the exposed shingle height is
about 8 inches of each shingle.
6. A shingle having a tab portion adapted to be exposed
in the installed condition, a top portion above said tab
portion, adapted to be covered in the installed condition and
a headlap portion comprising the upper 2 inches of said top
portion and adapted to be covered in the installed condition;
said tab portion being 8 inches in height and said top portion
being 10 inches in height of which 2 inches become headlap in
the final roof assembly, for an overall height of 18 inches.
7. The shingle of claim 6, wherein the exposed portion
of each shingle is divided into a plurality of tabs of
substantially even width; wherein the ratio of exposed height
to tab width is defined by the ratio <IMG>
where n = number of tabs across shingle width
W = nominal shingle width in inches of the
shingle across all of its tabs and where E = the exposed
height in inches.
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8. The shingle of claim 7, wherein said ratio is
approximately 0.889 in the case of a four-tab 36 inch wide
shingle.
9. The shingle of claim 7, wherein said ratio is
approximately 0.667 in the case of a three-tab 36 inch wide
shingle.
10. The roof of claim 1, wherein the exposed portion of
each shingle is comprised of at least one tab; wherein the ratio
of exposed height to tab width is defined by the ratio
<IMG>
where n = number of tabs across shingle width
W = nominal shingle width in inches of the
shingle across all of its tabs and where E = the exposed height
in inches.
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11. The roof of claim 10, wherein there are a plurality
of tabs; with at least some of the tabs being of uneven width.
12. The roof of claim 10, wherein the ratio is within
the range 8/36 to 8/4.
13. The roof of claim 10, wherein n is within the range
of 1 to 9.
14. A process for roofing with shingles comprising
applying successive courses of shingles over next previous
courses of shingles by using shingles having overall heights
of 18 inches, covering the upper 10 inches of the next
previously laid course of shingles, and leaving exposed the
lower 8 inches of the next previously laid course of shingles,
whereby the material utilization efficiency is at least
approximately 44.4 percent when the efficiency is defined as
the ratio of shingle exposure height to overall shingle
height.
15. A method of producing shingles comprising the steps
of:
(a) providing an elongate sheet of shingle material
about 36 inches in width;
(b) arranging the sheet for shingle cutting, to lay
out a shingle ratio of 200 shingles per each 300 lineal feet
of sheet; and
(c) cutting the sheet of shingle material into
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shingle pieces of about 18 inches by nominally 36 inches;
whereby wastage of sheet shingle material is substantially
minimized, wherein each shingle is provided with an 8 inch
height exposure portion.
16. The method of claim 15 including the step of cutting
a plurality of substantially even width tabs inward from an
edge of the shingle, in the shingle exposure portion such that
the ratio of exposed height to tab width is defined by the
ratio <IMG>
where n = number of tabs across shingle width
W = nominal shingle width in inches of the
shingle across all of its tabs and where E = the exposed
height in inches.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said ratio is
approximately 0.889 in the case of a four-tab 36 inch wide
shingle.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein said ratio is
approximately 0.667 in the case of a three-tab 36 inch wide
shingle.
19. A square of shingles, having 50 shingles, sufficient
to cover 100 square feet of roof area when the shingles are
disposed in a laid-up condition on a roof, with their tab
areas exposed and covering top areas of shingles in a next-
lower course, with each shingle in the square having a total
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shingle height of 18 inches with an exposed tab portion 8
inches in height, a tab exposure area and a top area, with the
tab areas each including (n) number of tabs separated by (n-1)
slots, with nailing zones being located near an end of each
slot in the top area of the shingle above the slot and at each
end of the shingle, with all nailing zones being generally
along a common imaginary line to define (n+1) nailing zones;
where n = any of the whole numbers 3 and 4 and where the
number of nailing zones in the square equals 200 where n = 3
and 250 where n = 4.
20. The square of claim 19, wherein said fifty shingles
are packaged in a plurality of bundles prior to installation,
wherein the bundles of shingles are in stacked relation, two
to a layer, defining a rectangular stack base of nominally 36
inch wide shingles, of approximately 36 inches square.
21. A square of shingles, having fifty shingles,
sufficient to cover 100 square feet of roof area when the
shingles are disposed in a laid-up condition on a roof, with
their tab areas exposed and covering top areas of shingles in
a next-lower course, with each shingle in the square having a
total shingle height of 18 inches with an exposed tab portion
8 inches in height, a tab exposure area and a top area,
wherein the shingles each have a width dimension and
sufficient tab exposure area to comprise means whereby, in the
laid-up condition on a roof, 50 shingles can cover the 100
square foot area.
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22. The square of shingles of claim 21, with the tab
areas each including (n) number of tabs separated by (n-1)
slots, with nailing zones being located near an end of each
slot in the top area of the shingle above the slot and at each
end of the shingle, with all nailing zones being generally
along a common imaginary line to define (n+1) nailing zones;
where n = any of the whole numbers 3 and 4 and where the
number of nailing zones in the square equals 200 where n = 3
and 250 where n = 4.
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Description

60973-642
ROOFING SHINGhE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the art of shingle manufacture, it has become
commonplace to construct shingles from a base mat, generally
having an asphaltic composition applied over the mat, following
which granules are applied to the shingle, in various
configurations. The art has developed such that the granule
applications, shingle thicknesses, overlainments of shingle
materials, etc. have simulated the appearance of shingles of
natural roofing materials, such as slate or wood. Often, such
natural roofing~materials such as slate or wood have greater
exposures than asphalt shingles.
Standard asphalt shingles have a five inch height
exposure in the installed condition, and a tab width (as
measured across the bottom of a shingle tab) of 12 inches. This
gives an exposure height to width ratio of about 0.417, often
appearing to be unnatural relative to slate or wood shingles.
Also, the ordinary 12 inch high shingle designed to
have 5 inches of height exposure will allow the manufacture of
300 shingles each 36 inches in overall width by 12 inches in
height, out of 300 linear feet of shingle membrane or rolled
material, when manufactured on a 36" wide mat.
Additionally, these standard shingles of 12 inches in
height
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having 5 inch exposure will ordinarily require 80 shingles per
roofing square (100 square feet of roof area) installed, and
will utilize 320 nails per square when three-tabbed shingles are
installed, and 400 nails per square when four-tabbed shingles are
installed.
THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention resides in shingles having a unique
exposure height to overall height; namely 8 inches relative to 18
inches, which fields desirable natural-a
y ppearing effects,
requires fewer nails per square of roofing material, requires the
S
installation of fewer shingles per square of roofing material,
can result in material savings, and allows for the ready manu-
facture of shingles from sheets of shingle material that are
originally 36 inches wide.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to
provide a novel shingle.
It is another object of this invention to provide a shingle
having an 8 inch height exposure.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel
shingle having 8 inches of height exposure out of a total shingle
height of 18 inches.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the
above objects wherein the shingles can be either three-tabbed or
four-tabbed shingles.
It is another object of this invention to accomplish the
above object, wherein the shingles have exposure height to tab
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width ratios of 0.667 and 0.889, respectively.
It is another object of this invention to provide shingles in
accordance with the above objects, wherein the shingles have a
material utilization efficiency of approximately 44.4 percent.
It is another object of this invention to provide shingles
having 8 inch exposure, but wherein the ratio of tab height to
width can vary from about 8/36 to 8/4.
It is a further object of this invention to provide shingles
having 8 inch tab height exposure, wherein the tab widths can
vary in a given shingle.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the
above objects wherein considerable variation may be provided in
S~'~ n l
the number of ~ tabs, generally within the range of 1-9 tabs
per shingle.
Another object of this invention is to provide shingles that
may be installed on a roof at a substantial saving in the number
of nails necessary to apply the shingles.
It is a further object of this invention to provide shingles
that may be efficiently manufactured, and which will yield fewer,
but larger shingles per square of installed roofing.
Other objects of this invention reside in providing a process
for roofing with shingles, a method of producing shingles, and a
novel shingled roof assembly, in accordance with any or all of
the objects discussed above.
Other objects of the invention will be readily apparent upon
a reading of the following brief descriptions of the drawing
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figures, detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, and
the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a sheet of shingle mate-
rial having a plurality of shingles cut therefrom in pairs,
wherein the shingles are four-tab shingles.
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a sheet of shingle mate-
rial having a plurality of shingle cut therefrom in pairs,
wherein the shingles are three-tab shingles.
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a four-tab shingle cut from the
sheet of Fig. 1, and wherein five nailing zones are illustrated.
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a three-tab shingle cut from
the sheet of Fig. 2, and wherein four nailing zones are
illustrated.
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an assembly of
shingles on a roof, in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of bundles of shingles
arranged in layers to form a stack of substantially square
outlines and varying heights.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first
made to Fig. 1, wherein a sheet 20 of roofing material is
provided, nominally having a length "L" of 300 feet, and a width
2H of 36 inches, from which adjacent pairs of four-tab shingles
21, 22 may be cut, each of a height "H" of 18 inches, with each
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shingle being generally of an overall width "w" measured across
its tabs of 36 inches.
With reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that each shingle 21
has four tabs 23, separated by slots 24 between the tabs, and
having cut-out portions 25 at the ends of end tabs, each cut-out
portion being approximately half the width of each slot 24, and
of essentially the same height.
Above the slots 24 and cut-out portions 25, there is an imag-
inary line 26, along which are located 5 nailing zones 27 for the
four-tab shingle. The nailing zones are generally in line
above the slots 24 and cut-out portions 25. From approximately
the upper ends 28 of the slots and cut-out portions, to the lower
edges 30 of the tabs, there are located the exposure portions of
the tabs, having exposure height "E" of 8 inches.
Similarly, with reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that a
sheet 40 provides adjacent three-tab shingles 41 and 42, each
also of 18 inch overall height "H", for an aggregate height in
Fig. 2 of 36 inches which corresponds with the width of the sheet
40.
with reference to Fig. 4, a three-tab shingle 41 is
illustrated, with the tabs 43 separated by slots 44 and with cut-
out portions 45 being provided at the ends, similar to those 25
in Fig. 3. Nailing zones 47 are likewise provided, four in num-
ber for a three-tab shingle, along an imaginary line 46. The
shingle of Fig. 4 likewise has an exposure height "E" of 8 inches
relative to a total shingle height "H" of 18 inches.
With specific reference to Fig. 5, a shingled roof assembly
50 is illustrated, being built up of a plurality of four-tab
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60973-642
shingles 21, with nails 51 applied in the nailing Zones 27, 47,
as discussed above.
With specific reference to Fig. 6, it will be seen
that a plurality of shingle bundles 61, either three-tab
shingles or four-tab shingles 21 or 41 are provided in a stack
60. Each bundle 61 might contain anywhere from 5 to 30 shingles
each, of the type 21, 41, depending upon the finished shingle
weight. Such bundles 61, each approximately 18 inches by
nominally 36 inches, when stacked alternately (rotated 90
degrees from previous and succeeding layers), as shown, can make
a stable and efficient pallet load, using a standard 36 inch by
36 inch pallet. Other width shingles may provide desired visual
effect, but not a stable and efficient pallet load.
With respect to the shingles discussed above, wherein
the shingles are four-tab shingles of the type of Fig. 3, the
width of each tab will be approximately 9 inches, such that when
the ratio of exposure height to tab width is defined by the
formula
(n) E inches
W
where n equals the number of tabs across the shingle width, W
equals the nominal shingle width in inches of a shingle across
all of its tabs, and where E = the exposed height in inches,
such ratio is approximately 0.889. A similar calculation for a
three-tab shingle yields a ratio of exposure height to tab width
of approximately 0.667. It will be
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2 05 5020
60973-642
understood that the term "nominal shingle width" allows for
cutting away with no material or some material between tabs.
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Thus, if no material is cut away, the nominal shingle width for a
4 tab shingle with each tab 9 inches wide, equals 36 inches. If
each pair of adjacent tabs are separated by approximately 3/8
inch width cutout, the actual aggregate material width across 4
tabs equals 34'h inches, but the nominal shingle width remains 36
inches. The cutout width can, of course, vary from about zero to
about 1 inch, but is usually in the 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch width
range. The nominal shingle width does not vary.
It will also be noted that the 18 inch height ~~H~~ for the
overall height of the shingles 21, 41, allows the construction of
two side by side shingles simultaneously across the width of a
given sheet of material 20, thereby efficiently using material
from a 36 inch wide sheet, roll, or the like.
Each shingle in accordance with this invention will therefore
have a top portion such as that 29 of Fig. 3, that is 10 inches
in height, which allows for a two inch headlap portion 19 as
shown in Fig. 3, above the imaginary line 31. A similar arrange-
ment is present in Fig. 4, for the top portion and headlap por-
tion of the shingle 41.
If material utilization efficiency is defined as the ratio
of exposure to overall shingle height, then it will be seen that a
shingle of 8 inch exposure relative to an overall shingle height
of 18 inches will be approximately 44.4 percent efficient as com-
pared with a customary shingle of 5 inch exposure and 12 inch
overall height, which is only 41.7 percent efficient.
Also, shingles produced in accordance with the present
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invention, as aforesaid, will provide 200 shingles of the indi-
cated size, as aforesaid, out of 300 linear feet of sheet mate-
rial 20 or 40, rather than 300 shingles 36 inches by 12 inches
high. The 200 shingles produced in accordance with the present
invention are sufficient to cover 400 square feet of roof area,
rather than a coverage of only 375 square feet of roof area from
300 conventional sized shingles. Accordingly, it will be noted
that shingles made in accordance with the size arrangements set
forth herein allow for material savings in producing approxi-
mately 6.7 percent more salable product per unit length of sheet.
It will also be apparent that a roofing square; namely 100
square feet of roof area, can be covered by 50 shingles in accor-
dance with the present invention, rather than requiring 80 shin-
gles in accordance with conventional sized shingles.
The shingles of the present invention also allow for using
fewer nails, in that the nailing zones 27 or 47, will require
only 250 nails per square of roof area for a four-tab shingle and
only 200 nails per square of roof area for a three-tab shingle.
This is compared with 400 nails per square of roof area and 320
nails per square of roof area for conventional shingles, of four-
tabs and three-tabs, respectively for conventional shingles that
are 36 inches wide, but only 12 inches high, with 5 inches of
exposure. The nailing zones (n+1) on a given shingle, depend-
ing upon the number (n) of tabs, with the number of tabs in a
given shingle separated by a number (n-1) of slots, therefore
yields 200 or 250 nailing zones in a square, for three-tab and
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four-tab shingles, respectively. The reduction of the number of
nailing zones in applying shingles to a roof can be substantial,
resulting in a considerable saving of the time and expense of
applying nails, as well as the cost of nails saved, in that a
typical thirty square roof would result in a saving of 2100
nails, in accordance with the present invention, when a roof is
shingled with four-tab shingles of the present invention rather
than standard three-tab prior art shingles. Moreover, if three-
tab shingles of the present invention are used rather than three-
tab standard prior art shingles, this results in a nail saving
of 3600 nails; if four-tab shingles of the present invention are
used rather than four-tab standard prior art shingles, the saving
is 4500 nails.
Additional advantages reside in the present invention. For
example, roofers typically line a roof with chalk for each alter-
nate course (row) of shingles. Thus chalk lines can be made
every 16 inches, corresponding to a double exposure. This 16
inch spacing also corresponds with conventional markings on tape
measures used by roofers; which generally are highlighted every
16 inches to correspond to wall stud spacing for housing.
Additionally, single bundles of the present invention may
readily be palletized, or stacked, as shown in Fig. 6. While the
shingle bundles are stacked two to a layer, as shown, resulting
in a stack that is 36 inches square, the height of the stack may
vary.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that various modifica-
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tions may be made in the details of construction of the shingle
of the present invention, and/or of a shingled roof assembly made
in accordance therewith, as well as in the process of
manufacture, the arrangement of shingles on the roof, and the
method of application of shingles. Modifications may be made in
the stacking or palletizing of shingles in accordance with this
invention, all within the spirit and scope of the invention as
defined in the claims. It will further be apparent throughout
this application that where dimensions, such as 8 inch, 36 inch,
18 inches, etc. are set forth as being of significance, that it
is intended to encompass minor variations, such as will arise
from manufacturing tolerances and the like. Thus, these dimen-
sional limitations should be construed to encompass dimensions
that are substantially the same, or about the same, but which
would yield the same essential benefits in accordance with the
present invention.
Additionally, the shingles can be constructed of multiple ply
thicknesses, in whole or in part, for greater weather resistence
and/or for diverse aesthetic effects.
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Representative Drawing