Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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T1TLE.
IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ROOFING OR SHEATHING.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION.
This invention relates to an exterior sheathing element and a method of
applying exterior
sheathing to a structure. More particularly the invention relates to a sheet
metal sheathing
element useful for roofing.
BACKGROUND ART OF THE INVENTION.
A variety of exterior sheathing elements including those formed from sheet
metal are known.
Traditionally with exterior sheathing, particularly roofing, the word "tile"
is used to indicate a
single tile such as a concrete tile. With the development of sheet metal
sheathing it has become
well established to manufacture elements that visually replicate the designs
of such traditional
tiles. Because these sheet metal tiles are substantially lighter than their
concrete counterparts
they are normally manufactured as multiple units, that is, as to replicate say
three or four
traditional tiles. This capability is one of the advantages these tile have
over the traditional
"single" tile. This invention is primarily concerned with a multiple sheet
metal tile and herein
the term "tile" is used accordingly. However, the nature of the invention does
lend itself for
manufacture and use as a single tile element and the term is to be considered
as being
applicable to either form of tile.
The prior art includes various structures of such tiles (sometimes referred to
as shingles) and
also metal and vinyl sidings. In situ the sidings or tiles are overlapped both
laterally with
adjacent sidings/tiles as well as with upper and lower siding/tile courses to
achieve a
weatherproof structure. As part of the overlap between courses some
sidings/tiles include a
lower edge underside lip which locates within an upper edge channel of the
next lower
siding/tile course. However, a fundamental difference between the tiles and
sidings is the
substantial length of the latter. This necessitates that a siding incorporate
means to
compensate for longitudinal expansion and contraction particularly at the
lateral overlap of
adjacent sidings. Their in situ mounting means also need to allow for this. US
Patents
3,520,099; 3,159,943 describe such single course sidings and Canadian Patent
1251317,
describes a multi-course panel like siding. This need to allow for movement is
recognised in
US Patent 5,475,963 which describes a device for re-securing disengaged
sidings. Owing to
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the relatively shorter length of tiles, they may be rigidly fixed to a
supporting substrate. It
follows that any overlap, both laterally and between courses of and between
tiles may also be
fixed and there is no need for compensating mounting means such as described
in US Patent
5,363,623 or specialised mounting brackets as described in US Patent
4,266,385. US Patents
2,811,118 and 5,657,603 describe metal shingles which are fixed in situ and
which are also not
merely overlapped with one another but also interlocked to one another. This
interlocking may
well have benefits but does add to installation time, requiring precise in
situ alignment, and in
some cases, such as in US Patent 5,657,603 also folding. These requirements
also tend to
require more skilled installers both aspects adding to the costs of using such
a shingle or tile.
A first object of this invention is to provide a sheet metal sheathing element
particularly useful
as a roofmg tile that can be manufactured utilising thinner sheet metal than
typically used with
sheet metal tiles. A second object is to provide a sheet metal tile that
replicates a traditional
wooden shingle "tile" particularly in a multiple configuration thereof as
discussed above
relative to concrete tiles. A further object of this invention is to provide
such a sheathing
element adapted for individual fixing to a supporting structure and subsequent
conjoining and
fixing of further tiles both laterally and longitudinally of the first tile.
The structure of the tile
enables adjacent overlapping tiles to be located within one another but
without the need of a
fixed interlock as described in the above mentioned shingle patents. The steps
can be repeated
to cover a desired area of a supporting structure and thus a further object is
to provide a
method of affixing sheathing tile to a structure. Yet a further object is to
provide the public
with a further choice in sheathing elements in particular a sheathing element
suitable for
mounting by relatively unskilled people.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided an exterior
sheathing element
comprising a planar main body having an inner face and an outer face and first
and second
lateral sides and corresponding first and second lateral side portions, first
lower and second
upper edge portions opposite one another on said main body and extending
between said
lateral sides said first edge portion including an innerface channel extending
the full distance
between said lateral sides and having a mouth open towards said second edge,
and said second
edge portion including an outerface channel, extending the full distance
between said lateral
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sides and having a mouth open towards said frst edge; and a mounting tab
projecting from
said second edge portion, and being absent at a region thereof bordering the
first lateral side of
the main body, the mounting tab projecting away from and in substantially co-
planar
relationship to the body;
said channels including their mouths, being of dimensions sufficient to allow
the element to be
assembled in use as a fnst sheathing element together with identical second
and third sheathing
elements in the following manner:
(i) the first lateral side portion of the first element is laterally
overlapped with said
second lateral side portion of the second element so that the overlapping
section
of the second edge portion of the first element locates within the outerface
channel of the second element and the overlapping section of the first edge
portion of the second element locates within the innerface channel of the
first
element; and
(ii) said first edge portion of the third element is mounted over the
overlapping
sections of the second edge portions of the first and second elements as well
as
the adjacent sections of each of their second edge portions, with the first
edge
portion of the third element locating in the outerface channels of the
laterally
overlapping first and second elements.
According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a sheet metal
exterior
sheathing element as described in the preceding paragraph wherein the
innerface and outerface
channels are formed by folding the material forming the first edge portion and
second edge
portion respectively back on itself but in spaced relationship to form the
channels within the
folds, and the mounting tab is formed by having a return fold to shape the
material of the
second edge portion, save for the region thereof bordering the first lateral
side of the main
body, to extend back over on itself in pressed together relationship the
material forming the
outerface channel and to then project away from of the main body.
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According to a third aspect of this invention there is provided a sheathing on
a structure
wherein the sheathing comprises identical first, second and third exterior
sheathing elements,
each being an element as described in either of the two immediately preceding
paragraphs, the
first, second and third elements being assembled together in the following
manner:
(i) the first lateral side portion of the first element is laterally
overlapped with said
second lateral side portion of the second element so that the overlapping
section of the
second edge portion of the first element locates within the outerface channel
of the
second element and the overlapping section of the first edge portion of the
second
element locates within the innerface channel of the first element; and
(ii) said first edge portion of the third element is mounted over the
overlapping
sections of the second edge portions of the first and second elements as well
as the
adjacent sections of each of their second edge portions, with the first edge
portion of
the third element locating in the outerface channels of the laterally
overlapping first and
second elements.
According to a fourth aspect of this invention there is provided a method of
exterior sheathing
a structure with a plurality of sheathing elements as described in the first
or second aspects of
this invention comprising substantially of repeating the steps of positioning
a first sheathing
element on a sheathing element support of the structure, positioning a second
sheathing
element with a side section thereof in an overlapping relationship with a
section side of the
first element and in so doing ensuring their corresponding folded edge
portions engage one
within the other by the side section of the first folded edge portion of the
underlay element
being located in the channel formed by the corresponding section of the
overlay element, and
the side section of the second folded section of the overlay element being
located in the
channel formed by the corresponding section of the underlay element, and
positioning a first
folded edge portion of a third sheathing element in engagement over the
overlapping sections
and adjacent sections of the second folded edge portions of the first and
second sheathing
elements with those second folded edge sections being located in the channel
formed by the
first folded edge portion of the third element, and throughout utilising
mounting means with
the mounting tabs to affix the sheathing elements to the support.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is an upperface or obverse view of two sheathing elements being
presented to
one another in readiness for being laterally overlapped and engaged with one
another as
depicted in Figure 2, and
5 Fig. 3 depicts a third sheathing element adjacent the two laterally
overlapped elements
depicted in Figure 2, the third element being presented to be joined to the
first two
elements in a position depicted schematically by broken-line 3, and
Fig. 4 is a partly schematic side view essentially in the direction of arrow A
on Figure 3
and with the elements engaged with one another and mounted in situ onto a
support
extending adjacently therebeneath for substantially the complete span of the
sheathing
and
Fig. 5 is a similar view to Figure 4 depicting a variation of the sheathing
element
mounted to support rafters disposed in a spaced apart manner beneath the
sheathing.
BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT OF THE INVENTION.
A sheathing element 22 is preferably manufactured from sheet metal in known
manner such as
by pressing, roll forming and/or folding. Preferably element 22 is designed as
a multiple tile as
discussed above and in particular to replicate a plurality of wooden shingles
arranged in a side
overlapping side relationship as in situ. While the tile 22 of this invention
can be
manufactured from sheet metal as typically used for sheet metal sheathing
tiles; the design
lends itself suitable for manufacture using thinner sheet metal. This in turn
enables the tile to
economically replicate wooden shingles. Preferably sheet metal in the region
of 0.27mm gauge
is used, in situ, this necessitating a support extending completely
therebeneath. Typically such
a support is, as depicted in Figure 4, plywood or similar sheets 2 being
mounted on rafters 16
or similar elements to completely cover an area. Because of their light
weight, their design and
their preferred utilisation with such a support the tile of this invention is
suitable for mounting
by relatively unskilled people.
Preferably sheathing element 22 is pressed into a thin or substantially single
plane
configuration having an overall thickness, including inter-engaging channels 7
and 9 as
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described below, similar to that of a typical wooden shingle. The tile 22 has
a main body 1
having a fust lateral side 20 and a second lateral side 21 with corresponding
lateral side
portions lc, lb. Indentations indicated by various longitudinally extending
lines on the
drawings are preferably provided to strengthen the main body 1 and provide the
desired visual
wooden shingle replication. These indentations are not pronounced and in the
preferred form
the tile 22 has the exterior face thereof coated, in known manner, with stone
chips or similar
(not shown for the sake of clarity) to enhance this replication.
The indentations include weather ingress inhibiting ribs 5, preferably
longitudinally extending
in a corrugated manner and preferably being more pronounced than most of the
remainder of
the indentations. The ribs 5 are disposed along at least lateral side portion
lb of the tile 22,
being that side that in use is disposed on the underside when overlapped (as
depicted by Figs. 1
and 2) with another tile 23. In the drawings both sides of a tile 22 are shown
with ribs 4 but
they are not necessary on lateral side portion 1c that will be uppermost in
situ.
Tile 22 has a first edge portion 6 opposite a second edge portion 8 extending
between the first
and second lateral sides 20, 21. First edge portion 6 is formed back on itself
such as by
folding to form a channel 7 on what, in situ, will be an innerface of the tile
22. On second
edge portion 8 a further channel 9 is formed on what, in situ, will be an
outerface of the tile 22.
(While the tile 22 is preferably wider than it is long the terms "side" and
"longitudinal' are
used in the manner chosen to assist clarity.) Channel 9 is also preferably
formed by folding
and a mounting tab 10 is also formed projecting from that outer edge portion
8.
Mounting tab 10 extends along the edge portion 8 but terminates short of the
first lateral side
20 of the tile 22 to leave a mounting tab free section 11. The tab free
section 11 preferably
corresponds to the lateral side portion lc or in other words that side portion
of a tile 22 that
will be uppermost when in a side overlapping relationship with another tile
23. It will be
understood by those skilled in the art and the following description that
mounting tab 10 may
also terminate short of the other lateral side 21 of the element and need not
be continuous.
Mounting tab 10 is preferably formed by providing a return fold on the
mounting tab forming
part of edge 8, the material forming mounting tab 10 having a return extending
back over itself
in pressed together relationship about the material forming channel 9 and then
outwardly
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substantially co-planar with the main body 1 of the tile 22. The side of edge
portion 8 distal of
mounting tab free part 11 and the associated engaging section of edge portion
6 may be
stepped, as indicated at 17 on tile 22 in Figure 1, to assist the side overlap
engagement, and
continuity of line, of one tile with another. For similar reasons, at the area
17, channel 9 may
be marginally "opened" and at the tab free part 11 marginally "closed".
The construction and arrangement of the tile 22 enables a plurality of tiles
22, 23 to be laterally
overlapped with one another as depicted in Fig. 2. Referring in particular to
Fig. 1, the overlap
is undertaken by presenting tile 22 to a second tile 23. This is indicated by
double headed
arrow 13, the overlap providing their corresponding edge portions 6 and 8 are
engaged within
one another. More particularly, the edge portion 6 of tile 23 locates within
channel 7 of tile 22
and the tab flee section 11 of edge portion 8 of tile 221ocates in channel 9
of tile 23.
Referring in particular to Fig. 3 a third tile 24 can then be presented; as
indicated by the double
headed arrow 15, to tiles 22 and 23. Preferably the presentation is as to
engage the folded edge
7 of tile 24 over and about the overlapping sections of folded second edges 8
of the tiles 22
and 23 and the adjacent sections of each of the second edges 8 as to extend to
either side of
that overlap. This relationship of three such tiles 22, 23 and 24 enhances the
weathering
capabilities of the junctions between the tiles 22, 23 and 24. For clarity,
this engagement is
depicted in side view schematically in Figs. 4 and 5, the engagement being in
the nature of a
close nesting or clipping together.
A preferred method of in situ mounting is to connect tiles 22, 23 and 24 in a
repeating
sequence of that described above. In so doing the tiles are rested on backing
support sheet 2
and fixed thereto such as by stapling 12 through the mounting tabs 10 into the
sheet 2. These
steps are substantially repeated to cover the whole of a required area. In so
doing the mounting
tabs 10 are hidden from view and a continuous sheathing finish achieved.
Referring in particular to Fig. 5 a variation of the sheathing element 22 is
depicted. This
sheathing element 25 is preferably manufactured from thicker sheet metal in
the region of
0.5mm gauge sheet metal. Mounting tab 10 incorporates a laterally extending
channel 18 that
can be used as a batten to affix the sheathing elements ld directly to spaced
apart rafters 16.
