Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02482878 2004-09-29
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INSULATING ROOFING SYSTEM FOR FLAT ROOFS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ~ roofing system, and more specifically, to
such a
system for insulating flat roofs while facilitating their drainage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A lot of buildings, houses or the like are provided with substantially flat
roofs.
Typically, such flat roofs have at a predetermined location, a water drain for
evacuating excess of water.
In this connection, they are known in the art, systems for creating a sloping
roof out
of a flat roof to prevent the build-ups of standing water from heavy rain. An
example
of such a system comprises a plurality of panels disposed onto the surface of
the
roof. One known drawback of this system concerns the tightness of blunt-end
joints
between the panels. Overtime, these joints, which are usually filled with a
compound
such as adhesives or silicone based compounds, may become deteriorated from
exposure to environmental elements and therefore gradually causing the roof to
loose some of its insulating properties, and creating what is called thermal-
bridges.
Therefore, there is still a need for new roofing systems for flat roofs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiency of the prior art
discussed above. It is an object of the invention to provide a roofing system
for a
substantially flat roof structure which comprises:
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- a central panel with a substantially concave surface, said central panel
being provided with a through hole capable of operatively engaging a
drainage system of the flat roof;
- tapered side panels interlocked to the central panel; and
- tapered corner panels interlocked to adjacent side panels,
whereby the side and corner panels are shaped and adapted to direct water
to the central panel, and whereby the interlocks prevent thermal bridges to
affect the roofing system.
1o Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily
appearing
from the following detailed description of the preferred embadiment thereof
taken in
conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF ~ESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the roofing system according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the roofing system shown in Figure 1, with
one of its
2 o panels that has been taken apart.
Figure 3a is a perspective view of one of the panels of the roofing system
shown in
Figure 1, namely the central panel.
Figure 3b is a side view of the central panel of Figure 3a; Figure 3c is a
cross-
sectional view taken along lines A-A of Figure 3b.
Figure 4a is a perspective view of another panel of the roofing system shown
in
Figure 1, namely the corner panel.
Figure 4b is a top view of the corner panel of Figure 4a.
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Figure 4c is a side view of the corner panel of Figure 4a.
Figure 5a is a perspective view of a further panel of the roofing system of
Figure 1,
namely the side panel.
Figure 5b is a side view of the side panel of Figure 5a.
Figure 5c is a perspective view of two panels of the roofing system in an
interlocking
position.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to Figures 1 to 5, there is shown a roofing system 10 designed
for use
with buildings or houses having a substantially flat roof. The roof is usually
provided
with a drainage system, such as conventional water pipes located at a
predetermined
location, for instance, at the centre of the roof.
As shown in Fig. 1, the insulating roofing system 10 of the present invention
typically
2 0 comprises a plurality of panels of waterproof insulating material
preferably selected
from the group consisting of: expanded & extruded polystyrene,
polyisocyanurate,
urethane, fibreglass, fibreboard & mineral fibre. More specifically, the
roofing system
10 comprises a central panel 12 with a substantially concave surface 14 having
preferably a slope of 2% {see also Figs. 3a and 3b). The central panel 12 is
provided
with a through hole 16 at its centre and is capable of operatively engaging
with a
drainage system of a flat roof, such as a water drain pipe. The roofing system
10
also comprises side panels 18 interlocked with the central panel 12 (see also
Figs.
5a to 5c). Furthermore, the roofing system 10 comprises corner panels 20
interlocked with adjacent side panels 18 (see also Figs. 4a to 4 c).
The corner panels 20 and side panels 18 are tapered to facilitate draining of
water to
the through hole 16 of the central panel 12. In other words, the side 18 and
corner 20
panels are shaped and adapted to direct the water away from the outside edges
of
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the side 18 and corner 20 panels. More particularly, the side panels 18 have a
surface 22 with a slope of approximately 1 % (see Fig. 5b), whereas the corner
panels 20 are designed in such a way that their surface 24 is somewhat
invaginated
along the line 26 defined between the outermost 28 and innermost 30 corners
thus
allowing the water to be drained in direction of the central panel 12 (see
Figs 4b).
As can be appreciated, the panels of the roofing system are joined together in
such a
way that each of the panels overlaps the one next to it in a shiplap joint,
and not in a
blunt end joint. This way of interlocking the panels of the roofing system
offers the
advantage of cutting thermal-bridges & to ensure a long lasting insulation of
the flat
roof.
It will be understood that the panels may be joined together by any means or
system
known to one skilled in the art provided that no blunt end joints are created.
According to a preferred embodiment, the present invention contemplates of
using a
system with "cohesive panel edges" to efficiently join the panels together.
Such a
system is best viewed in Figure 2, wherein an upper protruding edge 40 of a
panel
overlaps a lower protruding edge 42 of an adjacent panel.
2 0 In use, the user will first fix and engage the central panel 12 with the
drainage system
of the roof. Then, in a clockwise manner, starting with a side panel 18, the
user will
secure a first side panel 18 to the side of the central panel 12 and secure a
corner
panel 20 to the side of the 'first side panel 18. Then the user will secure a
second
side panel to the next available side of the central panel 12 and so forth
until the roof
2 5 system is completed.
Other panels may be added and secured to the corner and side panels already
disposed on the roof so as to completely cover the whole surface of the roof.
In such
a case, each new panel that is added is shaped so as to retain a slope of
30 approximately 1 %. Advantageously, al! panels of the present insulation
roof system
may be carved, factory laminated to other roofing board or shortened to comply
with
the size and configuration of the roof.
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Finally, once the flat roof has been covered with the roofing system of the
present
invention, the roofing system may be fastened by means known to one skilled in
the
art to the roof and then covered with a layer of asphalt based compounds or
any
5 other roof coverings which are suitable for roofs having a slope gradient as
contemplated by the present invention.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in
detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be
understood that
the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments and that various
changes
and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or
spirit
of the present invention.
