EP1698739A1

EP1698739A1 - system for fastening roofing tiles provided on a pitched roof surface, assembly for such a system as well as method for fastening roofing tiles to a pitched roof surface

Info

Publication number: EP1698739A1
Application number: EP06110659A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Albert Felix Joseph Bogaerts
Original assignee: Bove Holding BV
Current assignee: Bove Holding BV
Priority date: 2005-03-04
Filing date: 2006-03-03
Publication date: 2006-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-03
Also published as: ATE431882T1; DK1698739T3; EP1698739B1; DE602006006878D1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for fastening roofing tiles provided on a pitched roof surface. The system comprises a plurality of roofing tiles, each with a tile length running in the direction of the pitch of the roof surface and a tile width running transversely thereto; a plurality of battens running horizontally parallel to one another, which are fixed to an underlying roof structure at a mutual spacing of approximately the tile length; and a plurality of tile clips with which at least a number of the plurality of roofing tiles is fastened. The system further comprises a system of wires which extends over the roof surface and is provided under the battens. Each tile clip is provided with a tile-engaging part for engaging a tile and a hook part for hooking onto a wire of said system. The tile clips are further provided with adjusting means for setting the distance between, on the one hand, the point of engagement on the roofing tiles and, on the other hand, the point of engagement on a wire of said system. The invention further relates to an assembly for a system according to the invention and to a method for fastening roofing tiles.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for fastening roofing tiles provided on a pitched roof surface, comprising

a quantity of roofing tiles, each with a tile length running in the direction of the pitch of the roof surface and a tile width running transversely thereto;
a plurality of battens running horizontally parallel to one another, which are fixed to an underlying roof structure at a mutual spacing of approximately the tile length;
a plurality of tile clips with which at least a number of the plurality of roofing tiles is fastened;
a number of elongated members that extend along the roof surface and are provided under the battens;

Such a system according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1 is known in the art from FR 2 660 001. This publication discloses in Figure 1 a system in which roofing tiles, just as in the present invention, are provided in the usual manner on battens. Rigid rods are provided underneath the battens, running in the direction of the roof pitch. The tile clips are provided with an upper hook for engaging a roofing tile in the usual manner per se and with a lower hook, which engages the rod.
Such a system according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1 is also known in the art from EP 327 481. Just as in FR.2 660 001, here too the roofing tiles are provided in the usual manner on battens, and here too rods are provided (called "tiges" in this French document) which run underneath the battens. As a result of the length of the tile clips and because the rods are somewhat flexible, it is possible in the construction according to EP 327 481 to create a little tension in the clips. Moreover, the flexibility makes it easier to remove tile clips locally if necessary.
Such a system as known in the art from FR.2 660 001 and from EP 327 481 is impractical in use. The rods which run in the direction of the roof have to be positioned accurately relative to one another because otherwise the tile clip cannot engage them. Moreover, although the rigidity of the rods is advantageous in connection with achieving a firm fixing, it makes it awkward to fasten the tile clips.
A system is known in the art from US 4 426 823 which does not use battens. A rigid grid is provided along the roof surface. The roofing tiles do not have nibs at the top on their reverse side which can hook around a batten. Each roofing tile has holes through which a steel wire bent twice at right angles to form a Z shape passes. The tile is hung from a horizontal rod of the rigid grid by means of this steel wire.
Such systems known in the art have not proved very successful. In practice, systems in which the tile clip is fastened to the underlying roof structure by means of screws or nails are in common use. A system such as this is also relatively labour-intensive. However, the advantage is that the work is relatively simple to carry out. The disadvantage of these systems is that the clips can hardly or cannot be made universal. In essence, each tile type has its own tile clip. It also turns out that there are tile types for which it is very awkward to manufacture a suitable clip.
The principal aim of the present invention is to provide an improved system for fastening roofing tiles according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1. The particular aim of the present invention in this respect is to provide a system of this type that can be employed quickly and easily. A subsidiary aim of the present invention, moreover, is to provide a system of this type that is preferably also universal in the sense that one type of tile clip can be used for several roofing tile types.
An improved system for fastening roof tiles according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1 is achieved according to a first embodiment of the invention in that the number of elongated members comprises a system of wires and in that the tile clips are provided with adjusting means for setting the distance between, on the one hand, the point of engagement on the roofing tile and, on the other hand, the point of engagement on a wire of said system.
The battens together cover an area where the roofing tiles are positioned while being supported by the battens. Usually the roofing tiles are provided at the top on their underside with a supporting nib which engages a surface of the batten facing the ridge of the roof. The supporting nib of the roofing tile therefore prevents the roofing tile from sliding down the roof surface. The battens are usually made of wood, but they can also be made of other materials such as plastic or metal. In the assembly according to the invention, the roofing tiles are therefore in particular provided with one or more supporting nibs which engage a said batten.
What is achieved by providing a system of wires and making the tile clips adjustable is that, on the one hand, no accurate positioning of the system of wires relative to the roofing tiles is necessary - because the mutual spacing between the point of engagement of the tile clip on the roofing tile and one wire of the system can be set, and compensation for differences in spacing is therefore possible - and, on the other hand, that fastening of the tile clip to the roofing tile and the roof itself is considerably simplified - because the tile clip is designed such that the distance between the point of engagement on the roofing tile, on the one hand, and a wire, on the other hand, can be reduced during fitting. If a gust of wind strikes a tile, the resulting force will be distributed over several battens because the wires run underneath the battens.
It is particularly advantageous according to the invention for the system of wires to be sufficiently flexible that one of said wires, at the point of engagement with a tile clip, can be raised by this tile clip to a height located between the battens. Fitting of the tile clips is therefore made even more simple in that, at the location of a tile clip, a wire in the system can easily be made to engage a hook part of a tile clip. Moreover, it is therefore possible to tension each tile clip essentially separately such that the roofing tile remains drawn tightly against the roof. With this arrangement, the system of wires running underneath the battens then ensures that the tensioning force of each tile clip is distributed over a large area of the roof surface. This is a very efficient means of preventing tiles from being blown away.
It is furthermore advantageous according to the invention for the system of wires to comprise a netting. A netting is easy to lay on the roof and the wire sections running round each mesh of the netting create a very large range of possible engagement points for the hook part of the tile clip. In this respect it is particularly advantageous according to the invention if the mesh size of the netting is 5 cm at most. Mesh sizes of up to 10 cm can also be used according to the invention. Furthermore, the advantage of a netting is that you can always use a type of hook which can be attached just as easily to both the long and the short side of a roofing tile. With a netting, there will after all always be a section of wire running in the right direction for the hook part.
It is furthermore advantageous according to the invention for the adjustment means to comprise a guide and a slider provided on and movable along the guide. Easy adjustability is achieved in this way. The slider and the guide can, according to the invention, be fixed relative to one another in various ways. Fixing means are provided for fixing the slider and the guide relative to one another.
In this respect it is advantageous according to the invention for the guide to be provided with a series of locking cut-outs and for the slider to be provided with a lip for engaging in a locking cut-out of said series of locking cut-outs. The locking cut-outs and the lip form the fixing means in this case. With this arrangement, the guide will preferably be on the tile-engaging part and the hook part will be on the slider; however, the reverse is also possible, i.e. the slider can be mounted on the tile-engaging part (or be provided on the runner), and the guide can be mounted on the hook part. The lip can then be a flexible member that is bent manually into a locked position as soon as the runner is in the correct position along the guide.
In the interest of ease of use, however, it is preferable according to the invention for the series of locking cut-outs and the lip to be made as a ratchet mechanism which permits movement of the slider in one direction and prevents it in the other direction such that the distance between the tile-engaging part and the hook part can be reduced, while an increase in this distance is prevented. The spacing between the hook part and the tile-engaging part will then be set to maximum, i.e. too large, before the tile clip is positioned for example in the factory, and then, after the tile clip has been positioned in the correction location, this distance will be set to a desired smaller dimension by moving the runner incrementally along the ratchet mechanism. Such ratchet mechanisms for moving a runner along the guide are already known per se to those skilled in the art in a wide range of embodiments and can also be used in a wide range of embodiments with this tile clip according to the invention.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the slider is a U-shaped U-piece, wherein one or both of the legs of the U-piece on the sides facing one another is/are provided with one or more ridges, such as a series of saw teeth, the guide having a plug part inserted into the U-piece, and wherein said plug part is provided on one or both sides with a said series of locking cut-outs. The series of locking cut-outs can also be in the form of a saw tooth section. By making the two saw tooth sections diagonal in an appropriate direction, this creates a ratchet mechanism here that only permits the tile-engaging part and the hook part to be moved towards one another, whereas the mutual spacing between the two cannot be increased.
According to the invention the fixing means for fixing the slider relative to the guide can also be implemented in a different manner.
Another advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the guide to comprise a straight strip, in particular a strip of metal such as stainless steel; wherein the tile-engaging part or the hook part is provided at a first end of the strip, while the other of these parts is provided on the slider; wherein the slider is located between the first end of the strip and an opposing second end of the strip; and wherein the strip is made to be flexible such that the distance between the tile-engaging part and the hook part is adjustable and can be fixed at a maximum by bending the strip over in a bend zone at the side of the second end through at least approximately 70°, preferably at least approximately 90°, which bend zone is formed adjacent to the side of the slider facing the second end. The fixing means here therefore comprise the flexible strip and fix in the sense that an increase in the distance between the tile-engaging part and the hook part is prevented. A tile clip designed in such a way is simple to produce, for example using a total of two parts stamped out of sheet material, one part with the slider and one part with the guide. Furthermore, fixing is easy to achieve by folding over the free end of the guide strip. By folding over, it is moreover possible to achieve tensioning or retensioning of the tile clip because the folding zone is moved towards the tile-engaging part during the folding process by raising the end of the strip that is to be folded or bent even higher.
Yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the guide to comprise a pin with the hook part at a first end; wherein the tile-engaging part is provided on the slider; wherein the slider comprises a U-shaped strip of material, in particular made of metal such as stainless steel or spring steel; wherein the pin extends through passages provided in the legs of the U-shaped strip; and wherein the U-shaped strip with passages and the pin are made such that, on the one hand, the slider can be slid relative to the pin for setting the distance between the hook part and the tile-engaging part and that, on the other hand, the slider can be fixed relative to the pin by interlocking of the edges of the passages with the pin. The fixing means here therefore comprise the pin and the U-shaped strip with passages for the pin. Such a tile clip can be manufactured relatively cheaply, for example from components each made of one piece, a pin with a hook formed thereon and a stamped part including the slider. It is advantageous in this respect if the pin is a rigid straight pin, since this ensures ability to slide, on the one hand, and enables fixing for a prolonged period, on the other, without the shape of the pin adapting to the fixing forces, resulting in the pin becoming loose. As those skilled in the art will be aware, one method of achieving the interlocking in this respect is to make the U-shaped strip such that said interlocking can be established by deforming the connecting body of the U-shaped strip, in particular by pressing the middle of this body towards the pin. It is then easy to set the correct spacing between the hook part and the tile-engaging part by sliding the slider along the pin, then gripping the body of the U-shaped strip and the part of the pin within the U-shaped strip with pliers and pressing them together. As those skilled in the art will further realise, interlocking in this respect can also be achieved by using a spring-loaded pretensioning system, for example by pretensioning the U-shaped strip by means of a spring force to spread the legs to ensure that said interlocking occurs in such a way that said interlocking can be disabled in order to be able to slide the slider relative to the pin, by moving the legs towards one another against said spring force. After the legs have been released, they will return to the state in which they interlock with the pin under the influence of the pretension and the spring force. The legs can be moved together by means of pliers, though this action can also very easily be carried out manually by pinching the legs together between two fingers. With this arrangement, for solid interlocking, on the one hand, and operability with two fingers, on the other, it is advantageous if the legs are made relatively long, i.e. longer than is strictly necessary for providing space for the passages and ensuring a sound grip. The required length of the legs in this respect will also depend to a significant degree on the material used for the strip.
As an alternative, it is also quite possible according to the invention to make the adjustment means as a series of hook members provided on the hook part, wherein the hook members are provided at different distances from the tile-engaging part in each case. A tile clip designed in such a way can be made entirely of a single part, for example from a stamped strip of metal. The hook members can then be hooks punched out of the strip and folded slightly outwards, with a shape suitable for engaging a wire in the system of wires.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the system can be provided with tensioning means for tensioning the system of wires. It is thus possible, preferably after the roofing tiles and tile clips have been fitted, to tension the system of wires still further, thereby optimising the anchoring of the roofing tiles to the roof.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention, the hook part has a seat to accommodate a wire section of said system of wires and said seat has a seat width of 10 mm at most, preferably 6 mm at most. In the case of the seat width of 10 mm at most, wires up to 10 mm can be accommodated in the seat, but wires larger than 10 mm no longer fit therein. In practice, the wires will have a diameter of 3 to 5 mm, as a result of which the seat width is preferably 6 to 7 mm at most.
According to a further aspect, the invention relates to an assembly for a system according to the invention, comprising a plurality of battens parallel to one another, which battens are attached to a system of wires and, together with the system of wires, are rolled up into a roll, or at least can be rolled up. In this case the system of wires according to the invention is in particular a netting. This system according to the invention can further comprise a plurality of tile clips. The advantages of such a system should be clearly apparent as such. A supplementary, as yet unspecified, advantage is that with such an assembly the battens and the system of wires can be delivered as a roll from the factory already attached to one another and can then easily be fixed to an underlying roof structure by, as it were, unrolling the roll along the slope of the roof, preferably from top to bottom, although unrolling in the opposite direction is also possible. The battens will then, according to the invention, be fixed to the underlying roof structure in an advantageous manner, which can be carried out in the usual manner per se by, for example, nailing down the battens to the laths or rafters which run in the direction of the slope of the roof.
According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for fastening roofing tiles to a pitched roof provided with battens. This method comprises the following steps:

proving a system of wires under the battens;
using tile clips to fasten roofing tiles lying on the battens to the wires of the system of wires under the battens.

In the method according to the invention, the system of wires under the battens can be provided by unrolling a pre-assembled and rolled-up assembly of mutually parallel battens and a system of wires along the roof surface such that the system of wires faces the underlying roof structure. Fastening the battens to the underlying roof structure can be carried out using methods known per se in the state of the art. In the method according to the invention the system of wires is preferably a netting.
According to another further embodiment of the assembly according to the invention, the battens and wires have a different material composition. More particularly, in this case the battens and wires are manufactured from different material.
According to another further embodiment of the assembly according to the invention, the wires are flexible relative to the battens. In particular, the battens are essentially rigid and the wires - viewed with respect to these battens - are essentially flexible.
It will be clear that where the term wire is used here in the present invention it is understood in a wide sense to mean an elongated member, in particular one that can be rolled up and unrolled again, such as a rope, metal wire, cable, belt (possibly with a flat, rectangular cross-section), etc. Furthermore, it will be clear that where the term netting is used here in this application, it is understood to be a net-like structure, which in particular can be rolled up. The system of wires, such as the netting according to the invention, can be manufactured from diverse materials, such as plastic, metal, etc. It will preferably be manufactured from a material that is weather-resistant and is as least susceptible as possible to corrosion, such as aluminium or stainless steel and also many plastics. As far as plastics are concerned, wires containing, for example, Twaron or Kevlar fibres can be considered.
Furthermore, it should be noted that, according to a second embodiment of this invention, the aim according to the present invention can also be achieved by providing a system according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1 (of the original application), which system is characterised in that the number of elongated members comprises a system of wires that is sufficiently flexible that a wire section hereof, which is located at the point of engagement with a tile clip, can be held by said tile clip in a raised position in between the battens. This system is specified in Claim 19. The tile clip does not per se have to be provided with said adjustment means. It is sufficient if the distance on the tile clip between the hook part and the tile-engaging part is such that, in the fitted state, this wire section is at a level between the battens when the tile clip engages on the roofing tile, on the one hand, and a wire section of the system, on the other. This then ensures that the tile clip is pulled down onto the underlying roof structure. The overall effect of this is that, viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the roof, the distance between the tile-engaging part and the hook part is shorter than the distance required, with a tile clip engaging a tile, for the hook part to project below the level of the battens. Nevertheless, projecting below the level of the battens is permissible if the tile clip is fitted at an angle to the direction perpendicular to the roof surface. The essential feature of this embodiment, therefore, lies in the flexibility of the system of wires and not so much in the dimensions of the tile clip. It will be clear that this alternative embodiment of the system according to the invention can be used in place of the system according to Claim 1 of the application, in which case the characterising feature of the original Claim 1 of the application can then follow as a consequential claim (see Claim 21), followed by the original dependent system claims 2-16 (see Claim 22).
The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to illustrative embodiments shown diagrammatically in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows, diagrammatically, a side view of a section of a pitched roof surface provided with a system according to the invention;
Figure 2 shows, diagrammatically and in perspective, a detail of a system according to the invention, particularly according to the second embodiment according to Claims 13 - 15;
Figure 3 shows, diagrammatically, two versions of a tile clip for a system representing a variant of the first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4 shows a tile clip for a system according to another variant of the first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a tile clip for a system according to yet another variant of the first embodiment;
Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a tile clip for a system according to yet another variant of the first embodiment; and
Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a tile clip for a system according to yet another different variant of the first embodiment.

Figure 1 shows, diagrammatically, a section of a pitched roof provided with a system according to the invention. The pitched roof is made up here of an underlying roof structure, of which a rafter 1 running in the sloping direction of the pitched roof surface can be seen here. A roof will comprise a multiplicity of such rafters 1 running parallel to one another. Battens 2 are provided on the rafters 1 as is normal. The battens 2 are fitted with spaces between them and also run parallel to one another. Roofing tiles 3 are positioned on the battens 2 in the usual manner per se. The roofing tiles 3 are provided at the top with one or more nibs 4, which each hook behind the top edge of a batten 2.
As such, it is a familiar phenomenon that roofing tiles can be blown off the roof by strong winds. This often occurs, incidentally, on the lee side of the roof, where the tiles are then lifted by a suction effect of the wind. The use of so-called tile clips to prevent this is also known per se. It is usual for tile clips to engage a roofing tile with their upper end, preferably at the point where this roofing tile overlaps one or more other roofing tiles above it. The lower end of such a roofing clip is then fixed to the roof, usually nailed down to a batten 2 or a rafter 1. It is known per se that it is by no means necessary to fasten each roofing tile by means of a tile clip. It usually suffices to provide a clip once in every 3 or 4 roofing tiles. Often even fewer tile clips are fitted. Correspondingly, it is also by no means stipulated according to the invention to provide a tile clip for each roofing tile, or even to anchor each roofing tile by means of, for example, one tile clip for every 3 or 4 tiles.
A tile clip 5 as used in a system according to the invention is shown highly diagrammatically in Figure 1. In accordance with the system according to the invention, a netting 6 with a large number of meshes is provided under the battens 2, here between the battens 2 and the rafters 1. The tile clip 5 is, according to the invention, provided with a hook part at the bottom to hook onto the netting 6.
According to the first embodiment (Claim 1) of the invention, the tile clip 5 is provided with adjusting means for setting the distance between, on the one hand, the point of engagement on the roofing tile and, on the other hand, the point of engagement on a section of wire in the netting 6. Thus, the effective active length of the tile clip 5 can be adjusted, in particular can be shortened from a longer position. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate variants of a tile clip suitable for the system according to the first embodiment. According to the second embodiment (Claim 13) of the system according to the invention, the system of wires, the netting 6 in the case of Figure 1, is sufficiently flexible that one wire section thereof, which is located at the point of engagement (at arrow 7) with the tile clip 5, is held by this tile clip in a raised position between the battens 2, in other words the wire section can be raised to the area indicated diagrammatically by 8 in Figure 1. This area 8 is delimited at the bottom by the lower faces 9 of the battens 2 facing the rafters 1 and at the top by the upper faces 10 of the battens 2. A tile clip that is suitable for this second embodiment of the system according to the invention is shown in Figure 2. It should be noted that the tile clips as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 can also be used in a system according to the second embodiment of the invention. However, the tile clips shown in Figures 3 and 4 can also be used, if less advantageously, in a system according to the invention where the system of wires at the point of engagement with a wire section thereof is not raised to a position between the battens.
Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic, perspective view of a system according to the second embodiment of the invention; however, it will be clear that, by replacing the tile clips 20 and 30 by tile clips from Figures 3 and/or 4 and/or 5, this system can be converted to the system according to the first embodiment of the invention.
Three roofing tiles 3, i.e. tile 3a, tile 3b and tile 3c, can be seen in Figure 2. Tile 3a is an overlying tile, the lower end of which overlaps the upper edge of the underlying tile 3b. Tile 3c is an adjacent (next to tile 3b) tile, the upper end of which overlaps the bottom left corner of the overlying tile 3a in the top right corner visible here and also the right lateral edge of the adjacent tile 3b. It should be noted, however, that the overlap described between the tiles 3c, 3a and 3b is not required in order to be able to use the system according to the invention. There can also be a single rather than a double overlap, for example if tile 3a or 3c is provided with a cut-out at the overlap shown in Figure 2.
One individual wire in the system of wires is indicated by 11 in Figure 2. The system of wires can consist of a plurality of wires 11 which are parallel to one another and not connected to one another. These mutually parallel wires 11 can then, as illustrated in Figure 2, run in the direction A of the roof pitch, though they can also run perpendicular to this. The wire 11, as illustrated in Figure 2, will preferably form part of a netting 6. It should be noted that the meshes 12 of the netting 6 can also have a completely different shape from the rectangular/square shape illustrated in Figure 2. The meshes 12 can also be in the shape of a diamond, octagon, hexagon, etc.
Figure 2 shows two types of tile clip, namely a tile clip 20 and a tile clip 30. Each tile clip has a tile-engaging part 21 and 31, respectively. The tile-engaging part 21, 31 is in the form of an essentially U-shaped hook that can engage around an edge part of a roofing tile. This tile-engaging part 21, 31 can be made universal for very many types of tile. However, some types of tile can require a different type of tile-engaging part 21, 31. Both tile clips 20 and 30 are also provided with a hook part 22, 32. Both hook parts can be made absolutely identically as a hook of U-shaped cross-section. The difference between the tile clips 20 and 30 is in essence that, in the case of tile clip 30, the hook part 32 is twisted through 90° relative to the tile-engaging part 31. It should, however, be noted that if the tile clip 30 were to be made to engage a horizontally running wire section of the netting 6 instead of the wire section 11 running at an angle, tile clip 30 could be made identical to tile clip 20. Tile clip 20 could also be made identical to tile clip 30 if tile clip 20 were to be made to engage a horizontal wire (transverse to wire 11). This demonstrates the advantage of a netting, namely that one type of tile clip can be made to engage both the short and the long side of a roofing tile.
In Figure 2 it can be seen that the wire section 11 is raised by the tile clips 20 and 30 to a position between the battens 2. This thus ensures that the tile clips 20 and 30 are drawn in the direction of the roof surface in order in this way to hold the tiles 3a, 3b and 3c firmly on the roof. After fitting of the tile clips 21, 31, the wire 11 of the netting 6 may be further retensioned by means which are not shown. Since the wires 11 or the netting 6 run underneath the battens, what is achieved is that if a gust of wind attempts to raise one or more tiles, 3a, 3b, or 3c, this lifting force is distributed over a large number of battens instead of being transferred to a single batten as is the case if the tile clips are nailed to a batten.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show, diagrammatically, tile clips which can be used both in a system according to the first embodiment of the invention and the system according to the second embodiment of the invention and also a system that combines both embodiments.
Figure 3a shows a tile clip 40a comparable to tile clip 20 in Figure 2, and Figure 3b shows a tile clip 40b comparable to tile clip 30 in Figure 2. As will be clear, the difference lies in the twisted part 44 of tile clip 40. Tile clips 40a and 40b will be jointly referred to as 40 below.
This tile clip 40 is provided with a tile-engaging part 41 at the top and with a hook part 42 at the bottom. The hook part 42 comprises here a series of hook members 43 distributed along the tile clip 40 in the height direction. Essentially, a wire section 11 can be hooked into any of the hook members 43. Which particular hook member is engaged will depend on the flexibility of the wire section 11 and the thickness of the mutually overlapping roofing tiles. As such, the hook 40 (just like hooks 50 and 60) can also be used with an inflexible wire section 11.
Figure 4 shows, highly diagrammatically, a further variant of a tile clip particularly for the system according to the first embodiment of the invention. In this case Figure 4a is a view along arrow C in Figure 4b. This tile clip is indicated by 50. The tile-engaging part is indicated by 51, and the hook part is indicated by 52. In this embodiment the tile-engaging part 51 is continued downwards as a strip 53 designed as a guide for a slider 54 which is fastened to the guide 53 and can be moved along it in the direction of arrow B. This slider 54 bears the hook part 52 for engaging a cable 11 or netting 6. The slider 54 is provided with a lip 55 for the purpose of fixing it relative to the guide 53. The guide 53 is provided with cut-outs 56 distributed over its length in which a nib 57 formed on lip 55 can engage.
In the embodiment as shown in Figure 4, the lip 55 can be made essentially in two ways. The lip 55 can be a manual swing lip, which may or may not be under spring load. In order to move the slider 54, the lip 55 is bent outwards and held bent outwards if necessary in such a way that the nib 57 is not located in a cut-out 56. The slider 54 can then be slid to the desired position along the guide 53, both in the direction according to arrow B and in the opposite direction. As soon as the desired position for the slider 54 has been found, the lip 55 can then be pressed back until the nib 57 engages in a cut-out 56. The slider 54 is then locked against sliding both in an upward and a downward direction.
In the interest of ease of use, however, it is advantageous if the locking cut-outs 56 and the lip 55 are made as a so-called ratchet mechanism which permits movement of the slider 54 along the guide 53 in the direction of arrow B and prevents movement of the slider in the opposite direction. This is achieved by designing the lip 55 to be spring-loaded such that it is pretensioned in the direction of arrow C and by providing the nib 57 with a bevel at the top (as illustrated in Figure 4b). During the upward movement of the slider 54, the nib 57 will then in each case, as a result of the bevel, be pushed out of the cut-out 56 in the direction opposite to that of arrow C before, on reaching a subsequent cut-out 56, snapping back into this cut-out and then, in the event of further upward movement in the direction of arrow B, also exiting this cut-out. If pushed in the opposite direction to arrow B, the nib 57 will just remain in the cut-out 56. This can be simply ensured by making the nib 57 flat on the underside. It will of course be clear to those skilled in the art that such a ratchet mechanism can also made in ways other than that illustrated in Figure 4 without being outside the scope of the present invention defined by the claims in this application.
Figure 5 shows, diagrammatically and in perspective, a third variant of an adjustable tile clip. This adjustable tile clip 60 consists of two parts. The first part comprises the tile-engaging part 61 and a U-shaped U-piece 64. This U-piece 64 has two legs 65. The legs 65 are each provided with a toothed region 67 on the inside, that is to say on the surfaces facing one another. The second part of the tile clip 60 comprises the hook part 62 for engaging a wire section with a plug part 63 that can be accommodated between the legs 65 of the U-piece 64. This plug part 63 is provided on both sides with a toothed region 66. The toothed regions 66 on the plug part 63 and the toothed regions on the legs 65 are made such that they can work together in such a way as to permit the tile-engaging part 61 and the hook part 62 to move towards one another, while movement of these parts away from one another is prevented. In order to prevent the plug part 63 from sliding laterally out of the U-piece 64, the plug part 63 is provided on both sides with a flange 68. To prevent outward displacement of the legs 65 - in the long term this could result in the tile clip parts being able to separate - the two flanges 68 are provided with nibs 69. Such nibs 69 are also provided on the underside which is not visible in Figure 5.
The seat width S of the hook part 62 is also labelled in Figure 5. Such a seat width of the hook part also exists in the other figures, though not shown as S. The seat width here in Figure 5 is approximately 6 mm.
Figure 6 shows, diagrammatically and in perspective, a variant of tile clip 90 for a system according to the invention. The tile clip 90 consists of a straight, rigid pin 91 with a hook part 92 at one end for hooking onto a wire in the system of wires. At the other end of the pin 91, the pin 91 is provided with a bent-over part 93. The pin 91, the hook part 92 and the bent-over part 93 are manufactured from a single piece of wire. The tile clip 90 further consists of a slider 94 which is formed from a U-shaped strip of metal with two legs 95 and 96 and a body 97 linking the legs. Furthermore, a tile-engaging part 98 is provided on the slider. An opening 99 has been made in each leg 95, 96. The U-shaped strip 94 (95, 96 and 97) is made together with the tile-engaging part 98 from a single piece of metal stamped out of a sheet and shaped.
In the embodiment as shown in Figure 6 the slider 94 and pin 91 can be slid and mutually fixed in various ways which may or may not be used in combination. The whole can be made such that the pin can be slid without obstruction or preferably with a slight obstruction through the passages 99 to the correct position and can then be fixed in this position by pinching together the body 97 and the part of the pin 91 located between the legs 95 and 96, as indicated diagrammatically by means of the arrows D. The legs 95 and 96 will then tend to spread and the edges of the passages 99 will then be made to interlock with the pin 91 and, as it were, bite into it. Alternatively, it is also possible to make the U-shaped strip 94 such that it is spring-loaded and to pretension it such that the legs 95 and 96 consequently tend to spread and thus press the edges of the passages 99 firmly into the pin 91. In order then to slide the pin 91 and slider 94 relative to one another, this interlocking is temporarily disabled by pinching the legs 95 and 96 together a little, as shown diagrammatically by means of arrows E. As soon as the correct mutual positioning has been achieved, the legs 95 and 96 are released again, after which they spring back again to interlock with the pin. In order to improve the interlocking in the correctly positioned state further in this pretensioned variant, the body 97 and the pin can possibly be pinched together in accordance with arrows D (as described above), such that the body is permanently deformed.
Figure 7 shows, diagrammatically and in perspective, yet another variant of a tile clip 100 for a system according to the invention. This tile clip 100 consists of a slider 104 with a tile-engaging part 108 and a guide in the form of a strip 101 which is provided with a hook part 102 for engaging a wire in the system of wires. The slider is provided with passages 109 through which the strip 101 is passed and can be slid. The slider is furthermore provided with a clamping lip 107 which prevents the slider from sliding by itself along the strip 101, yet permits the slider to slide when the requisite force is exerted on the slider. The strip 101 is provided at the other end with a bent-over part 103. This bent-over part 103 ensures, in just the same way as the bent-over part 93 in Figure 6, that the strip can easily be gripped and that the slider cannot run off the strip. The strip 101 is also designed to be bendable, in particular such that it can be bent by hand without tools. This makes it possible to grip the strip 101, for example at 103, and to bend it over through approximately 90° or more, possibly even through 180°, in accordance with arrow F.
During bending, a bend zone 106 will form in the strip 101, adjacent to the side 105 of the slider 104 facing the strip end 103. The location of the bend zone 103 depends on the location of the slider 104 on the strip. However, this location will in each case, as it were, seek out the side 105 of the slider 104 and thus be situated at a point adjacent to this side. It should, however, be noted that the bend zone can shift in the direction of the hook part 102 during bending; after all, during bending the bend zone will push the slider ahead of itself in the direction of the hook part 102. During bending, the wire in the system of wires engaged by hook part 102 will thus be tensioned.

Claims

System for fastening roofing tiles (3) provided on a pitched roof surface, comprising:
- a quantity of roofing tiles (3), each with a tile length (L) running in the direction (A) of the pitch of the roof surface and a tile width running transversely thereto;

- a plurality of battens (2) running horizontally parallel to one another, which are fixed to an underlying roof structure (1) at a mutual spacing of approximately the tile length (L);

- a plurality of tile clips (5, 40, 50) with which at least a number of the plurality of roofing tiles (3) is fastened;

- a number of elongated members (11) that extend along the roof surface and are provided under the battens (2);
wherein each tile clip (5, 40, 50, 90, 100) comprises a tile-engaging part (41, 51, 98, 108) for engaging a tile (3) and a hook part (42, 52, 92, 102) for hooking onto a said elongated member (11) for fixing the tile (3) on which the tile clip (5, 40, 50, 90, 100) engages to the elongated member (11);
characterised in that
the number of elongated members comprises a system (6, 11) of wires and in that the tile clips (5, 40, 50, 90, 100) are provided with adjusting means (43; 53, 54; 91, 94; 101, 104) for setting the distance between, on the one hand, the point of engagement (14) on the roofing tile (3) and, on the other hand, the point of engagement (7) on a wire of said system.
System according to Claim 1, wherein the system (6, 11) of wires is sufficiently flexible that one of said wires, at the point of engagement (7) with a tile clip (5, 40, 50, 90,100), can be raised by this tile clip or manually to a height (zone 8) located between the battens (2).
System according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the system of wires comprises a netting (6).
System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the adjustment means comprise a guide (53, 91, 101) and a slider (54, 94, 104) provided on and movable along the guide.
System according to Claim 4, wherein the guide (53) is provided with a series of locking cut-outs (56) and wherein the slider (54) is provided with a lip (55) for engaging in a locking cut-out (56) of said series.
System according to Claim 5, wherein the series of locking cut-outs (56) and the lip (55) are made as a ratchet mechanism which permits movement of the slider (54) in one direction (B) and prevents it in the other direction such that the distance between the tile-engaging part (51) and the hook part (52) can be reduced, while an increase in this distance is prevented.
System according to Claim 5 or 6, wherein the slider is a U-shaped U-piece, wherein one or both of the legs (65) of the U-piece on the sides facing one another is/are provided with one or more ridges (67), such as a series of saw teeth (67), the guide having a plug part (63) that can be accommodated in the U-piece, wherein said plug part (63) is provided on one or both sides with said series of locking cut-outs (66).
System according to Claim 4; wherein the guide comprises a straight strip (101), in particular a strip of metal such as stainless steel; wherein the tile-engaging part or the hook part (102) is provided at a first end of the strip, while the other (108) of these parts (102, 108) is provided on the slider (104); wherein the slider (104) is located between the first end (102) of the strip (101) and an opposing second end (103) of the strip (101); and
wherein the strip (101) is made to be flexible such that the distance between the tile-engaging part (108) and the hook part (102) is adjustable and can be fixed at a maximum by bending the strip (101) over in a bend zone (106) at the side of the second end (103) through at least approximately 70°, preferably at least approximately 90°, which bend zone (106) is formed adjacent to the side (105) of the slider (104) facing the second end (103).
System according to Claim 4; wherein the guide comprises a pin (91) with a hook part (92) at a first end; wherein the tile-engaging part (98) is provided on the slider (104);
wherein the slider (104) comprises a U-shaped strip (95, 96, 97) of material, in particular made of metal such as stainless steel or spring steel; wherein the pin (91) extends through passages (99) provided in the legs (95, 96) of the U-shaped strip (95, 96, 97); and wherein the U-shaped strip (95, 96,97) with passages (99) and the pin (91) are made such that, on the one hand, the slider (94) can be slid relative to the pin (91) for setting the distance between the hook part (92) and the tile-engaging part (98) and that, on the other hand, the slider (94) can be fixed relative to the pin (91) by interlocking of the edges of the passages (99) with the pin (91).
System according to Claim 9, wherein the pin is a rigid pin (91).
System according to Claim 9 or 10, wherein the U-shaped strip (95, 96, 97) is made such that said interlocking can be assured by deforming the connecting body (97) of the U-shaped strip (95, 96, 97), in particular by pressing the middle of this body (97) towards the pin (91).
System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the U-shaped strip (95, 96, 97) is pretensioned by means of a spring force to spread the legs (95, 96) to ensure that said interlocking occurs; and wherein said interlocking can be disabled, such that the slider (94) can be slid relative to the pin (91), by moving the legs (95, 96) towards one another against said spring force.
System according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the adjusting means comprise a series of hook members (43) provided on the hook part (42), wherein the hook members (43) are provided at different distances from the tile-engaging part (41) in each case.
System according to one of the preceding claims, provided with tensioning means for tensioning the system of wires (6, 11).
System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hook part (42, 52, 92, 102) has a seat to accommodate a wire section of said system of wires and said seat has a seat width (S) of 10 mm at most, preferably 7 mm at most.
System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the thickness of the wires is 3 to 5 mm at most.
Assembly for a system according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of battens (2) parallel to one another, which battens (2) are attached to a system (6, 11) of wires and, together with the system of wires, are rolled up into a roll, or at least can be rolled up.
Assembly according to Claim 17, further comprising a plurality of tile clips (5, 40, 50, 90, 100).
Method for fastening roofing tiles to a pitched roof surface, comprising the following steps:
- providing a system of wires under the battens;

- using tile clips to fasten roofing tiles lying on the battens to wires of the system of wires under the battens.
System for fastening roofing tiles (3) provided on a pitched roof surface, comprising
- a quantity of roofing tiles (3), each with a tile length (L) running in the direction (A) of the pitch of the roof surface and a tile width running transversely thereto;

- a plurality of battens (2) running horizontally parallel to one another, which are fixed to an underlying roof structure (1) at a mutual spacing of approximately the tile length (L);

- a plurality of tile clips (5, 40, 50) with which at least a number of the plurality of roofing tiles (3) is fastened;

- a number of elongated members (11) that extend along the roof surface and are provided under the battens (2);
wherein each tile clip (5,40, 50,90,100) comprises a tile-engaging part (41,51,98,108) for engaging a tile (3) and a hook part (42, 52, 92, 102) for hooking onto a said elongated member (11) for fixing the tile (3) on which the tile clip (5, 40, 50, 90, 100) engages to the elongated member (11);
characterised in that
the number of elongated members comprises a system (6, 11) of wires that is sufficiently flexible that a wire section hereof, which is located at the point of engagement with a tile clip, can be held by said tile clip in a raised position in between the battens (2) (see zone 8).
System according to Claim 20, characterised in that the number of elongated members comprises a system (6, 11) of wires and that the tile clips (5,40, 50,90,100) are provided with adjusting means (43; 53, 54; 91, 94; 101, 104) for setting the distance between, on the one hand, the point of engagement (14) on the roofing tile (3) and, on the other hand, the point of engagement (7) on a wire of said system.
System according to Claim 20 or 21 in combination with the measures from one or more of Claims 2-16.
Tile clip for a system according to any one of Claims 1-16 and/or one of Claims 20 - 22.