US2959898A

US2959898A - Interlocking shingle

Info

Publication number: US2959898A
Application number: US504732A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward J Boarini
Original assignee: Celotex Corp
Current assignee: Celotex Corp
Priority date: 1955-04-29
Filing date: 1955-04-29
Publication date: 1960-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-15

Description

Ynited tates INTERLOCKING SHIN GLE Filed Apr. 29, 1955, Ser. No. 504,732

6 Claims. c1. 50-224 This invention has to do with a new and improved roofing shingle of the so-called asphalt type, in fact comprised of asphalt-saturated and coated roofing felt. More specifically the invention relates to a shingle of this type, basically T-shaped, and providing for interlocking. Such shingles are commonly cut from a substantially continuous sheet of suitable felt which has been previously saturated with asphaltic or bituminou compositions, surface coated on one face, and usually has embedded in such surface coating a suitable weather-resistant, protective and decorative surface, the color of the'face of the shingle being determined by the color of the surfacing granules.

This invention has to do with the provision of shingles of the type or class generally referred to in the industry as doublecoverage shingles, which are primarily used for re-roofing without removing the old roofing over which they are applied. These shingles are designed so that in application they are interlocked, one with another, to provide a weather and waterproof covering comprising at all points at least two layers of the shingle material and providing a roofing construction which is especially.

cutouts as such are ordinarily referred to in the industry.

There is thus provided a shingle which, from the economic standpoint, requires substantially the minimum of material for its production or, otherwise stated, requires the minimum amount of roofing sheet for the production of a square of roofing, the amount of material required for covering 100 square feet of roof area. The shingles are also what are termed self-aligning and require the g minimum amount of nailing due to their interlocking, which may be said to tie together the shingles of an application so that each shingle of the aggregate is in eifect held in place not only by the nails by which it is secured to the roof, but also by the nails securing adjacent shingles.

As above referred to, the interlocking feature of these shingles provides an application in which there is provided high resistance to disengagement of the interlock between adjacent shingles and against the raising of the exposed butts of the shingles by wind pressure.

Particularly, the shingle hereof is one which, when applied, results in an exposed hexagonal pattern or appearance to provide the attractive effect which is obtained by the use of shingles providing such hexagonal exposure pattern as contrasted with the usual so-called T-form shingle which results in a rectangular exposure pattern. 7

The principal object of the invention is to provide a shingle basically of the so-called T-shape as a doublecoverage shingle, interlocking, and resulting, upon application, in a hexagonal exposure pattern.

Additional objects of this invention are the provision of a shingle, as just previously referred to, which is economical as regards the gross amount of base sheet required for the production of a square of shingles, or, otherwise stated, which may be cut from the base sheet with the minimum of waste cut-outs, and which is selfaligning, is applied with a of nailing, and in particular, when applied, constitutes in effect a continuous double layer roof covering. 7

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention hereof, Fig. 1 is a plan view of an individual shingle hereof, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of a plurality of such shingles in assembled relation as such would be applied to a roof.

For the purpose of description, the shingle hereof will be described as comprised of three parts; a head portion,

an intermediate portion, and a base portion, the shingle being designated generally by the numeral 10, the head portion by 11, the intermediate portion by 12 and the base portion by 13. These three portions of the shingle 10 just above referred to are of equal height X as indicated in Fig. 1. The head portion 11 is the widest with portion 12 being somewhat narrower, so that shoulders 14 are formed on the line of such decreasing width, and base portion 13 is still narrower than intermediate portion 12 whereby shoulders 15 are formed on the line of such decreasing width. The difference in width of the head portion 11 and base portion 13 with respect to the intermediate portion 12 is equal but, however, inverse, that is, head portion 11 is wider by the same amount that base portion 13 is narrower than intermediate portion 12.

It will be evident, according'to the description of the shingle just above given, that by reversing the shingle pattern in alternating arrangement, the shingles may be 10. It will, of course, be understood that the shingle is not normally cut from asheet which is of a width equal to the height of the shingle, but that ordinarily the roofing sheet is of a width which is a multiple of the height of shingle unit 10, andthat a plurality of rows of shingles are cut from the sheet simultaneously.

To provide for thelocking tabs whereby the resulting shingles 10 are interlocking shingles, andto afford the hexagonal exposure pattern previously referred to, the shingles are further cut, as will be described, or, as referred to generally in the industry, certain knockouts are made.

To provide on the base portion 13 of shingle 10"the locking tabs 20 and the inclined edge on base portion- 13 to result in the desired hexagonal exposure pattern, a triangle portion is cut from each side edge of base portion 13, such cutouts described with reference to the intersection of the inner edge of shoulders 15 constituting. downwardly and inwardly slanting lines inclined at an angle approximately 24 with respect to a verticalline through the intersection referred to and being the shingle edge 21 as shown on the drawing. Shingle edge 21 extends downwardly to intersect the upper inclined edge of the locking tab, which upper inclined edge is identified by numeral 22 and extending upwardly and outwardly at an angle approximately 15 from the horizontaland from the point of intersection of the inner end of such locking tab edge 22 and base portion edge 21, the such intersection being located at a point of substantially equal distance from the extreme outer edge of locking tab 20 and the bottom edge of base 13. For the particularshingle which is illustrated, and preferably of overall dimensions 20 x 20, such intersecting point of edges 21 and 22 is substantially two inches above the lower edge of base portion 13 and two inches inwardly from the extreme outer edge portion of locking tab 20.

The basic shingle is provided with another cutout 25 which, in actual manufacture, would probably be cut out or knocked out by the same operation by which the previously referred to triangle portion is removed. This slot 25 extends inwardly also from the intersection of the side edge of base portion 13 and shoulder 15, being inclined at substantially the same angle as shingle edge 21 but oppositely directed with respect to the vertical line through intersection of

edges

21 and 15. This cutout 25 is of a length to receive what might be termed the shank of locking tab 20 and vertically is of a height equal to or just slightly greater than the height of a locking tab 20 measured at the point of intersection of edge surfaces 21 and 22.

Heretofore a shingle of the design of that thus far described herein has not been commercially practical since it will be obvious from inspection of Fig. 2, and considering an applied row of shingles, it is, as a practical matter, impossible to apply the next above succeeding row of shingles. This is due to the fact that the distance across a shingle just above the tabs and designated by a is greater than the width between what might be termed the points of adjacent shingles of the preceding row of material. These points just referred to are actually those constituting intersections of

edges

15 and 21 of a shingle. This is not to say that the shingles insofar as above described could not be applied to a roof. If the shingles being applied have sulficient flexibility they may be manipulated and brought into interlocking, applied position, but practically such shingles would be useless since the cost of installation due to the time consumed, and cracking of shingles would prohibit their use, that is, they could not complete, for example, with the so-called straight T exposure pattern in which the exposure pattern is substantially square or somewhat rectangular depending upon the design of the shingles.

To overcome this difiiculty of application of the shingles thereof, as just referred to, slits are provided in the base portion 13 as indicated by numeral 26. These slits 26 are, as stated, merely cuts in the shingle which extend inwardly from the point of the intersection of shingle edge surfaces 21 and 22 and positioned parallel to the lower edge of the base portion 13. Slits 26 extend inwardly from their point or origin, as referred to, for a suflicient distance so that the distance between their inner ends is slightly less than the distance between adjacent points of a previously applied row of shingles, designated by b. That is, such distance or dimension is slightly less than the points defined by the intersections of

edges

15 and 21 of adjacent shingles. By providing the slits 26 in the shingles, as referred to, it becomes obvious, in applying a second row of shingles, that on entering locking tabs 20 of a shingle under the adjacent edges of a pair of previously applied shingles of a lower row, such shingle, to constitute a shingle of the next upper row, may then be pulled upwardly and through the provision of slits 26, referred to, may readily be caused to pass the adjacent points of the previously applied shingles to be readily and quickly brought into position. As illustrated in Fig. 2, after the shingle of an upper row has been brought into position, slits 26 perform no further function and in effect close, and since they overlay a solid portion of a shingle below they are in no manner detrimental, and of course on a roof are unnoticeable.

No particular reference has been made in the foregoing to nailing the shingles to the roof, it being assumed, of course, that each shingle will be suitably nailed in its head portion whereby it will be secured to the roof structure, and that such nails will, of course, be covered or hidden by each next applied upper row of shingles.

According to the description in the foregoing, it is believed that it is clear that the shingle hereof is one which, when applied, produces a new and novel appearance, that is, the appearance of a hexagonal exposure portion which has not heretofore been possible with a shingle of this type, that is, the T-shape intenlocking shingle. Also from such description it should be clear that the shingle hereof is one which may be applied as readily or expeditiously as any other generally T-form interlocking shingle, and that when applied the shingles of a roof will be securely interlocked so that there will be no flapping of the lower portions thereof and that great resistance will be afforded against wind damage, to which most all roofing shingles of the so-called saturated felt type are quite susceptible.

As previously referred to, it should be apparent that the shingles hereof, when applied, provide a full double-coverage application to afford excellent protection against leakage of water through the roof and that the coverage provided is relatively high. The shingle hereof, as particularly described, is relatively a large shingle unit with overall dimensions of 20" x 20 with the gross area of the cut shingle being 330 square inches, which results in a net area of 320.66 square inches after the cutouts have been made, a loss in cutting of approximately only three percoverage shingle application this particular shingle is economical as to material required. Also, as pointed out, this shingle has the economical advantage that it can be readily applied with a minimum of time and effort, and finaly but not least, an application of these shingles provides a roof of hexagonal exposure pattern which has previously been impossible in connection with shingles of this type constituting this invention.

In the use of the terms slots and slits above, such are to distinguish one from the other. The word slot designates a structure involving an actual cutout, the opposite walls of which are definitely spaced apart. The term slit on the other hand designates merely a cut or severing without removal of material, so that the side walls of a slit are in contact but severed one from the other.

It is to be understood, of course, that the dimensions particularly referred to are illustrative only, although they are preferred where the saturated felt available is of 40 inch width. The teachings of this invention, however, may be readily availed of for suitably designing similar shingles to be cut from saturated felts of other widths. For example, if the available felt is a 38 inch felt than the shingle dimensions should be suitably revised in accordance with the teachings hereof so that two rows of shingles 19 inches in height may be cut from such 38 inch saturated felt.

The invention hereof having been disclosed and described in detail, what I claim is:

1. A shingle comprising a head portion having parallel vertical side edges, a shank portion substantially semihexagonal in shape, locking tabs extending outwardly on each side of the shank portion at its lower end and an intermediate portion having parallel vertical side edges and connecting the head and shank portions and of half the width of the sum of the width of the head portion and widest part of the shank portion.

2. The shingle construction defined in claim 1 wherein the side edges of the shank portion are inclined substantially 24 with respect to the vertical centerline through the shingle height.

3. The shingle construction defined in claim 1 wherein each, the head portion, the shank portion and the intermediate pontion, is of equal height.

4. The shingle construction defined in claim 1 wherein each, the head, intermediate and shank portions, is of equal height and the side edges of the shank are inclined downwardly and inwardly from the lower edge of the intermediate portion at an angle of about 24 with respect to the vertical centerline through the shingle.

5. A roofing comprising assembled interlocking shingles, each shingle thereof including a head portion, a shank portion, the side edges of which extend downwardly and convergingly and an intermediate portion between and connecting the head and shank portions, upwardly and convergingly directed slots in the intermediate portion extending from the lower edge of the intermediate portion, the angularity of each, the side edges of the shank portion and the slots of the intermediate portion, with respect to a vertical through the height of a shingle being the same and in the assembly a side edge of a such slot of a lower row of shingles comprising a prolongation of a side edge of a shank of a shingle of the next upper row.

6. A shingle construction comprising a rectangular head portion, a rectangular intermediate portion and basically rectangular shank portion, each respectively of narrower width than the immediately previously named portion, the side edges of shank portion inclined downwardly and convergingly to intersect the upper edges of outwardly extending interlocking tab portions formed adjacent the bottom edge of the shank portion and in the intermediate portion, upwardly, inwardly inclined slots extending from the intersection of the side edges of the shank portion with the bottom edge of the intermediate portion, the inolination of the said slots, with respect of the vertical centerline through the shingle, the same as the inclination of said side edges of the shank portion relative thereto, and slits, in the shank portion, extending inwardly and toward the shingle center line from the intersection of the side edges of the shank portion and upper edge of the interlocking tab portions, the slits of equal length, the distance between their inner ends less than twice the distance between a side edge of the head portion and the vertical through the point of intersection of the side edge, on the same side of the shank portion, with the lower edge of the intermediate portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,672,713 Durbin June 5, 1928 1,691,343 French Nov. 13, 1928 1,825,576 Butterick Sept. 29, 1931 2,086,137 Ritter July 6, 1937 2,437,874 Black Mar. 16,, 1948 2,444,623 Abraham July 6, 1948 2,607,304 Killingsworth Aug. 19, 1952 2,658,461 Luce Nov. 10, 1953 2,659,321 Lincoln Nov. 17, 1953 2,660,136 Abraham Nov. 24, 1953