US3608253A

US3608253A - Snow and ice belt for roofs

Info

Publication number: US3608253A
Application number: US866871A
Authority: US
Inventors: George R Theriault
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-10-16
Filing date: 1969-10-16
Publication date: 1971-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 1988-09-28
Also published as: CA942025A

Abstract

A SERIES OF INTERLOCKING SHEETS ADAPTED TO BE ARRANGED ON THE ROOF OF A BUILDING ADJACENT THE EAVES, SAID SHEETS HAVING THE PROPERTY OF EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING UNDER CONDITIONS OF HEAT AND COLD.

Description

Sept. 28, 1971 THERlAULT 3,608,253

SNOW AND ICE BELT FOR ROOFS Filed Oct. 16, 1959 United States Patent F I 3,608,253 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 3,608,253 SNOW AND ICE BELT FOR ROOFS George R. Theriault, 580 S. Main St., Orange, Mass. 01364 Filed Oct. 16, 1969, Ser. No. 866,871 Int. Cl. E04b 7/16; E04d 3/40, 13/06 US. C]. 52-24 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known, in cold climates the roof of a house is apt to accumulate ice at the eaves, the ice sometimes becoming very thick and resulting in heavy icicles whether or not a rain trough is present. On warm days, or in the sun, some of this ice, or even a heavy snow, is apt to melt and back up under the shingles, creating a very bad condition resulting in dry rot.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a permanent and very simple ice and snow belt arranged about the roof at the eaves, this belt being made in such a way as to obviate the back-up of the melt water and as a matter of fact to obviate ice and snow accumulations as well as icicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a series of sheets of material which are interlocked together at their edges and nailed to the roof in certain fully concealed areas providing for expansion and contraction under the snow and ice which piles up at the eaves. This expansion and contraction gradually works the ice and snow in such a way as to cause it to slip off the roof preventing a pile-up of ice and also icicles so that there is no possibility of any backup of melt water under the eaves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the ice and snow belt as applied to a shingled roof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the sheets going to make up the snow and ice belt;

FIG. 3 is an edge view looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 2 but also illustrating the application of the end piece and the next sheet of material, and

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 4 in FIG. 2.

'PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring first to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, there is shown as at a sheet of material preferably aluminum, galvanized iron or some kind of plastic which has been bent to form a right-angled straight edge extending upright at 12 and at the opposite edge thereof an inverted V-shaped edge member 14. Between

edges

12 and 14 at the front thereof there is a depending and rearwardly bent back edge member 16 at the opposite side of the sheet of material 10 from the

upturned edges

12 and 14. The rear edge of the sheet of material 10 at 18 is straight and cut plain and the downwardly extending reversely bent edging at 16 extends to the right to a small extent as is indicated at 20.

The sheet 10 is impressed, bent or distorted to provide a very low fiat pyramid having an apex at 22. As illustrated in the drawings, this pyramid has four sides extending from the front, the two side edges, and the rear, but there may of course be a greater number or even a less number of these sides extending to the apex at 22 than as described herein.

The first section of the sheet material is indicated at A in FIG. 1. This is set at the edge of the roof in conjunction with a side edge piece of appropriate length which is indicated at 24. This piece has a finish edge 26 and an inverted V-shaped bent edge 28 which extends along the edge of sheet A. As shown in FIG. 3, the inverted V edge at 28 extends under the inverted V edge at 14 and these are then crimped together, the strip 24 having been secured to the edge of the roof in any desired manner. Then a few nails as at 30 are applied to the sheet A adjacent the rear edge thereof to be later overlain by a course or two of shingles 32, these. shingles being well known, so that the nail heads are completely covered and protected.

The straight edge 12 is then overlain by the next inverted V edge 14 of the succeeding sheet labeled B in FIG. 1 and 10 in FIG. 3. The inverted V construction 14' is crimped down onto the edge 12 and if desired some simple straps 32 may be placed in underlying position with respectto the inverted V-shaped construction 14 and over the straight upstanding strip 12, so that these strips upon being nailed down will be seen to hold in conjunction with the nails and the edge stripping 28, three edges of strip A. The outstanding tab at 20 is of the same shape as shown at 16 in FIG. 4 and interlocks with the rear side of this strip 16 in the area at 34 in FIG. 3.

It will be seen that all of the parts are closely and tightly interlocked. There can be no leakage because no nail holes or any other fastenings or apertures are exposed, and each sheet overlies each other sheet at the edges thereof, the rear edges being overlain by the ordinary shingles.

With this ice and snow belt applied to the roof along the eaves, continued warmth and cold as between day and night or between sunny and cloudy periods, will cause the material of the various members A, B, C, etc. to expand and contract and in effect vibrate to such an extent that the ice and snow is loosened and slides olf preventing the build-up of any excess ice in large masses and also preventing the formation of icicles.

I claim:

1. The combination of a roof for a building, said roof having eave portions, and an ice and snow removal belt applied to the roof adjacent the eave portions thereof, said ice and snow removal belt extending along said eave exteriorly of the roof and exposed to the weather, and being characterized by the capability of expanding and contracting under conditions of cold and heat, alternately, said ice and snow removal belt comprising a row of interlocking metallic sheets, each sheet including a generally centrally arranged raised portion spaced from the roof and portions surrounding the raised portion in substantial contact with the roof, at least the raised portion of each sheet tending to flex under expansion in conditions of relative atmospheric heat and contraction under conditions of relative atmospheric cold, thereby to disturb overlying ice and snow for otherwise. unassisted removal each sheet'also including at the forward edge thereof a downwardly extending inwardly bent terminal portion.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said downwardly extending. inwardly bent terminal portion extends laterally from one edge of its sheet and interlocks with the next adjacent sheet in the area of its terminal portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Douglas 5294 Heerwagen 52588X Marsi 52588 Snead 5294 Bowser 5294 Strange 5224 Ensor 52588X Gillis 52544X HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.