Abstract:
A self-seal ring for creating a water tight seal around a nail used in affixing a roof shingle, underlayment and insulation to a roof deck. Also disclosed is a method for installing the self-seal ring and nail to the underlying support.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to self-seal fasteners for roofing nails. More particularly, the invention relates to self-seal rings positioned under the fasteners to prevent/reduce penetration of moisture in the form of rain, snow or ice into the tar paper or felt applied to the roof prior to the application of roofing shingles.  
         [0003]     2. Reported Developments  
         [0004]     In covering a roof structure, a liner such as tar paper or felt is applied to the roof deck prior to the application of roof shingles. The liner material is made from paper products such as cloth and fiberglass and is coated with a petroleum-based tar to increase the strength of the paper products and to render the liner waterproof. The liner is secured to the roof deck by roofing ails or tacks which have enlarged heads to hold the liner to the underlying wood deck. Such securing means are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,983,779 and 5,567,101. The securing means is equipped with an enlarged head or tang to hold the underlining to the roof deck and to cover the hole made by the nail body to prevent penetration of moisture.  
         [0005]     Most liners resist water penetration except at the nail hold where water can migrate through the holes and collect, thereby causing damage to the underlying roof deck. The damage caused includes mildew formation, warping and rotting of the roof deck.  
         [0006]     To reduce the penetration of moisture through the nail holes, the prior art proposes articles exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,365,709 and 5,497,596.  
         [0007]     The &#39;709 patent discloses a felt or tar paper that has a plurality of nail tabs attached to the felt base material prior to coating the felt base with a water-resistant material such as petroleum tar. In a second embodiment, the nail tabs are attached to the felt during installation of the felt to the roof. The roofing material is attached to the roof with roofing nails that are driven through the tabs.  
         [0008]     The &#39;596 patent discloses a method of reducing penetration of liquid through a non-woven sheet, which has been pierced by one or more fastening elements, comprising: 
        a non-woven sheet having a coating of hydrophobic foam on a surface of the sheet, the foam being in strips corresponding to the plurality of fastening element bases;     positioning the sheet against the framing structure such that the foam aligns with the fastening element bases of the framing structure; and     fastening the sheet to the fastening element through the foam in order to provide resistance to liquid penetration between the sheet and the fastening element.        
 
         [0012]     As it appears from the above-cited references, it is important to prevent penetration of liquid through holes created by or around the piercing of nails or staples when the underlayment is attached to the underlying roof deck. The main object of the present invention is to prevent/eliminate water penetration through such a hole created by a nail or staple in a roof deck.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The present invention provides an accessory such as a ring for a nail to provide a water-tight barrier around the nail. The present invention also provides a method of installing the accessory hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “ring” with a nail to an underlying roof deck.  
         [0014]     The invention and the method of its installation provide a leak-proof seal preventing water penetration to the underlying roof deck.  
         [0015]     The accessory comprises: 
        a self-seal ring comprising of about 50% to about 75% w/w of asphalt, and preferably of about 60% to about 70% asphalt;     25% to 40% w/w of a filler;     1% to 5% w/w of a modifier; and preferably 2% to 3% of a modifier selected from the group consisting of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), polybutane and polybutylene and mixtures thereof.        
 
         [0019]     The thickness of the accessory ranges of from about 0.5 inches to about 4.0 inches.  
         [0020]     The shape of the accessory is preferably round, however it may be oval, square or rectangular.  
         [0021]     The method of preparing the accessory comprises the steps of: 
        mixing asphalt, filler and modifier together;     placing the mixture in a roller machine to make a film;     conditioning the film at about 40° F.;     cutting the film with a die to the desired specification; and     puncturing the center with a heated element to allow for the insertion of a nail.        
 
         [0027]     The method of installing the accessory comprises the steps of: 
        fitting the accessory around a nail;     positioning the accessory with the nail therein onto the roof shingles;     applying pressure on the nail to penetrate the roof shingles and the underlying deck to create a tight seal around the nail and the roof shingles.        
 
         [0031]     It is to be noted that the head of the nail is larger than the stem of the nail and is from about 0.035″ to about 0.45 inches so that it covers the nail hole of 0.025 inches to 0.040 inches. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top perspective view of the present invention.  
         [0033]      FIG. 2  illustrates a side elevational view of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0034]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the present invention wherein: 
        the numeral  10  denotes the self-seal ring and nail positioned in the ring;     the numeral  12  denotes the self-seal ring;     the numeral  14  denotes the head of a nail; and     the numeral  16  denotes the stem of the nail.          
         [0039]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the self-seal ring and the nail positioned in the self-seal ring wherein: 
        the numeral  12  denotes the self-seal ring;     the numeral  14  denotes the head of the nail;     the numeral  16  denotes the nail;     the numeral  18  denotes the stem of the nail;     the numeral  20  denotes an adhesive on the top surface of the self-seal ring; and     the numeral  22  denotes an adhesive on the bottom surface of the self-seal ring.          
         [0046]     As indicated, the main object of the present invention is accomplished by providing a ring for the roofing nail positioned just below the head portion of the roofing nail. The ring comprises a pad or carrier of a soft plastic mixture containing asphalt, filler and an adhesive coated or deposited on the pad or carrier. It shape may be round, oval or rectangular having a size of 0.5-2 or more inches in diameter, woven or non-woven material of fiberglass. It can also be reinforced with strips, screen wire and the like.  
         [0047]     It is preferred that the carrier be coated with colored roofing granules having a pleasing, decorative metallic appearance and enhanced stability against degradation upon exposure of atmospheric condition. The method comprises the steps of:  
         [0048]     a) crushing and sizing a base mineral aggregate to form granules therefrom;  
         [0049]     b) preheating the granules to about 175-190° F.;  
         [0050]     c) preparing a coating composition comprising: water, an alkali solution and a silica-encapsulated metallic flake pigment in either powder or aqueous paste form;  
         [0051]     d) combining said preheated granules and said coating composition by missing to produce individually coated granules;  
         [0052]     e) pre-drying said individually coated granules to reduce their moisture content to about 0.1%-0.5%;  
         [0053]     f) kiln-firing said granules at about 400° F. to form a transparent, partially insolubilized coating on the granules;  
         [0054]     g) cooling said granules to reduce their temperature to about 140-160° F. by means of air flow and water spray application;  
         [0055]     h) applying along with the water spray application an aluminum chloride solution to said granules to allow chemical reaction to occur between the aluminum chloride and the alkali silicate to complete insolubilization of said coating; and  
         [0056]     i) treating said granules having the insolubilized coating thereon with a mixture of process oil and an organosilicon compound to impart dust control, and to improve adhesion to a substrate.  
         [0057]     As indicated above, the substrate is the pad or carrier in the form of round, oval or rectangular shape having an asphalt coating thereon at least on one side thereof. The coated granules are pressed and embedded in the asphalt layer of the carrier. Both sides of the carrier may be coated with the granules so that installation is without confusion as to which sides of the coated granules form the carrier. The carrier, with asphalt coating and decorative granules thereon, is ready for installation over an underlayment. If, under certain temperature conditions increased adhesion is necessary, an industrial adhesive of a polymeric base may be used.  
         [0058]     When needed to match the decorative appeal of the asphalt-coated shingles, this step of (a) through (d)above are optionally included in the present invention.  
         [0059]     In addition to the use of nails with the self-seal ring of the present invention, an adhesive may be used on the top and undersides of the self-seal ring to insure adherence of the self-seal ring to the underlying substrate and the shingles. The adhesion used may include polyisobutanes (PIB), polybutanes, polyisoprene, butyl rubber, styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS), acrylics, polyurethanes, atactic polypropylene (APP) or other similar adhesives and/or suitable mixtures thereof.  
         [0060]     It is to be understood that various modifications can be made based on the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention not be limited to the exact form described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modification that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.