Abstract:
A lightweight, preferably clay roofing tile, preferably having surface configurations to simulate the thick heavyweight of natural slate, or to simulate natural wood shakes, or other natural materials, is provided, constructed so as to be molded from materials with weight-reducing zones, and strengthening webs, integral with the tile, such that each tile is of unitary, molded, one-piece construction. The placement, type and number of webs enable the cutting of the tiles to form tile accessory pieces, at ends of laid-up courses, hips, ridges and the like, to minimize or eliminate the necessity of inventorying large numbers of special accessory pieces. The webs provide strengthening while the hollow zones reduce weight, with at least some of the webs being located to provide strength to the tiles along newly cut edges. An interlock design at tile edges facilitates reduction in weight by eliminating the need for a double coverage overlap. A series of bosses with depressions facilitate nailing when the tile is cut at an angle to form hip pieces.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the art of roofing with tiles constructed of natural materials, it has been known for many years to roof tiles with natural slates. Such slates, derived from quarries, are cut to size, drilled or punched with nail holes, and applied to roofs in a conventional manner. However, such natural slates, while providing for roofs for many years, often 50-100 years, generally require a basic supporting roof structure capable of withstanding great amounts of weight, such as on the order of 2,000 lbs. per square, with a square being a 10 feet by 10 feet area of a roof. 
     Synthetic products have been developed which simulate natural-appearing roofs, such as slate roofs, but such are either very heavy, or if weight is a consideration, rather thin, being constructed thinner than natural slate or other natural roofing tiles, in order to reduce the weight required. 
     Other synthetic roofing products have been developed, such as from molded concrete with appropriate lightweight fillers, sometimes with partial recesses for weight reduction purposes. 
     Such prior art synthetic products either have not simulated the desired thickness of natural materials, or have not lent themselves to being cut, thereby making it necessary to have accessories in the form of custom hip and ridge tiles, custom rake edge tiles, and various custom angled pieces, in order to complete a roof. In such instances, while a vast majority of tiles necessary to comprise a roof may be the basic roof tile, the very large number of accessory pieces that must be stocked in order to accommodate the various roofing situations that arise are often prohibitively expensive and cumbersome, adding to the cost of a synthetic, natural-appearing tile roof. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to providing a one-piece roofing tile, preferably formed of a molded clay material, so as to simulate a natural appearing tile, with the tile having hollowed zones or recesses for weight reduction, and strengthening webs to provide support for the tile in the installed, on-roof condition. 
     It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above object, wherein the webs are located in such a manner in the tile that various tile accessories may be cut from the tile, for left and right rakes, for hips and ridges, and for various other cuts, including angled cuts, while adequately strengthening the tile. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a molded, preferably clay tile with interlocking lip-and-groove constructions at the sides of adjacent tiles, for resisting rain infiltration to a roof. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein roofs are constructed from such tiles. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a roof of clay tile construction, wherein a tile of a generally singular configuration may be used to provide the basic tiles for the roof, as well as to provide, when cut, the necessary accessory tiles for the roof. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a roof constructed of tiles, that will have preferred low levels of weight per roofing square, while simulating natural roofing materials. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a novel method of constructing a roof, from tiles of the type described in the objects set forth above. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the brief descriptions of the drawing figures, detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a tile in accordance with this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the tile of FIG. 1, wherein the various ribs and bosses are specifically illustrated. 
     FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken through the illustration of FIG. 1, generally along the line III—III of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken through the illustration of FIG. 1, taken along the line IV—IV of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through one of the nail holes of the tile of FIG. 1, taken along the line of V—V of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken through one of the incomplete nailing zones and related bosses, taken generally along the line VI—VI of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 7 is a somewhat enlarged, fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line VII—VII of FIG. 1, through one of the nail holes thereof. 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view, taken through the headlap portion of the shingle of FIG. 1, generally along the line of VIII—VIII of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along the line of IX—IX of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a roof having tiles in accordance with this invention applied thereto. 
     FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view, taken through the interlock of a pair of tiles in accordance with this invention, generally along the line of XI—XI of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view, taken through the tiles on opposite sides of the apex of a roof, generally along the line XII—XII of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 13 is a plan view of a tile of the general type of FIG. 1, but wherein relief zones or indicia are illustrated, simulating natural slate on the top surface thereof. 
     FIG. 14 is a view similar to that of FIG. 13, but wherein relief zones or indicia are illustrated, simulating natural wood shake tiles. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to FIG. 1, wherein a tile in accordance with this invention is generally designated by the numeral  10 , illustrated in top plan view, and wherein the same tile is illustrated in FIG. 2 in bottom plan view. The tile has top and bottom surfaces  11 ,  12 , respectively, connected by upper and lower edges  13 ,  14 , respectively, and left and right (as viewed from FIG. 1) side edges  15  and  16 , respectively. 
     The top 15%-20% of the shingle comprises the headlap portion  17 , which, in the installed condition, with an exposed portion of a next overlying tile disposed over the headlap portion  17 , is not visible, because the said exposed portion covers it. Within the headlap portion  17 , there are a pair of nail holes  18 ,  20 , for nails (or other suitable fasteners) securing the tiles  10  to a roof, with the nail holes  18 ,  20  extending completely through the tiles. The nail holes  18 ,  20 , are reinforced by upstanding bosses  21 ,  22 , protruding above the surface  23 , for the purpose of reinforcing the nail holes  18 ,  20 , and for providing additional material for the nails that are disposed therein and which carry the tiles  10  to “grab” against. The bosses  21 ,  22 , each merge with their respective horizontally disposed upstanding ridges  24 ,  25 , extending across the tile between respectively associated sides  15 ,  16  thereof. The ridges  24 ,  25  provide shields against wind-swept rain from being driven under the tab edge of a next-overlying tile (not shown), to shield the tile against rain passing over the top edge  13  thereof, onto the wood or other underlainment of the roof (not shown). 
     The left edge  15  of the tile  10  is provided with an upstanding lip  26  spaced from the parallel edge  27  of the tile by a longitudinal groove  28 . The lower end of the groove  28  ends at  30 , and the upper end  31  of the groove ends at upstanding surface  32  of protruding ridge  24 . The right edge  16  of the tile, at the upper end, has a cut-back portion  33 , terminating in a champferred portion  34 , as shown, such that when a right edge portion  16  of a tile  10  is disposed along the left edge  27  of a next-adjacent tile, the cut-back portions  33 ,  34  will not interfere with the left-most edge of the upstanding protrusion  24 , at the upper left-most side of the tile, as shown. 
     With particular reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the bottom surface  12  of the tile  10  is provided with a downwardly extending lip  35 , spaced from the cut-back edge  33  and the parallel edge  36  of web  37 , by a groove  38 . 
     It will be seen that, as a pair of adjacent tiles are assembled, upstanding lip  26  will fit in groove  38 , and downwardly extending lip  35  will fit in groove  28 , in interlocked relation, as shown in FIG.  11 . The lower left corner of tile  10  as viewed in FIG. 1 has the indicated cut-back portions  27 ,  30 , to avoid interference with the lower end  40  of groove  38 , and downwardly protruding lower edge  41  of an adjacent like tile  10 , when tiles  10  are interlocked as shown in FIG.  11 . 
     The tile as viewed in FIG. 2 is provided with a plurality of hollow zones, in the form of recesses  45 ,  46 ,  47 ,  48 ,  50 ,  51 ,  52 ,  53 ,  54 ,  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  58 ,  60  and  61 , as shown in FIG. 2, which zones are recessed in the lower surface  12  of the tile as shown in FIG. 2, and which zones or recesses are provided in the tile for purposes of weight reduction, in order to remove heavy material therefrom. However, it will also be apparent that hollow zones in other forms, other than recesses could be provided, such as hollow zones between upper and lower surfaces of the tiles, not visible from either surface. 
     However, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, it will be seen that a plurality of webs  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  65  and  66  run longitudinally between upper transverse web  67  and lower transverse lip  41 , as shown, and that a transverse web  68  connects the vertical webs  37 ,  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66  and the flange  70 . It will also be noted that angled web  71 , and short transverse webs  72  and  73  are located as shown. Each of the webs facilitates reinforcement and support, for strengthening the tile against breakage during assembly and during its presence on a roof, particularly due to the presence of the hollow zones or recesses in the tile. Such strengthening webs also facilitate resistance of the tile to breakage when in use on a roof, by strengthening the tile for supporting workman, roofers or the like, walking on tiles on a roof, for resisting breakage upon a tile being struck by tree limbs and the like, etc. 
     It will be understood that in a preferred embodiment, in which the tiles are of unitary, one-piece construction, all of the webs, complete or incomplete nailing bosses and the like, and all other portions of the tile, are part of the integral, one-piece molded construction. 
     On both sides of the tile, there are provided as shown in FIG. 2, incomplete potential nailing zones  75 ,  76 ,  77 ,  78 ,  80  and  81 , each with its associated upstanding reinforcing boss  82 ,  83 ,  84 ,  85 ,  86 ,  87  associated therewith, for reinforcing the incomplete nailing zones associated therewith. It will be understood that incomplete nailing zones comprise partial recesses as viewed in FIG. 2, but that they do not extend through to the top surface  11  of the tile as viewed in FIG. 1, but may be readily punched or drilled through, at the site (in situ) of assembly of the tiles onto a roof structure. 
     It will be seen that, as a course of tiles is being laid along a roof, if one comes to the end of a roof, and only a half tile, like those  95  of FIG. 10, is needed as measured from side-edge to side-edge, the tiles  10  in accordance with this invention can readily be cut along the common cut line  90  approximately mid-way between the pair of parallel webs  63 ,  64 , formed by the arcuate, generally inverted U-shaped configuration defined by the cut line and the adjacent parallel converging web sides shown at the center of the FIG.  4  and each portion of tile remaining after the severing of the tile along cut line  90  will be provided with a web  63  or  64 , for reinforcing and strengthening a tile adjacent its then-cut edge. Similarly, as one runs the courses of tiles from the lower edge of a roof, up toward the upper end of a roof, if the last course of tiles requires a tile, like those  96  of FIG. 10, shorter than the full height of a tile, the tiles can be cut near the web  68 , in a horizontal direction as viewed in FIG. 2, along an imaginary cut line  91 , leaving the lower portion of tile remaining having a reinforcing web  68  near its then-cut edge, as well, as can be seen, for example, in FIG.  12 . Similarly, cuts can be made along any of the other webs, such as those  62 ,  65 ,  66 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 , with such webs providing reinforcement and support when left in the portion of the tile that is to be used on the roof. 
     Furthermore, even where unusual cuts are required, such as at peculiar angles, such that a particular edge may not have a web extending parallel therealong, there are sufficient webs and portions of webs as is apparent from FIG. 2, that a reasonable amount of reinforcement will always be provided. 
     It will be apparent from the foregoing, that the molded tiles will be preferably constructed of clay, and will be fired for purposes of curing the tiles and to provide structural integrity prior to their being used. It will also be provided that the exterior surfaces of the tiles, such as those viewed from, for example FIG. 1, and the exterior of the bottom edge  14 , as well as other small surfaces, may, if desired, be provided with patterns, edge detail relief zones and the like, to simulate different natural effects, such as different natural slates, and that various colors can be provided, added to the clays during their mixing or applied to their surfaces before firing, to achieve permanently-fired coloring and/or ceramic coatings. The double webs  63 ,  64  allow for splitting the tile to provide finishing pieces for both left and right rake edges. The web  68  is particularly beneficial in providing strength and a guide for cutting a ridge cap from the tile. The incomplete nailing zones  75 ,  76 ,  77 ,  78 ,  80  and  81  may be drilled or punched through, to provide facility for nailing when the tile is cut at an angle, as for example, to form hip pieces. 
     A simulated slate tile in accordance with the present invention may be on the order of about 10 inches (exclusive of flange  70 ) by about 15½ inches in size, and within a range of about ½ inch thick to 1 inch thick, and more preferably about ¾ inch thick, weighing approximately 5 lb. per tile, and when applied to a roof will ordinarily have a weight of 450 lbs.-650 lbs. per square, and generally less than 600 lbs. per square, with a square being a unit of measurement of 10 feet by 10 feet, as distinguished from natural slate, which for a comparable thickness of tiles, would have a weight in excess of 2,000 lbs. per square. 
     It will also be apparent that by the recessed and webbed construction shown, tiles in accordance with this invention will have a greater apparent tile thickness, which will allow at their interlocking lips  26 ,  35  and grooves  28 ,  38 , a greater depth of interlocking groove, so as to provide a great resistance to penetration of wind-driven rain at side joints. 
     Referring now to FIG. 10, specifically, it will be seen that a roof  94  is tiled with a plurality of tiles  10 , some of which like the tiles  95  and  96 , are smaller, portions of tiles, resulting from cuts that have been made along webs such as those  63 ,  64 ,  68  or otherwise, with adjacent tiles  10  being in interlocked relationship as shown at  11 , along their side edges. 
     With specific reference to FIG. 12, it will be seen that, at the apex of the roof, adjacent tiles  96  have been angularly cut as at  97 , near the transverse webs  68  thereof, so that the webs  68  can engage against the roof deck  94  and/or on underlying tile  99  (shown in phantom) to provide support therefor as shown, and that, at the junction of adjacent tiles  96 , an appropriate cement, mastic, sealant asphalt, or the like is applied therebetween, to seal the same against penetration of rain, moisture or the like. 
     Also, in the event that incomplete nailing zones  76 ,  77 ,  78 , etc. are used, by punching the nailing zones or drilling them through to the top surface  11  of a tile  10 , after nails are applied, a suitable sealant pitch, mastic, etc. like that  98  will also be applied thereover, to seal the same against the elements. 
     It will thus be seen that, in accordance with the present invention, a roof can be covered with tiles without requiring separate accessory tiles, but that such accessories may be made in situ, by making appropriate smaller or partial tiles  95 ,  96 , by cutting the complete tiles  10 , and that additional cuts, angled cuts, in connection with hips, eaves, around chimneys, spouts, etc. can be made, all yielding partial tiles with nearby appropriate supporting webs or web portions, near cut edges thereof, in view of the large number of webs present at the bottom of a tile, as can readily be seen from FIG.  2 . The interlock groove may be cut off at edges if necessary to provide a regular appearance of a rake edge, such as at  104  in FIG.  10 . In connection with all of the foregoing, it will be apparent, while in the preferred manufacture of the present invention, the tiles are constructed of fired clay, it will further be apparent that such tiles can be constructed of various other materials, including molded concrete or cement, molded plastic (preferably reinforced), or molded other synthetic materials, all within the spirit and scope of some embodiments of the present invention. 
     It will also be apparent that the various recesses  45 ,  46 ,  47 ,  48 ,  50 ,  51 ,  52 ,  53 ,  54 ,  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  58  and  60 , while being described as being recesses or hollow zones, and while being shown, for example in FIG. 2 to be empty or air-filled, such could be filled with a very light material, such as styrene foam or other comparable material that would add essentially no weight to the tile, but which would fill the recesses up to the same level as the outer edges of the webs, to have a uniform planar surface, if desired. Similarly, other materials may be provided in such recesses for comparable purposes. 
     Reference is now made to FIGS. 13 and 14, in which appropriate three-dimensional relief zones such as those  100  indicated on the top surface of a tile  101 , are shown to simulate different zones of relief of slate, such that the tile has the indicia or appearance of slate. 
     With respect to FIG. 14, different zones of relief  102  are indicated in the top surface of the tile  103 , simulating the indicia or appearance of wooden shakes. 
     It will be apparent from the foregoing that the upper, and other exterior surfaces of the tiles may be provided with various other aesthetic markings, indicia, such as relief zones, markings or the like, to simulate various other natural materials. 
     It will be apparent from the foregoing that other modifications and details of construction, as well as use and assembly of tiles onto roofs will be readily apparent as being within the scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.