Abstract:
A roof support with an integral gutter including a roof support, a panel joint cover, and a gutter for a small storage or utility building or shed having a shallow-pitched roof. In particular, the roof support with integral gutter includes a support web, an exposure surface perpendicularly bisecting the support web, and a collector perpendicularly bisecting the support web opposite the exposure surface. The roof support with integral gutter is made by the pultrusion process, which eliminates the need for additional and separate components to provide rigidity and strength to the roof support.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/261,396 titled “Integral Rain Gutter” filed Jan. 12, 2001, the full disclosures of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a roof structure, and more particularly, to a roof structure having an integral rain gutter. 
   It is generally known to provide for a roof support located along a central peak of pitched roofs for small storage and utility buildings or sheds having shallow-pitched roof panels. Such roof supports typically span the length of the roof and provide structural support at the joint between sloped roof panels which abut along the roof peak. The roof support may typically include a separate cover portion to cover the joint and reduce exposure of the joint and shed interior to snow, rain and other weather elements. Roof supports of this type are typically made from lightweight materials and assembled from multiple components manufactured by a thermoplastic molding or extrusion process. 
   However, such molded and/or extruded thermoplastic roof support assemblies have several disadvantages including roof sagging and concomitant water leakage. Such sagging and leakage is typically due to the relatively low rigidity and the temperature and time dependent creep of the thermoplastic roof support material. These disadvantages have required manufacturers to attempt to develop roof supports that are more rigid, thereby preventing roof sagging and subsequent water leakage. For example, roof supports are now designed to include separate steel rods that are inserted within the extruded roof support to provide more rigidity to the roof support and limit deflection and creep of the roof supports. 
   Despite such improvements, roofs continue to sag and extruded roof supports continue to deflect, allowing water leakage at the joint. To overcome the water leakage problem, manufacturers began providing a rain gutter in combination with the roof support to capture and divert any water that penetrates the cover and joint along the roof peak to reduce leakage inside the building. Traditionally, rain gutters snap-on to the roof panels under the joint of the roof peak, and any water that creeps along the surface of the roof panels or enters the joint will be directed to the rain gutter for subsequent disposal. Although the addition of rain gutters help to prevent water leakage inside the building, it provides another piece of equipment to manufacture and does not alleviate the problems and disadvantages associated with roof sagging and roof support deflection. As a result, manufacturers have provided columns or other vertical supports within the building to bolster the roof support, resulting in the additional expense associated with several manufacturing processes and assembly operations. 
   Accordingly, there exists a need for a roof support that provides more rigidity and which can also accommodate water leakage. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a roof support with integral gutter. Another objective of the roof support with integral gutter of the present invention is to provide a roof support having higher strength and rigidity, which will limit roof support deflection and roof sag. A related objective of the roof support with integral gutter is that it should not require additional components, such as steel rods, to provide rigidity to the roof support. 
   Another objective of the roof support with integral gutter of the present invention is to provide a roof support with a panel joint cover and a gutter that are unitarily formed with the roof support by a single manufacturing process, thereby eliminating the necessity to separately manufacture each individual part, and reducing manufacturing costs. 
   Additionally, an objective of the roof support with an integral gutter is that it should be manufactured by a process that is easy to implement, is versatile, and produces a higher strength product to prevent roof sag that results in subsequent water leakage. Finally, it is an objective of the roof support with integral rain gutter that it provide all of the aforesaid objectives and advantages without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a roof support with an integral gutter including a roof support, a panel joint cover, and a gutter for a small storage or utility building or shed having a shallow-pitched roof. In particular, the roof support with integral gutter includes a support web, an exposure surface perpendicularly bisecting the support web, and a collector perpendicularly bisecting the support web opposite the exposure surface. 
   The exposure surface acts as the panel joint cover and is designed to fit over abutting roof panels to protect a joint formed therebetween from environmental conditions. The exposure surface also acts as the first barrier to water leakage inside the building. The exposure surface may have a negative angle with respect to the support web to correspond to the angle of the abutting roof panels to provide a seal between the roof panels and roof support, and to maintain continuity between the roof panels and the roof support. 
   The collector includes a distal edge angled from the plane of the lower portion of the collector to provide a channel between the distal edge and the support web, forming the integral gutter. The distal edge of the collector is angled away from the lower surface between about 90° and 175°, with a length great enough to provide the collector with a depth sufficient to direct a substantial volume of liquid along the collector. With the collector, any water or other moisture which penetrates the joint and the exposure surface will seep into the collector and be directed to a drain or away from the building. 
   The roof support with integral gutter may be used in combination with at least one roof panel having an exterior surface and an interior surface opposite the exterior surface. When two roof panels are used, the roof structure divides and supports each roof panel. Each roof panel abuts the support web, with a portion of the roof panel fitting between the exposure surface and the collector of the roof support. This permits the exposure surface to extend over the exterior surfaces of the roof panels and cover the joint formed between the roof panels. The roof panels are supported by the distal edges of the collector, which are closely adjacent to the interior surfaces of the roof panels. Each roof panel may also include a drip edge that extends longitudinally along the interior surface parallel to the support web of the roof support and intermediate the distal edge and the support web over the collector. The drip edge acts to disrupt the cohesive bond between the moisture and the roof panel surface so that the moisture drips from the interior surface at this point. The collector extends beyond the drip edge to capture any moisture that falls from the roof panel when the roof panel is situated intermediate the exposure surface and the collector. 
   In part, the present invention is a method of making a roof support. The method includes introducing fibers to a resin bath to form a fiber-resin combination, contouring the fiber-resin combination in the shape of a roof support and curing the resin-fiber combination. The roof support may be contoured to include a support web, an exposure surface and a collector. The roof support may then be cut to desired specifications. 
   This invention overcomes the problems and disadvantages associated with the related art by providing a roof support with integral gutter. The roof support with integral gutter has increased strength and rigidity to limit roof support deflection and roof sag. Further, the roof support with integral gutter of the present invention does not require additional components, such as steel rods, to provide the strength and rigidity to the roof support. 
   The roof support with integral gutter also provides a roof support with a panel joint cover and a gutter integrally formed with the roof support. This is accomplished by a single manufacturing process, and reduces parts inventory and manufacturing costs. 
   Also, the roof support with integral gutter of the present invention is manufactured by a process that is easy, versatile, and produces a high strength product. This results in a roof support that prevents roof sag and water seepage through and/or near the joint between roof panels. As is shown and described, the roof support with integral gutter of the present invention has one or more of these or other advantageous features, and achieves all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage. 
   The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood, and so that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. Throughout this application, the text refers to various embodiments of the present article of manufacture and/or related methods. The various embodiments described are meant to provide a variety of illustrative examples and should not be construed as descriptions of alternative species. Rather it should be noted that the descriptions of various embodiments provided herein may be of overlapping scope. The embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative and the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings. The present invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for description and not limitation, are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building having shallow pitch roof panels and a roof support according to the preferred embodiment. 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the roof according to the preferred embodiment. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the roof support along section A—A of  FIG. 2  according to the preferred embodiment. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the roof support according to the preferred embodiment. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the roof support according to the preferred embodiment. 
       FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the roof support according to an alternative embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a small storage or utility building  10  having a shallow-pitched roof  12  is shown according to the preferred embodiment. An example of a building and roof of this type are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/086,061 titled “Modular Panel Construction System,” filed on May 27, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The shallow pitched-roof  12  includes roof panels  14  that are supported along a central peak line  15  of shallow-pitched roof  12  by roof support  20  (not shown in this view). 
     FIG. 2  displays the shallow-pitched roof  12  more clearly. The shallow-pitched roof  12  includes two roof panels  14  separated by a centrally positioned roof support  20  that divides the roof  12 . The roof support  20  spans the length of building  10  and is supported on either end by the end wall structure  18  of building  10  (shown in FIG.  1 ). Although a roof having two roof panels is shown and described, it would be apparent to one skilled in the art to construct a roof using a single roof panel. 
     FIG. 3  more clearly displays the roof panel  14  and roof support  20  relationship. Roof panels  14  are positioned in a continuously abutting relationship along both lateral sides of a support web portion  22  of roof support  20 . Roof panels  14  have an exterior surface  17  and an interior surface  19 . Roof panels  14  are configured with a longitudinal drip edge  16  (e.g. slot, groove, indent, lip, etc.) that extends along the interior surface  19  of the roof panel  14  parallel to the longitudinal axis of the roof support  20 . Drip edge  16  provides a discontinuity in the interior panel surface that allows any leaking moisture adhering to roof panel  14  to drip off the panel into the roof support  20  and prevents moisture from migrating laterally beyond the roof support  20 . 
   Roof support  20  includes an exposure surface  24  (e.g., panel joint cover, flaps, shields, protector, etc.) extending along the entire length of roof support  20 . Exposure surface  24  projects laterally outward from an upper end of support web  22  and is intended to overlap roof panels  14  on both lateral sides of support web  22  to shield the joint created between the abutting roof panels  14  and support web  22  from rain and other elements of the weather. 
   Roof support  20  also includes a collector  50  (e.g., tray, channel, pan, trough, etc.) extending along the entire length of roof support  20 . Collector  50  projects laterally outward from a lower end of support web  22  and extends beneath a portion of each roof panel  14 , slightly beyond the drip edges  16 . Collector  50  is configured to capture water that penetrates the joint created between the abutting roof panels  14  and support web  22  and divert the water to a drain (not shown) or away from the interior of the building. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , roof support  20  is shown according to a preferred embodiment. Roof support  20  is desirably formed using a thermoset pultrusion process where reinforcing filaments are passed from a fiber delivery system (e.g., reels, spindles, etc.) and pulled through a resin impregnation bath. The resin-embedded fibers are then pulled through preform fixtures (e.g., one or more dies), which contour and align the fiber-resin combination into the roof support shape that will be subsequently described. The contoured fiber-resin combination then passes through a heated fixture or die (not shown) to cure (i.e., “cross-link”) the resin. Upon curing, roof support  20  is extracted from the heated die and cut into the lengths that correspond to use in buildings  10  or other structures. Although pultrusion is preferred, other types of methods may be used to form the roof support including extrusion, rollform, weldment, or a combination thereof. 
   According to a particularly preferred embodiment, roof support  20  has a length of approximately 64 in, and all subsequently described dimensions correspond to a length of approximately 64 in; however the length can be modified to suit a wide variety of building sizes and the subsequently described dimensions may be adjusted accordingly to maintain acceptable deflection levels under a particular set of loading conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber filaments and resin combination have a modulus of elasticity (E) of at least about 2,500,000 pounds per square in (PSI). In the particularly preferred embodiment, the fiber filaments are glass fibers and the resin is a thermoset polyester resin, the combination having a modulus of elasticity (E) of approximately 2,700,000 to 3,300,000 PSI. However, other fibers and resins known in the art may be used, including graphite, polyethylene, vinyl esters, epoxy resins and combinations thereof. The fiber-resin combination may also be cured by other methods known by those skilled in the art, including chemical curing. In further alternative embodiments, roof support  20  may be fabricated with an extrusion process from thermoplastic materials or composites thereof. 
   Referring further to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , roof support  20  is formed with a uniform cross-section along its entire length that is symmetrical and generally “I-beam” shaped, and includes a centrally located vertical support web  22 . Integrally formed with the support web  22  is the exposure surface  24 , which generally perpendicularly bisects the support web  22 . Support web  22  is also integral with the collector  50 , which also generally perpendicularly bisects the support web  22 . In a preferred embodiment, the roof support  20  has a moment of inertia of between about 2.9 in 4  and 3.3 in 4 . In a particularly preferred embodiment, the roof support  20  has a moment of inertia of approximately 3.180 in 4 , and the support web  22  has a thickness of approximately 0.080 in and a height of approximately 4.222 in. However, the roof support may have a wide range of moment of inertia, and the support web a wide range of thickness and height to meet desired specifications. Further, the support web may be shaped differently when used in combination with a single roof panel to support the roof panel and prevent roof sag. 
   The exposure surface  24  has flanges  30  (e.g., arms, flaps, etc.) projecting outward in opposing lateral directions from an upper end of support web  22 , the underside of flanges  30  having rounded fillets  40  at the juncture with support web  22 , although squared fillets would be suitable as well. The outwardly projecting flanges  30  have a shallow negative slope corresponding to the pitch of roof panels  14  to improve the sealing performance of the exposure surface  24  against roof panels  14 . The shallow negative slope may be any angle from and including horizontal, which is suitable for providing a tight fit with the pitch of roof panels  14 . Flanges  30  may be formed along their length with arcuate projections  36  (e.g., ridges, channels, tracks, etc.) extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of roof support  20  and configured to interface with any corresponding projections  42  on the upper surface of roof panels  14  for improved position retention and sealing performance of roof support  20  (shown most clearly in FIG.  3 ). In a particularly preferred embodiment, exposure surface  24  has an overall width of approximately 3.750 in and a thickness of approximately 0.080 in, although this may vary depending on desired specifications. Further, exposure surface  24  of roof support  20  and the exterior surface  17  of roof panels  14  have a relative clearance of approximately 0.015 in. Again, the relative clearance between the exposure surface  24  and the exterior surface  17  may vary widely to account for desired specifications. 
   Referring further to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , collector  50  is shown according to the preferred embodiment. Collector  50  has flanges  52  (e.g., legs, channels, troughs, etc.) projecting horizontally outward in opposing lateral directions from a lower end of support web  22  with each flange  52  having a distal end. The top side of flanges  52  have rounded fillets  40  at the juncture with support web  22 , but the fillets  40  may also be squared. Flanges  52  are formed along the length of their distal ends with an angularly upward projecting lip  56  extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of roof support  20  and configured to interface with a interior surface  19  of roof panels  14 . The angular portion of lip  56  has an angle from the top surface of flange  52  of about 90° to 175°, and more preferably about 125° to 145°. The angular portion of lip  56  may include a smooth transition to a horizontal portion  58  and then to a partial return bend end portion  60 . Horizontal portion  58  is configured to project slightly beyond drip edge  16  of roof panels  14  to support roof panels  14  and ensure that all moisture that drips from drip edge  16  is captured in collector  50 . The depth of collector  50  is determined by the vertical distance between the top surfaces of flanges  52  and horizontal portions  58  of distal ends, and the depth is greater than the maximum expected deflection of roof support  20  under the intended loading conditions to ensure that collected moisture flows to the ends of roof support  20 . In a particularly preferred embodiment, collector  50  has an overall width of approximately 3.500 in and a thickness of approximately 0.080 in, and the transition to horizontal portion  58  occurs at a distance of approximately 1.360 in from the centerline of support web  22 , with horizontal portion  58  raised above the top side of flanges  52  to provide a collector depth of approximately 0.335 in. In alternative embodiments, the overall width of collector  50  may be increased or decreased any desired amount provided that horizontal portion  58  extends beyond drip edge  16 , and the thickness of collector  50  may be any dimension suitable for providing a support and collector function. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , a roof support  120  is shown according to an alternative embodiment. Roof support  120  is formed with a uniform cross section along its entire length that is symmetrical and generally “I-beam” shaped, having a centrally located vertical support web  122  that generally perpendicularly bisects, and is integrally formed with, the exposure surface  124  and the collector  150 . The support web  122  has a thickness of approximately 0.075 in and a height of approximately 3.977 in, which may be either increased or decreased depending on load requirements. 
   The exposure surface  124  has flanges  130  (e.g., arms, flaps, etc.) projecting outward in opposing lateral directions from an upper end of support web  122 . The outwardly projecting flanges  130  have a shallow negative slope corresponding to the pitch of roof panels  14 . The shallow negative slope may have any angle from and including to horizontal provide a tight fit with the pitch of roof panels  14 . Flanges  130  may be formed along their length with arcuate projections  136  extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of roof support  120  and configured to interface with corresponding projections  42  on the exterior surface  17  of roof panels  14 . The exposure surface  124  has an overall width of approximately 3.750 in and a thickness of approximately 0.075 in, which may be either increased or decreased depending on requirements. 
   The collector  150  also has flanges  152  projecting horizontally outward in opposing lateral directions from a lower end of support web  122 . Flanges  152  are formed along their distal ends with an upward projecting lip  156  that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of roof support  120 . 
   It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the roof support as shown in the preferred and other exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present inventions have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. For example, the roof support may be fabricated by aluminum extrusion, plastic extrusion or molding, metal roll forming, formed and welded metal assembly, etc. or a composite thereof and the dimensions may be tailored according to the width spanned by the roof support and the intended loading requirements. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the preferred and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present inventions as expressed in the appended claims.