Abstract:
A combination fascia cover system is provided including a base plate having a shorter portion for lying atop the roof edge and a longer portion at right angles to the first portion for overlying the upper sidewall and being attached thereto by threaded fasteners through a series of holes perforating the longer portion. The shorter portion of the base plate having, at its distal end, an upwardly extending flange for creating an upward spacing away from the roofing system and at end of the flange a partially reinforced pocket is formed by overlying folds to form the pocket. The cover plate is mounted over the base plate with a spring clip having uniquely spaced bends configured to match the dimensions of the base and cover plates, which spring clip engages the pocket, the base plate and the cover plate to retain the base and cover plates in tensioned spaced relationship while engaged together with one another.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention resides in the field of metal fascia dimensioned and configured to overlie the roof edge of a built-up or flat roof. The apparatus may be described as a base plate having a shorter portion for lying atop the roof edge and a longer portion at right angles to the first portion for overlying the upper sidewall and being attached thereto by the use of threaded fasteners through a series of holes perforating the longer portion. A cover fascia plate is attached to flanges at the upper and lower portions of the base plate and held at tension upward and outward from the base plate by a spring clip uniquely positioned between the base plate and the fascia cover. 
     Large rubber membranes and the like are commonly used for covering a roof such as a flat roof. The membrane is laid over the surface of the roof and secured in place by adhesive and/or mechanical fastening means. A number of prior mechanisms have been developed for securing the edges of a rubber roof membrane in place along the edge of the roof in order to maintain the roofing membrane in position in proximate contact with the underlying roofing support surface. In some applications the rubber membrane may be subjected to significant wind forces causing the rubber membrane to tend to pull away from the surface of the roof. The edge of the roof is especially susceptible to damage from wind shear forces, and, if the edge of a rubber roof membrane were to become detached from the roof, all or a substantial portion of the membrane may be blown off. Moreover, damage often occurs from water entering the building structure, for example by flowing over the edge of the roof and down an outside wall where it may enter the structure and cause damage to the building. 
     Generally, an upwardly extending water dam is mounted at the edge of the roof and a fascia is mounted over the water dam. The fascia generally also extends downward, parallel to the outside wall of the building. The fascia improves the appearance of the roof edge and further increases resistance to wind-driven rain and wind uplift loads along the roof edge. Unfortunately, existing systems often require non-standard water dams and/or edge fascia which are comprised of a number of complicated parts that are difficult and time consuming to install. 
     One generally accepted roof edge systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,912,814 and 7,451,572 [Inzeo, et al.] that shows a roof edge clamping system for overlying the roofing membrane, clamping it down and providing a metal fascia at the roof edge to hide the bolts and plates of the clamping members. This system relies entirely upon fasteners to retain the cover in position and does not protect for the vertical penetration of water behind the fascia. 
     Another system, one that utilizes a type of spring clip to force the roof edge metal fascia upward, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,322 [Kintop]. This system requires both a catch and the spring clip to operate properly and maintain the fascia in the required position. This system is complex to manufacture and just as complex to install on a rooftop. Based upon the number of metal plates, the required bends and folds, and the interrelationships of the various plates and folds, the complex system requires particular attention to positioning on installation. The cover overlying the fastener holding the spring clip in place suffers from the probability of releasing from wind shear along the roof surface without another fastener holding it in position. 
     Still another edge fascia system using a spring clip is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,023 [Kittilstad]. The Kittilstad system also depends upon a spring clip positioned between the top outward facing corner of the cover and a ridge formed along the inner rear side of the base over which the outer cover plate also fits. This system is subject to probable failure in the event that there is sufficient wind lift and the cover plate lifts away from the base plate ridge or if the cover plate is subjected to sufficient distortion due to damage or careless placement of ladders or walking along the roof edge. 
     The two roof edge systems using the spring clip both rely upon the cover plate fitting over and holding the spring clip in place. However, the cover plate is not held down and is the second piece of metal curling around or over a raised portion of the base plate that is the sole retaining mechanism for the cover along the entire expanse of the roof edge system. This type of system suffers from the deficiencies noted above with neither system taking full advantage of a spring clip that force the cover plate away from the base plate when fully assembled. 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the previous deficiencies by using a differently positioned spring clip that forces the parts of the roof edge system away from each other, and then retains those parts in that orientation. It is a further object of the present invention to reduce the required time to install the spring clip type roof edge systems by housing the spring clip in a different fold or retaining space that that over which the cover plate is placed. It is yet an additional object to provide a spring clip that produces sufficient upward force to retain the top outer edge of the cover at its farthest outward and upward extent at all times, once fully installed. It is a still further object of the present invention to reduce the time and complexity of installation of the roof edge fascia system through the reconfiguring of the attachment points for the spring clip and cover plate. Other objects will appear hereinafter. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a superior roof edge fascia system for securing the periphery of a membrane to the edge of a roof so that the membrane remains securely fastened to and against the surface of the roof and will not pull up as a result of wind forces on the membrane. Specifically, the present invention provides a base plate having a shorter portion for lying atop the roof edge and a longer portion at right angles to the first portion for overlying the upper sidewall and being attached thereto by the use of threaded fasteners through a series of holes perforating the longer portion. The shorter portion of the base plate has, at its distal end, a pocket formed from overfolding the edge of the distal end at the uppermost region of an upstanding end portion of the base plate creating an upwardly distanced spacing away from the roofing system. The pocket is formed by the overlying of the edge turned inward and against the inner upper wall of the pocket, but only partially along the pocket depth. The pocket is dimensioned to receive a spring clip that is specially bent or folded at desired spacings so as to fit within the pocket and extend outward and upward to contact the inner side of the fascia cover plate at the approximate 90° fold point at the juncture of the horizontal and vertical legs of the cover supporting it in general parallelity to the base plate in both dimensional directions. 
     At the distal end of the longer portion of the base plate an outwardly angled edge is formed for attaching the other end of the cover plate. The cover plate is dimensioned slightly larger than the base plate with a 90° bend between its shorter and longer portions approximating the same lengths from the bend in the base plate for each of the portions of the cover plate. The cover plate is held in position by bent edges that overlie the lower outwardly angled edge of the base plate and the inward facing edge of the pocket at the distal edge of the shorter portion of the base plate and supported in position by the properly positioned and located spring clip mounted within the pocket. 
     Within the open space created by the pocket located at the shorter end edge of the base plate, and in order to maintain tension between the base and cover plates when mounted by exerting a force upward and outward from the 90° bend in the base plate to retain the cover plate in an extended support relationship, a plurality of spring clips are placed at predetermined locations along the extent of the fascia cover and base plates. The spring clip is formed in a relaxed S-shape with an elongated lower end extending and pushing into the formed pocket in the space remaining in the pocket depth beyond the reinforcing overfold of the end edge. The elongated lower end of the spring clip has a series of partial punched outward extensions such that as the end is inserted into the pocket of the base plate the spring clip is retained in position within the pocket so that it will extend forward, upward and outward to provide support for the interior of the bend in the cover plate. The spring clip, at its first bend, leaves the pocket and extends downward to the top of the base plate contacting the base plate approximately midway along the shorter portion. A second bend extends the spring clip upward toward the interior of the cover plate, but short of the inner side of the cover a reinforcing bend extends the spring clip outward toward the corner of the cover plate. A fourth bend in the spring clip contacts the interior of the cover plate at approximately an equidistant point on either side of the 90° bend to the distal end of the spring clip on the other side of the 90° bend. The spread of the two contact points add strength by providing a greater space between contact points and the contact point of the spring clip against the top side of the base plate provides a more stable support for the cover fascia corner while remaining unmovingly anchored in the pocket. 
     The cover plate is mounted over the base plate and spring clip by engaging its lower portion bent edge over the lower portion outward angled edge of the base plate and then pushing the spring clip rearward into the pocket of the base plate the second bent edge of the cover plate is engaged with the upward angled edge of the base plate by slipping the edges over one another compressing the spring clip, and then permitting the spring clip to expand and force the cover plate outward away from the base plate retaining both edges in engagement. The foregoing and other features of the invention are hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and drawings setting forth by way of illustration and example the preferred embodiments of this invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective partial cutaway view of the fascia assembly of the present invention showing the S-shaped spring clip for maintaining an outward extension force against the fascia cover plate. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the fascia assembly of the present invention showing the functional interrelationship of the bottom plate, cover plate and spring clip. 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a plurality of spring clips for use with the present invention arrayed in a side-by-side alignment. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the fascia assembly of the present invention at the roofline showing the approximate spacings of the plurality of spring clips for use along a length of overlapping fascia cover plates. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. The description is not intended in a limiting sense, and is made solely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. The various features and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     With reference now to the drawing figures in which like-reference numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, the fascia assembly system of the present invention is illustrated generally at  10  in  FIG. 1  having an S-shaped spring clip  12  for maintaining an outward extension force against a cover plate  14 . The system  10  is secured to a building having a number of sidewalls and a roof. The system  10  is designed to be secured to the building at the intersection or joining of the wall  11  and the roof, including roofing membrane  13 , in order to provide a superior fascia system for securing the periphery of the membrane  13  to the edge of a roof, along the upper expanse of the wall  11 , so that the membrane  13  is securely fastened to and against the surface of the roof and will not pull up as a result of wind forces on the membrane  13 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the fascia assembly  10  creates a functional interrelationship between and among a base plate  16 , the cover plate  14  and spring clip  12 . The base plate  16  is bent at right angles such that there results a shorter portion  19   a  for lying atop the roof edge and a longer portion  19   b  at right angles to the shorter portion  19   a  for overlying the upper portion of the sidewall  11 . The longer portion  19   b  of the base plate  16  is attached to the upper portion of the wall  11  by the use of threaded fasteners  17  through a series of holes perforating the longer portion  19   b  and extending into the top portion of the wall  11 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the top portion of the wall  11  consists of a cover plate  15  made of lumber such that the fasteners  17  extend through the base plate  16  and into the wooden cover plate  15  at the top of wall  11 . Other materials can be used to cap the vertical wall  11 , and the type of fasteners used would be selected to mount the base plate  16  to the material used at the top of the sidewall  11 . 
     The shorter portion  19   a  of the base plate  16  has, at its distal end, an upwardly extending flange  20  with a horizontally oriented pocket  21  at its uppermost extent. In the example shown, the pocket  21  is positioned entirely inward away from the wall  11 , but the pocket  21  may be made to be closer to the wall  11  so long as there remains an inward facing bend  23  over which the cover plate  14  can be placed. 
     The pocket  21  is formed by bending the upward extending flange  20  such that a lower first section extends away from the junction of the shorter and longer portions  19   a ,  19   b , respectively, of the base plate at the 90° bend  19   c . The flange is then folded back over itself to form equal length portions with the inward edge of the overfolded section forming an edge within the pocket  21 . The overfolded edge extends partway back into the fold as both a reinforcement against the expansion of the pocket  21  and to serve as a block against the easy removal of the spring clip  12  once inserted into the pocket  21 . The pocket  21  is finally formed by folding the reinforced edge downward over the lower section with the pocket opening facing toward the base plate junction  19   c . In this manner the pocket  21  is formed by folding the inward facing edge of the base plate  16  and creating an upward spacing by means of flange  20  away from the shorter portion  19   a  of the base plate and the membrane  13  of the roofing system to create a separation for the spring clip  12  of the present edge fascia system and to accommodate a location for the attachment of cover plate  14 . 
     The pocket  21  is dimensioned to receive the spring clip  12  that is specially bent or folded at desired spacings, to be described more fully below, so as to fit within the pocket and extend outward and upward to contact the inner side of the fascia cover plate  14  at the approximate 90° fold point at the juncture of the horizontal and vertical legs of the cover plate  14  supporting it in general parallelity to the base plate  16  in both horizontal and vertical dimensional directions. In this way the properly positioned and located spring clip  12 , with one end mounted within the pocket  21 , retains the cover plate  14  in position away from the base plate  16  as described more fully below. 
     At the distal end of the longer portion  19   b  of the base plate  16  an outwardly angled edge  23  is formed for attaching the lower end  24  of the cover plate  14 . The cover plate  14  is dimensioned slightly larger than the base plate  16  with a 90° bend between its shorter and longer portions approximating the same lengths from the bend in the base plate  16  for each of the portions of the cover plate  14 . The cover plate is held in position by bent edges  24 ,  26  that overlie the lower outwardly angled edge  23  of the base plate  16  and the rearward facing bend  25  of the pocket  21  at the distal edge of the shorter portion  19   a  of the base plate  16 , respectively. The bent edge  26  of the cover plate  14  has sufficient length to extend completely over the bend  25  and extend farther downward toward the roof membrane  13  within the space afforded outside the flange  20 . 
     Within the open space that is created the cover plate  14  and the base plate  16 , and in order to maintain tension between the cover and base plates  14 ,  16  when mounted by exerting a force upward and outward from the 90° bend in the base plate  19   c  to retain the cover plate  14  in an extended support relationship, a plurality of spring clips  12  are placed at predetermined locations along the extent of the fascia cover and base plates  14 ,  16 . The spring clip  12  is formed in a relaxed S-shape with an elongated first end  30  extending and pushing into the formed pocket  21  in the space remaining in the pocket depth beyond the reinforcing overfold of the end edge. The elongated first end  30  of the spring clip  12  has a series of partial punched outward extensions  28  such that as the end of the spring clip  12  is inserted into the pocket  21  located at the distal end of the shorter portion  19   a  of the base plate  16  the spring clip  12  is retained in position within the pocket  21  by the punched extensions  28  engaging the overfolded edge  29  of the pocket  21 . The engaging of the punched extensions  28  with the overfolded edge  29  locks the spring clip  12  in position so that it will extend forward, upward and outward to provide support for the interior of the corner bend of the cover plate  14 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , the spring clip  12 , at its first bend  31 , leaves the pocket  21  and extends downward toward the base plate  16 , contacting the base plate  16  approximately midway along the shorter portion  19   a . A second bend  33 , acting as a fulcrum point, extends the spring clip  12  upward toward the interior of the cover plate  14 , but short of the inner side of the cover plate  14  a third or reinforcing bend  35  extends the spring clip  12  outward toward the interior of the corner bend of the cover plate  14 . A fourth bend  37  in the spring clip  12  contacts the interior of the cover plate  14  at approximately a point equidistant from the 90° corner bend of the cover plate  14  as the distal end  39  of the spring clip  12  on the other side of the 90° corner bend. The spread of the two contact points  37 ,  39  of the spring clip  12  adds strength to the system by providing a greater space between the contact points of both the cover plate  14  and of the spring clip  12 . The fulcrum point bend  33  of the spring clip  12  contacting and pushing against the upward facing side of the base plate  16  provides a more stable support for the spring clip  12  providing the force required for retaining the cover plate  14  and fascia corner  14   c  in a fully extended position while remaining unmovingly anchored in the pocket  21 . 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , at the distal end of the longer portion  19   b  of the base plate  16  is an outwardly angled edge  23  is located for attaching an inwardly angled end  24  of the cover plate  14 , which end of the cover plate  14  is angled similarly to, so as to mate with the outward angle of the distal edge  23  of the base plate  16 . The other end  26  of the cover plate  14  is also angled inwardly to overlie the inward extending exterior surface  25  of the pocket  21  at the upper end of the flange  20  along the distal edge of the shorter portion  19   a  of the base plate  16 . The cover plate  14  is mounted over the base plate  16  and spring clip  12  by engaging the lower portion bent edge  24  of the cover plate  14  over the outwardly angled edge  23  of the lower portion  19   b  of the base plate  16  and then compressing the spring clip  12  rearward toward the pocket  21  of the base plate  16  so that the second angled edge  26  of the cover plate  14  fits over and catches the rearward edge  25  of the exterior of the pocket  21  at the height of the flange  20  at the distal end of the shorter portion  19   a  of the base plate  16 . 
     The cover plate  14  is dimensioned slightly larger than the base plate  16  with a 90° bend between its shorter and longer portions  19   a ,  19   b  approximating the same lengths from the bend in the base plate  16  for each of the portions of the cover plate  14 . Within the space  18  created between the cover plate  14  and the base plate  16  the spring clip  12  extends as described above from the pocket  21  toward the fascia corner  14   c  of the cover plate  14  exerting a force upward and outward from its fulcrum point  33  along the base plate  16  to retain the cover plate  14  in an extended tensioned spatial relationship. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show a plurality of spring clips  12 , arrayed in side-by-side relationship, for use with the present invention. The rearward portions  30  of the spring clips  12  have a series of partially punched outwardly extending protrusions  28  such that as the end  30  of the spring clip  12  is inserted into the pocket  21  of the base plate  16 , the spring clip  12  is retained in position by the protrusions  28  extending upward beyond the edge  29  of the reinforcing fold of the pocket  21  so that the spring clips  12  cannot be easily withdrawn from the pocket  21 . Retained in this manner, the spring clip  12  will extend forward, upward and outward to provide support for the interior of the 90° bend at the outer corner  14   c  of the cover plate  14 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4  there is shown the fascia assembly  10  at the roofline showing the approximate spacings of the plurality of spring clips  12  (in dashed lines) arrayed along a series of overlapping fascia cover plates  14 . The spring clips are positioned at the joints and at internal spacing to support the cover plates  14  at points where the outer integrity of the cover plates  14  in rejecting the penetration of moisture is critical, or to provide uniform support across the entire length of the cover plate  14 . In this manner both joints between fascia cover plates and the midpoints of the cover plates  14  are fully supported with the outward force of the spring clips  12  creating the outward tension force to retain the cover plates  14  in proper alignment for the edge fascia roofing system  10  to function as intended. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as being illustrative and not restrictive, with the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing detailed description, as indicating the scope of the invention as well as all modifications which may fall within a range of equivalency which are also intended to be embraced therein.