Abstract:
A repair swatch (such as a patch) is provided that is preferably covered with appropriate granules on one face, with an opposite (back) face having an adhesive that allows the material to be placed over and adhere to small damaged areas of shingles and/or other types of roofing. The size, shape and color of the patch are such that it closely matches that of the existing shingle. Further, the size and shape of the patch are similar to shapes on laminated shingle products rendering the repair essentially invisible on such products.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/362,297, filed Feb. 24, 2006 and entitled “Repair Swatch for Hail Damaged Asphalt Roofing,” hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to the repair of damaged roofing, particularly roofing referred to as steep slope, and more specifically, to a repair swatch for the protection of part of a roofing that has been damaged, such as by extreme weather, hailstorms, foot traffic equipment installation or removal, or the like. 
         [0004]    2. Prior Art 
         [0005]    Asphalt-based roofing materials, such as roofing shingles, roll roofing and commercial roofing, are installed on the roofs of buildings to provide protection from the elements. Typically, the roofing material is constructed of a substrate such as a glass fiber mat or an organic felt, an asphalt coating on the substrate, and a surface layer of granules embedded in the asphalt coating. 
         [0006]    The typical roofing material construction is suitable under most circumstances. However, sometimes a roofing material is subjected to environmental conditions that may damage the roofing material. For example, storms are responsible for billions of dollars in damage to roofing materials every year. During storms, hailstones may impact the roofing material, which may cause tears or punctures in the roofing material. The hailstone impacts may also cause an immediate loss of some granules from the impacted areas of the roofing material and a further loss of granules from those areas over time. The loss of granules creates an unattractive appearance and leaves the asphalt coating in those areas unprotected from the degrading effects of the elements. Even in cases where there are no obvious fabric ruptures the roof may be compromised since the exposed asphalt may prematurely age compromising the roof and/or adversely affecting the esthetics. Similarly foot traffic in hot weather can “scuff” the roof surface affecting the esthetics and ultimate durability of the roof. The installation of equipment or its removal can put holes in the roof with the potential to leak. 
         [0007]    Losses sustained to building roofs caused by climatic conditions such as hail storms has focused development of roofing materials having increased impact resistance, and having an improved ability to withstand the destructive forces of storms. This need in the art is particularly acute in those geographic areas which are subject to these climatic conditions. Specifically, such areas as the Plain and Rocky Mountain states are particularly subject to roofing damage caused by hailstorms and the like. Indeed, the insurance laws of the state of Texas provide cash rebates to homeowners insurance policies wherein the insured property&#39;s roof employs Class  4  roof covering materials. 
         [0008]    Further, roofing material that is storm proof has been developed in response to damages sustained by rooftops in geographic areas such as those described above. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0110679 provides for a storm proof roofing material where a protective coating is applied to the upper surface of the asphalt coating. 
         [0009]    It is known to apply a surface coating onto a roof after the roofing shingles have been installed to protect the shingles from granule loss and other damage. Unfortunately, surface coatings require additional labor to apply after the roofing shingles have been installed, they are relatively expensive, and they may create safety problems by producing a slick roof. It is also known to manufacture roofing materials with polymer-modified asphalt to provide some improvement in impact resistance. Unfortunately, roofing materials made with polymer-modified asphalt are more difficult to manufacture, handle, store and install, and they are more expensive, than roofing materials made with conventional roofing asphalt. Also, the rubber-modified asphalt shingles are not completely effective in resisting impacts. 
         [0010]    Also, when damage is sustained by the roofing, whether the impact resisting and storm proofing materials are used or not, the entire roofing of the structure may need to be replaced. This is a very expensive project for the owner, and can also take a long period of time for the complete replacement of the roof. 
         [0011]    The above remarks establish the need in the art for a cheap and easy to install type of replacement for roofing material that has been damaged by hail storms or other conditions, and that does not require replacement of the entire roofing when the roofing has been partly damaged. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention provides a repair patch that protects and covers damaged areas of shingles or other roofing materials. Accordingly, a repair swatch for a damaged area of a roofing material is provided, the repair swatch comprising a front face having granules, and a back face having an adhesive to secure the repair swatch onto the roofing material. Further, the granules on the front face match granules on the roofing material. The roofing material can comprise a shingle. The adhesive is selected from a group consisting of a rubber polymer-modified asphalt, an acrylic, a polyurethane, a silicone and a rubber polymer. The repair swatch can be of a size that covers the damaged area of the roofing material. The shape of the repair swatch can be selected from a group consisting of square, rectangular, circular and dragon tooth. 
         [0013]    Further, a method of repairing a damaged area of a roofing material is provided, the method comprising covering the damaged area of the roofing material with a repair swatch having a front side with granules, and securing a back side of the repair swatch to the roofing material. 
         [0014]    The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus and methods of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a section of roof laid with shingles, with one or more shingles being damaged; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates a repair swatch in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  shows an application of the repair swatch of  FIG. 2  to a section of roof laid with one or more damaged shingles as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    Although this invention is applicable to numerous and various types of roofing materials, it has been found particularly useful in the environment of roofing shingles. Therefore, without limiting the applicability of the invention to the above, the invention will be described in such environment. 
         [0020]    With reference now to the drawings, the present invention will be described. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a roof is generally laid out with many shingles in a formation such as shown in the figure. Each roofing shingle  10  generally includes a rectangular sheet  11  of asphalt-impregnated substrates, including webs, scrims, and felts of fibrous material, such as mineral fibers, cellulosic fibers, rag fibers, synthetic fibers and mixtures thereof. The asphalt coating employed in the production of roofing shingles encompass any type of bituminous material suitable for use as a roofing material. Thus, asphalts, tars, pitches and mixtures thereof are all encompassed within the meaning of the term “asphalt coating.” The asphalt can be either a manufactured asphalt, produced by refining petroleum, or a naturally occurring asphalt. The asphalt coating can include various additives and/or modifiers, such as inorganic fillers, mineral stabilizers, organic materials including polymers, recycled streams or ground tire rubber. 
         [0021]    Each rectangular sheet  11  has a headlap portion  12 , and a butt portion  13  which is divided into spaced apart tabs  14 . An elongated strip  16  is secured to the sheet  11  at a position underlying the tabs  14 . Preferably, a lower marginal edge  17  of the headlap portion  12  slightly overlaps an upper marginal edge  18  of the strip  16  and is secured thereto by asphaltic adhesive or other suitable means to ensure a watertight seal between the sheet  11  and strip  16 . Each tab  14  is further secured to the strip  16  by adhesive or other suitable means. 
         [0022]    The asphalt coating may include fillers, in the form of inorganic particulates or mineral stabilizers. Granules  15  are deposited in and over the top or exposed asphalt coating, such that granules  15  are deposited on the sheet  11  and the strip  16 . During hail storms, it is these granules  15  that are damaged and are separated from the shingles  10 . Damaged areas  20  of the shingles  10  therefore lack the protection provided by the granules  15 , and the asphalt portion  30  of the shingle  10  is exposed. For purposes of description of the present invention, two damaged areas  20  are shown on the shingles laid out on the rooftop, with the exposed asphalt portions  30  showing. Obviously, more or less areas of the rooftop can be damaged. 
         [0023]    The present invention provides a repair swatch  100 , as shown in  FIGS. 2(   a ) and  2 ( b ).  FIG. 2(   a ) shows a repair swatch having a square shape, and  FIG. 2(   b ) shows a repair swatch having a “dragon tooth” shape. Many different shapes are contemplated by the present invention, including but not limited to rectangular, circular, trapezoidal, etc., and are not limited by the shapes as shown in the figures. The size of the repair swatch can be of any size, and is preferably manufactured in many different sizes. Thus, a consumer can purchase the appropriate size depending on the size of the damaged area  20 . 
         [0024]    Each repair swatch has a front face  101  and a back face  102 . The front face  1010   f  the repair swatch has granules  15  that match the granules  15  of the shingles  10 . The back face  102  of the repair swatch contains an adhesive that allows the patch  100  to be secured onto the shingle  10 , and specifically, the damaged area  20  of the shingle  10 . Any type of adhesive that can secure the repair swatch onto the roofing material, or shingle, can be used, such as but not limited to a rubber polymer-modified asphalt, an acrylic, a polyurethane, a silicone or a rubber polymer. Different types and colors of granules  15  can be used, and the consumer can purchase the specific repair swatch  100  that matches the colors of the granules on the shingles or roofing of his/her particular roof. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  shows the application of the repair swatch of  FIG. 2  on the damaged areas  20  of the shingles  10  of  FIG. 1 . For purposes of the figure, a “dragon tooth” shape repair swatch  100  is placed on the damaged area of shingle  10   a,  and a square shape repair swatch  100  is placed on the damaged area of shingle  10   b.  The backside  102  of the repair swatch has the adhesive which is used to secure the repair swatch  100  onto the shingles  10   a,    10   b.  The front face  101  has granules  15  that match the size and shape of the granules  15  of the shingles  10   a,    10   b.  From a distance, the border of the repair swatch  100  cannot be seen as the granules  15  on the shingle  10  and repair swatch  100  match, so that it appears that the shingles  10   a  and  10   b  were never damaged. 
         [0026]    The present invention provides several advantages that solve the problems with prior art methods. The repair swatch  100  provides the same protection as a brand new shingle would, making it a cheaper alternative to replacing shingles and/or the entire roofing. The granules on the front face of the repair swatch match the granules on the shingle, so that it is nearly impossible to tell that a repair swatch was placed on the shingle or that the shingle was ever damaged. The repair swatches come in various sizes and shapes, so that appropriate ones can be used or trimmed to size depending on the size and shape of the damaged area on the shingle or roofing material. Further, different colors and sizes of granules can be used on different sizes and shapes of repair swatches, so that the appropriate one can be used to match the damaged area of the particular shingle or roofing. 
         [0027]    The above description of the present invention is only the preferred embodiment of the invention. Embodiments may include any currently or hereafter-known versions of the elements described herein. Different types, sizes, colors of granules can be used. Different sizes and shapes of repair swatches can be used, and any known adhesive can be used to secure the repair swatch securely to the shingle or roofing material. Although the invention was described in regard to damaged shingles, it is understood that the invention can be used on any type of applicable roofing material in accordance with the same principles described herein, and is not limited to shingles. 
         [0028]    While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.