Patent Publication Number: US-3874138-A

Title: Roofing system

Description:
United States Patent r1 1 in] 3, Storch Apr. 1, 1975 ROOFING SYSTEM Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. [76] Inventor: Harold Storch 31819 Mayfair Attorney, Agent, or FzrmHarness, Dickey &amp; Pierce Ln., Birmingham, Mich. 48009 [22] Filed: Aug. 22, 1973 ST ACT [21 A 1 N 390,392 A roofing system particularly adapted for roofs having eaves. gables, valleys, peaks and/or ridges. The system Related Appllcatlon Data comprises identical roofing tiles with novel means for Division Of 182.361, P 1971, sealing and fastening both the longitudinal and lateral 3383579 edges of adjacent tiles. The system further comprises special gable end sections and valley, ridge and hip [52] US. Cl 52/199, 52/219, 98/66 R peak Sections which intflfit with the aforementioned [51] Int. Cl E04f 17/02, E04d 13/14 tiles to assure proper Sealing at hip peaks valleys and Field of Search 52/198- 219; ridges. The roofing system includes filler pieces fabri- 285/42 43; 98/42 66 R cated from the tiles which permit the length of a roof portion to be independent of the tile size. Also in- [56] References cued cluded are various eave edge strips which interfit with UNITED STATES PATENTS the tiles and may incorporate drip caps, facia boards 506930 l0/l893 Nies ct al 285/43 and gutters- Further Shown is a vent Stack formed inte- 572,76l 12/1896 Lamprecht ct al. 52/219 grally with the tile to eliminate leakage potential and 1.683.548 9/1928 Hughey 285/43 having a flexible connection to a conduit from a gase- 1916383 l2/l959 Kinkead 4 52/219 X us source R24.637 4/1959 Wulle 52/199 X 2 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures PATEHTIQAFR 1:575 q 874 8 saw s g? 1 v ROOFING SYSTEM This is a division of application Ser. No. 182,361, filed Sept. 21, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,783,570.  
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to roofing structures, and more particularly to roofs having gables, hip peaks, valleys and ridges and fabricated of interlocking slabs of molded resinous plastic material such as skinned urethane foam.  
 2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art is exemplified by the following United States patents:  
 1,993,086 S. W. Chaffee 2,160,642 0, V. Bumpas et a1 2,685,852 K. Godel 2,811,118 F. M. Ball 3,114,218 E, V. A. E. Macquere 179,955 T. Reynolds 403,837 .1. E. Gusten et al 530,119 H. Niederlaender 618,197 W. Borgolte 1,454,070 F. Openshaw 1,473,275 N, J. Burgett BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an overall roofing system using interfitting sections of molded resinous plastic material which overcomes the deficiencies of previous constructions and in particular prevents leakage along both the longitudinal and lateral tile edges as well as in the vicinity of valleys, hip peaks, ridges, gables, eaves and vent stacks. To this end, the invention comprises a basic molded tapered roof tile of novel configuration together with means for interlocking and sealing the adjacent tiles at their longitudinal and lateral edges. This means includes an upwardly extending lip at the rearward end of each tile so that fasteners may secure the forward end of the adjacent tile thereto, the material of the tiles gripping the fasteners in a watertight manner. Filler pieces may be used to interfit with adjacent tiles so that the length of a gable or other roof portion need not be an exact multiple of the tile length. These filler pieces are fabricated from the basic tile simply by cutting the side edges to fit. Left hand and right hand end tiles are provided for the roof edges. lnterfitting eave sections are also provided, including left hand, right hand, and intermediate configurations.  
  Also included in the roofing system are novel valley and hip peak sections which interfit with the basic tiles. The seal configuration is such that any leakage in the vicinity of valleys and hip peaks will be prevented. A vent stack tile is also provided, incorporating an integrally molded tube projecting below the roof line and connected by a flexible conduit to a gaseous fluid source. This will prevent leakage due to roof distortions when subjected to varying wind and temperature conditions. Various modifications of eave edge strips incorporating drip caps, facia boards and/or gutters are provided. Also illustrated are alternate constructions for valleys and ridges.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a house showing the roofing system of this invention applied to a gabled roof construction;  
 FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the roof showing the arrangement of tiles;  
  FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 and showing the manner in which the upper and lower edges of adjacent tiles interlock, as well as the ridge construction;  
  FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and showing the manner in which adjacent tiles are united to each other and secured to the roof sheathing as well as the eave sections;  
  FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of an intermediate roof tile;  
  FIG. 6 is a front elevational view thereof taken in the direction of the arrow 6 of FIG. 5;  
  FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 2 and showing the juncture of the side edges of two adjacent tiles;  
  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a filler piece joining an intermediate tile with a row terminating tile such as an end, valley or hip peak tile;  
  FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a tile used for the left hand end of a roof;  
  FIG. 10 is a front elevational view thereof taken in the direction of the arrow 10 of FIG. 9;  
  FIG. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view of an intermediate eave section;  
  FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the cave section taken in the direction of arrow 12 of FIG. 11;  
  FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the manner in which a tile interfits with an eave section;  
  FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of an eave section used for the left end of the roof;  
  FIG. 15 is a top plan view thereof taken in the direction of the arrow 15 of FIG. 14;  
 FIG. 16 is a top plan view of a valley tile;  
  FIG. 17 is a side elevational view thereof taken in the direction of the arrow 17 of FIG. 16;  
 FIG. 18 is a top plan view of a hip peak tile;  
  FIG. 19 is a side elevational view thereof taken in the direction of the arrow 19 of FIG. 18;  
  FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a ridge cap construction;  
 FIG. 21 is a side elevational view of an end ridge cap;  
  FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional-view in elevation of a roof tile having an integrally formed stack for connection to a source of gaseous fluid;  
  FIG. 23 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a modified eave section incorporating a drip cap and facia board;  
  FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of an eave section in which the edge strip incorporates a drip cap and a turnunder;  
  FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of another modified eave edge strip incorporating a drip cap, facia board and gutter;  
  FIG. 26 is still another modification of the cave edge section in which retention and sealing of the adjacent tile is accomplished by tipping the tile into place;  
  FIG. 27 is an elevational view of an alternate construction of a trough or valley in which strip material is applied with an adhesive;  
  FIG. 28 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a modified form of a tile interlock in which a rear nailing flange is incorporated along the upper tile edge; and  
  FIG. 29 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation of an alternate ridge cap construction for the roofing system.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The roofing system of this invention is adapted for use on sloping roofs, and particularly on gabled roofs such as that generally indicated at 11 in FIG. 1, having ridges 12 and 13, hip peaks l4 and 15, and valleys 16. The roof has beams such as that indicated at 17 in FIG. 3 and sheathing 18.  
  The roofing system contemplates the use of several different basic sections some of which are illustrated generally in FIG. 2. These sections are fabricated of a molded resinous plastic material such as skinned urethane foam which is strong, lightweight, attractive in appearance, and tends to cling to and surround the ends of driven fasteners such as nails. Among the sections comprising the invention are three types of roof tiles, an intermediate tile 19, a left hand end tile 21, and a right hand end tile 22.  
  The construction of an intermediate tile 19 is seen in FIGS. and 6. The tile is of elongated rectangular shape, having a rear edge 23, a front edge 24, and two side edges 25 and 26. The upper or exposed surface 27 of tile 19 is substantially flat, and a series of feet 28, 29 and 31 extend downwardly from the central and side portions of the tile, being integrally connected by a foot 32 and a rib 33 at the front and central portions respectively (FIG. 5). The bottoms of the feet are tapered so as to be shorter at the rear than at the front, the forward end of surface 27 of the tile thereby being pitched outwardly with respect to sheathing 18 as shown in FIG. 3. The rearward portion of tile 19 has a transversely extending foot 34.  
  Forward portion 24 of tile 19 has a downwardly open groove 35 formed by foot 32 and by a shorter lip 36. Rearward portion 23 of the tile comprises an upwardly extending lip which will interfit with groove 35 of the adjacent tile. Preferably, the groove and lip are tapered so as to provide a wedge fit. A second and shorter lip 37 is spaced forwardly from lip 23 so that the groove 38 between these two lips will receive the end of lip 36 (FIG. 4). The interfitting tiles may be fastened to each other and to the sheathing by nails 39 which extend through lip 23 and penetrate sheathing 18, and headless nails 40 at right angles to nails 39 which extend through lips 36 and 23 and foot 32. It should be noted that these fasteners do not penetrate any water bearing surfaces. Moreover, the resinous plastic material of the tiles will cling to and tend to surround the ends of nails 39 and 40 in a leak-resistant manner. If desired, a mastic or other sealing compound 41 may be applied to the joint. A double seal will thus be provided which at all times controls the overlap between adjacent tiles.  
  Side edges 25 and 26 of tile 19 are also provided with grooves for interfitting with the adjacent tiles. More particularly, side edge 25 has a downwardly facing groove 42 (FIG. 7) formed by foot 28 and a spaced shorter lip 43. Similarly, edge 26 has an upwardly facing groove 44 formed by two lips 45 and 46. Feet 28 and 31 may have complementary tapers (FIG. 7) to create a better fit. Lip 46 will be received by groove 42 of the adjacent tile while lip 43 overlies groove 44 and rests on lip 45. A mastic or other sealing compound 47 may be provided at this joint.  
  Adjacent rows of roof tiles will be laid so that their joints are staggered, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each row will be started at one end of a gable or other roof portion and worked toward the other end or to a valley or hip peak, where a special tile (hereinafter referred to as a row terminating tile) will be placed. In cases where the gable length is not an exact multiple of an intermediate tile length, filler pieces such as that indicated at 48 in FIG. 8 may be provided. These pieces will be fabricated by cutting off the opposite side edges of an intermediate tile on the site to a length necessary to permit the filler piece to overlap the side edges of the adjacent intermediate tile 19 and a row terminating tile indicated at 49 in FIG. 8. The front and rear sealing edges of filler piece 48 will interlock adjacent tiles 19 in the usual manner.  
  Two examples of a row terminating tile are left and right hand end roof tiles 21 and 22. These differ from intermediate tile 19 in that one side edge will have a decorative facia ridge instead of being grooved, the other edge having an upwardly open groove 44 with lips 45 and 46.  
  A left hand end tile 21 is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. The left hand edge 49 of this tile is shown as having a decoratively scalloped facia edge, the other parts of the tile being the same as and having reference numerals corresponding to those of intermediate tiles 19. Right hand end tile 22, not illustrated in detail, will have its finished edge 50 (FIG. 2) on the opposite side.  
  The two other illustrated types of row terminating tiles are valley tiles 63 and hip peak tiles 81, described below.  
  FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a center section eave edge strip generally indicated at 51. The strip has a downwardly extending scalloped decorative portion 52 and an upwardly extending lip 53 which enters the groove 35 of the next adjacent intermediate tile 19 or end tile (FIG. 13). A shorter lip 54 is spaced from lip 53 forming a groove 55 within which lip 36 is inserted to form a double seal. A sealant 56 could be placed in the seal for additional effectiveness.  
  One end of strip 51 is provided with an upwardly facing recess 57 and the other with a downwardly facing recess 58. The intermediate eave edge sections will thus interfit to form a continuous eave edge.  
  Left hand and right hand eave edge sections are also provided in the roofing system, to be used at the roof ends. A left hand eave edge strip generally indicated at 59 is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. This strip is similar to the strip 51, but the left hand end 61 is finished instead of having a notch for connection with an adjacent strip.  
  In order to permit staggering of the tile joints as shown in FIG. 1, the left hand and right hand end tiles are made of two lengths, for example, a full length left hand tile indicated at 21 in FIG. 1 and a half length indicated at 62. Similarly, the left hand and right hand end eave edge strips could be made of full and half lengths or in other sizes to suit requirements.  
  FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate a valley tile generally indicated at 63, to be used in valleys such as 16 of FIG. 1. Section 63 comprises two flat sloping surfaces 64 and 65 which intersect at 66. Strengthening ribs 67 are provided below surfaces 64 and 65, the ribs being tapered as shown in FIG. 17 so that the slopes of surfaces 64 and 65 will match those of surfaces 27.  
  The forward edges of surfaces 64 and 65 are provided with downwardly facing grooves 68 similar to grooves 35 of tiles 19. The rearward edges have upwardly extending lips 69 similar to lips 23, and shorter lips 71 spaced from lips 69 to provide grooves 72 similar to grooves 38. Notches 73 and 74 are provided in lips 69 to provide clearance with respect to the adjacent valley tile. The side edges of surfaces 64 and 65 have upwardly facing grooves 75 formed by two lips 76 and 77 similar to groove 44 and lips 45 and 46 of tile 19. The two grooves 75 are at right angles to each other so that the outer edges of tile 63 will interfit with the tiles on adjacent gables. The complete valley will be formed by a plurality of sections 63 forming a continuous row with the inside corner 78 of one section being adjacent the outside corner 79 of the next section. The sealing functions of the forward, rearward and side edges of each valley tile with its adjacent tiles, as well as the methods of fastening these tiles to the adjacent tiles and the roof sheathing will be the same as described above with respect to the other row terminating tiles. Since surfaces 64 and 65 are integrally formed as a single section, no leakage will be permitted. Furthermore, surfaces 64 and 65 of tile 63 will blend in completely with the adjacent tiles and filler pieces 48 to give the effect of continuous lines of tiles which overlap.  
  FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate a hip peak tile generally indicated at 81 to be used in a location such as hip peak of FIG. 1. Tile 8] comprises two sloping surfaces 82 and 83 having strengthening ribs 84 molded on the underside thereof. Surfaces 82 and 83 intersect at 85, and the ribs are tapered as shown in FIG. 19 to support the sloping surfaces. The forward edges of surfaces 82 and 83 have downwardly extending feet 86 and lips 87 corresponding to foot 32 and lip 36 of tile 19. Rearward edges 88 of surfaces 82 and 83 extend upwardly and are shaped similarly to lip 23 of tile 19. A shorter lip 89 similar to lip 37 is also provided so that the space between these two lips will receive the end of the adjacent lip 87. The side edge of surface 82 has an upwardly facing groove 91 formed by two lips 92 and 93, similar to groove 44 and lips 45 and 46 of tile 19. The outer edge of surface 83 has similar lips 94 and 95. The inside corner 96 of each hip peak tile will receive the outside corner 97 of the next adjacent tile. It will therefore be seen that the sealing effects described above with respect to tiles 63 will be present for the forward, rearward and side edges of the hip peak tiles. It should also be noted that the forwardmost valley or hip peak tiles may interfit with the cave edge strips described above and are fastenable to each other and to the roof sheathing by the methods discussed with respect to tiles 19.  
  It should be observed that in the case of both valley tiles 63 and hip peak tiles 81, the longer edges (forward or rear) will interfit partially with the shorter edges of the next adjacent valley or hip peak tile respectively, and partially with tiles 19 and/or filler pieces 48. The uniform character of the sealing edges of the various tiles will make possible this staggered relationship.  
  FIG. 20 shows a ridge cap for a roof constructed according to the present invention. The ridge cap is generally indicated at 96 and has a pair of upwardly sloping surfaces 97 and 98, two outer legs 99 and 101, and a central leg 102, all extending downwardly from surfaces 97 and 98. Legs 99 and 101 are adapted to engage the upper surfaces 27 of adjacent tiles 19 on both slopes of the gable (FIG. 3). The rearward ends of these tiles may be cut off as necessary to create the proper fit. Central leg 102 will rest in caulking or sea]- ant material 103 which is applied between the two tiles 19 and above the roof sheathing. For the ends of a ridge, left hand and right hand sections similar to section 96 could be provided with appropriately finished ends. Such a ridge cap is shown in FIG. 21 and is generally indicated at 104. The left hand end 105 of this cap extends downwardly to overlap the end of the gable. Adjacent cap sections may be interfitted by a reduced end 106 at one end of each cap section which will be received by the adjacent end of the next cap section. To complete a ridge, a filler section (not shown) is formed by appropriately removing material from a fullsized ridge cap.  
  FIG. 22 illustrates a vent stack panel generally indicated at 107. This panel is constructed similarly to the panel 19 except that it has a tubular vent portion 108 integrally formed therewith and creating a vertical passage with a lower extension 109 extending below the roof line. This extension may be connected to a gaseous fluid source 111 such as the flue of a gas water heater, dryer or furnace, or to a plumbing vent stack, by a flexible connection 112. This connection, which may be fabricated for example of a resilient and properly heatresistant material, is slipped over a reduced portion of extension 98 and held in place by a band clamp 113. It will be observed that section 107 will have the same sealing functions as described above with respect to adjacent tiles and will also eliminate the problem of leakage between the stack and roof, since stack 108 is integrally formed with the tile itself and can move with the roof because of flexible connection 112. Roof movement, as is well known, could be caused by varying temperature and wind conditions.  
  FIG. 23 shows a modified form of the invention in which the tile 114 has a single downwardly extending forward lip 115, and an eave edge strip generally indicated at 116 is provided incorporating a horizontal portion 117, a drip cap 118 and a facia board partially shown at 119. Strip 116 has an upwardly extending lip 121 and a shorter lip 122 spaced therefrom to form a groove 123. Downwardly extending lip of tile 114 extends into groove 123, with lip 121 extending upwardly behind lip 115 and engaging the underside of the tile surface. A rearward extension 124 is also provided on strip 116, this extension resting on sheathing 125 of the roof. This will enable the strip to be secured to the roof by fasteners such as nails 126 passing through extension 124 and into the sheathing. Tile 114 is secured to strip 1 16 by nails 127 which pass through tile 114 and enter lip 121.  
  FIG. 24 shows an eave edge strip 128 incorporating a drip cap 129 and a turnunder 131. The face 132 of strip 128 may have decorative ribbing or another design molded into its surface. As in the embodiment of FIG. 23, drip cap 129 extends forwardly a short distance, with turnunder 131 extending rearwardly and upwardly beneath wood sheathing 133. Strip 134 in this embodiment is constructed similarly to tile 114, having a downwardly extending lip 135. Section 128 has an upwardly extending lip 136 and a spaced shorter lip 137, lip 135 extending into the space therebetween. As in the previous embodiment, strip 128 is provided with a rearwardly extending portion 138 into which fasteners 139 may be driven to secure the strip to sheathing 133. Nails 141 may be used to secure tile 134 to lip 136 of strip 128.  
  FIG. illustrates an eave edge strip generally indicated at 142 incorporating a drip cap 143, a facia board 144 and a gutter 145 into a single component. The strip in this case is of channel-shaped construction to form the gutter, tie bars 146 of upwardly tapered crosssectional shape being formed at intervals to reinforce the gutter walls. As in the last two embodiments, the strip has an upwardly extending lip 147 and a rearward extension 148 for fasteners 149. Headless nails 151 may be driven through lip 152 of tile 153 and into lip 147.  
  FIG. 26 shows another method of retaining and sealing the lower end of a tile. The tile in this instance is indicated at 154 and is connected at its forward end to a strip 155 having a drip cap 156. Strip 155 also has an upwardly extending lip 157 having a thinner lower sec tion 158 which gives it a certain amount of flexibility. A shorter lip 159 is spaced outwardly from lip 158.  
  Tile 154 has a downwardly extending lip 161 behind which is an arcuate recess 162. Lip 161 has a hooked bend 163. To install tile 154, it will initially be held vertically and hook 163 inserted between lips 157 and 159. The tile will then be tilted backwards (clockwise in FIG. 26) so that hook 163 will become engaged with the undercut portion of lip 159 and lip 157 will be engaged by lip 161. With tile 154 fastened down in the position shown in FIG. 26, a tight double seal will be effected. It will be observed that strip 155 has a rearward extension 164 for fasteners 165 securing it to roof sheathing 166.  
  FIG. 27 illustrates an alternate valley construction using an appropriate valley strip material 167 supplied in rolls and secured to the roof 168 with an adhesive 169 which may be spray applied. Strip 167 has upturned outer edges 171, and the lower edges of tiles 172 which engage strip 167 have undercut grooves 173 within which edges 171 are disposed. Grooves 173 are machined at the same time that the ends of tiles 172 are angle cut to fit the valley.  
  FIG. 28 shows a modified form of interlock between the upper and lower edges of adjacent tiles, these tiles being indicated at 174. The forward edge of each tile has a downwardly extending lip 175 and the rearward edge an upwardly extending lip 176 and a shorter lip 177 to form a groove 178 within which the lower edge of lip 175 is disposed. The rearward edge of each tile also has an extension 179 which will be flush with wood sheathing 181 so that fasteners such as nails 182 may be used to secure the rearward edge of each tile to the roof.  
  FIG. 29 illustrates an alternate ridge cap construction which is capable of accommodating various roof pitches. The cap is generally indicated at 183 and comprises three interfitting strips 184, and 186. Strips 184 and 185 engage the surfaces of the adjacent&#39;tiles 187 so that fasteners 188 may secure them to the tiles. They curve upwardly and interfit with the similarly curved ends of part 186 the three strips thus forming the cap. A mastic 189 or other caulking material may be used between the adjacent tiles 187 and parts 184 and 185. An outer reinforcement 191 and an inner reinforcement 192 are provided to cover and seal the joints of adjacent cap sections 183. These reinforcements may be snapped into place as shown to cover the joints.  
  As shown by the dot-dashed lines, the flexibility of strips 184 and 185 will permit cap 183 to accommodate itself to roofs with a wide variety of pitches.  
 I claim:  
  1. In combination, a fixed stack leading from a gaseous fluid source toward a roof and terminating below the roof, a planar roofing element having a tube integrally formed therewith and passing through and below the roof, and a flexible conduit secured to and interconnecting the lower end of said tube and the upper end of said stack, whereby movement of said tube with respect to said stack caused by roof movement will be permitted without creating leaks in said roof.  
  2. In a building roofing system, a roofing tile having a main planar portion supported on and generally parallel to a subjacent roof surface, said planar portion being provided with lip means at one edge thereof fixedly interfltted with a mating portion of an adjacent tile of the system, said tile also having an integral tubular portion extending vertically through said planar portion and projecting both above and below said planar portion and a flexible connection between the lower end of said tubular portion and a fixed vertically extending fluid conduit of the building having its upper end located below said planar portion.