Patent ID: 7921605

Claim:
A roof structure comprising: (a) a roof base of predetermined slope, adapted to receive shingles thereon, fastened thereto; (b) a plurality of synthetic shingles of thermoplastic materials having upper and lower surfaces, with their lower surfaces fastened to the roof base in a plurality of shingle courses, with shingles in each course being laid side-by-side, with the shingles each having butt portions and tab portions and having their butt portions fastened to the roof base by fasteners, with shingles in underlying courses having exposed tab portions, with shingles in next-overlying courses having their tab portions substantially covering butt portions of shingles in next-underlying courses, and wherein each shingle has upper, lower, right and left edges; (c) each shingle being substantially rigid while being sufficiently resiliently flexible within its elastic limit whereby tab portions of shingles may be flexibly bent upwardly an amount within their elastic limit to permit insertion of snow guards under tab portions of shingles; (d) snow guards inserted under tab portions of shingles; (e) said snow guards each having: (i) a snow-engaging platform portion normally protruding outwardly beyond the shingled roof in the installed condition on a roof, below a lower edge of a shingle in a given over-lying course; (ii) a hook engaged behind an upper edge of at least one shingle in a next-underlying course to the course of (i) above; (iii) a base connecting the snow-engaging portion and hook, disposed beneath the shingle in the given overlying course of (i) above and above the at least one shingle in the next-underlying course of (ii) above (f) wherein the resilient flexibility of each shingle comprises means within the elastic limit of the shingle sufficient to permit the lower edge of the shingle to be bent upwardly an amount to permit insertion of the outwardly protruding platform portion of the snow guard beneath the tab portion of the shingle; and (g) wherein the bases of the snow guards extend between right and left edges of portions of adjacent shingles, comprising means whereby said adjacent shingles inhibit lateral movement of installed snow guards.