Patent ID: 7735287

Claim:
A roofing system, comprising: a plurality of roofing panels each having a bottom surface and a top surface, opposite upper and lower peripheral edges and opposite lateral peripheral edges, the top surface having the appearance of a plurality of individual shingles, and wherein each roofing panel comprises a plurality of hooks disposed on the bottom surface proximate at least the lower edge and at least one of the lateral edges, the hooks opening outwardly away from the roofing panel to thereby permit the peripheral edges of roofing panels disposed horizontally and vertically adjacent each other to be slidingly received therein; wherein each roofing panel further comprises a plurality of tabs disposed proximate at least the upper edge and at least one of the lateral edges, wherein the tabs of each roofing panel are slidingly receivable within the hooks of vertically and horizontally adjacent roofing panels to thereby permit sliding engagement between roofing panels disposed horizontally and vertically adjacent to each other; wherein further at least the upper edge of each roofing panel comprises a plurality of laterally extending slots for receiving fastening elements therethrough, the slots being defined along vertically recessed portions of the upper edge intermediate the plurality of tabs, and wherein the vertically recessed portions are positioned for abutting contact with a support surface, and said plurality of tabs are vertically raised relative to said recessed portions so as to avoid abutting contact with a support surface; and wherein further each vertically raised tab is slidingly receivable within the hook of a vertically adjacent roofing panel so that the hook is substantially disposed between the vertically recessed portions defined intermediate the vertically raised tabs.