Patent ID: 8281520

Claim:
A roof having hip, ridge or rake shingles applied to hips, ridges or rakes thereof, partially overlying generally planar underlying shingles on a roof, where the underlying shingles have a selected blend of color granules on exterior surfaces thereof, wherein the hip, ridge or rake shingles are comprised of: (a) an outer layer of shingle material having top and bottom surfaces and comprising two panel portions connected together to form a fold line therebetween; (b) each panel portion of the outer layer having an associated stack comprising a plurality of panels of shingle material disposed thereon at an end of said shingle and being in stacked relation, with the plurality of panels being laminated together with their associated said panel portion; with said stacks being spaced apart from each other across the fold line in the outer layer of shingle material, with each panel portion of the outer layer being foldable along the fold line to accommodate different angles of different sloped surfaces to which the shingle is to be applied; (c) with each panel portion having a tab fold comprised of a tab folded around the stacked plurality of panels at said end of said shingle; (d) with each said tab being folded approximately 180° relative to its panel portion, defining a tab fold and sandwiching said plurality of panels between said tab and panel portion and covering edges of each panel in said plurality of panels; (e) wherein each stack of panels is comprised of panels of different lengths measured from the end of the shingle having the tab folds, whereby the shingle on each side of the fold line that connects the panel portions is of reducing, stepped thickness as measured from the tab folds toward the opposite end of the shingle; and (f) with the outer layer of shingle material and each stack being comprised of a base mat with asphalt on each side of the base mat and with a layer of granules on one side of the base mat and a layer of smaller particles on the other side of the base mat; (g) with each top surface of said outer layer of shingle material of the hip, ridge or rake shingles having a layer of granules on its top surface; (h) with the granules comprising a blend of color granules that is substantially the same as the selected blend of color granules on the exterior surface of the planar underlying shingles; and (i) wherein the planar underlying shingles have a color blend variation from one planar underlying shingle to another planar underlying shingle, and wherein the hip, ridge or rake shingles have a color blend variation that is consistent with the color blend variation of the planar underlying shingles.