Roof shield
The present invention presents a solution to prevent damage caused by ice dams in the form of a roof shield that includes a plurality of panels in which each panel is secured to at least one other adjacent panel. At the sides of the roof, a single panel on each side is secured to a vertical side surface of the underlying structure. At the front of the roof, each of the panels, or some of the panels are secured to a vertical front surface of the underlying structure. The adjacent panels can be overlapped or contiguous at their ends. To cover the entire span of the roof some adjustment or cutting of a panel may be necessary. This adjustment is accomplished either by altering the overlap amount on adjacent panels, or by custom fitting an end panel to the underlying structure. It is desirable that each of the individual panels overhang the bottom edge of the roof and in the event that the structure includes attached gutters to surpass any gutters and also to provide some flexing that facilitates snow and ice build up drop off. The installation of the roof shield also provides for ease of disassembly at the end of season thereby preserving the integrity and appearance of the structure.
The present invention relates generally to structural roofs and, more particularly, to an apparatus that prevents damage caused by snow and ice buildup on a structural roof.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONEvery year, snow and ice buildup on structural roofs causes damage due to snow melting and having no where to go because of ice dams formed at the bottom portion of a sloped roof. The melted snow then runs up under the roof shingles and in a continuous cycle freeze which causes progressive leakage and damage to the roof and to ceilings and walls in the structure.
Snow pans are known in the art and are nailed to the bottom portion of the roof prior to installation of the shingles. The snow pans are designed to form a shield up from the bottom edge of the roof so that backed up melted snow does not contact the shingles and instead freezes back to ice. On a warm day, the ice dam simply slides off of the snow pan, hopefully not on someone's head.
The snow pans are an unsightly permanent installation. In addition, these snow pans are very difficult, if not impossible, to install on an existing shingled roof. Further, the snow pans are designed to align with the bottom edge of the roof, thus exposing a gutter should one be installed on the structure. As the ice dams forms, they often encircle the gutter. When the ice dams falls from the snow pans, the gutter is usually destroyed because of the substantial weight of the ice dam pulling down on the gutter.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to improve the art of roofing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shield for a roof that protects the underlying structure from damage caused by ice buildup at the bottom portion of the roof.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a shield that is quickly installed to an existing shingled roof.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a shield that can be quickly disassembled during the warmer months and conveniently stored.
These and other objects are provided in accordance with the present invention in which a roof shield includes a plurality of panels which forms a continuous surface by being secured to at least one other adjacent panel. At the sides of the roof, the farthest extent of each panel is secured to a vertical side surface of the structure. At the front of the roof, each of the panels, or some of the panels are secured to a vertical front surface of the underlying structure.
The adjacent panels can be overlapped or contiguous at their ends. To cover the entire span of the roof some adjustment or cutting may be necessary. This adjustment is accomplished either by altering the overlap amount on adjacent panels, or by custom fitting an end panel to the underlying structure.
Each of the individual panels should overhang the bottom edge of the roof and where gutters exist to surpass any gutters. This provides some flexing that facilitates drop off of snow and ice that has built up.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe above and other objects of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the Figures, a roof shield 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention shall now be described showing a couple of variations thereof. It shall become apparent that the preferred embodiment and the disclosed variations in no way limit the scope and spirit of the present invention.
Built up snow on a roof 26 causes damage in the following manner. Typically, the upper most part of the roof is warmer than the lower part of the roof. In addition, heat emanating from the structure interacts with the snow and outside cold causing ice to form. Further, that portion of the roof that extends away from the underlying structure 24 is typically at the same temperature as the surrounding air. When the snow melts on the upper part of the roof during freezing temperatures, the water runs down the roof. As the water passes a vertical surface of the structure, the water freezes again turning to ice. This repeated cycle causes ice to build up which forms an ice dam at the lower part of the roof.
As more snow melts, it cannot pass through the ice dam and thus it travels upward underneath a roof shingle. The cycle of thawing and freezing of this upward traveling water causes much damage to the roof and other parts of the structure, usually walls and ceilings.
Referring now to
The roof shield 10 overhangs the front edge 12 of the roof 26. The overhang 18 allows the roof shield 10 to slightly flex downward, depicted in
The roof shield 10 is designed to be quickly assembled, disassembled and conveniently stored. In the case of an end panel 22, it is connected to only one adjacent panel 16. In a preferred embodiment of the roof shield 10 of the present invention, each of the panels is identically sized and shaped to facilitate mass manufacturing and convenient storage.
The panels 16 are made of any suitable material including metal, plastic, fiberglass, ceramic or other material. Slightly flexing materials are more suitable for installation and function of the roof shield 10.
The panels 16 should be smooth to allow snow and ice to readily fall therefrom. It is preferable that the colors be dark to absorb heat from the sun while blending with the color of the roof.
In one preferred embodiment, the panels 16 are four feet by eight feet. Four feet is typically sufficient to reach beyond an ice dam. It should be apparent that different dimensions of length may be manufactured to facilitate installation of the present invention.
The underlying structure 24 typically supports the roof 26 in which the front edge 12 extends beyond a front vertical structure surface 28, and a side edge 30 which extends beyond a side vertical structure surface 32. Sometimes, the front edge 12 and/or side edge 30 terminate at a downwardly or upwardly disposed fascia 34.
Looking at
Turning to
There are many differing methods to fasten adjacent panels 16. Looking at
Referring now to
Looking at yet another embodiment of the present invention and referring now to
At the opposing roof end, a custom end panel 16D, depicted in
Referring now to
It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that there exist a limitless number of designs to interconnect the adjacent panels, including dovetail designs (not shown), clamping mechanisms (not shown) that allow for quick assembly and disassembly.
Various changes and modifications, other than those described above in the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments and exemplifications, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereby, but solely by the claims appended hereto.
Claims
1. An apparatus for preventing water damage due to an ice buildup on a roof of a structure, wherein said roof includes at least one front edge adjacent to at least one front vertical surface and at least one side edge adjacent to at least one side vertical surface of said structure, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of panels having at least one panel secured to at least one other adjacent panel, said plurality of panels further including at least one intermediate panel and at least one end panel;
- roof side edge panel securing means for securing said at least one side edge panel to said at least one side vertical surface;
- roof front panel securing means for securing said at least one panel to said at least one front vertical surface; and
- panel interconnection means for securing said at least one panel to said at least one other adjacent panel.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one panel includes at least one side edge overlapping at least one side edge of at least one other panel by an overlapping length.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one panel includes at least one side edge being contiguous to at least one side edge of at least one other panel.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said at least one panel includes at least one opening and said at least one other panel includes at least one other opening and wherein said interconnection means includes at least one splice plate which is fixedly secured to each of said openings.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said at least one panel includes at least one opening and said at least one other panel includes at least one other opening superimposed over and affixed to said at least one opening.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said at least one other opening includes an elongated dimension which allows adjustment of the overlapping length.
7. The apparatus of claim 4, further including a second splice plate aligned with said at least one splice plate, wherein said splice plates sandwich said at least one opening and said at least one other opening, and wherein said splice plates are secured via a bolt, at least one washer and a nut.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said interconnection means is selected from a group consisting essentially of a clamping mechanism, at least one splice plate in conjunction with at least one bolt and at least one nut, and at least one bolt, at least one washer and at least one nut.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of panels includes at least a portion extending beyond said front edge of said roof.
10. A roofing panel comprising:
- at least one substantially smooth top surface;
- mating means for interconnecting with at least one other roofing panel; and
- mating means for securing said panel to an underlying front surface.
11. The roofing panel of claim 10, wherein said panel further includes a second mating means for securing said panel to an underlying side surface.
12. The roofing panel of claim 10, wherein said mating means further includes at least one opening in said panel, a bracket, a first securing means for securing said bracket to said panel, and a second securing means for securing said bracket to said underlying front surface.
13. The roofing panel of claim 11, wherein said second mating means further includes at least one opening through said panel, a side bracket, and a panel side securing means for securing said side bracket to said panel, and a side securing means for securing said bracket to said underlying side surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 7, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 10, 2006
Inventor: Kenneth Nocito (Rome, NY)
Application Number: 11/051,751
International Classification: E04D 13/00 (20060101);