BACKGROUND ART Various forms of baffle vents have been taught to be used between rafters of a roofing structure to channel air along the underside of a subroof. Typically, they exist as narrow structures that span the open-air space width between two neighboring rafters or as corrugated panels that lie over the top edges of successive rafters and have portions that dip between the rafters.
Narrow baffle vents that fit in between or have their lateral edges rest on the top edges of two neighboring rafters rely on flanges at their lateral edges overlying the top edges of the rafters to secure the baffle vent in place or they rely on a “flex-and-release” design, such as that taught by Michael Klement in U.S. Pat. 8,137,170, that requires the baffle vent to have a larger width than the open-air space between two neighboring rafters and is installed by squeezing the baffle vent from its lateral edges inward then releasing the baffle vent, once it is between two neighboring rafters, with the lateral edges of the baffle vent then flexing outward against the side walls of the rafters it has been positioned between thereby securing the baffle vent in place. Such prior art doesn’t provide, as the present invention does; an ability for the baffle vent to shift laterally between two rafters, independent of the rafters, to avoid being deformed or torn in the event of rafter-shift that can occur during high winds or temperature variance nor does such prior art provide an impenetrable barrier against water contacting the rafters the baffle vents may install between and/or partially overlie.
Laurence Curran in his U.S. Pat. 4,096,790 teaches a corrugated panel that overlies numerous successive rafters with portions of the panel dipping between rafters. Nails driven through a plywood subroof fastening the plywood to the top edge of an underlying rafter will pierce such panels, at the areas of the panels that overly the rafter edges they cover, creating holes that lead water directly to the top edges of underlying rafters causing rafter decay and/or allowing for water to fall from the rafters and damage underlying ceilings. The present invention teaches methods, not known in prior art, that prevent water from seeping or flowing beneath a corrugated panel through holes created by nail or screw shank puncture.
Prior art such as the air-permeable substrate panel taught by Elwin Wilson in his U.S. Pat. 6,291,495 and the radiant barrier mat taught by David Ahr in his U.S. Pat. 6,869,661, teach a pliant foil or other material that covers the top or bottom surface of an air-permeable substrate, existing as a panel or mat, providing a radiant barrier with the pliant foil having perforations that allow vapor trapped beneath the substrate they cover to rise through the perforations and substrate to the underside of the subroof and then out of the attic through roofing vents. The present invention teaches a type of louver, unknown in prior art, that allows vapor to rise upward through the louver but prevents water from flowing downward through the louver.
Rafter-end sleeves, such as that taught by William Seldon in his U.S. Pat. 7,076,923, teach a sleeve or cap that may used to cover the exposed fascia-end of a rafter with the sleeve or cap serving as a decorative architectural design. Such rafter end-sleeves are not adaptable to varying rafter end angles and are unable to prevent water condensation on and contact with the rafter end they cover as effectively as does embodiments of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the method of the present invention, self-sealing materials that have an ability to press against or envelope the shank of a screw or nail that may pierce such materials is used to form a rafter cap comprised of a top plane that covers the top edge of a rafter with the top plane being supported by side planes that initiate at the top plane’s left and right lateral edges and extend downward in close proximity to, or contact or press against, the sides of the rafter the rafter cap covers. The left and right downward extending side planes transition at their lowest edge into outward extending planes that serve as the bottom planes of channels that are completed by left and right-side planes that extend upward from the left and right lateral edges of the bottom planes. To the best of my knowledge, rafter caps having a top plane and side channels being designed to install on a single rafter with no part of the rafter cap being required by design to contact an adjacent rafter, are known in prior art. The rafter cap will be installed on a rafter by being positioned over the top edge of a rafter so that the top plane of the rafter cap overlies the top edge of a rafter with the rafter cap then being pushed downward so that its side planes and top plane encompass the top plane and at least a top portion of the side planes of the rafter the cap is being installed on. The rafter cap may have its side planes inwardly angled or may have ledges on the inner surfaces (rafter facing surfaces) of its side planes that grip the sides of the rafter. Any water that may penetrate a plywood subroof through a nail or screw hole created in the plywood by the shaft of a nail or screw affixing the plywood to a rafter will be prevented from sinking beneath the top plane of the rafter cap and contacting the rafter beneath it due to the rafter cap material’s self-sealing “shank encompassing property”. Optionally, and in lieu of the rafter cap being comprised of a self-sealing material, a gasket comprised of self-sealing material may be used in combination with the rafter cap to prevent water from penetrating the top plane of a punctured rafter cap by placing the gasket beneath the top plane of the rafter cap. The gasket material will extend upward into any hole above it in the top plane of the rafter cap and seal the hole. The water, being unable to penetrate through holes created in the top plane of the rafter cap will, instead, flow down it’s side planes into the rafter caps left and right channels and be channeled past the exterior wall of a building where the water will then drop downward to the ground or onto an underlying perforated soffit.
To capture water that may penetrate a roof and then drop off of the bottom surface of a subroof into the open-air space between rafters, rafter trays are formed of water-proof material. The rafter trays have top planes that span most of the open-air space between rafters to a point where side planes that distend downward from the rafter tray’s top plane fit within a rafter cap’s channels. It is suggested that the lowest edges of a rafter tray’s side planes contact a rafter cap channel’s drainage plane: midway between the channels’ side planes, allowing for the rafter tray to shift left or right within the rafter cap channels. To the best of my knowledge, I don’t believe such a feature is found in prior art. Water contacting the top plane of a rafter tray will flow down the tray to the top planes of successive trays and past the outer wall of a building or will flow to the left or right edges of the tray into the channels of a rafter cap with the rafter cap channels channeling the water past the outer wall of a building. To the best of my knowledge, such art is unknown until the present invention. Ledges that extend from the side plane of a rafter cap channel, into the channel, may be present and will be structured and positioned to insert into slits cut into the side planes of a rafter tray securing the rafter tray in place by preventing the rafter tray from sliding downward providing a method unknown in prior art.
The rafter caps may be used to secure plaint radiant barrier mats and/or waterproof films or mats to rafters providing the ability to loop the pliant radiant barrier mats and/or waterproof films or mats downward between rafters creating water capturing and directing channels that direct water past the outer wall of a building.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 A view of a plywood subroof overlying rafters illustrating water flow paths and wood decay
FIG. 1B A view of rafter caps securing pliant barriers to rafters
FIG. 2 A view of a rafter cap having side channels
FIG. 2A A view of the front portion of a rafter cap having side channels
FIG. 2B A view of the front portion of a rafter cap having inward extending ledges on the inner walls of its side planes
FIG. 2C A view of the front portion of a rafter cap whose side planes angle inward
FIG. 2D A view of the front portion of a rafter cap having a partially expanded/partially recessed collar at its front edge
FIG. 2E A view of the front portion of a collared rafter cap fitting over the rear portion of a like-structured rafter endcap
FIG. 2G A view of a rafter cap with two side channels installed on a rafter and overlain by sheets of plywood. The outer wall of the first side channel is taller than the outer wall of the second side channel
FIG. 2H A view of a rafter cap having four side channels installed on a rafter and overlain by sheets of plywood
FIG. 2J A view of a rafter cap overlain by 2 sheets of plywood illustrating the holes that nails make in the abutted edges of plywood and in the top of the rafter cap
FIG. 2K A view of a rafter cap turned upside down and being sprayed with a coating
FIG. 2L A view of a rafter cap turned upside down and having a gasket atop the bottom surface of the top plane of the rafter cap
FIG. 2M A view of a rafter cap’s sidewall distension being limited by a rafter brace
FIG. 3 A view of a rafter cap having side channels that have a supporting ledge extending outward from the top edge of a channel wall
FIG. 4 A view of two halves of a bifurcated rafter end cap
FIG. 4A A partial view of interlocking top edges of a bifurcated end cap apart from one another
FIG. 4B A partial view of interlocking top edges of a bifurcated rafter end cap approaching one another
FIG. 4C A partial view of interlocking top edges of a bifurcated rafter end cap interlocked
FIG. 4D A view of two halves of a bifurcated rafter end cap facing one another and having a gasket adhered to the top plane of one of the halves
FIG. 4E A view of a bifurcated rafter end cap partially installed on the fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 4G A view of a bifurcated rafter end cap having a collar that prevents further progression of water or ice
FIG. 4J A view of a rafter end cap having lower planes that extend outward from the bottom edges of its side planes
FIG. 4K A view of a rafter end cap having channels that extend outward from the bottom edges of its side planes
FIG. 4L A view of a rafter end cap having channels installed on the fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 4M A view of a rafter end cap having channels installed on the fascia end of a rafter illustrating water flow paths
FIG. 4N A view of a rafter end cap having channels installed on the fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 4P A view of a rafter end cap having a flexible middle portion
FIG. 4Q A view of a corrugated flexible element
FIG. 4R A view of three independent elements of a rafter endcap: two sections and a flexible element
FIG. 4S A view of two sections of a rafter end cap inserted into a flexible element
FIG. 4T A view of a rafter end cap having one of its sections flexed downward to follow the angle of the terminal fascia edge of a rafter
FIG. 4U A view of a rafter end cap having one of its sections flexed downward to follow and extend past the angle of the terminal fascia edge of a rafter
FIG. 5 A view of a bifurcated rafter end cap installed on the fascia end of the rafter
FIG. 6 A view of a rafter end cap having a removable cap covering its front opening
FIG. 7 A view of a removable cap
FIG. 8 A view of a beam end cap
FIG. 9 A view of a rafter sock having somewhat the shape of the fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 10 A view of a rafter sock shaped as an oval-shaped tube
FIG. 11 A view of a rafter sock that has been stretched onto the fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 11A A view of waterproof pliant material wrapped around the end of a rafter
FIG. 12 A view of a skeletal roof structure having rafter caps and rafter endcaps installed on its rafters
FIG. 12A A view of a protective shield/collar installed near the fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 12B A view of the fascia end of a rafter that has been spray coated
FIG. 13 A view of a pliant barrier draped over the top edges of gaskets lining the top edges of rafters
FIG. 13A A view of pliant barrier draped over and stapled to the top edges of rafters
FIG. 14 A view of rafter caps overlying and helping secure a pliant barrier to the top edges of rafters
FIG. 15 a view of a pliant barrier draped over the top edges of rafters and overlain by a semi-transparent sheet of plywood
FIG. 15A A view of a pliant barrier draped over two rafters that have tape or tape and endcaps covering their fascia ends.
FIG. 16 A view of a corrugated roll of pliant barrier having gasket material on the underside of the top planes of the pliant barrier’s corrugations.
FIG. 17 A view of a corrugated pliant barrier installed on the tops of rafters
FIG. 18 A view of a corrugated pliant barriers having wide corrugations installed on the tops of rafters.
FIG. 18A A view of a corrugated pliant barrier having flared collars at the front edges of its corrugations
FIG. 19 A view of a rafter bridge tray
FIG. 19A A view of a rafter tray having louvers present in its top plane
FIG. 19B A magnified view of a louver
FIG. 19C A view of a rafter tray having different sized and shaped louvers present in its top plane
FIG. 19D A view of a rafter tray having different sized and shaped louvers present in its top plane and holes and holes present in its side planes
FIG. 19E A view of a rafter tray having holes and holes present in its side planes being installed in the channel of a rafter cap
FIG. 19G A view of a rafter tray installed in the channels of two rafter caps
FIG. 19H A view of a rafter tray having an angled lower plane installed in the channels of two rafter caps
FIG. 19J A view of a bridge tray having an overlying cover
FIG. 20 A view of a rafter bridge tray having a flared front end
FIG. 21 A view of a rafter tray installed in the channels of two rafter caps
FIG. 22 A view of a rafter tray installed in the channels of two rafter caps that are installed on the top edges of rafters
FIG. 23 A view of a pliant barrier draped over the tops of rafters having rafter caps installed over portions of the pliant barrier that overlie the top edges of the rafters. The rafter trays are shown installed in the channels of the rafter caps
FIG. 24 A view of a gable end rafter tray
FIG. 25 A view of an intermediate rafter tray
FIG. 26 A view of a gable end rafter tray
FIG. 27 A view of gable end and intermediate rafter trays installed on the tops of rafters.
FIG. 28 A view of a gasket
FIG. 29 A view of a gasket having an upward extending web
FIG. 30 A view of gaskets atop the top edges of rafters and on the terminal fascia end of a rafter
FIG. 31 A view of gaskets atop rafters and overlain by sheets of plywood
FIG. 32 A view of gaskets atop the abutted edges of baffle vents
FIG. 33 A view of two halves of a rafter cap installed at the top edge of a beam
FIG. 34 A view of a corrugated tray atop rafters
FIG. 34A A view of a corrugated tray having a left and a right short terminal plane each of which have an upward extending channel at their edge
FIG. 35 A view of one edge of a corrugated tray overlapping the edge of an adjacent corrugated tray
FIG. 36 A view of a corrugated tray detailing outwardly flared collars at the front end of the tray’s roofing cap elements
FIG. 37 A view of one edge of a corrugated tray interlocking the edge of an adjacent corrugated trays by means of channels present at the edge of the trays.
FIG. 37A A view of a hood at the edge of one corrugated tray overlapping an upraised channel or plane at the edge of an adjacent corrugated tray.
FIG. 38 A view of a corrugated rafter tray
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Note: lines, columns, and reference numerals found in referenced patents are followed by an asterisk: “*”.
Note: I sometimes refer to an element’s reference number as an identifying noun equivalent to the element the reference number is associated with. For example, in the paragraph below I wrote: “Water 14B is shown flowing around 24′s front edge” meaning that water is shown flowing around the front edge of plywood sheet 24.
Note: Sometimes a single illustration isn’t able to show all the elements being describe in writing. When that happens, I will write something like: “Referring to FIG. 1 with FIG. 2 as a reference” meaning that FIG. 2 will illustrate the described but unshown element of FIG. 1.
Note: Some structures shown in the drawings are made transparent or semi-transparent so that the features of elements behind or beneath them can be seen.
I. Factors That Cause Decay Referring to FIG. 1, a sub-roof is shown comprised of sheets of plywood 24, 25, & 25A overlying rafters 1, 1E, and 1S with the rafters having a fascia board 31 attached at the rafters’ terminal fascia-edges 1C, 1C1, & 1C2. Plywood sheet 24 is shown extending past the terminal fascia-edge 1C of rafter 1 a distance of approximately 1.5 inches which is common. Water 14B is shown flowing around 24′s front edge. Surface tension and capillary action can cause the water 14B to cling to the underside of the plywood sheet 24 and travel upwards and backwards until it contacts the terminal fascia-edge 1C of rafter 1. Over time, this water contact will cause the fascia end 1K and terminal fascia-edge 1C of the rafter 1, to have areas of decay 15. Not every roof has fascia boards attached to the end of their rafters but, for those that do, an open-air space 33 often exists between the top edge of a fascia board and the bottom surface of a roof’s plywood such as the gap (33) that exists between the top edge 31A of fascia board 31 and the bottom surface of plywood sheet 25 where water 14C is shown flowing around the front edge of plywood sheet 25 and contacting both the top edge 31A of the fascia board 31 and the terminal fascia-edge 1C2 of the rafter 1S the fascia board 31 is attached to which will eventually lead to the decay of terminal fascia-edge 1C2.
Over time, repeated water contact of uncovered or unsealed rafter ends will cause them to decay rendering them unable to retain fascia boards that may be attached to them. Another cause of rafter end decay 15 can occur when gutters attached to a fascia board 31 clog and fill with leaves: water coming off of a roof will hit the leaves and then water will splash and/or siphon rearward across the top edge 31A of the fascia board 31 with the water 14 then contacting the terminal fascia-edges and fascia ends of rafters. The decay 15 of a rafter’s fascia end and terminal fascia-edge may progress to a point that a fascia board 31 with attached gutters (not shown) will pull away from the rafter ends it was attached to and fall to the ground. When I used to install rain-gutters I would find this kind of “rafter-end” decay even in expensive homes.
Still referring to FIG. 1, it is shown that water 14, has found its way through shingles and roofing felt (not shown) to the top surface of plywood sheet 25A and then traveled to an area of abutment 32A where the longitudinal edges of plywood sheets 25 and 25A abut one another leaking through the area of abutment 32A to the underside of plywood sheet 25. Water leakage can also occur where the lateral edges of plywood sheets abut over the top of a rafter due to gaps that can form between the abutted edges when the edge of one sheet of plywood swells or shrinks or warps upwards or downward causing it to no longer lie in the same plane as the edge of an adjoining plywood sheet. It is also known that water can condense under the head and on the shank of any shingle nail (not shown) or plywood decking nail 26 or screw (not shown) piercing a subroof and then leach downward on the nail or screw shank into an attic or open-air space beneath the overlying plywood. Even when roofing nails do not fully penetrate a sub-roof, condensation around roofing nails and screws can cause whatever thin layer of penetrated sub-roof wood is left at the tip of a screw or nail shank to decay over time creating a hole water will then drop through.
Once water 14D has leaked through an area of abutment such as 32A, and onto the underside of a plywood sheet, rather than drop straight down, I have observed that it will more likely cling to the underside of the plywood and travel to a point where the underside of the plywood contacts a rafter: This is illustrated in FIG. 1 where the water 14 that is shown leaking at the area of abutment 32A between plywood sheets 25 and 25A is shown clinging to the underside of plywood sheet 25 and traveling to a point 34 where the top edge 1A of rafter 1S contacts the underside of plywood sheet 25. Once water 14 has made a point of contact 34 with a rafter, it will continue to cling to the side of the rafter, as reference number 14D indicates, and eventually find its way to the bottom of the rafter and either continue downward toward a stud wall or ceiling joist, or underlying drywall or other ceiling material attached to the bottom edge of the rafter, where it will contact and dampen and begin to decay the stud wall or ceiling joist or drywall or other ceiling material.
Referring to FIG. 1B, rafters 1, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1J, and 1S are shown attached to a ridge board 47 forming a skeletal roof structure 46. Baffle vents 41/us-rn>, 42, and 43 having upraised channels: 41F, 42F, and 43F are shown overlying the rafters of roof structure’s 46. Baffle vents 41/us-rn>, 42, and 43 are representative of prior art. The shank of every nail or screw (not shown) that fastens plywood sheets to the top of rafters will also pass through the upward raised channels 41F, 42F, and 43F that cover the top edges of the rafters and will pass through the lateral flanges 41D, 41G, 43D, and 43G making it possible for water to leak through the flanges and channels; at the point a nail or screw pierces them, then continue to flow beneath the baffle vents along rafter surfaces creating paths of decay.
Front edge 42A1 is shown is shown to be slightly warped to illustrate that structural or environmental circumstances can cause the edge of one recessed plane 42A1 to warp or concave or convex and have portions of the edge to move above or below the edge of an abutted recessed plane 41A2 of an adjacent baffle vent. Although the recessed planes of a baffle vent, such as recessed planes 41A and 42A, may capture water (not shown) that has flowed or dripped onto them, when baffle vent 42 is pushed forward until its front edge 42A1 abuts the rear edge 41A2 of baffle vent 41, their area of abutment can become a source of water leakage: unless the edges of such prior art meet solidly with no air gap between them, and remain so, water will flow around front edge 42A1 then either drop straight down or transfer and cling to the bottom surface of recessed plane 41A travelling onward to eventual contact with exposed rafter wood and/or contact with attic or ceiling or wall material creating areas of stain and decay. The same potential source of water leakage to the underside of baffle vents is present between the soon-to-be abutted rear edge 41F2 and front edge 42F1 of upraised channels 41F and 42F of baffle vents 41 and 42.
Less frequently, water that has penetrated a roof to the underside of its plywood sub-roof will fail to travel along the underside of the plywood until it contacts a rafter and will, instead, drop straight down into an attic or onto any ceiling material that is present beneath the rafters. Prior art teaches that baffle vents, radiant barrier panels, and radiant pliant barriers may capture this water and protect the interior of a building from water damage and a first glance of prior art specs and illustrations might lead someone to believe that this seems to be a reasonable assumption. But as I examined prior art, I came to realize its ability to protect the interior of a building from water damage would depend on such prior art presenting a “perfect unbroken seal” against leaking water which I believe it sometimes, if not quite often, fails to do due because the inventor didn’t take into account water leaching through nail or screw or staple holes used to fasten prior art to rafters or due to air gaps that can form between abutted edges.
Embodiments taught in this application are directed toward preventing the above-described decay by providing structures that will shield rafter top edges and rafter ends from water contact and by providing means and methods for directing water that has leaked through a building’s sub-roof, away from a building’s interior.
2. Detailed Description of Rafter Caps and Gaskets Rafter cap embodiments taught throughout this application may be of any length with their length being limited only by the length of a rafter. The angles at which the top, side, leftward, or rightward extending planes and drainage planes of illustrated rafter caps meet is assumed to be 90 or nearly 90 degrees unless otherwise illustrated or noted in the text of this Specification. Any angle at which the planes of a rafter cap meet may be adjusted to be more acute or more oblique.
Referring to FIG. 2, a rafter cap 5 is shown that is formed and sized to fit over the top edge of a rafter. The rafter cap 5 may also be formed and sized to fit over both a rafter and any other material or object that might overlie the top edge of the rafter before overlying plywood is installed. The rafter cap 5 is comprised of a top plane 5A atop two downwardly extending planes 5B and 5C that are each a component of drainage channels 5G and 5D respectively. Drainage channel 5G is comprised of lower plane 5H: which serves as the floor of the channel, and is further comprised of planes 5B and 5J which serve as the channel’s side walls. Drainage channel 5D is comprised of lower plane 5E which serves as the floor of the channel and further comprised of planes 5C and 5F which serve as its sidewalls.
Still referring to FIG. 2, the width W of top plane 5A: which is measured from the interior surface (the surface that would face a rafter the endcap is installed on), of plane 5B to the interior surface of plane 5C as shown, is greater than 1.5 inches which is the nominal thickness of 2× lumber used as rafters (2×6, 2×8, 2×10 etc.) If other-dimensioned lumber is going to serve as a rafter such as 4x or 6x or 8x beams, the top plane 5A may be widened at the time of manufacture to accommodate greater rafter thickness. Side planes 5B and 5C are shown distending downward from top plane 5A between ½ to 1 inch though the distance they distend may be greater or less. Referring now to FIG. 2M; situations may occur where wooden rafter braces 1T comprised of “2 × 4” or greater-width-lumber are chosen as the type of brace to use between rafters: they may need to be turned on a diagonal or made of a board with less width W1 than the width W2 of the rafter it is bracing (as is brace 1T) to avoid preventing a rafter cap’s channels 5G from descending far enough down the side of a rafter 1E to allow the bottom surface of a rafter cap’s top plane 5A to contact the top edge of its underlying rafter.
Referring again to FIG. 2: in lieu of the square or rectangular-shaped channels 5D and 5G, side planes 5B and 5C could loop downward, outward, and then upward from their present lowest edges forming U-shaped channels (not shown). Alternatively, Lower planes 5H and 5E (absent their adjacent upward extending side planes 5J and 5F) could angle upwards creating V-shaped channels.
Rafter cap 5 may be scored along its recessed score line 5M with a utility knife or with any sharp blade and then split lengthwise yielding a left half-cap 5L and a right half-cap 5R each of which can be affixed to the top left and top right side of a beam 52 as is shown in FIG. 33. The top edge 52A of the beam 52 may be coated or overlain with a water proof self-sealing material before installation of the rafter cap halves. Still referring to FIG. 33, the half-caps 5L and 5R may be secured to the beam 52 with adhesives or by stapling a staple 13 or screwing a screw 30 through the downward extending planes 5B and 5C of the half caps to the sides of the beam 52. Preferably, screws or nails would have a rubber or rubber-like washer on their shank just beneath the head of the screw or nail to prevent water from following the shank into the side of the beam 52. In lieu of splitting a rafter cap into halves, left and right halves may be manufactured.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a portion of the rafter cap 5 of FIG. 2 is shown on the same page as other rafter cap portions to facilitate the referral and comparison of the rafter cap of FIGS. 2 & 2A with alternate embodiments of itself.
FIG. 2B shows an embodiment 5T of the rafter cap 5 of FIG. 2A having inward extending ledges 5W added on the inner walls of planes of 5B and 5C. Ledges 5W may be present on any area of a plane’s inner wall and more than one ledge may exist on a plane’s inner wall. In lieu of ledges, embossed shapes 72 that begin on the outer walls of side planes 5B and 5C and are embossed to extend inwardly toward the rafter may be formed. Embossment 72 is shown to have the shape of a hexagon but other shapes may be chosen.
In one embodiment of rafter cap 5T, referring now to FIG. 12 with FIG. 2B as reference, the width W of the rafter cap’s top surface 5A, is wide enough to allow open-air space to exist between the rafter cap’s 5T side walls 5B and 5C (5C is not shown but on the right side of rafter 1F) and the rafter’s 1F left and right sides. At the same time, the distance between the left-side and right-side inward-extending ledges 5W of rafter cap 5T (the ledges 5W are shown in FIG. 2B) is less than the thickness of rafter 1F. This being so, the inward-extending ledges 5W of rafter cap 5T serve to secure the rafter cap 5T to a rafter 1F it is placed and pushed down on, by forcing the planes 5B and 5C outward because the distance between ledges 5B and 5C is less than the 1.5-inch thickness of the rafter they are installed on creating an inward-biased tension that will then cause the planes 5B and 5C to press inward and grip rafter 1F as they attempt to return to their original position. Although this “inward-biased tension” may abate over time as the rafter cap 5T ages, rafter caps 5T having ledges 5W will remain permanently in place after plywood has been laid over the rafter caps 5T and the nails or screws used to penetrate and secure plywood to rafters also penetrates and secures the rafter caps in place.
Referring to FIG. 2C, a rafter cap 5Y is shown that mirrors the structure of rafter cap 5 of FIG. 2A with this exception: the side planes 5B and 5C of rafter cap 5Y angle inward as they descend downward from the top plane 5A of rafter cap 5Y. This causes the distance D2 between the bottom lateral edges of planes 5B and 5C to be less than the distance D1 between the top lateral edges of planes 5B and 5C which adjoin the top plane 5A of rafter cap 5Y. D2 will also measure less than the width of the top edge of a rafter the rafter cap 5Y will be placed over. Referring now to FIG. 2C and FIG. 12, the sidewalls 5B and 5C of rafter cap 5Y will need to be spread apart in order to allow the rafter cap 5Y to be placed over and pressed down on the top of a rafter 1. When this happens, the distance D2 between the bottom lateral side planes 5B and 5C edges of rafter cap 5Y being less than the width of rafter 1 will create an inward-biased tension in the rafter cap 5Y that will cause its side planes 5B and 5C to press inward against the sides of the rafter 1 securing the rafter cap 5Y in place. Although it isn’t shown, the inner surfaces (the surfaces of the planes that face the rafter they will be installed upon) of inwardly angled planes 5B and 5C of rafter cap 5Y, and the inner surfaces of planes 5B and 5C of rafter cap 5Z may also incorporate ledges or embossments similar to or the same as the ledges 5W and embossment 72 shown in FIG. 2B.
Referring to FIG. 2D, a rafter cap 5Z is shown having a portion of 5A, 5B, and 5C, flared outwardly into a collar 5V that will serve as the rafter cap’s 5Z front end. The flared front end: collar 5V, will fit over the top plane and sidewalls of the rear portion of other rafter caps with the collar 5V extending past the rear edges of their top and side planes. Rater cap 5Z is also shown to have a front portion of its side plane 5J and bottom plane 5H recessed inwardly forming a small channel 5G1 that will fit inside the larger rear portion of the channels of other rafter caps; extending into and past the terminal end of other rafter cap channels as is shown in FIG. 2E and in FIG. 12 that shows recessed channel 5G1 of rafter cap 5Z, that sits atop rafter 1G, fitting inside the standard-dimensioned rear channel 5G of rafter cap 5. This allows water flowing down the channels 5G and 5G1 and channels 5D and 5D1 of rafter cap 5Z to flow into the rear portions of channels of other rafter caps without leaking. Referring again to FIG. 2D: at the point where flair 5V begins to flare outwardly from planes 5A, 5B, and 5C, a stop is created 5V1 that limits the distance 5Z can extend forward over a rafter cap whose end 5V is covering: the terminal rear edges of the top and side planes of the covered rafter cap will abut 5V1.
Referring to FIG. 3, rafter cap 5 of FIG. 2 takes on a new embodiment I will refer to as rafter cap 6 which shows the addition of outwardly extending support ledges 6L and 6K at the top edges of planes 6B and 6C which correspond to planes 5B and 5C of FIG. 2. The rafter cap 6 is comprised of a top plane 6A atop two downwardly extending side planes 6B and 6C that partially comprise drainage channels 6G and 6D. Drainage channel 6G is comprised of lower plane 6H which serves as the floor of the channel and further comprised of planes 6J and 6B which serve as its sides. Drainage channel 6D is comprised of lower plane 6E which serves as the floor of the channel and further comprised of planes 6C and 6F which serve as the channel’s sides.
Support ledges 6L and 6K may serve to support the top plane of a bridge tray as is illustrated in FIG. 21 where supporting ledge 6K is shown contacting and supporting the underside of top plane 17A of bridge tray 17: If a flimsy material is chosen to form bridge tray 17 support ledges such as 6K and 6L may help strengthen the bridge tray’s resistance to concaving in the middle if insulation is made to overlay top plane 17A. Bridge trays will be discussed in detail later in this Description of Embodiments.
Referring again to FIG. 2, rafter cap 5′s lower plane 5H extends outward from the lowest edge 5B1 of side plane 5B. Ideally, the side planes of each rafter cap embodiment described so far should have enough length to ensure that any plane that extends outward from the side planes’ lowest edges; such as lower plane 5H that extends outward from side plane 5B, will not be punctured by overlying roofing nails that have passed through a building’s sub-roof. If lower plane 5H is punctured, the water impermeability of the rafter cap is lost unless the material chosen to manufacture the rafter cap 5 from is self-sealing. Although lesser side wall lengths are allowed, a nominal length of at least ½ inch for side planes 5B and 5C is suggested to prevent contact with roofing nail shanks that have pierced a subroof and extend down into an attic.
Referring to FIG. 2G, a rafter cap 48 is shown placed over the top of a rafter 1 and overlain by plywood sheets 24 and 25. Rafter 1 and plywood sheet 24 have been made semi-transparent so that features of the rafter cap can be seen beneath or behind them. Rafter cap 48 has a top plane: 48A that has an approximate width of 1.5 inches, supported by two downward extending side planes 48B and 48C each of which have approximate widths 48BW, 48CW of ¾ inch. Lower plane 48D extends outward from the low edge of plane 48B a distance of approximately 3//8 to ½ inch (although they may extend further) with plane 48E extending upward from its left edge to a height equal to, or approximately equal to, the height of plane 48B. Together, 48B, 48D, and 48E form water directing channel 48F. **Note: I refer to the distance a rafter cap’s or drainage plane’s side planes distend from the top plane they distend from as their “width” to differentiate the measurement from the side plane’s longitudinal length.
As is the case for all rafter caps taught in this Description of Embodiments: the lengths and widths of the side and lower planes of rafter cap 48 and of its channels may be adjusted to greater or lesser lengths and widths as desired.
In most cases, water 14 leaking through the abutted edges of plywood sheets 24 and 25 then contacting top plane 48A of rafter cap 48 will flow down the outer walls of side planes 48B and 48C into channels 48F and 48G but there may be reasons (some of which are described in the next paragraph) leaked water 14F will fail to cling to the side planes and cling instead to the underside of overlying plywood 24 flowing outward and away from top plane 48 in the direction of the next nearest rafter. To deal with that situation, in this rafter cap embodiment, the top edge 48E1 of outermost plane 48E extends far enough upward from the left edge of lower plane 48D to make a point of contact (represented by dotted lines referenced as: 24D) or nearly make a point of contact with the underside of plywood sheet 24 so that the plane 48E may interdict and direct downward, on its inner (rafter facing) wall into channel 4F, any water 14F that may contact top plane 48A and flow leftward on the undersurface of plywood sheet 24 away from the rafter cap 48 rather than flow down the outer wall of 48′s plane 48B into channel 48F. Preferably, the top edge 48E1 of plane 48E will contact the undersurface of plywood sheet 24 but, if not, as long as the top edge 48E1 of plane 48E contacts the outer surface of water 14F present on the undersurface of overlying plywood; the water will leave the plywood and cling to the inner wall (the rafter facing wall) of plane 48E and flow downward into channel 48F.
When water fails to transfer from the underside of plywood and/or to the top of a rafter cap then flow down a rafter cap’s downward extending planes 48B and 48C (48C is not shown but is opposite plane 48B on the other side of rafter 1) into underlying rafter cap channels such as 48F and 48G, the water will stay clinging to the underside of the plywood bypassing the rafter cap’s channels and just keep on wetting and staining and decaying any wood or drywall it eventually touches. Water that has breached a roof and contacted rafters has even been known (by me) to find its way to the recessed lights of an underlying ceiling of a room several feet to the side of a room, above which the leak initiated, and cause electrical shorts. I remember a home where I tracked water that had formed ceiling stains in a kitchen to its source in an area of the room that covered the next room over: Water had entered the home from an area of a roof over the homeowner’s office and travelled down a rafter to a ceiling joist and then travelled along the joist from one room to the next until it met recessed light in the kitchen and began to stain and decay the drywall ceiling the light was recessed in. Rafter cap 48, when installed on a rafter, can prevent that from happening if the water has penetrated the roof at an area of plywood edge abutment. But what happens if water 14G approaches side plane 48E from a puncture that has occurred in a sheet of plywood; not at the plywood’s edge where the edge rests over and contacts the center of a rafter’s top edge, but in an area where the plywood isn’t resting on and supported by underlying rafters but is instead suspended over the open-air space of an attic that exists between rafters?
Things like this happen: water 14G that has penetrated a plywood sheet 24 in an area of the plywood to the left of rafter cap 48 that is suspended over the open air-space between rafters may cling to the underside of the plywood sheet 24 and flow toward the outer wall of side plane 48E then be interdicted by contact with the upper edge 48E1 of side plane 48E and flow down its outer wall. Once the water 14G1 is on the outer wall, it may drop down into the attic or on an underlying ceiling or follow the outer wall of the side plane 48E to other areas where it may contact interior building elements. To prevent this from occurring, an additional channel may be added to the rafter cap: Referring now to FIG. 2H, rafter cap 48S is shown installed on a rafter and overlain by two sheets of plywood 24 (plywood sheet 24 is semi-transparent) and plywood sheet 25. Rafter cap 48S is an embodiment of rafter cap 48 of FIG. 2G that has an additional third channel 48M that is intrinsically adjacent to channel 48F and an additional fourth channel 48N that is intrinsically adjacent to channel 48J. Channel 48M is comprised of side plane 48E, that it shares in common with channel 48F, and further comprised of lower plane 48K that extends outward from the bottom left edge of side plane 48E and whose width is approximately ⅜ to ½ inch. Side plane 48L extends upward from the bottom left edge of plane 48K. In this FIG. 2H illustration, 24D and the dotted lines it points to signify that the top edge 48E1 of plane 48E is contacting the underside of plywood sheet 24: this is accomplished by having the width of side plane 48E match or be slightly taller than the widths of side planes 48B and 48C of rafter cap 48S. Side plane 48E having a width the same as, or slightly taller than, the width of side planes 48B and 48C will cause the top edge 48E1 of side plane 48E to contact 24D the underside of plywood sheet 24. To ensure that the top edge 48L1 of side plane 48L won’t contact the undersurface of plywood sheet 24 and then have water flow down its outer wall and drop into the attic, the height 48LH of side plane 48L should be less than the height of side plane 48E. With channel 48M in place, water that flows from any direction to the left or right of side plane 48E toward side plane 48E and then contacts its upper edge 14E1 will flow down its outer wall 48E into channel 48M or down its inner wall into channel 48G and then flow outward past the outer wall of a building.
Rafter cap embodiments taught throughout this application that consist of a top plane supported by side planes are suggested (but not required) to have side plane widths of at least approximately ½ inch though the width (“width” being the distance a side plane distends from the edge of a rafter cap’s overlying side plane down the side of a rafter) may be greater. Rafter cap embodiments taught throughout this application that have channels adjacent to their side planes are suggested (but not required) to have their channel widths be at least ⅜ inch or greater though the widths of the channels may be less. Factors that come into play when determining a preferred length or width of a rafter cap’s top and side planes are ones such as: “Does the builder desire to lay sheets of foam board insulation over the top planes of bridge trays a rafter cap’s channel will support and, if so, how much depth will the builder want the open-air space present between the top plane of a bridge tray and the bottom surface of overlying plywood to have for the sake of ventilation? The length of a side plane can be made longer or shorter to achieve the desired open airspace between the top plane of a bridge tray and the bottom surface of overlying plywood installed over rafter caps.
Before moving on to the portion of this application that teaches “bridge trays”, a more in-depth consideration of the materials rafter caps, rafter endcaps, and bridge trays might be made of is apropos. As stated earlier, any water-proof or water repellant material; able to be formed into shapes the material can retain, may be used to form rafter caps. This is also true of bridge trays. However, water-proof material with a self-sealing property is preferred. For the purpose of this application, “self-sealing” is defined as: “The ability some materials have to surround and remain in constant contact with an object that punctures the material to an extent that water is prevented from leaking through the point of puncture”. With that definition in mind, let’s take a look at FIG. 2J:
FIG. 2J shows a rafter cap 48T atop a rafter 1 and being overlain by plywood sheets 24 (that is semi-transparent) and 25 whose lateral edges abut one another midway the top plane 48A of rafter cap 48T. Nails 26 are shown being nailed to the lateral edges of plywood sheets 24 and 25 to secure them to underlying rafter 1. Where plywood edges meet, it is common practice that 8d (2.5-inch-long nails) be spaced no more than 6 inches center to center along each edge when constructing a roof deck as FIG. 2J shows, and spaced no more than 12 inches center to center when fastening plywood to intermediate rafters. As we can see, that’s a lot of nails piercing the plywood edges as well as the rafter cap 48T. Conventional wisdom is that a nail’s head will cover the hole 49 the nail’s shank 26B makes at the point it pierces the plywood. That doesn’t always happen. Nails 26 driven at angles, which is standard procedure when nailing through plywood edges, tend to gouge out areas of wood around the hole 49 made by their shafts 26B making larger holes than the nail heads can cover and seal. Additionally, Nails can be driven with a force that sinks their heads beneath the top surface of a plywood sheet creating depressions in the plywood. Water that seeps and settles into these depressions can begin to decay the wood around a nail’s head then move around the edge of the nail’s head contacting the nail’s shank 26B, then begin decaying the wood surrounding the shank and eventually creating an open path for water to follow to the underside of a plywood sheet. These same nails 26 that pierce and form downward extending tunnels in plywood with their shanks 26B also pierce and form holes 49 in the flanges of baffle vents and may do the same though rafter caps made of non-sealing material. Water may then flow through these holes 49 contacting the rafter 1 beneath them and then cause decay and, regardless of how tiny an area of decay may be at the time of its inception, decay never heals itself; it always grows larger.
When choosing a material from which to make a rafter cap or tray, it should be kept in mind that certain plastics may crack or fracture when punctured by a nail or screw or staple and if a rafter cap is made of a metal such as aluminum coil, holes 49 created from nail or screw shanks 26B driven through metal coil and foil material often are larger than the shank 26B driven through them and if the screw or nail head doesn’t perfectly seat over the hole 49, water will seep under the head, through the hole 49, and contact the rafter 1. Holes 49 created in rafter caps can be handled in at least two ways that will stop water from leaking past the point of piercing; one is to place a self-sealing gasket or apply an elastomeric coating with self-healing properties, such as Plasti-dip® (which can be brushed on or sprayed), above or beneath surfaces of the rafter cap 48T:
FIG. 2K shows a coating of self-sealing material 50 being sprayed from a spray nozzle 38 onto the underside of top plane 5A and the inside walls of side planes 5B and 5C of rafter cap 5. FIG. 2L shows a gasket 16 made of self-sealing material, such as (but not limited to) neoprene foam rubber, adhered to the underside of rafter cap 5′s top plane 5A. Water that would attempt to enter a hole or crack through the top plane 5A of the rafter cap 5 will be stopped by the self-sealing material 50 or gasket 16 which will surround any shank and fill any open-air space between the rim of a hole and a nail shank or screw shank and will fill any open-air space made by cracks on plastic material embodiments of top plane 5A due to the self-sealing property of the coating or gasket: certain materials and sealants and coatings will compress as plywood is laid on top of them but will expand into and fill any hole made in the plywood. Where the open-air space between the rim of a hole or any open air space created by cracks are concerned: the compressive force being applied downward on the rafter cap from overlying plywood and roof covering, and the compressive force of nails and screws marrying the plywood to top plane 5A, cause an expansive counter force to develop in the self-sealing coating or gasket that will cause the coating or gasket to release and press upward into any open air created by a crack or existing between the rim of a hole and a shank passing through it.
Referring to FIG. 14, rafter caps 5T and 5U are shown having self-sealing gaskets 16 beneath their top planes 5A. These gaskets 16 can be pre-adhered to the underside of the rafter caps’ top planes 5A or adhered or affixed to the top of a rafter cap’s top plane 5A or be placed on the top edges of rafters 1F and 1G (or in this case, on top of a pliant barrier 12 overlying the top edges of the rafters) with the rafter caps 5T and 5U then being placed and pushed down over the gaskets 16 and top edges 1A of rafters 1F and 1G. Natural and synthetic rubbers are known to be naturally self-healing against puncture and would serve well as gasket material. Recycled tire tread is often comprised of elastomeric and rubber compounds combined and, although not self-sealing against punctures when trying to contain air under pressure, is self-sealing against non-pressurized water attempting to follow a nail or screw shaft through the rubber.
A second way to prevent water from progressing past a point of piercing is to form rafter caps from self-sealing materials: As mentioned earlier, Natural rubber, synthetic rubber or even recycled tire tread are available choices. Neoprene closed-cell foam rubber is an excellent choice; the denser the foam the better. Another of many examples of naturally self-sealing materials that may be used to make rafter caps or trays or endcaps is low- density plastic such as the kind used to make PowerAde beverage ® bottles; low-density plastic is easily formed into shapes and is capable of having a very thin profile while still being serviceable. This particular low-density plastic offers the benefit of a low material cost, and is surprisingly strong: I tried to puncture a Power Ade bottle with a pen but couldn’t, in fact, the plastic tip of the pen was mashed out of shape. I was shocked! I then went to the kitchen and managed to stab a sharp knife through the “Power Ade plastic” (low density plastic) and saw the thin plastic surround and cling strongly to the blade of the knife.
Returning to gaskets for a moment: FIG. 28 shows a gasket 16 having a rectangular shape 16A, a height 16B of approximately ¼ inch that may vary according the desire of the end user and/or manufacturer, and a width 16C that is equal, or approximately equal, to the top edge of the rafter or beam it will cover. Referring to FIG. 30, gaskets 16 are shown covering all but the last few inches of the top edges 1A of rafters 1E, and 1S leaving room for rafter endcaps (which will be detailed later) to be installed. Gasket 16S is shown covering both rafter 1′s top edge and terminal fascia-edge: the portion of gasket 16S that covers the terminal fascia-edge of rafter 1 protects the terminal fascia-edge from decay that might occur from water following nail shanks through a fascia board nailed into the terminal fascia-edge of rafter 1 or from water that might contact the terminal fascia-edge of the rafter by other means.
Referring to FIG. 31, covering the top edges 1A of rafters with gaskets as shown offers a measure of protection against water leaking through the holes in a roofing deck 51 created by nail shanks 40A and against water leaking through the abutted edges of plywood sheets 24 and 25 then contacting and decaying the rafters.
Referring to FIG. 29, a flanged gasket 23 is shown having a rectangular shaped base 23A, with the base having a height 23B of approximately ¼ inch (but that may vary according to the need of the end user or manufacturer), and a width 23C that is equal, or approximately equal, to the top edge of the rafter or beam it will cover: gasket 23 is gasket 16 of FIG. 28 with the addition of an upward extending flange 23D arising from its top surface 23E and with the addition of a double sided adhesive tape 11B adhered to the gasket’s bottom plane. The tape 11 is shown having a protective film 11C which can be peeled off at the time of installation. In lieu of the double-sided adhesive tape 11B, the bottom plane of gasket 23 can be coated with adhesive which is then covered by protective film 11C. The width of flange 23D is approximately ⅛ inch and the height of Flange 23D will be approximately ½ inch or ⅝ inch or ¾ inch depending on the thickness of plywood used to overlay rafters. Referring again to FIG. 31, gasket 23 is shown having its flange 23D extend upward between the nearly abutted lateral edges of plywood sheets 24 and 25. The flange helps protect the edges of the plywood from decay due to water contact by disallowing water from contacting them. The width of the flange may be larger than ⅛ inch depending on the material it is comprised of and it’s degree of compressiveness: For example: a rubber or synthetic polymer foam may initially be one inch wide but compress down to ⅛ inch being pressed on each side by the lateral edges of plywood sheets 24 and 25. The same is true for the thickness (profile height 16B) of the gaskets taught in this application: overlying roof deck might compress a 1 inch think material down to a thickness of ¼ inch. The most important property of a gasket is that it remains waterproof and self-sealing (able to expand into a hole) regardless of its initial or final thickness. A gasket’s ability to have its water-proof and self-sealing properties remain intact at final thickness is dependent upon the water-proof and self-sealing material the gasket is made of.
Referring to FIG. 32, baffle vents 27, 28, and 29 are shown present between rafters and having their lateral flanges 27A, 28B, 28A, and 29B, rest atop the top edges 1A of rafters 1 and 1E thereby supporting the baffle vents. A gasket 16 is shown being made to overlie the gap between the edges of flange 28A and 29B. If the edges were to abut or overlap one another, gasket 16 may be made to overlie the abutment or the overlap of the edges. Any water that would contact the top surface of gasket 16 Will flow or leach off of and onto the concaved portion CP of baffle vents present on each side of the gasket where it will be channeled away from rafter contact down toward and past a building’s outer stud wall. Having these types of baffle vents 27, 28, 29 (a baffle vent having flanges that rest on rafter tops to support the baffle vent) having their rafter-supported flanges: 28A and 29B, overlain by a gasket is an effective means of interdicting water that would leak through a roof deck and then channeling it downward and forward past the exterior wall of a building while preventing the water from rafter contact. FIG. 32 also shows that tape 11 and rafter endcaps 10 are covering the fascia ends of rafters 1 and 1E protecting the fascia ends from water contact. The tape 11 and endcaps will be disclosed in more detail later in this Description of Embodiments but next up are bridge trays:
3. Bridge Trays Referring to FIG. 19, a bridge tray 17 is shown having a top plane 17A supported at its longitudinal edges by downwardly extending side planes 17B and 17C that have respective heights 17BH, 17CH, of at least ¼ inch though their heights may be greater. One side plane (17B or 17C) may be optionally taller than the other causing the top plane 17A to angle to the left or right. The bridge tray 17 may be made of any rigid, semi rigid or flexible material that is waterproof, or of any material that is able to be made waterproof, and is able to retain shapes formed in the material. Such materials would include, but not be limited to: metal sheets, metal foils, metal coil, and polymers. The bridge tray 17 may have any of its surfaces overlain or coated with any material able to be sprayed onto or otherwise applied to a surface such as, but not limited to; insulating ceramic spray or reflective foil. The top plane 17A of bridge tray 17 is shown to be flat but it may incorporate any number and shape of upward or downward extending embossments, shapes, or channels. The top plane 17A of bridge tray 17 may be corrugated with any corrugation type: corrugations having flat tops, round tops, pointed tops, etc. and may be corrugated with any corrugation pattern: with any number of corrugations being spaced at any distance one from another. In one embodiment of bridge tray 17: the bridge tray would be a simple corrugated sheet whose left and right “final corrugations” are convexed hoops with their left and right most edges dipping downward and with the hoops having enough height to allow their left and right most edges able to descend into a rafter cap channel and contact or nearly contact its floor.
The purpose of the bridge tray 17 is to capture any water that leaks through a roof and would otherwise drop downward into an underlying attic or onto an underlying ceiling and then direct the captured water either toward a rafter cap channel or downward along the bridge tray’s top planes 17A past the exterior wall of a building.
Referring to FIG. 21, Insertable bridge tray 17 will be supported by either the bottom edges of its side planes 17B and 17C touching the bottom planes 5E and 6H of channels 5D and 6G or by the upper edge of 5F and the supporting plane 6K touching the underside of top plane 17A. As noted earlier, one side plane 17B or 17C of bridge tray 17 may be taller than the other; this will cause the bridge tray 17 to direct water toward a preferred channel if there is one. Although the bottom edges of side planes 17B and 17C are shown resting on the bottom planes of channels 5D and 6G, it isn’t necessary that they do: all that is necessary to prevent water that has dropped onto the tray from leaking into any underlying attic or onto an underlying ceiling and then have that water be directed into a rafter cap’s channels 5D, 6G is to have side planes 17B and 17C extend some distance downward into the channels. Endcaps 5 and 6 are resting atop rafters (not shown) that have been spaced either 16 inches center to center or 24 inches center to center. The width of the bridge tray is determined by two factors, the first being the open airspace between adjacent rafters the rafter caps 5 and 6 would sit atop which would typically be approximately 16.5 ” for rafters spaced 18 ″ center to center, and 22.5 ” for rafters spaced 24 ″ center to center. With this in mind, bridge tray 17, as illustrated in FIG. 21, would have a width that is less than 16.5 ” (minus the combined thickness of planes 5C and 6B) for rafters spaced 18 ″ center to center and less than 22.5 ” (minus the combined thickness of planes 5C and 6B) for rafters spaced 24 ″ center to center. The width of the bridge tray is also dependent on the width of channels 5D and 5G: the bridge tray must be wide enough to ensure that its side plane 17C is able to reach past side plane 6J of rafter cap 6 and fit down inside the rafter cap’s channel 6G and the bridge tray must be wide enough to ensure that its side plane 17B is able to reach past side plane 5F of rafter cap 5 and fit down inside the rafter cap’s channel 5D. If rafter caps 5 and 6 rest atop rafters spaced 18 ″ center to center and channels 5D and 6G are each ½ inch wide, a suggested width for bridge tray 17 would be approximately 13.5 inches (minus the combined thickness of planes 5C and 6B) allowing the tray one inch of lateral shift to the left or right in the event rafter shift causes one or both of the rafters the two rafter caps cover to shift toward or away from one another. This formula of subtracting 1.5 inches and additionally subtracting the combined thickness of 5C and 6B and then further subtracting a measurement equal to the combined width of channel 5D and 6C from the open air-space existing between the “facing sides” of two neighboring rafters to determine the width of a rafter tray can be applied to any center-to-center rafter distance neighboring rafters may have. The bridge tray’s 17 length is only limited by the length of a rafter.
Still referring to FIG. 21, it is shown that an adhesive 18 may be placed on the outward extending supporting ledge 6K of rafter cap 6 to secure the overlying bridge tray 17 in place. Rafter cap 5, in this FIG. 21 embodiment, has a top plane 5A whose width is approximately 1.5 inches, downward extending side planes 5B and 5C of approximately 1 inch width W (width being the distance the side planes extend downward from top plane 5A), channels 5D and 5G whose widths W3 are approximately ⅜ inch, and upward extending outer channel sidewalls 5F and 5J whose heights are approximately ¼ inch although the 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D and 5G widths and heights may be greater or less. The top and side planes and channel measurements of rafter cap 6 are the same as those of rafter cap 5. Rafter cap 6′s outward-extending support ledges 6K and 6L, in this FIG. 21 embodiment, are shown to extend outward approximately ¾ inch though they may extend to greater or lesser lengths.
Referring to FIG. 20, an embodiment 17D of the bridge tray 17 of FIG. 19 is shown having a flared front end 17A3 comprised of a top plane 17A1 and downward extending side planes 17B1 and 17C1. The front edge 17A1 is higher than top plane 17A and is intrinsically connected to the top plane by a vertical rear wall and the side planes 17B1 and 17C1 extend out further to the left and right than planes 17B and 17C with 17B1 being intrinsically connected to plane 17B by rear wall 17B1A and with 17C1 being intrinsically connected to plane 17C by rear wall 17C1A. The flared front end 17A3 or bridge tray 17 will fit over the rear ends of like-structured bridge trays.
FIG. 22 shows the bridge tray 17 inserted between rafter caps 5 and 5Y and supported by their channels 5G and 5D (channel 5D is labelled but not shown). It is also shown that the rafter caps 5 and 5Y and bridge tray 17 stop some distance short of the terminal fascia-edges 1C of rafters 1 and 1E to prevent water draining off of them from contacting the back side of a fascia board that may be attached to the terminal ends of the rafters at a later time. Rafter end caps 10 or tape 11 or rafter end socks 59 or other water proof elements may cover the remaining exposed wood 1U of a rafter’s fascia end. Water that drops onto the bridge tray’s top surface 17A (the surface facing toward an overlying roof deck) will either travel down the top surface of the bridge tray 17 to the tray’s front edge 17A1 and empty out past the exterior wall 3S or it will flow to, then around, the left and right longitudinal edges of top plane 17A and down into channels 5G and 5D which will empty the water past a building’s exterior wall 3S.
This combination of rafter caps with bridge trays is an effective means of interdicting water that may leak through a roof deck and then channel it past the interior of a building but what about water vapor? Earlier inventors warn against allowing trapped moisture to remain in an attic: In Col 1 LL 66-67* and Col 2 LL 1-3* of U.S. Pat. 6,251,495 to Edward Wilson the inventor recognizes: “Moisture can be present due to, for example water vapor which enters a house during construction (before the roof is put on), or after construction from leaks of various types. Unwanted moisture can also result from the cumulative effect of vapor condensation”. Patents have been issued for art that teaches means and methods of providing vapor a way of escape from an attic’s or from a building’s interior. Several, such as U.S. 6,251,495 teach the perforation of radiant barriers as a method and means of allowing vapor escape. I believe an improved type of perforation can be had;
Referring now to FIG. 19A, the bridge tray 17 of FIG. 19 is shown having a top plane 17A supported at its longitudinal edges by downward extending side planes 17B and 17C. Louvers 53 that have been punched or pressed into, or by other means made present in, top plane 17A are shown extending upward from top plane 17A. The louver’s cone-shaped body frames an open-air space (a hole) 53A at its front end that angles backwards, from an imaginary line perpendicular to top plane 17A, into the louver’s body. The louver’s body tapers downward and backward from its hole 53A to its (in this embodiment of the louver) narrow end. The louver’s cone shaped body that rises up from plane 17A and frames hole 53A prevents the louver’s hole 53A from receiving on-coming water flow 14 when the bridge tray 17 is installed with its louvers’ narrow terminal ends closer to a roof’s ridge board than is the louver’s hole 53A: referring to the louver referenced by numeral 53_1; water 14 that contacts the top plane 17A of the bridge tray 17 will flow down and around a louver’s 53_1 upwardly pressed body bypassing the open-air space 53A present at louver 53_1′s front end. The water 14 then flows to the rear of louver 53_2 and repeats the flow path. Because a louver can place an escape path (the hole 53A) for vapor trapped beneath a bridge tray in a position above and mostly or completely perpendicular to the bridge tray’s top plane, and protect the hole with its body from leaked water flowing down through the hole, as well as protect the hole from being healed over or clogged by overlying insulation or dust or dirt or other material as a hole punched straight through a flat portion of plane 17A would be, vapor escape through such a hole won’t be impeded. The more perpendicular the rim of the hole 53A is to top plane 17A, the more protected the hole will be from being filled with water flowing along the top surface of top plane 17A and the more protected the hole will be from being clogged with insulation or other material that may be placed on top plane 17A. The dotted line present at the front end of bridge tray 17 outlines an area 53G of the front end of the bridge tray 17 that might be flared outwardly creating a collar that will fit over the rear end of like-structured bridge trays 17.
Referring to FIG. 19B, the louver 53 is shown having a width 53D and a length 53E that may be varied to provide any number of louver body shapes and sizes that may be pressed or punched into a bridge tray’s top plane. FIG. 19B shows hole 53A now being perpendicular to top surface 17A of bridge tray 17 as indicated by perpendicular line 53C. Perpendicular line 53C also serves as a measurement of the height of hole 53A which, in this embodiment, is at least ¼ inch though, like the hole’s width, it may be optionally varied to create more or less air flow through the hole 53A.
Referring to FIG. 19C a hood-shaped louver 54 is shown having a truncated body 54B that provides a vapor escape path through the louver’s hole 54A that is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to top plane 17A of bridge tray 17. The shape of louver 54 being different than that of cone-shaped louver 53 of FIG. 19B is intended to teach that a louver can be of any shape. Smaller louvers 54_1 are present in plane 17A representatively illustrating that louvers can be of any size. Louvers may be present in any pattern. The purpose of a louver, in this application, is to provide vapor-escape holes that are not parallel to, and in or mostly in the same plane as, the top plane 17A of a bridge tray by lifting the rear perimeter that frames a hole up and away from a bridge tray’s top plane 17A to a position that creates an acute angle between the main body of the hole and the top plane 17A of a bridge tray that exists to the rear of the hole. Any shape or sized louver and/or pattern of louvers that can accomplish that goal is within the scope of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 19D, the bridge tray 17 of FIG. 19A is shown having rectangular shaped holes 63 and circular shaped holes 63A present on the longitudinal edges of downward extending side planes 17B (shown) and 17C (holes and holes are present but not shown on side plane 17C). Punched holes 64 are shown in side plane 17B. The holes 64 may be punched anywhere on wall 17B. It is suggested, but not required that the punch initiates from the inner wall IW piercing through to the outer wall OW of either side plane in order to create outward extending perimeter walls that rim the holes and extend outward from the planes outer wall OW. This punching can be accomplished when the material used to form bridge tray 17 is in a flat state before any downward bends are made in the material to form sides 17B and 17C. If the material used to form bridge tray 17 is roll-formed metal. The punches would be made on the underside of the metal before side planes 17B and 17C are progressively bent downward. These perimeter walls will guard against water flowing off of top plane 17A onto a side plane’s outer wall OW and then inwardly through the hole where it might drop down into an attic. Instead, water will flow around the hole’s outwardly extending perimeter wall keeping the water on the outer walls OW of side planes 17B and 17C. The holes of side plane 17B may be of any shape, size, or number.
Referring now to FIG. 19E, the bridge tray 17 of FIG. 19 is shown having holes 63, 63A and/or holes 64 that provide a path of escape for vapor 65 trapped beneath plane 17A to flow through with the vapor then flowing upward onto the underside of a building’s sub-roof (not shown but overlying top plane 17A of bridge tray 17) to the roof’s vented ridge vent (not shown).
Referring now to FIG. 19G, a bridge tray 62 is shown having a lower drainage plane 62J suspended between and supported by two caps: 62A and 62B that arise from the lateral edges of plane 62J. The bridge tray 62 may be made of any rigid, semi rigid or flexible material that is waterproof, or able to be made waterproof, and is able to retain shapes formed in the material. Such materials would include, but not be limited to: metal sheets, metal foils, metal coil, and polymers. The bridge tray 62 may have any of its surfaces overlain or coated with any material able to be sprayed onto or otherwise applied to a surface such as, but not limited to; insulating ceramic spray or reflective foil. The drainage plane 62J of bridge tray 62 is shown to be flat but it may incorporate any number and shape of upward or downward extending embossments, shapes, or channels. The drainage plane 62J of bridge tray 62 may be corrugated with any corrugation type: corrugations having flat tops, round tops, pointed tops, etc. and may be corrugated with any corrugation pattern: with any number of corrugations and with any spacing between corrugations. A front portion 62FP (designated by a white dotted line) of bridge tray 62 may be flared outwardly so that the flared portion may receive and overly the rear of like-structured bridge trays.
Still referring to FIG. 19G, Cap 62A is shown having a side plane 62D that extends upward from the left edge of drainage plane 62J to an approximate width 62DW of 1 ⅜ inch and is shown having a plane 62E having an approximate width 62EW of ⅜ inch and distending downward from the left edge of top plane 62C into channel 5D whose approximate width is ½″. Top plane 62C has a suggested, but not required, width 62CW of ½″ to allow bridge tray’s 62 cap 62A to be able to shift to the left or right of upward extending plane 5F of rafter cap 5. The ability of the bridge tray 62 to shift left or right may help avoid the bridge tray being either compressed and deformed or being dislodged from the channels 5D and 5G that support it if rafter shifting occurs. A suggested, though not mandatory, width of top planes 62C and 62F would be no more than ½ that of lower channel planes 5E and 5H. It is also suggested, but not mandatory, that drainage plane 62J being sized so that an open-air space having a width of at least ½ the width of top planes 62C and 62F exists between upward extending side planes 62D and 62G and upward extending side planes 5F and 5E respectively when side planes 5F and 5E intersect the mid points of top planes 62C and 62F. The suggested measurements allow for the greatest amount of bridge tray 62 Shifting. The lengths and widths of cap 62B’s top plane 62F and side planes 62G and 62H mirror those of the corresponding top and side planes 62C, 62D, and 62E of cap 62A.
Side plane 62E of cap 62A and side plane 62H of cap 62B have suggested (but not required) widths 62DW and 62HW of ⅜ to ½ inch. The widths may be smaller or larger but should be at least ⅛″ inch to prevent caps 62A or 62B from slipping off of supporting side plane 5F of rafter cap 5 or slipping off of supporting side plane 5E of rafter cap 5Y in the event of rafter shift. Side planes 62E and 62G should have widths 62EW and 62GW no greater than the widths of side planes 5C and 5B of rafter caps 5 and 5Y to prevent plywood that will soon overlie caps 62A and 62B from deforming them by causing them to buckle. Drainage plane 62J is shown to be distanced 1 inch below planes 5E and 5H of rafter cap channels 5D and 5G. Front portions (designated by a white dotted line) of bridge tray 62′s side, top, and drainage plains may be flared to create a collar 62FP that will overlie the rear end of like-structured bridge trays: Widening the “dotted-white-line designated portions” of top planes 62C and 62F and bringing the “dotted-white-line designated portion” of planes 62D and 62G inward causing the “dotted white-line designated portion” of drainage plane 62J to shorten in width will allow the “dotted-white-line designated portions” of 62D, 62G, and 62J to fit inside the rear end of a like-structured bridge tray and will allow the “dotted-white-line designated portions” of top planes 62C and 62F to fit over the top planes of the rear of a like-structured bridge-tray and allow side planes 62E and 62H fit adjacent to corresponding 62E and 62H outermost side planes present in the rear portion of a like-structured bridge tray.
Drainage plane 62J may be brought closer to or distended further from top planes 62C and 62F by lengthening or shortening the widths 62DW and 62GW of side planes 62D and 62G to create greater or smaller open-air spaces between drainage plane 62J and the undersurface of overlying plywood and to allow for the type of cross-bracing that may be used between rafters:
Referring to FIG. 19H, bridge tray 62 of FIG. 19 is shown having a V-shaped drainage plane 62J1 comprised of a left plane 62J2 that angles downward at a greater-than-90-degree angle from the bottom edge of side plane 62D of cap 62A and further comprised of a right plane 62J3 that angles downward at a greater-than-90-degree angle from the bottom edge of side plane 62G of cap 62B. Side plane 62D of cap 62A and is shown distending 2 ″ 62DW downward from cap 62A’s top plane while side plane 62G is shown distending only 1 ″ 62GW from cap 62B’s top plane 62F to illustrate that a cap’s (62A and 62B) side planes (62D, 62E, 62G, 62H) may have varied lengths. In some situations, bridge tray dimensions, such as sidewalls 62D and 62G might be limited to a certain range of functional lengths and widths by different types of rafter-bracing an installer may encounter: preventing a further lowering of drainage plane 62J1; by further distending side planes 62D and/or 62G or by more obliquely angling side drainage plane halves 62J2 and 62J3 is rafter brace 66 which is shown to immediately underlie left plane 62J2 of drainage plane 62J1. A front portion of this “V-shaped drainage plane” embodiment bridge tray 62 may be flared so that its planes 62D, 62J2, 62J3, and 62G will insert within the rear portion of a like-structured bridge tray. This can be accomplished by widening a front portion of top planes 62C and 62 F and bringing the adjacent front portions of side planes 62D and 62G inward causing the adjacent front portion of angled drainage plane 62J1 to shorten in width allowing the front portions of 62D, 62G, 62J2, and 62J3, which are designated by white dotted lines, to fit inside the rear end of a like-structured bridge tray while allowing the front portions of top planes 62C and 62F and of side planes 62E and 62H to fit over and to the outside of structured top and side planes that are present in the rear of a like-structured bridge tray.
Referring to FIG. 19J, Bridge tray 17 is shown overlying bridge tray 62. The open-air space OAS present between the bottom surface of plane 17A and the top surface of drainage plane 62A is shown to be 1 inch but may be increased or decreased by lengthening the widths (the length of the downward extension) of side planes 17B and 17C of bridge tray 17 and/or by increasing or decreasing the widths (the downward extension) of side planes 62D and 62G of bridge tray 62. The open-air space OAS area between planes 17A and 62A may, if desired, be filled with insulation. The open-air space OAS itself can serve as insulation. Either 17A or 62A or both may have top surfaces that are made of or coated with reflective material causing them to act as radiant barriers. The louvers, holes, holes and corrugations taught earlier in this application may be made present on top plane 17A and side planes 17B, 17C of bridge tray 17 and on the drainage plane 62A of bridge tray 62.
Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 19, and FIG. J: FIG. 2 shows rafter cap 5 having a ledge 5JA at the front edge of plane 5J and a ledge 5JB extending outward from the inner surface (rafter facing surface) of plane 5J. These ledges may be present anywhere in channels 5G and 5D (or in the channels of any rafter cap embodiments taught within this Specification) and may extend from either of the channel’s side planes: 5B, 5J, 5C, or 5F. FIG. 19 shows rafter tray 17 having slits 17BK and 17CK present in its downward extending side planes 17B and 17C that will receive like-positioned ledges present within side planes 5B, 5J, 5C or 5F of rafter cap 5. The purpose of a rafter cap’s ledge is to prevent a rafter tray from sliding forward within a rafter cap’s channel as ledge 5FA is shown to be doing in FIG. 19J where the front edge of rafter tray 17′s side plane 17B is shown butted up against and stopped by ledge 5FA. Still referring to FIG. 19J, ledge 5FB that is also present in channel 5G is inserted into a slit 17BK present (but not shown) on side plane 17B of rafter tray 17 and this ledge/slit combination also prevents the forward shifting of rafter tray 17 while still allowing rafter tray 17 to shift laterally. Rafer cap ledges that would be present further up channel 5D, that would insert into like-positioned slits present in rafter tray 17′s side plane 17B, would also stop the forward sliding of rafter tray 17. Ledges 5FA, 5FB, 5JA, and 5JB do not extend upward to the point their top edges reach the top edge of the outer wall planes 5J and 5F they are adjacent to. If they did, water flowing into channels 5D and 5G would rise to the top edges of their outer side planes 5F and 5J and spill over their outer planes and down into an attic or onto an underlying ceiling. Slits present in rafter tray 17′s side planes 17B and 17C also do not rise to a height equal to or greater than the top edges of channel 5D’s and channel 5G’s outer-wall side planes 5F and 5J. Otherwise, water flowing off of top plane 17A and down side planes 17B and 17C could enter the slits and pass rearward (away from the rafter they are closest to) and, by capillary action, cling to the undersurface of top plane 17A with the water possibly flowing over open airspace then dropping down into the attic or onto an underlying ceiling.
The widths of any of the top or side planes of the caps or of the drainage planes that form the bridge trays illustrated in FIGS. 19-19E, 19G, 19H, 19J and FIG. 20 may be adjusted to be greater or less constrained only by overlying plywood, the distance between rafters, and bracing that may exist between rafters. The angles at which the top, side and drainage planes of illustrated bridge trays meet appears to be and is assumed to be 90 or nearly 90 degrees unless otherwise illustrated or noted in the text of this Specification. Any angle at which the planes of a bridge tray meet may be adjusted to be more acute or more oblique. Any rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible material that is waterproof and is able to hold shapes formed in the material may be used to make bridge trays, rafter caps, and rafter endcaps.
Overview of Uni-Bodied and Bifurcated Rafter End Caps Rafter endcaps and bifurcated rafter endcaps may be made of any water proof material of any serviceable thickness including, but not limited to, water proof cloth, metal coil, extruded or vacuum-formed or blow-molded or poured plastic, rubber or synthetic rubber material, self-sealing silicone, neoprene, latex, latex foam or other self-sealing materials that act to engulf and cling tightly to objects that pierce them such as screw or nail or staple shanks. Plastics, or any other material, used in the manufacture of a rafter endcap or bifurcated rafter endcap should be resistant to fracture from impact or from low temperatures. One example of a plastic that might be used is polybutadiene: the plastic that is used in the manufacture of sneaker soles which is soft yet tough. Natural latex or Latex foam (such as that used to make shoe sole inserts) is one of many materials that could be used to form thin endcaps or endcap halves.
The top, side, and lower planes of the rafter endcaps and bifurcated rafter endcaps taught throughout this application are illustrated and assumed to meet one another at 90° or approximate 90° angles unless otherwise indicated by text or by visual appearance in an illustration. Any angle, 90° or otherwise, at which rafter endcap and rafter bifurcated endcap planes (top, side, bottom, lower leftward or rightward extending) may be optionally be made more acute or more oblique.
Referring to FIG. 4, a bifurcated rafter endcap 57 is shown having two halves: 57A and 57B that have top hook-shaped edges 57F and 57G that serve as fastening edges that interlock one another when one endcap half 57B has its hook-shaped edge 57G placed onto and pushed against the other endcap half’s 57A hook-shaped edge 57F. Referring to FIG. 4A, hook-shaped edge 57F is shown having a stem 57F1 that extends outward from the top edge of plane 57A1, (the stem 57F1 also extends outward from the top edges of planes 57A2, and 57A3) and then turns upward having its terminal portion take the shape of a hook 57F2. Hook-shaped edge 57G is shown having a stem 57G4 that extends outward from rafter cap plane 57B2 (57B2 is shown in FIG. 4) and then turns downward having its terminal end take the shape of a hook 57G2. FIG. 4B shows hook-shaped edge 57F being pushed against hook-shaped edge 57G. Once hook-shaped edge 57F’s hook 57F2 contacts hook 57G2, both hooks will flex as they continue to be pressed together and, now referring to FIG. 4C, allow hook 57F to pass inward into and flex upward into receiving channel 57G3 as hook 57G2 will pass inward into and flex downward into receiving channel 57F3 locking the bifurcated rafter endcap halves 57A and 57B together.
Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, rafter endcaps 10 and rafter endcap halves 57A and 57B, when made of a material of sufficient hardness or thickness to retain shape, may have their interiors coated with grease 35 or with another thick lubricant or water-proofing coating or wood persevering paste or substance then have their front open-air space openings covered or sealed with a peel-able film or removable cap 10h until time of installation as is illustrated in FIG. 6. The grease or thick lubricant or water-proof coating or wood preserving paste or substance that coats the interior walls of a rafter or bifurcated rafter end cap will transfer to and coat the rafter wood beneath overlying rafter caps or bifurcated rafter end caps that have been installed on the fascia end of a rafter.
Referring now to FIG. 4D, an embodiment of a bifurcated rafter endcap 57 is shown having a double-sided adhesive tape 11B affixed or adhered to the bottom surface of top plane 57A1 and extending to the right of the longitudinal edge (edge F) of 57A1. A protective film 11C is present on the underside of the double-sided adhesive tape. The protective film 11C may also overlie a portion of the top side of the double-sided adhesive tape or gasket that extends to the left and past the longitudinal edge of top plane 57A1. The protective film 11C will be peeled off at the time of installation of the bifurcated rafter endcap onto the fascia end of a rafter. In lieu of double-sided tape 11C, a thin gasket with adhesive on its top and/or bottom surfaces may be used. This tape or thin gasket will be wide enough to cover the top edge of a rafter. The tape or gasket may also be affixed or adhered to the interior surface of rear edge 57A3 and/or to the top surface of bottom edge 57A2 and/or to the interior surface of side plane 57A4. The interior surface of side plane 57A4 is the surface of 57A4 that would face toward the rafter it is adjacent to. The left 57A4 and right 57B4 interior surfaces of 57A and 57B of the bifurcated rafter endcap 57 are shown facing one another in an upright position simulating the position they would be in immediately before being placed opposite one another on the fascia end of a rafter.
FIG. 4E shows bifurcated rafter halves 57A and 57B each being partially placed on the fascia end of semi-transparent rafter 1T but not yet squeezed together and fully interlocked. Once the halves 57A and 57Bare squeezed together they will be locked in placed on the rafter end by means of their interlocking hook-shaped edges 57F and 57G.
Adhesives may be used to fasten left and right rafter cap halves together if the rafter cap halves do or don’t have perimeter edges shaped to interlock with one another: In one embodiment, the perimeter edges of the rafter endcap halves’ top, bottom, and rear planes would be flat and coated with adhesive that is overlain with a film that would be removed at the time of installment of the rafter cap halves on the fascia end of a rafter. Once the rafter endcaps halves are pressed together, on the fascia end of a rafter, the adhesive would hold them in a joined state. In another embodiment of rafter endcap halves having flat top, bottom, and rear perimeter edges; rafter end cap halves may have their interior surfaces and perimeter edges completely coated or partially coated with water-proof adhesive coatings such as roof tar or one of many adhesive silicones and then pressed together on the rafter’s fascia-end. In another embodiment of rafter endcap halves having flat perimeter edges, dabs of Liquid Nails® or other adhesive pastes or thick coatings may be placed on the portions of the top edge and/or on the rear and bottom edges and sides of the fascia end of a rafter the rafter endcaps will cover. The Liquid Nails® or other adhesive pastes or thick coatings may squeeze up onto the perimeter edges of the bifurcated rafter endcap halves as they are pressed onto the fascia end of a rafter and toward one another. Once the bifurcated rafter endcap halves are fully pressed together, their adhesive coated top, bottom, and rear perimeter edges will be adhered and sealed to one another and to the rafter they are installed upon and will guard against water entering at their areas of perimeter abutment. It should be noted that applying an adhesive solely on the terminal rear or bottom edge of a rafter may not hold the rafter endcap halves together tightly enough to prevent water from seeping through the seam formed where their perimeters abut: when a plywood sheet is made to overlie a rafter endcap it can cause one or the other or both rafter endcap halves to shift and move apart from one another if they haven’t been adjoined to each other with some type of intrinsic perimeter-edge fastening member or with an application of adhesives to both the top and rear and bottom edges of the fascia-end of a rafter.
Bifurcated rafter endcap halves, that will form a rafter endcap, may be dimensioned to fit tightly against a rafter’s fascia end or they may be dimensioned so that a continuous open-air space exists between the inward rafter-facing surfaces of their top, bottom, rear and side planes. Reasons for “over sizing” rafter endcap halves will become apparent later in this Description of Embodiments.
Detailed Description of FIGS. 4-4H and FIG. 5 Referring again to FIG. 4, a top plane 57A1, bottom plane 57A2, and fascia-end plane 57A3 frame a side plane 57A4 forming the left half 57A of bifurcated rafter endcap 57. Referring now to FIG. 4E, the top and bottom planes 57A1 and 57A2 of left half 57A are shown having a width equal or approximately equal to ½ the width of a rafter’s 1T top 1A, bottom 1M and rear edges. Rear plane 57A3, which is referenced but not shown, has the same width as top and bottom planes 57A1 and 57A2. Referring again to FIG. 4, the front end 57A5 of rafter endcap half 57A is shown to be an open-air space framed by the front-end perimeters of planes 57A1, 57A2, and side plane 57A4. The perimeter edge of planes 57A1, 57A2, and 57A3 is a fastening-member 57F designed to insert into the receiving channel 57G1 of rafter endcap half 57B.
Referring again to FIG. 4D, rafter endcap 57 is shown having a left half 57A and a right half 57B each in an upright position facing one another. Each half is in a position to be placed on the side of a rafter (not shown) at its fascia end. Top planes 57A1 and 57B1 may be of any length but, in colder climates, top plane lengths of at least two inches are preferred for this reason: Water may spill over the top of a fascia board that has been attached through the rafter endcap halves, and through them to the rafter, and climb backwards up the rafter an inch or more. Freezing and refreezing can cause water to cause ice to form and climb even further up the rafter. Referring now to FIG. 4G; to guard against the “upward creep” of water or ice, outward extending flanges 58A and 58B I will call “half-collars” may be added at or near the front edges of planes 57A2, 57A4, 57B2, and 57B4 of bifurcated rafter endcap 57A Half-collars 58A and 58B terminate at top planes 57A1 and 57B1. The half-collars extend outward a suggested (but not required) distance of ½ to 1 inch from side planes 57A4 and 57B4 and from bottom planes 57A2 and 57B2 and will act as dams against further rearward and upward flow of water and upward progression of ice during freeze and re-freeze cycles: water climbing up the fascia end of a rafter covered by the collared embodiment of rafter end cap 57 to a point that it reaches the half-collars will drop down into an underlying soffit or open-air space. Ice, that by freezing and refreezing, climbs up to a point that it reaches the half-collars will expand outwardly rather than continue climbing up the rafter.
Referring again to FIG. 4E, the left-side and right-side top, bottom, and rear planes of bifurcated rafter endcap 57 may optionally have a larger combined width than the measurement of the thickness of the top, bottom, and terminal edges of rafter 1T and side planes 57A4 and 57B4 may have a wider width than the left and right sides of rafter 1T creating an “oversized endcap” that allows open air space to exist between the interior walls of planes top planes 57A1 and 57A2, bottom planes 57B1 and 57B2, and side planes 57A4, 57B4, and the side planes and top and bottom edges of rafter 1T. This allows room for adhesive tapes, pastes, grease, or coatings to be applied to the interior walls of bifurcated rafter endcap 57 without preventing rafter endcap halves 57A and 57B from being easily placed on each side of a rafter.
Referring again to FIG. 5, Bifurcated rafter endcap 57 is shown having had its left half 57B placed on the left side of a rafter’s 1 fascia end and its right half 57A placed on the right side of the rafter’s 1 fascia end. In this embodiment, both halves of the rafter endcap 57 were coated or partially filled with grease 35 some of which was forced out of the halves 57A and 57B when they were squeezed together. As the grease was squeezed out of the rafter endcap halves it traveled a distance up the rafter 1 accomplishing two goals: #1. Coating the rafter’s fascia end further protecting it from water contact. #2. Sealing any air space present between the perimeter of the rafter endcap’s top, bottom, and side planes at the rafter endcap’s 57 open end and the top and bottom edges and sides of the rafter 1. In lieu of grease, wood-preservative pastes such as (but not limited to) “Cu-Bor Preservative Paste” or “MP500-EXT”, both of which are used to coat the portion of electric utility line posts that is buried in the earth, may be used to coat or line or partially fill the interiors of rafter endcap halves 57A and 57B. In this FIG. 5 embodiment of bifurcated rafter endcap 57, the bifurcated rafter endcap’s halves have fastening members 57F and 57G (see FIG. 4) as their top plane, bottom plane, and rear plane perimeter edges allowing the halves to snap into place joining one half 57A to the other 57B.
Detailed Description of FIGS. 6-8 Referring to FIG. 6, a uni-bodied (non-bifurcated) rafter endcap 10 is shown. Rafter endcap 10 has had its interior coated or lined or partially filled with grease 35 and has a removable cap 10H shaped and sized to cover the rafter endcap’s open front end. Cap 10H protects the grease from being contaminated with other material and protects the installer from contacting the grease. At the time of installation, the cap is removed.
Referring to FIG. 7, an embodiment of cap 61 that could be used to cover the open front end of a rafter endcap or bifurcated rafter endcap is shown: Rafter endcap 61 is rectangular in shape and comprised of intersecting channels 61B, 61C, 61D, and 61E that frame a recessed plane 61F. Extending upward at least ¼″ from recessed plane 61F is tab 61G. The channels of the cap will extend to a depth of approximately 3/16 inch (or greater) and have a width that causes them to fit snugly over the perimeter of the open end of a rafter cap. The cap 61 can be removed from the front end of a rafter endcap by grasping the tab 61G with your fingers or with pliers and pulling it away from the endcap. In lieu of caps, a film that approximates the size of a rafter endcap’s front opening and that has one adhesive surface, or perimeter, can be adhered to the perimetering terminal edges of an endcap’s front opening and then removed at time of installation. The cap 61 or film protect any grease or paste or coating from leaking out of the bifurcated endcap or from being contaminated before installation.
Referring again to FIG. 5, when both halves of a bifurcated rafter endcap are joined together to encompass a rafter, their combined top and bottom planes have interior-surface (interior surfaces of a plane are the surfaces that face the rafter once an endcap is placed over the rafter’s fascia end) widths CW that are at least marginally greater than 1.5 inches and their sides have interior-surface heights IH that are greater than; 3.5 or 5.5 or 7.5 or 9.5 or 11.5 inches. This construction allows the bifurcated rafter endcaps to be placed over the end of 2×4 or 2×6 or 2×8 or 2×10 or 2×12 dimensioned rafters and allows for some or all or at least one top, side, or bottom inner surface of an endcap half to contact or remain close to the rafter.
Referring again to FIGS., 5, 6 and 7, as noted earlier, a rafter endcap may be made of any material that is waterproof and/or self-sealing. The material may be rigid, semi-rigid, flexible, or pliant. In yet another embodiment of rafter endcap 10 and bifurcated rafter endcap 57, their top, bottom, and side planes would extend up the rafter they encompass until they approach or even contact the stud wall the rafter they protect is affixed to.
Referring to FIG. 8, a unibodied beam endcap 70 having a front opening 70E is shown that may be used to encase and protect an area adjacent the terminal-fascia end of a beam from decay that may occur from water contacting that area of the beam. The beam endcap 70 has a top plane 70A, a bottom plane 70B, and a rear fascia-end plane 70F whose interior surface widths approximate, but are greater than; 3.5 inches or that approximate but are greater than any other thickness a beam they will service will have. The beam endcap 70 is also shown having sides 70C and 70D with interior surface heights that approximate, but are greater than; 3.5 or 5.5 or 7.5 or 9.5 or 11.5 inches. This construction allows the rafter endcap to be slid over the end of a beam and allows the inner surfaces of the beam endcap 70 to contact or remain close to the beam. The bottom plane 70B of the beam endcap 70 is longer than the beam endcap’s top plane 70A causing the rear fascia-ends of sides 70C and 70D to angle downward mirroring the angled cut at the end of the beam it will be slid over. Unibodied beam endcaps, such as that illustrated in FIG. 8, may be bifurcated in the same manner as bifurcated rafter endcap 57 of FIG. 4 thereby gaining advantages over unibodied embodiments such as an easier “prefill” of the interiors of a bifurcated endcap’s two halves with pastes or coatings or tapes versus trying to prefill a unibodied rafter endcap with the same.
Detailed Description of FIGS. 4J-4T FIG. 4J shows a rafter endcap 7 having a top plane 7A that has a width 7AW sized to fit over the top edge of a rafter and a length 7AL that is shown to be approximately 3 inches but may be less or more. A second plane 7B extends downward from top plane 7A and will cover the terminal fascia-edge of a rafter. Second plane 7B has a length 7BL equal to or greater than the length of the terminal fascia-edge of the rafter it covers. Extending downward from the left and right edges of top plane 7A are side planes 7C and 7J which will which have widths 7CW and 7DW that allow them to partially or completely cover the sides of a rafter depending on the width chosen at time of the rafter endcap’s manufacture. A suggested (but not required) measurement of 7CW and 7DW is ½ to 1 inch. Extending outward at approximate 90° angles from planes 7C and 7J are planes 7E and 7L that serve to interdict any water (not shown) flowing down side planes 7C and 7J preventing the water from contacting the exposed wood on the sides of a rafter that is beneath and adjacent to, but not overlain by, side planes 7C and 7J. Planes 7E and 7L may extend outward from planes 7C and 7J at a greater or lesser angle than the 90° angle shown. Extending rearward from second plane 7B are side planes 7D and 7 K which will have widths that allow them to partially or completely cover the sides of a rafter. Extending outward at approximate 90° angle from side planes 7D and 7K are planes 7F and 7M that serve to interdict and direct downward and away from the rafter any water flowing off of planes 7C, 7J, 7E, and 7L preventing such water from contacting the exposed wood (see FIG. 4L to view the exposed wood being referenced) on the sides of a rafter adjacent to but not overlain by side planes 7D and 7K. If lower planes 7L, 7M, 7E, and 7F are formed to extend outward at angles of less than 90° they will serve to form V-shaped channels in conjunction with their respective adjacent side planes: 7J, 7K, 7C, and 7D.
FIG. 4K shows a rafter endcap 8 that is mostly a copy of rafter endcap 7 of FIG. 4J having four additional side planes: The top plane 8A of rafter endcap 8 has the same dimensions as rafter endcap 7′s top plane 7A, the side planes 8C, 8D, 8J, and 8K of rafter endcap 8 have the same structure and dimensions as rafter endcap 7′s side planes 7C, 7D, 7J, and 7K and the lower planes 8E, 8F, 8L, and 8M of rafter endcap 8 have the same structure and dimensions of planes 7E, 7F, 7L, and 7M of rafter endcap 7. In unison with side plane 8J, lower plane 8L and side plane 8N form channel 8S. In unison with side plane 8C, lower plane 8E and side plane 8G form channel 8Q. In unison with side plane 8K, lower plane 8M and side plane 8P form channel 8T. In unison with side plane 8D, lower plane 8F and side plane 8H form channel 8R. These channels serve to capture water flowing off of planes 8C, 8D, 8J, and 8K and direct it away from the rafter end that rafter endcap 8 covers.
Still referring to FIG. 4K: in lieu of the square or rectangular-shaped channels, 8Q, 8R, 8S, and 8T Side planes 8C, 8D, 8J, and 8K could distend into a loop that initiates from their present lowest edges forming U-shaped channels.
Referring to FIG. 4M, it is illustrated that any water 14 that contacts the top plane 8A of rafter cap 8 and flows down any of its longitudinal edge-adjacent sides 8C, 8D, 8J, or 8K (with 8C and 8D not shown but being on the other side of the rafter opposite sides 8J and 8K) will be interdicted by the endcap’s channels 8L, 8T, (and by channels 8Q and 8R which are not shown but exist opposite channels 8L and 8T on the right side of rafter 1) and prevented from contacting exposed wood of the rafter’s 1 fascia end that is adjacent to and beneath or beside those side planes and channels. Side plane 8K and channel 8T are shown distending further than the bottom edge of rafter 1 although they may have shorter lengths of distension. It is suggested that channel 8T distends a little farther than the bottom edge of rafter 1 to prevent water from curling backward around the bottom terminal edges of 8K and channel 8T and contacting the rafter.
FIG. 4L shows rafter endcap 8 installed on the fascia end of a rafter 1. In this FIG. 4L illustration rafter endcap 8 is shown with its top plane 8A and Second plane 8B having undersurface widths 8AW and 8BW that are slightly larger than that of the top edge 1A and fascia-end edge 1C of rafter 1. The widths 8AW and 8BW of the top and second planes may be further widened. One reason to do so would be to accommodate coatings or gaskets that might optionally coat or line the underside of the top 8A, second plane 8B, and side planes 8C, 8D, 8J, and 8K of rafter endcap 8. Top plane 8A may be of any length but in FIG. 4L the top plane is shown having a length 8AL of 5 inches. Second plane 8B should be at least long enough to cover all the exposed wood of the terminal fascia-edge of a rafter 1. In this embodiment of rafter endcap 8, second plane 8B is shown having a length 8BL greater than that of the rafter’s terminal fascia-edge and planes 8K, 8M and 8P that form channel 8T are also shown distending further than the rafter’s terminal fascia-edge. This ensures water will drop down into underlying open-air space rather than curl around the bottom edges of these planes and contact the exposed wood of terminal facia edge 1C or the exposed wood of bottom edge 1M of rafter 1 as it would if the rafter cap’s planes were of the same or of a shorter length than the rafter’s terminal fascia-edge. In this embodiment, rafter endcap’s 8 top and second planes 8A and 8B are shown being at a 90° angle with one another matching the angle formed by rafter 1′s top and terminal fascia-edges 1A and 1C. Top planes 8A and distending plane 8B may be adjusted to match the degree of “plumb cut″- angle between the top and terminal fascia edges of a rafter.
When a builder intends to affix a fascia board to the terminal edge of a rafter, he will make a “plumb cut” at the fascia end of a rafter that begins on the rafter’s top edge and angles downward creating a new terminal facia-edge of the rafter. When the ridge board end of a rafter is lifted and placed against a roof structure’s ridge board at its desired angle of incline termed a “roof pitch” the “plumb cut” will become perpendicular to ground (vertical to ground) and allow a fascia board attached to the plumb-cut-end of the rafter to be perpendicular to ground. Because roof pitches vary, the plumb cut will vary. Another way to describe a “plumb cut” is: “the angle a rafter’s terminal fascia-edge forms in conjunction with a rafter’s top edge”. Because this angle will vary, the angle formed between the top plane and second plane of rafter endcaps that will cover the rafter’s top edge and terminal fascia-edge must vary with it as is illustrated in FIG. 4N where the second plane 8B is shown distending downward from top plane 8A at a 60° angle matching the 60° “plumb cut” angle followed by rafter 1′s terminal fascia-edge 1C as it descends downward from rafter 1′s top plane 1A. Were the angle of descension followed by rafter 1′s terminal fascia-edge 1C to be 40°, the top plane 8B of rafter endcap 8 would descend downward from top plane 8A at a 40° angle.
The embodiments of rafter endcap 8 illustrated in FIGS. 4K, 4L, 4M, and 4N may or may not be unibodied.
Because fascia end plumb cuts are made at a variety of angles on homes having different roof pitches, a variety of rafter end caps having matching “top edge to terminal fascia edge” angles may be manufactured to service them. But there is an alternative:
Referring to FIG. 4P a rafter endcap 9 is shown in its initial state which parallels a straight line. The top 9A and 9E, planes, and lower planes 9C, 9G, 9K, and 9N, and side planes 9B, 9J, 9F, 9M, 9D, 9H, and 9L and 9P of rafter endcap 9 are equivalent in width, shape, and purpose to the top, side, and lower planes of rafter cap 5 of FIG. 2A and may optionally incorporate the features found in rafter cap 5T of FIG. 2B and found in rafter cap 5Y of FIG. 2C: such as inward extending ledges and inwardly angled side planes. Any features such as (but not limited to) upward loops serving as channels or V-shaped channels that initiate at the bottom edges of side planes and suggested earlier as alternate embodiments of rafter cap 5 of FIG. 2A may be incorporated by rafter cap 9. A portion of rafter endcap 9 has been formed into an intrinsic expandable corrugated accordion-like element 9U that is comprised of corrugations 9U1. To help explain the purpose of expandable element 9U, planes 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and planes 9J, 9K, 9L shall be deemed: “section 9S1′ and planes 9E, 9F, 9G, 9H, and planes 9M, 9N, and 9P shall be deemed: “section 9S2”. In FIG. 4P, the expandable element 9U and sections 9S1 and 9S2 of rafter endcap 9 are shown to be intrinsic to one another forming a “uni-bodied” rafter endcap 9 but 9U, 9S1, and 9S2 may be individual separate elements that connect to one another.
Referring now to FIG. 4Q, it is shown that expandable element 9U may exist as an independent element shown to have a top corrugated plane 9UA supported by downward extending corrugated side planes 9UB and 9UC. Adjacent and intrinsic-to-the-bottom-left-edge of corrugated side plane 9UB is leftward extending lower corrugated plane 9UD that extends left from corrugated side plane 9UB at a 90° angle. Extending upward from the left edge of lower corrugated plane 9UD at a 90° angle is corrugated plane 9UE. Collectively, corrugated planes 9UB, 9UD, and 9UE form channel 9UF. Adjacent and intrinsic to the bottom right edge of corrugated side plane 9UC is rightward extending corrugated lower plane 9UG that extends right from corrugated side plane 9UC at a 90° angle. Extending upward from the right edge of lower corrugated plane 9UJ at a 90° angle is corrugated plane 9UH. Collectively, corrugated planes 9UC, 9UG, and 9UH form channel 9UJ. Corrugated element 9U may be sized to have its top 9UA and side planes 9UB and 9UC fit tightly over the top and side planes of sections 9S1 and 9S2 and constructed and sized to have its channels 9UF and 9UJ fit tightly within the rear end of channels 9G and 9N of section 1. Corrugated element 9U may optionally have front and and/or front and rear receiving channels; 9U2 and 9U3 formed at, or added to, the front and rear edges of its top plane 9UA and to the front and rear edges of side planes 9UB and 9UC. Receiving channels may optionally be added to the front and rear edges of lower planes 9UD and 9UJ and to the front and rear edges of side planes 9UE and 9UH.
Receiving channels 9U2 and 9U3 serve to join rafter endcap sections 9S1 and 9S2 as illustrated in FIGS. 4R and 4S where sections 9S1 and 9S2 are no longer shown as individual elements that have been, now referring specifically to FIG. 4S: inserted into the front and rear receiving channels 9U2 and 9U3 of expandable element 9U. Collectively, the three individual elements: 9S1, 9U, and 9S2 form rafter endcap 9SA. FIG. 4S, as noted earlier, shows sections 9S1 and 9S2 fully inserted into the receiving channels 9U2 and 9U2 of expandable element 9U. The purpose of expandable element 9U, either as an intrinsic part of a rafter endcap or as a separate element used to join rafter endcap sections, is illustrated in FIGS. 4T and 4U: FIGS. 4T and 4U illustrate that expandable element 9U is able to expand outwardly and be flexed downward when the corrugations 9U1 of rafter endcap 9 are pulled to expand outward.
FIG. 4T shows the FIG. 4P uni-bodied embodiment of a rafter endcap 9, having its top plane 9A of first section 9S1 resting atop a portion of a rafter 1′s top edge 1A that is parallel to the rafter’s bottom edge 1M. A portion 9U2 of corrugated element 9U that is adjacent to top plane 9A rests atop a final portion of rafter 1′s top edge 1A that is parallel to the rafter’s bottom edge 1M before the remaining portion of corrugated element 9U is stretched and flexed downward onto the downward angled portion 1A2 of top edge 1A allowing top plane 9E, and the rest of section 9S2, to be flexed downward following the downward turn of the “plumb-cut” angle that rafter top edge 1A2 takes from 1A. The “stretch and flex” feature of corrugated element 9U allows rafter endcap 9 to adjust to whatever “plumb-cut” angle the terminal edge of a rafter may have eliminating the necessity of having to manufacture a variety of rafter endcaps for rafters having a 3/12 - 12/12 pitches: corrugated element 9U allows one size to fit all.
Although the top 9A, 9B, planes and side planes 9B, 9J, 9F and 9M ((side plane 9J is not being shown but is present on the other side of rafter 1 opposite side 9B) of rafter endcap 9 may fit tightly against the top edges 1A, 1A2, and side plane surfaces of rafter 1, rafter endcap 9′ stop planes 9A and 9E may optionally be made wider than the top edges 1A and 1A2 of the rafter they rest on to allow an open-air space to exist between side planes 9B, 9J, 9F, and 9M and the sides of rafter 1. This open-air space allows any water that may have formed by condensation on the rafter-facing surfaces of the rafter endcap’s 9 side planes to evaporate rather than staying trapped between the rafter endcap’s side planes and the sides of the rafter 1.
Referring to FIG. 4U, an embodiment of rafter endcap 9 is shown installed on the top edge 1A and terminal fascia-edge 1C of a rafter 1. Sections 9S1 and 9S2 of rafter endcap 9 have been made semi-transparent to allow viewing of the underlying rafter. The terminal fascia-edge 1C of the rafter 1 is shown to angle downward 39.81 degrees from the rafter’s top edge 1A. This is the angle of cut found on rafters that will be used to build a roof with a 10/12 pitch. The rafter 1 is shown in a horizontal position and, when lifted up and attached to a roof’s ridge board: the rafter’s terminal fascia-edge will become “plumb” and parallel to the wall of a building it extends past and perpendicular to ground. Later, a fascia board will be nailed to and through the top planes of sections 9S2 and of corrugated element 9U with the nail attaching the fascia board to the fascia end of the rafter. Although rafter endcap 9 is shown adapted to the rafter’s 39.81 \-degree (10/12 pitch) fascia end angle, the flexibility of corrugated element 9U allows it to match any angle allowing section 9S2 of rafter end cap 9 to follow and press tightly against rafter fascia ends having any angle a desired roof pitch will require. Side planes 9B and 9F are shown to extend 1 inch down the sides of rafter 1 but they may extend as little as ¼ inch or as much as the width of the rafter or even further if desired. In this FIG. 4U embodiment of rafter end cap 9, section 9S2 is shown extending past the terminal fascia-edge 1C of the rafter’s fascia end. It isn’t required that rafter endcap 9 extend past the terminal fascia-edge 1C of a rafter’s terminal fascia-edge, but if the rafter’s terminal fascia-edge 1C hasn’t already been made waterproof and/or waterproof and self-sealing with a coating or tape or other covering before rafter endcap 9 is installed, it is suggested that section 9S2 extend at least some distance past lowest edge of terminal fascia-edge 1C of the rafter 1 to prevent any water flowing down the top and side planes or channel 9G (and the other planes and channels) of rafter end cap 9 from contacting rafter 1′s terminal fascia-edge 1C.
In the FIG. 4U embodiment of rafter endcap 9, the material sections 9S1 and 9S2 and corrugated element 9U of the rafter endcap may be made independent of one another or may be unibodied as they are shown to be in FIG. 4U with sections 9S1, 9S2, and corrugated element 9U being made of a low-density plastic or of any material able to be made into an expandable corrugation. In another embodiment, sections 9S1, 9S2, and element 9U are intrinsic to one another and are each made of rubber or a synthetic or rubber like material such as (but not limited to) neoprene. In another embodiment sections 9S1, 9S2, and/or corrugated element 9U are all made of metal and the metal-component rafter endcap will overly gaskets or other waterproof self-sealing material that overly the top edge 1A and terminal fascia-edge 1C of the rafter. As an independent element, corrugated element 9U may be made of a stretchable mat or film such as neoprene or made of other stretchable material that doesn’t rely on corrugations to offer flexibility or expandability with sections 9S1 and 9S2 being made of the same stretchable material or of metal or plastic or of any other water-proof material.
In another embodiment of rafter endcap 9, most of the rafter endcap or the entire rafter endcap is corrugated: In this “completely corrugated” embodiment, any material capable of being formed into expandable corrugations and capable of maintaining the shapes and dimensions (or the approximate shapes and dimensions) of rafter endcap 9, as illustrated in FIGS. 4P through 4U, may be used. More than one corrugated element 9U may be present in rafter endcap 9 on any portion of the rafter endcap.
Detailed Description of FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 11A FIG. 9 shows a “Rafter end sock” 59 having top 59A, rear 59B, and bottom 59C planes having widths that allow the planes to frame and enclose and contact boards having a thickness of 1.5 inches. Sides 59D and 59E have widths W that approximate the side planes of the rafter they will cover. The front edges of the rafter end sock’s planes frame an open airspace FOAS that will receive the fascia end of a rafter allowing the rafter end sock to be pulled onto the rafter’s fascia end as illustrated in FIG. 11. The FIG. 9 embodiment of a rafter end sock is made of pliant water-repellant and/or water repellant and self-sealing “mat-like” or “cloth-like” material, such as neoprene, that is able to retain formed shapes. The rafter end sock 9 may have one or more plastic-welded or sewn seams and may be smaller than the fascia end of a rafter it will encompass. Plastic threads can be woven into water proof water-proof and/or self-sealing cloth or mats. Certain plastics allow for the manufacture of flat mats or cloth that are able to stretch to a size larger-than-their-original-size. Such mats or cloth may tend to shrink to their original shape after having been stretched. When mats or clothes made of such “stretch-shrink” material are formed into a shape such as that of the rafter end sock shown in FIG. 9, once the rafter end sock has been pulled and stretched onto the fascia end of a rafter, it’s tendency to shrink back to its original size will cause it to cling tightly to a rafter’s fascia end in much the same way a sock that is a size or two too small may be stretched to a much larger shape and cling tightly to your foot if it were pulled and stretched onto your foot: the sock will attempt to return to its original shape but can’t as long as it covers your foot: its “compressive adherence” to your foot is a stronger force than the sock’s material memory force that attempts to shrink it back to its original size.
Referring now to FIG. 10: A knitted or woven rafter end sock 60 is shown having a shell 60A that has the shape of an oval-shaped cylinder. The length L of rafter end sock 60 may be as small as 1″ with the front edge of its shell 60A perimetering a taller-than-wide circular open-air space FOAS front opening having a long diameter LD equal or approximate to 2 ″ and a short diameter equal or approximate to 0.75 ”. At the rear, and perimetered by the outer shell 60A of the rafter end sock 60 is rear side 60B which may have long and short diameters equal to or less than those of the rafter end sock’s front opening FOAS. Depending on the percentage of stretch a polymer (or other water-proof material) cloth may have the dimensions given above for the FIG. 10 embodiment of a rafter end sock 60 could be much smaller but I list them as stated because it would be hard for fingers to grasp the edges of the OASF front opening of rafter end sock 60 (to pull and stretch it over the fascia end of a rafter) if the long and short diameters LD, SD, of the rafter end sock 60 were any shorter.
Advances in plastic thread manufacture such as “electro spinning” polymers into threads allow for plastic to be woven into mats or cloths that have the ability to be stretched to as much as 10 times their original size allowing for a variety of cylindrical or bag-like or balloon-like or other-wise shaped bags or cylinders or “socks”, having one open end, to be pulled and stretched onto the fascia end of the rafter with the rafter end sock then conforming to and clinging to the shape of the rafter fascia end it encompasses as is illustrated in FIG. 11 where a rafter sock 50 or 60 comprised of such stretchable material and having an initial state of being ⅒th its illustrated size is shown having been pulled and stretched over the fascia end of rafter 1. If comprised of threads, rafter end socks and socks can be knitted or woven on commercial (or even hand held) looms into a variety of shapes including (but not limited to): rectangles, cylinders, and even the shape of a sock if desired. Other shaped tubes or coverings can be chosen or designed and then woven on commercial looms. The manufactured shape will take the shape of the rafter’s fascia end it is stretched and pulled onto.
FIG. 11A shows a water proof self-sealing pliant material 71 having an adhesive-coated undersurface (the surface pressed against the rafter) wrapped around the fascia end of a rafter in the same manner tape may be wrapped around a rafter. One (but not the only) choice of material for the embodiment(s) of the rafter end sock 59 or 60 shown in 1FIG. 11 may be a neoprene mat or ribbon having a top plane (surface) and bottom plane (surface) with an adhesive on the bottom plane. The material 71 may be extruded or roll-formed or otherwise formed into a ribbon having any desired thickness and having a width that may range from a ½ inch minimum to any desired width with a 2 to 4-inch width being suggested. The ribbon of material 71 may then be coiled or rolled into a roll similar to rolls of tape, provided the ribbon has a plastic film covering its adhesive surface, and then unrolled and cut to desired lengths at time of installation.
In one embodiment of a rafter end sock, human footwear that isn’t water-proof but has an ability to be stretched to a larger size, such as (but not limited to) the Dr. Scholl’s ® sock I sometimes wear, can be made water-proof and serve as a rafter end sock by being soaked with roofing tar or any other wood-preserving sealant or coating at the job-site and soon thereafter be stretched and pulled onto the fascia end of a rafter at the time of a rafter end sock installation. Many sealants or coatings a sock may be dipped into or otherwise coated with will coat and adhere to both the sock and the wood as they dry. Some will even penetrate both the wood and the sock fiber providing excellent protection against wood decay. All cotton or mostly cotton socks are an excellent choice to be dipped or sprayed or otherwise coated near the time of installation onto the fascia end of a rafter since they will readily absorb and/or retain liquids and sealants and pastes they’ve been sprayed or by other means (such as dipping) been coated with and then transfer a part of the liquid or sealant or paste or coating to the portion of the rafter’s wood they are covering. Rafter end socks may also be made of “water-proof breathable” cloths that typically have a face fabric of nylon or polyester that is overlain with a laminated membrane or coating usually made of ePTFE (Teflon ®) or PU (Polyurethane). Rafter end socks that are comprised of water-proof and/or self-sealing material may still be dipped or sprayed with a sealant or paste or coating shortly before installation onto the fascia end of a rafter acting as both a protective shield and an applicator of the material they are soaked or coated with.
It is preferred, but not required, that the rafter end socks and socks embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 be made of stretchable material that is both water-proof and self-sealing. Rafter end socks and socks made of such material may be somewhat- smaller-to-significantly smaller than the fascia end of a rafter they will be stretched over to encompass. Their attempt to shrink and return to their original smaller size after installation will cause the rafter end sock to cling to and remain in place on the fascia end of a rafter they protect.
Other Means to Form a Rafter Endcap Rafter endcaps may be made of heat-shrink plastic or heat-shrink film (also referred to as shrink wrap). In such embodiments, hot air can be used to shrink a pre-formed rafter endcap having shapes approximating that taught in FIG. 6 causing the rafter endcap to cling tightly to a rafter making it less likely for water to seep into the endcap at the point where the perimeter of the front opening contacts or nearly contacts a rafter. Alternately, shrink-wrap film could be wrapped around the end portion of a rafter in the same manner as the tape shown in FIG. 11A and then exposed to hot air. On a jobsite this could be done with a hair dryer.
Detailed Description of FIGS. 12, 12A and 12B FIG. 12 shows rafters 1, 1E, 1F, and 1G, overlain by rafter caps5Y, 5, 5, 5T, 5Z and 5 that envelope the top edge 1A of their underlying rafters and overlie and cover an area of tape 11 and a portion of rafter endcap 10 and a portion of rafter end sock 59 present on the rafters. Any water 14 that may leak through an overlying roof and leach or flow to the top planes 5A of the rafter caps or that may contact the side of a rafter cap will flow down into the caps’ channels 5G (shown) and 5G1 (not shown) then be channeled downward past a building’s outer wall 39. FIG. 12 shows that cap 5Y, which overlies the top edge 1A of rafter 1, channels water 14 to its edge with the water 14 then contacting a non-covered unprotected area of the rafter nearing the rafter’s terminal fascia end 1C: decay 15 will occur on the non-covered area of the rafter 1 if this happens repeatedly. To avoid such decay, the uncovered area near the terminal end of a rafter may be covered with tape 11 or film or wrap or with an elongated rafter endcap 10 or rafter end sock 59 that covers both the fascia end area of a rafter as well as the terminal fascia-edge 1C of the rafter. Bifurcated rafter endcaps or rafter endcaps 10 or rafter socks 59 may be placed over tapes or coatings (see FIGS. 12A and 12B) that may cover portions of a rafter nearing and/or adjacent to the rafter’s terminal fascia-edge.
Still referring to FIG. 12, Rafter caps 5 and 5T are shown installed on rafter 1F. The front edge 5K of rafter cap 5 is shown approaching or abutting the rear edge 5KK of rafter cap 5T. Tape 11, that has been placed “adhesive side up” on the top edge of rafters 1E and 1F, is shown beneath the juncture of 5K and 5L. The tape 11 will be wrapped upward and pressed against the juncture to serve as a seal against water leakage. As an alternative to the tape covering the abutted joints 5K and 5KK to prevent water from leaking at their area of abutment. As an alternative to tape, a connecting sleeve having channels on both ends that would receive the front planes of rafter cap 5 and the rear planes of rafter cap 5T could be used to connect the two rafter caps together.
Referring to FIG. 12A, a rafter 1 is shown having its terminal fascia-edge and areas of the rafter 1 nearing and adjacent to the terminal fascia-edge being sprayed with a water-proof coating 37 such as one of the many polyurethane foam roof-coating sprays a Google® search will reveal. Paint, roof coatings, sprayable plastic film, Plasti-dip® or any other water-proofing material capable of being sprayed may be used to coat and protect the top edge 1A of a rafter as well as the rafter’s end and areas leading to and adjacent to the end. The spraying can be done before, during, or after frame construction of a roof truss or of a “stick built” roof but should be done before plywood, or any other material, is made to overlay trusses or rafters. Commercial spray units consisting of one or more stationary tanks capable of holding large volumes of coating that feed multiple spray nozzles 38 may be assembled to coat the terminal ends of rafters en masse or a single and portable spray unit having one spray nozzle 38 fed by a portable tank (filled with coating) may be used to coat the terminal ends of rafters or trusses at the home or business construction site.
Still referring to FIG. 12A one example of an “over-spray” collar 36 shaped and dimensioned to fit over a rafter 1 is shown having an upward extending intrinsic flange 36B perimeters the front opening of the “over-spray” collar 36 to guard against over-spray bleeding over to other areas of the rafter 1. An open seam 36C is shown to split either the over-spray collar’s top 36A or bottom plane and is also shown to split intrinsic flange 36B. The collar 36 is made of any flexible material that allows it to be pried open and fitted around a rafter with the collar then flexing itself closed. The “over-spray” collar 36 will serve as a barrier to coating overspray yielding a neat “finished” look to the sprayed-on endcap as is shown in FIG. 12B. Other collar configurations could be used in lieu of the “over-spray” collar 36 shown in FIG. 12A.
Pliant Barriers Referring to FIG. 13, a pliant barrier 12Z is shown draped over the top edges 1A of rafters 1, 1E, 1F, and 1G. The pliant barrier 12Z shown in FIG. 13 must be made of a water proof material and it may or may not have other properties such as heat-deflection or R-value or an ability to self-heal depending on the material the barrier is made of. The illustration shows the left edge of the pliant barrier 12Z being stapled 13 to the side 1B of the first rafter 1 on the end of a building. It is also shown that the staples may have tape 11/13 placed over them. In lieu of tape, silicon or another water-proof adhesive may be spread over the staples 13. A water-proof gasket 16 is shown atop the top edge 1A of rafters 1E, 1F, and 1G. Referring to FIG. 28, the gasket is shown to have a rectangular shape 16A. The gasket’s width 16C is approximately 1.5 inches or approximately that of whatever the width of the rafter or beam would be. The gasket’s height 16B is dependent upon the material the gasket is made of: if the material is resistant to compression, it is preferable (but not required) that the gasket height be no greater than ¼ inch for two reasons: the first reason being that a gasket height greater than ¼ inch may necessitate the use of longer screws or nails for fastening overlying plywood to the top edge 1A of the rafter. The second reason being that thicker gaskets may subject any overlying plywood fastened through it to unwanted movement. If the gasket 16 is made of a more compressible water-proof material, the material should ideally compress to no greater than ¼-inch height. One factor to keep in mind in choice of gasket material is that greater weighted roofing materials will likely cause greater compression of a gasket: a slate roof with a weight of between 800 to 1500 lbs. per square will cause more compression than a roof shingled with 15-year warranted shingles whose average weight is 150 lbs. per square.
Referring to FIG. 15, a pliant barrier 12Z is shown being draped over the top edges 1A of rafters 1 and 1E and overlain by a sheet of plywood 24. The plywood 24 has been made semi-transparent for the sake of illustration. Water 14C is shown seeping through holes that the shanks of nail 26 and staple 13 made in the plywood 24, and the pliant barrier 12Z, and then contacting rafters 1 and 1E and causing decay 15. With the areas of decay in mind: FIG. 30 shows two gaskets 16 atop the top edges 1A of rafters 1E and 1S with the gaskets 16 stopping a short distance away from the fascia ends 1K of the rafters. The gasket 16 atop rafter 1 is shown wrapping around and covering its terminal end. These gaskets 16, if made of self-sealing material, prevent any water that condenses on a nail or screw or staple, or that finds its way to a nail or screw or staple, from progressing any further than the point of contact and puncture between a nail or screw or staple and the gasket 16 it has punctured. With this in mind and referring again to FIG. 13; one purpose of gasket 16 use beneath the pliant barrier 12Z is to ensure water doesn’t seep beneath the pliant barrier 12Z at any point a staple 13 shank passes through it or at any point a screw or nail 26/30 shank passes through plywood and through the pliant barrier into an underlying rafter top edge 1A: Pliant barriers made of non-pliable and non-self-sealing materials; such as aluminum foil, might tear or fail to fully engulf a nail or screw shank allowing any water that might follow the shank to seep beneath the underside of the pliant barrier defeating its water channeling capability. Pliant barriers made of non-self- sealing materials will press hard against the top edge of a rafter they cover because of nails bonding them to the tops edges of rafters but water is still able to find its way beneath such pliant barriers at points of puncture and begin to rot wood. But when a gasket with self-sealing properties is beneath the pliant barrier at point of puncture the gasket will form a close water-proof bond with the undersurface of an overlying pliant barrier disallowing water from seeping past the top surface of the pliant barrier to its undersurface and then contacting the top edge of a rafter.
Referring again to FIG. 13, as just noted: gaskets 16 ensure water 14 won’t seep through a nail or screw 26/30 or staple 13 hole or tear through the pliant barrier 12Z to its underside. Instead, water 14 will stay on the top surface of the pliant barrier 12Z and flow downward into a concaved channel 12H of the pliant barrier to the barrier’s front edge 12A which will be present past the stud wall of a building safely channeling the water away from rafters and the interior of the building with the water then dropping into an underlying perforated soffit or dropping into open air and to the ground.
Referring to FIG. 13A, a pliant barrier 12 is shown draped over the top edges 1A of a building’s rafters 1, 1E, 1F, & 1G. The pliant barrier 12 of FIG. 13A represents a film or cloth or mat or foil made of material or coated with material that is able to self-seal around any staple or nail or screw that might pass through it. An example (not the only example) of a pliant barrier 12 coated with waterproof and self-sealing material would be aluminum foil coated on its bottom surface with a polyurethane foam roof-coating. The pliant barrier 12 is shown being stapled 11 to the side of the first rafter 1 of the building’s roof then draped over and stapled to the top edges 1A of successive rafters. Water 14 that has leaked through a building’s roof has been shown to be captured by the pliant barrier 12 and channeled downward and outward via the concave channels 12H of the pliant barrier 12. In this embodiment of a pliant barrier 12 being made of self-sealing material, the use of any underlying or overlying gasket isn’t needed to prevent water 14 from seeping or flowing through a puncture to the underside of the pliant barrier where it may then flow to and contact a rafter 1 and/or ceiling joist or simply drop downward into an attic or onto the top of ceiling material or find its way to the interior walls or other interior members of a building.
Referring to FIG. 14, a pliant barrier 12 is shown draped over a roof’s rafters 1, 1E, 1F, & 1G. The pliant barrier is also shown having pairs of dotted lines in parallel termed “dotted line pairs” on its top surface. Dotted line pairs 12E, 12E1, 12E2, and 12E3 indicate an area of the pliant barrier 12 that will rest over the top of a rater 1A and may also indicate an area on the underside of the barrier that will have a gasket 16 or other water proofing and sealing element affixed to it as a part of the manufacturing process to “double down” on the pliant barrier’s ability to stop water from seeping through points of puncture to underlying rafters. The material just beneath each individual dotted line that forms a dotted line pair may be pinched together to leave a permanent upward extending “pleat” which may help the pliant barrier to remain in place as it is being draped over rafters with the pleats of a dotted line pair stopping the plaint barrier from laterally shifting on a rafter as it continues to be rolled across subsequent rafters. The spacing of the parallel lines of dotted line pairs 12E- 12E3 may be done during or after the pliant barrier’s 12 manufacturing process and is dependent on the spacing of a roof’s rafters 1, 1E, 1F, & 1G that the pliant barrier will drape over: If rafters 1 and 1E have top edge 1A widths of 1.5 inches and are spaced 18 inches “on center”, dotted line pairs would be marked so that the left dotted line and right dotted line, and the pleated area just beneath each dotted line, form dotted line pairs 12E, 12E1, 12E2, and 12E3 whose pair-forming dotted lines are spaced 1.5 inches or approximately 1.5 inches apart.
How far should the center-to-center distance between dotted line pairs be? It should be greater than the center-to-center distance between rafters in order to form concaves 12H between the dotted line pairs. The distance between Dotted line pair 12E is shown being spaced from its neighboring dotted line pair 12E1 at distances greater than 18 inches “on center”; the same spacing holds true for subsequent dotted line pairs and their neighboring dotted line pairs to ensure that concave channels 12H will be formed as the pliant barrier 12 is rolled out over the tops of rafters: the depth of the channel 12H is dependent on the distance between dotted line pairs. Similarly, if the rafters of FIG. 14 are spaced 24 inches “on center”, dotted line pairs would be spaced at distances greater than 24 inches “on center” in order to create concaved channels in the pliant barrier. Pliant barriers 12 can be “draped” over rafters and concave channels 12H created in the absence of dotted line pairs or in the absence of “pleated” dotted line pairs but dotted line pairs, properly spaced, allow for faster installation and ensure the concave channels 12H between them will be uniform. In lieu of dotted lines, “unbroken line” pairs or 1.5-inch-wide stripes or other markings may be used to indicate an area of the pliant barrier that will rest over the top of a rafter. Lines comprised of small line segments (dots) were chosen to be used in the illustrations to make the lines easier to identify and differentiate from other lines.
Still referring to FIG. 14, Rafter caps 5S, 5, 5T, & 5U are shown overlying the dotted line pairs 12E, 12E1, 12E2, & 12ES of the pliant barrier 12. In this FIG. 14 embodiment of Rafter caps 5T and 5U, the rafter caps are made of material which are very water-proof, but have little or no self-sealing properties, so they are shown having gaskets 16 with self-sealing properties beneath them to keep water from following screw or nail or staple shanks down through the roofing caps 5T & 5U to their underlying rafters 1A. Rafter caps 5S & 5, in their FIG. 14 embodiment, are made of water-proof materials that will retain shape after manufacture and that, unlike rafter caps 5S and 5T: have self-sealing properties. One of many examples of a self-sealing material is the low-density plastic used to make Power Ade ® bottles; this particular low-density plastic is easily formed into shapes and is capable of having a very thin profile while still being serviceable. This particular low-density plastic offers the benefit of a low material cost, and is surprisingly strong: I tried to puncture a Power Ade bottle with a pen but couldn’t, in fact, the plastic tip of the pen was mashed out of shape. I was shocked! I then went to the kitchen and managed to stab a sharp knife through the “Power Ade plastic” (a low-density plastic) and saw the thin plastic cling strongly to the blade of the knife. It is understood that embodiments of the invention may have, but are not limited to having, low density plastic with self-sealing properties be the material they are made of. One reason I mentioned using this low-density plastic is to show there are a wide variety of self-sealing materials that can be used to make endcaps and sleeves and rafter caps with some of them being surprisingly strong and long-lasting and inexpensive.
Still referring to FIG. 14, rafter caps 5S, 5, 5T, & 5U may be made so that their sides angle toward one another as they descend from their top planes 5A. If the rafter caps are manufactured with this feature (illustrated in rafter cap 5Y of FIG. 2C), the sides would need to be forced apart as they are placed over the dotted line pairs 12E, 12E1, 12E2, & 12E3 of the pliant barrier 12 and underlying rafters and material-memory bias of the rafter cap sides would then cause them to press inward toward the rafters securing the rafter caps and underlying pliant barrier 12 to the rafters. Alternatively, the rafter caps 5S, 5, 5T, & 5U could be stapled or nailed or screwed in place through their top planes 5A or affixed in place by use of an adhesive material placed on the top of a pliant barrier 12 or gasket 16 or on the underside of a rafter caps’ top plane 5A.
Referring to FIG. 15A, a magnified view of a pliant barrier 12 having dotted line pairs 12E and 12E1 is shown draped over the tops 1A of two rafters 1 and 1S. The fascia end 1K of rafter 1S is covered with tape 11 and with a rafter endcap 10 that overlies a portion of the tape 11. The fascia end 1K of rafter 1 is covered with bifurcated rafter endcap 57. Bifurcated rafter endcap 57 is shown in an elongated embodiment that extends further up a rafter 1 than rafter endcap 10; the area of rafter endcap extension is outlined by the dotted lines 10G and shown to be beneath the radiant barrier 12. The dotted line portion denoting the rafter endcap extension 10G also indicates a front fascia-end portion of rafter cap 5Y that may be flared outward allowing it to better accommodate and cover the 10G portion of underlying rafter endcap 57: if the 10G dotted- line portion of rafter cap 57 isn’t flared outward, the rafter cap will still function but it may be harder to keep it in place until overlying plywood is nailed in place since side planes 5B and 5C will be pushed outward tending to raise the rafter cap off of the top edge 1A of rafter 1.
It is also shown in the FIG. 15A embodiment of rafter cap 5Y that 5Y has been sized to fit tightly over the rafter so that; once rafter cap 5Y has been placed over dotted line pair 12E of the pliant barrier and pushed downward until the bottom surface of its top plane 5A presses against the area of the pliant barrier marked by dotted line pair 12E, the areas of the pliant barrier 12 that are behind the sidewalls 5B (shown) and 5C (not shown but opposite 5A) of rafter cap 5Y, will press the side-wall covered areas of the pliant barrier close to, or in contact with, the left and right sides of rafter 1. As noted earlier: the portion of rafter endcap 5Y that fits over the 10G dotted-line area of bifurcated rafter endcap 57 may need to be flared outwardly to accommodate the bifurcated rafter endcap, depending on the thickness of material used to make bifurcated rafter endcap 57.
Still referring to FIG. 15A, once in place on the rafter 1, the sidewalls of the endcap 5Y, which angle downward and inward toward one another, will: as noted earlier, press inward on the sides of the rafter 1 securing it, and the pliant barrier 12 beneath it, to the rafter 1. Any water that has leaked through the overlying plywood of a roof and that has been captured and channeled by the rafter cap 5Y down past an exterior wall of a building will contact the bifurcated rafter endcap 57 and drop away from the rafter rather than contacting uncovered and unprotected rafter wood and causing it to eventually decay. Similarly, any water that clings to the 12H concaved portion of the top surface of plaint barrier 12 that is present between dotted line pair 12E1 and 12E, will flow past the exterior wall of a building and empty downward off of the pliant barrier’s curved front edge portion 12A into open-air and then to the ground or onto an underlying soffit. FIG. 15A shows the concaved portion 12H1 of pliant barrier 12 dipping lower than the pliant barrier’s concaved portion 12H illustrating that the concaved portions of a pliant barrier may be uniformed in depth or may or vary.
The depth of the curvature of the plaint barrier’s front edge 12A, is dependent on the length of the endcap’s 5Y side planes 5B and 5C (5C is not shown) and the “on center” distance between dotted line pairs 12E of the pliant barrier 12E1 and 12E. A rafter cap’s 5 side plane lengths can be lengthened and/or the “on center” distance between dotted line pairs can be shortened so that the profile of the front edge 12A of the plaint barrier is more of a straight plane than a concave creating a flat pan, of sorts, between rafters in lieu of a concaved valley.
Referring to FIG. 16 an embodiment 12J of pliant barrier 12 is shown rolled into a coil 12G. The pliant barrier is also shown having upwardly pressed rectangular shaped channels 12F present in its body. The channels may have a square or other shape as long as the shape and dimension of the channel allow it to fit over the top edge of a rafter. The sidewalls of any shaped channel will preferably distend downward a minimum of ½ inch although lesser lengths are within the scope of this 12J embodiment. These upwardly pressed rectangular-shaped channels 12F have widths 12F1 equal to or slightly wider than 1.5 inches allowing the channels 12F to fit over the top edges 1A of rafters 1, 1E, & 1F as is illustrated in FIG. 17. The material forming the pliant barrier 12J can be any material that repels water and is capable of maintaining channel shapes that may be pressed into it. Referring again to FIG. 16, gasket material 16 is shown adhered to the inside channels 12F of the pliant barrier 12J. The gasket material 16 can be adhered to the inside channels 12F at the time of manufacture or at a jobsite.
Referring to FIG. 18, an embodiment 12M of pliant barrier 12 is shown having upwardly pressed channels 12F having widths 12F1 that are wider than the thickness 1D of the rafters 1 they fit over. In this embodiment, the widths 12F1 of plaint barrier’s 12 channels 12F are shown to be approximately twice that of a rafter top but the widths 12F1 may be less or greater. This allows for errors that sometimes occur in rafter spacing whereby rafters are meant to be placed at uniform distances, one from another, but are not. This also allows the pliant barrier’s channel’s 12F to better accommodate crooked rafters which are infrequently found, but found none-the-less, in new construction.
Referring to FIG. 18A an embodiment 12K of pliant barrier 12 is shown having upwardly pressed channels 12F present in its original base plane 12K1 with the channels being sized and spaced to fit over the top of a roof’s successive rafters with each channel 12F having flared collars 12L serve as the channels’ front ends. Turning our attention to the upwardly pressed channel 12F that is nearest the left edge of pliant barrier 12K; the upwardly pressed channel’s flared collar 12L is shown having a height 12L1 and width 12L2 that are greater than the height and width of the remainder of channel 12F. This allows the flared-collar-front-end 12L of plaint barrier 12K to fit over the rear end of other like-structured pliant barriers that have the same or similar channels 12F present in their bodies: this prevents water being channeled by pliant barriers, that successively descend “one in front of another” down a span of rafters, from leaking at their areas of abutment or adjoinment by allowing overlap at their front edge to rear edge junctures.
Ideally, upwardly pressed channels taught in any embodiment of a pliant barrier will be of a height that ensures the original base plane 12K1 of the pliant barrier they arise from will remain at a distance away from an overlying roof that ensures any roof penetrating nails or screws will not puncture any concave channels or straight trays the pliant barrier forms. A nominal height of ½ inch is suggested but not required. In an alternate embodiment, plaint barrier 12K is made of rigid rather than pliant material.
Bridge Tray Over Pliant Barrir Combination Referring to FIG. 23 while using FIG. 2 and FIG. 19 as references for referenced-but-unseen elements in FIG. 23: a pliant barrier 12 having marked areas consisting of parallel pairs of dotted lines 12E, 12E1, 12E2, & 12E3 is shown draped over underlying rafters 0, 1, 1QRE, and 1RGE with the dotted line pairs having been spaced center to center at distances that will position the pliant barrier 12 so that portions of it will concave downward 12H between rafters. Rafter caps 5, 5, 5, and 5Q secure the pliant barrier 12 in place. Rafter cap 5Q has a different reference number: “5Q” but the same structure and dimensions of rafter caps 5. Still referring to FIG. 23: a bridge tray 17 is shown to be secured between rafters 1QRE and 1RGE with the bridge tray’s side plane 17C shown to be distending from the right edge of its top plane 17A into rafter cap 5Q’s channel 5G while the bridge tray’s side plane 17B (side plane 17B is not shown in FIG. 23 but shown in FIG. 19 if it needs to be seen for reference) distends from the left edge of the bridge tray’s top plane 17A into channel 5D ( channel 5D is indicated by an arrow but not shown) of rafter cap 5. Rafter caps 5′s and 5Q’s channels support the bridge tray by one or both of two ways: The bridge tray’s 17 downwardly extending side planes 17B and 17C contact and are supported by the bottom plane of the rafter cap 5′s channel 5D and by the bottom plane of rafter cap 5Q’s channel 5G or it is supported by the upward extending side planes 5F and 5J of channels 5D and 5G contacting the underside of top plane 17A thereby supporting bridge tray 17. The pliant barrier 12, paired with overlying bridge trays 17, can offer water-proofing/radiant barrier combinations that protect rafters and underlying building material from water decay, facilitate air movement beneath overlying plywood, and provide radiant barrier protection against radiant heat descending into a building. Bridge tray/pliant barrier layering is more effective at repelling radiant heat than either by themselves would be.
More About Gaskets Referring to FIG. 29, a water-proof gasket 23 is shown having a rectangular shape 23A having a width 23C approximating or equal to the width of the rafter or beam it is placed upon, and an upward raised flange 23D. The flange 23D will have a height equal to the thickness of the left and right lateral edges of the sheets of plywood: the gasket’s flange 23D will rest between. It is also shown that a double-sided tape (or adhesive) may be present on the bottom surface of the gasket 23 that is overlain with a non-sticky protective peel-off film 11C.
Referring to FIG. 31, gasket 23 is shown atop the top edge 1A of rafter 1E. The purpose of the flange 23D is to prevent water from seeping down between the left and right lateral edges of plywood sheets 24 and 25 that otherwise meet and abut one another over the top of a rafter. Gasket 23 is gasket 16 with the addition of an upward extending flange 23D. Still referring to FIG. 31, common nails 40 are shown fastened through overlying plywood sheets 24 and 25 and through underlying gaskets 16 and 23 into rafters the gaskets overlie. Any water condensing on, or finding its way to, the nails 40 and then leaking or flowing down the nails’ shanks 40A will be stopped at the point the nail shanks 40A contact and pierce the gaskets 23.
Referring to FIG. 32, a gasket 16 is shown covering the open-air space OAS that is present between the flanges 28A and 29B of baffle vents 28 and 29. The baffle vents 27, 28, and 29; shown to have flanges 27A, 28B, 28A, and 29B as their respective lateral ends, are my rendition of the baffle-vents-with-flanges invention of Michael Robert Klement shown in his FIG. 5A* of U.S. Pat. 8,137,170. In the “flanged” embodiment of his invention the inventor states his baffle vents (reference number 15* in his drawing) are to be stapled to their underlying rafters, or otherwise mechanically fastened in place, by stapling through their flanges (15*): In Column 8, lines 35-41* the inventor states: “In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 5A*, the sides 22* and 23* of the baffle vents 15* are provided with flanges 28* that are configured to rest on the top edges of roof rafters 9* as shown in FIG. 5A*. Such flanges 28* could be separately secured in place by mechanical fasteners such as nails, screws, etc. or otherwise held in position once the roof sheeting 10*.” I don’t believe Mr. Klements completed his “once the roof sheeting 10” sentence but it would likely be completed by adding: “overlies the baffle flanges 15* and is secured in place.”
Overlying the abutted flanges or edges of prior art baffle vents with self-sealing gasket material will prevent water from seeping beneath the flanges or edges by stopping water from reaching the flanges by due to its downward progression being thwarted by the self-sealing gaskets.
Referring to FIG. 38: typically, corrugated panels are cut so that their left edge and right edge terminate differently with one edge occurring at the highest point HP of a corrugated ridge and the other edge occurring at the lowest point LP of a corrugated ridge. Referring to FIG. 38 a corrugated panel is shown serving as a corrugated rafter tray 80. Corrugated rafter tray 80 is comprised of curvatures 80C with the left most edge 80CLE and right-most edge 80CRE of the rafter tray shown occurring at the lowest point of their respective curvatures 80CL and 80CR ensuring the rater tray’s left and right lateral edges will be able to insert into channels 5D and 5G of rafter caps 5 and 5Y and be supported by the channels. FIG. 38 shows the left-most edge 80CLE of corrugated rafter tray 80 touching the bottom plane 5E of channel 5D although it isn’t necessary that it does as long as enough of the downward sloping portion of curvature 80CL extends past and down into channel 5D to allow the upper edge 5F of channel 5D to contact the undersurface of curvature 80CL enabling channel 5D to support (in combination with channel 5G of rafter cap 5Y) corrugated rafter tray 80. Likewise, the right most edge 80CRE of corrugated rafter tray is shown touching the bottom plane 5H of channel 5G although it isn’t necessary that it does as long as enough of the downward sloping portion of curvature 80CR extends past and down into channel 5G to allow channel 5G’s upward extending plane 5E to contact the undersurface of curvature 80CR. Double sided tape 11B having a peel-a-ble plastic film over its top surface is shown adhered on the top surface of corrugated rafter tray 80 near its rear edge to prevent an additional corrugated rafter tray, that will be installed behind corrugated rafter tray 80, from slipping forward after the plastic film of the double-sided tape 11B is peeled off and the front edge of the additional corrugated rafter tray will be placed over the rear edge and double-sided tape 11B of corrugated rafter tray 80. The double-sided tape 11B of FIG. 38 could be placed on the rear edge of other rafter tray embodiments taught in this Specification and/or other adhesive elements or adhesives used in its place.
Vocabulary
Angled-sleeve: A sleeve whose rear portion mirrors the angle of the angle-cut end of a rafter or beam.
Angled-endcap: An endcap whose rear portion mirrors the angle of the angle-cut end of a rafter or beam. Note: once an endcap has been identified as an “angled-endcap” in a paragraph, it may subsequently be referred to as “end cap” within that same paragraph.
Beams: Lumber having a thickness greater than 1.5 inches.
Bridge tray: A tray that spans the distance between two rafter caps
Caps: A channel, having a top plane supported by two downward extending sideplanes. The channel’s top plane overlies the top edge of a rafter
Facia end: The area of a rafter adjacent its terminal facia end
First tray: A corrugated tray placed on a gable end rafter that is first in a succession of rafters.
Flexible Material: Material that can be rolled into a coil but tends to return to its original unrolled state unless manipulated to do otherwise.
Free edge: An edge of a plane that does not intrinsically adjoin another plane: an edge that has open air space immediately to its left and rig
Front end: An area that extends a small distance rearward from the front edge of an endcap, sleeve, rafter cap, or plaint barrier or that extends rearward from one of their elements.
Grease: In this application for patent, “grease” can mean grease but is also representative of a water-proof or wood sealing or wood curing paste or film or coating.
Inner walls: The surface of a downward extending side plane of a rafter cap that faces and contacts or nearly contacts the rafter it will be placed upon.
Interior surface: The surface of a plane that faces toward a rafter the plane is adjacent to.
Intermediate Tray: A corrugated tray that is installed on rafters between the first and last rafters (the left and right gable end rafters) in a succession of rafters.
Last tray: A corrugated tray placed on the gable end rafter that is last in a succession of rafters.
Like structured: An endcap or sleeve or rafter cap or insertable tray or pliant barrier having the same or nearly the same structure, dimensions, and features of another endcap or sleeve or rafter cap or insertable tray or pliant barrier.
Louvered opening: The open-air space (the hole) a louver body frames and has as its front end.
Material memory: The tendency of a material or an object or an element to return to its original shape or position if the material or object or element has been forced out of or away from its original shape or position
Non-sealing: The property some materials have of tearing or fracturing leaving a hole or open-air fracture, at the area around the shank of a staple or screw or nail that pierces the material, that is greater than the diameter of the shank at the point of piercing. Water can seep or leak through this hole going beneath the material then contacting the rafter the material overlies.
Pliant barrier: A pliable sheet or film or mat made of any water-proof material: the barrier is pliable enough to be rolled into a roll and has little to no propensity to “unroll” itself as stiffer sheets of rolled metal coil do. The sheet or film or mat will naturally droop between rafters.
Rafter shift: The movement of one rafter away from another
Self-sealing: The ability some materials have to surround and remain in constant contact with an object that punctures the material to an extent that water is prevented from leaking through the point of puncture
Spanning plane: The plane of a tray that spans a space between rafters to a point where its edge and/or body can be supported by a supporting plane of another tray or by the channel of a rafter cap
Stick-built: A term that describes the building of a home or roof on a job-site one board at a time.
Supporting plane: A plane of a tray that supports an overlying plane belonging to and adjacent tray
Straight-cut end: 1st definition: the end of a rafter that has been cut perpendicular to the top edge of the rafter.
2nd definition: The end of an endcap that has been made perpendicular to the top plane of the endcap.
Terminal facia end of a rafter: The last surface at the facia end of a rafter: a terminal facia end of a rafter is the surface at the end of a rafter that would contact a facia board.
