US2036329A - Colored composition shingle - Google Patents

Description

J. m. GILES $11111 COLORED COMPOSITION SHINGLE Filed Feb. 7, 1955 INVENTOR BY $14 6462 MM.

ATTORN EYJ Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This application relates to shingles or roofing elements of the type having a bituminous base (and usually a granule face) which are normally lmown as asphalt shingles. This application contains matter derived from my earlier application, Ser. No. 6%,458, filed Nov. 12, 1932.

One of the principal defects of asphalt shingles has been that they have a very flat, relatively unattractive appearance when applied to a roof or wall. I have found that this appearance can be tremendously improved and the roof or wall can be given a texture which is architecturally interesting and which simulates the use of relatively thick shingles if a color is applied along the butts of the shingles which gradually and irregularly merges into the color of the body of the shingle along a zone something short of the point where the shingle will be overlapped by the next row. It is particularly effective if the color applied to the butt is lighter than the main body color. Attempting to do this by ordinary brush painting entirely loses the desired effect, for it is essential to the invention that the color line he irregular and that it merge gradually from one color mass to the other.

the shingles individually it is expensive and complicated, but I have found that the desired effeet can be obtained quite simply and inexpensivel'y by putting the shingles or shingle strips on a conveyor with the butts substantially in contact and running the conveyor under a paint spray. The ordinary workman when putting the shingles rapidly on the conveyor will not have their meeting line absolutely uniform and the effect of the paint spray is to concentrate the color near the center of the line of application and gradually have it thin out or weaken toward the margin of the zone covered by the coloredcoating. Thus by the arrangement shown I accomplish both the essential irregularity of ap-.

pearance and the gradual merging of the two color zones without any particular care or eiiort. While I have referred to the operation as palntlng l am using this term in its broad sense as covering a colored coating, but it must be borne in mind that the coating selected should be such that bleeding through oi the underbody of asphalt will not ruin the eilect. Thus for the purpose of this invention I prefer to use. a composition such as is described in my said earlier application, though it is within the spirit of this invention to use other types of paints or coatings.

If one attempts to accomplish this result by treating In arranging the spray, the nozzle should be positioned at such a distance from the shingles on the conveyor that it will supply to the shingles or roofing strip a Zone of paint which will cover appreciably less than one-third of the shingle length or width of the shingle strip. When this rule is observed, one can be sure that when the shingle is laid, a portion of theunderbody will be exposed as well as the coated tip, for shingles are practically never laid with substantially less than about one-third of their length exposed.

This statement is, made having in mind particularly the shingles which are intended to be laid with their edges forming approximately continuous straight lines. When considering shingles which are intended to be laid with their edges forming irregular lines (as' in the case of henagonal shingles, or the socalled wave line shingles or other similar types) this same rule can be applied if we consider the median line between the lowest extending portion of the butts and the most recessed portion of the butt as being the edge and compute the distance to he coated as being less than one-third the distance from such median line to the top of the shingle.

After the shingles are painted or coated, they must be given a reasonable opportunity to dry and the coated portionmust be given an exposure to the air to permit the ready evolution of any residual volatile ingredients which otherwise would tend to affect the asphalt underhody and cause bleeding, and also to permit the coating to become thoroughly hardened. In view of the fact that the coating covers less than about onethird of the length, the shingles can readily be stacked as-they come from the conveyor with the uncoated portions overlapping and the coated ends sticking out in opposite directions in alter- 'nate rows so that the ends will have proper exposure to the air for drying. After the drying time (which will depend upon the temperature used and the nature of the coating material) a stack of the shingles can be pushed together to make a bundle ready for shipment.

An effect somewhat like that provided by my process and having some ofthe desired qualities can be had by coating the shingles with granules of two colors which blend irregularly along their meeting line to give a two color effect similar to that had by the sprayed-en coating. This will usually be done by applying the granules in irshingles are to be made may be sprayed with bands of a proper coating composition and the shingles cut from such sheet. 1

My invention can readily be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig, 1 represents a plan view of a conveyor and spray arranged for carrying out my invention; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 represents a vertical transverse section showing the stacked relation of a pile of treated strips while drying; Fig. 4 shows a section of roofing with the shingles of my invention in place,.and Fig. 5 shows a set of color. This eifect will be had by any form of de-.

hexagonal shingles as they come ofi the conveyor after being coated.

hi Fig. 1 the reference character Ill designates usual asphalt composition shingle strips having granules embedded in the surface thereof and having slots l2 extending back from one edge so that when the strips are laid in place they will simulate the appearance of separate shingles. These slots usually extend back a distance in the order-of about 40% of the width of the strip but this may vary according to the wishes of the individual manufacturer. It is to be understood that the edge from which these slots run will appear as the exposed butt edge of the shingles. As the strips or shingles move along on the conveyor, they pass under a spraying device I! provided with a nozzle it which is so positioned and adjusted (or manually controlled by the operator) that the coating sprayed from the nozzle will contact along the line of the butts but will not reach in any material quantity back as far as the back ends of the slots l2.

It is to be understood that the paint spray is only illustrated diagrammatically, and it is not to be understood thatthe drawing shows the particular type of device used, as paint sprays are now well known in the art as regular articles of commerce. The important feature 01' the spray used is that it shall be such that the paint or enamelwill be applied with the color concentrated near the center oi. the line of application and that it will gradually thin out or weaken so that it merges into the background or base vice which sprays on a paint in the form of broken up droplets rather than in the form of fine streams. The droplets in this case will color the butt edges quite solidly and the color will gradually and irregularly taper off away from the butts covering less than that portion of the shingle intended to be exposed. While in this drawing the color is shown as darker than the body of the shingle, this is merely done for the purpose of illustration, as ordinarily the shingle will be darker than the color which is applied, though the reverse may be the case.

As the shingles aredischarged from the conveyor, they are arranged in stacks, with the butt I portions extending out as indicated in Fig. 3.

In this position, air can enter between the dif-.

ferent layers and adequately dry the coated portions. The drying may take place in a heated drier or otherwise, depending on the nature of the coating used.

While the foregoing description is given only for shingle strips, it will be readily understood from this how other forms of shingles are treated. Thus I may use individual shingles placed' with the butts contacting in the same way as the strips or other strip forms may be employed such as the hexagonal shingles shown in Fig. 5, in which case the butt portions may contact or the two colored efiect is obtained be fitted in together as shown, but in any event they should be so arranged relative to the spray that less than the entire portion which is intended to be exposed on the roof will be coated by the action of the spraying device.

In Fig. 4, a roof is shown made up of shingle strips such as illustrated in Fig. 1 but in th 5 case the colors are indicated with the body of the shingle darker. than the butts. It will be, seen that the eifect is similar to that had when the light strikes a roof made up of 'thick shingles, giving the appearance of heavy shadows at each line of butts and an irregular texture to the entire roof. This effect is very much to be desired architecturally and adds greatly to the value of the product. A suggestion of this appearance oi thickness might be obtained by a straight line of shadow, but in such case the appearance of the roof would be relatively unattractive, whereas the irregularity oi. application of my shingle and the fact that the colors tone gradually from the darker to the lighter shade gives an appearance of irregularity to the individual shingles which adds greatly to the apparent texture of the roof and the value of the product,

What I claim is: 1. A roof structure comprising a plurality of shingle members, each such member having two contrasting tone zones which blend into each other gradually and irregularly and are so arranged that the butts of each row of such shingle members areof approximately the same tone value and each such row of butts shows a contrast to immediately adjacent exposed portions 01' the underlying shingle members.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, in which the two contrasting tone zones are different tones of a similar color and the zone along the butts is the lighter.

3. A shingle member having the top portions and butt portions oi diilferent'contrasting tones with the two portions blending together gradually and irregularly along a general line such that the butt tone extends up a substantial distance but not as much as one-third the average length of the shingle.'

4. A relatively thin composition shingle member banded in two contrasting color tones running transverse the shingle, said bands merging together gradually and irregularly and the band covering the butt being of an average width substantially less than the normal exposure of such butt to the weather when laid on a root in the normal manner, so that the butts oi one row will contrast with the immediately adjacent exposed portions of the underlying row.

5. A shingle as specified in claim 4, in which the butt portion is lighter than the top portion.

6. A shingle strip consisting of a strip of asphalt impregnated felt having granules on one face and having slots extending in from one edge to suggest individual shingles, such edge being colored a different color from that of the body of the strip and the color of the edge portion extending back a substantial distance but less than the depth of such slots and gradually and irregularly merging with the color oi the body of the strip.

7. A structure as specified in claim 6, in which by using granules of different colors.

8. A shingle member having the top portions and butt portions oi diiferent contrasting tones with the two portions connected by blending zones of irregular color merging into such two portions,

aosaeaa and resulting from the irregular application of coloring matter in the form of scattered drops,

said blending. zone being so positioned that the butt-tone extends up a substantial distance but the butt portion and blendingv zone do not constitute more than one-third of the average length of the shingle.

ii. The process of coloring shingles which comprises the steps of applying a coating of a specific color and shade to a band of shingle stock by directing such coating toward the stock in the form or drops, causing such drops to concentrate in strips on such band and gradually and irregularly to reduce in concentration towards the edges of such strips to leave zones substantially uncovered by the coating of that color and shade, and thereafter separating the band of shingle stock into shingles having butts and tips with diflerent color values which gradually and irregulariy merge together.

ill. The process of coloring shingles which comprises the steps of arranging a series or shingle members with the butt ends towards each other and approximately touching, and spraying a colored coating along the line of butts so that the butt ends are coated with a color which gradually and irregularly merges into a contrasting tone on the upper portions of the shingles.

ii. A process as specified in claim it, in which the shingles are moved substantially continuously under a spray of coating.

12. The process of coloring shingles which comprises the steps of arranging a series of shingle members with the butt ends towards each other and approximately touching, and spraying a colored coating along the line of butts so that the hutt ends are coated with a color which gradually and irregularly merges into a contrasting tone on the upper portions of the shingles, in which the spraying of such butt color covers less than onethird the shingle length.

it. The process of coating asphalt shingles which comprises spraying a colored coating to cover the butt ends of the shingle members but for less than one-third the length of the shingles on an average, arranging the coated shingles in a stack with the butts of alternate layers extending in opposite directions and with the coated portions extending out beyond the top portions of adjacent shingle members so that the coated butt portions can dry, and then after such butts are dry compressing the sides or such stack to bring the shingle members substantially into registry with each other to form a compact bundle for shipment.

Images