Tools – Shingle tool
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-07
2001-11-20
Smith, James G. (Department: 3723)
Tools
Shingle tool
C254S131500, C030S169000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318213
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to hand tools and more specifically to a hand tool used for removal of roofing shingles and nails from a roof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Roofing material for many contemporary single family and multiple family dwelling structures utilizes an outer roof covering consisting of asphalt impregnated fibrous panels or other materials that must be removed and replaced during the useful life of the building or structure to ensure continued protection from weather. Various tools have heretofore been provided for removing old shingles preparatory to the installation of new roofing paper and shingles. Some shingle removing tools include generally planar, narrow heads that remove shingles, many times breaking the shingles into small pieces difficult and labor intensive to gather and remove. Additionally, the designs heretofore provided generally either do not provide sufficient mechanical advantage for ease in removal of nails in plank roofing or double-layer roofing or are of a design such that they are not efficient for rapid removal. For plywood sheathing roof construction used on the majority of single family and multiple family dwellings in the United States, a more efficient tool is needed to speed the removal of shingles. Difficulty inserting tools under a roof with sag between rafters is also a problem that has not heretofore been addressed.
Various tools related to this invention have been used in the past. Examples of prior patents are as follows:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,111 issued to England on Apr. 1, 1969 discloses a shoveling device.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,699 issued to Olkkola on May 2, 1978 discloses a roof shingle remover having square-tipped teeth.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,972 issued to Testa on Oct. 23, 1984 discloses a shingle remover having a flat base-plate.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,372 issued to Gabriel on Sep. 12, 1989 discloses a shovel-like apparatus with varying embodiments.
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,436 issued to Crookston on Mar. 7, 1989 discloses a roofer's tool with a removable blade.
6. U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,498 issued to Mislich et. al. on Jun. 6, 2000 discloses a tool for removing shingles utilizing forward tines and trailing serrate teeth.
7. U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,469 issued to Gracy on Aug. 22, 2000 discloses a hand tool for removal of material.
8. U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,304 issued to Carroll on Apr. 13, 1999 discloses a roofing removal tool with forward tines and trailing serrate teeth.
The important and novel features of this invention, specifically a curved front edge and combination of primary and variable secondary fulcrums whose functionality are discussed below, are neither disclosed nor suggested in the listed patents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention, although useful for all types of roofing removal, is specifically designed and especially useful on single layer shingles over plywood attached with nails or staples. A common problem with all of the prior art devices is that they do not accommodate sags in the roof surface. Accordingly, the sweeping curvature of the front edge of this invention can match the sag of plywood roofing by lifting of the handle, thereby easing the insertion under shingles where other devices utilize a straight front edge that will snag a roof surface or shingle edge where such sags exist. This feature of the invention allows the center of the blade to enter beneath the shingles and gradually lift the encountered edge of the shingles from the center outward even in the case of sags. The broad width of the blade increases the shingle removal per movement, the increased mechanical force ratio breaks nails loose easily, and the graduated curvature of the secondary fulcrum keeps the required force nearly constant as the nails are released. In combination, these features reduce the work per area significantly. Shingle removal, due to the unique and claimed features of this removal tool is faster than removal with any known existing tools. In response to this need, this patent provides a shingle removal tool which will enable an operator to remove roofing shingles in a more efficient, less tiring manner with considerable labor cost savings.
The blade width is nominally less than the spacing between roof rafters (in most instances 24 inches) but the blade width can also be narrower (down to 8 inches in width) such that it is slightly greater than the width of the undercarriage for roof-peak and roof covering that is exceptionally difficult to remove. Optionally, the blade can be significantly wider than the preferred embodiment (up to 36 inches) for extremely fast roofing removal under ideal conditions. Also, the greatly increased blade width means fewer operator repetitions for a given area. When removing shingles, the front edge on the wide or “hammerhead” portion of the blade captures the nails or fasteners in the serrate notches designed for that purpose. The trailing portion of the blade base provides a primary fulcrum with great leverage to break nails loose and begin their extraction. As the nails begin to lift the vertical travel of the handle rotates the fulcrum to the undercarriage, curved portion of the body and begins to operate with gradually reduced leverage. This feature reduces the downward travel required of the handle for full nail extraction while providing the optimal leverage at each stage. Serrate notches on the front edge of the blade capture nails or fasteners across the entire width of the blade. The base of the notches form a rounded V to reduce the bending or peeling of nail-heads before the nails are fully removed and to avoid the occurrence of nails becoming snagged in a sharper notch. Transverse ridges and bends across the width of the blade provide the rigidity and strength required for the wide working area. The handle provides the required height for comfortable operation without back-breaking exertion. Other objectives, novel features, and advantages of this patent are provided in the following description of a preferred embodiment and in the appended claims.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
Objects and advantages of the invention are to provide a shingle removing tool designed and constructed in such a way that:
a) it can be easily inserted underneath roofing shingles in the presence of non-planar variations in the roof surface,
b) it is capable of dispersing downward force over a significant area, addressed by the wider primary fulcrum, thereby reducing damage to the roof itself,
c) a variable secondary fulcrum in combination with the primary fulcrum provides nail and staple removal with advantages of both high initial mechanical force ratio and limited vertical handle motion, and
d) a decrease in both time and subsequent cost of labor are realized in removing the roofing material and effecting the disposal of the debris.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3436111 (1969-04-01), England
patent: 4086699 (1978-05-01), Olkkola
patent: 4203210 (1980-05-01), Hadlick
patent: 4477972 (1984-10-01), Testa
patent: 4809436 (1989-03-01), Crookston
patent: 4865372 (1989-09-01), Gabriel
patent: 5010791 (1991-04-01), Williams
patent: 5159859 (1992-11-01), Whitsell
patent: 5813295 (1998-09-01), Jensen
patent: 5893304 (1999-04-01), Carroll
patent: 6070498 (2000-06-01), Mislich et al.
patent: 6098292 (2000-08-01), Harpell
patent: 6105469 (2000-08-01), Gracy
patent: 6113074 (2000-09-01), Foley
Colehouse Stephen
Hendrix Ralph Dann
LandOfFree
Roofers shingle removal tool does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Roofers shingle removal tool, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Roofers shingle removal tool will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2587435