U.S. patent application number 12/227236 was filed with the patent office on 2009-08-20 for roofing tile cutting template.
Invention is credited to Jeffery S. Ai.
Application Number | 20090205216 12/227236 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37900368 |
Filed Date | 2009-08-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090205216 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ai; Jeffery S. |
August 20, 2009 |
Roofing Tile Cutting Template
Abstract
The roofing tile cutting template (20) is a guide for cutting
roof tiles (38) near a valley intersection of two roof sections.
The template is for use with tiles having a contoured surface. The
template shares the contour of a particular type tile so that the
template conforms to the surface of the tile when laid on the tile.
The template includes one or more slots (22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e)
cut through the surface of the template to provide guides for
ruling a cutting line on the tile. The template is positioned on a
tile so that the slot corresponding to the geometry of the
particular roof intersection intersects a mark placed on the tile
indicating one dimension of the final cut tile. The lot is then
used to rule an accurate cutting line on the tile.
Inventors: |
Ai; Jeffery S.; (Kahului,
HI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LITMAN LAW OFFICES, LTD.
POST OFFICE BOX 15035, CRYSTAL CITY STATION
ARLINGTON
VA
22215-0035
US
|
Family ID: |
37900368 |
Appl. No.: |
12/227236 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
September 25, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US06/37366 |
371 Date: |
November 12, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60719960 |
Sep 26, 2005 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
33/563 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04D 15/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
33/563 |
International
Class: |
E04D 15/00 20060101
E04D015/00 |
Claims
1. A roofing tile cutting template for cutting tiles of a contoured
shape, comprising a contoured base adapted to conform to a surface
of a roofing tile, the base having at least one slot cut
therethrough, the slot having a slope corresponding to a slope of a
roof intersection for a roof of a particular pitch, the slot having
a width sufficient to accommodate the marking end of a writing
utensil.
2. The roofing tile cutting template as recited in claim 1, wherein
said at least one slot comprises a plurality of slots.
3. The roofing tile cutting template as recited in claim 2, wherein
each of the slots extends along a different angle with respect to
horizontal.
4. The roofing tile cutting template as recited in claim 3, further
comprising first indicia formed on a first surface of said
contoured base, the first indicia being formed adjacent each of the
slots, the first indicia indicating the slope of the corresponding
adjacent slot.
5. The roofing tile cutting template as recited in claim 4, further
comprising second indicia formed on a second surface of said
contoured base, the second indicia being formed adjacent each of
the slots, the second indicia indicating the slope of the
corresponding adjacent slot.
6. The roofing tile cutting template as recited in claim 5, wherein
said contoured base is formed from a transparent material.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to construction tools in
general, and in particular to a roofing tile cutting template for
cutting curved roof tiles to required shapes.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] A popular roofing practice is the use of clay tiles as a
roofing material. These tiles are typically rectangular in overall
shape, but do not have flat cross sections or profiles. One popular
form of tile is a tile having an S-shaped contoured surface. When
arrays of these contoured tiles are placed together on a roof, the
undulating shapes of the individual tiles provide an aesthetically
pleasing appearance to the roof.
[0003] When installing these tiles, one labor intensive process is
the cutting of tiles to fit in particular non-rectangular spaces on
a roof. Generally, the majority of the roof is covered with
complete tiles that do not need to be cut. However, in areas where
an object on the roof or an edge of the roof requires covering a
non-rectangular area or an area smaller than the size of a single
tile, one or more tiles must be cut. A cutting tool, such as a
diamond saw, is typically used to cut the clay tiles.
[0004] In areas where different sections of the roof come together
at an angle, a large number of tiles near the intersecting area may
need to be cut. Roof sections may intersect in valleys or hips.
Valleys are intersections where the roof sections form a concave
region at the intersection, while hips are intersections where the
roof sections intersect to form a convex region.
[0005] Cutting tiles to fit in a valley region is particularly
problematic. In a valley region, a tile cannot be placed flat on a
roof section because of the interference from the other roof
section of the valley. This makes trying to estimate by eye the
desired place to cut the tile difficult to accurately accomplish. A
second problem is that attempting to mark a line on the surface of
the tile as a guide to cutting the tile is made difficult because
of the shape of the tile. Straightedges, such as rulers,
engineering triangles or T-squares, do not follow the curves of the
undulating surface of a tile, thus making it difficult to draw a
line on the tile accurately.
[0006] Yet another issue is that inaccuracies in laying out the
tiles in valley intersections results in a particularly displeasing
visual appearance, reflecting poorly on the workmanship of the
roofer and detracting from the overall appearance of the home.
Poorly laid out valleys can also result in water drainage problems,
which can lead to roof leaks.
[0007] One commonly used technique is to perform an iterative
fitting, in which the desired cut on the tile is estimated, and the
tile is cut to an estimated shape. The tile is then test-fitted
into the desired position, and then re-cut as necessary to obtain
the desired fit. While this method provides a good fit, the
repeated fitting and cutting steps are wasteful of time and labor.
If a tile is cut too small, the tile must be either discarded,
resulting in wasted material, or put aside with the hope of fitting
it into a different spot along the roof.
[0008] Thus, a roofing tile cutting template solving the
aforementioned problems is desired.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0009] The disclosure is directed to a roofing tile cutting
template for cutting tiles of a contoured shape. The tool has a
contoured base adapted to conform to a surface of a roofing tile,
the base has at least one slot that corresponds to the slope of a
roof intersection for a roof of a particular pitch. The slot has a
width sufficient to accommodate the marling end of a writing
utensil.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a roof having tile of the
kind that may be cut by the roofing tile cutting template of the
present invention.
[0011] FIG. 1B is an environmental perspective view of a first
embodiment of a roofing tile cutting template according to the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the roofing tile
cutting template of FIG. 1B reversed to produce cuts sloping upward
to the left.
[0013] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a
roofing tile cutting template according to the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a
roofing tile cutting template according to the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a
roofing tile cutting template according to the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a
reversible roofing tile cutting template according to the present
invention adapted for a Monier profile tile for cuts sloping
upwards to the right.
[0017] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0018] The roofing tile cutting template is a guide for cutting
roof tiles near a valley intersection of two roof sections. The
template is for use with tiles having a contoured surface. The
template shares the contour of a particular type tile so that the
template conforms to the surface of the tile when laid upon the
tile. The template includes one or more slots cut through the
surface of the template to provide a guide for ruling a cutting
line on the tile. The slots are wide enough to accommodate the
writing end of a writing utensil. Each of the template slots is cut
at an angle corresponding to the intersection between roof sections
having a given pitch. The slots may be labeled with the pitch of
the roof. In use, a mark is placed near one edge, indicating one
dimension of the final cut tile. A slot is chosen on the template
corresponding to the pitch of the roof sections, and the template
is slid along the surface of the tile until the selected slot is
over the marking. Once the tile template is positioned, the
selected slot is used as a guide for ruling a line on the tile
using a marking utensil, such as a pencil A template in accordance
with the invention and its use is appreciated by referring first to
FIGS. 1A and 1B. The template 20 is shown in use on a tile 38 to be
cut and placed in an empty location 28 on a roof 30. As depicted in
FIG. 1A, the roof is composed of a number of sections. A first roof
section 30, and a second roof section 32 intersect at an angle. The
line of intersection between the first roof section 30 and the
second roof section 32 defines a valley intersection. A hip
intersection 36 is present at the apex of a roof section.
[0019] The tiles used to cover the roof, for example, the tiles
24a-24d, each have an S-shaped contoured surface so that the upper
surface of the tiles is not planar in contour, but has a
substantially undulating shape. The tiles located sufficiently far
away from the valley intersection, such as tiles 24a, 24b, 24c, and
24d on the first roof section 30 and tile 34 on the second roof
section, are full-sized tiles that do not need to be cut. However,
roof tiles 26a, 26b, and 26c on the first roof section 30, and tile
42 on the second roof section, are each close enough to the valley
intersection so that a fill-sized tile would overlap the valley
intersection.
[0020] To cut a tile to fill the gap at position 28, first, a
distance between the end of the last full tile near the
intersection and the valley intersection is measured. The distance
is measured in the direction along an edge of the tile space. The
dimension A, shown in FIG. 1A, measures the distance from tile 24d
to the valley intersection.
[0021] Since it is desirable that the partial roof tiles not end
exactly at the valley intersection, but leave a consistent gap for
drainage purposes, a predetermined distance is subtracted from the
measured dimension A. The resulting value is the dimension of one
edge of the desired partial tile.
[0022] After obtaining the desired tile dimension, a tile 38 (shown
in FIG. 1B) is marked to fit the empty space 28 on the roof. The
calculated tile dimension is marked off along the corresponding
edge of the tile as dimension B. For example, if the measured
distance from the tile to the valley is five inches, and a gap
distance of one inch is desired, a distance of four inches is
marked off along the corresponding edge of the tile as dimension
B.
[0023] A template 20 having the same profile as the tiles used for
the roof is selected and placed on the surface of the tile 38. The
template 20 includes a plurality of slots 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, and
22e. Each slot is drawn at a different angle along the template 20
and corresponds to differing geometries of an intersection between
roof sections. The proper slot is chosen based on the geometry of
the intersection. The template 20 is slid along the surface of the
roof tile until the chosen slot (slot 22a in exemplary FIG. 1B)
intersects with the marked dimension B on the tile 38. The slot is
then used as a guide for the point of a marking instrument, such as
a pencil, to mark a guide line on the tile passing through the
marked dimension point on the tile 38. The template 20 is then
removed from the tile 38, and a cutting tool, such as a saw, is
used to cut the tile along the marked guide line. The template 20
may be made of any sufficiently strong material that is
dimensionally stable, such as metal or plastic.
[0024] The selection of the proper slot may be determined using a
variety of methods. The angle of the valley intersection is
determined in part by the slopes or pitches of the intersecting
roof sections 30 and 32, and also by the profile and contours of
the tile. Since the shape of the tile is known for a given
template, the shape and slope of the slots in the template may be
calculated mathematically. Each of the guide slots may be marked
with a roof pitch that corresponds to the resulting angle of
intersection of a hip or valley. If the user knows the slopes of
the roof section, the proper slot may be selected by choosing the
slot corresponding to the known roof pitch. The template may be
constructed of a transparent material to facilitate viewing marks
made on the tile when aligning in preparation for drawing a guide
line.
[0025] If the roof pitch is not known, the choice of the proper
slot may be made using a two-measurement point process. By making a
second measurement between the nearest tile to the valley
intersection at a line along a second opposing edge of the tile
space 28, shown as dimension C in FIG. 1A, a second distance point
along the required guide line may be determined by subtracting the
desired gap distance from the measured dimension C, thereby
obtaining a second dimension D, determined for a different point on
the tile. The proper slot on the template 20 may then be chosen by
picking the slot that passes through both of the marked points on
the tile 38. Having determined the slot to be used for a first
partial tile, future tiles on the same roof section may be cut by
measuring a single distance to the valley intersection and using
the slot previously determined using the two-measurement point
method.
[0026] When a tile is to be cut for a roof section on the opposite
side of the valley, such as tile 42 on roof section 32, the line of
intersection has the opposite slope as that of a tile for the first
roof section. Referring now to FIG. 2, the use of the template to
rule guide lines sloping in the direction of the tile may be
appreciated. Because the profile of the right side of the tile 38
is a reverse of the profile on the left side, the template 20 may
be reversed to draw guide lines of opposite slope. Comparing the
template position shown in FIG. 1B to that of FIG. 2, we see that
the template in FIG. 2 has been flipped so that its reverse side
lies against the tile 38. The result is that the slots 22a, 22b,
22c, 22d, and 22e, have slopes rising to the left when the template
is positioned as shown in FIG. 2, while in FIG. 1B, the template
position results in the slots 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, and 22e having
slopes to the right. Each slot is labeled with a legend indicating
the roof pitch for which the respective slot should be used. Slots
22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, and 22e are labeled with the pitches 4:12,
5:12, 6:12, 7:12, and 8:12 respectively. A pitch may be specified
using the form Y:12 indicating that the roof increases in height Y
inches for every 12 inches of horizontal distance.
[0027] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, an embodiment of the
invention adapted to a roof tile having a different profile may be
appreciated. The shapes of the templates 60 and 62 are adapted for
a tile having a modified S-shaped profile wherein one side of the
tile has a substantially flat shape. The template 60 lacks the
mirroring symmetry of the template 20 described above. Referring to
FIG. 3A, the template 60 includes a plurality of slots 64a, 64b,
64c, 64d, and 64e for drawing guide lines on tiles. Each of the
slots is cut into the surface of the template 60 at a different
angle to serve as a guide for marking cut lines on tile to fit a
particular geometry of the roof section intersection. Each slot has
a legend indicating a roof pitch for which the slot is designed to
produce the appropriate tile cutting guide line. Each of the slots
is designed to produce a guide line with a slope rising to the
left.
[0028] Because of the lack of symmetry of the tile profile, the
template 60 cannot simply be reversed to provide slopes of the
opposite sense (rising to the right) because the reversed template
would not conform to the surface of the tile. A second template, as
pictured in FIG. 3B is provided for laying out cuts of the opposing
sense. The template 62 has the same profile or shape as the
template 60. However the slots 64f, 64g, 64h, 64i, and 64j have
slopes that rise to the right.
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the use of an embodiment
of the invention adapted for a different tile profile is shown. The
templates 70 and 74 are adapted to conform to the surface of a
Villa style profile. The template 70 of FIG. 4A has a plurality of
slots 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d, 72e cut into the surface of the template
70, with each slot corresponding to a particular roof pitch 4:12,
5:12, 6:12, 7:12, and 8:12. A label next to each slot indicates the
respective roof pitch associated with the slot, allowing choosing
the slot to be used as based on the roof pitch. The slots on the
template 70 each have slopes that rise to the left. As was
described for the modified S template, flipping the Villa style
template 70 will not allow using the template to be used to draw
slopes rising to the right because the inverted template 70 will
not conform to the surface of the tile due to the lack of mirroring
symmetry of the profile.
[0030] The template 74 is used to draw guide lines having the
opposite slopes (rising to the right) to the template of FIG. 4A.
The reversed template 74 has an identical profile to the template
pictured in FIG. 4A. The reversed template 74 also has its
plurality of slots 72j, 72i, 72h, 72g, and 72f, cut into its
surface, however the slots of the reversed template 74 have the
reverse slope from those of the left sloping template 70.
[0031] Templates designed for a wide variety of tile styles may be
constructed in accordance with the invention, with the templates
having a profile corresponding to the surface of tile. The template
may have any number of slots. One or more edges of the template may
be shaped for use as guide for marking a tile. For example, the
lower edge of the template 20 shown if FIG. 2 may be used as a
guide for cutting a horizontal line on a tile.
[0032] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and
all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *