The ridge of a roof is one area of a roof that can deteriorate the fastest. This area of a roof is usually subjected to the full sunlight, rain and wind. All of these factors can significantly shorten the life of the ridge cap. A typical ridge cap is fabricated from several layers of roofing felt that are bonded together and then covered with small sand, stones or gravel. The ridge cap area is one of the first parts of a roof from which water can enter into a house. Installing or replacing the ridge cap with a metal cap with prior art devices often results in a significantly different appearance from the surrounding roof material. Some solutions have been to install individual bent shingles resulting in the existence of openings around each shingle and significant labor to install the ridge cover. Several products have been developed and patents have been filed and issued on products that try to solve this problem. Exemplary examples of prior art patents covering such products are disclosed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,609, issued on Apr. 27, 2004 to Mark Freiborg et al. (and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0275542) both disclose ridge or hip covers that simulate a single shingle. They are both formed from a flat blank that is formed along the edges and then bent in the middle to simulate the ridge or hip. Because of the simple bends provided the parts can be slightly re-bent to accommodate varied angular ridges or hips. The part described in these documents is not metal and therefore not painted, and thus does not have rust protection. These parts are then simply rust protected and or painted to match the color of the roof without any additional coatings. The parts described in these documents only cover a single shingle, have limited wrap to cover existing shingles. Further, such parts are embedded in the mat with asphalt and are not coated to simulate stone coated shingles.
U.S. Pat. App Publication Number 2006/0154597 was published on Jul. 13, 2006 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,422,520 on Sep. 9, 2008 to Michael S. Coulton et al., discloses an integrated vent that is bonded or captured under the top shingle material. The vent material extends essentially across the full width of the shingle where it can interfere with material or obstructions that extend from the base roof or ridge. The device disclosed in this patent does not allow for coverage over shingled roofs where the roof ridge is stepped. Further, that patent does not disclose a stepped shingle or shingles. The disclosure of that patent further requires the rolled material to be covered in the field when it is being installed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,374 issued on Apr. 5, 1977 to George Epstein et al., discloses an angled cap member for simulated cedar shake construction. The cap member is formed from a flat sheet of material and requires an elevated spacer that raises the cap member above the roof. The cap member is then screwed or bonded to the elevated member. The flat sheet of metal material is embossed to form simulated grain. This patent does not disclose the use of sand, stone or gravel to simulate a shingle roof. Also, the cap member disclosed does not have rounded reliefs that allow the cap to wrap around existing shingles.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,495 issued on. Sep. 19, 2006 to Thomas Gilbert et al., discloses an apparatus for continuous forming shaped polymeric articles. The polymeric articles simulate the appearance of shake shingles arranged in rows. After the polymeric articles are formed they are surface treated to improve the wearability of the surface. The disclosure of this patent is directed to a method for creating a particular appearance of shingles. The appearance is not stone coated nor is it useful for the roof ridge over shingles.
It would be desirable to provide a formed ridge cap where the cap is formed with sufficient fillets and rounds to prevent ripping of the shingle material. The ridge cap should provide coverage for multiple shingles. Further, it would be desirable that a new formed ridge cap be stone coated to simulate the appearance of a shingle ridge cap. A roof cap with such attributes is disclosed herein below.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds