Structure for providing air circulation at the roof of a building

Claim 2

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, said shingles being corrugated and said spacers being curved with the spacers of one row situated at the crests of the corrugations of said shingles and the spacers of the other row situated at the valleys between the corrugations of said shingles with said spacers each having a length at least as great as one-half of a full corrugation of the shingles.

Claim 3

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, each spacer being in the form of an elongated body of X-shaped cross-section.

Claim 4

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, each spacer being in the form of an elongated body of X-shaped cross-section.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 2 and wherein each of said spacers has elongated webs defining V-grooves extending longitudinally of each spacer, and at least one stiffening rib situated in each V-groove extending transversely thereof.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 3 and wherein each stiffening rib is of Z-shaped configuration and is sufficiently yieldable to be folded.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 and wherein each spacer together with its stiffening ribs is made of a springy plastic.

Claim 8

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, said shingles being corrugated and said spacers being of a curved configuration with one row of spacers situated at the crests of the corrugations and the other row situated at the valleys between the corrugations, and each curved spacer which engages the valleys between the corrugations at the outer overlapping surface of the inner longitudinal edge region of said other row of shingles being formed next to the outer surface area of the latter row of shingles with transverse grooves situated at the innermost part of each valley between adjacent corrugations so that any rain which collects on one side of the latter spacers will flow downwardly through said grooves.

Claim 9

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, said shingles being corrugated and said spacers being of a curved configuration with one row of spacers situated at the crests of the corrugations and the other row situated at the valleys between the corrugations, and each curved spacer which engages the valleys between the corrugations at the outer overlapping surface of the inner longitudinal edge region of said other row of shingles being formed next to the outer surface area of the latter row of shingles with transverse grooves situated at the innermost part of each valley between adjacent corrugations so that any rain which collects on one side of the latter spacers will flow downwardly through said grooves.

Claim 10

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as raIn will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, a layer of adhesive being situated between the spacers and said overlapping surface areas for adhesively bonding said spacers and shingles to each other.

Claim 11

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as raIn will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, a layer of adhesive being situated between the spacers and said overlapping surface areas for adhesively bonding said spacers and shingles to each other.

Claim 12

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, an elongated strip of flexible sheet material carrying spacers on one face of said strip so that the latter can initially be rolled and need only be unrolled onto the outer surface area along the inner edge region of said other row of shingles before said one row of shingles is placed in position in order to situate the spacers between said surface areas.

Claim 13

In a building, two rows of shingles one of which overlaps the other with said one row having an outer longitudinal edge region situated outwardly of an inner longitudinal edge region of the other row, and said outer longitudinal edge region of said one row having an inner overlapping surface area overlapping an outer overlapping surface area of said inner longitudinal edge region of said other row, and at least two rows of spacers extending longitudinally of said shingle rows between said overlapping surface areas thereof for maintaining said overlapping surface areas spaced from each other, the spacers of each row of spacers defining gaps of predetermined length between themselves from one spacer of each row to the next spacer thereof, and the spacers of said rows being staggered with the spacers of one row aligned with the gaps of the other row, and the spacers all being at least as long as said gaps so that in a direction perpendicular to said rows any fluid flowing through the gaps of one row will encounter the spacers of the other row, whereby air can circulate around the spacers between the overlapping surface areas of said rows of shingles while a liquid such as rain will be prevented from flowing beyond the two rows of spacers, an elongated strip of flexible sheet material carrying spacers on one face of said strip so that the latter can initially be rolled and need only be unrolled onto the outer surface area along the inner edge region of said other row of shingles before said one row of shingles is placed in position in order to situate the spacers between said surface areas.