Roof tile

Claim 1

A one-piece plastic material roof tile comprising: a planar sheet body of rectangular configuration having a lower end wall depending therefrom, an upper end wall depending therefrom and of a less height than the lower end wall; a pair of laterally spaced parallel channels formed in the tile body parallel to and laterally outwardly from one side thereof between the upper and lower end walls and being open at both ends; the tile body having a side wall adjacent said channels having throughout its length and intermediate its top and bottom edges a lateral flange extending outwardly from said wall and constituting a bottom common to both channels, which bottom lies in a plane parallel to and spaced above a plane common to the bottom edges of the side wall and thereby provides an air space beneath and coextensive with said channels; the outer side wall of the outer channel depending from said bottom flange at a point closer to the lower end of the tile than its upper end and terminating in an outwardly extending foot flange constituted as a nailing tab offset below the bottom edge of the outermost channel side wall; the other side of the tile body having a laterally outward marginal extension of the planar sheet body provided with a depending connector flange constructed and arranged for interlocking seating engagement in the outer channel of an identical tile if and when interlocked therewith in service; the inner one of said pair of parallel channels being open at its top through its length when in service position; the marginal portion of the lower end wall adjacent said marginal extension being inwardly offset to provide a recess open to that side edge of the tile; said lower end wall at the channeled side of the tile having a longitudinal extension exactly complemental to said recess; intermediate support ribs depending from the tile body in parallel spaced relation between the upper and lower end walls and together with said side wall having longitudinally alternate solid portions and ventilation apertures open to their bottom edges; said channel common bottom flange projecting outwardly beyond the upper end wall of the tile and downwardly offset relative to the bottom edge of said upper end wall and constituted as a second nailing tab disposed in a plane common to the first-named nailing tab; the bottom edges of the solid portions of the support ribs and side wall lying also in said plane common to the first and second nailing tabs, whereby the bottom edges of the upper and lower end walls of the tile will at all times be spaced above any surface on which the tile is mounted in service position; and a third nailing tab extending from the tile body flush with the bottom edge of its upper end wall in longitudinal alignment with said interlocking connector flange.