Shingle with sharply defined tabs separated by slots and method of making

Abstract

A shingle is provided and its method of manufacture, in which granules are applied to an upper surface of a hardenable coating on a layer of shingle-making material, with granules of different pre-selected visual aesthetics provided in different tab areas, separated by mixtures of granules from adjacent tab areas forming intermediate areas, and in which the intermediate areas are removed to yield slots separating adjacent tabs, leaving visually sharp, precise starting and ending delineations for the tabs of a given aesthetic, that can be the same as or different than the aesthetic of an adjacent tab.

1 . A method of making a shingle having a butt portion and a tab portion with tabs of desired aesthetic in the tab portion being spaced apart by slots, and with adjacent tabs being sharply defined, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a base web of reinforcing material impregnated with and coated with an adhesive material as a hardenable coating, to an upper surface and a lower surface thereof;    (b) conveying the impregnated reinforcing material in a longitudinal direction;    (c) applying granules of a first aesthetic onto the hardenable coating on the upper surface in first primary areas, each of a first width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said first primary areas;    (d) applying granules of a second aesthetic onto the hardenable coating of the upper surface in second primary areas, each of a second width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said second primary areas; and    (e) applying granules of a mixture of those applied to adjacent primary areas, onto the hardenable coating in intermediate areas between said adjacent primary areas, each intermediate area being of an intermediate width; and    (f) cutting generally transverse slots of a predetermined size in said tab portion so that each said slot is at least as wide in the longitudinal direction as the width of the entire intermediate area in which it is located, to remove said intermediate areas, leaving visually sharp, precise starting and ending delineations at each longitudinal end of each of said primary areas, with granules of a given aesthetic in each primary area being spaced apart on longitudinally opposite sides of a said slot.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , including the step of: 
 (g) applying granules of a third aesthetic onto the hardenable coating of the upper surface in third primary areas, each of a third width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said third primary areas.    
   
   
       3 . A method of making a shingle having a butt portion and a tab portion with tabs of desired shading in the tab portion being spaced apart by slots, and with adjacent tabs being sharply defined, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a base web of reinforcing material impregnated with and coated with an adhesive material as a hardenable coating, to an upper surface and a lower surface thereof;    (b) conveying the impregnated reinforcing material in a longitudinal direction;    (c) applying granules of a first aesthetic onto the hardenable coating on the upper surface in first primary areas, each of a first width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said first primary areas;    (d) applying granules of a second aesthetic onto the hardenable coating of the upper surface in second primary areas, each of a second width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said second primary areas; and    (e) applying granules of a mixture of those applied to adjacent primary areas, onto the hardenable coating in intermediate areas between said adjacent primary areas, each intermediate area being of an intermediate width; and    (f) removing said intermediate areas.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , including the step of: 
 (g) applying granules of a third aesthetic onto the hardenable coating of the upper surface in third primary areas, each of a third width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said third primary areas.    
   
   
       5 . A method of making a shingle having a butt portion and a tab portion with tabs of desired shading in the tab portion being spaced apart by slots, and with adjacent tabs being sharply defined, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a base web of reinforcing material impregnated with and coated with an adhesive material as a hardenable coating, to an upper surface and a lower surface thereof;    (b) conveying the impregnated reinforcing material in a longitudinal direction;    (c) applying granules of a first aesthetic onto the hardenable coating on the upper surface in first primary areas, each of a first width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said first primary areas;    (d) applying granules of a second aesthetic onto the hardenable coating of the upper surface in second primary areas, each of a second width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said second primary areas; and    (e) applying granules of a mixture of those applied to adjacent primary areas onto the hardenable coating in intermediate areas between said adjacent primary areas; and    (f) removing said intermediate areas.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , including the step of: 
 (g) applying granules of a third aesthetic onto the hardenable coating of the upper surface in third primary areas, each of a third width, in the tab portion of the continuous strip of shingle material, to cover said third primary areas.    
   
   
       7 . The method of any one of claims  1 ,  3  or  5 , including the step of cutting the impregnated web with granules into separate shingles of predetermined lengths.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , including the step of applying a second layer of impregnated reinforcing material with granules thereon to the base web of impregnated reinforcing material with granules thereon, to make a laminated shingle.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the second layer of impregnated reinforcing material with granules thereon is applied after said intermediate areas are removed.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the second layer of impregnated reinforcing material with granules thereon is applied before said intermediate areas are removed.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said tabs of desired aesthetic have a varied parameter from one tab to another, said varied parameter being selected from the group of tab shape, tab length, tab width and slot width.  
   
   
       12 . A shingle made according to the method of  claim 7 .  
   
   
       13 . A shingle made according to the method of  claim 8.