Metal shingle with gutter and interlocking edges

Abstract

A shingle is formed with a first, or trailing, side edge folded over toward the top surface of the shingle to catch moisture and direct it down to the top surface of the next lower shingle. A second, or leading, side edge of the shingle is not folded. An "S" shaped fold, spaced apart from the trailing edge fold, receives the unfolded leading edge of an adjacent shingle. The trailing edge and S fold form a gutter under the leading edge of the adjacent shingle. The top edge of the shingle is folded-over toward the top surface of the shingle for engagement with the folded-under lower edge of the next higher shingle. The folded-over top edge extends to the right or leading edge of the shingle and slides under the left edge of the folded-over top edge of the next adjacent shingle to the fight side. The folded-under lower edge extends along the lower edge of the shingle but leaves a gap relative to the folded-under lower edge of the lateral adjacent shingle. In this way water is caught by the gutter and flows out the gap between folded-under lower edges of laterally adjacent shingles. One or more S-shaped folds are also made in the middle of the shingle to form a panel having the appearance of multiple shingles.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A substantially planar roofing shingle having a top surface and a bottom surface, and further comprising: 
       at least one side edge of the shingle folded over the top surface of the roofing shingle to form one side wall of a gutter with the side wall extending from an upper edge to a lower edge of the shingle, said upper edge being folded-over toward the top surface, and said lower edge being folded under toward the bottom surface in a manner that is adapted to engage a folded-over upper edge of a lower adjacent shingle;  
       an S shaped fold, spaced apart from the folded over side edge fold, to form another gutter side wall extending from the upper edge to the lower edge of the shingle, a fold of said S shaped fold adapted to receive a side edge of a lateral adjacent shingle;  
       the gutter side walls formed by said S shaped fold and said folded over side edge, and the top surface of the roofing shingle between the S shaped fold and the folded over side edge forming the gutter, said gutter for catching water migrating around the S shaped fold and under a laterally adjacent shingle, the gutter adapted to guide the water caught by the gutter to a top surface of a lower adjacent shingle.  
     
     
       2. The roofing shingle of  claim 1 , wherein: 
       the folded-over upper edge of the roofing shingle is adapted to overlap a folded-over upper edge of a laterally adjacent shingle when the shingles are engaged so that water flowing along the gutter of the roofing shingle cannot flow up under a higher adjacent shingle; and  
       the folded-under lower edge of the roofing shingle is adapted to provide a gap between the folded-under lower edge and a folded-under lower edge of the laterally adjacent shingle, the gap being adjacent the gutter of said roofing shingle so that water flowing along said gutter can flow down onto the lower adjacent shingle.  
     
     
       3. The roofing shingle of  claim 1  and in addition: 
       multiple folds in the surface of the roofing shingle at regularly spaced intervals to form the appearance of multiple shingles.  
     
     
       4. The roofing shingle of  claim 3  wherein said multiple folds alternate in direction. 
     
     
       5. The roofing shingle of  claim 3  wherein said multiple folds are all oriented in the same direction. 
     
     
       6. A roofing shingle having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a lower edge, further comprising; 
       a trailing side edge folded over toward the top surface of the roofing shingle;  
       a leading side edge which is unfolded;  
       an S shaped fold spaced apart form the trailing edge fold for receiving an unfolded leading edge of a lateral adjacent shingle;  
       said S shaped fold, said trailing edge fold, and the top surface of the roofing shingle between the S shaped fold and the trailing edge fold forming a gutter for guiding water from the top surface of the roofing shingle to a top surface of a lower adjacent similar shingle;  
       multiple folds in the roofing shingle at regularly spaced intervals to form the appearance of multiple shingles; and  
       a plurality of gaps in said lower edge adjacent said multiple folds for allowing water to migrate along said multiple folds and out onto said lower adjacent shingle.  
     
     
       7. A roofing shingle, comprising: 
       a trailing edge;  
       a first S shaped fold spaced inwardly from the trailing edge;  
       a leading edge adapted for insertion into an S shaped fold of a lateral adjacent shingle;  
       a plurality of additional S shaped folds to form an appearance of multiple shingles;  
       said trailing edge is folded over for forming a gutter between said trailing edge fold and said first S shaped fold;  
       an upper edge folded-over toward a top surface of the roofing shingle; and  
       a lower edge folded-under toward a bottom surface of the roofing shingle for engagement with an upper edge of a lower adjacent similar shingle.  
     
     
       8. The roofing shingle of  claim 7  and wherein the folded-under lower edge is cut away to form a plurality of gaps in said lower edge adjacent to said multiple folds for allowing water caught by the folded under lower edge to flow out onto a lower adjacent similar shingle below. 
     
     
       9. The roofing shingle of  claim 7 , wherein the folded-over upper edge is cut to form a plurality of laterally spaced apart folded-over upper edges that overlap at each S shaped fold when the S shaped folds are formed, the overlapped upper edges preventing water migrating up the S shaped folds from flowing over the upper edge of the shingle. 
     
     
       10. A roofing system comprising a plurality of shingles in which each shingle has a top surface and a bottom surface extending between an upper edge and a lower edge and between a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge, a first one of said shingles having  and in which each shingle further has: 
       ( i )  said upper edge folded over said top surface;    
       ( ii )  said lower edge folded under said bottom surface;    
       ( iii ) said first lateral edge folded over toward its  said top surface to form one side wall of a gutter with said one side wall extending substantially from the upper edge to the lower edge; and  
       ( iv ) an S-shaped fold spaced apart from the one side wall of the gutter to form another sidewall of the gutter extending substantially from the upper edge to the lower edge, ; 
       saida first one of said shingles being positioned over a part of a second one of said shingles with the folded over upper edge of the second one of said shingles engaged with the folded under lower edge of the first one of said shingles such that the folded over upper edge of the second one of said shingles underlays the bottom surface of the first one of said shingles and overlays the folded under lower edge of said first one of said shingles, and such that the folded under lower edge of the first one of said shingles overlays the top surface of the second one of said shingles and underlays the folded over upper edge of the second one of said shingles, and further in such a manner that said gutter channels water caught in said gutter onto the top surface of said second one of said shingles; and  
         wherein the second lateral edge of a third one of said shingles is inserted into the S - shaped fold of said first one of said shingles in such a manner that a portion of said third one of said shingles overlays the gutter of said first one of said shingles while the folded over upper edge of the second one of said shingles underlays both the bottom surface of said third one of said shingles and the gutter of said first one of said shingles such that water migrating around the second lateral edge of the third one of said shingles in the S - shaped fold of the first one of said shingles is caught by the gutter of the first one of said shingles and is channeled by said gutter of the first one of said shingles onto the top surface of the second one of said shingles .  
     
     
       11. The roofing system of  claim 10 , wherein the second lateral edge of a third one of said shingles is inserted into the S-shaped fold of said first one of said shingles in such a manner that the gutter of said first one of said shingles underlays the bottom surface of said third one of said shingles such that water migrating around the second lateral edge of the third one of said shingles in the S-shaped fold of the first one of said shingles is caught by the gutter of the first one of said shingles and is channeled by said gutter of the first one of said shingles onto the top surface of the second one of said shingles. 
     
     
       12. A roofing system comprising a plurality of shingles in which each shingle is an elongated rectangular sheet with a top surface and a bottom surface extending between an upper edge and a lower edge and between a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge, said sheet of each of said shingles having a plurality of S-shaped folds in laterally spaced relation to each other, each of said S-shaped folds extending substantially from the upper edge to the lower edge and with alternate ones of said S-shaped folds in a shingle being folded in opposite directions from adjacent folds on either side such that alternate portions of the top surface between the S-shaped folds are higher than adjacent portions of the top surface. 
     
     
       13. The roofing system of  claim 12 , wherein the S-shaped fold nearest the first lateral edge of each shingle is spaced a distance inwardly from the first lateral edge and the S-shaped fold nearest the second lateral edge of each shingle is spaced a distance inwardly from the second lateral edge, and wherein the second lateral edge of a first one of said shingles is received in the S-shaped fold in a second one of said shingles that is nearest the first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles such that the-distance between the first lateral edge and the S-shaped fold nearest the first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles underlays the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles. 
     
     
       14. The roofing system of  claim 13 , wherein the first lateral edge of said second one of said shingles is folded over toward the top surface of the second one of said shingles to form a gutter between the folded over first lateral edge and the nearest S-shaped fold to the first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles, which gutter of the second one of said shingles underlays a portion of the first one of said shingles adjacent the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles. 
     
     
       15. The roofing system of  claim 14 , wherein the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles and the first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles are positioned to partially overlay the top surface of a third one of said shingles such that water migrating around and under the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles is caught and channeled by the gutter in the second one of said shingles onto the top surface of the third one of said shingles. 
     
     
       16. The roofing system of  claim 13 , wherein the first lateral edge of said second one of said shingles is bent to protrude from the top surface of the second one of said shingles in a direction extending away from the bottom surface to form a gutter between the bent first lateral edge and the nearest S- shaped fold to the first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles, which gutter of the second one of said shingles underlays a portion of the first one of said shingles adjacent the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles.   
     
     
       17. The roofing system of  claim 16 , wherein the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles and the first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles are positioned to partially overlay the top surface of a third one of said shingles such that water migrating around and under the second lateral edge of the first one of said shingles is caught and channeled by the gutter in the second one of said shingles onto the top surface of the third one of said shingles. 
     
     
       18. The roofing system of  claim 13 , wherein said first lateral edge of the second one of said shingles is folded. 
     
     
       19. The roofing system of  claim 10 , wherein said portion of said third one of said shingles that overlays the gutter of the first one of said shingles and extends to the second lateral edge of said third one of said shingles is substantially planar. 
     
     
       20. The roofing system of  claim 19 , wherein said portion of said third one of said shingles that overlays the gutter of the first one of said shingles and extends into the S- shaped fold of the first one of said shingles is substantially planar.   
     
     
       21. A roofing system, comprising: 
       
         a plurality of a first type of shingle, wherein each of said first type of shingle has;  
       
       
         a top surface and a bottom surface terminating in opposing upper edge and lower edge and in opposing first lateral edge and second lateral edge;  
       
       
         said upper edge of the first type of shingle having an upper lip that is folded over said top surface;  
       
       
         said lower edge of the first type of shingle having a lower lip that is folded under said bottom surface;  
       
       
         said first lateral edge of the first type of shingle having a first gutter with a first gutter surface between a first side wall and a first S fold, said first S fold extending between said first gutter surface and the top surface;  
       
       
         said second lateral edge of the first type of shingle having a second gutter side wall and a second S fold, said second S fold extending between said second gutter surface and the top surface; and  
       
       
         a plurality of a second type of shingle, wherein each of said second type of shingle has a top surface and a bottom surface terminating in opposing upper edge and lower edge and in opposing first lateral edge and second lateral edge;  
       
       
         said upper edge of the second type of shingle having an upper lip that is folded over said top surface;  
       
       
         said lower edge of the second type of shingle having a lower lip that is folded under said bottom surface;  
       
       
         said first lateral edge of the second type of shingle having a first tongue portion that extends substantially coplanar with said top surface and said bottom surface; and  
       
       
         said second lateral edge of the second type of shingle having a second tongue portion that extends substantially coplanar with said top surface and said bottom surface, and further wherein:  
       
       
         said upper lip of the second type of shingle is adapted to engage the upper lip of said first type of shingle that is positioned adjacent said lower lip of said second type of shingle;  
       
       
         said first tongue portion is adapted to extend over the second side wall and second gutter surface into engagement with the second S fold of said first type of shingle that is positioned adjacent said first tongue portion of said second type of shingle; and  
       
       
         said second tongue portion is adapted to extend over the first side wall and first gutter surface into engagement with a first S fold of said first type of shingle that is positioned adjacent said second tongue portion of said second type of shingle.