Layout starter and field shingle for sloped asphalt roofing

Abstract

Herein disclosed is an asphalt roofing shingle, adapted to be laid up in courses on a roof, comprising an upper headlap portion, a lower tab portion, vertically spaced apart upper and lower edges, laterally spaced apart right and left edges and top and bottom surfaces. The bottom surface is configured to be laid up on a roof facing the roof and the tab portion of the top surface is configured to be substantially weather-exposed when laid up on a roof. The upper headlap portion is configured to be substantially covered by the tab portion of roofing elements in a next-overlying course of roofing elements when laid up on a roof. The upper headlap portion further comprises a plurality of parallel, evenly laterally spaced, first markings, the first markings being useful, at least, for aligning adjacent shingles, cutting books of shingles, forming starter shingles from full shingles and forming a grid of shingles without external measuring devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An asphalt shingle designed to be laid up in courses on a roof comprising:
 an upper headlap portion, a lower tab portion, vertically spaced apart upper and lower edges, laterally spaced apart right and left edges, and top and bottom surfaces, having a lateral dimension or width and a vertical dimension or height; 
 at least one adhesive strip disposed across the width of the shingle on the top surface thereof; and 
 a horizontally-oriented marking that extends along an interface between said upper headlap portion and said lower tab portion of said shingle and stretches from said right to left edge thereof, spanning the width of the shingle, 
 wherein the lateral dimension of the shingle is greater than the vertical dimension of the shingle, 
 wherein said bottom surface is configured to be laid up on the roof facing the roof, 
 wherein said tab portion is configured to be substantially weather-exposed when laid up on the roof and wherein said upper headlap portion is configured to be substantially covered by the tab portion of asphalt shingles in a next-overlying course of asphalt shingles when laid up on the roof, and 
 wherein said horizontally-oriented marking defines a boundary line between the upper headlap portion and the lower tab portion of the shingle, 
 wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is configured to act as a headlap alignment mark and run perpendicularly to a rake of the roof and/or parallel to an eave of the roof following installation of the shingle thereon, defining a position on which the upper edge of an asphalt shingle in a previous course of asphalt shingles abut to establish a headlap, 
 wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is configured to remain usable even where the right and left edges of the shingle have been removed, and 
 wherein the laterally spaced apart right and left edges are substantially planar in the upper headlap portion of the shingle. 
 
     
     
       2. The asphalt shingle of  claim 1  wherein said shingle is a three-tab shingle. 
     
     
       3. The asphalt shingle of  claim 1  wherein said horizontally-oriented marking comprises gaps therein that each align with cut-outs a cut-out in the lower tab portion of the shingle. 
     
     
       4. The asphalt shingle of  claim 3  wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is configured to be at least partially exposed to the environment following installation of the shingle and to fade upon weather exposure. 
     
     
       5. The asphalt shingle of  claim 1  wherein said at least one adhesive strip runs parallel to said upper and lower edges of said shingle. 
     
     
       6. The shingle of  claim 1  wherein said shingle is structurally weakened along said horizontally-oriented marking such that said shingle may be readily divided along said horizontally-oriented marking and the headlap portion thereof used as a rake or eave starter shingle. 
     
     
       7. The shingle of  claim 1  wherein horizontally-oriented marking is also marked on the back side of the shingle. 
     
     
       8. The shingle of  claim 1  further comprising nail placement marks that provide specific nail placement locations. 
     
     
       9. The shingle of  claim 8  wherein said nail placement marks are positioned on said horizontally-oriented marking. 
     
     
       10. The shingle of claim  9   8 wherein said nail placement marks are evenly laterally spaced. 
     
     
       11. The shingle of  claim 8  wherein said nail placement marks comprise dots, indentations, perforations, cuts, and/or lines. 
     
     
       12. The shingle of  claim 1  wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is positioned above said adhesive strip. 
     
     
       13. The shingle of  claim 1  wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is positioned on said adhesive strip. 
     
     
       14. The shingle of  claim 1  wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is positioned below said adhesive strip. 
     
     
       15. The shingle of  claim 1  further comprising a cut at a proximal and distal end of said horizontally-oriented marking. 
     
     
       16. The shingle of  claim 1  further comprising at least one additional horizontally-oriented marking, wherein said at least one additional horizontally-oriented marking is configured to act as a headlap alignment mark and run perpendicularly to the rake of the roof and/or parallel to the eave of the roof following installation of the shingle thereon, defining an alternative position on which the upper edge of an asphalt shingle in a previous course of asphalt shingles must abut to establish a second headlap. 
     
     
       17. A method of roofing using the shingle of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 providing a shingle in accordance with  claim 1 ; 
 dividing the shingle into several, shortened shingles of various widths, creating a book of shingles;  
 fixing said shingle to a roof, beginning at a rake edge; 
 applying as many shingles as necessary to complete a course of shingles to the roof; 
 cutting a final shingle at an opposing rake edge such that it terminates substantially at the opposing rake edge; and 
 beginning a subsequent course of shingles above the previous course of shingles by abutting the upper edge of an asphalt shingle to the horizontally-oriented marking of the shingle used in the previous course, 
 wherein at least one of the shortened shingles does not include either a right or left edge of the original shingle. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17  wherein abutting the upper edge of an asphalt shingle to the horizontally-oriented marking of the shingle used in the previous course comprises aligning the horizontally-oriented marking to the upper edge of an asphalt shingle used in the previous course on an edge thereof, fastening the shingle to the roof at the aligned edge and pivoting the shingle on the fastener until the horizontally-oriented marking is fully aligned with the upper edge of the asphalt shingle of the previous course before fastening the shingle along its length, thereby fixing its position. 
     
     
       19. An asphalt shingle designed to be laid up in courses on a roof comprising:
 an upper headlap portion, a lower tab portion, vertically spaced apart upper and lower edges, laterally spaced apart right and left edges, and top and bottom surfaces, having a lateral dimension or width and a vertical dimension or height; 
 at least one adhesive strip disposed across the width of the shingle on the top surface thereof; and 
 a horizontally-oriented marking that extends along an interface between said an upper headlap portion and said a lower tab portion of said shingle and stretches from said a right to left edge thereof, spanning the width of the shingle, 
 wherein the lateral dimension of the shingle is greater than the vertical dimension of the shingle, 
 wherein said bottom surface is configured to be laid up on the roof facing the roof, 
 wherein said tab portion is configured to be substantially weather-exposed when laid up on the roof and wherein said upper headlap portion is configured to be substantially covered by the tab portion of asphalt shingles in a next-overlying course of asphalt shingles when laid up on the roof, 
 wherein the shingle is a three-tab shingle, and 
 wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is configured to act as a headlap alignment mark and run perpendicularly to a rake of the roof following installation of the shingle thereon, defining a position on which the upper edge of an asphalt shingle in a previous course of asphalt shingles abut to establish a headlap, 
 wherein said horizontally-oriented marking is configured to remain usable even where the right and left edges of the shingle have been removed, 
 wherein said horizontally-oriented marking defines a boundary line between the upper headlap portion and the lower tab portion of the shingle, and 
 wherein the laterally spaced apart right and left edges are substantially planar in the upper headlap portion of the shingle. 
 
     
     
       20. The asphalt shingle of  claim 1  further comprising at least one adhesive strip disposed on a top or bottom surface thereof and configured to adhere said shingle to an underlying or overlying course of shingles. 
     
     
       21. The asphalt shingle of  claim 19  further comprising at least one adhesive strip disposed on a top or bottom surface thereof and configured to adhere said shingle to an underlying or overlying course of shingles. 
     
     
       22. The shingle of  claim 16  wherein an area of the shingle bounded by said horizontally-oriented marking and an additional horizontally-oriented marking denotes a nailing zone through which fasteners should be inserted. 
     
     
       23. The shingle of  claim 1  wherein the horizontally-oriented marking is visible across the entire width of the shingle. 
     
     
       24. The shingle of  claim 19  wherein the horizontally-oriented marking is visible across the entire width of the shingle.