Sloping sheet metal roof and roofing unit therefor
Ullitg iii States n91 Boyd [ 1 Apr. 8, 1975 SLOPENG SHEET METAL ROOF AND ROOFING UNIT THEREFOR 221 Filed: Jan.25,1974  
  211 Appli No.: 436,664  
 [52] 1.1.8. Cl. 52/520; 52/530; 52/545 [51] Int. Cl E04d 1/06; E04d 1/18 [58] Field of Search 52/518-522, 52/529-532, 545, 552. 556, 472, 544, 478  
 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,118 5/1887 Sagendorph 52/519 369,477 9/1887 Smeeton 52/520 1,107,568 8/1914 Bambergcr 52/520 1,244,087 10/1917 Havens et a1. 52/520 2,126,676 8/1938 Thomas 52/520 3,320,711 5/1967 .lohnson..... 52/552 3,552,078 1/1971 Mattes 52/531 3.703,062 11/1972 McKinney 52/545 UPPER E/VD Primar E.\&#39;aminerFrank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner.lames L. Ridgill, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmBrown. Murray, Flick &amp; Peckham [57] ABSTRACT A sloping sheet metal roof includes a roofing pan having a lower end portion overlapping the upper end portion of a lower roofing pan, across the upper surface of which there is a connecting strip of sheet metal. The upper end of the lower pan is turned back upon itself to form a hook and the underside of the connecting strip is provided with a hook portion hooked into the pan hook. The upper end of the strip extends beyond the upper end of the lower pan and is formed to be fastened down to a support. At a point spaced from the lower edge of the connecting strip it is fastened to the underlying pan, and the lower end of the upper pan is turned back beneath itself to form a hook receiving the lower end of the connecting strip, whereby the pans are connected together.  
 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures SLOPING SHEET METAL ROOF AND ROOFING UNIT THEREFOR In laying sloping sheet metal roofs made from overlapping metal pans, the pans are placed side by side and end to end, with the lower end of each pan overlapping the upper end of the pan below it. There always is a problem of connecting the overlapping portions of the pans together so that rain will not be blown up between them and leaks occur, especially when the roof has only a slight slope.  
 It is among the objects of this invention to provide a sloping sheet metal roof, in which the overlapping pans can be quickly fastened together, in which separate members are not required for fastening the overlapping ends of the pans together as they are being laid down, and in which rain cannot be blown up between the overlapping ends of the pans.  
  The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the upper end of a roofing unit;  
  FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric view of a roof, partly broken away in section and with the thickness of the metal exaggerated; and  
  FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the overlapping portions of two roof units.  
  Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a roofing unit is shown that is composed of a sheet metal pan 1, and a sheet metal connecting strip 2 attached to the upper end portion of the pan. The pan is made any desired length that can be handled conveniently and has upwardly extending side flanges 3, the upper edges of which are provided with laterally projecting lips 4. The connecting strip extends across the upper surfacee of the upper end portion of the pan and has upwardly extending side flanges 5 engaging the inner surfaces of pan flanges 3. It also projects lengthwise from the end of the pan. The lower end of the pan is turned back beneath itself to form a hook 6.  
  As shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper end portion of the connecting strip is folded back beneath itself so that this portion of the strip is composed of upper and lower layers engaging each&#39;other. The lower end of the lower layer is again turned back beneath itself to form a hook portion 7 that is hooked into a book 8 formed by turning the upper end of the underlying pan back upon itself. The lower end portion of the connecting strip is folded back against itself to provide a double thickness portion that will stiffen this part of the strip. At a point a few inches from the lower edge of the strip it is secured to the underlying pan by suitable fastening means, such as rivets 9. Between these rivets and the lower end of the strip, the strip is offset upwardly from the pan a distance substantially the same as the thickness of the pan metal, The prefabricated connecting strip 2 is fastened to the pan before the unit is taken up to the roof. This connecting of the two parts can be done at a factory, but is more likely to be done by workmen on the ground at the job site.  
  When the roofing units are laid, they are laid like shingles from the lower edge of the roof upwardly. Thus, one of the units is placed on the substructure of the roof, which may be wooden panels 11 or even a metal deck. The roof unit is disposed with its lower end at the lower end of the substructure. The projecting upper end of the connecting strip which is at the upper end of the unit and was offset downwardly as shown before the strip was secured to the pan, is provided with holes through which suitable fasteners, such as screws or nails 12, are driven in order to fasten the strip to the deck. Since the pan is already secured to the connecting strip, it is held in position on the deck by means of the connecting strip and the nails.  
  Another roofing unit of the same construction as the one just described is then laid on the deck with the lower end ofits pan 15 overlapping the connecting strip 2. The side flanges 16 of this pan engage the inner surfaces of the connecting strip flanges 5. The nesting of the adjoining ends of the two pans is made possible by tapering each pan slightly from its upper to its lower end. This can be done, even though the sheet from which the pan is made is a perfect rectangle, by simply using metal that otherwise would form the lips 4. That is, the lips of the pan are narrower at their upper ends because the distance between the pan flanges is greater at the upper end than at the lower end.  
  The hook 17 at the lower end of the upper pan is first located below the lower end of the connecting strip, and then the unit is moved up the slope of the roof to cause the hook to hook under the lower end of the connecting strip. The connecting strip (not shown) at the upper end of the upper pan is then fastened to the deck in the same way as the first connecting strip, whereby the upper end of the upper-pan is held in place by its connecting strip while the lower end of the upper pan is held in place by its book 17 in engagement with the lower end of the lower connecting strip 2. As many roofing units can be connected to one another and to the deck in this manner as are required.  
  Laying the roofing units can be very fast, because the only fastening members necessary are the nails 12 at the upper ends of the connecting strips. In addition to this advantage, there is no danger of water leakage. The nails or rivets are covered and concealed by an overlying pan. The tops of the upstanding side flanges can be covered by batten caps if it is a battan roof. If a standing seam roof, the lips along the tops of the pan flanges at one side of a row of pans are turned outwardly to overlie the inturned lips on the adjoining flanges of the next row of pans. After the roofing units have been laid, the lips are turned down and folded in the usual way to form locked weatherproof seams. The application of the connecting strips to the metal pans in the manner disclosed herein, and the hooking of the overlapping pans together as shown, assure tight waterproof joints between the roofing units. The joints also are strong and will not open up. The double thickness lower end portion of connecting-strip 2 stiffens this part of the strip so that the wind will not lift and bend it, which could form a leakage path for rain and possibly break the strip due to repeated flexing.  
  According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.  
 I claim:  
  1. A sloping sheet metal roof comprising a roofing pan having a lower end portion overlapping the upper end portion of a lower roofing pan, a connecting strip of sheet metal extending across the upper surface of the upper end portion of the lower pan beneath the overlapping lower end portion of the upper pan, the upper end of the lower pan being turned back upon itself to form a hook, the underside of the connecting strip being provided with a hook portion extending across it and hooked into said pan hook, the upper end of the strip extending beyond the upper end of the lower pan and adapted to be fastened down to a support, the connecting strip extending downwardly past its hook portion in overlapping relation with the lower pan, and means spaced from the lower edge of the connecting strip fastening the underlying pan and the overlapping strip together, the lower end of the upper pan being turned back beneath itself to form a hook receiving the lower end of the connecting strip.  
  2. A sloping sheet metal roof according to claim 1, in which said roofing pans have upwardly extending side flanges, and said connecting strip has a flange at each side extending upwardly between the pan flanges at that side.  
  3. A sloping sheet metal roof according to claim 1, in which the portion of said connecting strip between its lower edge and said fastening means is spaced above said underlying pan to form a slot receiving said lastmentioned hook.  
  4. A sloping sheet metal roof according to claim 1, in which the upper end of said connecting strip is folded back beneath itself to form a lower layer, and the lower end of said lower layer is turned back beneath itself to form said hook portion.  
  5. A sloping sheet metal roof according to claim 4, in which the lower end of said connecting strip is folded back against itself to provide a double thickness portion, and said fastening means connect said double thickness portion to said underlying pan.  
 6. A roofing unit for a sloping sheet metal roof, comprising a sheet metal roofing pan having upper and lower ends, said lower end being turned back beneath itself to form a hook, a sheet metal connecting strip extending across the upper surface of the upper end portion of said pan, the upper end of the pan being turned back upon itself to form a hook, the underside of the connecting strip being provided with a hook portion extending across it and hooked into said upper pan hook, the upper end of the strip extending beyond the upper end of the pan and adapted to be fastened down to a support, the connecting strip extending downwardly past its hook portion in overlapping relation with the lower pan, and means spaced from the lower edge of the connecting strip fastening said pan and the overlapping strip together, the portion of the connecting strip between its lower edge and said fastening means being spaced above the pan to form a slot for receiving the hook on the lower end of another roofing pan when that pan overlaps said connecting strip.  
  7. A roofing unit according to claim 6, in which the upper end of said connecting strip is folded back beneath itself to form a lower layer, and the lower end of said lower layer is turned back beneath itself to form said hook portion.  
 8. A roofing unit according to claim 6, in which the lower end of said connecting strip is folded back against itself ro provide a double thickness portion, and said fastening means connect said double thickness portion to said pan.  
  9. A roofing unit according to claim 6, in which said roofing pan has upwardly extending side flanges, and said connecting strip has upwardly extending side flanges engaging the inner surfaces of said pan flanges.