A roof tile with an accommodating portion and an assembly thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a roof tile (100) comprising a tile body comprising a central portion (101), a ridge side portion (102) extending along one edge of the central portion (101) and an eave side portion (103) extending along an opposite edge of the centre portion (101), wherein the central portion (101) comprises an accommodating portion (104) formed at least in proximity to the eave side portion (103) for covering a 10 fastener (105) installed on the ridge side portion (102) of another similar overlapped roof tile (100) when assembled. Advantageously, the roof tile can be secured on a roof by a fastener and being overlapped with another roof tile without damaging any of the roof tiles.

Description

[0001]

[0002] A ROOF TILE WITH AN ACCOMMODATING PORTION AND AN ASSEMBLY THEREOF

[0003] FIELD OF INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to the field of roofing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a roof tile with an accommodating portion, and an assembly thereof.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Roof tiles are integral components of roofing systems to shield underlying structures, including roofs and fasteners, against elements, such as rainwater and sunlight. They can be designed to channel rainwater away and prevent seepage of rainwater into the underlying structures when assembled.

[0007] A roofing system relies on overlapping roof files to shield the fasteners beneath them against other roofing elements. However, the roof tiles may be damaged by the fasteners when coming into direct contact with the fasteners. Consequently, this will adversely affect longevity of the roof tiles or the roofing system. This issue can be overcome by ensuring a gap is formed between the roof tiles when assembled.

[0008] For example, United States Patent Number US9605432B1 disclosed a roofing system assembled from a plurality of roof tiles. Each of the roof tiles comprises an upper surface with an elongated groove assembly located near to a ridge side portion of the roof tile. Additionally, each of the roof tiles comprises a lower surface with a tongue element configured to engage with another elongated groove assembly of another roof tile when assembled. The engagement between the tongue element of the roof tile and the elongated groove assembly of the other roof tile creates a gap between the roof tiles, which can accommodate fasteners being installed within apertures formed along the ridge side portion of the roof tile.

[0009] However, the gap formed between the roof tiles of the United States Patent is relatively large, which may result in a bulky roofing system. Besides, the roof tiles may be difficult and time-consuming to be assembled as the tongue element of the roof tile has to be precisely inserted into the elongated groove assembly of another roof tile. Further, the roof tiles of the United States Patent may be difficult to be fabricated as the elongated groove assembly and the tongue element have to be separately formed on or attached to each of the roof tiles. Consequently, this may increase the production cost of the roof tile. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a roof tile that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0010] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a roofing system formed from two or more overlapped roof tiles while having a gap therebetween for accommodating a fastener. The gap ensures that the roof tile covering the fastener does not come into direct contact with the roof tile to prevent it from being damaged by the fastener. More particularly, the roof tile comprises an accommodating portion to provide the gap for covering the fastener installed on another similarly overlapped roof tile.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a roof tile comprising an accommodating portion configured with a concave profile for facilitating water flow and reduce splashing effect. In addition, the concave profile is capable of channelling rainwater away from the roof tile and preventing seepage of rainwater into underlying structures, thereby improving longevity of the roof tile and the underlying structures

[0013] Still, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a roof tile comprising a stepped profile and a bent profile for respectively engaging with the bent profile and the stepped profile of another similar overlapped roof tile, thereby enhancing engagement between the roof tiles when assembled.

[0014] At least one of the preceding aspects is met, in whole or in part, in which the embodiment of the present invention describes a roof tile (100) comprising a tile body comprising a central portion (101), a ridge side portion (102) extending along one edge of the central portion (101) and an eave side portion (103) extending along an opposite edge of the centre portion (101), wherein the central portion (101) comprises an accommodating portion ( 104) formed at least in proximity to the eave side portion (103) for covering a fastener (105) installed on the ridge side portion (102) of another similar overlapped roof tile (100) when assembled.

[0015] Preferably, the accommodating portion (104) partially extends along a centreline of the central portion (101), whereby the accommodating portion (104) reduces water flow and splashing effect of water that comes into contact.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the central portion (101) has a concave profile (106) to facilitate water flow and reduce splashing effect.

[0017] Still, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ridge side portion (102) extends along the edge of the central portion (101) to provide a stepped profile

[0018] (107) above one face of the central portion (101), and the eave side portion (102) extends along the opposite edge of the central portion (101) to provide a bent profile

[0019] (108) below an opposite face of the central portion (101) for engaging the stepped profile (107) of the similarly overlapped roof tile (100) so as to improve engagement between the rooftile (100) when assembled.

[0020] In one embodiment, the roof tile in the present invention is made of metal or alloy.

[0021] Further embodiment of the present invention describes a roof tile assembly (500) comprising two or more roof tile (100) extending from an eave side of a roof to a ridge side of the roof when assembled, wherein each of the roof tile (100) comprises a tile body comprising a central portion (101), a ridge side portion (102) extending along one edge of the central portion (101) and an eave side portion (103) extending along an opposite edge of the centre portion (101), wherein the central portion (101) comprises an accommodating portion (104) formed at least in proximity to the eave side portion (103) for covering a fastener (105) installed on the ridge side portion (102) of another similar overlapped rooftile (100) when assembled.

[0022] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the present invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings the preferred embodiments from an inspection of which when considered in connection with the following description, the present invention, its construction and operation and many of its advantages would be readily understood and appreciated.

[0024] Figure 1 shows a rooftile (100) of the present invention comprising an accommodating portion (104) and a concave profile (106).

[0025] Figure 2 shows a side view of the roof tile (100).

[0026] Figure 3 shows a stepped profile (107) of the roof tile (100).

[0027] Figure 4 shows a bent profile (108) of the roof tile (100).

[0028] Figure 5 shows a roof tile assembly (500) of the present invention.

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Hereinafter, the present invention shall be described according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention and by referring to the accompanying description and drawings. However, it is to be understood that limiting the description to the preferred embodiments of the present invention is merely to facilitate discussion of the present invention and it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

[0031] The present invention relates to a metal roof tile, as illustrated in Figure 1. The roof tile (100) generally comprises a tile body comprising a central portion (101), a ridge side portion (102), and an eave side portion (103). The ridge side portion (102) extends along one edge ofthe central portion (101), whereas the eave side portion (103) extends along an opposite edge of the central portion (101).

[0032] The “ridge side” herein refers to the side that is closer to a ridge of a roof, which is generally the highest part of the roof where two roof planes meet. On the other hand, the “eave side” herein refers to the side that is closer to an eave of the roof, which is generally the lowest part of the roof.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the central portion (101) comprises an accommodating portion (104) formed at least in proximity to the eave side portion (103) ofthe rooftile (100). The accommodating portion (104) is generally a protrusion for covering a fastener (105) installed on the ridge side portion (102) of another similar overlapped roof tile (100) when assembled. Advantageously, the accommodating portion (104) protects the fastener (105) against rainwater to prevent rusting. Besides, the accommodating portion (104) allows the roof tile (100) to be secured on the roof by the fastener (105) and being overlapped with another roof tile (100) without damaging any of the roof tile (100).

[0034] Alternatively, the accommodating portion (104) can be partially extended along a centreline of the central portion (101), preferably from the proximity of the ridge side portion (102) to the proximity of the eave side portion (103). In this configuration, the accommodating portion (104) splits the rainwater that comes into contact into two streams, thereby slowing water flow and reducing splashing effect. Besides, the protrusion of the accommodating portion (104) generally enhances amount of load that the roof tile (100) can withstand as compared to a flat profile roof tile. This is advantageous to maintain structural integrity of the roof tile (100) and prevent deformation thereof, especially during assembly where workers will step on the roof tile (100)

[0035] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the central portion (101) has a concave profile (106). The concave profile (106) forms a flow channel along the centreline of the roof tile (100), which can concentrate rainwater therealong, thereby facilitating water flow and further reducing splashing effect as the water flows from an upper roof tile (100) to a lower roof tile (100). Advantageously, the roof tile (100) is capable of channelling rainwater away and preventing seepage of rainwater into underlying structures, thereby improving longevity of the roof tile (100) and the underlying structures.

[0036] Still, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in Figure 2, the ridge side portion (102) extends along the edge of the central portion (101) to provide a stepped profile (107) above one face of the central portion (101). Referring to Figure 3, the stepped profile resembles the shape of a staircase when viewed from the side, which includes two interior vertex angles (1071, 1072).

[0037] In the preferred embodiment as illustrated in Figure 2, the eave side portion (103) extends along the opposite edge of the central portion (101) to provide a bent profde (108) below an opposite face of the central portion (101). The bent profile (108) is provided to engage with the stepped profile (107) of the similarly overlapped roof tile (100) so as to improve engagement between the roof tile (100) when assembled.

[0038] Referring to Figure 4, the bent profile (108) is formed in such a way that an angle (1081) between the bent profile (108) and the central portion (101) is substantially identical to the interior vertex angles (1071, 1072) of the stepped profile (107). This allows the bent profile (108) and the stepped profile (107) of the roof tile (100) to overlap each other while leaving minimal gap therebetween, thereby preventing water or waste debris to clog between the roof tile (100). Besides, the minimal gap between the roof tile (100) can prevent structural deformation of the roof tile (100) over time. The structural deformation of the roof tiles is not desirable as it can adversely affect the engagement between the rooftile (100).

[0039] Preferably, the angle (1081) and the interior vertex angles (1071, 1072) are substantially 90°, which resembles the shape of the aforementioned staircase when the roof tile (100) are assembled. Alternatively, the angle (1081) and the interior vertex angles (1071, 1072) are substantially 30° to substantially 80°. In this configuration, the stepped profile resembles the shape of the letter “Z” when view from the side, whereas the bent profile resembles an inwardly inclined profile. It should be understood that a slightly deviation between the angle (1081) and the interior vertex angles (1071, 1072), such as in the range of 1° to 5°, may be acceptable as long as the roof tile (100) can still be overlapped with each other. Besides, the angle (1081) and the interior vertex angles (1071, 1072) can be varied based on gradient or steepness of the roof. For example, the angle (1081) and the interior vertex angles (1071, 1072) can be larger for a steeper roof.

[0040] Advantageously, the roof tile (100) of the present invention is easy to fabricate as it does not require the attachment of additional components to the tile body. Besides, the stepped profile (107) and the bent profile (108) allow easy overlapping between roof tiles ( 100), thereby enabling an easier installation of the roof tile (100) during assembly. Overall, these contributes to a reduced production and assembly costs. The present invention further relates to a roof tile assembly (500), as illustrated in Figure 5. The roof tile assembly (500) comprises two or more of the aforementioned roof tiles (100) extending from the eave side of the roof to the ridge side of the roof when assembled. The roof tile assembly (500) can channel rainwater effectively from the eave side of the roof to the ridge side of the roof while reducing the splashing effect as the rainwater falls from one roof tile (100) to the other.

[0041] The roof tiles (100) in the present invention can be made of metal or an alloy thereof. For instance, metal such as iron, aluminium, or zinc can be used. For instance, metal alloy such as brass, steel, stainless steel can be used.

[0042] One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiment described herein is not intended as limitations on the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A roof tile (100) comprising: a tile body comprising a central portion (101), a ridge side portion (102) extending along one edge of the central portion (101) and an eave side portion (103) extending along an opposite edge of the centre portion (101), wherein the central portion (101) comprises an accommodating portion (104) formed at least in proximity to the eave side portion (103) for covering a fastener (105) installed on the ridge side portion (102) of another similar overlapped roof tile (100) when assembled.

2. The rooftile (100) according to claim 1, wherein the accommodating portion (104) partially extends along a centreline of the central portion (101), whereby the accommodating portion (104) reduces water flow and splashing effect of water that comes into contact.

3. The roof tile (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the central portion (101) has a concave profde (106) to facilitate water flow and reduce splashing effect.

4. The roof tile (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ridge side portion (102) extends along the edge of the central portion (101) to provide a stepped profde (107) above one face of the central portion (101), and the eave side portion (102) extends along the opposite edge of the central portion (101) to provide a bent profde (108) below an opposite face of the central portion (101) for engaging the stepped profde (107) of the similarly overlapped roof tile (100) so as to improve engagement between roof tile (100) when assembled.

5. The roof tile according to any one of the preceding claims is made of metal or an alloy.

6. A roof tile assembly (500) comprising: two or more roof tiles (100) extending from an eave side of a roof to a ridge side of the roof when assembled, wherein each of the roof tile (100) comprises a tile body comprising a central portion (101), a ridge side portion (102) extending along one edge of the central portion (101) and an eave side portion (103) extending along an opposite edge of the centre portion (101), wherein the central portion (101) comprises an accommodating portion (104) formed at least in proximity to the eave side portion (103) for covering a fastener (105) installed on the ridge side portion (102) of another similar overlapped roof tile (100) when assembled.

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