Roofing-package and method of making same.

Application filed March 18, 1907; Serial Ko. 362,988.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Frederick C. Overbury, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented 5 certain new and useful Improvements in Roofing-Packages and the Method of Making Same, of which the following is a specification. . |

This invention relates to flexible water10 proof material adapted to be applied in strips to roofs or side walls of buildings, such material being termed “roofing”, which term I will employ for convenience hereinafter. Strips of this character are now being made 16 with one edge of each strip serrated or provided with alternating tongues and recesses, the serrated edge of each strip, when laid, being the exposed edge, and giving the roof or wall a diversified appearance similar to that 20 produced by pointed shingles. Roofing material is put on the market in packages, each formed by winding a strip of the material into a compact roll. I nave found that, when a strip which is serrated along one edge 25 is formed into a roll, one end of the roll being created by the serrations of the strip, the serrations are exposed ^-and are liable to be broken off or bent out of shape, particularly the serrations in the outer convolutions of

3C the roll.

My invention has for its object to obviate this objection and to protect the serrations of roofing strips while the same are packaged for transportation and storage. To this end, 2 5 my invention consists in a roofing package composed of a sheet of flexible roofing material, longitudinally subdivided into a plurality of roofing strips having serrated abutting edges and wound into a roll, the nrojec4.5 tions of each strip alternating with and being protected by the projections of the abutting strip, the said strips being separable when the sheet is unrolled. In other words, I sever a sheet of suitable roofing material along an /<5 irregular or zig-zag line, the form of which is such as to impart serrations of the desired form to the edges created by the cut, and wind the strip into a roll, while the subdivisions are in the same relative positions as 5.: they were before the formation oi the zig-zag cut. By this procedure, the ends of the roll are formed by the straight edges of the strips, the serrations pointing inwardly from the ends of the roll and mutually guarding and protecting each other.

The invention also consists in the improved method of making a roofing package, said method consisting in longitudinally subdividing a sheet of flexible roofing material along a zig-zag line to form serrated edges go and winding the subdivided sheet into a roll in winch the serrated edges are abutted together.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,—Figure 1 repre- 35 sents a side elevation showing means for producing my improved roofing package. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of- the means shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of a partially completed pack- 70 age embodying my invention, a portion of the strip forming the package being extended from the body of the package. Fig. 4 represents a top plan view showing means for subdividing the sheet along a plurality of 75 lines to form more than two roofing strips.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents a sheet of suitable flexible roofing material of such 30 width that it is adapted to be longitudinally subdivided into a plurality of operative roofing strips.

In carrying out my invention I subdivide the sheet a into a plurality of strips a' a', 35 each of suitable width for a roofing strip, the sheet being subdivided by means of a zig-zag cut b of such form as to create tongues a² on each strip a'> In making the zig-zag cut b, such instrumentalities are used as will per- 90 mit the tongues a² of each strip to remain in engagement with or between two tongues of the abutting strip, the cut being formed without displacement of either of the subdivisions or strips from the relative posi- 95 tions occupied by the material of said strips before the cut b was- formed. The sheet, thus subdivided, is wound into a compact roll a’ (about a core having flanged ends if desired) the ends of the roll being formed by 100 the straight edges of the strips a', the serrations of the strip pointing inwardly and interlocking, as shown in Fig. 3. A package is thus formed, composed of a plurality of serrated strips, the serrations of which are pro- 105 tected against any injury or displacement while the package is in storage or transit.

In Fjgs. -1 and 2 I have shown suitable means for producing the above-described package and practicing the method in- 110

881,024 volved. In said figures, c represents a top roll and d a bed roll which supports the top roll, said rolls being mounted in bearings . suitably supported. The top roll c is pro5 vided with zig-zag knives e adapted to form the longitudinal cut b when rotary movement is imparted to the roll c. The knives e are arranged to cut through the material of the sheet a. their cutting edges acting against 10 the bed roll c, which may be made of any material suitable for the'purpose. The cutter-carrying roll c may be rotated by power applied in any suitable way. The uncut sheet is preferably wound upon a mandrel g 15 journaled in suitable bearings, the sheet being unwound from the roll and passed between the rolls e and d. .

i represents a reel, upon which the roll or package.a³ is formed by winding up the sub20 divided sheet.

h represents a horizontal bed or table located between the reel and °the rolls c and d, said table supporting the subdivided portion of the strip between the rolls c d and the reel, 25 and preventing the subdivisions from separating on their way from the cutter to the reel.

In Fig. 4,1 show the roll c provided with a plurality of zig-zag cutters e, and with an in30 termediate straight cutter/, the several cutters being so arranged that the sheet a has a straight longitudinal cut g and two zig-zag cuts o, located between the straight cuts g and the margins of the sheet. Provision is' 35 thus made for cutting and winding or packaging four serrated strips at one operation.

I have hereinbefore referred to a zig-zag cut and zig-zag cutters. . It is to be understood, however, that I- do not mean; in using 40 the term “zig-zag”, to limit myself to cutters which form angular serrations only, it being obvious that the cutters may form serrations or alternating projections and recesses, having curved or scalloped edges.