Shingle for optically simulating a tiled roof

A composite, laminated shingle, comprising:

• an overlay member having front and rear surfaces, the overlay member including a headlap portion and a butt portion, the headlap portion including a lower boundary portion of a substantially straight contour, the butt portion including a plurality of tabs separated by cutouts, each tab having a tab width and each cutout having a cutout width, and an immediately adjacent tab width and cutout width having substantially the same magnitude, each tab extending in length from the lower boundary of the headlap portion to a lower edge defining a butt edge of the shingle, the lower edge of each tab having a substantially curved contour;
• and
• an underlay member having a front surface fixedly attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay member including an underlay lower edge, a portion of the underlay lower edge having a substantially curved contour corresponding to the lower edge of each tab and exposed portions extending between the tabs of the overlay member in the cutouts that separate the tabs, a lower edge of the exposed portions defining a portion of the butt edge of the shingle having a substantially straight contour,
• wherein the shingle operates to optically simulate the three dimensional ridges and valleys of a tiled roof when laid on a roof with other substantially identically shaped shingles in overlapping longitudinal courses in a predetermined assembly in which the tabs and cutouts of the substantially identically shaped shingles in each course are vertically aligned with the respective tabs and cutouts of the shingles in the next lower course of shingles,
• wherein the portion of the butt edge of the shingle defined by the lower edge of each tab of the overlay member and the portion of the lower edge of the underlay member has a negatively curved contour, and the underlay member further including a layer of granules on the front surface forming a shading area, the exposed portions of the underlay member exposing at least a portion of the shading area.

A roof covering including a plurality of successive generally horizontal courses of laminated shingles, the shingles in each course being laid in a side-by-side relationship and horizontally offset from the shingles in adjacent courses, each laminated shingle comprising:

• an overlay member having front and rear surfaces, the overlay member including a headlap portion and a butt portion, the headlap portion including a lower boundary portion of a substantially straight contour, the butt portion including a plurality of tabs separated by cutouts, each tab having a tab width and each cutout having a cutout width, and an immediately adjacent tab width and cutout width having substantially the same magnitude, each tab extending in length from the lower boundary of the headlap portion to an overlay lower edge defining a butt edge of the shingle, the lower edge of each tab having a substantially curved contour;
• and
• an underlay member having a front surface fixedly attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay including an underlay lower edge, the underlay member including a layer of granules on the front surface forming a first shading area, a portion of the underlay lower edge having a substantially curved contour corresponding to the lower edge of each tab and exposed portions extending between the tabs of said overlay member in the cutouts that separate the tabs to expose at least a portion of the first shading area, a lower edge of the exposed portions defining a portion of the butt edge of the shingle having a substantially straight contour,
• wherein the shingle operates to optically simulate the three dimensional ridges and valleys of a tiled roof when laid on a roof with other substantially identically shaped shingles in overlapping longitudinal courses in a predetermined assembly in which one of the tabs and cutouts of the identically shaped shingles in each course are vertically aligned with each other.

A laminated shingle, comprising:

• an overlay member having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including one or more tabs separated by cutouts, each tab having a tab width and each cutout having a cutout width, and an immediately adjacent tab width and cutout width having substantially the same magnitude, each tab extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion to an overlay lower edge, the lower edge of each tab having a substantially curved contour, an upper edge of each cutout having a substantially straight contour;
• and
• an underlay member having a front surface, the front surface being fixedly attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay member further including an underlay lower edge, a portion of the underlay lower edge having a contour corresponding to the contour of the curved lower edge of each tab, the curved lower edge of each tab aligned with the curved portion of the underlay lower edge;
• wherein the front surface of the overlay member includes an overlay shading area extending in a substantially straight line along the lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member, the overlay shading area having a width substantially corresponding to a width of the overlay member;
• and
• wherein each tab of the laminated shingle is positioned overlapping the overlay shading area of a laminated shingle in a next lower course of shingles, the aligned curved lower edge of each tab and curved portion of the underlay lower edge thereby defining a curved shaped exposed portion of the shading area on the next lower course of shingles.