Elevated retainer for roofing tiles

An elevated retainer for retaining roofing tile against a roofing surface that is sloped from an upper roofing surface towards a lower roofing surface, the elevated retainer comprising:

• a retainer head, the retainer head having a base and a top, the base being adapted for placement near the roofing surface so that the base is closer to the roofing surface than the top, the retainer head having a retainer nail channel;
• a reinforcing strip that extends from the retainer head, the reinforcing strip being adapted for extending from the retainer head in a direction that is generally parallel to the roofing surface when the base of the retainer head is placed against the roofing surface, the reinforcing strip having an aperture therethrough, the aperture defining a nail slot that extends through the reinforcing strip;
• a lug retainer, the lug retainer being a cantilevered section that extends from the base of the retainer head in substantially the same direction as the reinforcing strip, the lug retainer having a lug hook comprising a section that is bent up towards the reinforcing strip, the lug hook being at a distance from the base of the retainer head, said lug retainer further comprises a pair of resilient elevated feet that extend from the lug retainer towards the reinforcing strip, the elevated feet comprising a pair of cantilevered projections that are of integral, one-piece construction with the lug retainer and are positioned between the lug hook and the retainer head, so that attachment of the elevated retainer through the use of a nail through the retainer nail channel and into the roofing surface while the reinforcing strip and the lug retainer extend towards from the retainer head towards the lower roofing surface allows the insertion of the roofing tile into the elevated retainer with the lugs of the roofing tile are engaged by the lug retainer while the tile lies between the reinforcing strip and the lug retainer.

A method for retaining a roofing tile against a roofing surface that is sloped from an upper roofing surface towards a lower roofing surface, the method comprising:

• providing a elevated retainer having:
• a retainer head, the retainer head having a base and a top, the base being adapted for placement near the roofing surface so that the base is closer to the roofing surface than the top, the retainer head having a retainer nail channel;
• a reinforcing strip that extends from the retainer head, the reinforcing strip being adapted for extending from the retainer head in a direction that is generally parallel to the roofing surface when the base of the retainer head is placed against the roofing surface, the reinforcing strip having an aperture therethrough, the aperture defining a nail slot that extends through the reinforcing strip;
• and
• a pair of lug retainers, each of the lug retainer comprising a cantilevered section that extends from the base of the retainer head in substantially the same direction as the reinforcing strip, each of the lug retainers having a lug hook comprising a section that is bent up towards the reinforcing strip, the lug hook being at a distance from the base of the retainer head at least one of said lug retainers further comprising a pair of resilient elevated feet that extend from the lug retainer towards the reinforcing strip, the elevated feet comprising a pair of cantilevered protections that are of integral, one-piece construction with the lug retainer and are positioned between the lug hook and the retainer head;
• fastening the retainer head against the roofing surface by driving a nail through the nail channel such that the base of the head faces the roofing surface, while the lug retainer and the reinforcing strip extend towards the lower roofing surface;
• providing a roofing tile having a tile upper surface and a tile lower surface, the tile lower surface having a pair of spaced-apart lugs that extend from the tile lower surface, the roofing tile further having a nail hole that extends through the tile from the tile upper surface to the tile lower surface;
• inserting the roofing tile into the elevated retainer such that the lugs of the roofing tile are engaged by the lug retainer while the tile lies between the reinforcing strip and the lug retainer, and such that the retainer nail channel extends over the tile nail hole;
• and
• inserting a nail through the retainer nail channel and through the tile nail hole and into the roofing surface.