Roofing tool blade

Abstract

A blade for a roofing tool, the tool used to remove material off a roof. The blade has a generally quadratic shape with front and rear edges joined by sides, a top surface, and a bottom surface. The bottom surface has a front section and a rear section, the front section extending rearwardly from the front edge of the blade while angling slightly away from the top surface, and the rear section extending forwardly from the back edge of the blade while angling slightly away from the top surface. The front and rear sections join to define a ridge located generally midway between the front and back edges of the blade, the ridge extending across the blade and parallel to the front edge. The blade can be rocked about the ridge to rest on either the back or front bottom section. When rocked back to rest on its back section, it can lever a roofing fastener up with its front edge.

1 . A blade for a roofing tool having front and rear edges joined by sides, a top surface, and a bottom surface; the bottom surface having a front, bottom surface section and a rear, bottom surface section, the front, bottom surface section extending rearwardly from the front edge of the blade while angling slightly away from the top surface, and the rear, bottom surface section extending forwardly from the rear edge; the front and rear bottom surface sections joining to define a ridge located generally midway between the front and rear edges of the blade, the ridge at the thickest portion of the blade and extending across the blade and parallel to the front edge, the blade tapering in thickness from the ridge to the front edge to provide a thin front edge.  
   
   
       2 . A blade as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the rear bottom surface section angles upwardly from the ridge toward the top surface, the blade tapering in thickness from the ridge to the rear edge to provide a thin rear edge on the blade.  
   
   
       3 . A blade as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the top surface has a front top surface section and a rear top surface section, the rear top surface section angling downwardly toward the bottom rear surface section of the bottom surface, the blade tapering in thickness from the ridge to the rear edge to provide a thin rear edge.  
   
   
       4 . A blade as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the top surface is flat, and the front and rear bottom surface sections diverge from the top surface, from the front and rear edges respectively, by an angle ranging between 3° and 5°.  
   
   
       5 . A blade as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the blade has a thickness of about one sixteenth of an inch at the front and rear edges, and the blade has a thickness at the ridge of between three sixteenths and five sixteenths of an inch.  
   
   
       6 . A blade as claimed in  claim 2  including a set of fastener receiving slots extending rearwardly from the front edge of the blade to define teeth between the slots, each tooth having a relatively short front portion that tapers to the front of the tooth to a rounded point and a relatively long body portion with parallel sides, each tooth tapering in thickness toward the front edge.  
   
   
       7 . A blade as claimed in  claim 2  including a set of fastener receiving slots extending rearwardly from the front edge of the blade to define teeth between the slots; each tooth having a relatively short front portion that tapers to the front of the tooth to a rounded point; an intermediate tapered portion extending rearwardly from the front portion, the intermediate portion slightly longer than the front portion and not tapered from back to front as much as the front portion; and a body portion with parallel sides, the body portion longer than the intermediate portion; each tooth tapering in thickness toward the front edge.  
   
   
       8 . A blade as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the sides of the front portion of the tooth diverge from each other from the point of the tooth at an angle ranging between eighty and one hundred degrees.  
   
   
       9 . A blade as claimed in  claim 2  including a trapping slot in at least one side of the blade, the slot extending inwardly and forwardly toward the front edge of the blade and sized to receive the shank of a fastener.  
   
   
       10 . A blade as claimed in  claim 6  including a trapping slot in at least one side of the blade, the slot extending inwardly and forwardly toward the front edge of the blade and sized to receive the shank of a fastener.  
   
   
       11 . A blade as claimed in  claim 6  including a second set of fastener receiving slots extending forwardly from the back edge of the blade, the second set of slots sized to receive fasteners with shanks of a different size than the shanks of fasteners received by the set of slots in the front edge.  
   
   
       12 . A blade as claimed in  claim 6  including a strengthening ridge formed in the blade just behind the front teeth, the ridge extending across the width of the blade, the ridge above the top surface of the blade.  
   
   
       13 . A blade for a roofing tool having front and back edges and sides joining the front and back edges; the blade having slots extending inwardly from at least one of the front and back edges to form outwardly extending teeth; each slot defined by adjacent teeth and having an outer section that tapers inwardly from an outer mouth to collect and direct a fastener into the slot; the slot having an intermediate section following the outer section that tapers inwardly to a lesser degree than the outer section and the slot having an inner section following the intermediate section and of generally uniform width to receive the shanks of fasteners.  
   
   
       14 . A blade as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the sides of the outer section of the slot converge toward each other from the mouth of the slot at an angle ranging between eighty and one hundred degrees.  
   
   
       15 . A blade as claimed in  claim 13  including a trapping slot in at least one side of the blade, the slot extending inwardly and forwardly toward the front edge of the blade and sized to receive the shank of a fastener, the side of the trapping slot nearest the rear edge of the blade rounded at the mouth of the slot to make entry of the fastener shank into the slot easier.  
   
   
       16 . a blade as claimed in  claim 13  including a strengthening ridge formed in the blade just behind the front teeth, the ridge extending across the width of the blade, the ridge above the top surface of the blade.  
   
   
       17 . A blade for a roofing tool having front and back edges and sides joining the front and back edges; the blade having slots extending inwardly from the front edge to form forwardly extending teeth; and a strengthening ridge formed in the blade just behind the front teeth, the ridge extending across the width of the blade, the ridge above the top surface of the blade.  
   
   
       18 . A blade for a roofing tool having front and rear edges joined by sides, the blade having a first set of slots extending rearwardly into the front edge to form a first set of front teeth which extend forwardly, the first set of slots sized to receive the shanks of one size of fastener, a second set of slots extending forwardly into the rear edge to form a second set of rear teeth which extend rearwardly, the second set of slots sized to receive the shanks of a second size of fastener.  
   
   
       19 . A blade as claimed in  claim 18  including a strengthening ridge formed in the blade just behind the front teeth, the ridge extending across the width of the blade, the ridge above the top surface of the blade.  
   
   
       20 . A roofing tool having a blade, the blade having front and back edges and sides joining the front and back edges; the blade having slots extending inwardly from the front edge to form forwardly extending teeth; a handle extending upwardly and rearwardly away from the front edge from about the center of the blade, a gusset on the top of the blade, the gusset extending from the top surface of the blade, in front of the handle to the lower front portion of the handle near the blade and fastened to both the blade and the handle, the top of the gusset curved upwardly to have the gusset merge smoothly with the top surface of the blade and with the lower front of the handle.  
   
   
       21 . A tool as claimed in  claim 20  including a strengthening ridge formed in the blade just behind the teeth, the ridge extending across the width of the blade, the ridge above the top surface of the blade.  
   
   
       22 . A roofing tool having a blade, the blade having front and back edges and sides joining the front and back edges; the blade having slots extending inwardly from the front edge to form forwardly extending teeth; a handle, the handle divided by a bend near the front of the handle into a relatively short front portion and a relatively long grip portion; the front portion of the handle attached to about the center of the blade and extending upwardly and rearwardly from the blade at a first angle; the grip portion of the handle extending at a second angle to the blade which is substantially less than the first angle.  
   
   
       23 . A tool as claimed in  claim 22  wherein the handle has a short rear portion bent down from the end of the grip portion to extend toward the roof when the tool is in use.  
   
   
       24 . A tool as claimed in  claim 22  including a strengthening ridge formed in the blade just behind the front teeth, the ridge extending across the width of the blade, the ridge above the top surface of the blade.  
   
   
       25 . A tool as claimed in  claim 22  including a gusset on the top of the blade, the gusset extending from the top surface of the blade, in front of the handle to the lower front portion of the handle near the blade and fastened to both the blade and the socket, the top of the gusset curved upwardly to have the gusset merge smoothly with the top surface of the blade and with the lower front of the handle.