US008430983B2
`
`(12) United States Patent
`Vermilion et al.
`
`(lO) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8,430,983 B2
`Apr. 30, 2013
`
`(54) METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SHINGLE
`WITH REINFORCED NAIL ZONE
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`(75) Inventors:
`
`Donn Vermilion, Newark, OH (US);
`Stephanie A. Rinne, Granville, OH
`(US); Michael S. Ugorek, New Albany,
`OH (US); John Scowden, Gahanna, OH
`(US); Barry M. Lewis, Newark, OH
`(US); D. Greg Hendershot, Columbus,
`OH (US); Russell L. Ault, Newark, OH
`(US); James S. Belt, Utica, OH (US)
`
`(73) Assignee:
`
`Owens Corning Intellectual Capital,
`LLC, Toledo, OH (US)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 26 days.
`
`CA
`CN
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 13/193,868
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Jul. 29, 2011
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2013/0025768 A1
`
`Jan. 31, 2013
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`EO4F 13/16
`B29C 65/52
`B32B 37/12
`B32B 37/20
`C09J 5/02
`C08J 5/12
`(52) u.s. Cl.
`USPC .......... 156/71; 156/279; 156/297; 156/307.3;
`156/307.7
`Field of Classification Search .................... 156/71,
`156/182, 278580, 297, 298, 307.1,307.3 307.5,
`156/307.7
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(58)
`
`Chinese Office Action for Chinese Application 2006 80028893.4
`dated Apr. 24, 2009.
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner Sing P Chan
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Calfee, Halter & Griswold
`LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A method of manufacturing a roofing shingle includes apply-
`ing an asphalt coating to a substrate to define an asphalt
`coated sheet, the asphalt coated sheet including a headlap
`portion and a tab portion. Reinforcement material is applied
`from a spool to the asphalt coated sheet, wherein the rein-
`forcement material is wound in a waywind pattern on the
`spool. The reinforcement material is then secured to the head-
`lap portion of the asphalt coated sheet.
`
`20 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
`
`24-~
`
`~
`
`19A 1
`
`13
`
`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 1
`Owens Corning v. Fast Felt
`IPR2015-00650
`
`

`
`US 8,430,983 B2
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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`* cited by examiner
`
`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 2
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2013 Sheet 1 of 6
`
`US 8,430,983 B2
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`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 3
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2013 Sheet 2 of 6
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`US 8,430,983 B2
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`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 4
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2013 Sheet 3 of 6
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`US 8,430,983 B2
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`d
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`O
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`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 5
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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2013 Sheet 4 of 6
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`US 8,430,983 B2
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`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 6
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2013 Sheet 5 0f6
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`US 8,430,983 B2
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`o
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`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 7
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2013 Sheet 6 of 6
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`US 8,430,983 B2
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`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 8
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`

`
`US 8,430,983 B2
`
`1
`METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SHINGLE
`WITH REINFORCED NAIL ZONE
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Asphalt-based roofing materials, such as roofing shingles,
`roll roofing, and commercial roofing, are installed on the
`roofs of buildings to provide protection from the elements,
`and to give the roof an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
`Typically, the roofing material is constructed of a substrate
`such as a glass fiber mat or an organic felt, an asphalt coating
`on the substrate, and a surface layer of granules embedded in
`the asphalt coating.
`A common method for the manufacture of asphalt shingles
`is the production of a continuous sheet of asphalt material
`followed by a shingle cutting operation which cuts the mate-
`rial into individual shingles. In the production of asphalt sheet
`material, either a glass fiber mat or an organic felt mat is
`passed through a coater containing hot liquid asphalt filled
`with limestone to form a tacky, asphalt coated sheet. Subse-
`quently, the hot asphalt coated sheet is passed beneath one or
`more granule applicators which discharge protective and
`decorative surface granules onto portions of the asphalt sheet
`material.
`In certain types of shingles, it is especially desired that the
`shingles define a sufficiently wide area, often known in the
`industry as the "nail zone," in order to make installation of
`roofs using shingles, such as laminated shingles, more effi-
`cient and secure. One or more lines or other indicia painted or
`otherwise marked longitudinally on the surface of the shingle
`may define such a nail zone. It is especially desired that the
`shingles define a nail zone that guides installers in the place-
`ment of nails.
`Additionally, shingles may experience lift in high wind
`situations. This lift may be exacerbated if the shingle tabs are
`not sealed or adhered to the shingle below. Therefore, there is
`also a need for shingles that have a sufficiently high nail
`pull-through value so that the installed shingles have
`improved performance in high wind situations.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present application describes various embodiments of
`a method of manufacturing a roofing shingle. One embodi-
`ment of the method of manufacturing a roofing shingle
`includes applying an asphalt coating to a substrate to define an
`asphalt coated sheet, the asphalt coated sheet including a
`headlap portion and a tab portion. Reinforcement material is
`applied from a spool to the asphalt coated sheet, wherein the
`reinforcement material is wound in a waywind pattern on the
`spool. The reinforcement material is then secured to the head-
`lap portion of the asphalt coated sheet.
`In another embodiment, the method of manufacturing a
`roofing shingle includes applying an asphalt coating to a
`substrate to define an overlay sheet having a headlap portion
`and a tab portion. An underlay sheet is secured to the overlay
`sheet such that a region of the underlay sheet overlaps a region
`of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet. Reinforcement
`material is applied from a spool to the overlay sheet, wherein
`the reinforcement material is wound in a waywind pattern on
`the spool. The reinforcement material is then secured to the
`headlap portion of the overlay sheet.
`In a further embodiment, the method of manufacturing a
`roofing shingle includes applying an asphalt coating to a
`substrate to define an asphalt coated sheet, the asphalt coated
`sheet including a headlap portion and a tab portion. Rein-
`forcement material is applied from a spool to the asphalt
`
`2
`coated sheet, wherein the reinforcement material is wound in
`a waywind pattern on the spool. The reinforcement material is
`then secured to the headlap portion of the asphalt coated
`sheet. The reinforcement material on the spool has a first
`width, the method further including shrinking the reinforce-
`ment material to a second width narrower than the first width
`upon securing the reinforcement material to the headlap por-
`tion.
`Other advantages of the method of manufacturing a roofing
`shingle will become apparent to those skilled in the art from
`the following detailed description, when read in light of the
`accompanying drawings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`10
`
`15
`
`FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of an apparatus for
`manufacturing shingles according to the invention.
`FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a
`laminated shingle having reinforcement material in accor-
`2o dance with the invention.
`FIG. 3 is a plan view of the front of the laminated shingle
`illustrated in FIG. 2.
`FIG. 4 is a plan view of the back of the laminated shingle
`illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.
`FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a second
`embodiment of a laminated shingle having reinforcement
`material in accordance with the invention.
`FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic elevational view of a por-
`tion of the laminated shingle illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.
`30 FIG. 7 is schematic elevational view of a spool of reinforce-
`ment material in accordance with the invention.
`
`25
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`35 The present invention will now be described with occa-
`sional reference to the illustrated embodiments of the inven-
`tion. This invention may, however, be embodied in difl’erent
`forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodi-
`ments set forth herein, nor in any order of preference. Rather,
`4o these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
`more thorough, and will convey the scope of the invention to
`those skilled in the art.
`Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms
`used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood
`45 by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention
`belongs. The terminology used in the description of the inven-
`tion herein is for describing particular embodiments only and
`is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the
`description of the invention and the appended claims, the
`5o singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the
`plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates oth-
`erwise.
`Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quan-
`tities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight,
`55 reaction conditions, and so forth as used in the specification
`and claims are to be understood as being modified in all
`instances by the term "about." Accordingly, unless otherwise
`indicated, the numerical properties set forth in the specifica-
`tion and claims are approximations that may vary depending
`60 on the desired properties sought to be obtained in embodi-
`ments of the present invention. Notwithstanding that the
`numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad
`scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical
`values set forth in the specific examples are reported as pre-
`65 cisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, inherently
`contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error found
`in their respective measurements.
`
`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 9
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`IPR2015-00650
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`
`US 8,430,983 B2
`
`3
`As used in the description of the invention and the
`appended claims, the term "asphalt coating" is defined as any
`type of bituminous material suitable for use on a roofing
`material, such as asphalts, tars, pitches, or mixtures thereof.
`The asphalt may be either manufactured asphalt produced by
`refining petroleum or naturally occurring asphalt. The asphalt
`coating may include various additives and/or modifiers, such
`as inorganic fillers, mineral stabilizers, non-polymers, and
`organic materials such as polymers, recycled streams, or
`ground tire rubber. Preferably, the asphalt coating is a filled-
`asphalt that contains asphalt and an inorganic filler or mineral
`stabilizer.
`As used in the description of the invention and the
`appended claims, the term "longitudinal" or "longitudinally"
`is defined as substantially parallel with the machine direction.
`As used in the description of the invention and the
`appended claims, the terms "shingle blow of£’ or "blow off"
`are defined as the occurrence of installed shingles being
`forced off a roof deck when the installed shingles are sub-
`j ected to high winds. Also, the term "shingle blow through" or
`"blow through" are defined as the situation that occurs when
`a nail has been driven too deeply into the shingle and the nail
`head penetrates through at least the shingle overlay.
`As used in the description of the invention and the
`appended claims, the term "wet" or "wet out" is defined as the
`ability of sealant or adhesive to flow and/or reflow over a
`surface to maximize bond strength based on a larger contact
`area.
`As used in the description of the invention and the
`appended claims, the term "waywind" is defined as fibers, or
`strips of material or fabric that are collected, applied to, or
`wound on a spool or bobbin in a pattern that changes the angle
`of the material relative to the longitudinal axis of the spool.
`Composite shingles, such as asphalt shingles, are a com-
`monly used roofing product. Asphalt shingle production gen-
`erally includes feeding a base material from an upstream roll
`and coating it first with a roofing asphalt material, then a layer
`of granules. The base material is typically made from a fiber-
`glass mat provided in a continuous shingle membrane or
`sheet. It should be understood that the base material may be
`any suitable support material.
`Composite shingles may have a headlap region and a prime
`region. The headlap region may be ultimately covered by
`adjacent shingles when installed upon a roof. The prime
`region will be ultimately visible when the shingles are
`installed upon a roof.
`The granules deposited on the composite material shield
`the roofing asphalt material from direct sunlight, oiler resis-
`tance to fire, and provide texture and color to the shingle. The
`granules generally involve at least two different types of
`granules. Headlap granules are applied to the headlap region.
`Headlap granules are relatively low in cost and primarily
`serve the functional purposes of coveting the underlying
`asphalt material for a consistent shingle construction, balanc-
`ing sheet weight, and preventing overlapping shingles from
`sticking to one another. Colored granules or other prime
`granules are relatively expensive and are applied to the
`shingle at the prime regions. Prime granules are disposed
`upon the asphalt strip for both the functional purpose of
`protecting the underlying asphalt strip and for providing an
`aesthetically pleasing appearance of the roof.
`The performance of an installed shingle, such as in high
`wind conditions, may be enhanced by reinforcing the nail
`zone of the shingle. By reinforcing the nail zone, the occur-
`rence of nail blow through during shingle installation may be
`reduced. Reducing the occurrence of nail blow through
`advantageously reduces the possibility of a roof leak if water
`
`4
`travels under the shingle tab. A reinforced nail zone also
`improves the efficiency of the shingle installer by reducing
`the likelihood of nail blow through when the shingle is weak-
`ened due to high temperatures, such as when the roof or
`5 shingle temperature is above about 120 degrees F., or when
`
`nail gun air pressure is too high. The reinforced nail zone may
`also provide a defined and relatively wide area in which the
`installer may nail. Advantageously, the reinforced nail zone
`will increase the force required to pull a nail through the
`10 shingle, thereby reducing the likelihood of shingle blow off.
`
`The nail zone may also be used as the bonding substrate
`area or bonding surface for tab sealant bonded to the under-
`side of the tabs of the overlay sheet. The nail zone may
`
`15 provide an improved bonding surface for tab sealant.
`It is known that most debonding energy, such as is gener-
`ated between the tab sealant and the bonding surface is due to
`viscoelastic loss in the tab sealant as it is stretched during
`debonding. Further, the polymer modified asphalt sealants
`2o typically used as tab sealants on shingles may lose their
`viscoelastic characteristics when the temperature drops to 40
`degrees F. or below.
`Advantageously, the use of woven or non-woven fabric to
`reinforce the nail zone and to define the bonding surface for
`25 tab sealant has been shown to improve or retain debonding
`loads of polymer modified asphalt sealants relative to
`shingles without a reinforced nail zone at relatively low tem-
`peratures, such as temperatures below about 40 degrees F.
`This relatively strong debonding load between woven or non-
`30 woven fabric and modified asphalt sealants, including poly-
`mer and non-polymer modified asphalt tab sealants, occurs
`because the woven or non-woven fabric mechanically bonds
`to the sealant. For example, mechanical attachment occurs as
`the polymer modified asphalt sealant flows around individual
`35 filaments and fiber bundles within the woven or non-woven
`fabric during bonding. The energy required to debond the
`polymer modified asphalt sealant from the woven or non-
`woven fabric is increased or comparable to the energy
`required to debond the polymer modified asphalt sealant from
`40 a shingle without a reinforced nail zone. Because the tab
`sealant is reinforced with the filaments and fiber bundles
`within the woven or non-woven fabric at the interface
`between the polymer modified asphalt sealant and the woven
`or non-woven fabric, the interior of the sealant becomes the
`45 weakest portion of the bond.
`An additional advantage of using woven or non-woven
`fabric to reinforce the nail zone is that the fabric may be
`installed during shingle production. During shingle produc-
`tion, the woven or non-woven fabric may be pushed into the
`5o hot, filled-asphalt coating, such that some ofthe filled-asphalt
`bleeds up and around the individual fibers and fiber bundles of
`the fabric. This creates a positive mechanical bond between
`the fabric and the shingle substrate. Further, the filled-asphalt
`that bleeds up and into the fabric aids in forming a bond
`55 between the tab sealant and the shingle because the filled-
`asphalt diffuses into the tab sealant. When installed on a roof,
`this creates a robust continuous path for the transfer of deb-
`onding loads from the tab above to the nail in the shingle
`below.
`Referring now to the dxawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 an
`apparatus 10 for manufacturing an asphalt-based roofing
`material according to the invention. The illustrated manufac-
`turing process involves passing a continuous sheet of sub-
`strate or shingle mat 11 in a machine direction 12 through a
`65 series of manufacturing operations. The mat 11 usually
`moves at a speed of at least about 200 feet/minute (61 meters/
`minute), and typically at a speed within the range of between
`
`60
`
`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 10
`Owens Corning v. Fast Felt
`IPR2015-00650
`
`

`
`US 8,430,983 B2
`
`5
`about 450 feet/minute (137 meters/minute) and about 800
`feet/minute (244 meters/minute). The sheet, however, may
`move at any desired speed.
`In a first step of the manufacturing process, the continuous
`sheet of shingle mat 11 is payed out from a roll 13. The
`shingle mat 11 may be any type known for use in reinforcing
`asphalt-based roofing materials, such as a nonwoven web of
`glass fibers. Alternatively, the substrate may be a scrim or felt
`of fibrous materials such as mineral fibers, cellulose fibers,
`rag fibers, mixtures of mineral and synthetic fibers, or the like.
`The sheet of shingle mat 11 is passed from the roll 13
`through an accumulator 14. The accumulator 14 allows time
`for splicing one roll 13 of substrate to another, during which
`time the shingle mat 11 within the accumulator 14 is fed to the
`manufacturing process so that the splicing does not interrupt
`manufacturing.
`Next, the shingle mat 11 is passed through a coater 16
`where a coating of asphalt 17 is applied to the shingle mat 11
`to form a first asphalt-coated sheet 18. The asphalt coating 17
`may be applied in any suitable manner. In the illustrated
`embodiment, the shingle mat 11 contacts a supply of hot,
`melted asphalt 17 to completely cover the shingle mat 11 with
`a tacky coating of asphalt 17. However, in other embodi-
`ments, the asphalt coating 17 could be sprayed on, rolled on,
`or applied to the shingle mat 11 by other means. Typically, the
`asphalt coating is highly filled with a ground mineral filler
`material, amounting to at least about 60 percent by weight of
`the asphalt/filler combination. In one embodiment, the
`asphalt coating 17 is in a range from about 350° F. to about
`400° F. In another embodiment, the asphalt coating 17 may be
`more than 400° F. or less than 350° F. The shingle mat 11 exits
`the coater 16 as a first asphalt-coated sheet 18. The asphalt
`coating 17 on the first asphalt-coated sheet 18 remains hot.
`A continuous strip of a reinforcement material 19, as will
`be described in detail herein, may then be payed out from a
`roll 20. The reinforcement material 19 adheres to the first
`asphalt-coated sheet 18 to define a second asphalt-coated
`sheet 22. In a first embodiment, the reinforcement material 19
`is attached to the sheet 18 by the adhesive mixture of the
`asphalt in the first asphalt-coated sheet 18. The reinforcement
`material 19, however, may be attached to the sheet 18 by any
`suitable means, such as other adhesives. As described in detail
`below, the material 19 may be formed from any material for
`reinforcing and strengthening the nail zone of a shingle, such
`as, for example, paper, film, scrim material, and woven or
`non-woven glass fibers.
`The resulting second asphalt coated sheet 22 may then be
`passed beneath a series of granule dispensers 24 for the appli-
`cation of granules to the upper surface of the second asphalt-
`coated sheet 22. The granule dispensers may be of any type
`suitable for depositing granules onto the asphalt-coated sheet.
`A granule dispenser that may be used is a granule valve of the
`type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,147 to Aschenbeck. The
`initial granule blender 26 may deposit partial blend &cops of
`background granules of a first color blend on the tab portion
`of the second asphalt coated sheet 22 in a pattern that sets or
`establishes the trailing edge of subsequent blend drops of a
`second color blend (of an accent color) and a third color blend
`(ofa different accent color). For purposes of this patent appli-
`cation, the first color blend and the background granules are
`synonymous. The use of initially applied partial blend drops
`to define the trailing edge of subsequent blend drops is useful
`where accurate or sharp leading edges are possible, but accu-
`rate trailing edges at high shingle manufacturing speeds are
`difficult.
`As is well known in the art, blend drops applied to the
`asphalt-coated sheet are often made up of granules of several
`
`15
`
`6
`different colors. For example, one particular blend drop that is
`supposed to simulate a weathered wood appearance might
`actually consist of some brown granules, some dark gray
`granules, and some light gray granules. When these granules
`5 are mixed together and applied to the sheet in a generally
`uniformly mixed manner, the overall appearance of weath-
`ered wood is achieved. For this reason, the blend drops are
`referred to as having a color blend, which gives an overall
`color appearance. This overall appearance may be different
`10 from any of the actual colors of the granules in the color
`blend. In addition, blend &cops of darker and lighter shades of
`the same color, such as, for example, dark gray and light gray,
`are referred to as different color blends rather than merely
`different shades of one color.
`As shown in FIG. 1, the series of dispensers 24 includes
`four color-blend blenders 26, 28, 30, and 32. Any desired
`number of blenders, however, may be used. The final blender
`may be the background blender 34. Each of the blenders may
`be supplied with granules from sources of granules, not
`2o shown. After the blend drops are deposited on the second
`asphalt-coated sheet 22, the remaining, uncovered areas are
`still tacky with warm, uncovered asphalt, and the background
`granules from the background blender 34 will adhere to the
`areas that are not already covered with blend drop granules.
`25 After all the granules are deposited on the second asphalt-
`coated sheet 22 by the series of dispensers 24, the sheet 22
`becomes a granule-covered sheet 40.
`In the illustrated embodiment, the reinforcement material
`19 includes an upper surface to which granules substantially
`30 will not adhere. Granules may therefore be deposited onto
`substantially the entire second asphalt-coated sheet 22,
`including the material 19, but wherein the reinforcement
`material 19 includes an upper surface to which granules sub-
`stantially will not adhere.
`The granule-covered sheet 40 may then be turned around a
`slate drum 44 to press the granules into the asphalt coating
`and to temporarily invert the sheet so that the excess granules
`will fall off and will be recovered and reused. Typically, the
`granules applied by the background blender 34 are made up
`4o by collecting the bacld’all granules falling from the slate drum
`44.
`The granule-covered sheet 40 may subsequently be fed
`through a rotary pattern cutter 52, which includes a bladed
`cutting cylinder 54 and a backup roll 56, as shown in FIG. 1.
`45 If desired, the pattern cutter 52 may cut a series of cutouts in
`the tab portion of the granule-covered sheet 40, and cut a
`series of notches in the underlay portion of the granule-cov-
`ered sheet 40.
`The pattern cutter 52 may also cut the granule-covered
`5o sheet 40 into a continuous underlay sheet 66 and a continuous
`overlay sheet 68. The underlay sheet 66 may be directed to be
`aligned beneath the overlay sheet 68, and the two sheets may
`be laminated together to form a continuous laminated sheet
`70. As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous underlay sheet 66 may
`55 be routed on a longer path than the path of the continuous
`overlay sheet 68. Further downstream, the continuous lami-
`nated sheet 70 may be passed into contact with a rotary length
`cutter 72 that cuts the laminated sheet into individual lami-
`nated shingles 74.
`In order to facilitate synchronization of the cutting and
`laminating steps, various sensors and controls may be
`employed. For example, sensors, such as photo eyes 86 and
`88 may be used to synchronize the continuous underlay sheet
`66 with the continuous overlay sheet 68. Sensors 90 may also
`65 be used to synchronize the notches and cutouts of the con-
`tinuous laminated sheet with the end cutter or length cutter
`72.
`
`35
`
`6o
`
`FAST FELT 2014, pg. 11
`Owens Corning v. Fast Felt
`IPR2015-00650
`
`

`
`US 8,430,983 B2
`
`7
`In a second embodiment, the reinforcement material may
`be attached to a lower surface (the downwardly facing surface
`when viewing FIG. 1) of the mat 11, the first asphalt coated
`sheet 18, the second asphalt coated sheet 22, or the granule-
`covered sheet 41), as shown at 19A and 19B in FIG. 1. The
`reinforcement material 19A and 19B may be attached to the
`mat 11, the first asphalt coated sheet 18, the second asphalt
`coated sheet 22, or the granule-covered sheet 41) by any suit-
`able means, such as hot, melted asphalt, other adhesives, or
`suitable fasteners. In such an embodiment, the reinforcement
`material 19A and 19B may be attached to the lower surface of
`the nail zone of either of the overlay sheet 68 or the underlay
`sheet 66, thereby reinforcing and strengthening the nail zone
`as described herein.
`Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, a first embodiment of a
`laminated roofing shingle is shown generally at 74. In the
`illustrated embodiment, the shingle 74 has a length L and
`includes the overlay sheet 68 attached to the underlay sheet 66
`and has a first end or leading edge 74C and a second end or
`trailing edge 74D. In the illustrated embodiment, the lami-
`nated roofing shingle 74 has a length L of about 39.375
`inches. Alternatively, the length L may