Shingle with reinforced nail zone and method of manufacturing

1. A roofing shingle comprising:

an asphalt-coated overlay sheet including a headlap portion and a tab portion, the headlap portion including a lower zone adjacent to the tab portion and including a nail zone that extends along a longitudinal axis of the shingle, and an upper zone adjacent to the lower zone and extending to a trailing edge of the overlay sheet;

an underlay sheet having a front surface secured to the overlay sheet such that a region of the underlay sheet overlaps a region of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet; and

a reinforcement member secured directly to the asphalt coating of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet without extending into the tab portion, wherein the reinforcement member and the portion of the headlap portion to which the reinforcement member is secured improve nail pull-through along the nail zone;

wherein the asphalt coated overlay sheet includes a first granular material secured to a first portion of a front surface of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet along the nail zone, and a second granular material secured to a second portion of the front surface of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet adjacent to the first portion of the front surface of the headlap portion, with the first granular material providing a thinner cross-section than the second granular material to define a depressed surface extending along said longitudinal axis of the nail zone.

2. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member is secured directly to the asphalt coating on a rear surface of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet.

3. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member is secured directly to the asphalt coating on a front surface of the headlap portion of the overlay sheet.

4. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member extends along said longitudinal axis of the shingle.

5. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the reinforcement member is disposed in the nail zone.

6. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the reinforcement member is disposed outside of the nail zone.

7. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member is disposed in the upper zone of the headlap portion.

8. The rooting shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member is disposed along the trailing edge of the overlay sheet.

9. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the reinforcement member is disposed along a single-layer portion of the shingle.

10. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the reinforcement member is disposed along a single-layer portion of the shingle.

11. The rooting shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member extends into a dual-layer portion of the shingle by a distance no greater than ⅛ inch.

12. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein a sealant is adhered to a rear surface of the underlay sheet along a leading edge of the underlay sheet, such that when the shingle is secured over an identical second shingle with the leading edge of the underlay sheet aligned with a lower edge of the headlap portion of the second shingle, the sealant is aligned with the first granular material of the second shingle to adhere to the depressed surface of the second shingle.

13. The roofing shingle of claim 12 , wherein the first granular material provides greater adhesion to the sealant as compared to the second granular material.

14. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein the depressed surface at least partially extends along said longitudinal axis of the shingle.

15. The roofing shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member comprises a woven material.

16. The rooting shingle of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement member comprises a non-woven material.