ROOF JACK APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USE

Abstract

or repairing or installing roof coverings that comprises a support strap that is configured to be spaced away from the roof to allow install of the roofing materials. The support strap has an attachment member for securing said support strap to said roof on a first end. The support strap has a platform mount configured to receive a horizontal support member at a second end. A contact member rests against a finished portion of said roof beneath the second end of said support strap to support the weight of workers without damaging previously finished work.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]None.

BACKGROUND

[0002]Structures have had roofing materials that needed replacement from time to time to prevent water intrusion since the presence of a thatch roof, but the most common roofing item on a pitched roof is the shingle. In the early period of roof repair of structures having pitched roofs up to and including today's workers they simply just climbed up and fixed the roof without anything but the minimum tools to attach the roofing material. Working on a roof without scaffolding provides no safety on a pitched roof and leads to slower working conditions to prevent falling or lining up shingles and potential damage to previously finished work.

[0003]As a response complicated scaffolding devices have been designed and used, which addresses issues regarding safety and stable working positions. However, the scaffolding when attached prevents access to portions of the roof necessitating either multiple repositioning or finishing the final portions after removal of the scaffolding without support. Also on large pitched roofs as portions of the roof were finished moving of the scaffolding was very time consuming and could be dangerous in performing because of the complexity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004]A roof jack apparatus comprising: a support strap having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least one support strap has a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof; an attachment member positioned at said first end of said support strap for securing said support strap to said roof; and a contact member that rests against said roof, wherein said contact member is affixed to said second end of said support strap.

[0005]A roof jack apparatus comprising: at least two support straps each having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least two support straps have a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof; an attachment member positioned at said first end of each said support strap for securing each said support strap to said roof; a platform mount configured to receive a horizontal support member between at least two said support straps, said platform mount affixed to each said support strap adjacent said second end; a base shoe having a bottom surface, said base shoe attached to the second end of the support strap.

[0006]A method of using a roof jack apparatus comprising: providing at least two support straps each having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least two support straps have a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof, an attachment member positioned at said first end of said support strap for securing each of said at least two support straps to said roof, a platform mount configured to receive a horizontal support member, said mount affixed to said support strap adjacent said second end, and a contact member that rests against said roof, wherein said contact member is affixed to said second end of said support strap; securing each said attachment member of said at least two support straps to the roof; resting each said contact member against the roof; and affixing the horizontal support member onto the platform mount between said at least two support straps.

[0007]The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]The features of the present invention will best be understood from a detailed description of the invention and a preferred embodiment thereof selected for the purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

[0009]FIG. 1 displays a side view of the device attached to a roof;

[0010]FIG. 2 displays a side view of the device;

[0011]FIG. 3 displays a top view of the device;

[0012]FIG. 4 displays a perspective view of the device installed on a roof as a pair to support a horizontal bar;

[0013]FIG. 5 displays a side view of the support device;

[0014]FIG. 6 displays a top view of the attachment device;

[0015]FIG. 7 displays a top view of the base; and

[0016]FIG. 8 displays a cross-sectional side view of the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017]Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings.

[0018]As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0019]A roof jack apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a support strap 110 having a first end 115 and a second end 120, wherein the support strap 110 has a center portion 125 that is configured to be spaced away from the roof 200. The support strap 110 is made of a material that has a high strength to weight ratio to make lifting, moving and positioning on the roof 200 as easy as possible and should be sufficiently strong enough to support the weight of several men either in compression or tension. The support strap 110 may be made of tubular steel, aluminum, wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber composites, high strength polymer materials or any other material that has a high strength to weight ratio. The support strap 110 may be produced in lengths of four to eight feet measured from the tip of the first end 115 to the tip of the second end 120 for use on variously sized roofs 200.

[0020]To prevent unwanted movement of the support strap 100 while on the roof 200 an attachment member 130 is positioned at the first end 115 of the support strap 110. The attachment member 130 includes at least one member or hole therein for securing the support strap to the roof 200. A screw 133 may be used for easiest removal and highest strength removable attachment, but any other fastening device 133 that may pass through the hole 131 and embed into an unfinished portion of the roof 200 ideally through a framing member 210 beneath the roof 200 to maximize holding of the attachment member 130 to the roof 200 is also sufficient.

[0021]The worker is supported on a platform 140 affixed to the support strap 110 adjacent the second end 120. The weight of the worker is then transferred into a contact member 146 that rests against a finished portion of roof 210, wherein the contact member 146 is also affixed to said second end 120 of said support strap 110. In FIG. 2, the contact member 146 is configured to bear the weight of at least one or more workers against the finished portion of the roof 210 without causing damage and optionally may include a padding material 150 attached to said contact member 146. The padding material 150 may be positioned between the contact member 146 and the finished portion of the roof 210 preventing damage from the weight of the workers by spreading the load and also absorbing any high stress points between the contact member 146 and the padding material 150. The padding material 150 may be any compressible and non abrasive material such as foam, felt, rubber, woven strands, fur, wool, cotton, fabric or other material that prevents damage when weight is placed upon it from workers. The roof jack apparatus 100 may have the contact member 150 that is attached to a base member 146 that is mechanically affixed to said second end 120 of said support strap 110 and said base member 146 has a pad 150 affixed.

[0022]The platform 140 can be modified to be a bracket 145 that is configured to accept a horizontal member 180 as shown in FIG. 4 to be placed between one or more devices. The bracket 145 may include a brace 150 between said second end 120 of said support strap 110 and said platform mount 146 to increase the load bearing capacity of the device. Depending on the circumstances such as the size of the roof it is possible that two or more workers may be positioned simultaneously on the horizontal member 180.

[0023]The roof jack apparatus 100 is spaced away from the unfinished portion of the roof 200 to allow workers access to the surface without wasting time from unnecessary repositioning of the scaffolding as may be required with other devices. A distance of 1-4 inches is desired to provide adequate clearance to position and attach roof tiles to form a finished roof 210. In one embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 to provide the desired offset to allow for proper working clearance a first angled member 185 may be positioned adjacent said first end 115 of said support strap 110 and a second angled member 188 may be positioned adjacent said second end 120 of said support strap 110 wherein the angled members 185, 188 are configured to space center 125 of bar from said roof 200. The angled members 185, 188 are produced either by welding two pieces at the proper angle or so that the center 125 of the support strap 110 may be properly offset from the roof 200. The offset through bending or molding a single member for the support strap 110 may include a first member 186 positioned adjacent said first end 115 of said support strap 110 and a second member 189 positioned adjacent said second end 120 of said support strap 110 wherein the members 186, 189 may be angled 45 degrees and configured to space center of bar 125 from said roof 200 at least two inches.

[0024]The roof jack apparatus 100 may have at least one hole 131 or attachment point in said first end 115 of said support strap 110, wherein said attachment member 133 is a mechanical fastener dimensioned to pass substantially through said at least one hole 131 into said roof 200. The roof jack apparatus 100 has a length of between 4-8 feet long between the first end 115 and a second end 120 of the support strap 110. The roof jack apparatus 100 may have the first end 115 and the second end 125 of the support strap 110 are offset by at least two to four inches and said center section 125 is substantially parallel to the roof 200.

[0025]A roof jack apparatus 300 of a second embodiment as shown in FIG. 4 comprises at least two support straps 100 of FIG. 1 with each strap 100 having a first end 115 and a second end 120, wherein the at least two support straps 100 have a center portion 125 that is configured to be spaced away from the roof 200. The apparatus 300 has an attachment member 130 positioned at said first end 115 of each said support strap 110 for securing each of the support straps 100 to the roof 200. The attachment member 130 may be releasably attached to the roof 100 though an underlying roof support for maximum holding power and then unscrewed or removed for repositioning or final removal without undue force.

[0026]The apparatus 300 includes a platform mount 145 configured to receive a horizontal support member 180 between at least two said support straps 100, said platform mount 145 affixed to each said support strap 110 adjacent said second end 120. The horizontal support member 180 may be a plank sturdy enough to not deflect when two or more workers are in the center 181. Also optionally included is a base shoe 146 having a bottom surface 147, said base shoe 146 attached to the second end 120 of the support strap 110. The base of the roof jack apparatus 300 may further compromise a padding material 150 attached to said contact member or base member 147, wherein said padding is positioned between said contact member 146 and the finished portion of the roof 210.

[0027]The roof jack apparatus 300 may further comprise a brace 156 between said second end 120 of said support strap 110 and said platform mount 140. This brace 156 prevents unwanted flexure of the mount 140 when multiple workers are standing on the horizontal brace 180. The horizontal section 180 may also be lighter substitutes for the plank, such as a composite material for example a fiber reinforced composite or any other material that will withstand several hundred pounds dynamic load at the center 181 without substantial deflection while still maintaining low overall weight.

[0028]The roof jack apparatus 300 may further comprise a first angled member 185 positioned adjacent said first end 115 of said support strap 110 and a second angled member 188 positioned adjacent said second end 120 of said support strap 110 wherein the angled members are configured to space center 125 of bar or strap 110 to be substantially parallel from said roof 200.

[0029]The roof jack apparatus 300 further comprises at least one hole 131 or other attachment mechanism in the first end 115 of said support strap 110, wherein the attachment member 133 is a mechanical fastener such as a screw, nail, rivet, hook interlock or any other mechanical means of attaching to the roof that can be removed without wasting excessive time.

[0030]The roof jack apparatus 300 may also further comprise a first member 185 positioned adjacent said first end 115 of said support strap 110 and a second member 188 positioned adjacent said second end of said support strap wherein the members 185, 188 are angled to at least 45 degrees or to better match the roof pitch and configured to space center 125 of bar 110 from said roof 200 at least two to four inches. The roof jack apparatus 300 also may be configured where the first end 115 and a second end 120 of the support strap 110 are spaced between 4-8 feet apart. The members 185 may be angled 133 to be around 130 degrees.

[0031]An example of a roof jack apparatus for use on a typical sized pitched roof 400 is shown on FIG. 5-8 that comprises at least two support straps 110 each having a first end 115 and a second end 120, wherein said at least two support straps 110 have a center portion 125 that is configured to be spaced away from the roof 200 at least three inches. In FIG. 5, the parallel center 125 has a length 410 of 85 inches that can range from 48 to 96 inches. The member 185 where it is attached to the center 110 has an angle 420 of about 135 degrees that may range from 120 to 150 degrees, and a length of about 5 inches and at least sufficient to provide at least 3 inches of lift from the roof 200 for the center 110. The member 185 where it is attached to the first end 115 has an angle 430 of about 130 degrees that may range from 120 to 150 degrees. The member 188 at the second end 120 may have an angle 440 of about 135 degrees formed between them and have a range of 120 to 150 degrees. At the second end 120 the platform 140 is attached to the member 188 at an angle 450 of about 90 degrees or others that would place the horizontal support 180 oriented properly to the ground for stability of the workers.

[0032]As shown in FIG. 6, the straps 110 have an attachment member 130 positioned at said first end 115 of each said support strap 110. In one example there may be three holes 466 of 3/8'' diameter are bore into the attachment member 130 for securing each said support strap 110 to said roof 200 with three lag or other type bolts. The attachment member 130 as shown in FIG. 6 has a length 460 of about 6 inches, but may range from 1/2 to 60 inches long and may form an angle 465 of 130 degrees and ranging from 110-150 degrees.

[0033]As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a platform mount 140 may be configured to receive a horizontal support member 180 between at least two said support straps 110, said platform mount 140 is affixed to each of the support straps 110 adjacent to the second end 120. The platform mount 140 is configured to accept a board or horizontal support member 180 of sufficient strength to stand on that may be 4-12 feet in length depending on the material. The support 156 may be a length 485 of 7 inches or an appropriate length to restrain the horizontal support member 180.

[0034]A base shoe 146 having a bottom surface, said base shoe 146 attached to the second end 120 of the support strap 110. The base 146 may be steel and welded to the strap 110 if both are steel or it may be mechanically fashioned 486 if one or both are made of a non-ferrous material. The offset 483 is the approximate distance that the center 110 is offset or raised from the unfinished roof surface 200. The platform 140 is affixed to and rests upon the base 146 that may be directly in contact with the finished portion of the roof 210. As shown in FIG. 7, the base 146 has a center 477 that has measurement to center 480 of about 6 inches that may range about 3-18 inches. The mounting hole 486 is shaped equidistant from the center at the midpoint 470 of about 3 inches that may range from 1-6 inches.

[0035]A method of using a roof jack apparatus comprising providing at least two support straps each having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least two support straps have a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof, an attachment member positioned at said first end of said support strap for securing each of said at least two support straps to said roof, a platform mount configured to receive a horizontal support member, said mount affixed to said support strap adjacent said second end, and a contact member that rests against said roof, wherein said contact member is affixed to said second end of said support strap; securing each said attachment member of said at least two support straps to the roof; resting each said contact member against the roof; and affixing the horizontal support member onto the platform mount between said at least two support straps.

[0036]A method of using the roof jack apparatus may also comprise standing upon said horizontal support member to access the roof underneath the center portion of the at least two support straps. While standing upon the jack or horizontal member it is possible either to remove old roofing material or to add new roofing material. A method of using the roof jack apparatus may also comprise affixing a roofing material to the roof between the at least two support straps. A method of using the roof jack apparatus may also comprise removing said at least two support straps from the roof to complete application of new roofing materials. The roof jack apparatus may be removed by unscrewing and moved or repositioned to finish roofing on an unfinished portion.

[0037]Various modifications and variations of the described apparatus and methods of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments, outlined above, it should be understood that the invention should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A roof jack apparatus comprising:a support strap having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least one support strap has a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof;an attachment member positioned at said first end of said support strap for securing said support strap to said roof;a platform affixed to said support strap adjacent said second end; anda contact member that rests against said roof, wherein said contact member is affixed to said second end of said support strap.

2. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a padding material attached to said contact member, wherein said padding is positioned between said contact member and the finished portion of the roof.

3. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a brace between said second end of said support strap and said platform mount.

4. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a first angled member positioned adjacent said first end of said support strap; anda second angled member positioned adjacent said second end of said support strap wherein the angled members are configured to space center of bar from said roof.

5. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:at least one hole in said first end of said support strap, wherein said attachment member is a mechanical fastener dimensioned to pass substantially through said at least one hole into said roof.

6. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:a first member positioned adjacent said first end of said support strap; anda second member positioned adjacent said second end of said support strap wherein the members are angled 45 degrees and configured to space center of bar from said roof at least four inches.

7. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end and a second end of the support strap are spaced between 4-8 feet apart.

8. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contact member is a base member mechanically affixed to said second end of said support strap and said base member has a pad affixed.

9. The roof jack apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end and a second end of the support strap are offset at least four inches and said center section is parallel to the roof.

10. A roof jack apparatus comprising:at least two support straps each having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least two support straps have a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof;an attachment member positioned at said first end of each said support strap for securing each said support strap to said roof;a platform mount configured to receive a horizontal support member between at least two said support straps, said platform mount affixed to each said support strap adjacent said second end; anda base shoe having a bottom surface, said base shoe attached to the second end of the support strap.

11. The roof jack apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:a padding material attached to said contact member, wherein said padding is positioned between said contact member and the finished portion of the roof.

12. The roof jack apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:a brace between said second end of said support strap and said platform mount.

13. The roof jack apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:a first angled member positioned adjacent said first end of said support strap; anda second angled member positioned adjacent said second end of said support strap wherein the angled members are configured to space center of bar from said roof.

14. The roof jack apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:at least one hole in said first end of said support strap, wherein said attachment member is a mechanical fastener.

15. The roof jack apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:a first member positioned adjacent said first end of said support strap; anda second member positioned adjacent said second end of said support strap wherein the members are angled 45 degrees and configured to space center of bar from said roof at least four inches.

16. The roof jack apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first end and a second end of the support strap are spaced between 4-8 feet apart.

17. A method of using a roof jack apparatus comprising:providing at least two support straps each having a first end and a second end, wherein said at least two support straps have a center portion that is configured to be spaced away from the roof, an attachment member positioned at said first end of said support strap for securing each of said at least two support straps to said roof, a platform mount configured to receive a horizontal support member, said mount affixed to said support strap adjacent said second end, and a contact member that rests against said roof, wherein said contact member is affixed to said second end of said support strap;securing each said attachment member of said at least two support straps to the roof;resting each said contact member against the roof; andaffixing the horizontal support member onto the platform mount between said at least two support straps.

18. A method of using the roof jack apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:standing upon said horizontal support member to access the roof underneath the center portion of the at least two support straps.

19. A method of using the roof jack apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:affixing a roofing material to the roof between the at least two support straps.

20. A method of using the roof jack apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:removing said at least two support straps from the roof to complete application of new roofing materials.

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