Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Pitched roof conforming scaffold
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2001-04-24
Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Pitched roof conforming scaffold
C248S237000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220390
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to supports and particularly to scaffolding for supporting one or more rooftop workers engaged in installing roofing materials such as roof shingles.
Slanted roofs are commonly used in construction of residential and in some commercial buildings with the roofs covered by shingling of one kind or another. During the course of installing or repairing shingles on such slanted roofs, workmen require supporting scaffolding that can be positioned and repositioned as work progresses.
The prior art reveals several patents disclosing roofworker support structures including U.S. Pat. No 5,908,083 which discloses a pair of peak adjustable elongate assemblies deployable independently in substantially parallel position. Each elongate assembly includes an overpeak member and an adjustment member for the overpeak member, as well as one or more crosspiece support members for supporting a crosspiece or plank. In this arrangement, the crosspiece support members are in fixed locations on the elongate assembly so that the plank must be repositioned on another set of cross piece support members as work progress along the roof surface. In addition, support structures lie on the roof so as to require movement of the support structures laterally along the roof surface for installation of shingles in the space occupied by the support structures.
U.S. Pat. No 5,624,006 discloses a support apparatus for use on an inclined roof consisting of a ladder which hooks at one end to the roof ridge and a support frame secured to the ladder. The ladder lies directly on the roof surface, and the entire assembly must be positioned and repositioned along the length and breadth of the roof to complete a roofing job.
U.S. Pat. No 3,842,934 discloses an apparatus for laying roofing materials on a sloping roof comprising spaced load supporting members each having a load supporting carriage. The spaced carriages support the ends of a plank extending across the roof surface. The carriages advance up the load supporting members by means of a conventional ratchet jack mechanism. The load supporting members are spaced above the roof surface. The supporting members and carriages appear as a relatively heavy and rigid assembly so as to maintain spacing of the support members above the roof without deflecting onto the surface under a workman's weight thereby impeding the laying of materials. The assembly of supporting members and carriages constitutes a bulky and heavy arrangement that must be hand carried up a ladder and pushed up along a roof incline into working position with one end over a ridge peak. In addition, the design is also limited by a relatively slow dual jacking action to advance a supporting plank up a roof incline.
There is need for a lightweight, easy to place roof supporting structure spaced from the roof surface to allow for laying of material under the support, with means for mounting a workman's plank that can quickly move upward along the roof surface, and with a safety block plate for securing the workman's plank in any desired position on the roof incline. There is need to provide spacers beneath the support structure so that light weight support components can be used without deflection under a workman.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides roof scaffolding comprising two or more elongate support members or tracks spaced above an inclined roof surface with the support members being in the form of upwardly open channels positioned in spaced, generally parallel relation of a roof surface. A hook at the upper end of each channel engages a roof ridge or ridge vent for holding each channel in place. Each channel receives a sliding brace held in selected position along the channel by a block plate. A roofer's plank spans the roof between sliding braces supporting a roofer in the task of laying roof materials. An aspect of the invention is to provide movable spacers to resist deflection of the support members intermediate their ends and in particular to resist deflection under a workman's weight on the scaffolding.
The support members are lightweight and are easily placed in position by hooking one end over the roof ridge or into a ridge vent. The support members include fixed end spacers for spacing the supports from the roof surface. Each sliding brace is moved into position on a support member and held by a block plate. Then a platform or plank spans the brace members providing a foothold for the roofer. The sliding braces can be selectively positioned in their channels along the support members as the roof installation proceeds along the roof surface. Moveable spacers are positioned under the support members in the vicinity of the workman to maintain roof spacing so as to permit laying of materials under the supports at all positions of the scaffolding on the inclined roof.
The invention provides roof scaffolding of lightweight components of robust construction which are easily placed in position and assembled, and which are readily adjusted in the course of applying roofing materials.
A specific example is included in the following description for purposes of clarity, but various details can be changed within the scope of the present invention.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide roof scaffolding of robust, lightweight construction for ease of set-up and use on an inclined roof.
Another object of the invention is to provide roof scaffolding comprising separable components which are easy to install and adjust in the course of a roofing installation.
Another object of the invention is to provide roof scaffolding positioned above a roof surface with movable spacers particularly to hold the scaffolding against deflection under the weight of a workman.
Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent with an understanding of the following detailed description of the invention or upon employment of the invention in practice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for detailed description to enable those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention appertains to readily understand how to construct and use the invention and is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1
is side elevational view of roof scaffolding according to the invention in position on an inclined roof, with the support member shown partly in section.
FIG. 2
is an enlarged section view taken along line
2
—
2
of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is a side elevational of a sliding brace component of roof scaffolding showing the rear side of the same brace shown in assembly in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of a block plate forming part of the scaffolding of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of a movable support for roof scaffolding.
FIG. 6
is a schematic perspective view illustrating the position of roof scaffolding on an inclined roof for installing roofing materials.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4972922 (1990-11-01), Levine
patent: 5601154 (1997-02-01), Eisenmenger
patent: 540763 (1957-05-01), None
patent: 11510 (1893-09-01), None
patent: 2279688 (1995-01-01), None
Chin-Shue Alvin
Walsh Patrick J.
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