Rooftop caddy/jack

Abstract

A rooftop caddy/jack apparatus that is selectably adjustable to perform as a shingle or other roofing products holder, a toolbox, and a roof jack. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the rooftop caddy/jack includes a unitary caddy tongue and tool repository article in which the caddy tongue in combination with the front face of the tool repository serve as a shingle or other roofing products holder. The rooftop caddy/jack preferably includes a reversible handle that in a first position provides leverage balance when manually carrying the caddy, and in a second user-selectable position, serves as a plank retention member when the rooftop caddy/jack is utilized as a roof jack. In another embodiment, a generally L-shaped roof jack member is detachable from the caddy tongue.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/450,732, filed Feb. 27, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to the field of roofing equipment for aiding roofers or construction workers when working on an inclined roof surface, and in particular to a multipurpose apparatus for providing support for various construction and roofing articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved roofing toolbox that may be simultaneously utilized as a roofing tool repository and a shingle or other roofing products holder, and adjustably utilized as a roof jack to receive support scaffolding boards.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Roofing jobs, including rooftop construction and installation or removal of roof shingles, are typically awkward, hazardous and time-consuming operations. Roofers often work on steeply inclined surfaces and consequently must bend or kneel to maintain a low center of gravity while cutting, positioning and hammering roof shingles or other rooftop construction materials. Shingle roofers are typically paid in accordance of the total area covered or the number of shingles squares they install in a workday, thus providing a substantial incentive to install the shingles as quickly and efficiently as possible.

[0006] A number of devices have been developed and utilized by roofers to assist them in installing shingles in a timely and safe manner. Such devices, as for example those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,222, issued to Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,406, issued to Bond, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,642, issued to Rihaly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,720, issued to Wozney, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,093 issued to Riggs, include various features that are helpful in assisting roofers to maintain a firmly anchored forum on which shingles are stored and retrieved while working on a sloped roof surface. The Riggs patent describes such a device comprising a holding portion having an L-shaped side profile for retaining a bundle of roof shingles, and an attachment portion having a bent over, hook-like gripping means for hooking over the top edge of a lower course of roof shingles that have already been attached to the roof surface. The Wozney patent discloses a device, which, similar to Riggs, includes an upturned, L-shaped contour for holding shingles in place on a pitched roof, and further includes a rubberized, non-skid undersurface for reducing the need to use mechanical fasteners to anchor the device on a pitched roof. Similar to the devices disclosed by Riggs and Wozney, the shingle holder disclosed by Rihaly has a generally L-shaped side contour, and in addition comprises T-shaped front and rear contours. The Rihaly device lies flat on the surface of the roof and a pair of arms extending perpendicularly form the L-shaped side contour with the device being secured to the roof surface at opposite ends of the T-shaped structure by nails.

[0007] As explained in further detail hereinbelow the present invention improves upon the aforementioned shingle holder devices by providing an apparatus having specialized features enabling it to be selectably utilized in a multi-functional role as a shingle or other roofing products holder, toolbox, and roof jack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A rooftop caddy/jack apparatus that performs as a shingle or other roofing products holder, a toolbox, and a roof jack is disclosed herein. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the rooftop caddy includes a unitary caddy tongue and tool repository article in which the caddy tongue in combination with the front face of the tool repository serve as a shingle bundle or other roofing products holder. The tool repository is preferably partitioned to facilitate orderly and secure stowage of tools and other materials in close proximity to the roof shingles supported on the caddy tongue. The rooftop caddy preferably includes a reversible handle that in a first position provides leverage balance when manually carrying the caddy, and in a second user-selectable position, serves as a plank retention member when the rooftop caddy/jack is utilized as a roof jack. Gripping studs, tacks, screws or the like are positioned on the underside of the caddy tongue to create a more secure interface with the roofing surface during use. Additional apertures are provided for securing the apparatus by nails or similar fasteners when the apparatus is utilized on high pitched roofs.

[0009] The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rooftop caddy/jack apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rooftop caddy/jack apparatus in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a front view of the rooftop caddy/jack shown in FIG. 2.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the rooftop caddy/jack of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, showing alternate positions of the handle.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a side view of another alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the roof jack member is removable from the caddy tongue and tool repository.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] The present invention is described in a preferred embodiment in the following description with reference to the figures. While this invention is described in terms of the best mode for achieving this invention's objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention.

[0017] As explained in further detail with reference to the figures herein, the present invention is directed to addressing several logistical challenges presented by roofing and construction activities conducted on a pitched roof. Among such challenges are those related to transporting and stowing tools and various materials on a pitched roof surface and providing ready accessibility to the same in a safe and efficient manner, and in addition, providing a roof bracketing device suitable for securely retaining a scaffolding plank or similar article.

[0018] With reference to the figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout, and in particular with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, perspective views of a rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 are depicted. As shown in the illustrated embodiments, rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 is a single, multifunctional unit advantageously incorporating several multi-purpose structures that are preferably adjustably combined and employed to provide one or more desired functions. Specifically, and as explained in further detail hereinbelow, rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 incorporates features enabling it to be conveniently employed and utilized to provide integrated mobile toolbox and shingle bundle or other roofing products holder functionality, and furthermore, to be transformably adjustable to provide an effective roof jack. To these ends, rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 comprises a caddy handle 2 designed to provide balanced manual mobility of the apparatus, a tool repository 5 for containing roofing tools, a caddy tongue 12 that in conjunction with the front wall of tool repository 5 serves as a shingle stack or other roofing products holder and which may be utilized as a roof jack suitable for retaining a support plank or similar article. The tool repository, the shingle or other roofing products holder and roof jack features are efficiently incorporated within rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 on a common, rigid forum.

[0019] A simple embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1, wherein the tool repository 5 is bounded by four outer walls and is situated with respect to caddy tongue 12 such that one of the walls defines a front face 4 disposed in perpendicular abutment with the upper surface of caddy tongue 12, the caddy tongue 12 extending from the bottom of the front face 4. When placed in its operative position on the inclined surface of a pitched roof, rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 will be inclined with the free end of caddy tongue 12 resting at an elevated inclined position with respect to tool repository 5. The caddy tongue 12 includes one or more relatively small gripping screw apertures 11 through which gripping members 3, such as for example screws, tacks, pins or similar pointed elements, extend beyond the bottom of caddy tongue 12, such that the gripping members slightly penetrate the wood, felt, shingles or other roof surface encountered to prevent rooftop caddy/jack 10 from sliding on an inclined roof surface. Alternatively, the gripping members 3 may be directly affixed to the underside of the caddy tongue 12. A tool notch 15 may be provided in one of the walls of the tool repository 5 to assist in retention of tools or for other purposes. In use, the shingle bundle or other items are placed onto the caddy tongue 12, the weight of the items acting to press the gripping members 3 into the roof surface as well as providing frictional resistance to sliding because of their weight. The front face surface 4 of the tool repository 5 in conjunction with the caddy tongue 12 of two caddy/jack apparatuses 10 may be utilized as a roof jack to support a board or plank therebetween, where the board is abutted against the front face 4 such that the roofers can brace their feet against the board while working.

[0020] A more preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 2, where again tool repository 5 is bounded by four outer walls and is situated with respect to caddy tongue 12 such that its front wall supports a front face surface 4 disposed in perpendicular abutment with the upper surface of caddy tongue 12. When placed in its operative position on the inclined surface of a pitched roof, rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 will be inclined with the front end of caddy tongue 12 resting at an elevated inclined position with respect to tool repository 5. Multiple relatively small gripping screw apertures 11 through which gripping members 3 penetrate are disposed on caddy tongue 12 to prevent rooftop caddy/jack 10 from sliding on an inclined roof surface. For steeply sloping roof surface application, one or more nails may be placed through one or more fastener apertures 16 disposed on caddy tongue 12 and driven into the roof surface to provide the required additional sliding support for rooftop caddy/jack 10. One or more keyway apertures 14 may be provided such that nails are driven through the deck and into a rafter to provide the roof anchoring required when rooftop caddy/jack 10 is utilized as a roof jack, with the caddy/jack 10 being easily removable when necessary. Caddy tongue 12 may include a wedge-shaped or beveled front edge 24 to facilitate insertion of the front portion of caddy tongue 12 between or beneath installed roof shingles such that the finished roof surface is not damaged.

[0021] In the inclined position, a supply of roof shingles or other roofing materials may be placed on caddy tongue 12 and prevented from sliding by abutment against front face 4 without unduly restricting convenient manual access to the shingles as would be the case if the shingles were set in a box-like container. One or more partitions or dividers 18 may be utilized to partition the inner space of tool repository 5 to facilitate orderly positioning and stowage of tools and materials carried therein. The partitioned compartments within tool repository 5 may be sized to accommodate roofing nails, roofing knives, hammers, tape measurers, personal items such as cigarette lighters, cell telephones, etc. The secure and proximate location of the tools within tool repository 5 prevents the tools from sliding or being knocked along or from the roof by the active rooftop work environment including, for example, swinging air hoses.

[0022] Furthermore, and as depicted in FIG. 2, a compartment sized to fit a tape measurer may be disposed in tool repository 5 with a slot aperture 9 formed thereon to enable the measuring tape to be extendably deployed from the measurer without having to remove the measurer from its compartment. This enables a roofer to take measurements, as required when determining chalk line spacing, with the tape measurer maintained in a fixed, stable position, and in addition, enables the roofer to make rooftop measurements without the need for a second person to hold the other end of the tape. Furthermore, by securing one end of a chalk line under a gripper member 3 extending through one of gripping screw apertures 11, the roofer can run the chalk lines by himself. In addition, rooftop caddy/jack 10 may include a series of measuring marks 19 that may be utilized by a roofer to measure off the chalk lines.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 3, there is depicted a front view of rooftop caddy/jack 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, wherein the handle 2 is removable, adjustable and reversible. A recess 22 is formed on front face 4 having width and depth dimensions sized to accommodate caddy handle 2, such that when installed into the recess 22, caddy handle 2 is securely supported on front face 4 by mechanical fastener 17 extending through fastener apertures 16 in the handle 2 and the front face 4. The depth of recess 22 is preferably the same as the plate thickness of caddy handle 2 such that when installed, the plate member of caddy handle 2 joins the non-recessed regions of front face 4 to form uniformly flat bottom and side surfaces on and against which shingles can be placed without the shingles tilting or twisting. The handle 2 is preferably provided with multiple apertures 16 at different heights, such that the handle 2 can be reversed and adjusted vertically as explained below. In addition, support ribs and drain apertures may be provided within tool repository 5 or on caddy tongue 12 for additional rigidity and efficiency.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is depicted a side profile illustration of the adjustable rooftop caddy/jack 10, in which caddy handle 2 is disposed within the recess 22 of front face 4, with caddy handle 2 now positioned such that the U-shaped portion extends forward over the caddy tongue 12 and away from the tool repository 5. In this manner, caddy handle 2 and caddy tongue 12 combine to form an anchoring device that alone, or more frequently in combination with other such devices, is nailed or otherwise mechanically fastened onto a roof surface, to provide a suitable support forum against which planking can be placed and securely retained. The handle 2 can be mounted in a lower position relative to the caddy tongue 12 as shown, for use for example with 2×4 inch planks, or in a raised position as depicted by the forward facing dashed lines in order to accommodate planks of greater dimension, such as for example 2×6 inch planks. As before, the handle 2 can also be reversed to face toward the tool repository 5 as depicted by the other set of dashed lines. A mechanical fastener 17 is utilized to secure the caddy handle 2 to the tool repository 5, the mechanical fastener 17 being disposed through the aligned fastener apertures 16 in the handle 2 and the front face 4.

[0025] In one embodiment, rooftop caddy/jack 10 is adjustably configured and utilized as a roof jack by reversing caddy handle 2 from its balanced caddy handle disposition shown in FIG. 2, in which the rearward facing direction of the U-shaped handle provides the correct leverage angle to carry the loaded and therefore potentially unbalanced rooftop caddy/jack 10 in a balanced manner, to a reversed position depicted in FIG. 4. The switching from the balanced caddy handle position to the reversed roof jack position is easily accomplished by removing caddy handle 2 from the recess 22 and replacing the mechanical fastening means 17 through the mutually aligned fastener apertures 16. In the reversed position depicted in FIG. 4, the now forward facing U-shaped hook on the top of caddy handle 2 provides the requisite support and stability for securely retaining a planking member through the slot formed thereby in front of tool repository 5.

[0026] Another alternative embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIG. 6, where the caddy/jack 10 further comprises a detachable roof jack member 8 that can be removed from the caddy tongue 12 and tool repository 5 by releasing mechanical fastener 17. Roof jack 8 is a generally L-shaped member comprising a horizontal plate abutting the caddy tongue 12 and penetrated by openings corresponding to any fastener apertures 16 and keyway apertures 14 present in the caddy tongue 12, and a vertical plate member abutting and adjoined to the tool repository 5 and penetrated by a mechanical fastener 17 through another fastener aperture 16. The horizontal and vertical members are integrally joined to form the generally L-shaped roof jack member 8.

[0027] The component parts of rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10 may be constructed of one or more of a variety of suitably strong, rigid and durable materials. In alternate embodiments, the major frame structure of rooftop caddy/jack apparatus 10, the caddy tongue 12 the walls and dividers of tool repository 5 may be composed of any combination or sub-combination of metal, wood, or plastic material. In a preferred embodiment, caddy tongue 12 and tool repository 5 are constructed as a unitary unit.

[0028] It is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements set forth above may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A rooftop caddy/jack apparatus comprising:

a tool repository having a front face;

an elongated caddy tongue extending from said front face of said tool repository;

gripping members extending from said caddy tongue; and

a handle adjacent said front face of said tool repository.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said handle faces toward said tool repository.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising fastener apertures disposed on said caddy tongue.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tool notch disposed on said tool repository.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a slot aperture disposed on said tool repository.

6. A rooftop caddy/jack apparatus comprising:

a tool repository having a front face;

an elongated caddy tongue extending from said front face of said tool repository;

a detachable handle mounted on said front face of said tool repository, whereby the height of said handle relative to said caddy tongue and said tool repository is adjustable, and where said handle is able to be mounted in a first position facing toward said tool repository and in a second position facing away from said tool repository.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising gripping members disposed on said caddy tongue.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising fastener apertures disposed on said caddy tongue.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a fastener aperture disposed on said front face and wherein said handle comprises multiple fastener apertures disposed on said handle, whereby said handle is joined to said front face by a mechanical fastener disposed through aligned fastener apertures.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said front face further comprises a recess sized to receive said handle.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a tool notch disposed on said tool repository.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a slot aperture disposed on said tool repository.

13. A rooftop caddy/jack apparatus comprising:

a tool repository having a front face;

an elongated caddy tongue extending from said front face of said tool repository;

a detachable, generally L-shaped roof jack member abutting and adjoined to said front face and said caddy tongue.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said roof jack member is adjoined to said front face by a mechanical fastener.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising fastener apertures disposed in said roof jack member and said caddy tongue.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising gripping members disposed on said caddy tongue.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a tool notch disposed on said tool repository.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a slot aperture disposed on said tool repository.