Shingle bundle load tool with hose/cord keeper
Roofing tool for shingle bundle stacking and plank walkway supports, comprising pairs of generally J-shaped jacks or support stands hinged at the upper ends which are draped over the roof ridge, providing J hooks on each side of the ridge line to hold shingle bundles, or support horizontal planks for walkways. The J-hook comprises a “foot” at a right angle to the leg, with a “toe” at a right angle to the foot. In the roof plank support, the toe includes a tip that extends back toward the leg. The foot may be reinforced by a brace between an extension of the leg and the outer end of the foot. A hose/cord minder, such as a snap hook or carabineer having a lateral closure member, is attached to the tool brace or foot to provide a keeper for pneumatic hoses, electrical cords, etc. A carry handle is an optional feature.
This is the Regular U.S. Patent Application of prior Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/608,218 filed Sep. 9, 2004 by the same inventor under the same title, priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 US Code Section 119, 120ff, and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FieldThe invention relates to the construction industry, and more particularly to roofing installation aids, namely shingle bundle load and roofer work stand tools for use in loading shingle bundles on a pitched roof and providing a walkway for the roofers during installation, which provide a keeper for safely managing pneumatic or electric nail gun hoses or cords so that they are orderly and secure; a handle for carrying and hanging-up the tools is an option.
BACKGROUNDIn the installation of roofing shingles, the shingles are initially staged for use by “loading” the roof with shingle bundles, that is, stacking shingle bundles along the roof peak to provide a ready supply of shingles to the roofer at the work site on the roof. This method frees the workspace from obstruction by distribution of shingle bundle over the surface of the roof. Alternatively it obviates the need for a continuous stream of shingles being hand or mechanically lifted to the roof during installation.
During the process of installation, shingles are removed from the bundles staged along the roof peak. The first course of shingles is installed at the lowest edge of the roof, with each subsequent higher course overlapping the one below. By the time installation reaches the course along the roof peak, the stacked shingle bundle supply becomes exhausted. By using this routine, all of the shingles needed can be staged onto the roof at the outset, and the shingles are not in the way of the ongoing, upwardly advancing work.
As the first step in loading the roof with shingle bundles, current standard industrial practice entails nailing in place below the roof peak a 2″×4″ or 2″×6″ board, or “cleat”, on each side of and parallel to the peak at the proper distance to hold bundles of shingles lying flush against the roof on each side of the peak. The board is nailed flat, that is, with the wide dimension of the board parallel to the plane of the roof. In some cases, where the roof is large or tapered (wider at the bottom and narrower at the top), a first cleat board is nailed down, and a second one overlies and is nailed to the first to provide a higher shoulder to hold more bundles.
In a unionized construction industry environment, the roofer is required to coordinate with a carpenter for nailing the cleats in place. This requirement involves lost time, scheduling complications, and additional costs, typically on the order of $200 to $400 (or more), depending on the size and configuration of the work. In a non-union situation, the roofer might install the cleats himself, but to do so he needs additional equipment and supplies that otherwise he does not have need of or want.
In loading a roof with shingles, the cleats are first installed and the first shingle bundles placed against them flush on the roof. The upper edges of these two flush-lying bundles form two lines of support with the roof peak between them forming a third line of support for stacking an additional four (or more) shingle bundles. Ideally, these three lines of support lie in a horizontal plane with the roof peak lying midway between the bundle upper corners and about six inches from them. Thus, six shingle bundles, comprising two flush lying and four stacked bundles, are a compact cluster providing the roofer a readily available supply of shingles during roofing installation. When the upwardly advancing work reaches the level of the cleat, the supply of shingles is sufficiently reduced that the cleat can be removed with minimal shifting of any remaining shingle bundles.
For installation of shingles, roofers use a pneumatic hammer or roofing nail or staple driver (“gun”) driven by compressed air supplied through a flexible hose from a compressor on the ground. Electric staple or nail guns are also available. The roofer, while performing his work, constantly bears the weight of the long hose and must manage it so the hose does not slide down the roof slope dragging him or his pneumatic hammer with it, resulting in both hose and hammer falling from the roof to the ground. Similarly, if the hammer should be inadvertently dropped, the hammer pulls the hose with it, both falling to the ground. The falling hose and/or hammer can damage windows, siding, vehicles, and workers below.
For some installations, e.g., in the case of steep pitched roofs, roofers install walk-ways comprising a pair or more of brackets to which is nailed a 2×6, 2×8, or 2×10 plank that is parallel to the ground. This gives the roofer a platform on which to stand or kneel for the work being done, and optionally to place tools, buckets and roofing materials supplies. The union installation rules apply to the mounting of these brackets and planks.
Currently there are a number of companies that provide metal brackets, called “roof jacks” (for shingle bundles) and “roof support stands” for walkway scaffolding. These jacks and stands are single, generally J-shaped brackets the long stem of which are nailed to the roof through round nail holes, keyholes or slots terminating in offset holes. For holding shingles, a typical jack has a capacity of 250# for 4/12 to 6/12 pitch roofs with a maximum of 8′ spacing. The foot projects 90° from the stem, and is typically 6″ high to hold a 2×6 so the shingle bundles can be laid against the plank. Also offered commercially are 10″×45° fixed roofer support stands for use on 12/2 pitch roofs. These have a capacity of one roofer plus 40# materials per 8′ of scaffolding. Both the roof jacks and the support stands are to be nailed through the roof sheeting and the roofing paper into the rafters with three 20-penny nails. Upon completion of use, that is, having to move higher up the roof, the brackets must be moved and the nails removed. Rarely, if ever are the 20 d nail holes through the roofing felt or tar paper ever caulked. Some of these jacks and supports include a reinforcing brace below the jack foot or the scaffold support arm.
Such single unit jacks and 45° scaffold walkway brackets are available, for example, from: Acro Building Systems, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis. 53209; Qual-Craft Industries, Inc., Stoughton, Mass. 02072; and Midwest Air Technologies, Inc., Lincolnshire, Ill. 60069. None of them include a hose or electrical cord minder or a carry handle, and all are single units requiring nailing to the roof rafters.
Accordingly, there are unmet needs in the field of roofing installation including providing tools that: (1) eliminate the need to coordinate with a carpenter to install roof bundle cleats and roofer support stands thereby saving time and money; (2) relieve the roofer from the need to have additional supplies and equipment to install roof bundle cleats and stands himself in order to save cost, and burdensome handling of extraneous equipment and tools; (3) improve safety and reduce liability insurance costs; (4) eliminate nailing through roof sheeting and waterproof overlayment; and, (5) Facilitate the roofer's work by providing him with a better and safer means of hose and hammer management, relieving him of bearing the weight of the hose and preventing the hose and pneumatic hammer from falling off the roof.
THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, INCLUDING OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGESThis invention is directed to a tool for both shingle bundle stacking and for support stands, comprising pairs of generally J-shaped jacks or support stands that are hinged at the upper ends of the stem of the J so that they straddle the roof peak to support a pair of shingle bundles lying flush on the roof, below and on each side of the roof peak, or support a horizontal plank for a walkway on each side of the roof peak. In the shingle bundle tool embodiment, the stem of the J brackets is selected of a length so that the upper edges of the bundles on each side are parallel to the roof ridge line or peak and, preferably, lie in a substantially horizontal plane with it to provide three lines of support for stacking additional shingle bundles thereon.
The inventive shingle bundle load tool comprises a pair of similar flat steel or strong composite “legs” hinged together at one end and having J-hooks at the ends opposite the hinge. The J-hook comprises a “foot” at a right angle to the leg, with a “toe” at a right angle to the foot at the foot's outer end. The toe is generally parallel to and spaced on the order of 4″ to 12″ from it depending on the length of the foot. The hinged, double J-hook tool is draped over the roof ridge or peak at the hinge, providing J hooks on each side of the ridge line to support flush-laid shingle bundles.
Optionally, and in the case of the roof plank support stand, the toe includes a tip that extends back toward the leg, that is, parallel to the foot. This tip is spaced 1 11/16 or more from the foot to accommodate the dimensions of a standard 2×4″-2×12″ plank, that is, slightly greater than the nominal 1⅝″ thickness of standard lumber.
When the tools are in use, two tools are placed on the roof ridge about 20 to 24 inches apart with one leg of each tool resting on one side of the peak, and the other leg resting on the opposite side. One shingle bundle is positioned with its face lying on the roof and the tool legs inset from each end of the bundle. The lower edge of the bundle is supported by the feet and restrained by the toes of each tool J-hook. A second shingle bundle is placed in like manner on the opposite side of the roof peak. The third bundle is placed flat on the upper edges of these two bundles and the roof peak lying between them. The fourth, fifth and sixth bundles (or more) are placed flat on the third bundle, resulting in a stack of six, or more, shingle bundles.
In the alternative, and preferred mode of use, two tools are placed about 8′ apart along the ridge, and a plank about 10′ long is placed against and retained by the foot and toe. That is, the board is oriented normal to the roof face. A plurality of bundles are then placed end to end along the plank in the normal orientation, a 10′ long plank accommodating 3 bundles in a row. The plank can range in width from a 2×4″ to a 2×12″ board, depending on the size of the tool (length of the foot) and the rated carrying capacity. Two or more bundles can be stacked parallel to the roof surface, that is one on top the other for the larger tools. This increases the stacking capacity for large roofs.
In the preferred embodiment of the jack, the foot is reinforced, to increase the weight capacity of the tool, and provide additional surface area and/or holes for connecting air hose. In this embodiment, the foot is reinforced, preferably from below by an extension of the leg below the juncture with the foot, which extension is bent to form a diagonal brace from the leg extension to the foot adjacent the toe. Thus, the J-hook can form the reinforcing brace and the foot may be an intermediate piece oriented normal to the leg and extending to form the turned-back toe. The foot and or brace may be riveted or welded together to form the tool. The hinge can be welded to the leg or be formed integral by curling the end of the leg to form a hinge-pin passage. The bracing extension can also include an additional center bracing piece, so the extension is an inverted T-shape in cross section.
A keeper device, such as a hole(s) in the brace(s), ring(s), spring-biased snap hook(s) or snap ring(s) having lateral closure members, spring-biased D-ring(s) or carabineer(s), or spring-biased retractable latch, is an integral part of the tool and is attached to the tool brace, foot, or toe to provide a tethering point for pneumatic hoses, electrical cords, or other cords or ropes.
A carry handle device is an optional feature of the tool to facilitate its handling. For example, a snap hook may be used to secure the two hose keepers together, thereby retaining the tool in a folded position and providing a means of fastening the tool to a belt loop for carrying the tool up to the roof with hands free. A carry handle with loops at each end can be secured to each keeper, so that the tool can be carried with the brace/foot end up, the leg/hinge down. This is easily done one-handed where the keepers include any spring biased lateral closure member. Indeed, then the handle itself can be hooked to a suitable spring-type D-ring or carabineer on the roofer's belt for ascending/descending to/from the roof, or to a similar ring or hook at a storage place.
In a first exemplary embodiment of the invention intended for use with composition shingles, the shingle load tool is made of mild steel strap two inches wide by ⅛″ thick, with the legs being 17″ long, the feet 4″-6″ long and the toes 1″ to 1-⅝+″ long, and the optional tip on the order of ¾″ long. This embodiment is suitable for loading (without use of a plank) stacks of 6-8 bundles of composition shingles, each bundle being about 39.5 inches long, 13″ wide, and 2.5 inches thick and weighing about 80 pounds depending on the quality (“weight”).
Alternative embodiments of the invention include variations in materials, design and fabrication of the tool, and differences in the mode of use of the tools. For example, while mild steel is preferred for everyday general use, stainless steel or heavy gauge aircraft quality aluminum, or titanium can be used. Differences in design and fabrication include tools with adjustable leg length, use of material such as nylon, polypropylene or other polymer web instead of steel for a portion of the tool leg, and tool feet of longer length enabling the stacking of two bundles on the tool leg or use of planks. Another alternative embodiment is a “single-legged”, not-hinged, extension tool designed for fastening to the feet of a pair of “two-legged” tools, thereby providing two parallel rows of feet on one or both sides of the ridge line as shingle load sites instead of one row.
In the support stand embodiment, which carries a plank oriented approximately 45° to the roof surface and generally parallel to the ground, the foot, toe, tip and brace are generally the same, except that the foot is not oriented normal to the leg, but is in the range of 120°±30°, typically at about 135°, and leg may be substantially longer so that the walkway is lower down the roof. These tools are not only useful for roofers, but also for masons building chimneys that extend above the ridge line. In the embodiment where the walkway is considerably below the ridge line the two legs may be secured to each other by strong industrial webbing, typically of a high-strength polymer of the type used as tow or load-securing strapping. Thus, the flat web may be on the order of 2″-3″ wide, ¼″ to ¾″ thick and 10′-30′ long, so that the walkway planks can be placed from 5′ to 15′ or more down from the ridge. The webs can include take-up hardware, such as a locking ratchet, winch or cambuckle tie-down strap, so that the length of the web can be adjusted. Thus, the walkway can be “inched” up the roof simply by taking up excess strap, much as a load is cinched with retaining strapping.
In an important combination of the inventive tool embodiments, an extension in the form of a support stand tool can be hooked over the foot of a single bundle load tool so that, when paired and laterally spaced, a plank can be laid on the support stand, and this support stand is disposed below the shingle bundle load. This permits working in the space above the support stand and below the loaded shingle bundles, or to one side and/or the other. By this arrangement, a walkway can be “suspended” between loads of shingle bundles at each end of a roof line.
The inventive tool, in contrast to current industrial standard practice of nailing individual jacks or support stands to the roof has the following exemplary advantages and objects:
1. It eliminates the need to carefully measure and nail wood cleats or jacks in place to support flush-lying shingle bundles that form the base of the stack of staged shingles at the roof ridge;
2. It eliminates the need to coordinate with one or more other trades, such as carpenters, thereby eliminating schedule problems, and saving time and cost;
3. It permits the roofer to increase the capacity of the number of bundles that can be loaded by use of planks and widely spaced tools; in many cases bundles now do not have to be stacked across the ridge line (high stacks can be blown off by wind);
4. Using the tool accurately locates the flush-lying support bundles in proper position, without the need for measurement or leveling and results in proper formation of the three lines of support for stacking additional bundles;
5. The tool provides an aid for pneumatic hose or electric power cord management making the roofer's task easier and contributes to increased safety, reducing the likelihood of injuries or damage to construction below (e.g. workmen, windows, etc.);
6. The shingle bundle stacking tool incorporates a device for ease of carrying or transporting, such as for attachment to a belt loop, or for attaching a line or handle for hoisting;
7. In the support stand embodiment it is useful to a number of trades and variations include provisions for adjustability to inch the walkway up the roof; and
8. In all uses of all embodiments, it is a significant time saver; no measurement is required and no mis-orientation can occur.
Still other objects and advantages will be evident to those skilled in the art upon analysis and reflection on the inventive hinged double-jack shingle bundle loading tool and support stand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention is described in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example, not by way of limitation of the scope, equivalents or principles of the invention. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best modes of carrying out the invention.
In this regard, the invention is illustrated in the several figures, and is of sufficient complexity that the many parts, interrelationships, and sub-combinations thereof simply cannot be fully illustrated in a single patent-type drawing. For clarity and conciseness, several of the drawings show in schematic, or omit, parts that are not essential in that drawing to a description of a particular feature, aspect or principle of the invention being disclosed. Thus, the best mode embodiment of one feature may be shown in one drawing, and the best mode of another feature will be called out in another drawing.
All publications, patents and applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication, patent or application had been expressly stated to be incorporated by reference.
A hose/cable minder 26 is an optional but preferred part of the inventive tool and is shown as a snap hook and ring secured to the foot by a ring or triangle welded to the foot. See also
Note, also that the optional nail holes 19a (or alternate embodiments 19b and 19c in
It should be understood that the preferred hose/cord minder involves a simple clip-on system as in
Each of the four extension tools in
The extension tool of
The
The
The
It is clear that the inventive hinged shingle bundle load tool with hose/cord minder of this invention, and the many variations including the single extension brackets, have wide applicability to the roofing industry, namely to simplify loading and staging shingles onto a roof, and to improve management of compressed air hoses and electrical cords, increasing safety and decreasing distraction from the main work. The system clearly reduces cost, is faster to install (just drape it over the ridge line) and increases efficiency in the roofing process by eliminating the need to coordinate with other trades or the need to have tools and equipment extraneous to the main job at hand, namely installing shingles. Thus, the invention has the clear potential of becoming adopted as the new standard for apparatus and methods of staging shingles on roofs and managing compressed air hoses.
It should be understood that various modifications within the scope of this invention can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit thereof and without undue experimentation. For example, the tool leg, foot and toe and the hose keeper can have a wide range of designs to provide the functionalities disclosed herein. Various leg lengths and angles of the foot member with respect to the leg (in the case of the support stand) may be provided to accommodate a large range of roof pitch. One skilled in the art will readily understand that two or more sets of tools with various leg or/and foot lengths can be offered to the trade for shingles of different width, or a tool with a foot adjustable in length can be made. The three lines of support formed by the flush lying bundles and the roof peak ideally would all lie in a horizontal lane; however, in working with composition shingles the shingle bundles are quite flexible and the supporting lines can vary from a perfectly horizontal plane by a substantial amount. Material used for manufacture of the tools is not critical and can be any heavy duty, tough service steel, aluminum, fiberglass, nylon, or other strong, heavy service capacity polymer, co- or ter-polymers or laminates, for example. The hose/cord-minder feature can be implemented in any suitable manner including reversal of parts, alternate types of tethers, and the like. The important feature is that as a preferred option the tools of this invention include a hose/cord minder. The carrying feature also can be implemented in a variety of ways other than those described.
The principles of the roof loading tool described are applicable not only to composition shingles as shown in
This invention is therefore to be defined by the scope of the appended claims as broadly as the prior art will permit, and in view of the specification if need be, including a full range of current and future equivalents thereof.
PARTS LIST to assist examination; may be canceled upon allowance at option of Examiner.
Claims
1. An improved roofer's tool for shingle bundle retention and walkways comprising:
- a) a first pair of J-shaped jacks having a longitudinally extending leg portion with a first free end and a foot assembly disposed adjacent a second end;
- b) a hinge connecting the free end of said leg portions of said jacks;
- c) said foot assembly is configured to retain at least one of a shingle bundle edge or a board to form a retaining edge for shingle bundles or a worker's walkway; and
- d) said tool is deployed on a roof by placing said hinge at a roof ridge with each jack disposed on opposite roof sides thereof.
2. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 1 wherein said foot assembly includes at least one flat, strap-shaped member disposed to extend at an angle selected in the range of about 120°±about 30° from said leg portion.
3. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 2 wherein said foot assembly includes a short toe portion extending parallel to and spaced from said leg portion to form a retaining lip for said bundle or board.
4. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 3 wherein said foot assembly toe includes an in-turned short tip that provides a catch for retaining a board disposed in engagement with said strap-shaped member.
5. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 4 wherein said foot assembly has a length selected from about 4″ to about 12″ to retain a board ranging in size from a 2×4 to a 2×12.
6. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 1 which includes a ring or snap-type hose/cord keeper secured to each said foot assembly.
7. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 6 wherein said keeper includes a spring-biased segment to provide quick connect and disconnect of a hose or cord.
8. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 2 wherein said foot assembly includes a brace member extending below said strap-shaped member at the juncture of said strap-shaped member and said leg, and extending from between that juncture to from a medial to a distal portion of said strap-shaped member, so that said strap-shaped member forms a foot piece for engaging and supporting said bundle or said board, and said brace member supports said foot piece.
9. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 8 which includes a ring or snap-type hose/cord keeper secured to each said brace.
10. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 1 wherein said leg portion includes a plurality of nail retaining elements selected from round holes, key holes and slotted holes, and said nail retaining elements are disposed between said hinge and said foot assembly.
11. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 6 which includes a handle assembly that includes rings or snap-type clips to engage said hose/cord keepers on each said jack.
12. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 5 wherein said foot is oriented at substantially 90° to said leg to permit retaining shingle bundles.
13. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 5 wherein said foot is oriented at an angle greater than 90° to said leg to permit supporting and retaining a board as a walkway.
14. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 1 which includes:
- a) at least one additional J-shaped jack having a longitudinally extending leg portion with a first free end and a foot assembly disposed adjacent a second end;
- b) a connector attached adjacent the free end of said leg portion of said jack adapted to engage one of said jacks forming said first pair of jacks;
- c) said foot assembly is configured to retain at least one of a shingle bundle edge or a board to form a retaining edge for shingle bundles or a worker's walkway; and
- d) said additional jack is deployed as an extension of said first pair of hinge-connected jacks by engaging a jack of said first pair to extend below the foot of said first jack to provide a lower, second level of shingle bundle or walkway support.
15. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 14 wherein said engagement adaptation is selected from a ring, a hook and a strap member.
16. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 15 wherein said strap is adjustable.
17. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 15 wherein said foot assembly includes at least one flat, strap-shaped member disposed to extend at an angle selected in the range of about, 120°±about 30° from said leg portion.
18. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 17 wherein said foot assembly includes a short toe portion extending parallel to and spaced from said leg portion to form a retaining lip for said bundle or board.
19. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 18 wherein said foot assembly toe includes an in-turned short tip that provides a catch for retaining a board disposed in engagement with said strap-shaped member.
20. An improved roofer's tool as in claim 17 wherein said foot is oriented at an angle greater than 90° to said leg to permit supporting and retaining a board as a walkway.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 7, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 23, 2006
Inventor: Terry Layman (Port Angeles, WA)
Application Number: 11/221,050
International Classification: E04D 15/00 (20060101);