AU660768B2

AU660768B2 - Attachment means

Info

Publication number: AU660768B2
Application number: AU34054/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Leveille
Original assignee: Advance Designs Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Advance Designs Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1992-03-09
Filing date: 1993-03-09
Publication date: 1995-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 2013-03-09
Also published as: AU3405493A

Description

660768 P/:00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: JOHN LEVEILLE Actual Inventor(s): JOHN LEVEILLE Address for Service: JOHN R.G. GARDNER PO BOX 443 MUDGEERABA QLD 4213 Invention title: ATTACHMENT MEANS Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos: PL 1243 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me:- *o *o* e A*ua Ineto*) JOH LEE me:- THIS INVENTION relates to attachment means for attaching articles to roofs of buildings. The present invention has particular but not exclusive application to attaching an antenna such as television antenna or like to a tiled roof, however, the present invention may be applied to the attachment of other articles to tiled roofs.

The mast supporting a television antenna and the stays supporting the mast are usually affixed to tiled roofs using a plurality of screws which extend through respective apertures drilled in the tiles and which engage wooden frame members supporting the roof. When drilling the apertures great care must be exercised so as to avoid cracking or breaking any of the tiles. Furthermore, a number of apertures may need to be drilled in each tile before a suitable frame member may be located.

To avoid drilling apertures in the tiles and the problems associated therewith, clips adapted to engage a wall or walls of a gutter may be used to attach the mast and the supporting stays to a section of guttering.

To ensure a good reception, the antenna is preferably placed on the highest point of the roof.

Antennas which are attached to a section of guttering are often shielded in one or more directions by the roof thereby resulting in an unsatisfactory reception.

:i 25 The present invention aims to alleviate one or :more of the above disadvantages by providing a mast assembly incorporating attachment means which enables easy installation of a mast on a roof. The present invention also aims to provide a method for installing a mast 30 assembly. The present invention further aims to provide an aaitenna mounting kit for attaching an antenna to a roof.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter become apparent.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the present invention in one aspect resides broadly in a mast assembly comprising a mast and attachment means for attaching said mast to a tile roof comprising a plurality T 14of overlapping or overlying tiles, said attachment means including a main body portion adapted for location between a first roof tile and a second roof tile which partially overlies or overlaps said first roof tile, said attachment means including engagement means adapted to engage portion of said first tile overlaid by said second tile to prevent or limit the movement of said main body portion longitudinally of said tiles and thereby detachment of said main body portion from between said first and second tiles, and a mounting portion supporting the lower end of said mast.

In one form, the mast includes or is provided with at least one supporting strut which is adapted to be secured to the roof by a second attachment means positioned remote from the first attachment means.

The attachment portion preferably comprises a slender suitably planar body portion adapted to fit between overlying or overlapping portions of adjacent roof tiles and said engagement portion is associated with one end of the body portion. The engagement portion may be adapted to engage an edge of the lower roof tile and for this purposes suitably comprises a dependant flange and in some embodiments a return flange. Preferably the configuration of the body portion and the engagement portion enables the attachment means to be slid between adjacent roof tiles of an existing roof. When located in position, the dependant flange prevents endwise detachment of the mounting portion from between the tabs.

The mounting portion preferably is located in use 9 beyond the leading edge of the upper overlying tile and may e0 30 include an upwardly directed flange having at least one 99 S. mounting aperture or a threaded stub extending outwardly therefrom. In another embodiment, the mounting portion may :.."include a clip adapted to engage the article to be attached thereto.

In a further respect, the present invention provides a method of attaching a mast to a tiled roof comprising at least a first tile and a second tile overlapping said first tile using attachment means having a main body portion, said main body portion having engagement means for engaging portion of said first tile overlapped by said second tile, said method including the steps of locating said main body portion of said attachment means between overlapping portions of said first and second tile with said engagement means located adjacent an overlapped end of said first tile, to prevent or limit detachment of said main body portion from between said first and second tiles, and securing the lower end of said mast to portion of said attachment means disposed beyond said overlapping portion of said tiles.

Preferably the mast includes at least one supporting strut and said method includes the step of providing a further said attachment means, locating the main body portion of the further attachment means between overlying or overlapping tiles at a point spaced from the first attachment means and securing said strut to said further said attachment means.

In yet a further aspect, the present invention provides an antenna mounting kit for mounting an antenna on a roof comprising a plurality of overlapping roof tiles, said mounting kit including a mast for supporting said antenna and at least one attachment means for mounting said mast to said roof, said attachment means including a main body portion adapted for location between a first roof tile i and a second roof tile of said roof which partially Soverlies or overlaps said first roof tile, said attachment means further including engagement means adapted to engage portion of said first tile overlaid by said second tile to prevent or limit movement of said main body portion longitudinally of said tiles and thereby detachment of said main body portion from between said first and second tiles, and a mounting portion to which the lower end of said mast may be secured.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a e preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:- Y7. ~;Vr 4a Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an attachment member constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the attachment member illustrated in Fig. 1 retained between overlying roof tiles; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an antenna attached to a roof using the attachment means of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs.

1 to 2, there is illustrated an attachment member 1 r *o

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concrete tiles where the leading end of the tile 18 overlaps the trailing end of the tile 19.

The region 17 of the body portion 11 of the attachment member 10 adjacent the engagement portion 14 may be positioned between the two overlying roof tiles 18 and 19 respectively such that the it lies along the tile 19 and so that the flange 14 is located beyond and abuts or is located adjacent the trailing edge 20 of the lower roof tile 19 and so that the mounting portion 13 extends beyond the leading edge 21 of the upper roof tile, as illustrated in Fig. 2 Of course the body portion 11 may be sized so that the member sits neatly between the tiles with the mounting portion 13 adjacent the edge 21. Preferably in this instance the mounting portion 13, when the attachment member is installed as above, 15 is arranged in a substantially upright attitude.

3 illustrates an application of the attachment means of the invention for supporting an antenna assembly 29 on a tiled roof 30 comprising a plurality of overlapping roof tiles 31 arranged in transverse rows 32. The antenna assembly 29 includes an antenna 33 supported by a mast 34 which in this embodiment includes two outwardly extending stays 35 releasably S affixed at their upper ends to the mast 34 by respective mechanical fasteners 36 such as screws.

In use, the antenna assembly 29 is mounted on the 25 tiled roof 30 by securing the lower end 37 of the mast 35 to the mounting portion 13 of an attachment member 10 by a using a fastener such as a bolt 38 passed through the mounting aperture therein (as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2) and thereafter subsequently sliding the attachment member between two overlying tiles 32 respectively in the manner described with reference to Fig. 2 such that the region 17 is retained therebetween and the flange 14 abuts the trailing edge of the lower roof tile. As an alternative, the attachment means 10 may be positioned between overlapping tiles initially after which the mast 34 is secured to the mounting portion 13 thereof. For strength and stability, the two struts or stays are releasably attached to the mast 34 of the antenna assembly 29 by the bolts or screws 36. The free ends 39 of the stays 35 are, using the nuts and bolts 40 releasably attached to the mounting portions 13 of two further attachment members 10 which as shown in Fig. 3 are secured between overlapping pairs of tiles at two positions spaced from the lower end 37 of the antenna mast 34 in the same manner as previously described so that the antenna assembly 29 is supported in a stable upright attitude by a three point support.

Because different houses may have roofs of different pitches, the mast 35 may include a plurality of mounting apertures 41 thereby enabling the user to select the most appropriate aperture for a stay 35 having a fixed length. However, for the purpose of mounting the antenna on the roof, the mast 34 may include stays 35 which must be cut to a desired length, or telescopic stays.

To further secure the attachment members 10 to the tiled roof, an adhesive or sealant may be placed between the attachment member 10 and the adjacent tiles.

The attachment member when installed between overlapping tiles is effectively locked in position being prevented from endwise detachment from the tabs by the engagement portion or flange which abuts against or engages the end of the lowermost tile.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides means for attaching a mast or any other member to tiled roof which overcomes the need to drill apertures in ""the roof tiles.

~It will of course be realised that while the .:30 above has been given by way of illustrative example of this S. invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein defined in the appended claims.

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Claims

1. A mast assembly comprising a mast and attachment means for attaching said mast to a tile roof comprising a plurality of overlapping or overlying tiles, said attachment means including a main body portion adapted for location between a first roof tile and a second roof tile which partially overlies or overlaps said first roof tile, said attachment means including engagement means adapted to engage portion of said fi$st tile o-rerlaid by said second tile to prevent or limit movement of said main body portion longitudinally of said tiles and thereby detachment of said main body portion from between said first and second tiles, and a mounting portion supporting the lower end of said mast.

2. An assembly according to Claim 1 wherein said main body portion comprises a slender member adapted to fit between said overlying or overlapping portions of said first and second tile roof tiles.

3. An assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said engagement means is adapted to engage an edge of said first roof tile.

4. An assembly according to Claim 3 wherein said .p iengagement means is provided at one end of said main body portion.

5. An assembly according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein said engagement means comprises a downwardly depending flange. i 6. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the configuration of said body portion and said engagement means enables said main body portion to be slid between said first and second overlapping roof tiles. co• An assembly according to any one of the preceding 8 claims wherein said mounting portion extends in use beyond the leading edge of said second overlying tile.

8. An assembly according to Claim 7 wherein said mounting portion includes an upwardly directed flange having at least one mounting aperture or a threaded stud extending outwardly therefrom by which said lower end of said mast is secured to said attachment means.

9. The assembly of any one of the preceding claims and including at least one further said attachment means, said attachment means having a main body portion located between overlapping tiles and a strut extending between said further attachment means and said mast for supporting said mast in an upright attitude. The assembly of Claim 9 wherein said further attachment means is spaced from the first mentioned attachment means.

11. A method of attaching a mast to a tiled roof comprising at least a first tile and a second tile overlapping said first tile using attachment means having a main body portion, said attachment means having engagement means for engaging portion of said first tile overlapped by said second tile, said method including the steps of locating said main body portion of said attachment means between overlapping portions of said first and second tile with said engagement means located adjacent an overlapped end of said first tile to prevent or limit movement of said main body portion longitudinally of said tiles and thereby detachment of said main body portion from between said first and second tiles, and securing the lower end of said mast to portion of said attachment means disposed beyond said overlapping portion of said tiles.

12. A method according to Claim 11 and including the step of providing a further said attachment means, locating the main body portion of said further attachment means between overlying or overlapping tiles at a position spaced from said first attachment means and securing a strut between said further said attachment means and said mast.

13. A method according to Claim 11 or Claim 12 wherein said attachment means includes a mounting portion and wherein said mast and/or said strut are secured to said mounting portions of said attachment means.

14. An antenna mounting kit for mounting an antenna on a roof comprising a plurality of overlapping roof tiles, said mounting kit including a mast for supporting said antenna and at least one attachment means for mounting said mast to said roof, said attachment means including a main body portion adapted for location between a first roof tile and a second roof tile of said roof, which partially overlies or overlaps said first roof tile, said attachment means further including engagement means adapted to engage portion of said first tile overlaid ty said second tile to limit movement of said main body portion longitudinally of said tiles and thereby detachment of said main body portion from between said first and second tiles, and a mounting portion to which the lower end of said mast may be secured.

15. An antenna mounting kit according to Claim 13 and i "including at least one further said attachment means having oe •a main body portion adapted for location between overlapping said roof tiles, and a strut adapted to be connected between said mast and said further attachment S. means for supporting said mast in an upright attitude.

16. A mast assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. An antenna mounting kit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A method of securing a mast to a tiled roof substantially as hereinbef ore described with reference to the-accompanying drawings. DATED this third day of May 1995 JOHN ILEVEILLE BY MY PATENT ATTORNEY JOHN R.G. GARDNER S S S S *SSS S 55 S S S S S ABSTRACT Attachment means (10) for attaching an article, such as a mast (37) to a tile roof comprising overlapping tiles (18) and The attachment means includes a portion (17) which is disposed between overlapping portions of the tiles (18) and an engagement portion (14) which may abut against the end of the lower tile (19) and a mounting portion (13) to which the mast (37) may be secured. *S.