This invention relates generally to roof protectors and, more particularly, to devices which may be attached to the edge of a roof for minimizing or eliminating damage to the roof including shingles or other roof coverings, any rain gutters, or any other structures located in the vicinity of the roof""s edge.
Portable ladders are commonly propped against the eave of a roof, or a soffit or a rain gutter located immediately beneath the eave, in order to gain access to or descend from the roof. If the upper end of the ladder slides laterally along the eave, for example, as a result of high winds, the climber may fall to the ground and suffer serious injury, not to mention costly damage to the roof system and/or gutter. Similarly, if the upper end of the ladder swings up and away from the roof, the climber may fall and be injured.
The repair cost of roof damage properly includes the cost of repairing immediate physical damage and, also, longer term damage due to structural deterioration and the rotting of exposed wood. This longer term damage is almost always present to some extent, and can be very expensive.
A variety of ladder supports and associated safety devices have been reported for preventing slippage of the ladder. Some of these devices attach to the roof or the wall of a building, while others attach to rain gutters mounted on the building. In many cases, attaching a ladder support to a rain gutter provides a false sense of security, because the rain gutter may not be reliably mounted on the building or of sufficient structural strength to support the ladder. Because inspection of the rain gutter to determine its reliability as a ladder support is best done from a ladder, attaching the ladder support to the rain gutter cannot be considered a reasonable solution.
One previously known safety device includes a sturdy U-shaped roof bracket connected by a hinge to a rigid loop for placing around the upper end of a ladder. The device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,465 issued to Vossler. While the device was commendable in its day, it is relatively difficult for a user to thread the upper end of the ladder through the rigid loop while the device is attached to the roof and the user is standing on the ground. Conversely, the device is difficult to attach to the roof while standing on the ladder, because the device is intended to protrude from the roof at precisely the point where the ladder rests.
Additionally, the device described in the ""275 patent is U-shaped with relatively long and narrow legs which are ill-suited for attaching to a roof covered with shingles. The narrow legs are necessarily too long to fit beneath a single row of common roofing shingles and the second row of shingles cannot be simply pushed up as may be done with the first row. Instead, the second row of shingles must be removed by extracting the roofing nails, which hold them in place. The only practical alternative is to mount the device on top of the roofing shingles by making holes through the shingles, as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of the ""275 patent, thereby ruining their ability to seal against rain. Neither method of attaching the ""275 patent device to a roof with roof shingles is entirely satisfactory.
On the other hand, most ladder support apparatus which attach to the roof or wall to enhance the safety of a climber do little or nothing to protect the roof from damage caused by the upper end of the ladder. For example, a safety ladder device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,275 issued to LeBlanc. A significant fraction of the weight of the ladder and climber tends to force the upper end of the ladder toward the roof, so as to cut the roof covering and crush the eave. Also, if the upper end of the ladder slides laterally, it may strip off the roof covering, particularly shingles.
The danger of personal injury and the high cost of roof repair combine to make the roof an expensive place to try out new equipment or procedures. The above-described attempts at innovation demonstrate that ladder support and roof protection equipment is relatively expensive to construct and install and, in some cases, requires more structural backing than is actually present in existing buildings.
Therefore, a need still exists for a guard plate which makes ascending to and descending from a roof less likely to damage the roof and relatively safer for the climber. Preferably, the guard plate protects the edge of the roof from mechanical forces generated by the weight of the user and the ladder. Most preferably, the guard plate is compact, weighs relatively little and may be secured under the roof covering.
The invention provides a guard plate and safety anchor for a portable ladder. The invention makes access to the roof by climbing up the ladder relatively safer and less likely to damage the roof. The guard plate protects the edge of the roof, and any rain gutter which may be present, from mechanical forces generated by the weight of the user and the ladder. Additionally, the guard plate secures the upper end of the ladder so that it cannot shift laterally, making access to the roof relatively safer for the climber. The guard plate weighs relatively little, compared to previously known safety anchors, can be constructed in substantially flat form to facilitate storage, transportation and installation and, unlike previously mentioned attempts, is very inexpensive.
The guard plate can be permanently installed to facilitate access to the roof from the same area repeatedly. The invention may be employed to protect Ethylene Paopylene Diene Monomer (EPDM), asphalt, fiberglass or metal roofs, among others. The protected roofing covering may be shingles, tiles or rolls, or poured in place. The guard plate can be installed under or over the roofing covering.
When shingles are the roofing material, the guard plate is preferably installed beneath the shingles in order to avoid exposing the heads of roofing nails to the weather. The guard plate should be inserted beneath a single row of common roofing shingles. For a roof which has an existing covering of shingles, this can be done by simply removing one row of roofing nails and reinserting the nails so that they hold the shingles down and secure the guard plate to the roof. If a new covering of shingles is to be installed, the guard plate should be placed directly on the roof, and the new shingles should be fastened over the shingles by driving roofing nails through both the shingles and the guard plate. In a preferred form, the guard plate includes a cleat or an eyelet for attaching bungee cords, ropes, cables, tie ropes or chains which may be passed laterally across the upper end of the ladder.
In one embodiment, the invention is a guard plate, which includes a plate member having a generally flat face. The plate member is sized appropriately for installation between a roof and a roof covering. The guard plate also includes means for attaching the plate member to the roof so that a portion of the plate member extends approximately to or beyond the edge of the roof for receiving a ladder and for shielding the roof from damage by the ladder. The plate member may be attached to the roof without making any incisions in the roof covering. Installing the plate member between the roof and the roof covering does not substantially decrease the effectiveness of the roof covering for protecting the roof from wind, rain, and other forces of nature. Alternatively, the plate member may be installed over the roof covering, but additional sealing will be required and cosmetic issues arise. When the roofing covering is EPDM, plate member installation over the EPDM is preferred.
The guard plate preferably includes a fastening portion and a projecting portion. The fastening portion is for fastening a line to secure the ladder with respect to the guard plate. The projecting portion extends beyond the protecting edge and cooperates to define a recess for impeding lateral movement of the ladder.