The construction and installation of roofs or coverings over various types of commercial, residential, and recreational structures often have to accommodate openings that may be configured to permit the penetration of conduit, piping, and vents, among other types of penetrations (hereinafter collectively referred to as “conduit”), into, and/or out of, the associated structure. For example, the roof of a residential home may include openings for ventilation piping or ducts, electrical conduit, air conditioning lines, and various mechanical support structures. Cable and wire, such as power and phone lines, may pass through the conduit and into, or out of, the associated structure. Unfortunately, the presence of such openings in the roof compromise the ability of the roof to protect the interior of the structure from undesirable environmental elements such as, for example, water or intruding insects.
In the past, these openings may have been protected, in part, from undesirable moisture through the use of a roof jack, also known as a roof flashing. A roof jack may be configured to create a water-tight seal between the outer portion of the conduit and the opening in the roof. Known roof jacks may include a tubular sleeve portion that fits around the outside walls of the penetrating conduit, and a flange that covers the opening in the roof. The flange may abut against at least a portion of the roof, or associated roofing materials, such as shingles, tile, and tar, among others and may be operably secured to the roof through the use of an adhesive material, or a mechanical fastener, such as a nail. Further, at least a portion of the flange may be covered by roofing materials, which may further assist in preventing water or insects from entering into the opening in the roof. To further assist in the creation of a water-tight seal about the opening, caulk or other sealants may be applied to close gaps between portions of the roof jack and the abutting penetrating conduit and/or roof.
One form of roof jack known in the art employs a female collar that has a non-split configuration that may be shaped to slide over the penetrating conduit. The use of a non-split configuration may require that the conduit have an accessible end at which the collar may be placed over, and subsequently slid down along, the outside of the conduit. However, in many applications, the end of the penetrating conduit, or wires or cables passing therethrough, may be attached to other devices, equipment, or structures. For example, electrical wiring may pass through the conduit and onto utility pools, whereupon the wiring may be operably connected to provide utility services to the associated structure. In such a case, an electrician may be required to disassemble the electrical wiring to the home so that the female collar of the roof jack may be placed over, and slid down, the conduit. The time and labor required to disassemble and re-assemble such connections so that the roof jack may be placed over the conduit may not only be time consuming and expensive, but may also delay the progress of other scheduled construction tasks, and may thus further increase labor costs.
Recognizing the limitations of non-split roof jack designs, other known roof jacks have employed split collars. One type of split collar design may employ a single slit along a side of the roof jack. When the roof jack is in a closed position, the width of the slit may be narrow so that the edges of the roof jack that are separated by the slit may abut, overlap, or be in close proximity to each other. However, when the roof jack is in an open position, the edges of the roof jack separated by the slit may be pulled apart from each other, thereby increasing the width of the slit so as to create an opening that may allow the roof jack to be slid around the sides of the conduit and placed in positioned about the conduit. Once positioned around the conduit, the separate edges may then be pushed or pressed together so that the slit is generally closed. This split collar design, however, is disadvantageous in that the slit allows for imprecision and for the potential of an inadequate seal from the elements. Moreover, this “slit” design may be made only of a limited number of materials.
Other known roof jacks may incorporate a collar that may consist of at least two separate removable segments. In such a case, the collar may be assembled about the conduit by positioning each individual segment around at least a portion of the conduit. Once positioned about the conduit, each segment may be secured to a mating segment. Such devices may allow the roof jack to be positioned about the conduit regardless of whether the end of the conduit, wires and cables passing therethrough, is connected to other equipment or devices. Yet, securing the assembled individual segments together may require additional materials, time, and/or equipment. More specifically, the joining of the mating segments may require that the segments be sealed, soldered, welded, and/or bolted together, which may be time consuming and thus may increase expenses.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds