AU2002324015A1 - An improved mast mount - Google Patents

Description

PATENTS ACT 1990 (AS AMENDED) COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: OPAC Pty. Ltd.

24 Bosci Road, INGLEBURN NSW 2565 Actual Inventor: Address for Service: ANDERSON-TAYLOR ASSOCIATES, Registered Patent Attorneys of 10 Harrison Avenue BONNET BAY N.S.W. 2226 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: AN IMPROVED MAST MOUNT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: This invention relates to support structures. More particularly although not exclusively an improved mast mount is disclosed for antennas, satellite dishes or the like.

Existing mast mounts such as that described in Australian patent 726997 comprise a bracket arm which protrudes out from a rafter attachment plate located under the edge tiles of a roof. A vertical mast extends up from the bracket arm and a horizontal support prop is also rigidly attached to one side of said arm. The prop is located under the edge tiles and connects to an adjacent rafter. The purpose of the prop is to brace the bracket and mast against lateral deflection from wind loading and/or the weight of an antenna or satellite dish etc. These existing mast mounts have a number of disadvantages however. Because the prop is rigidly attached to the bracket arm it must extend laterally out from the side of said bracket at a fixed angle. The mast is therefore not readily adaptable for installation near corners or in areas of varying roof levels. Further, because the prop attaches to the bracket at the base of the mast the support provided is limited. Any bending moment imposed on the mast still has to be resisted entirely by the bracket.

It is therefore an object of this invention to ameliorate the aforementioned disadvantages and accordingly an apparatus for mounting an antenna or the like to a roof is disclosed, said apparatus when in a configuration of use including a bracket arm securable to a roof rafter so that a an end of said arm protrudes out from an edge portion of said roof, a mast affixed to said end to extend upwardly therefrom and a rigid support strut extending from a location on said mast above the base thereof for connection to a support arm spaced from said bracket arm and extending out from another adjacent edge portion of said roof whereby said mast is braced against lateral deflection.

Preferably the support strut attaches to a collar which is positionally adjustable along the length of the mast.

It is further preferred that the support arm is securable to a second rafter spaced from said roof rafter in a manner whereby a end of said arm protrudes out from under said another edge'portion of the roof to connect with the support strut.

It is further preferred that the bracket arm and support arm are secured in position by apertured plates which are screwed or-bolted to said rafters.

Currently preferred examples of this invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings in which:figure 1 shows a perspective view from one side of a first embodiment on an antenna mast mount according to the invention, figure 2 shows another perspective of the antenna mount of figure 1 when installed in a roof structure, and figure 3 shows an elevation view of an antenna mast mount according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring first to figure 1 the mast mount may comprise a bracket arm 1 which is affixed to a plate 2 with apertures 3.

The plate is preferably welded along one end section of the bracket arm so that the opposite outer end IA of the arm extends well clear of said plate. The arm 1 with this embodiment is in the form of a curved strap which is set at degrees to the plate 2. By virtue of this curvature the outer end 1A of the arm is positioned lower than the rest of the strap and may'align with the bottom edge of the pldte as shown with this embodiment. A mast 4 is welded to the flattened end 1A of the arm in such a manner to extend up vertically and parallel to the plane of plate 2. Although not shown in the drawings the mast would be equipped with any suitable means for mounting an antenna or similar device. A rigid one piece support strut 5 extends out to one side of the mast. In the configuration shown it is positioned at about 90 degrees to the plate 2. The strut is angled downwardly to connect with a further support arm 6 and apertured plate 7 which may be smaller but are preferably similar in configuration to the bracket arm 1 and plate 2 described above. In this case the protruding end 6A of the support arm is secured to the lower end of the strut by a -4bolt 8. The other upper end of the strut is connected to the mast by a collar 9 and bolt 10. By loosening this bolt 10 the collar may be slid up or down the mast to adjust the spacing between the plates 2 and 7 during installation.

The mast mount is adapted to be fitted to the edge of a roof with a minimum of labour or disruption to the building structure. For example, with tiled roofs only two or three tiles along the edge of the structure need to be removed to expose the adjacent rafters 11, 12 and purlin 13 shown in figure 3. The plate 2 is screwed or bolted through apertures 3 to the side of rafter 11 so that the bracket arm 1 extends out across the facia board 14. The outer end 1A of the arm with attached vertical mast is thereby located over the gutter 15 and outside the roof area. By adjusting the vertical position of the collar 9 on the mast before tightening bolt 10 the support arm 6 and plate 7 can be aligned with the side of an adjacent rafter 12 before being bolted or screwed in place. The outer end 6A of the support arm similarly extends out over the facia board 14 so that the strut connects outside the area of the roof tiles. The strut serves to brace the mast against wind loading or other bending moments imposed by the weight of an antenna. The installation is completed by replacing the roof tiles (not shown) over the rafters and purlin to cover plates 2, 7 and the adjacent portions of the arms 1, 6. As the attachment points for the mast and strut are outside the roof area no modifications or cutting of tiles is necessary and the weatherproof integrity of the roof is maintained.

Because the attachment point of the strut is above the base of the mast with this invention the bracing effect against wind loading is also greatly increased over prior art mounts where the strut connects at or adjacent the bracket arm.

Further, this invention facilitates installation of the mast near corners or over varying roof levels as the collar connection allows directional adjustment of the strut as well as sliding adjustment along the length of said mast.

With the second embodiment of the invention as shown in figure 3 the main components of the mast mount which correspond in function to those of figures 1 and 2 are identified by the same numbers which however are primed to distinguish them. In this case the distance between the plates 2' and 7' is set by longitudinal adjustment of the support strut This comprises two telescoping sections 16 and 17. These are preferably locked at a selected length by self tapping screws 18 which extend through the outer section 16 and thread into pre-drilled holes in the inner section 17.

At its upper end the strut is bolted to a fixed flange 19 located about the middle of the mast An additional flange may be provided on the other side of the mast. This allows either an alternative strut connection in the opposite direction or two simultaneous strut connections to provide support in both directions. At the lower end the strut is bolted to the outer end 6A' of a support arm The end 6A' in this case is vertical instead of horizontal as with the first embodiment.

It will thus be appreciated that this invention at least in the form of the embodiments described provides a novel and improved form of mast mount for antennas. Clearly however the examples disclosed are only the currently preferred forms of the invention and a wide variety of modifications may be made which would be apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example the ends of the arms may be turned up or otherwise modified to support the mast and strut assembly clear of the gutter to avoid flow obstruction. Other changes to the mast, connecting hardware and plates (such as connecting said plates to the opposite sides of the arms) may also be made to adapt the mount to particular installations. While the currently preferred embodiments are constructed from galvanised steel tube and plate the invention is not restricted to this and extends to the use of other weather resistant materials such as stainless steel, aluminium or even plastic.

For the purposes of this specification expressions such as "upwardly", "under", "lower". "vertically" and "horizontally" etc. refer to the mast mount in the positions of use illustrated and are not to be read as necessarily limiting.

Claims (9)

1. An apparatus for mounting an antenna or the like to a roof, said apparatus when in a configuration of use.including a bracket arm securable to a roof rafter so that an end of said arm protrudes out from an edge segment of said roof, a mast affixed to said end to extend upwardly therefrom and a rigid support strut extending from a location on said mast above the base and connected to an end portion of a support arm spaced from said bracket arm to be securable with said end portion protruding out from an another adjacent edge segment of the roof so that said mast is braced against lateral deflection.

2: The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 'wherein the support arm is securable to a second rafter spaced from said roof rafter.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bracket arm and support arm are securable to said rafters by respective plates which are screwed or bolted in place.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the support strut attaches to the mast in a manner allowing positional adjustment along the length of said mast to thereby adjust the spacing between the bracket and support arms.

The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the bracket and support arms are in the form of curved straps which are set at 90 degrees to said respectve plates.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the support strut attaches to the mast by means of a collar which is slidable alonmg the length of said mast prior to tightening of said collar.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the support strut is of one piece non-extendible construction.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the support strut includes two telescoping sections to enable length adjustment of said strut.

9. An apparatus for mounting an antenna or the like to a roof, said apparatus being substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 and 2 or figure 3. A method of mounting an antenna or the like to a roof, said method including the steps of:- procuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, exposing the rafter along said edge segment of the roof securing the bracket arm to said rafter in a manner whereby the end of the bracket arm protrudes outwardly from said edge segment and the mast extends upwardly. adjusting the support strut so that the end portion of the support arm extends out from said another adjacent edge segment to brace said mast against lateral deflection, and covering said edge segments with weatherproof roofing material. Dated this day of VECtCI &t 2002 OPAC PTY. LTD. By Our Patent Attorney MICHAEL ANDERSON-TAYLOR