US2710996A

US2710996A - Wood pole roof

Info

Publication number: US2710996A
Application number: US236980A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph R Pittman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-07-16
Filing date: 1951-07-16
Publication date: 1955-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 1972-06-21

Description

June 21, 1955 R, PlTTMAN 2,710,996

WOOD POLE ROOF Filed July 16, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent This invention relates to water-proof roofs suitable for application to the tops of wood piling and wood poles or posts.

It is commonly recognized that the exposed crossgrain top of any wood member checks from shrinkage as the moisture evaporates from the material, and that the checks become progressively enlarged with alternate freezing and thawing of the water filling the checks. Commercial treating methods fail to penetrate the heart wood of a wood pole or piling, and this part of the member readily decays in the presence of moisture conducive to the growth of wood-decaying fungi. Even the treated sap wood may decay if passage of water therethrough washes out the toxins of the preservative.

The broad objective of the invention is the closure of the top of the wood member so as to avoid entrance of any water via the ever-present season checks. The specific object is to provide a roof which may be quickly fitted to pole tops which vary widely as to both size and shape, such fitting to be accomplished without cutting or tearing of the roofing member. As far as I have been able to discover, there has not heretofore been described or used any roof which does not require either cutting or tearing of the roofing member in order to effect a satisfactory roof from the standpoints of effectiveness and neat workmanship.

With the above and such other objects in view as appear from the description, my invention resides in a new construction of the roof components, and a novel combination of the components, as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims appended.

Fig. l is a top view of the roof.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view ofthe roof, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the roof.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the roof as it appears after application to the end of a wood pole.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the roof following its application to a wood pole.

More in detail, the roof consists of two integral pieces of flexible water-proof sheet material, which are rigidly united by means of a centrally positioned fastener. Depending upon the duty required, the sheet material may be impregnated roofing paper, a thermoplastic material, or very thin sheet copper, aluminum or zinc, the principal consideration from the application standpoint being only that the material is waterproof or rainproof and flexible.

The top member of the roof includes a central portion which is of such size that it may only partially cover the end of the wood member to which the roof is to be applied. Extending radially outward from the central portion 10 are a plurality of integral peripherally spaced substantially rectangular portions 11.

The bdttom member includes the central portion 12, also of a size to incompletely cover the end of the Patented June .21, 195.5

wood member to which it is to be applied, and has extending radially outwardly from the central portio 12 a plurality of integral peripherally spaced substantially trapezoidal portions 13. The outside diameter of the lower member; i. e. the distance measured through the outwardly extended trapezoidal portions 13 determines the largest diameter pole top for which the roof is adapted, and the diameter of the central body portion 10 of the top member determines the smallest diameter pole top for which the roof is adapted; the roof will fit all intermediate sizes.

The number of rectangular portions 11 is the Same as the number of trapezoidal portions 1.3, and as i1- lustrated, both the width and length of each of the portions 11 are greater than the corresponding dimensions of each space between the portions 13. The roof is assembled by first coaxially positioning the

central portions

10 and 12, and then rotating one member with respect to the other as may be necessary to assure that each rectangular portion covers an intervening space between adjacent trapezoidal portions, following which operation the members are united by means of the centrally positioned rivet 15.

To provide slope to assure drainage from the roof, the rivet 15 is provided with head located on the bottom side of the roof such that the highest portion of the roof, when applied to a flat top pole or piling, will be the top end 14 of the rivet 15, all other portions of the roof sloping outwardly from this elevated point.

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively plan and elevational views of the roof in place on a pole top 17. As will be apparent from the illustrations, the application of the roof consists simply in centering it on the pole top, bending the rectangular tabs 11 down over the vertical surface of the pole, and fastening the tabs wherever they may position by the nails 16. The tabs 11 are extended beyond the outside of the bottom member to allow for fastening, and as they are bent down, the portions 13 are necessarily carried along to their respective desired positions alongside the pole.

The number of outwardly extending portions, and their width and spacing, is preferably chosen such that close conformity to the pole of the bent-down portions is assured, and the space between the trapezoidal portions 13 is made wide enough to avoid overlapping of the latter portions .when bent over the edge of the pole top. A convenient construction suitable for poles in common use for supporting overhead electrical conductors is a roof in which the center portions have a diameter of 8 inches, the tabs of the bottom member extend outwardly 3 inches, and the tabs of the top member extend outwardly 5 inches. The tabs of both members are spaced degrees apart, making 12 in number; the respective edges of each tab of the bottom member define a 21 degree angle and the adjacent edges of adjoining tabs a 9 degree angle, and the width of the tabs of the topmember is 1 /2 inches. So designed, and assembled as above described, this roof, without modification, may be neatly and effectively fitted over pole tops varying from 24 inches to inches in perimeter.

It may also be noted that the roof is not limited to application to circular pole tops, but will equally well cover elliptical or other out-of-round tops. The importance of this consideration resides in the fact that purely circular pole tops are practically non-existent. It may be further noted that a very inexpensive roof, both as to cost of manufacture and as to cost of application, is provided by the construction described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a wood pole and a roof adapted for application without alteration to pole tops which ICC differ in shape and/or size, comprising abutting top and bottom members of fiat flexible rainproof material each of which includes a central portion smaller than the top to be covered, the central portion of the bottom member having a plurality of integral peripherally spaced bottom portions extending outwardly therefrom and the central portion of the top member having an equal number of integral peripherally spaced top portions extending outwardly therefrom beyond the outer edges of said bottom portions, said top porlions covering the spaces separating said bottom portions, and fastening means positioned in the central portions and joining said members, the number and spacing of said integral portions being such that said portions substantially conform to the outside of the pole including that portion of the pole top not covered by the central portions of the roof.

2. In combination, a wood pole and a pre-cut pole roof adapted to fit pole tops unlike in size and shape, comprising abutting top and bottom members of flat flexible rainproof material each of which includes a central portion smaller than the top to be covered, the central portion of the bottom member having a plurality of integral peripherally spaced substantially trapezoidal portions extending outwardly therefrom and the central portion of the top member having an equal number of integral peripherally spaced substantially rectangular portions extending outwardly therefrom beyond the outer edges of said trapezoidal portions, said rectangular portions covering the spaces separating said trapezoidal portions, and fastening means positioned in the central portions and joining said members, the number and spacing of said integral portions being such that said portions substantially conform to the outside of the pole including that portion of the pole top not covered by the central portions of the roof.

3. In combination, a wood pole and a roof adapted for application without alteration to pole tops varying in size and shape, for the top of a wood pole, comprising a top member and a bottom member each formed from a sheet of flexible rainproof material, said members each including a central portion only partially covering the end to be roofed and an equal number of circurnferentially spaced portions extending outwardly therefrom, each of the outwardly extending portions of said top member being greater in width than the space between the outwardly extending portions of said bottom member and extending equidistantly beyond the periphery of said bottom member, and fastening means for holding said members in coaxial and abutting parallel relationship, the outwardly extending portions of said top member being positioned over the uncovered end surface of said pole and extended downwardly therealong beyond the spaces between the outward- 1y extending portions of said bottom member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,973,861 Walsh Sept. 18, 1934 2,230,392 Storms Feb. 4, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 141,468 Switzerland 1930 v. r-- F. It