Mobile Home Roof Apparatus

My invention relates to mobile home or trailer roof structures, and more particularly, to a roof structure which may be readily added to and later readily removed from a mobile home, and which is easy and economical to fabricate and install. The added structure will protect a mobile home from the ravages of moisture, heat, snow and ice, and it allows a mobile home to be effectively insulated so as to markedly reduce heat conduction and conserve heating fuel and electrical energy used for air conditioning. The structure may be sturdily affixed to a mobile home without substantial alteration of the existing mobile home, so that no appreciable changes need be made to the basic structure of the mobile home when the removable roof structure of the invention is added or removed. A further advantage of the novel roof structure is that it is readily variable in length, so that it may be expanded or contracted and used on trailer homes of different lengths.

The principal attraction of mobile homes to many buyers is their low cost in comparison to that of conventional fixed-site dwellings. The mobility of a mobile home allows it to be used at a less expensive site than a building lot of the type at which permanent dwellings are usually erected, and allows economies in fabrication through the use of efficient factory techniques. However, such advantages tend to be offset by various disadvantages, which use of the present invention will at least in part alleviate.

Most mobile homes constructed in the last decade employ much sheet-metal fabrication, to minimize weight and enhance mobility by use of aluminum sheet, for example. While the extensive use of sheet metal construction afforded production economies and advantageously decreased the weight of mobile homes, much heat transfer occurs through the roof and walls of such homes because sheet metal has high thermal conductivity. Most existing mobile homes were constructed during an era of energy abundance, so that insufficient insulation was provided to allow the economical heating and cooling now demanded by the current and future energy crisis. Furthermore, the constructional techniques which have been used for most mobile homes precludes later installation of ceiling insulation, unlike ordinary dwellings, wherein access to an attic space ordinarily will allow one to add ceiling insulation at will. Moisture also tends to condense on metal panels. Most existing mobile homes employ roofs formed from plural side by side metal sheets, with edges of adjacent sheets bent to interlock in an attempt to provide watertight roof seams. While such roof seams may be adequately watertight when first fabricated, they often begin to leak after a trailer home has been used only a short time, probably, it is believed, because of the expansion and contraction of metal parts due to temperature changes, and because movement of a mobile home along a highway tends to apply stresses to such seams. Such leakage frequently causes wood and others members to rot. Caulking trailer roof seams on the outside of the trailer is not a satisfactory solution, because effective and permanent caulking compounds are unavailable, because the use of such caulking tends to be unsightly, and because a substantial amount of water may leak through a caulked seam before the fact that it is leaking can be discovered. Once appreciable moisture seeps through a leaking roof seam and rot begins to occur, it is extremely difficult to repair or replace any rotting members, since they tend to be not accessible, from either the inside or the outside of the trailer. In many existing trailer homes, leakage frequently occurs in the joints between the roof and the side walls as well as in the roof seams. The damage caused by leakage is further accentuated because moisture accumulates in areas which are not ventilated, and because sheet metal panels do not breathe to dispel moisture as wood and brick sections of an ordinary dwelling do.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the heat or cooling losses which occur from a mobile home are markedly reduced by provision of an added, removable roof structure. Insulation material may be installed between the existing trailer roof and the added structure so as to greatly reduce heat and cooling losses, and even in the absence of insulation material, the air situated between the existing trailer roof and the added roof structure decreases heat and cooling losses. The removable roof structure of the present invention may be easily installed atop the trailer home when the home is already located at a chosen site, such as in a trailer park. Then even though the added roof structure itself incorporates interlocked sheet metal panels, because the added roof structure may be installed at the then "permanent" site of the trailer home, it need not be subject to the leak-causing stresses which would tend to occur were it pre-assembled at a factory and transported in assembled form along a highway.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the damaging leakage of moisture at the roof seams and wall-to-roof joints is prevented, thereby eliminating the problem of rot. Even if the added roof structure should itself begin to leak, which could occur after extremely long usage, the air between the existing or original trailer roof and the added roof structure acts as a miniature attic space, which, importantly, is ventilated, so that moisture will be expelled therefrom.

A further advantage of the present invention is that installation of the added roof structure atop an existing trailer home is aesthetically pleasing, giving the trailer home more of the appearance of an ordinary permanent dwelling. As well as protecting the roof per se of the existing trailer, the removable roof structure of the present invention provides a substantial overhang, shading windows from the sun and further decreasing cooling losses, and protecting windows from rain and sleet, thereby decreasing heat loss and leakage around window joints.

An extremely important feature of the present invention is that installation of the added roof structure requires no alteration of the basic original structure of the trailer, and the provision of a removable roof structure of that type is an important object of the present invention. Since owners of mobile homes often live a transient type of life, by design or otherwise, it is vitally important that the added roof structure be removable. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, because the added roof structure is readily removable, it may be provided with sufficient size to provide substantial overhang, even though a usual trailer having that amount of overhang might not be legally transportable along a highway, or too large to negotiate various tunnels, underpasses, etc. In accordance with further principles of the invention, even though the added roof structure must be strong, and fixedly and securely attachable to the existing trailer so as to withstand strong wind and snow loads, removal of the roof structure does not leave any substantial amount of repair work to restore the trailer to substantially its original condition, and another important object of the invention is to provide a removable roof superstructure mounting arrangement of that type. In accordance with the invention, a pair of extruded strips are permanently mounted to extend horizontally along the sides of the trailer, so that the strips support substantially the entire weight of the added roof structure, so that the strips support substantially the entire weight of the added roof structure, and when the balance of the added roof structure is removed, the strips remain along the sides of the trailer to function as decorative and protective strips, making it unnecessary to plug or otherwise repair numerous screw holes.

Because cost is an important factor in the marketing of most products to mobile home owners, it is important that the added roof structure be easy and economical to fabricate, and the present invention readily meets that objective of the use of available materials which may be easily fabricated, and installed by unskilled personnel, with no special tools or machinery being required. The parts required to provide the added roof may be readily cut to size either at the trailer site or a remote site, knowing only a few dimensions of the trailer upon which the roof structure is to be installed.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section end elevation view illustrating the basic structure of an exemplary form of the invention mounted atop a conventional mobile home, with various parts omitted for sake of clarity.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken at lines 3--3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view taken at lines 4--4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an end view of a sheet-metal roof panel which may be used with the invention.

FIG. 7 is a view taken at lines 7--7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a view taken at lines 9--9 in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of portions of the added roof structure.

FIG. 13 is a view taken at lines 13, 13 in FIG. 12.

Referring now to the cross-section endwise elevation view of FIG. 1, portions of a conventional prior art mobile home are shown as including conventional vertical studding, such as wood studs 21, 21 spaced at intervals (typically 16 inches) along both sides of the structure, with outside sheet metal side panels 22, 22 affixed to the studs by means of screws (not shown). Some mobile homes use little or no vertical studding, but rather horizontally-extending longitudinal stringers, including ones such as those shown in phantom at 21a, 21a near the roof line. A conventional metal roof 23 comprises a domed sheet which extends entirely across the trailer, with ends 23a, 23a bent downwardly at the lateral extremities of the sheet. In practice single metal sheets are not available in large enough sizes to fabricate trailer roofs from a single sheet, so that a plurality of longitudinally spaced sheets are used, with the laterally-extending adjacent edges of the sheets interlocking. The difficulties of interlocking the edges of adjacent metal sheets so as to provide seams which remain watertight after substantial use and/or movement of the trailer are believed to be a principal cause of the failure of many trailer roofs. The inside of the trailer may be finished in a variety of ways, such as by nailing wood paneling to the studs, but since the inside construction of the trailer forms no part of the present invention inside constructional details are not shown in FIG. 1. The portions of FIG. 1 not yet mentioned all comprise an exemplary form of removable roof structure and now will be described. The entire removable roof structure may be attached to the existing previously-described trailer substantially solely by means of two extrusion strips 30, 31 which extend along the sides of the trailer, and the few changes or alterations which need be made in the existing trailer in order to mount the added roof structure is an important feature of the invention.

A pair of supporting strips 30, 31 are installed along the sides of the trailer just below the roof line, preferably being held by screws. In FIG. 2 strip 30 is shown as comprising an aluminum extrusion having a cross-section readily discernible in FIG. 2, including a pair of lower flanges 30a, 30b. Strip 30 is shown affixed to a wood stud 21 by means of wood screw 32, which passes through a hole in tube 33 and through a hole drilled in existing side sheet 22. Strip 30 can, of course, be screwed to a horizontal stringer 21a in cases where the trailer is provided with such a stringer. Extrusions 30, 31 are thus fastened to the sides of the trailer in a manner which may be deemed permanent in the sense that strips 30, 31 are intended to remain on the sides of the trailer even if the added roof structure is later removed. When the added roof structure is removed strips 30, 31 act as decorative strips, and they tend to convey some water drainage to one end or the other of the trailer, depending upon the trailer slope, helping to keep the trailer windows clear of water draining from the roof. The fact that no basic changes need be made to the structure of an existing trailer to mount the added roof structure, and the fact that no extensive "repair" work need be done if the added roof structure is removed, are important features of the invention. While screw 32 in FIG. 2 is shown passing through only the inner wall of tube 33, a longer screw can, of course, be provided to extend through both walls of tube 33.

As seen in FIG. 2, the lower edge of tube 33 rests atop flange 30a and hence screw 32 holds tube 33 which extends vertically above the level of the existing trailer roof sheet 23. A plurality of pieces of tubing 33 which form vertical support posts are spaced along both sides of the trailer and screwed to respective studs or horizontal stringers in similar fashion, several such pieces being shown in FIG. 3. Each piece of tubing 33 preferably comprises a hollow, rectangular piece of aluminum tubing, with outside dimenions of approximately 1.5 .times. 1.5 inch, for example. The pieces of tubing 33 are spaced along the sides of the trailer in pairs, i.e., so that each piece of tubing on one side of the trailer lies laterally opposite a similar piece of tubing on the opposite side of the trailer. In a typical application pairs of tubes 33 will be spaced at 3 or 4 foot intervals along the length of the trailer. Even though each piece of tubing is bolted to a given stud, the fact that the lower ends of these tubes rest on the upper flanges of strips 30 and 31 serves to distribute the load among the many studs spaced along the length of the trailer, since strips 30 and 31 are screwed to many studs in addition to those to which support posts 33, 33 are screwed.

As best seen in FIG. 1, a pair of roof-supporting aluminum extrusions 37, 38 extend horizontally and longitudinally along the sides of the trailer, each being attached to the tops of the row of tubes 33 spaced along one side of trailer in a manner made clear by reference to FIGS. 2 and 4. A piece of aluminum extrusion 40 is shown as including a pair of legs 40a, 40b which extend into the top of hollow tube 33 and a widened base portion 40c which seats atop the upper end of tube 33, with the base portion including a pair of turned-in flanges 40d, 40e. Means shown as comprising bolt 41 and nut 42 affix piece 40 to tube 33. Roof-supporting aluminum extrusion 37 is shown as comprising a generally channel-shaped section having one leg 37a longer than the other leg 37b so that web portion 37c extends at a slope preferably approximating the desired pitch of the roof structure to be added. Extrusion 37 also includes a pair of flange portions 37d, 37e at the extremities of its leg portions and an inner flange of the nature shown at 37f. If extrusion 37 is procured and used in lengths (e.g. 10 feet) less than the overall length of the added roof structure, several pieces of such extrusion may be placed end to end, to be coupled by channel pieces 42 to be described. In FIG. 4 two ends of adjacent pieces of extrusion 37 are shown at 37' and 37". In practice the joints between abutting pieces of extrusion 37 (and abutting pieces of similar extrusion 38) are substantially displaced longitudinally from the location of any post 33, and the joint is shown near post 33 in FIG. 4 solely for sake of drafting convenience. With a plurality of pieces 40 affixed to the tops of the tubes 33 spaced along one side of the trailer, and with the flanges 37d, 37e of end-to-end pieces of extrusion 37 situated beneath and captured by the flanges 40d, 40e of each piece 40, short lengths (e.g. 6 inches) of aluminum channel 42 then may be slid horizontally into extrusion 37 to couple adjacent ends of the pieces of extrusion 37, with the ends of pieces of extrusion 37 screwed to pieces of channel 42 as shown by screw 36. The insertion of pieces of channel 42 into the pieces of extrusion 37 also serves to lock flanges 37d, 37e beneath the in-turned flanges 40d, 40e of each piece 40. In order to prevent longitudinal movement of extrusions 37 within the track formed by flanges 40d, 40e of the mounting pieces 40, screws or pins are provided to extend through mating holes in flanges 40d, 37d and base 40c as shown at 43, 43 in FIGS. 2 and 4. One may note that when the added roof structure of the invention is to be removed, much of it may be removed by merely removing screws or pins 43 and then sliding extrusions 37, 38 longitudinally.

In order to further stiffen the added roof assembly, a plurality of lateral bracket means 45a, 45b, etc., spaced at different longitudinal positions along the trailer extend laterally across the top of the trailer, each lateral bracket means connected to extrusion 37 on one side of the trailer, and to extrusion 38 on the other side of the trailer, in a manner which may be seen generally in FIG. 1 and with more detail in FIG. 5. The lateral bracket means may be longitudinally registered with support posts 33, but in no sense need to be, and they may be staggered longitudinally relative to the support posts. Further, it is not necessary that the numbers of lateral brackets equal the number of pairs of support posts. Lateral bracket 45a is shown as comprising a pair of telescoping tubular aluminum sections 46, 47 fastened together by means shown as comprising bolt 48 and nut 49. A short piece of channel section 50 is fitted into the end of tube 46 and held in place by bolt 51 and a nut, which bolt 51 passing through holes drilled in tube 46, the legs of channel piece 50, and one flange of brace 39, which is formed of aluminum angle. Bolt 53 passes through a hole in the web portion of channel piece 50, a hole in leg portion 37a of extrusion 37, through a short length of hollow round aluminum tubing 52 which acts as a spacer between flanges 37a, 37b, and through a hole in flange 37b, and with nut 54 bolt 53 will be seen to hold tube 46 of lateral bracket means 45a rigidly to extrusion 37. The outer end of tube 47 is shown attached to extrusion 38 in similar manner.

To provide further rigidity and roof support, lengths of aluminum angle 39 slope upwardly from each extrusion 37 lateral bracket 46 tie point or joint to a respective vertical post 56. As will be seen below, angles 39 serve to support roof panels, as well as stiffening the structure. In FIG. 8 the vertical flange of angle 39 is shown cutaway to clear the lower flange 70d of an extrusion 70 and shown bolted to vertical post 56 by bolts 57, 57. If desired, angle 39 may be rotated from the position shown so that its horizontal sloping flange lies against the bottom of a roof panel 60, and the roof panel 60 can be screwed to angle 39. In many applications, however, angles 39 need not furnish support for the roof panels 60, and the inner end of angle 39 can be bolted to post 56 at a slightly lower location than that shown in FIG. 8, thereby avoiding any need to notch that end of angle 39 to clear the lower flanges of extrusion strip 70. A plurality of vertical tube pieces 56 extend upwardly from respective ones of the lateral bracket means (e.g. 46) to carry a pair of ridge pole extrusions 70, 71. In FIG. 10 a rectangular tube 56 is shown seated atop and bolted to section 46 of lateral stiffener 45a by means shown as comprising a generally triangular gusset plate 57 and bolts 58, 58 held by nuts (not shown). Ridgepole extrusions 70, 71, the cross-section of which are evident from FIG. 10, are bolted to riser tube 56 by bolt 73 and nut 74, and similarly bolted to further similar risers which extend upwardly from similar lateral bracket assemblies 45 spaced apart along the length of the trailer.

The outer roof of the novel added roof structure preferably comprises a plurality of aluminum or other sheet metal or fiberglass panels which interlock in a manner to be described. One such panel 60 is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 as comprising a sheet having a rolled edge portion 60a along one of its sides, a folded edge as shown at 60e along the opposite side, and two generally channel-shaped stiffener ridges formed along the two remaining sides. One stiffener ridge 60b preferably has slightly different dimensions than the other stiffener ridge 60c. For example, the inside dimension b of ridge 60b preferably approximates the outside dimension c of ridge 60c, thereby allowing the smaller ridge of one such panel to snugly fit inside the larger ridge of an adjacent panel, thereby providing an overlapping of the edges of adjacent panels in a watertight manner. The ridges are also preferably slightly trapezoidal in cross-section, e.g. dimension b is slightly less than dimension d in FIG. 6.

Panels of the nature shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are mounted to form the added trailer roof in a manner shown in FIGS. 1, 8 and 9. The rolled edge 60a of each roof panel slidingly fits in the arcuate track formed by the curved lower flanges e.g. 70c, 70d, of one of the ridgepole extrusions 70 or 71. The stiffener ridges of the roof panels then slope laterally toward one side or the other of the trailer. In FIG. 9 the larger stiffener ridge 60b of one roof panel 60 is shown covering the smaller stiffener ridge 60c of an adjacent roof panel. At one or more places where each roof panel crosses one or the other of the roof supporting extrusions 37 and 38, the panel is screwed to the sloping web portion (37c or 38c) of the roof support extrusion, by means shown in FIG. 8 as comprising a sheet-metal screw 63, a flat washer 64, and a rubber grommet 65.

In order to more effectively cover the area adjacent the ridgepole extrusions where stiffener ridges of adjacent roof panels overlap, a notched strip 68 bent to the cross-section shape shown in FIG. 8 is mounted as shown, with its upper flange 68a captured between upper flanges 70a, 70b of ridgepole extrusion 70 and its mid portions screwed to a superimposed pair of stiffener ridges by means shown as screw 72 in FIG. 8. Strip 68 is provided with notched portions of the nature shown at 68c in FIG. 9, adjacent each overlapping pair of roof panel stiffener ridges. Preferably covering the entire ridgepole area of the roof structure along the entire length of the trailer is a ventilating ridge cap-like extrusion of formed metal 75 having a shape made evident in FIG. 8, with the lower flanges of the cap 75 screwed to roof panel stiffener ridges as shown at 76. A plurality of holes 77, 77 in a vertical side portion of the cap admit ventilation.

As is evident in FIG. 8, the roof panels 60 slope outwardly beyond the side extrusions 37, 38, and as is shown in FIG. 11, the outer flange 60e of each roof panel 60 surrounds flange 80b of an eavestrough formed by an eavestrough extrusion 80, panel 60 being shown attached to extrusion 80 by means of screw 81 in FIG. 11. Spaced at desired longitudinal intervals along each side of the trailer are a plurality of horizontal laterally-extending sections of rectangular tubing, one of which is shown at 82 in FIG. 11, and which sections of tubing comprise soffit brackets. Brackets 82 will be seen together with the roof panels, to hold the eavestrough extrusions erect. The outer end of bracket 82 rests on lower flange 80a of extrusion 80, and is securely fastened to extrusion 80 by bolt 83, which bolts to a short length of channel 84 fitted inside tube 82 and bolted to tube 82 by means of bolt 85. The inner end of soffit bracket 82 is shown affixed to side extrusion 30 by means of a clip 86, a short length of aluminum extrusion having a cross-section evident from FIG. 11. The lower side of tube 82 fits between the two leftwardly extending legs 86a, 86b of clip 86 and is affixed thereto by screw 87. The right-side edges of clip 86 form a rounded loop 86c which slidingly fits between the flanges 30a, 30b of extrusion 30. After the soffit brackets 82 have been mounted, a perforated soffit material shown as comprising aluminum sheet 89 is mounted to extend along the area between the bracket 82 and screwed thereto as by means of screws 90, 90.

The preferred manner in which the ends of the added roof structure are finished will become evident from a consideration of FIGS. 12 and 13. A pair of vertical standards or posts 33 project upwardly from the extrusions 30, 31 near each end of the trailer, and thus a centerpost 56 extends upwardly from the transverse horizontal member 45 interconnecting the posts 33. A length of hollow rectangular tubing 93 is bolted to post 56 and 94, to cross-member 46 at 95, and to the end post 33 at 96, and slopes downwardly and outwardly to near eavestrough 80. Tube 93 is preferably mounted as far upwardly as possible on tubes 33 and 56, so as to lie on a short distance below the end of roof panel 60. Another piece of similar tubing 97 is mounted to slope in similar fashion in the opposite direction from post 56. A further piece of hollow rectangular tubing 98 is fastened to the end wall of the trailer, as by means of lag screws (not shown). The end posts 33 are located longitudinally as shown in FIG. 12 so that the outer faces (e.g. 93a) of tubes 93 and 97 are longitudinally aligned with the outer face 98a of tube 98. The outer faces of tubes 93, 97 and 98 thus define a plane in which sheets of aluminum siding may be mounted to cover the end of the roof structure. In FIG. 13 one section of aluminum siding 99 is shown screwed to members 93 and 98. The vertical edges of the strips of siding 99 are preferably folded so that edges of adjacent sheets interlock. As well as serving as support brackets for strips of siding 99, tubes 93 and 97 add rigidity to the endmost truss structures, making it unnecessary that braces of the type shown at 39 in FIGS. 5 and 8 be used adjacent the endmost posts 33. While tube 98 has been indicated as being fastened to the end wall of the trailer by screws, so that screw holes will remain when the added roof structure and tube 98 is removed, the screws used to fasten tube 98 to the trailer end wall need only be small screws, since tube 98 need not bear any appreciable portion of the weight of the added roof structure, and when tube 98 is removed, small screws may be inserted in the remaining holes to plug them.

It will be apparent in FIG. 1 that one or more layers of any one of a number of common forms of insulating material (now shown) such as glasswool mats or various forms of blown plastic insulation may be laid atop existing roof 23. Also, by merely removing one or several end panels (of the type shown at 99 in FIG. 13), it will be apparent that the insulation may be changed or added. Downspouts (not shown) are connected to eavestroughs 80, 80 in conventional fashion.

In some applications of the invention, such as installations expected to incur very heavy wind loads, side strips 30, 31 may be eliminated, and some or all of posts 33 greatly elongated so that they extend down to be anchored in the ground, and are bolted to vertical studs at several points along their lengths. Then, of course, all of the weight of the added roof structure will be transmitted by the posts 33 directly to the ground, and the posts 33 may be affixed to the vertical studs using very small screws.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.