Roof Safety Anchor

Abstract

A dual-purpose roof safety anchor includes an elongated base plate and a flange connected to the mid-section of the base plate and extending outwardly therefrom. A hole in the flange can be engaged by a workman's safety line. A series of fastening holes are formed in the base plate, including at least three such holes on each side of the flange, and aligned with the central longitudinal axis of the base plate; these three holes can be used to fasten the base plate to a wooden rafter of a wooden roof structure. At least two additional holes are formed on each side of the flange on opposing sides of the central longitudinal axis of the base plate. These two additional holes, along with at least one of the centrally-aligned holes, can be used to fasten the base plate to a support purlin of a metal roof structure.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A roof safety anchor comprising in combination:
 a) an elongated base plate, said base plate being substantially planar, said base plate having a central longitudinal axis extending between first and second opposing ends of said base plate;   b) a flange connected to said base plate substantially midway between the first and second ends of said base plate, said flange extending substantially perpendicular to said base plate and bisecting said base plate into a first half and a second half;   c) said flange having a hole formed therein for being engaged by a workman's safety line;   d) the first half of said base plate including first, second and third fastening holes formed therein, the first, second and third fastening holes each being substantially aligned with the central longitudinal axis of said base plate, the first fastening hole lying closer to the first end of the base plate than the second and third fastening holes, the third fastening hole lying closer to said flange than the first and second fastening holes, and the second fastening hole lying between the first and third fastening holes;   e) the first half of said base plate including fourth and fifth fastening holes formed therein, the fourth and fifth fastening holes lying on opposing sides of the central longitudinal axis of said base plate, the fourth and fifth fastening holes lying no closer to the first end of said base plate than the first fastening hole, and the fourth and fifth fastening holes lying no closer to the flange than the third fastening hole;   f) the second half of said base plate including sixth, seventh and eighth fastening holes formed therein, the sixth, seventh and eighth fastening holes each being substantially aligned with the central longitudinal axis of said base plate, the sixth fastening hole lying closer to the second end of the base plate than the seventh and eighth fastening holes, the eighth fastening hole lying closer to said flange than the sixth and seventh fastening holes, and the seventh fastening hole lying between the sixth and eighth fastening holes;   g) the second half of said base plate including ninth and tenth fastening holes formed therein, the ninth and tenth fastening holes lying on opposing sides of the central longitudinal axis of said base plate, the ninth and tenth fastening holes lying no closer to the second end of said base plate than the sixth fastening hole, and the ninth and tenth fastening holes lying no closer to the flange than the eighth fastening hole.   
     
     
         2 . The roof safety anchor recited by  claim 1  wherein:
 a) the second, fourth and fifth fastening holes are substantially aligned with each other along a first lateral axis that extends substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said base plate; and 
 a) the seventh, ninth and tenth fastening holes are substantially aligned with each other along a second lateral axis that extends substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said base plate. 
 
     
     
         3 . The roof safety anchor recited by  claim 1  installed on a metal roof structure, the metal roof structure including corrugated metal roof panels sloping upwardly toward a ridge of the metal roof structure, and further including a support purlin extending below the metal roof panels generally parallel to the ridge of the metal roof structure, further comprising:
 a) a first screw extending through the fourth fastening hole, through a selected one of said metal roof panels, and into the support purlin; 
 b) a second screw extending through the fifth fastening hole, through the selected metal roof panel, and into the support purlin; 
 c) a third screw extending through one of said first and third fastening holes, through the selected metal roof panel, and into the support purlin; 
 d) a fourth screw extending through the ninth fastening hole, through the selected metal roof panel, and into the support purlin; 
 e) a fifth screw extending through the tenth fastening hole, through the selected metal roof panel, and into the support purlin; and 
 f) a sixth screw extending through one of said sixth and eighth fastening holes, through the selected metal roof panel, and into the support purlin. 
 
     
     
         4 . The roof safety anchor recited by  claim 1  installed on a wooden roof structure, the wooden roof structure including wooden sheathing panels sloping upwardly toward a ridge of the wooden roof structure, and further including sloped wooden rafters extending below the wooden sheathing panels generally perpendicular to the ridge of the wooden roof structure, further comprising:
 a) a first screw extending through the first fastening hole, through a selected one of said wooden sheathing panels, and into a selected one of the wooden rafters; 
 b) a second screw extending through the second fastening hole, through the selected wooden sheathing panel, and into the selected wooden rafter; 
 c) a third screw extending through the third fastening hole, through the selected wooden sheathing panel, and into the selected wooden rafter; 
 d) a fourth screw extending through the sixth fastening hole, through the selected wooden sheathing panel, and into the selected wooden rafter; 
 e) a fifth screw extending through the seventh fastening hole, through the selected wooden sheathing panel, and into the selected wooden rafter; and 
 f) a sixth screw extending through the eighth fastening hole, through the selected wooden sheathing panel, and into the selected wooden rafter.