Abstract:
A mounting bracket attaches implements and other devices to the top surface of an inclined raised seam roof structure. The mounting bracket is formed with a body portion defining a wide cavity between opposing side walls to accommodate a variety of different sizes and shapes of raised seam configurations. A pair of opposing clamping jaws are disposed within the body cavity. One clamping jaw is fixed to a side of the body member, while the other clamping jaw is movably mounted to a threaded fastener that advances the movable clamping jaw toward the fixed clamping jaw and grip a raised seam structure therebetween. The body portion has a wedge-shaped receptacle on the top surface to mount devices such as a snow guard, which can be locked into place on the mounting bracket by a threaded fastener.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a snow guard for mounting on a raised seam roof and, more particularly, to a mounting bracket that engages the raised seam portion of a roof structure to support a snow guard thereon. 
     Raised seam roofs are formed with panels manufactured from sheet metal or other suitable building materials with a flat panel that runs from the peak of the roof to the lower edge thereof. These panels are joined together by a formed edges that projects upwardly above the flat surface of the panel. The formed edges of adjacent panels are interlocked to fix the panels together in a sealed seam that is raised above the otherwise planar surface of the panels. Clips can be connected to the raised seams to tie into the frame structure of the building immediately beneath the seams, thereby fixing the roofing material which the panels form to the building. The sealed seams and the lower planar surfaces of the panels provide a watertight barrier against moisture provided that the panels, including the raised seams, are not punctured. Attaching devices to a raised seam roof without puncturing the panels or the sealed raised seams is a problem that has been appreciated for many years. 
     Raised seam roofs with the planar surfaces running from the roof peak to the roof edge do not retain snow on the roof surface as any accumulated snow tends to slide downwardly along the planar surfaces, particularly after the snow has partially melted to form a moisture layer between the roof panels and the accumulated snow. One of the most frequently needed devices to be attached to raised seam roofs is a snow guard which is operable to restrict the movement of accumulated snow off the roof panels. Other devices are often needed to be mounted on the roof, such as lightening rods, antennas, or support structures for both people and other apparatus such as air conditioners, etc. A device that can engage the raised seam roof to permit such devices to be mounted thereon without causing the roof or the raised seam thereof to be perforated has been contemplated for many years. 
     One of the early mechanisms for mounting devices on raised seam roofs can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,330,309, issued to R. T. Dixon on Feb. 10, 1920. The Dixon mechanism includes an elongated channel member having a cavity formed therein to receive the raised seam portion of the roof panel structure. A mounting bolt is received within a transverse threaded bore to engage the raised seam portion within the cavity of the channel member to deform the raised seam into a formed pocket, thereby affixing the channel member to the raised seam portion of the roof. A board rest member is formed as part of the channel member to permit the detachable mounting of devices, such as a snow guard, to the channel member. 
     A number of patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,248; U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,772; U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,931; U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,588; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,033 were issued to Robert M. M. Haddock for a mounting member that, like the Dixon patent, is affixed to the raised seam portion of a roof structure without puncturing the surface of the roof panels by a fastener that engages and deforms the raised seam portion. The Haddock mounting members typically require two fasteners for stability and are formed with cavities extending through the body of the mounting member to attach devices, such as a snow fence or decorative attachments, to the mounting member. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,340; U.S. Pat. No. D364,338; U.S. Pat. No. D372,421; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,185 were issued to Roger M. Cline, et al. for various configurations of snow guards which are formed to be mounted on the raised seam portion of a roof structure. Like the Dixon and Haddock patents, the mounting of the snow guard involves the utilization of a fastener that is threaded into a body portion of the snow guard to engage and deform the raised seam portion of the roof structure to affix the snow guard to the roof. The snow guard structure includes a transversely extending body manufactured in a formed shape to present an esthetically pleasing device to be exposed on the surface of the roof. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 884,850, issued on Apr. 14, 1908, to F. A. Peter, is directed to a snow guard having a body member that straddles a raised seam portion of a roof to mount the snow guard without piercing the surface of the roof or the seam structure. The body member is formed in two opposing halves and is clamped onto the raised seam by a bolt that passes above the seam to interengage the opposing sides of the body member and effect a clamping action on the seam structure. While the Peter mechanism does not cause a deformation of the raised seam structure of the roof, the clamping action is indirect and does not provide a substantial affixation of the snow guard to the roof structure. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a mounting bracket and associated snow guard therefor that would effectively mount on a raised seam roof structure without causing a deformation of the raised seam portion of the roof. 
     Furthermore, the raised seam portion of such roofs are formed with different shapes and sizes, which is not contemplated by most of the aforementioned prior art snow guard mounting members. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for mounting devices to a raised seam roof that would be at least somewhat universal in application to accommodate different sizes and shapes of the raised seam portions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a bracket for mounting a snow guard on a raised seam roof. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a mounting bracket for attaching devices to a raised seam roof structure without deforming the raised seam structure. 
     It is a feature of this invention that the mounting bracket clamps onto the raised seam portion of a roof structure without deforming or penetrating the structure of the roof. 
     It is an advantage of this invention that the clamping action of the mounting bracket incorporating the principles of the instant invention is effected through manipulation of a single bolt. 
     It is another advantage of this invention that the mounting bracket utilizes a pair of opposing clamping jaws to grip the raised seam portion of a roof structure. 
     It is another feature of this invention that one of the clamping jaws of the mounting bracket is fixed to a body member. 
     It is still another feature of this invention that a second clamping jaw is movable in conjunction with a threaded bolt to advance toward the fixed clamping jaw to grip a raised seam structure between the two opposing clamping jaws. 
     It is still another advantage of this invention that the clamping jaws are removable from the body member of the mounting bracket to provide flexibility in accommodating different sizes and shapes of raised seam structures. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide a mounting bracket that has a universal nature in accommodating a variety of sizes and shapes of raised seam roof structures. 
     It is yet another feature of this invention that the body member defines a large cavity within which the clamping jaws operate to provide a wide opening for receiving the raised seam structure. 
     It is yet another object of this invention that the mounting bracket incorporates a quick attach implement mounting system for receiving devices to be mounted on a raised seam roof. 
     It is further feature of this invention that the implement mounting system is formed with a wedge-shaped opening and a fastener that locks an implement to the top of the mounting bracket. 
     It is a still another advantage of this invention that the implement or device to be mounted on top of the mounting bracket can be quickly and easily replaced. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a snow guard device that can be attached to a mounting bracket to retain snow on the surface of an inclined raised roof structure. 
     It is still a further object of this invention to provide a mounting bracket for mounting devices to the surface of a raised seam roof structure, which is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a mounting bracket for attaching implements and other devices to the top surface of an inclined raised seam roof structure. The mounting bracket is formed with a body portion defining a wide cavity between opposing side walls to accommodate a variety of different sizes and shapes of raised seam configurations. A pair of opposing clamping jaws are disposed within the body cavity. One clamping jaw is fixed to a side of the body member, while the other clamping jaw is movably mounted to a threaded fastener that advances the movable clamping jaw toward the fixed clamping jaw and grip a raised seam structure therebetween. The body portion has a wedge-shaped receptacle on the top surface to mount devices such as a snow guard, which can be locked into place on the mounting bracket by a threaded fastener. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of a mounting bracket incorporating the principles of the instant invention, the movement of the movable clamping jaw and associated fastener being shown in dotted lines; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the mounting bracket depicted in  FIG. 1  showing the wedge-shaped implement mounting receptacle; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged detail view of the actuating fastener associated with the movable clamping jaw, as depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4A  is an enlarged detail view of an alternative fastener assembly associated with the movable clamping jaw; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a body member of a mounting bracket incorporating the principles of the instant invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket body member depicted in  FIG. 5  taken perpendicularly to the view of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the mounting bracket body member depicted in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged side elevational view of the fixed clamping jaw for the mounting bracket body member depicted in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8A  is an enlarged side elevational view of the fixed clamping jaw corresponding to lines  8 A— 8 A of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged side elevational view of the movable clamping jaw for the mounting bracket body member depicted in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged side elevational view of the movable clamping jaw corresponding to lines  10 — 10  of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an elevational view of the snow guard attachment for mounting in the mounting receptacle of the mounting bracket; 
         FIG. 12  is a bottom plan view of the snow guard attachment of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of the snow guard attachment orthogonal to the view of  FIG. 11  and corresponding to lines  13 — 13  of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a rear elevational view of the snow guard attachment looking perpendicularly to the body portion of the attachment, corresponding to lines  14 — 14  of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15  is an elevational view of the alternative embodiment of the mounting bracket assembly with the snow guard attachment mounted thereon, the fastener assembly of  FIG. 4A  being used to mount and adjustably move the movable clamping jaw; 
         FIG. 16  is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket assembly perpendicular to the view of  FIG. 15  and corresponding to lines  16 — 16  of  FIG. 15 ; and 
         FIG. 17  is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket assembly opposite to that of  FIG. 16  and corresponding to lines  17 — 17  of  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1–3 , a first embodiment of a mounting bracket incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1–3 , the mounting bracket  10  has an inverted U-shaped body member  111  that defines a cavity  13  between the two opposing side walls  14   a ,  14   b . The width and height of the cavity  13  is sufficient to receive substantially all sizes and configurations of raised seam portions of roofs. Supported on the adjacent side walls  14  are clamping jaws  15 ,  20  that physically engage the raised seam portion (not shown) of the roof to affix the mounting bracket  10  to the roof structure. 
     The fixed clamping jaw  15  is preferably formed with a serrated gripping surface  16  and is supported in the side wall  14  by a pin member  17  that extends into a hole  39  formed in the side wall  14   a . In addition, the side wall  14   a  may be formed with a serrated portion  18  that interacts with corresponding serrations on the adjacent side of the fixed clamping jaw  15  to further support the fixed clamping jaw  15  on the body member  11  and restrict generally vertical movement of the fixed clamping jaw  15  relative to the side wall  14   a , particularly when mounted on a raised roof seam (not shown). One skilled in the art will recognize that the fixed clamping jaw  15  can be sized, particularly with respect to the depth to which the fixed clamping jaw  15  extends into the cavity  13  from the side wall  14   a , to conform to the specific shape and size of the raised roof seam (not shown) that will be engaged by the fixed clamping jaw  15 . Furthermore, the shape of the fixed clamping jaw  15  can be varied to conform to the shape of the raised roof seam to be engaged. The fixed clamping jaw  15  is also preferably formed with a support leg  19  that underlies the side wall  14   a  to further stabilize the position of the fixed clamping jaw  15  on the side wall  14   a.    
     On the opposing side wall  14   b , a movable clamping jaw  20  is mounted. Similar to the fixed clamping jaw  15 , the movable clamping jaw  20  is preferably formed with a serrated gripping surface  22  for engagement with the raised roof seam (not shown) to which the mounting bracket  10  is to be affixed. Further like the fixed clamping jaw  15 , the movable clamping jaw  20  can be formed in an appropriate size and shape to conform to the configuration of the raised roof seam to be engaged. The movable clamping jaw  20  is also formed with a support leg  24  underlying the side wall  14   b  to provide stabilizing support for the movable clamping jaw  20 . The movable clamping jaw  20  is operatively engaged with a threaded fastener  25 , best seen in  FIG. 4 , or alternatively in  FIG. 4A , to effect movement relative to the side wall  14   b  toward or away from the fixed clamping jaw  15 . The fastener  25  is threaded into a hole  21  formed in the side wall  14   b  to permit translational movement of the fastener  25  within the side wall  14   b.    
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the fastener  25  is formed with a smooth surfaced pin portion  27  that projects into an opening  23  in the movable clamping jaw  20 . The pin portion  27  has a smaller diameter than the threaded portion  28  of the fastener  25 , thus forming a shoulder  29  against which the movable clamping jaw  20  can be engaged by the fastener  25 . Therefore, the manipulation of the hex head  26  of the fastener  25  to effect rotation thereof within the threaded opening within the side wall  14   b  will cause translational movement of the fastener  25  through the side wall  14   b  to force the shoulder  29  against the movable clamping jaw  20 . This movement will push the movable clamping jaw  20  toward the fixed clamping jaw  15  to trap a raised roof seam (not shown) therebetween, as is depicted in phantom in  FIG. 1 . 
     The top surface  12  of the U-shaped body member  11  is formed with an attachment receptacle  30  for mounting implements and/or attachments to the mounting bracket  10 . The attachment receptacle  30  is formed as a relief depression  31  into the top surface  12 . The depression  31  preferably extends across the entire top surface  12  from side wall  14   a  to side wall  14   b  and has a first generally vertical edge  32  and an inwardly beveled wedging edge  33  opposite to the vertical edge  32 . The depression  31  is operable to receive an attachment formed with a correspondingly matched base member, as will be described in greater detail below. An aperture  34  extending vertically through the top surface  12  of the body member  11  will permit a locking fastener  50  to engage the attachment seated within the depression  31  to lock the attachment to the mounting bracket  10 , as will also be described in greater detail below. 
     An alternative configuration of the mounting bracket  10  is depicted in  FIGS. 5–10 . Compared to the configuration described above with respect to  FIGS. 1–3 , the body member  11  has a slightly different shape. As seen in  FIG. 5 , the side wall  14   a  corresponding to the fixed clamping jaw  15  is formed with a notch  35  on the interior surface thereof to engage a correspondingly shaped node  37  on the fixed clamping jaw  15 , which is depicted in  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  8 A. The interengagement between the node  37  and the notch  35  restricts vertical movement of the fixed clamping jaw  15  relative to the side wall  14   a  to provide stability to the assembled mounting bracket  10 . The opening  39  in the side wall  14   a  is preferably aligned with a threaded opening  38  in the fixed clamping jaw  15  so that a set screw (not shown) can engage the fixed clamping jaw  15  for affixation to the body member  11 . A receptor  37   a  is formed on the node  37  to engage the threaded opening  38  and receive the set screw (not shown). 
     The dimensions of the body member  11 , i.e. the thicknesses of the top surface  12  and the side walls  14   a ,  14   b , are greater than in the configuration depicted in  FIGS. 1–3  to provide greater strength in mounting attachments to the receptacle  30  on the top surface  12  and to resist deformation of the body member  11  when placing a clamping load on the clamping jaws  15 ,  20  to affix the mounting bracket  10  to a raised roof seam (not shown). The aperture  34  can be formed with a countersink relief  34   a  defining a shoulder against which the fastener  50  can lock the attachment to the receptacle  30 . The relief  34   a  can be shaped and sized deep enough to countersink the head of the locking fastener  50  within the body member  11  so that the head would not protrude into the cavity  13  formed by the body member  11  and interfere with the reception of the raised roof seam. 
     Both the fixed and movable clamping jaws  15 ,  20  depicted in  FIGS. 7–10  reflect the differences in shape and/or size of the clamping jaws  15 ,  20  that can be provided to accommodate different raised seam configurations. The upper portion of the structure of both the fixed and movable clamping jaws  15 ,  20  have been eliminated with a arcuate surface that will deflect moisture downwardly to the surface of the roof. The elimination of this part of the clamping jaws  15 ,  20 , as compared with the shape of the clamping jaws  15 ,  20  depicted in  FIG. 1 , permits an even greater range of raised seam configurations to be accommodated within the cavity  13 . Still other sizes and shapes of the clamping jaws  15 ,  20  are within the scope of the instant invention. 
     The movable clamping jaw  20  is best seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The opening  23  passing through the movable clamping jaw  20  is sized to receive a fastener assembly  60 , which is best seen in  FIG. 4A . The opening  23  is not threaded and has a first countersink relief opening  23   a  to receive the head  62  of the fastener  61 , as will be described in greater detail below. The movable jaw  20  is also preferably formed with a receiving shoulder  23   b  that can be depressed into the body of the movable clamping jaw  20  and positioned concentric with the opening  23 . This configuration of the opening  23  conforms with the configuration of the alternative fastener assembly  60  shown in  FIG. 4A . 
     The fastener assembly  60  shown in  FIG. 4A  has a threaded member  65  that engages the threaded hole  21  in the side wall  14   b  and projects into and engages the receiving shoulder  23   b  in the movable clamping jaw  20 . The threaded member has a hex depression  66  to receive an Allen wrench or other similar tool to effect rotation of the threaded portion  65 . The fastener  61  is engagable with a threaded opening  67  in the opposing end of the threaded member from the hex depression  66 . The head  62  of the fastener  61  is received in the countersink relief  23   a  to lock the movable clamping jaw  20  to the threaded member  65 . Since the fastener  61  is not threadably engaged with the movable clamping jaw  20 , the rotation of the fastener assembly  60  to effect a translational movement of the threaded member  65  relative to the side wall  14   b  will not cause a corresponding rotation of the movable clamping jaw  20 , particularly since the support leg  24  is positioned beneath the side wall  14   b.    
     To effect movement of the movable clamping jaw  20 , the tool is inserted into the hex depression  66  to effect rotation of the threaded member  65 . The threaded member  65  pushes against the receiving shoulder  23   b  to move the movable clamping jaw  20  toward the fixed clamping jaw  15  until the raised seam of the roof (not shown) is firmly engaged between the two clamping jaws  15 ,  20 . To release the movable clamping jaw  20  from the raised seam of the roof, the tool is inserted into the hex depression  66  to rotate the threaded member  65  in the opposite direction. Since the head  62  of the fastener  61  clamps the movable clamping jaw  20  onto the threaded member  65  by the engagement with the countersink relief  23   a , the movable clamping jaw  20  will be retracted back toward the side wall  14   b.    
     A representative attachment in the form of a snow guard  40  can be seen in  FIGS. 11–14 . The snow guard  40  is formed in a transversely extending body  42  having a shape that extends laterally of the mounting bracket  10  and projects downwardly to come into close proximity or into engagement with the flat surface (not shown) of the roof panel to either side of the mounting bracket  10  to which the snow guard  40  is to be mounted. In the configuration depicted in  FIGS. 11–17 , the transversely extending body  42  of the snow guard  40  is shaped like a bird whose wings  43  extend downwardly, as will be described in greater detail below. The body  42  is integrally formed with a base member  45  that is configured to be received within the receptacle  30  on the top surface  11  of the mounting bracket  10 . The base member  45  is formed with a first generally perpendicular edge  46  that corresponds to the vertical edge  32  of the receptacle depression  31  on the top surface  12  of the body member  11 , and with a beveled edge  47  that corresponds to the wedging edge  33 . 
     The body  42  is angled preferably at about 60 degrees to the base member  45 , as is best seen in  FIG. 13 , to orient the body  42  in a more perpendicular orientation with respect to the plane of the roof when attached to a mounting bracket  10  affixed to a raised roof seam. If, for example, the roof was pitched at a 30 degree angle, the body  42  would then be literally perpendicular to the plane of the roof to provide resistance to the movement of snow downwardly over the surface of the roof. To resist the bending forces that are exerted on the body  42  of the snow guard  40 , integral braces  48  extend fore-and-aft between the body  42  and the base member  45 . The brace  48  on the uphill side of the snow guard  40  will receive a threaded passage  49  that is alignable with the aperture  34  in the top surface  12  of the body member  11  to permit engagement with the locking fastener  50  that fixes the attachment  40  to the body member  11 . 
     One skilled in the art will readily recognize that many different attachments can be formed with a base member  45  that can be received by the attachment receptacle  30 . Snow guards  40  can be formed in many different shapes and sizes for mounting on the mounting bracket  10 . A snow fence (not shown), which would be equipped with a plurality of base members  45  that would be received with a corresponding number of mounting brackets  10  mounted generally parallel to the peak of the roof structure, would be an alternative example of a snow guard. Other attachments can be antennas, display signs, air conditioning units, ladders and walk ways. All such configured attachments can be quickly and easily attached to the mounting bracket by receiving the base member into the attachment receptacle  30  and connecting the locking fastener  50  to fix the base member  45  to the top surface  12  of the body member  11 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 15–17 , an assembled snow guard  40  on a mounting bracket  10  can best be seen. The mounting bracket  10  is of the configuration depicted in  FIGS. 5–10 , utilizing the fastener assembly  60  of  FIG. 4A , and is mounted on a representative raised seam portion  55  of a roof structure that projects vertically above the flat surface  57  of the roof panels  59 . The snow guard  40  is mounted in the attachment receptacle  30  with the wings  43  extending downwardly to a position just above the flat surface  57 . The transversely extending body  42  of the snow guard  40  presents a barrier to the movement of snow over the flat surface  57  of the roof panel  59 . 
     The snow guard  40  is attached to the mounting bracket  10  by slipping the base member  45  into the depression  31  on the top surface  12  of the body member  11  of the mounting bracket  10  with the beveled edge  47  positioned underneath the wedging edge  33 . The locking fastener  50  is then inserted from within the cavity  13  through the aperture  34  into the threaded passage  49  in the base member  45  of the snow guard  40 , thus fixing the base member  45  to the top surface  12  of the body member  11 . One skilled in the art will readily recognize that a different form of attachment could utilize a locking fastener  50  that is inserted through the attachment from above the mounting bracket  10  and engaged into the aperture  34  which would be threaded to engage the locking fastener  50 . In such a configuration, however, the locking fastener  50  would not be protected from beneath the top surface  12  of the body member  11 . 
     The mounting bracket  10  with the snow guard  40  mounted thereon is then positioned over top of the raised seam portion  55  with the fixed clamping jaw  15  on one side of the raised seam  55  and the movable clamping jaw  20  on the opposing side of the raised seam  55 . The threaded fastener assembly  60 , which is threadably received in the side wall  14   b , is then rotated to push the movable jaw  20  inwardly toward the raised seam  55  until the raised seam  55  is firmly clamped between the two opposing clamping jaws  15 ,  20 , thus fixing the mounting bracket  10  and attachment  40  on the raised seam  55  with the manipulation of only a single fastener assembly  60 . The clamping forces asserted by the movable clamping jaw  20  manipulated through the single fastener assembly  60  are spread across the entire length of the clamping jaws  15 ,  20  to prevent tipping or other movement of the mounting bracket  10  relative to the raised seam  55 . 
     To remove the mounting bracket  10  from the raised seam  55 , or to detach the snow guard  40  of the configuration shown in  FIGS. 15–17 , the fastener assembly  60  is manipulated to withdraw from the side wall  14   b , thus drawing the movable clamping jaw  20  by the fastener  61  away from the raised seam and releasing the clamping forces exerted on the raised seam  55 , until the movable clamping jaw  20  can be disengaged from the raised seam  55 . The mounting bracket  10  can then be removed from the raised seam  55  so that the locking fastener  50  can be accessed. A removal of the locking fastener  50  will permit the snow guard attachment  40  to be released from the attachment receptacle, thus permitting the installation of another attachment or the replacement of the snow guard  40 . 
     It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.