Abstract:
A non-penetrating mount for an antenna having a base having a first side with a first planar surface, a plate having a second planar surface wherein the plate is configured to reside within the base and wherein the plate is configured to lie in a plane that is parallel to the first side of the base wherein the plate is configured to move toward and away from said base, wherein the base and the plate each include two or more of friction elements configured to frictionally engage a rafter without penetrating through said rafter from a first side of said rafter to a second side of said rafter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of mounts. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable a non-penetrating mount for an antenna such as a satellite dish. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Standard mounts for satellite dishes are generally bolted onto rafters, which requires holes to be drilled in the rafters. 
         [0005]    An attempt to improve upon the invasive mounting techniques known is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,683,853 to Michaelis, filed 28 Aug. 2006. This is an example of a non-invasive antenna mount that attaches to a raft without drilling holes through the rafter. This particular mount teaches a “compression member” that includes either a flat surface ( 42 ), a compression liner ( 80 ), a single large protruding compression member ( 152 ) or requires two screws offset vertically into the device ( 64 ) and ( 65 ) to create a “differential stress”, i.e., that increases as the distance from the proximate edge of a rafter increases. The problem with the flat surface ( 42 ) is that a larger force is required to hold the mount against the rafter, since the coefficient of static friction is generally lower for a flat surface. The problem with the compression liner ( 80 ) is that a separate component must be utilized to increase the coefficient of static friction. The problem with a single large protruding element ( 152 ) is that the rafter undergoes highly localized stress and can split or at least require significant filling if the mount is ever removed from the rafter. The problem with two vertically offset screws ( 64 ) and ( 65 ) is the need to machine more holes in the apparatus and supply more parts with the apparatus, in addition to a more difficult installation procedure. Hence, the apparatus is an improvement over drilling through the rafter, but still requires more force to be utilized that is necessary. 
         [0006]    For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a non-penetrating mount for an antenna that requires minimal parts and minimal force to hold the mount on a rafter and which produces minimal damage to the rafter. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    One or more embodiments described in the specification are related to a non-penetrating mount for an antenna. Embodiments of the invention include a plate and base having a plurality of friction elements that may be implemented as coupled (manufactured onto the flat plate and base) or integral friction elements (made from the flat plate and base, using the material of the plate and base themselves) and which may protrude from or into the plate and base. In other words the deviations from the plane that makes up the face surfaces of the plate and base can be concave, convex or any geometric shape that extends out of or into the plate and base, wherein “out of” refers to friction elements that point toward the rafter, and “into” refers to indentations that extend away from the rafter, i.e., into the face of the plate and base. 
         [0008]    The base may include an extender that allows for an arm to be coupled with the base in an extendable manner. The end of the arm may also include a rotation joint to which a J-pipe is coupled. A satellite dish or other antenna is then coupled with the end of the J-pipe. The plate and base, when forced together on opposing sides of a rafter, enable embodiments of the invention to couple with the rafter in a non-intrusive manner and with minimal damage to the rafter, with minimal required parts. The base and plate are also configured so that minimal force must be utilized to hold embodiments of the invention onto a rafter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention. Antenna 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with hidden lines shown. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the base. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6B  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the base. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a front view of a first embodiment of the base. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7B  illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of the base. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates a side view of the base. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9A  illustrates a top view of a first embodiment of the base. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9B  illustrates a top view of a second embodiment of the base. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10A  illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the plate. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10B  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the plate. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11A  illustrates a top view of a first embodiment of the plate. 
           [0025]      FIG. 11B  illustrates a top view of a second embodiment of the plate. 
           [0026]      FIG. 12A  illustrates a front view of a first embodiment of the plate. 
           [0027]      FIG. 12B  illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of the plate. 
           [0028]      FIG. 13A  illustrates a side view of a first embodiment of the plate. 
           [0029]      FIG. 13B  illustrates a side view of a second embodiment of the plate. 
           [0030]      FIG. 14A  illustrates a close-up view of a first embodiment of the friction elements. 
           [0031]      FIG. 14B  illustrates a close-up view of a second embodiment of the friction elements. 
           [0032]      FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the arm. 
           [0033]      FIG. 16  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the arm. 
           [0034]      FIG. 17  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the arm. 
           [0035]      FIG. 18  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the arm. 
           [0036]      FIG. 19  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the J-pipe. 
           [0037]      FIG. 20  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the J-pipe. 
           [0038]      FIG. 21  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the J-pipe. 
           [0039]      FIG. 22  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the J-pipe. 
           [0040]      FIG. 23  shows a picture of an embodiment of the invention mounted on a test rafter. 
           [0041]      FIG. 24  shows a picture of the resulting minimally damaging indentations left on the rafter after an embodiment of the invention is removed from the rafter. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0042]    A non-penetrating mount for an antenna will now be described. In the following exemplary description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to an artisan of ordinary skill that the present invention may be practiced without incorporating all aspects of the specific details described herein. In other instances, specific features, quantities, or measurements well known to those of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. Readers should note that although examples of the invention are set forth herein, the claims, and the full scope of any equivalents, are what define the metes and bounds of the invention. 
         [0043]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention. As shown, non-penetrating mount for an antenna  100  includes base  101 , plate  102 , arm  103 , J-pipe  104  that couples with arm  103  via optional rotation joint  105 , specifically at joint end  108  of J-pipe  104 . An antenna may be mounted on antenna mount end  106 , of J-pipe  104 . J-pipe  104  also includes bend  107 . Optional extender  109  allows for arm  103  to move J-pipe  104  away from or towards base  101 . Base  101  and plate  102  include a plurality of friction elements  110  that may be implemented as coupled friction elements, for example welded on, or integral friction elements, for example molded or forged into or out of the plane which defines the main portion of both base  101  and plate  102 . Base  101  and plate  102 , when forced together on opposing sides of a rafter, (not shown but which fits within the space between base  101  and plate  102 ) enable embodiments of the invention to couple with the rafter in a non-intrusive manner and with less potential damage to the rafter than is possible with known devices. Plate  102  is configured so that minimal force must be utilized to hold embodiments of the invention onto a rafter. For example, by asserting one or more force elements, such as one or more bolts to drive plate  102  towards base  101 , non-penetrating mount for an antenna  100  is thus coupled with a rafter and provides a fixed installation for an antenna or satellite dish without requiring holes to be drilled through the rafter. If non-penetrating mount for an antenna  100  is removed from the rafted, no damage to the rafter occurs and no holes need to be patched since any indentations are very small. 
         [0044]      FIG. 2  illustrates the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with hidden lines shown. Opposing sides of base  101  and plate  102  can be seen with friction elements  110 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 5  illustrates a front view thereof. 
         [0046]      FIG. 6A  illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the base. Force elements  601  and  602  may be implemented as threaded nuts, wherein bolts (not shown for brevity) that are rotated in force elements  601  and  602  force plate  102  towards the opposing portion of the base (left side of  FIGS. 7A and 7B ). Alternatively, force elements  601  and  602  may be replaced by a threaded nut in hole  610  so that only one force element is utilized to force the plate towards the opposing base face. Alternatively, hold  610  may be utilized to allow safety L-pin  1001  as shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B  to keep plate  102  from falling out of the apparatus during installation for example. Friction elements  110  in this embodiment may be implemented as several protrusions that extend into or out of the plane that defines the inner face of base  101 .  FIG. 6B  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the base. Friction elements  110  in this embodiment may be implemented as a higher number of protrusions that extend into or out of the plane that defines the inner face of base  101  as compared with the embodiments shown in  FIG. 6A  for example. 
         [0047]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a front view of a first embodiment of the base showing a few friction elements  110 .  FIG. 7B  illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of the base showing a large number of friction elements. 
         [0048]      FIG. 8  illustrates a side view of the base showing optional extender  109 , that may be replaced by arm  103  for example if no extension functionality is required. 
         [0049]      FIG. 9A  illustrates a top view of a first embodiment of the base showing two general areas having friction elements  110 .  FIG. 9B  illustrates a top view of a second embodiment of the base showing a large number of friction elements  110  covering in this embodiment a majority of the area of the base plane that defines the inner face of base  101 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 10A  illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of plate  102  showing a plurality of friction elements  110  in a plurality of general areas along the plane that plate  102  generally lies within, but for example not entirely.  FIG. 10B  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the plate showing a plurality of friction elements  110  extending over most of the face of plate  102 . In addition,  FIGS. 10A and 10B  show L-pin  1001  that adds a measure of safety during installation in that L-pin  1001  keeps plate  102  from falling out of the apparatus during installation when L-pin  1001  is inserted into hole  610  (see  FIGS. 2 and 6 ) for example. Holes  1002  and  1003  may optionally be included wherein these holes allow the ends of bolts (not shown for brevity) or portions thereof to remain centered and hence keep the plate centered during installation. The bolts engage force elements  601  and  602 , for example nuts, to force the plate towards the opposing base face. Holes  1002  and  1003  may also be implemented as dents or indentations or eliminated altogether. Alternatively, L-pin  1001  can be threaded and hole  610  can be implemented as a threaded nut instead of a simple hole in order to implement a 1 force element embodiment. In this case, the end of L-pin  1001  that engages plate  102  may be rotationally coupled to plate  102 . Alternatively, a fixed attachment on the L-pin to plate  102  that is not rotationally mounted can be utilized in another embodiment of the invention so long as a nut is engaged onto L-pin  1001  on the inside of the right wall of base  101 , i.e., right side of  FIGS. 7A and 7B . In this configuration a slot may be located in general area  901  of base  101  (as per  FIGS. 9A and 9B ) to allow for rotation of the internally nut from outside of base  101 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 11A  illustrates a top view of a first embodiment of the plate.  FIG. 11B  illustrates a top view of a second embodiment of the plate.  FIG. 12A  illustrates a front view of a first embodiment of the plate.  FIG. 12B  illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of the plate.  FIG. 13A  illustrates a side view of a first embodiment of the plate.  FIG. 13B  illustrates a side view of a second embodiment of the plate.  FIG. 14A  illustrates a close-up view of a first embodiment of the friction elements  110 .  FIG. 14B  illustrates a close-up view of a second embodiment of the friction elements  110 , being more numerous in  FIG. 14B  with respect to  FIG. 14A  for example. Friction elements  110  may be of any shape that extends into or out or otherwise deviates from the plane that defines the face of base  101  or plate  102 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of arm  103 .  FIG. 16  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the arm.  FIG. 17  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the arm.  FIG. 18  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the arm, slot  1801  allows for coupling J-pipe  104  to the arm for elevation adjustment. 
         [0053]      FIG. 19  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of J-pipe  104  having slots  1901  (as opposed to simple holes) that allow for azimuth adjustment when coupling with slot  1801  of arm  103 .  FIG. 20  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the J-pipe.  FIG. 21  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the J-pipe.  FIG. 22  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the J-pipe. 
         [0054]      FIG. 23  shows a picture of an embodiment of the invention mounted on a test rafter. Bolts and the L-pin can be seen extending from the base. 
         [0055]    Test Results: 
         [0056]    Rafter test with rafter in vertical orientation: 
         [0057]    With a 34.5 lbf torque applied to the rafter 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Test 1 
                 Test 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Initial 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                 Load 
                 0.8°  
                 0.8° 
               
               
                   
                 Recovery 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0058]    With a 75 lbf torque applied to the rafter 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Test 1 
                 Test 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Initial 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                 Load 
                 2.1° 
                 2.1° 
               
               
                   
                 Recovery  
                 0.1° 
                 0.2° 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0059]    Rafter test with rafter in horizontal orientation 
         [0060]    With a 34.5 lbf torque applied to the rafter 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Test 1 
                 Test 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Initial 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                 Load 
                 0.9° 
                 0.9° 
               
               
                   
                 Recovery 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0061]    With a 75 lbf torque applied to the rafter 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 Test 1 
                 Test 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Initial 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                 Load 
                 2.2° 
                 2.2° 
               
               
                   
                 Recovery 
                 0.0° 
                 0.0° 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0062]      FIG. 24  shows a picture of indentations  2401  that remain on the rafter after an embodiment of the invention is removed from the rafter, wherein the damage to the rafter is minimized. 
         [0063]    While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.