Skylight and method to install

A skylight assembly to be secured to an exterior surface of a roof includes a frame assembly having walls, an upper peripheral edge, and an outer wall surface. Angled brackets are used to secure the entire skylight assembly to the roof surface. Each angled bracket includes a first arm which is attached to a portion of the outer wall surface of the frame assembly and a second arm which is positioned generally perpendicular to, and outwardly from the outer wall surface of the frame assembly. The second arm of each bracket is adapted to be fastened to the exterior surface of the roof. A flashing assembly surrounds the frame and includes a vertical portion which is positioned parallel and adjacent to the outer wall surface and a horizontal portion which is positioned parallel to and above the second arm. The second arm of each bracket includes an accessible portion which extends outwardly past the horizontal portion of the flashing. The accessible portion is adapted to receive appropriate fasteners and secure the second arm to the exterior of the roof.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention generally relates to skylight fixtures (or roof windows) of 
the type which are installed within the roof of a building, and more 
particularly, to skylight frame curb and flashing assemblies and methods 
of installing such assemblies within the roof structure. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The recent interest in contemporary architecture, particularly in 
connection with residential buildings, has resulted in a substantial 
increase in the demand for skylight assemblies. Installers of such 
skylights (roofers) have concomitantly demanded that the skylight fixtures 
be simple in structure and easy to install within a roof structure of a 
building. 
One particular problem with current skylight assemblies is that a roofer is 
usually required to climb onto a roof, make an appropriate opening within 
the roof to accommodate the skylight, position the skylight within the 
opening, then climb back down and access the inside portion of the 
unsecured skylight to secure the skylight to the frame structure of the 
roof (usually to a prepared frame surrounding the opening). Typically, the 
roofer must climb an interior ladder to access and secure the skylight. 
This apparently simple task of securing a skylight from within the 
building structure increases unnecessary risk to the roofer and extends 
the installation time of the skylight. 
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide a skylight assembly 
which is simple to install and otherwise overcomes the deficiencies of the 
prior art. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a skylight assembly which may 
be quickly and easily installed to a roof surface completely from the 
exterior of the building structure. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A skylight assembly to be secured to an exterior surface of a roof 
comprises a frame assembly having walls including an upper peripheral edge 
and an outer wall surface. Angled brackets are used to secure the entire 
skylight assembly to the roof surface. Each bracket includes a first arm 
which is attached to a portion of the outer wall surface and a second arm 
which is positioned generally perpendicular to, and outwardly from the 
outer wall surface of the frame. The second arm of each bracket is adapted 
to be fastened to the exterior surface of the roof. A factory installed 
flashing assembly surrounds the frame and includes a vertical portion 
which is positioned parallel and adjacent to the outer wall surface and a 
horizontal portion which is positioned parallel to and above the second 
arm. The second arm of each bracket includes an accessible portion which 
extends outwardly past the horizontal portion of the flashing. Securing 
means is used to secure the accessible portion of the second arm to the 
exterior of the roof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a skylight assembly 10 in accordance 
with the present invention including a generally rectangular frame 
assembly 12 defining an opening 14. The frame may be of any shape, 
including but not limited to square and trapezoidal. In the illustrative 
embodiment, the rectangular frame 12 includes long side walls 12a and 12b 
interconnected by shorter frame walls 12c and 12d. A transparent sheet 20 
made from glass or plastic is mounted to the frame assembly 12 across the 
opening 14, and appropriately sealed against the upper peripheral edge 18 
of frame 12 in a conventional manner to be selectively opened or 
permanently sealed. Preferably, four mounting brackets 22 are secured to 
the outer surfaces of the frame walls 12a and 12b, one bracket 22 located 
near each end of each member 12a, 12b, as shown in FIG. 1. Each mounting 
bracket 22 includes a vertical skylight arm 24 and a horizontal roof arm 
26, as shown in FIG. 4. 
The frame assembly 12 preferably includes four dado-type grooves 28 located 
within the outer side surfaces of frame walls 12a and 12b to receive the 
skylight arms 24 of each of the four mounting brackets 22. The depth of 
each groove 28 is at least equal to the thickness of the mounting brackets 
22 so that when secured within a respective groove 28, the skylight arm 24 
of the mounting bracket 22 remains either flush with respect to the outer 
side surface of the frame member, or lies slightly deeper within the 
groove 24. Each mounting bracket 22 is secured to the frame assembly 12, 
within the respective groove 28 using wood screws, or any other 
appropriate fastener depending on the material of the frame assembly 12. 
A flashing 30 (FIG. 3) is mounted to the frame assembly 12 to prevent 
leakage. The flashing 30 is generally "L" shaped in cross-section (the 
precise shape being shown in FIG. 4) and includes a vertical wall 32 
connected to a horizontal panel 34. The flashing 30 is formed into a shape 
similar to the shape of the frame assembly 12. The flashing 30 may consist 
of four mitred sections (not numbered) assembled in conventional fashion 
and configured so that the vertical wall 32 of the flashing 30 snugly fits 
around the outer surface of the frame assembly 12, leaving the horizontal 
panel 34 of the flashing 30 parallel to the plane of the transparent sheet 
20 and parallel to the roof surface 44. The roof arm 26 of each mounting 
bracket 22 must extend outwardly beyond the flashing 30 so that each roof 
arm 26 may be secured to the roof surface 44. As shown in FIG. 4, the 
portion of the bracket arm 26 which extends outwardly beyond the flashing 
30 includes two holes 48 so that the mounting brackets, and thereby the 
entire frame assembly, can be secured to the roof as explained below. 
In accordance with the invention, it is preferred that the skylight arm 24 
of each mounting bracket 22 be secured to the frame assembly 12 within a 
respective groove 28, and the entire flashing assembly 30 be mounted to 
the frame assembly 12 over the skylight arms 24 of each mounting bracket 
22. The skylight assembly 10 is intended to be sold as a pre-assembled, 
easy-to-install roof fixture. 
In operation, the installer or roofer must first cut a roof-opening 42 in 
the roof 44 of a building which is sized and shaped similar to the size 
and shape of the frame assembly 12. The skylight assembly 10, in 
accordance with the invention, is positioned within the roof-opening 42 so 
that the horizontal panel 34 of the flashing 30 lies against the surface 
of the roof 44 (against appropriate layers of insulation and/or roofing 
paper 46). Once in position, the installer fastens the exposed portions of 
each roof arm 26 of each mounting bracket 22 to the roof surface 44 by 
securing appropriate fasteners 50, such nails or wood screws, through the 
openings 48 within the bracket 22. One benefit of the present skylight 
structure is that the installation is simple and quick, amounting to 
merely fastening the exposed portions of each bracket 22 to the roof 44 
and applying shingles to the area to seal the skylight against the roof. 
The present invention thus obviates the need to fasten the skylight from 
within the building structure. 
When applying roof shingles 52 adjacent to the skylight, the installer 
should consider the entire skylight assembly 10 as a single shingle so 
that shingles above the skylight will ride over the flashing panel 34, as 
shown in FIG. 3, and shingles extending downward from the bottom of the 
skylight should be positioned so that the flashing rides over them, as 
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This arrangement ensures that any runoff of water 
down across the roof shingles 52 will similarly run onto the flashing 30 
of the skylight 10 and continue back onto the roofing shingles 52 without 
interrupted flow or finding a point of entry into the roof structure. 
To prevent runoff water from entering past the flashing, the outermost edge 
of the flashing panel 34 is provided with a curled gutter-like channel 54. 
The roof shingles 52 are secured to the roof with a slight (about three 
inches) overlap onto the flashing panels 34 and over the gutter-like 
channels 54, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
Any water flowing down the roof shingles 52 will flow past the frame 
assembly 12. If any of the water develops any lateral movement, the 
channels 52 of each flashing panel 34 will divert the flow of water away 
from the side edge of the flashing 30 and back to a downward direction so 
that no water will flow between the shingles 50 and the roof surface 44.