Satellite Dish Mounting Plate

The satellite dish baseplate serves as a support panel integrated into plywood and installed on the roof of a home to provide simpler stationing of a direct-to-home satellite. Particularly when new houses are being built, the baseplate can be utilized for either eastern or western satellites. Such satellites can be attached or detached from the baseplate. The plate comes with all the necessary threaded holes and additionally has a cover for when the baseplate is not in use by a satellite dish.

BACKGROUND

A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive or transmit information by radio waves to or from a communication satellite. The term most commonly means a dish used by consumers to receive direct-broadcast satellite television from a direct broadcast satellite in geostationary orbit. There have been no products available as original equipment or as an aftermarket to address this problem.

Direct-To-Home can either refer to the communications satellites themselves that deliver service or the actual television service. Most satellite television customers in developed television markets get their programming through a direct broadcast satellite provider. Signals are transmitted using Kuband and are completely digital which means it has high picture and stereo sound quality. Programming for satellite television channels comes from multiple sources and may include live studio feeds. The broadcast center assembles and packages programming into channels for transmission and, where necessary, encrypts the channels. The signal is then sent to the uplink where it is transmitted to the satellite. There have been no products available as original equipment or as an aftermarket to address this problem either.

There exists a need for a satellite dish baseplate that is not being met by any known or disclosed device or system of present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The satellite dish mounting plate serves as a support panel integrated into plywood and installed on the roof of a home to provide simpler stationing of a direct-to-home satellite. Particularly when new houses are being built, the mounting plate, also known as a baseplate, can be utilized for either eastern or western satellites. Such satellites can be attached or detached from the baseplate. The plate comes with all the necessary threaded holes and additionally has a cover for when the baseplate is not in use by a satellite dish.

Throughout the description, similar reference numbers may be used to identify similar elements depicted in multiple embodiments. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Throughout the present disclosure the terms mounting plate, baseplate and rigid plate are used synonymously to refer to the hardware used to mount a satellite dish foot plate onto a roof of a structure. The term lag refers to a lag screw used for securing the rigid plate onto a roof and the term stud refers to a stud bolt used for installing the satellite foot plate onto the rigid plate.

FIG. 1is an exploded view from above of the first design of the satellite dish baseplate and cover in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. On two sides of the baseplate cover A are latches B that connect to the plate for when a satellite is not attached. The baseplate C has the dimensions to be integrated to roof plywood with a size of eight inches long, by seven and one-half inches wide, by three inches tall. On the top face of the plate are four threaded holes D for removable three-eights inch studs. These threaded holes are positioned on the plate toward the corner edges of the top face. On two of the side faces opposite to each other and matching with the cover latch positions are latch holes E for the cover latches to fit into. On the top face of the plate, centered on the middle is a rectangular compartment F, that holds nylon lock nuts G and lags installed by the roofers H. Towards the edge of the inside of said compartment is a place for spare studs I. A flange L shown projecting from a backside of the rigid plate, facilitates mounting into a hole defined in a sheet of plywood. The flange may project from one side or from all sides of the rigid plate according to need.

FIG. 2is a view from above of the second design of the satellite dish baseplate in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this design, the threaded holes D on the front face are closer to the four corners than in the first design. Furthermore, the lags H installed by the roofers are in the center of the compartment F, and the nylon lock nuts G surround said lags.

FIG. 3is a bottom view of the second design for the satellite dish baseplate in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is depicted how the holes J for the lags go through the entire baseplate and allow for the lags to go through into the truss. On the bottom side, there are also grommets K for said lags.

FIG. 4is a perspective view of a cover for the satellite baseplate in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The view includes the cover A and the latches B for attaching and securing the cover A to the rigid plate.

FIG. 5is a flow chart of a method of installation of the predefined mounting plate in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method of mounting a plate system includes providing100a rigid plate having a compartment defined in a topside thereof, the compartment configured to accommodate a plurality of fasteners. The method also includes securing110a plurality of lags projecting downward from the compartment of the rigid plate onto a roof joist flush with a roofing plywood. The method additionally includes installing120a satellite footplate onto the rigid plate via a plurality of studs disposed upward from the topside of the rigid plate.

FIG. 6is a flow chart of a further method of installation of the predefined mounting plate in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The method further includes predisposing130the plurality of studs upward through the rigid plate to the topside of the rigid plate for the satellite footplate. The method yet includes predisposing140the plurality of lags downward from the compartment through the rigid plate for fastening into the roof joist. Embodiments of the method include sealing150a cover onto the compartment to protect the fasteners during a shipping, a storing and a sale of the rigid plate.

Further embodiments of the method include installing the rigid plate into a complementary opening defined in a backside of a sheet of roofing plywood against a flange of the rigid plate, storing an excess of the plurality of fasteners in the compartment and sealing the rigid plate flush with a sheet of roofing plywood. The method yet includes sealing a cover over the compartment during an installation and a use of the rigid plate.

Accordingly, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited, except as by the specification and claims set forth herein.